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 FORTY FOUR
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Draco could feel Bill's fingers beginning to dig into his shoulder through his clothes. He tried to take a calming breath but it caught in his throat and he emitted somewhat of a strangled sound.
"Something you want to tell us, Malfoy?" Bill snarled in his ear.
"Umm…" Draco cleared his throat. "As soon as everyone is here, Gin and I do have a few announcements."
Charlie grinned callously at him. "You're in luck, Malfoy. Everyone's here!"
"Really? … Well I guess we can tell everyone then," Draco said hesitantly. "Gin, care to join me love?"
Ginny surreptitiously slipped herself in between Draco and Bill, plucking Bill's hand meaningfully from her fiancés shoulder.
"Yeah… err… if I could have everyone's attention," Draco started tentatively.
"We're all listening," Fred assured him.
Draco looked around at Ginny's family, her brothers all looked ready to kill and their wives appeared tense. His gaze roamed over to where her parents were standing, a brief nod from Arthur did far more to reassure him than he could ever have imagined.
As he slung his arm around her shoulders, Draco gave Ginny a brief smile. "Firstly, I asked your sister to marry me last night and she accepted."
Apart from a few excited gasps from Ginny's sister in-laws there was silence.
"And secondly?" Ron requested sardonically.
"Secondly, as you all heard from Drake, we are expecting another child before Christmas."
As the words left his mouth, Draco glanced around at the sea of hostile redheaded wizards-not one friendly face could be found. The Weasley brothers looked murderous and their wives appeared to be holding their collective breaths, waiting for hell to break loose.
"Do you mean to tell us that you've gotten our sister pregnant again?" Percy asked stiltedly.
"Umm… err… yes," Draco stammered before hastily adding, "We're very happy about the prospect of becoming parents again, aren't we love?"
"And you thought that you'd marry her this time?" Charlie appeared to be beyond angry; he was turning purple in the face as he spat this out.
"I assure you I had full intentions of marrying Ginny before we found out about the baby."
"Sure you did, Malfoy, nice little skin saving scam, but it won't work. We don't believe you, do we boys?" Bill scoffed.
"Ron can confirm my intentions. I told him at the twins birthday party and I know he told your father."
All eyes turned to the youngest Weasley brother. "Yeah, he told me he wanted to marry her but…"
"But what, Ron?" George asked.
"Damn it! You weren't meant to get her pregnant!" Ron exploded.
"We didn't plan it." Draco was fighting to keep his voice even.
Ron advanced on Draco. "But it happened which can only mean that you… you're… you're not meant to be doing that with my sister! Bloody hell, how irresponsible can you get?"
"I rather think the pot's calling the cauldron black, don't you?" Draco couldn't help but smirk.
"What?" Ron spluttered as he realized what Draco had implied. "No way, Pansy and me are different."
"I fail to see how your situation is any different to mine."
"I didn't do it to someone's sister!"
"Enough!" Ginny exclaimed she had kept her silence until now. "Shut it, all of you! Draco and I are happy to be having another child together. Granted it was unplanned, but all of you have had unplanned children too! Would it kill you just to be happy for me… for us?"
Silence reigned over the yard, the Weasley boys were all glancing around at each other. Ginny had an uncanny likeness to Molly whenever she chose to tell any of her brothers off and was usually quite successful in making them feel guilty for their behavior.
"Sorry, Gin. We are happy for you, right boys?" Bill announced, sounding more than a little ashamed.
"Yeah, sure we are," Charlie agreed as he embraced Ginny then offered his hand to Draco. "Mal… Draco, umm… congratulations."
"Thanks."
Charlie leant in close and whispered into his ear. "We'll have a little chat later when Gin's otherwise occupied."
"Sure, if you want…" Draco agreed nervously.
"Oh, we want alright!" Bill confirmed as he slapped Draco on the back. "Congratulations, I don't have to tell you to look after my baby sister, do I?"
"I promise you, she's in good hands," Draco countered.
"Yeah, we know where your hands have been," Bill muttered so Ginny wouldn't be able to hear.
Not that there was any danger of her hearing much over the din her sisters-in-law were making. They had surrounded her and were slowly moving her away from Draco, all the while firing question after question at her.
The men kept filing through shaking Draco's hand and promising to have a private chat with him later.
"Congratulations, Draco. You make sure you look after them," Harry told him as they shook hands.
"I will."
"Well, you made it through telling them without loosing any vital body parts," Arthur stated jovially, slapping Draco on the back.
Draco sighed heavily. "It's the private chat that's going to kill me, I think."
"They'll talk to you, make you understand what they expect for their sister."
"It's the `making me understand' bit that's a worry."
"I'll be there if they get out of hand, but they have to do this… it's their right as brothers."
"If they get out of hand?"
"Don't take it personally, they'd do it to any wizard Ginny brought home."
Loud squeals of delight made further conversation impossible for the time being. Draco looked over to where Ginny was surrounded by all of the other witches in the family; she had her left arm extended, showing off the engagement ring he had placed there last night.
"Oh… Ginny, it is so beautiful!" Fleur exclaimed dramatically.
Katie examined Ginny's finger closely. "I've not seen a ring like this before."
Penelope rolled her eyes at the other woman. "It would be an original, Katie."
"Actually it's a Malfoy bridal design. Narcissa Malfoy has exactly the same engagement ring," Pansy informed them knowledgeably.
"How do you know?" Anya asked curiously.
"Narcissa Malfoy happens to be one of my mothers closest friends and … I spent most of my childhood fantasizing about the day Draco would slip a ring of that design on my finger and I would be Mistress of Malfoy Manor," Pansy replied, bursting into giggles with the other women.
"Pansy, you haven't shown us your ring yet," Fleur prompted as everyone's laughter subsided.
Pansy extended her hand to the women, "It's not nearly as impressive as Ginny's, but I like it."
"It's beautiful," Angelina sighed. "So pretty…"
"It's lovely, Pansy," Ginny told her as they embraced.
"Thank you and so is yours. It's funny you know, I always wanted that ring as a child and even into my teens, but now I wouldn't give up what I've got for all the riches in the Malfoy vaults."
"You know it's not about what's in his vaults."
"I know. If I thought it was, I'd be in his ear telling him so."
"Come on now, lunch everyone!" Molly announced. "Fred… George call the children in."
The adults sat around the long table at one end and the children gathered at the other. Just as everyone was settling down to enjoy the meal Ron stood up and cleared his throat loudly.
"Umm… Mum said I should do this properly."
"You can do something properly?" George asked humorously.
"Only when Mum tells him to," Fred quipped, joining the banter.
"Enough you two," Arthur growled seriously.
"Sorry, Ron. Go ahead mate." George tried to sound apologetic.
"Yeah, we're all ears." Fred's attempt at sounding encouraging was more comical than anything else.
"I'm pretty sure you all know anyway, but to make it official… Pansy and I are engaged," Ron declared with a large grin in the direction of his fiancée.
Loud applause and called congratulations echoed throughout the yard. As the noise began to abate it was replaced with sounds of many people enjoying the feast before them.
Most of the children ran off to play as soon as they were finished eating, leaving the adults to relax around the table, many moving around to talk to other members of the family.
"I'm going to be flower girl at Mummy's and Daddy's wedding and Grandmother said she's going to buy me a beautiful princess dress too!" Angel was telling all within earshot of her perch on Harry's knee.
"That sounds very exciting, sweetheart! What color is are is your dress going to be?" Hermione asked enthusiastically.
"Umm… I think I want a purple dress … or maybe pink." Angel bit her lip in deep thought.
"Well, I'm sure you'll look beautiful in whatever color dress you choose, princess," Harry assured her.
Angel glanced surreptitiously across the table. "Aunt Pansy?"
"Yes, Angel."
"Do you need a flower girl?"
"I hadn't given the wedding much thought yet, but I suppose I will need a flower girl," Pansy replied, knowing exactly what the next question would be.
Angel began to bounce on Harry's knee. "Can I please be your flower girl?"
"Of course you can, beautiful," Pansy agreed. "And we'll get you lovely dress!"
"What's this?" Ron asked as he sat next to Pansy and draped an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm going to Aunt Pansy's flower girl!" Angel announced. "And you're going to buy me a lovely dress."
Ron looked sideways at his fiancé. "Am I now?"
"Yes! If I'm going to be flower girl then I have to have a new dress."
"Ron, mate… just nod, it's easier than arguing the point," Harry advised, trying to suppress his laughter. "She'll win anyway."
"Yeah, I know," Ron conceded. "Angel, we'll get you a new dress for the wedding. Is there anything else you might require?"
"Silly question, Ronald," Hermione tutted from across the table.
Without hesitation Angel answered, "Shoes!"
"What?"
The little girl sighed heavily. "Uncle Ron, if I'm going to have a new dress then I have to have new shoes too."
"Shoes… okay, we'll get new shoes too. Now why don't you go see what your cousins are doing?"
"Okay!"
Ron watched his niece skip across the yard. "I swear she's… she's…"
"She's a girl and she knows exactly how to get what she wants, when she wants it," Harry interrupted.
"It's the bloody Malfoy coming out in her," Ron grumbled.
"What's that, Weasley?" Draco asked as he slumped into the chair beside Harry.
"Your daughter just conned me into buying her a new dress and shoes to match!"
Draco couldn't help a smirk creeping across his face. "Really? How did she manage that?"
"She's going to be flower girl at our wedding and apparently she needs a new dress and shoes to be able to do that."
Draco quirked an eyebrow at the wizard seated opposite him. "When was this decided?"
"Angel asked me if she could be my flower girl a little while ago," Pansy offered. "She was having trouble deciding whether she wanted a purple or pink dress for your wedding."
"I see…" Draco's smirk grew broader and he nodded across the table to Pansy. Angel definitely had Slytherin in her blood.
Bill wandered down to stand behind Ron and Pansy, leaning forward he quietly said to Ron, "Mum has started clearing the table, send the women in to help her and get Pansy to keep as eye on Ginny."
"No problem," Ron responded before whispering to his fiancée, "Pansy go give Mum a hand, take Mione with you and for Merlin's sake make sure you keep Ginny inside."
"Okay, but you know she'll make you all pay for this later."
"Pansy, just go inside."
She sighed heavily as she got to her feet, Ginny wasn't going to like this at all and she doubted very much if she would be able to keep her inside for very long. "Hermione, Molly's clearing, we should help."
"Of course, what about the children?"
"They're fine," Ron responded with a wink.
"Why are all the women disappearing?" Draco asked, looking around the yard for any sign of Ginny.
Harry almost laughed at the expression on the blonde wizards face. "Just helping clear the table, mate, nothing to worry about."
"No, nothing to worry about at all. Any last requests, Draco?" Pansy teased.
"Bloody great," Draco moaned. He'd allowed himself to relax believing that the men of the family wouldn't actually follow through on the promised chat until the women and children were out of earshot-apparently this was not to be the case.
"So, no last requests?" Pansy continued cheekily, "Any preferences regarding your funeral service?"
"Pansy, inside now," Ron growled meaningfully.
"Oh, all right I'm going," she sighed and continued muttering as she walked toward the house. "Never lets me have any fun…"
Harry leaned toward Draco. "Ever been in a hostile business meeting where you want a positive outcome?"
"Of course!"
"Well… get ready then. It won't be pretty, but if you play right they'll let you live and may even decide to like you. " Harry grinned at him.
"Thanks," Draco groaned, he couldn't believe he was now at the mercy of the seven Weasley wizards and the boy who lived.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ginny was trying valiantly to make her way back to the door, but every time she got close someone would ask her to do something or place something in her hands that belonged on the other side of the room. Her brothers were moving to sit at the end of the table where Draco, Harry and Ron were sitting. She didn't like the devious expressions she could see on the faces of her brothers, they were up to something.
"What is going on out there?" Ginny demanded of the other women.
"Nothing, dear," Molly responded quickly, too quickly for Ginny's liking.
"Mum, what are they up to? I know they're doing something."
Pansy walked over and placed her arm around Ginny's shoulders. "They just want to talk to him, Gin. It's not like they'd actually kill him or anything."
Ginny stepped back from Pansy. "Oh no… no, they are not going to put Draco through this ridiculous display of testosterone at its worst."
"Ginny, they simply want to talk to him," Molly offered softly. "Fleur, Anya can you see to some tea?"
"He will be all right," Fleur assured her on her way to the hearth.
"It won't hurt him to hear them out," Anya told her before joining Fleur.
Looking panicked Ginny disagreed. "No! They'll do something to him. I know them, not one of them can be trusted!"
"Your father is out there and he won't let them do anything to him. Calm down, Ginny!" Molly's tone was tainted with the exasperation she was beginning to feel.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You don't mind if we come and sit with you, Malfoy?" Bill asked with a predatory grin as he dropped into the chair recently vacated by Pansy.
"Not at all, make yourselves comfortable," Draco answered guardedly.
"Don't mind if we do." George smiled at him.
"This seat isn't taken, is it?" Charlie enquired politely, indicating with his hand to the chair beside Draco.
"Err… no," Draco replied hesitantly.
He'd rather have had anyone else sitting next to him, of all Ginny's brothers Draco considered Charlie to have the most volatile temper and consequently to be the most dangerous. Bill seemed to have a fairly even temper, Percy was far too reserved to be of concern, the twins were just clowns and Ron he'd battled for seven years at Hogwarts, plus the fact that he was in a similar situation nullified any arguments he could make.
Bill leant forward with his arms resting on the table and his hands clasped. "We'll just get a few things straight before we start."
Draco eyed him evenly. "All right."
"Whatever happens out here stays out here… the women don't need to know anything."
Murmurs of assent arose from the other men surrounding the table, except for Draco who kept his silence for now. In the general declarations of agreement Draco was sure he heard one of the twins mutter something about not sleeping on the couch for anyone.
Bill pinned Draco with an intense look. "You will tell Gin that we had a lovely chat about Quidditch."
"So now you're telling me to lie to her, well I won't." Draco snorted in disbelief. "You know very well she won't believe me even if I did agree."
"Don't think of it as lying… more as protecting your brothers," Charlie smiled as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and leant closer.
"Even if I thought I could get her to believe me, there are kids running around all over the place. Don't you think one of them might tell the women exactly what happened?"
"Beau is in charge of the kids, he'll make sure none of them come close enough to hear what is said," Bill responded confidently.
"We should get started before Ginny comes out, the women will only be able to hold her so long," Percy reminded everyone.
"Right, we don't want anyone getting hurt," Bill agreed.
"Well almost anyone…" Charlie whispered in Draco's ear.
Draco couldn't help swallowing heavily; he could feel Charlie's hot breath on his neck and was beginning to feel decidedly uncomfortable with his close proximity. Well aware his reactions were being gauged by every man present, Draco was determined not to show any sign of weakness.
"Ginny's happiness is paramount to all of us," Bill began in a tone of utmost seriousness.
"As it is to myself," Draco interjected.
"I'm sure you think it is, but we are her family and we are the ones left to pick up the pieces when everything falls apart."
"That will not happen!"
"Happens all the time, what makes you so sure it won't happen to you and Ginny?"
"It won't! Have you not heard `until death do you part'?"
"Of course we have but… What if things don't work out the way you anticipated?"
"We'll work through it, not that it will be any of your business."
"That all depends on how miserable you make our sister."
"And if you do that we get to make your life a living hell. Nothing personal, Malfoy, but we'd have to do it." Ron shrugged casually as he expressed his thoughts.
Draco stared incredulously around the table before exploding. "This is ridiculous! I am marrying your sister because I love her and can't fathom living another minute without her by my side. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's the mother of my children or that she's pregnant again. I love her."
"Ridiculous? All right, why don't we just do away with civility then?" Bill's expression hardened. "If you hurt Ginny or the children…"
George leaned forward. "We'll torture you…"
"Then we'll kill you," Fred advised with an evil grin.
"And bury you in a muggle cemetery," Percy threw in nonchalantly.
Ron laughed at Draco's expression. "No one will ever find you…"
"Of course that will only happen if we tire of torturing you," Charlie concluded.
The back door slammed open with such force that it bounced back and hit Ginny before she could step clear. Pushing it again with more force than truly necessary she emerged from the house quite obviously furious. Draco watched as she crossed the yard, her face was bright red and her eyes blazing, he almost pitied the poor git who was going to wear that temper-almost.
"What the bloody hell is going on out here?" Ginny yelled as she came to a stop only two feet from Bill's chair.
"Gin, why so much fuss? We were having a nice little chat about Quidditch. Weren't we, Draco?" Bill got to his feet and draped an arm around his sister before giving Draco a pointed look.
"Umm… yeah, Quidditch, love," Draco mumbled not looking at her.
"Quidditch? Do you actually think I believe you lot?"
"What's not to believe?" Percy asked innocently.
"You don't trust us!" George accused her in disbelief.
"Wounded… mortally wounded is what I am," Fred sniffed in the most offended tone he could muster.
"Shut it you lot!" Ginny passed a scathing glance over her brothers before turning her attention to her fiancé. "Draco, are you all right?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I be? We were just talking about Quidditch."
Ginny was looking at Draco skeptically, she knew very well they had not been discussing Quidditch and was trying to decided whether or not to pursue the matter now when a movement below the table caught her eye.
"Drake? What are you doing under there?" Ginny asked assisting her son to his feet.
The little boy gazed at his father, a triumphant look clearly emblazoned on his features. "Daddy's lying! The weren't talking about Quidditch, they…"
Bill quickly picked his nephew up and slung him over his shoulder. "I think I know one little wizard who needs to go see what his cousins are up to before he says any more."
"But… you weren't talking about Quidditch!" Drake protested as Bill strode away with him.
Draco and Ginny watched as Bill placed Drake on his feet some distance away, bending down onto one knee they could see Bill was talking to him seriously. By the expression on their son's face, he didn't like what his Uncle Bill was telling him one little bit, then Bill stood up and took Drake's hand leading him into the field behind the Weasley property.
"Merlin! I hope Drake didn't just give Bill a mouthful of cheek," Draco cursed getting to his feet.
"Bill will deal with him if he did. Are you truly okay?" Ginny countered, starting to walk around the table.
Draco met her at the end of the table and took her firmly in his arms before replying, "Yeah, I'm truly okay and no I can't tell you what we were talking about, so don't ask!"
"But…"
"No Gin, it was men's business," he replied, dropping a kiss onto her nose. "Okay?"
She sighed heavily and pouted.
"Hey, don't look like that!" Draco protested.
Ginny's face dropped further, in the hope that he would break and tell her everything her brother's had said to him so she could effectively torture them.
"You know, if you keep sticking your lip out like that I'm going to have to kiss it." Draco's voice drifted off as his head lowered to meet her lips in a soft, yet probing kiss.
The noise around them began to drift away as her arms wound around his neck pulling him further into her and her fingers threaded through his hair. Draco's hands drifted down to cup her bottom and pull her firmly against the length of his body.
"Oi… you two… get a room!" Harry demanded.
"I love you," Draco whispered, resting his forehead on hers.
"I love you," Ginny responded softly.
"Ewww… Gods we don't have to listen to that," Ron protested as he moved away from the couple. "Go for a walk or something!"
Chuckling Draco looked up at the complaining man. "Tell me, are there any vacancies in the broom shed this afternoon?"
"What?"
"I was just wondering… wouldn't want to disturb you and Pansy."
Ron glowered at the pair. "Shut it!"
"Oooh! A bit touchy aren't we, Ron?"
Not bothering to respond to Draco's last taunt, Ron pushed his way through the amused family members who had gathered to listen to the pair and strode across the yard into the field beyond. Pansy shot a disgusted look at Draco before following Ron into the field.
"So, should we take his advice and go for a walk?" Draco asked, trailing small kisses down Ginny's neck.
"Mmm… I could do with a few minutes peace and quiet."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bill waited until he had reached the low stonewall that surrounded the yard before placing Drake on his feet. He bent to one knee before him so he could look his unhappy nephew in the eye.
"Do you want to tell me what you were doing under the table?"
"Listening."
"How long were you there?" Bill had made certain that he personally sent both Drake and Angel off to play, he didn't want either of them overhearing what was said to their father. Drake must have snuck back sometime after that.
"I don't know." Drake shrugged sullenly.
"Why, mate? You know sometimes adults need to talk privately. Why would you sneak under the table after I sent all of you to the field to play?"
"I thought you were going to do something to my Daddy."
Damn, we should have waited until the kids weren't around at all, Bill thought. "Drake, we wouldn't do anything to your dad… unless he hurt your mum."
"Oh."
Bill frowned, he was positive Drake had just sounded disappointed. "Is everything all right, Drake?"
"Yeah."
"You're not very happy about the new baby, are you?"
Drake shrugged evasively.
There was definitely something bothering the little boy and Bill didn't like it, Drake wasn't his normal self. "How about you and I take a walk? We could have a wizard to wizard chat."
"Okay."
Bill got to his feet and took Drakes hand. "Let's go find ourselves some peace and quiet."
Drake walked silently beside his uncle until they reached a small grove of trees. Bill sat on the ground with his back resting against a tree and pulled Drake into his lap.
"So, do you want to tell me what the problem is?"
"Won't change anything."
"Why don't you let me decide what can be changed."
"Daddy said it doesn't matter if I like it or not."
"Did he now?" Bill queried. "And what was your dad saying that about?"
"Getting married and having more babies."
"Don't you want your mum to get married?"
"Yeah, but-"
"But what, Drake?"
"I don't know. Mummy's with Daddy all the time and sometimes he won't let me see her."
Bill frowned; Draco had no right to keep the children away from Ginny. "When weren't you allowed to see her?"
"This morning."
"Do you know why?"
"She was sick with the baby."
"Oh look mate, when women are sick it's best to just leave them alone. I can understand your dad not letting you see her then."
"He got angry."
"At your mum?"
"At me when I went to see Mummy, but Grandmother said I could."
"So, your dad said you weren't allowed to see your mum and you asked your grandmother if you could?"
"Yeah."
"Drake, do you know what I'd give Beau if he did something like that to me?"
"No."
"A very sore backside!"
"Oh."
"You shouldn't have gone behind your dad's back like that mate, it's not right and you put your grandmother in an awkward position."
Drake sighed heavily as his face fell even further.
"Look, I'm not telling you off. I've a feeling you've had enough telling off for one day, but I am saying that your dad was right, this time."
Bill regarded his nephew for a few minutes; he had a feeling that this went a lot deeper than simply a telling off this morning. He vowed to speak to Draco as soon as he returned to hear his version of events, but for now he wanted nothing more than to put the smile back on this little boys face.
"Do you like your dad?"
"Yeah."
"What did you do yesterday?"
"We were meant to go flying in the morning, but Mummy got sick so Angel went riding with Grandfather."
"And did you get to go flying?"
"Yeah, Daddy took me after lunch."
"Was it fun?"
"Yep, loads of fun!"
Bill surmised that there could have been nothing wrong yesterday afternoon given that Draco had taken him flying. Something must have gone wrong later in the evening or maybe just this morning and Drake was making a bigger deal out of it than entirely necessary.
"What happened after flying?"
"Mummy went for a nap and Daddy went out."
"Where did he go?"
"Don't know."
"When did he get back?"
"Before dinner, but we didn't see him until after dinner."
"Do you know why?"
"He was shagging Mummy."
Bill would have laughed outright if it hadn't been for the miserable expression on Drake's face.
"I see, so you saw him after dinner?"
"After dinner they came downstairs."
"Who are they?"
"Mummy and Daddy."
"Okay, so Mummy and Daddy come downstairs after dinner."
"Yeah, then they took us up to Daddy's room to talk."
"Can you tell me what you talked about?"
"Daddy said that they're getting married and having another baby."
"How do you feel about them getting married?"
"Okay, I guess."
"How about the baby, do you want to be a big brother?"
"No. They've got me and Angel, they don't need anymore kids."
The pieces were beginning to fall into place for Bill and he sighed heavily before asking, "Did you happen to tell them this?"
Drake nodded his head ever so slightly.
"Anything else happen?"
"Mummy cried," Drake whispered so quietly Bill wasn't entirely sure he'd heard correctly.
"Your mum cried?"
A small nod from the little boy affirmed his question.
"Why?"
The little boy's expression darkened, but he didn't respond verbally.
"Drake, did your dad make Mummy cry?"
He shook his head slightly as a fat tear rolled down his cheek.
"Did you make your Mummy cry?"
A strangled sob escaped Drake and he dropped his head onto his uncle's shoulder.
"Shh." Bill comforted the distraught child, encouraging him to release his anguish rather than quiet him. He had no doubt that Drake had been the cause of Ginny's tears. However, he was determined not to press the issue any further at this point with Drake so he resolved to speak with Draco as soon as possible, in an effort to fully understand what had happened the night before.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They had sat near the bank of a stream that ran close to the Burrow. Draco leant back against an ancient tree with Ginny resting back into his chest. Away from the family, they were finally able to relax a little.
"You know I used to play here when I was a little girl."
"I can just see you down here, running though the water getting all dirty."
"Ron and I used to get filthy, then Mum would go nutters at us."
"I have something for you," Draco whispered, his hand digging into his pants pocket.
"What is it?"
"This." His hands came around in front of her neck then spread apart as they moved toward the back of her head.
Ginny instinctively leant forward as she felt the cool chain drop gently to her skin, allowing Draco to fasten the clasp. Leaning back against his chest once more she fingered the chain and discovered a small key hanging from it.
"What's this for?"
"That is the key to my … our vault at Gringotts."
"Draco, I can't-"
"Shh, yes you can and you will. Gin, you're going to be my wife and that gives you every right to access the vault. Besides we've got an entire wing of the Manor to decorate and a wedding to plan, I can't run to Gringotts every time you need more gold."
"Oh. I just feel a little weird. I mean it's your money."
"No, it's our money," Draco assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "And you are to use it to first create our household then run it, as well as for anything else you heart desires."
"All right," she answered hesitantly.
"Hey, do I have to get Mother to give you lessons in shopping? She's an expert you know, just ask my Father."
"But, how will I know if I'm spending too much?"
"I'll let you know. I keep records of all transactions so you will be accountable, but only if I feel you've spent way too much will I call you on it, all right?"
"Okay."
"Good. I was thinking about taking a day off work this week to show you through the manor properly and you can decide what changes you want to make to the southern wing. We could start planning the wedding."
"Sounds good, what day were you thinking?"
"Tuesday or Wednesday?"
"Either day is fine."
"Are you feeling tired?"
"A little, it's been a big day."
"Let's get back to the house, you could have a lie down."
"No, I'd rather stay here with you, it's peaceful."
"All right, but close your eyes at least."
"Mmm…"
They had hardly a minute of peace before footsteps could be heard coming in their direction.
"There you two are," Bill exclaimed. "Draco, I'd like a word."
Ginny's eyes flashed open as she sat forward. "Bloody hell! Can't you give it a rest?"
"Gin, calm down. It's about Drake, I just a had chat with him and there's a few things I need to clarify with Draco, that's all."
Draco stood facing Bill. "Did he give you a mouthful of cheek?"
"Where is he now?" Ginny demanded.
"No, he's really upset and I just think that we need to get to the bottom of it before it gets worse. I left him with Harry for the time being. I wanted to talk to you away from everyone and certainly out of his earshot this time."
"What did he say?"
"Not a lot actually, but from what I can gather something went wrong last night."
"That's an understatement."
"Care to tell me about it?"
Draco regarded the man quizzically for a moment. "I think I can handle my own son, if it's all the same to you."
"Draco, I'm not trying to intrude but I would like to help if I can. I don't like seeing my normally happy nephew this miserable."
He stood in deep thought for a moment before muttering, "Fine, care to take a seat."
Once the three had made themselves comfortable again, Draco took a deep breath and explained how the events of the evening before had unfolded including the repercussions this morning. As Bill listened intently to his every word, his facial expressions moved between shock and disbelief often.
"I can't believe he would say such a thing to you, Gin."
She shrugged sadly at the memory. "He did apologize this morning."
"Only because Draco told him to. Have you tried talking to him rationally, Draco?"
"A couple of times, but each time I lose my temper. It's like he's trying to see how far he can push me before I snap."
"Believe me, that's normal. Every kid does it now and then but, from what you've told me, Drake seems intent on self destruction."
"He'll certainly achieve his goal if he keeps mouthing off to my father."
"You're kidding? He gives cheek to Lucius?"
"Wish I was-" Draco paused, looking between the brother and sister before continuing quietly. "I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed. I'm new at this and I simply don't know what to do with him."
"Do you want help?" Bill asked tentatively.
Draco stared the other wizard in the eye as he replied, "Please, I'd appreciate it. I don't want to alienate my son."
"No problem, all you had to do was ask. I'll speak to the other men and we might set up a little family chat with Drake."
A frown crossed Draco's brow. "A family chat?"
"Yeah, all of the men from our side including Harry plus you and your father, if he wants to come."
"I don't think that will work. Father and I have both tried to talk to him, he's not at all receptive."
"This will be different, we can go through any issues he has, help him to understand why certain things are happening and how they'll benefit him in the long run. Also explain why his behavior is unacceptable, though I'm sure he knows. He'll also be able to say anything he likes during that time without any fear of being punished."
"And if he continues after that?"
"Well, there's always a trip to the broom shed. Always worked for us, didn't it Gin?" Bill grinned brightly.
"The thought had crossed my mind," Draco admitted.
"Don't worry, it won't get to that. I'll try to set something up for next weekend."
"That would be great, I don't want Gin bearing the brunt of his foul moods anymore."
"Yeah well, if I hear him speaking like that to any of the women, I'll take him to the broom shed myself," Bill warned.
"You think I'm too lenient on him?"
"No. You're trying to get to know him and he's taking advantage of that."
"He's only five!"
"Don't make the mistake of thinking he's too young to manipulate you or you'll lose every time."
"My own son…"
"We'd better get back, it's getting late," Ginny suggested quietly. She didn't like the sound of defeat in Draco's tone and thought that now would be a good time to end any further discussion.
"You're right, Fleur's probably wondering where I got to."
The three walked back to the house together, parting ways as they neared the family. Ginny went inside to check on the children and Draco took a seat at the table.
Bill went to all the wizards one by one, explaining the situation and his idea for a possible solution. Draco watched carefully as each man turned to look at him upon hearing the story, each with a look of promise in his eyes. Relief flooded through him as the last man was told and there had not been any exclamations of incompetence or humor.
Bill quietly sat next to Draco and leant over to whisper, "It's all set, everyone's free Saturday afternoon. Where do you want to do it?"
"We can meet at the manor if you like, I wouldn't want to put any of your wives out."
"Don't worry about the girls, they're used of us all turning up, but the manor is fine as long as your parents don't mind."
"They'll be fine and I can guarantee privacy there."
"Good, I'll let the others know. What time?"
"How's two o'clock?"
"Great, gives plenty of time for lunch to go down."
Now that everything had been arranged, Draco wandered inside in search of his fiancé.
"Draco dear, I was just coming to get you," Molly said softly as he entered the kitchen. "Ginny's fallen asleep on the couch, she's so tired, the poor dear."
"Thanks, Molly. I'll take her upstairs and put her to bed."
"Lovely, I'll bath the twins and get their dinner ready."
"Umm, if you don't mind I'd like to … take care of the twins."
Molly smiled warmly at the man before her. "Of course, dear, if you need any help don't hesitate to call me."
"I won't."
A soft smile crept over his face when he saw Ginny sprawled on the couch, sound asleep even though she looked to be terrible uncomfortable. Draco carried her upstairs to her small bedroom and laid her on the bed. After removing her shoes, he pulled the covers over her still sleeping form and paused for a few minutes watching her, she looked so peaceful. He left her room determined to make everything work-their marriage, their children and their lives together.
Molly kept a close eye on him as he bathed the twins and made sure they ate all their dinner before tucking them into bed. Drake was extremely quiet all evening, but he was co-operative and for that Draco was thankful.
Before he made ready to leave for the evening, Draco returned to Ginny's bedroom intending to give her a quick kiss goodnight and leave her to rest, but the urge to hold her was too strong for him to deny. He stretched himself out next to her and gently pulled her into his arms, spooning her body against his. The warmth radiating from her body soon had his eyes drifting shut, and the thought that he should leave soon passed briefly through his mind just before sleep claimed him.
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AUTHORS NOTES
Thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her fantastic beta skills *hugs*
Thanks to everyone who reviewed :D
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