Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story line...sadly. JKR owns everything - including the characters, spells, and the entire world of Harry Potter. I wonder if I could buy it from her for a dollar?
Thanks to my wonderful, wonderful beta - dragonsangel68.
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Smiling like a madwoman, Ginny jumped up from her chair like her arse was on fire. Glaring around the open space with reckless abandon was difficult considering the group of red-haired family members hugging, kissing, or otherwise congratulating her on her accomplishment. Being jostled around by family members and well-wishers may have made scanning the crowd for the one person she really wanted to see a modicum more difficult, but it didn't stop her mind from running the gambit.
She hadn't seen him all day, not even when she walked across the stage. She had expected to hear his sniggering at the comical backdrop of her graduation: the stage had been set up at the foot of the lake, complete with the giant squid sunbathing - it was a sunny, warm day in Scotland.
It was the first time in her life she'd truly felt anything but secondhand. It was the one event in her memory where couldn't be overshadowed by a sibling, niece, nephew, or wayward cousin. She didn't have to share this day with anyone. It was, indeed, all about her. So, where was the one person she really wanted to see?
With her mental processes working in overdrive, she thought to herself, "He wouldn't really have skived off, would he?"Sure he would have. This was the incorrigible, sardonic, cynical git most knew only as Malfoy or the "great, bouncing ferret." At least that's what the evil voice in the back of her mind told her but, in reality, she knew Draco wouldn't miss her big day. She knew him to be gentle, sweet, and patient to a fault. They had been together for over a year - since a few months before his graduation. They had weathered the storm of a long-distance relationship. She had her doubts in the beginning, but those were soon assuaged when Draco entered training at the Auror Academy with her git of an older brother, Hermione and Harry. While she believed that Draco would never hurt her - she knew what temptation was like - it made her feel at ease to know that three of the most inquisitive, suspicious minds the wizarding world had ever known were employed as her personal arsenal of spies.
Even though they were rarely together, they exchanged owls at least once a day and, on the occasion that he didn't have training, Draco would come to Hogsmeade on the weekends she was allowed to visit the quaint town. He had tired of traveling on the day she was allowed to visit, so he had purchased a small flat in Hogsmeade, allowing her to decorate it. The jewel tones she'd picked for the flat made him scrunch up his nose in distaste until she mentioned the wrinkles that inevitably followed after making those sorts of faces. His sense of vanity had washed the look of disapproval off of his face and chased him into the bathroom to investigate his face for premature signs of aging. She had giggled until he tackled her onto the bed in the corner of the room.
He had turned out to be the world's ideal boyfriend. Sure, they had their fights, but it always ended with him admitting he was wrong and her allowing him to snog her senseless until she forgot she had been upset in the first place. She really enjoyed their arguments, for obvious reasons. One would never have thought Draco Malfoy was such a softy but, even when she knew she was wrong, her tenacity was far stronger than his and he never lasted more than a few days.
The last time they had fought, he had seen her hugging Dean Thomas outside the Three Brooksticks and had gone into a tizzy. She tried to assuage him, but to no avail. He'd stalked off in a huff. She knew he'd eventually end up at the flat and so made her way there. She arrived at the flat to find it empty. Ginny changed into one of his button down dress shirts and she sat in the squashy armchair Draco had bought her with her legs folded under her. She sat by the window, sunlight filtering through her hair until he arrived, angry and putout. When he walked in his mouth fell open, in a manner unbecoming a Malfoy. Draco only became more irritated when she pointed out the fact. He went to stand by a window at the other end of the flat and began removing his watch, emptying his pockets and removing his cloak in the noisiest way possible. Ginny merely walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist - his anger was forgotten. Draco turned in her arms and kissed her forehead. He explained that he was an insufferable git, but he couldn't stamp down his jealousy long enough to hear her out in situations, such as the one he'd witnessed. She let him know he was forgiven by standing on tiptoe and kissing the tip of his nose, followed by his eyes and cheeks.
She placed a kiss on his lips in the lightest manner possible. "I know you're an insufferable git, but I love you anyway."
Tightening his hold around her, he lifted her off her feet until she was eye level with him and returned the sentiment. "Insufferable git or not, I love you, Ginny Weasley. Don't you ever forget it." He walked them back to the bed in the corner of the flat and snogged her until he was sure he'd proved his undying gratitude to her for keeping an "insufferable git" like him around for so long.
* * * * * *
With this thought running through her head, she shivered.
Molly looked at her and said, "Ginny dear, why are you scowling? He'll poke his head out when he feels the time is right. He loves to make an entrance."
Molly received a smile of relief from her daughter at this statement. Ginny smiled at the thought that not only had her family whole-heartedly accepted Draco into their inner circle, but her mother- as well as a few other family members - had taken the time to get to know him. This made her insides warm and she realized how happy she was.
Draco watched the interaction between mother and daughter with a small smile crept onto his face. He really did adore Ginny Weasley. Even if their children came out with ginger hair, he didn't care. He wanted to know that she would be his for the rest of his life. Today was her day, and he intended to do everything in his power to make her realize that.
Ginny felt someone staring at her and instantly knew who it was. She turned around to see Draco leaning against the edge of the arch the graduates of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had walked through at the beginning of the ceremony commemorating the end of their journey through school. She excused herself from her family and began walking slowly toward him, but couldn't bear the length of time it was taking to reach his arms. She broke into a run and jumped up into his waiting embrace, throwing her legs around his waist. She was smiling so much she thought she might split her head two, and realized that he was doing the same. Joy bubbled up in her throat when she realized that he was laughing - really laughing. Ginny had only heard this happen on a few occasions and always when they were alone. It was a beautiful sound.
She noticed, at that moment, a few special details about her boyfriend. First, Draco wasn't wearing his standard robes. He was wearing a crisp, cornflower blue shirt that she'd gotten him on a whim in Hogsmeade with a pair of khaki pants he'd sworn never to wear. Green and varying shades of black and gray made up the large portion of his wardrobe. He twirled her around distracting her for the moment. Draco's hair wasn't gelled back as it usually was; the flaxen strands went this way and that in the breeze.
Ginny kissed him lightly and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "You look nice. You smell good, too."
He set her down and, reaching behind the arch, presented her with twelve magenta, long-stemmed roses trimmed in yellow ribbon. She squealed with delight at the sight of the gorgeous flowers. She leaned up and gave him a potent kiss on the lips to emphasize her happiness.
"Thanks, brat. I thought you'd like it." He kissed her lightly and grabbed her hand
He knew that she'd like him wearing the shirt. He'd decided that he would compromise and wear black pants until he'd realized that the shirt and pants looked great together. Draco, a product of the dungeons, did not have a penchant for color. He didn't even particularly care for white button-up shirts, but he kept them around in order to encourage Ginny to wear them. What had that American boy told him, something that was so appealing about feminine sorts wearing button-up shirts? Oh yes, "Lingerie - it's got a place, but I'd much prefer my girlfriend in one of my button-ups. It's the stems. Makes the shirt look so much better on her than it ever will on me." Damn, if the Yank wasn't right.
"Let's go say hullo to the family. Mum said you'd wait to make your `entrance'. She's been waiting to say hello."
Draco smiled a small smile as Ginny beamed up at him. In the time it took them to exchange this small moment, the Weasley troop had engulfed them.
Molly grabbed Draco's face and pulled him down to deposit a kiss on each of his cheeks. "Draco dear, have you been eating? You look a bit peaked. Good that I packed enough to feed you. I'm sure you're not eating enough."
He knew better than to argue and thanked Mrs. Weasley as he was pulled aside by the men in the family. Handshakes and thumps on the back left Draco a little winded. He caught Ginny's eye over the redheads of the females of her family and she gave him a reassuring smile. He'd obviously made a good choice in the roses, because the women were all commenting about how lovely they were.
After the crowd dissipated, the group of people surrounding Ginny all congregated at the Three Broomsticks. Ginny was enjoying a Butterbeer with Hermione, who was showing off her four-months-pregnant stomach and Harry beaming over a muggle sonogram picture to the group of men on their left. Twins as it turned out. Ginny was effervescent with the thought of being an aunt. She and Hermione had spent the past few weekends picking out wallpaper, paint, crib sets, and the like to decorate the nursery. Thankfully, Hermione's book shop and Ginny's upcoming training as a Healer was not nearly as rigorous as Draco and Harry's jobs as Aurors, so they had plenty of time to shop, take long lunches and plan for the twins arrival now that she was done at Hogwart's.
Ginny chanced a look over at Draco and was surprised by the look of awe on his face as he fingered the sonogram picture of Harry's twins. He looked up at her at that moment and she was overcome with the look of pure love in his eyes. Granted, she had considered marrying Draco and the voice in the back of her head told her it would happen in time - she was in no hurry. She figured it would happen when it happened. Ginny knew she'd wait forever for Draco, just as he'd waited forever for her. "Patience to a fault that man has." She mused while tracing her finger around the open mouth of her Butterbeer.
She and Hermione went back to their talk of baby cradles and the fuss Harry made over her picking up heavy objects or trying to do the simplest of things for herself.
"I swear, he'd accompany me to the loo if I let him! Can you imagine the conversation -- `Here Harry, would you mind wiping my bum?'" Hermione practically screeched in a fit of laughter.
Draco looked up at Ginny for the umpteenth time that evening and felt his gaze soften at the woman he had been lucky enough to obtain. Sure, she was as stubborn as they come and the rows they'd had about her tendency to be overly affectionate with other men came more often than he liked, but he loved her. It would consume him, he was sure. There was no need to deny the fact that he often made himself look like a fool in front of other people over his love for this redheaded witch, but he didn't care. He'd gone past the point of caring what anyone else thought, besides Ginny, long ago. Funnily enough, most people, once they got over the initial shock of a Malfoy and a Weasley in love, thought their doting on each other was sweet. Most even thought he was gallant. He liked that word. He'd insisted, on multiple occasions, that Ginny add it to her vocabulary when speaking of him.
"Can you believe that he told me I should think he was gallant? Even suggested I start calling him that!" Ginny giggled underneath her breath to Hermione.
Hermione almost fell out of her seat laughing. "Vain git!"
"What's all the fuss about over here?" a smiling Harry interjected while placing his chin on Hermione's shoulder and a hand on her stomach.
"Nothing, love. Just girl talk." Hermione whispered in his direction while placing a hand over his on her stomach and kissing his cheek.
Harry joined their conversation after refreshing their drinks, insistent on the fact that Hermione not trouble herself. Ginny got lost in the conversation and, before she knew it, Draco had disappeared.
"Where did Draco get off too?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Last time I saw him, he was headed outside with your father." Harry mentioned off-handedly.
"Oh." Ginny said with a lack of concern. Draco had, in his dealings with Muggles, picked up the habit of smoking cigars. She would have nagged him about it more, but it was something that her father and her boyfriend seemed to bond over. To think - the Minister for Magic, Arthur Weasley smoked cigars with Draco Malfoy.
"You've come a long way, baby," she thought to herself.
Author's Note: Please be kind as this is my first attempt at fanfiction. It is unbetaed...so, if anyone wants to become my beta, please contact me! Please review and let me know what you think...I quiver in anticipation of your constructive criticism.
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