Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling, I just like to play with them a little.
CHAPTER TEN
FACING MR WEASLEY
Draco tried to stand but with Angelique still sitting on his knee it was a logistical impossibility. He lifted her and placed her on the floor beside him, then stood to face a furious Arthur Weasley.
"Mr. Weasley - Sir, I-" Draco was cut short.
Ginny had taken to her feet as well. "Dad, please."
"Oh Arthur, I thought I heard you come in," Molly said cheerfully as she re-entered the room. "Draco has come to visit with Ginny and the children - isn't that lovely, dear?" She hadn't missed the thunderous look on her normally placid husbands face.
"Molly, you let that - that Death Eater into my house?"
"I assure you, Sir, that I'm not a Death Eater, now nor have I ever been," Draco intoned abruptly. He hated being called a Death Eater, just because his father was once a servant of the Dark Lord, it didn't mean he was.
Arthur scoffed at him, "If you think for one minute that I'm foolish enough to believe you-" Arthur stopped speaking abruptly as Draco began to roll up his shirtsleeves to the elbows.
"As you can clearly see, Sir, I haven't ever taken the `Dark Mark' nor have I ever supported the Dark Lord - in any way." Draco was struggling to keep his temper in check as he rotated his bare arms for Arthur to see.
"Ginny, why don't you and Draco take the children into the front room?" Molly suggested in an effort to diffuse the situation. It wasn't difficult to see that both wizards were ready to explode and the children looked scared enough now, they certainly did not need to witness anymore.
"Alright, Mum. Come on kids, you can say hello to Grandpa later. Draco?" Ginny looked worried as she attempted to herd everyone out of the kitchen. Neither of the children had moved during the small exchange been the men. It wasn't often her father got angry and she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him this worked up.
"No. Gin, we need to get this sorted now." Draco's eyes hadn't left the older wizard.
"Well if that's the case. Arthur, I suggest that you and Draco retire to the front room. Drake and Angel need their dinner before it gets too late." Molly's tone left no room for argument.
"Very well," Arthur managed while motioning for Draco to enter the other room ahead of him.
Inclining his head to Molly, Draco left the kitchen. He did his best to not look at Ginny but could not help himself. She was trembling; her face was so pale and still blotchy, from her earlier tears. However, it was her eyes that showed the terror she was once again feeling, terror that Draco felt responsible for.
"Now, Arthur, he only just found out about the children yesterday," Molly said calmly before her husband left the room.
"Yesterday! He's lying! He didn't want anything to do with her when she was pregnant and now he turns up. Well he's five years too late," Arthur growled in a low angry voice.
"He never knew," Molly stressed as Arthur turned his back and left the room.
"Dad, please - it's the truth," Ginny pleaded to the empty space that her father had occupied only seconds before.
"Everything will be fine, dear," Molly tried to reassure Ginny, but her own face was drawn and her voice not quite steady.
"Dad - he's so angry."
"He doesn't know the full story yet."
Molly tried to busy herself with dinner preparations. Ginny sat at the table, head in hands and straining to listen to every word being spoken in the other room.
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When Arthur entered the room Draco was standing near the fireplace, waiting for him. "Well sit," Arthur ordered pointing to an armchair.
Draco sat in a worn armchair by the fireplace; Arthur sat on an identical chair opposite him. Both wizards studied each other closely for a few moments.
"What makes you think you have the right to turn up here after all this time?"
"Sir, if you'll just give me an opportunity to explain." Draco forced himself to keep an even tone. There was no point losing his temper; if he could remain calm Mr. Weasley may just hear him out.
"Very well. You have five minutes." Arthur prided himself in being a fair man and even though this poor excuse for a human being had hurt his daughter so deeply, he would allow him his time.
Draco nodded in acknowledgement before he began. "I haven't seen your daughter since the night she graduated from Hogwarts. I left Britain soon after, to work in France and we decided it was better that we didn't keep in touch. Ginny had plans for her own future and I needed to get out of London. Yesterday, as I'm sure you are aware, my Father saw Ginny in Diagon Alley with Drake. When he informed me that I had a son, my first instinct was to find Ginny and confirm this but I didn't know where to find her, otherwise I would have been here last night. By coincidence, I happened upon Pansy Parkinson this morning and I managed to convince her to bring me here. I swear to you, Mr. Weasley, had I known, I would have been here all along."
"You have a daughter too, Malfoy," Arthur growled. Aristocratic families were well known for only having an interest in male heirs and he wasn't about to let his granddaughter be overlooked.
"I have a daughter?" Draco was in shock, Angelique had just introduced herself and she had called Gin `Mummy' but how could she be his? His thoughts were once again thrown into utter turmoil.
"Yes, Malfoy. Angelique is your daughter."
"I'm sorry sir, I knew only of Drake through my father. How could Angelique be mine?"
"Twins, Malfoy. They happen to run quite predominantly through our family."
By the look on Draco's face, he quite clearly didn't know he had twins. In fact, if this situation didn't involve his daughter and grandchildren, Arthur would've found it highly amusing.
"Twins?"
"Yes, Malfoy. Twins." Arthur was beginning to take pity on the man in front of him. Molly was right, he didn't know - that much was extremely clear. "I know this is a shock, but you need to get over it."
"Of course, sorry, Sir. I didn't know, but now I do it doesn't make any difference," Draco said pulling himself together mentally.
"And your intentions?"
"If Ginny will allow me to, I would like to be a part of their lives."
"What about Ginny?"
"Sir, I will always respect your daughter. She is, after all, the mother of my children."
"Good." Arthur was placated for the time being. The man may have gotten his baby girl pregnant, but that was more than five years ago and there was no point in dwelling on the past. "You do realize, you will have to face some type of interrogation or torture another seven times? I can't really see my boys or Harry taking kindly to your showing up or being quite as placid as I."
"I'm sure they won't, but I will cope with whatever it is they decide to do," Draco stated, interrogation he could handle but torture - no thank you.
"Just so long as you understand," Arthur said standing up. "Stay here. I'll send Ginny in - you two obviously have quite a bit to talk about."
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When Arthur returned to the kitchen, Molly and Ginny immediately began plying him with questions. While the three adults in the room were occupied, Drake and Angel slipped into the front room. Draco was still sitting in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. Angel approached him and placed one of her small hands on his head.
"Grandpa was really angry," Angel whispered.
Draco raised his head and looked at his small daughter. He smiled at the concern etched into her young face, she didn't even know him but already she cared for him.
"Yes, he was really angry, wasn't he?" Draco sat back in the armchair.
Angelique climbed onto his lap and made herself comfortable with her head resting on his shoulder.
"Are you really our dad?" Drake asked quietly from his position in front of the chair.
Draco smiled at him. "Yes. I'm really your dad."
"You're not the man who frightened mummy yesterday," Drake stated.
"No. No, that wasn't me."
Drake frowned at his father. "Who was it then? Because you look like him."
"That wizard was my father - your grandfather."
"Are you mean like him?" Drake enquired.
"He's not really mean. I think he startled your mum, that's all."
"Oh - Are you going away again?" Drake enquired cautiously.
"No, I'm not going anywhere." Draco wasn't sure where this line of questioning was going but there didn't seem to be any harm in indulging Drake. Perhaps the little boy just needed to clarify a few things, for himself.
Drake smiled at him and scrambled up on to Draco's knee to sit opposite his sister.
"I'm glad you're not going anywhere, Daddy," Drake told him sincerely laying his head on his shoulder.
"So am I, Drake," Draco whispered in reply.
Draco thought his heart would burst. He couldn't remember feeling this much emotion run through his body at once - ever. It was an indescribable feeling. He sat with there with his children as they slowly drifted off to sleep.
Unbeknown to Draco, Ginny had witnessed much of their conversation and had remained hidden until Drake and Angel were asleep. She had envisioned this many times - the man she still loved holding their sleeping children with such care. Tears of happiness ran down her face silently.
When she was sure the twins would not awaken, Ginny dried her tears and entered the room quietly.
"Draco," Ginny whispered. "I need to put them to bed."
"Okay, would you like me to take one of them?"
"Thanks," Ginny replied as she leant forward to pick Angel up. "Follow me."
Draco stood easily with Drake in his arms and followed Ginny upstairs. She stopped in Angel's pretty bedroom first and deposited the little girl on her bed. Then crossed the hall to Drake's bedroom and watched while Draco gently laid Drake on his bed.
Ginny moved closer to pull his blankets up around his little body and place a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight my little dragon."
Draco watched Ginny fuss over the little boy in wonderment. "May I?"
"Of course," Ginny replied smiling.
Not really knowing what he was about to do, Ginny was surprised when Draco leaned over his son, readjusted the blankets slightly and placed a light kiss on his forehead. He then walked out of the room, across the hall and into Angel's bedroom where he tucked her in and kissed her forehead lightly as well.
"Goodnight my baby Angel," he whispered into her hair.
When Draco had finished, Ginny kissed her daughter goodnight and they returned downstairs.
"Twins hey?" Draco's disbelief was still etched in his voice.
"Yes twins, Draco."
"It must have been hard for you, coping on your own." Draco felt waves of guilt flowing through his body. She had been on her own with not one but two babies.
"It was hard but I had my family and friends - they all helped. Harry has been amazing. He's their Godfather and he's always at me to contact you again."
"Potter?" A wave of jealousy surged through his body. Potter had been what? Playing happy families with his Angel and his children.
"Yes Draco, Harry Potter." Ginny rolled her eyes; the expression on Draco's face was one that she, and probably she alone, recognized - jealousy. He would get that look whenever another boy would talk to her, when they were still at Hogwarts. "He and his wife, Hermione, are the twins godparents."
"Oh," Draco said sheepishly. He knew she would've recognized the expression on his face, but he found that he was unable to suppress it.
Ginny smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yes - oh."
"They're amazing, Gin." Draco was clearly in awe of his small children.
"I know they are, Draco."
"And they know about me?" Draco was curious, it was clear that Angelique had recognized him.
"Yes. I told them as much as I could about you and I showed them photographs. Even though we weren't together, I wanted them to know you and I didn't want them getting the wrong impression of you from my brothers."
"Photographs? Where on earth did you get photographs of me from?"
"Mostly from Pansy, but I did have one of you and I when we were both at Hogwarts."
"Of course, Pansy. I should have realized. You seem quite close to her."
"Well, she's Ron's girlfriend. At first I wasn't very accepting, but as time has gone on I found that she's actually really nice. Not at all like what I thought she was in school," Ginny admitted "and if you ask me Pansy Parkinson will be my next sister in-law - that's if my useless brother ever gets up the courage to ask her father."
"Mr. Parkinson can be pretty formidable. I sure wouldn't want to be the one asking if I can take his only daughter away from him. Look, Gin, I should probably go, it's been a long day and it's getting late."
"Alright." Ginny tried not to let the disappointment show in her voice - she would have liked for him to stay longer.
"Umm … Gin, would it be alright if I came by tomorrow? You know, to spend some time with the kids and you, of course."
"I think they'd like that," Ginny answered. And so would I, she added mentally.
"So would I." Draco smiled warmly at her. "Where can I apparate from? If I don't put an appearance in soon at the Manor soon my Mother will have my guts for potions ingredients."
"There's an apparition point on the back porch," Ginny informed him while trying to suppress a giggle. "It's nice to see that you're still afraid of your Mummy, Draco."
"Very amusing, Gin," Draco said dryly as he began to move in the direction of the kitchen and back door with Ginny following closely behind. "She worries about me, that's all."
"I … um…. Well…. I guess we'll see you tomorrow then," Ginny stuttered, she was suddenly unsure of herself standing on the back porch in front of this handsome wizard.
"Yeah, absolutely. I'll be here," Draco said. "Thanks for tonight and tell your parents thanks too. It was great - the kids are brilliant."
They stood facing each other for a few moments, neither really knowing quite how to say goodnight.
"Well goodnight, Gin," Draco uttered softly as he leant down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Goodnight Draco," Ginny whispered as the pop from his disapparition echoed lightly through the yard.
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AUTHORS NOTES
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