AN: Despite my best efforts it has again been months since I updated. I don't mean to keep you waiting really I don't, but I've had an extremely crazy two months. I don't even know where they've gone. I won't promise to update quicker, as every time I've thought I'd be able to it hasn't worked out. But know I'm updating as quickly as I can and am working on this story still, though it probably seems as if I've abandoned it.
Legality
The rest of the night passed in a quickly flurry of movement. After Draco told Harry and Hermione the bare facts of Ginny's story, the three of them strengthened the charms protecting number twelve. Daniel would no longer be able to see the house should he decide to visit Grimmauld Place, nor would he be able to apparate in. After helping Daniel-proof the house, as Hermione had called it, Draco returned to his bedroom. The first rays of morning light were already seeping in through the partially covered windows as he climbed into bed, careful not to disturb Ginny, who was sleeping peacefully near the middle of the bed.
Draco's eyes closed the moment his head hit the pillow and he didn't wake again till near noon. Either Melena hadn't cried or he'd just been too exhausted to hear her. When he did wake it was to find the room around him completely changed. The wardrobe over on the right side of the room wasn't the one that had been there hours before, it was Ginny's. The changing table stood where there was once a small desk, the crib had been repositioned so it rested against the far wall, and in one corner sat a rocking chair, positioned so the person sitting in it could look out the window.
Ginny was sitting quietly in the chair, rocking back and forth as she feed Melena. She didn't seem to realize he was awake so he took that quiet moment to study her. Sunlight washed over her face, almost hiding the bruises that were now fully formed around both her eyes. Somehow, despite the bruising, she looked peaceful.
"Melena didn't wake you did she?" Ginny asked, still looking out the window.
"No," Draco answered, sitting up properly, not bothering to ask how she'd known he was awake "in fact I didn't hear her at all after I came back to bed."
"Good," Ginny said softly, looking down as she switched Melena from one side to the other. "Draco," she started, looking over at him, "I want to thank you for what you did last night; for everything you did last night; for listening to me, helping with Melena - your discretion with Harry and Hermione; everything."
"Of course," he said, "anything I can do to help."
"You've helped enough," she assured him, "I just really appreciate everything you've done."
"Not a problem," he insisted, stretching as he got up off the bed. "So which room did they move my tings to?" He questioned pulling on his robes, he intended to gather up his clothes and take the longest shower he could manage.
"None," she answered, "there was enough room in my wardrobe for your things…I want you to stay."
He smiled, pulling open the wardrobe door, he could do that with ease, "I might have known you put our things together," he muttered, picking out what he intended to wear, "you are wearing my shirt after all."
"Noticed that did you?" She asked; she'd borrowed one of his button ups, matching it with a pair of jeans. "If you want me to change - "
"No," he said, waving his hand dismissively, "don't bother; besides, it's a good look for you."
She smiled appreciatively, "Thank you, button ups make feedings less of a hassle," she explained buttoning her shirt with one hand as she cradled her now sleeping daughter against her body with the other.
"Drops right off doesn't she?" He questioned, nodding his head at Melena as he crossed the room to the bathroom.
"She does, especially in afternoon."
"Must be all those early morning meetings," Draco reasoned putting his clothes down and switching on the shower. "Contract negotiations with her coffee, conference calls with her muffin."
Ginny laughed, "I've told her she needs to take some time off; she simply refuses to see reason."
He smiled, hanging his clean clothes on the back of the door; it was good to hear that she could still be cheerful, that she wasn't dwelling entirely on what had happened. She was handling things much better then he had. And he told her so, looking around the edge of the partially closed door. "It's good to hear you laugh Gin," he said, making her smile.
"It's good to hear you calling me Gin," she responded, shifting Melena, "others have, but it isn't the same." She looked up, meeting his eyes with hers, and for a moment, a very small moment, he thought he saw a glimmer of her old feelings for him, but it was gone as soon as he saw it.
You imagined it, he told himself shacking his head to clear his mind, "I'm just going to get cleaned up," he said, motioning to the shower, though he wasn't sure why he was telling her.
"Go on then, I'll wait for you," she said, smiling as if she knew how awkward he suddenly felt, "we'll go down together."
He nodded, and shut the bathroom door, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Why he was feeling so shaky and awkward suddenly was beyond him. Though he had been a bit unsteady in most ways recently, it was probably nothing. At least that's what he told himself as he stepped under the tap. It couldn't be anything more, with everything they had both been through it would be, in a word, inconvenient.
Fifteen minutes later Draco left the bathroom, convinced he'd imagined the look in Ginny's eyes, and the shaky feeling in his knees. Ginny was still in the rocker, she'd placed Melena in a small chair next to the rocking chair that Draco hadn't noticed before, and was looking out the window. "I don't think I've ever actually looked out this window," he said, stepping up behind her and looking out. It wasn't much to see, the window overlooked the back alley and the buildings behind Grimmauld Place.
"I don't know that it's much to see," she said with a shrug, "it's just something to look at. Keep my mind off other things."
Draco nodded, understanding the feeling, "Smart, I tried books and a variety of other things, none of them worked."
"I noticed that," Ginny said, getting out of the rocker, "and it hasn't helped me much either, though Melena is helping to keep me preoccupied."
"Thank you for cleaning up, by the way," he said, noticing that the room was much cleaner then it had been when he'd gone to sleep.
"Another distraction," she explained, scooping Melena up.
Draco sighed, "Never did well with domestic spells."
She laughed, "I remember, you blew up my couch once trying to organize the magazines on the coffee table."
"I put out the fire," he reminded her, sounding a bit hurt, "and repaired the couch!"
"And the couch smelt like singed stuffing for the rest of the time I owned it," she reminded him.
He scoffed dramatically, holding open the door for Ginny, "I still say that was your imagination." She rolled her eyes, making sure he could see it, and walked out of the room. He followed after her, shaking his head, he would never get off the hook for that, even though it happened eight years ago.
The kitchen was deserted when they entered it, but there was a meal put out on the table. "I wonder where Harry and Hermione have gone," Draco mused, sitting down at the table.
"Retrieving Lily and James from the Burrow," Ginny told him, taking up the seat next to him, "Hermione came up while you were in the shower and told me. She also said we should help ourselves to lunch if we were hungry."
"You hungry?" He asked, watching her eye the food in front of them.
"Famished," she admitted, trying to adjust Melena so she could eat and hold her baby at the same time.
"Let me take her," Draco offered, holding out his arms.
"You need to eat too," she insisted.
"I will, after you do," he insisted in turn. She smiled gratefully and passed Melena over to him. The little bundle shifted at the extra movement, but settled as Draco cradled her against his chest, letting his steady heartbeat sooth her.
"Next time I'll being her bouncer down," Ginny said, pulling a plateful of food towards her, "that way no one has to hold her while I eat."
Draco shook his head, "I'm happy to do it. It's been a long time since I held a baby, I miss it."
She smiled, "All the same, you shouldn't have to put off your meal to accommodate my child. She likes sleeping the in bouncer best anyway."
"Is that was that little chair is called?" He questioned, remembering that it had bounced a bit. She nodded her mouth too full for her to answer properly.
"It's a muggle thing," she explained once she swallowed, "Daniel's sister suggested we get one."
"He has a sister?"
"Yes, a few years older them him," Ginny explained, "she hated me."
"I find that hard to believe," he said, no one could not like Ginny.
"Do you really?" She asked skeptically, "as I recall you knew a house full of people who didn't like me. And for about the first five years we knew each other you were one of them."
"Well, now I find it hard to believe," he corrected, looking sideways at her as he rocked Melena slowly.
She looked over at him; the image of her child safe in his arms brought a smile to her face. "Glad you've seen the error of your ways."
"Oh yes," he jokingly admitted, "I was an idiot in school, was a horrible judge of character."
"Well," Ginny started understandingly, "you were a Slytherin."
He glared at her, "Don't start with that." She went back to her food with a triumphant look on her face. Draco shook his head. Bringing up houses had always been their way of arguing in jest, but it was the triumphant look of hers that always got his goat. Like she'd one some victory, though what they were battling over he'd never know.
He was just working out a clever way to barb her about Gryffindor when the hearth at the end of the table bust with bright green flames. Harry and Hermione stepped out first, closely followed by Ginny's parents, Molly and Arthur. Molly gave a gasp of horror and threw herself at her daughter, causing Ginny to howl in pain.
Molly jumped back as if she'd been electrocuted, "Oh Ginny, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"It's all right Mum," Ginny insisted politely, though Draco could see her cringing in pain, trying to keep quiet so her mother wouldn't feel worse. "Just don't do it again, at least not until I've been properly healed."
"Oh Ginny," Molly sobbed stepping closer to Ginny, but managing to keep a safe distance. "I can heal you," she insisted, pulling her wand out of a pocket of the hand knitted poncho she was wearing.
"No Mum," Ginny said quickly, "I can't be healed just yet," she added, launching into the story of what happened to her yesterday, leaving out the rape. She continued by explaining the prenuptial contract she'd made Daniel sign. Judging by her parent's reactions, and the reactions of Harry and Hermione, Ginny hadn't told anyone about Daniel's abusive incident.
"Then that's the first thing you have to do Ginny," Hermione said in the silence that followed Ginny's great revelation. "I can take you upstairs, take pictures to prove what he did, and then your mother can heal you."
Ginny nodded, "Yes, except, I'd rather Draco did it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Hermione looked at her, shocked, as did Draco.
"Why not let Hermi-" Harry started to say, but Ginny stopped him.
"He's already seen what I look like," she explained, "under all this, I just, I want as few people to see me this way as possible" She turned to Draco, "Will you do this for me?"
"Of course," he said immediately, not bothering to give it a moment's thought.
"I'll go get the camera then, shall I?" Harry asked, walking out of the kitchen before anyone could answer. Draco got the distinct feeling that Harry was upset about him for something, though Draco had no idea what he could have done.
"Here Draco," Molly started, moving around Ginny with her arms outstretched, "I'll take the baby."
"Thanks Mum," Ginny said as Draco handed Melena to Molly.
"Of course dear," Molly said dismissively, looking at her granddaughter adoringly, "I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have a granddaughter," she commented, "Now I have two. Anyone who can't see how beautiful you are is a right fool."
"She's right you know," Draco whispered to Ginny, who was watching her mother cradle her daughter.
Ginny nodded, "I know," she admitted, smiling momentarily at Draco before turning to Arthur, "Dad, could I ask you to do something?"
"Yes Ginny?" Arthur assured her quickly.
"Could you go into the Ministry and get the papers for me to fill out?"
He nodded, "Be happy to," he said, stepping forward to kiss her gently on the only part of her cheek that wasn't scratched up. Draco saw her recoil as her father got closer, drawing in her breath. Luckily her father didn't notice, he kissed her quickly, stepped back, and disapparated. Draco was about to ask he if she was all right when she spoke up.
"Hermione, where are Lily and James?" She asked, looking around the kitchen, "I thought you went to fetch them."
"We did, but Harry and I thought that maybe it would be best for things to get settled with you before they came home. They're with George and Lauren now."
"Did you tell them?" Ginny asked.
"George and Lauren? No, I didn't want to worry them."
"Thank you," Ginny said, "I'd hate to think what the boys would do."
"You know what those boys would do," Molly insisted, "they'd hunt Daniel down like a pack of animals and land themselves in Azkaban by beating him to death."
"All the more reason to tell them," Draco muttered as Harry reentered the kitchen, camera in hand. He marched over to Draco and roughly shoved the machine into the blonde's hands.
"I've set up the development solution in the dinning room," he explained, "I thought it would be as good a room as any."
"Thank you Harry," Ginny said getting up from the bench. "Come on Draco, I want to get this finished." Draco nodded and followed her off the bench and out of the kitchen. "Harry's being very hostile towards you," Ginny said when she and Draco were on the stairs heading up. "Isn't he?"
"Yes," Draco agreed, "I suppose I'll hear what I've done wrong, eventually."
"It's hard to know with Harry," Ginny assessed, "though I think it has something to do with me."
"I know it has something to do with you," Draco said, walking into the dinning room. Ginny followed after him and he closed the door behind her.
"Um, Draco," Ginny started hesitantly, turning back to face him, "I don't want to include the rape in this."
"What?" He asked, too shocked to say anything more.
"I don't want the father of my child to go down as a rapist," she explained.
He shook his head, as if to clear his mind, "But that's what he is!" Draco insisted, completely aghast.
"I know," she insisted, "but he's going to go to Azkaban as it is for assaulting me. I just - please Draco, this is how I need to do it."
He looked at her and immediately he knew he'd relent. Her desperate, pleading eyes got him instantly. Though he thought it would be better for her to admit what happened he could clearly see that she wasn't ready for that. Perhaps one day the truth would come out, but it certainly wasn't going to be today. "Fine," he conceded, "we'll leave it out and I promise I'll not say anything."
"Thank you, Draco," she said earnestly, beginning to unbutton her shirt. "I know it will come out eventually, but I'm not ready for it yet." He nodded, looking away from her as she stripped down. It felt oddly uncomfortable to watch her undress, so he avoided it as best he could. "I'm done now," she told him, "you can turn `round."
He turned and found her standing, in her bra and jeans near the end of the dinning room table, her armed crossed nervously over her stomach. "You'll need to uncross your arms," he said gently, holding the camera up to his eye. She nodded letting her arms fall way. He quickly snapped pictures of her heavily bruised abdomen and face, then asked her to hold her arms out and together so he could get pictures of her wrists.
When he was satisfied that he'd gotten her bruising well documented, Draco went about developing the pictures, as Ginny pulled her shirt back on. Fifteen minutes later he had a stack of seven photos, Ginny's purple bruises evident in every one. "Those will be perfect," she appraised glancing at the photos over his shoulder. "Thank you, Draco."
"Glad I could help," Draco said tightly, looking down at the top picture in the stack, the one of Ginny's face.
Ginny surprised him by touching his shoulder lightly, "I know what you're thinking, and thank you for thinking it, but I don't want you to do it."
"What am I thinking?" He asked, sure she couldn't possibly know him that well.
She sighed, "You want to go after Daniel and hurt him for hurting me."
"You really do know me that well," he muttered, turning around to face her.
"Yes I do, and you can't do it. I don't want you going to prison."
He scoffed, "I should be there anyway."
"What?" She asked trying to look him to his eyes, but he was looking very purposefully away from her.
"It's nothing, just lingering guilt," he said dismissively. He wanted to tell her what had happened to him, what he'd done, but it wasn't the time for it. "I'll go and get your mum so she can heal you," he said, handing her the photos and walking towards the door.
"You can talk to me," she insisted, making him stop and turn back to face her.
"I know I can," he promised, "now just isn't the time." She nodded understandingly and he left.
In the kitchen once more he reported that the pictures were taken and sent Molly up to heal Ginny. Molly gave Melena to Arthur, who'd apparated in from the Ministry of Magic just as Draco was opening the kitchen door, and headed to the dinning room.
Once Molly had gone Harry motioned for Draco to walk into the panty, "I want a word." Draco nodded, walked across the room; into the pantry. Harry followed after him, closing the door behind them with a loud snap.
"Not happy about something?" Draco questioned sarcastically, leaning his back agsint a wall of shelves.
"Surprisingly enough, I'm not happy about something."
"Doing a good job of keeping it hidden, never would have guessed."
"Don't get smart," Harry snapped, "you're the trouble."
"Yes, I'd guessed that, otherwise you'd be pulling someone else into the pantry."
Harry sighed, frustrated by the blonde's obstinacies, "What's going on between you and Ginny?"
Draco scoffed, "Nothing, she's badly hurt and needed a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. I suspect that if you lot had been home last night she wouldn't be speaking to me at all. She didn't want to at first, but I was the only one here and she needed to talk."
"Don't twist this Draco," Harry said stepping closer to the blonde, "don't try to use her, don't try to get her back."
"She's an adult you know," Draco said straightening up, Harry's close proximity making him feel ill at ease.
Harry nodded, "I do know, I was also around the last time you broke her heart. Did you know she couldn't get out of bed for nearly a month after you left her, she was so upset? Then she mopped around for another half year before she could really start to get over you. Did you know that?"
"No," Draco admitted, "but the situation isn't likely to repeat itself."
"Just keep your distance from her."
"I'll do nothing of the sort," Draco promised, straightening up to his full height so he was taller then the other man. "If she needs my support I'll give it to her. Anything beyond that is nothing to do with you."
Harry looked as if he wanted to growl with rage, "Fine, but if you ever hurt her again -"
"You and her brothers will hunt me down like the beast I am and kill me," Draco interrupted, finishing Harry's sentence for him, "Yes, I know, we've done this dance before."
"Doesn't make it any less true," Harry promised, stepping back and out of the cupboard.
"Now that, I believe," Draco muttered, following Harry back into the kitchen. Molly and Ginny had returned by the time Draco reentered the room. He looked casually at Ginny, to check that her bruises were gone, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Her injuries healed, her beauty was shinning once again, and the age she'd gained in their time apart had only done her good. She looked amazing, despite the viable signs of fatigue. The biggest change was in her eyes. Those eyes that had always pulled him in, were wiser now, they held more secrets, and he found himself wanting to know all of them.
She smiled over at him, noticing he was watching her, and motioned for him to join her on the bench again. He obliged, ignoring the warning look he was getting from Harry. Sitting down on her right side her said, "Your mum did a great job, you look brilliant."
"I feel better too," she admitted, "at least, I'm not in physical pain anymore, and that's a good thing."
He nodded, "It is."
"You know, my dad isn't giving Melena up to anyone," she commented, "not even to me."
Draco smiled, "the proud grandfather."
"Very proud," she agreed, nodding her head happily.
"Did he get the papers you need?"
"Yes," she said, pulling a small stack of papers towards herself. "The annulment papers, the assault report form, and a petition for full custody of Melena. I never realized how much paperwork this would take."
"You going to fill them out?" He asked, "Or just look at them?"
She rolled her eyes, "what do you think?"
Draco looked at her, considering his response carefully. There was a smartass answer riding on the tip of his tongue, as there always was, but he decided a more visual response would be better. He held up his hand to her, moving his fingers, as if twirling something between them. After a few seconds a quill appeared between his middle finger and ring. Proud of the magic he'd preformed, he passed the quill to her, saying, "The longer you wait the harder it's going to be to face."
She nodded, taking the quill and turning to the stack of parchment in front of her. Anticipating her next thought he put his hand to the table in front of her and brought it up slowly, leaving a bottle of green ink in its wake. She looked over at him and he smirked, "Don't be such a show off," Ginny chided, though he could hear in her voice that she was amused, causing his smirk to grow.
Her head shook as she looked away from him, as if she couldn't believe the arrogance in his smirk; seconds later though, she very quietly asked him, "Where did you learn to control your wandless magic so well?"
"It was the best way to kill those long hours in the Slytherin common room," he answered, "not to mention it was a great way to show off."
"I suppose that is what Slytherins would do with their time," Ginny reasoned sarcastically, filling the tip of the quill with ink and beginning the paperwork in front of her. "In Gryffindor we foolishly did our class work and spent time with our friends."
"Idiots, all of you," Draco declared, eliciting a small laugh from Ginny. The room around them was amazingly quiet, and it grew quieter as Ginny concentrated on the paperwork in front of her.
With Ginny engrossed in her work Draco took a moment to look around the room. Harry and Hermione were hovering near the fireplace, engrossed in a debate of whispers. He decided he probably didn't want to know what they were discussing. Molly and Arthur were sitting at the far end of the table, fussing over their granddaughter who was still sleeping Arthur's arms. It was good that they were there. It was good for Ginny to be surrounded by people who cared about her and her daughter.
He looked back to Ginny, to see what progress she'd made, and found himself staring at her. Noticing the soft curve of her face, the three freckles that looked like an earring coming down in a line below her ear, the small scar at the corner of her eye. All the little things he hadn't thought of in six years were suddenly bombarding his mind. He'd once known every inch of her body, very intimately, and he'd loved every freckle, every dimple, and every scar.
For a fleeting moment, he thought that maybe he was remembering these things because Harry had brought the subject up, but Draco quickly brushed that thought away. He'd stopped himself from thinking of Ginny during his years with Pauline so he could be happy, so he could focus on what he had instead of what he'd lost. Now however, with Pauline gone, he couldn't stop himself, especially with Ginny right next to him. Guilt surged through him at the thought of Pauline; he shouldn't be thinking about another woman, he'd only just lost the wife he loved, the mother of his child.
"Draco," Ginny whispered, pulling him out of his thoughts, "you've been staring at me, ear for the past fifteen minutes."
"Sorry," he apologized quickly, looking away from her ear, "I got lost in thought."
"I could tell," she told him, "my ear isn't nearly that interesting."
"Depends on who's looking at it," he explained as his stomach gave a loud rumble.
"You never did eat did you?" She asked and then answering herself said, "Eat, I'll be at this paperwork a bit longer."
"I think I will," he said, pulling a plate towards himself and filling it with food. "I haven't really eaten a proper meal since I got here," he admitted, casting a warming charm on his stone cold food before he started in on it. Hermione wasn't a terribly good cook, certainly no where near as good as Ginny's mother, but the food tasted marvelous. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was so hungry; whatever the reason he loved it, eating it all much quicker then he should.
"You'll give yourself a stomachache if you keep eating like that," Molly said in a very motherly fashion.
"Or choke yourself," Ginny commented, slashing her signature across the bottom line of the last piece of parchment in her small stack. "And I'm finished," she added reorganizing the finished papers. "It's over," she said quietly, looking somewhat sadly at the paperwork, "I'm not married anymore." Draco, the only person who heard her, reached over and gave her a one armed hug of comfort.
She turned to him, dropping the papers on the table, and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm glad it's over," she insisted looking up at him, "I just thought that once I was married it would last the rest of my life."
"Most of us think that," Draco said reassuringly, "but this marriage was no good for you."
"I know," she promised him, "I'll just have to pick better next time."
"Ginny," Arthur started uncomfortably, interrupting Draco and Ginny's tender moment, made awkward by the presence of five other people. Draco pulled his arm away from Ginny as she let go of him, pulling back and looking over at her father. "If you're done with all that I can take it in a file it for you," he offered, passing Melena to Molly as he got off the bench.
"Thanks Dad," Ginny said smiling up at Arthur. He gathered up the paperwork and pictures on the table.
"We'll have this over and done in no time," Arthur insisted before disapparating.
"You're father will see this settled Ginny dear," Molly insisted, "don't you worry about that."
"I'm not, I know he'll -" Ginny started, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by the loud, angry crack of her brother Ron apparating into the kitchen.
Ron, who appeared with his back to Ginny, Draco, and Molly, looked quickly down the room, found Harry and Hermione still standing near the fireplace, and started talking at top speed, "It's over," he said hotly. "Done. My career is over; you are looking at an unemployed wizard." It was hard to tell if he was happy or angry about it.
"What are you talking about Ron?" Harry asked, walking towards his best mate.
"The team," Ron elaborated, throwing his hands up as if Harry should know this. "It's over, I've resigned."
"You resigned?!" Harry asked.
"I had to! They wanted me to go to some training retreat for a month. No contact at all with people not on the team. They wanted me away from my boys for a month!"
"A month, blimey you lot must really have slipped off your game in the off-season."
Ron shook his head, "No, it was meant to be a bonding thing. They've brought four kids up from the reserves and they wanted the team to bond. That's why we were to be cut off from everyone else. I told them I couldn't stay away from my wife and the boys that long. They told me I had no choice, so I quit," Ron said throwing his arms up.
"Ron," Hermione gasped, "you left the team just like that?"
"I told them I would," he said, "I told them my family came first and they didn't listen. So, I quite."
"You look like you're about to faint," Hermione commented.
"I feel like I can't breathe," Ron said back, "I quit my job. My family has no income."
"But you've been saving," Harry said, "you'll be all right."
"We'll be fine, but we just bought the house, and I don't know what I'm going to do, we can't just live off our savings, we'll be broke by the time the boys start Hogwarts. I have to find another job, but I'm not qualified for anything else."
Molly scoffed, "You're as qualified as the next wizard. You never were an idiot Ron, you just never applied yourself." Ron nearly jumped out of his skin at his mother's voice; he hadn't noticed her in the room at all. Draco was amazed that she'd stayed quiet as long as she had. He would have expected her to jump in and start offering advice the second Ron had mentioned a problem, but today she'd held back, for whatever reason."
"How long have you been there?" Ron asked turning to look at his mother.
"Most of the morning," Molly informed him calmly, stroking Melena's cheek softly.
"Who's that?" He questioned, looking at the baby in his mother's arms, his worries temporarily forgotten.
"Your niece," Ginny said with a bit of an indignant laugh.
"When did you get here?" he asked, turning to look at Ginny, but he didn't wait for her answer. The second Ron saw Draco he focused his attention on the blonde. "What the hell are you doing here? Get away from my sister!"
"Ron calm down," Ginny insisted, rising off the bench. Ron didn't move, he kept his eyes fixed on Draco, as if the blonde was likely to suddenly jump up and attack everyone in the room. "Fine, you won't calm down maybe you'll listen. I got here last night, after Daniel attacked me."
"What?!" Ron asked finally turning his attention to his sister. "Are you all right? Is Melena all right?"
"I'm fine," Ginny said, "now, and he didn't hurt Melena,"
"He hurt you? I'll kill him!"
"Get in line," Draco mumbled.
Ron glared at Draco, "You stay out of this; it has nothing to do with you."
"Neither of you is going to do anything." Ginny insisted, "That's taken care of."
Ron nodded, "Fine," he said reluctantly. "Then what the hell is he doing here? Where's your wife?"
Draco exhaled sharply, "My wife," he said tightly, glaring at Ron, "is dead. She and my daughter were killed."
The redhead deflated quickly, look away uncomfortably. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath. "But that doesn't explain why you came here," Ron continued stubbornly, turning to Harry, "You know what he did, why did you let him stay here?"
"He had no where else to go," Harry said simply, "and grudges only hold for so much."
"What a day," Ron grumbled, sinking down onto the bench across from Draco. "How is Daniel being taken care of? Hired an assassin?"
"No," Ginny said, amused by how quickly her brother jumped from on thing to another. "I'm having -" but again her words were cut short by the noise of an apparition. Arthur had returned.
"That was quick," Ginny commented, worried that something had gone wrong since her father had come back so quickly.
"It didn't take much, one look at the photos and the annulment was granted, as was full custody of Melena. And Daniel's already on his way to Azkaban."
"They caught him that quickly?" Ron asked, sounding a little disappointed. He'd probably been hoping that there would be a search and that he'd be allowed to volunteer.
"He was already in jail, muggle jail," Arthur explained, "the please men-"
"Police men," Hermione corrected gently.
"Yes, never get that right, the police men arrested him last night. He was driving his car drunk and tried to attack the police men when they stopped him."
"So it's really over?" Ginny asked unbelieving.
"It's really over," Arthur echoed reassuringly. "You did the right thing Ginny, you and Melena will be safe now."
"Thank you Dad. For everything."
He smiled at her, "Of course," he said without hesitation, "anything else I can do to help you?"
Ginny shook her head, "No, I've everything I need," she promised.
"I should go," Ron said suddenly getting up from the table, "I have to tell Luna the news."
"What news?" Arthur asked.
"Mum, can you tell Dad?" Ron asked, "Luna was expecting me fifteen minutes ago, she'll be worried." Molly nodded, "Thanks Mum, I'll see you lot Saturday." There was a round of goodbyes from everyone except Draco and Ron disappeared.
The room was quiet for a while after Ron left, the only sound coming from the leaky faucet in the sink and little Melena who was beginning to stir. It was Hermione who finally broke the silence, "I think, if everything is settled, I'll go get Lily and James."
"Oh Hermione you should," Ginny insisted, "knowing them they're driving George and Lauren mad with questions about what's going on."
Hermione nodded, "They probably are, and Lauren certainly doesn't need the stress." She squeezed Harry's hand, and told him, "I'll be back in twenty minutes." He smiled in response and she disappeared.
"We should probably go too," Molly announced, "I have things to get ready for Saturday. If you're sure you don't need anything Ginny."
Ginny shook her head, "No Mum, I'm all right," she insisted.
"Only if you're absolutely sure," Molly said getting up from the table.
"I am Mum, but I'll floo if I need anything," Ginny said, taking Melena from her Molly.
"You promise?" Molly questioned.
"I swear," Ginny promised, smiling at her mother's concern; there was no end to Molly's concern for her children and there probably never would be.
"Draco," Molly said, turning her attention to the blonde. As if he'd been shocked, Draco jumped up from the bench, standing in front of the matriarch. "You'll take care of her," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes," he promised without hesitation. She smiled patting him affectionately on the shoulder, as she turned away he could have sworn she said something like `always such a good man.'
"We'll see you on Saturday," Arthur said and he and Molly disappeared.
"I think," Ginny said looking at Melena, "that it is time for you to be changed."
"Let me do it," Draco offered.
"You want to change my daughter?" Ginny questioned.
Draco nodded, "I've not done it in years, but I'm sure I still remember how."
"If you'd like to, be my guest," Ginny said handing Melena to Draco. The little girl was awake now, squirming uncomfortably in her soiled diaper.
"Don't worry little beauty," Draco said comfortingly as Melena opened her mouth to cry, "I'll get you out of that nappy and you'll be clean again." His words did nothing to calm her. The second he'd finished speaking she let out a small whimper before releasing her attention grabbing `change me' cry. Draco sighed. "One thing I'll never miss about babies," he said to Ginny, walking out of the kitchen.
"I have a feeling this one will be vocal all her life," Ginny said proudly, following after Draco.
Back in the room they were sharing Draco found that changing a diaper was exactly what he remembered it to be. Luckily, since Melena was still drinking her mother's milk, there wasn't much of an odor to deal with. Melena, for her part, squirmed very little; watching Draco carefully as he cleaned her and re-diapered her. There was a look in her eyes that reminded him of her mother, that look that somehow meant she knew everything about him, just by looking at him. It was truly eerie.
As she was staring up at him, he noticed the blue-green color of her eyes; the same blue-green color Violette's eyes had been before they settled on a startling green. "What beautiful eyes you have," Draco told the little girl, buttoning her back into her sleeper.
"They are, aren't they," Ginny said happily, from over by the window. She was looking fondly at Draco and her daughter, watching the way he talked to Melena and played with her hands that were reaching up in an uncontrolled way.
"They'll be green," he announced.
"You think so?"
He nodded, tickling the bottom of Melena's foot with his finger, making her gurgle joyfully."Trust me," he insisted. "She looks just like you," he told Ginny, picking the wiggling baby up and walking the length of the room to stand behind her. "I have a feeling you'll be quite popular with the boys."
"Oh don't say that," she said, turning back towards him, "I dread the day she brings someone like you home."
"She's only three weeks old and your already dreading things," he gasped in mock surprise.
She sighed, "Everyone keeps saying she looks just like me, my mother says she acts just like I did; I know what kind of man she'll be attracted to."
"I'm sure you mean that as a good thing," Draco said.
"No, I don't," she said honestly, "It's dangerous to love someone like you," she explained looking back out the window.
"Ginny, I -" He started to say, but was distracted by her suddenly pulling open the window. She looked down to the alleyway below, and then, pulling her wedding and engagement rings off her left hand, threw them out the window. A few seconds later they heard the distant clinking of the rings hitting the cobble stoned ground below.
"There, it's done," she declared, "I hope someone who could use the money finds them and sells them." She closed the window and turned back to Draco and took the now sleeping Melena from him. She took the baby across the room to her crib and put her down to bed. "Draco," Ginny started turning back to look at him, "tell me what happened."
"Ginny, you've been through so much, I don't want to -"
"Don't," she said sharply, "don't try and protect me or whatever you think you're doing by not telling me. You've seen me at my absolute lowest, and you helped me start towards getting better. Let me do the same for you, I know you want to tell me."
Draco nodded; he did want to tell her. He was just afraid. Afraid that she'd judge him for what he'd done; afraid she'd see him differently. But he had to tell her; he couldn't keep it a secret from her, he didn't want to. "All right, I'll tell you, but you might want to sit down first." She nodded, but didn't move.
Swallowing the lump in his throat that seemed to come up every time he told this story, Draco began at the beginning. He told her about the night his family had been taken from their home and how they'd been tortured. She listened to his story quietly, though he could tell she was holding back.
The moment his story had finished, it seemed, Ginny had crossed the room and was wrapping him in her arms. He hugged her back, feeling her body sink into his. He kissed the top of her head tenderly and felt her shift her weight, as if trying to move even closer to him. "Ginny, we're going to be all right, both of us."
"Yes," she agreed, shifting her weight again, "we will."
AN: That's that part of the story done. Now that we've got their lives in order I promise Harry, Hermione, and their relationship will be back in the forefront of everything. Hope you enjoyed, review and let me know what you thought.
I will respond to every ones reviews of chapter 30 on the review page, probably tomorrow when I have a bit more time.
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Everything You Ever Wanted
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