Chapter 11: A Little Gathering
"Mr. Malfoy?"
No response. The nervous looking wizard glanced to his left and sent a pleading look to the second highest in command at Malfoy Holdings. The said wizard looked away, smirking.
No help from that direction then. The executive vice president for operations of Malfoy Holdings screwed up all his courage and tried again.
"Mr. Malfoy, sir?"
Lucius Malfoy sat back on his high-backed leather chair, his elbows resting comfortably on the arms, his fingers steepled together. He was presiding a meeting with all the top executives of Malfoy Holdings, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. He was counting the minutes, literally, until he could be where he really wanted to be, instead of here, surrounded by people he didn't particularly like but had no choice but to work with.
"Mr. Malfoy?"
Lucius snapped back to reality. "Yes?"
The vice president almost swallowed his tongue. It was one thing trying to get your boss' attention, it was quite another when you got that which you wanted.
"Umm, sir, we were just wondering if you concur with this proposal?"
Lucius sighed inwardly. It was truly annoying to have people working for you that spent ninety percent of their time quaking in their signature loafers if you so much as talk to them directly. But it was starting to get really hard finding good help nowadays, so even if he wanted to, he couldn't keep on firing people; his turnover ratio was getting ridiculous.
"I have to look over it first before I make my final decision." His flaxen brows rose in inquiry when his executives started murmuring amongst themselves. "Was there something unusual in what I just said?"
There was dead silence once again and the executive vice president wanted to just slip through the nonexistent cracks on the heavily carpeted floor of the conference room rather than answer that question.
"Well?"
Merlin help me. "Well, sir, we were just surprised that you wanted to, um, look over the proposal since, um, you were the one who put it on the table."
Gray eyes bored into the twitching ones of his third top level executive, and a powerful headache was threatening to ruin his good mood.
"Then it would stand to mean that I'm in favor of it," he said through gritted teeth, straining to keep his top from blowing.
Frantic nods started ensuing from several directions, desperate to pacify their employer. It was never good when Lucius Malfoy was in a bad mood; heads started rolling when he was in a snit.
Lucius took a deep breath and started counting to ten. He got to four before he decided he'd had enough.
"If that is all, gentlemen, then you're all dismissed." He watched as grown men fell all over themselves trying to get past the doors first. To them, they'd probably gotten off lightly and they were not about to test their luck any more than was necessary.
"Why do you like to terrorize your people so, Father?"
Lucius looked over to his son who was sitting on his right side, watching him through amused identical gray eyes.
"I do not terrorize my people, Draco. If they had a bit more spine in their backs, they might not scurry like so every time I look even the slightest bit displeased."
Draco shook his head and unfolded his tall form from his chair. "You incite fear with just a look, Father. They are all afraid you'd make a meal out of them if they spoke one word out of turn."
Lucius stood up and threw his quill on the smoothly varnished rosewood table. "They are just spineless. There's nothing you can do to change spineless people, there's no one sure way of dealing with them, they either break with the pressure or you keep prodding them to where they should be to keep them from wetting themselves lest they happen to make a simple mistake." He straightened his black Sylvanno Magno robes and gave his son a smirk. "I admire people with a bit of a spunk to them, Draco, makes for a more interesting existence, don't you think?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Father. Anyway, looks like I'll have to go back to France earlier than I intended after all."
"Why?"
Draco frowned. "I can't seem to locate Blaise. I've been to his flat, the Manor, his last girlfriend's place. I'm still hurting from the shoe that witch threw at me when I asked her Blaise's whereabouts." He shrugged. "I've been trying to get in touch with him for the last three months and he's either avoiding me, or he's dropped off the face of the earth."
Lucius pretended to look interested in his son's failure to get ahold of his friend. He knew exactly where Blaise was, of course, but he wasn't telling, even if he was staring his mortality through the point of a wand. "I heard he was on assignment with that Potter, something hush hush, or so I've been told."
"Assignment? With Pothead? Why would he be on an assignment with Pothead?"
Lucius smirked again. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" Draco asked irritably.
"You know that little occupation Blaise decided to engage in at the Ministry?" At Draco's nod, Lucius' smirk turned positively evil. "He's been partnered with Potter for most of the year. They've been getting along famously, I've been told." He was laying it on a bit thick, but it was part of the package.
Draco's eyes narrowed. "Partners? With Potter?" He laughed derisively. "That'll be the day. He hates that do-gooder as much as I do, if not more. In fact, I'll even put money in it and say that he's wishing that four-eyed freak would keel over and die every day and every hour of the week. Getting along famously, my foot." He continued laughing at the impossibility of the scenario.
Lucius' eyes gleamed subtly. "Ah, but you've been out of circulation for quite a while, Draco. Blaise is, indeed, quite friendly with Potter. He has to. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have any chance at all of winning over Ginny Weasley. You do remember how devoted she is to him, don't you?"
Draco immediately sobered up. "He's cozying up to Ginny?" he asked quietly, his eyes fixed quite sternly on his father, trying to gauge the veracity of his statement.
"Of course. She is a very beautiful woman, Draco, very. You haven't seen her for a while, of course, what with you living in France and all, but Blaise is quite taken with Ms. Weasley." Lucius flecked nonexistent lint off his shoulder.
Draco's teeth grinding seriously endangered the enamels of his perfect pearls but he couldn't help himself. His best friend was trying to take his place? His best friend?
"Over his dead body," he threatened quietly.
"What's that, Draco?" Lucius asked, pretending not to hear what he'd said. It amused him to see how territorial his son looked; it came with the blood curse, of course, but it was still amusing to see it up front.
"Nothing," Draco gritted out more audibly.
"Ah, okay then. Since you're planning on going back to France without waiting to see Blaise, I'll tell him you were looking for him if I happen to see him at the Ministry. I often see him there."
"I think I'll wait till I see him myself after all, Father, there's some things I need to discuss with him. Important things."
Not bloody likely. "He might not be finished with this mission for quite a while Draco. It usually takes them several months to complete one and you know how persnickety that Potter is when it comes to his duties." He inserted enough stress on the last part to leave no doubt that he knew what he was talking about.
Draco gritted his teeth once again. His father was right, of course; if Blaise was on a mission, then it would probably be a long time before he'd be available for anybody. Anybody.
"All right then. If you do see him, Father, can you tell him to owl me right away? I want to see him, the sooner, the better."
Lucius nodded. "Of course, Draco. And don't worry about what I said, about Ms. Weasley and Blaise, I mean. I heard that she's taking an extended vacation out of the country. Blaise won't have any contact with her for some time as well. That levels the playing field for the rest out there, doesn't it?" He clasped his hands together in front of him and smiled at his son jovially, which only made the younger man more wary of him. He knew he was acting strange, and his statements were contradicting in itself, but he was having far too much fun to care.
Draco eyed his father. There was something really off with him today. "Where are you off to?" he asked hesitantly.
"Hmmm, what?"
"You're going somewhere," Draco stated plainly. "You're not wearing your usual business robes, and you seem out of it today. Where are you off to?"
Lucius waved his suspicion off. "Draco, you're being too suspicious. I'm off to the Ministry after here, then I'm meeting a few acquaintances at the Majesty for a few drinks, then I'm off to the Manor. Your mother has set a curfew for me, did you know that?" He threw that in just to throw him off; he didn't really mind Narcissa's request that he be at the Manor before ten, but his son didn't need to know that.
It was Draco's turn to smirk. "Really?"
Lucius rolled his eyes. "Really. Now, go. And don't forget to Floo-call your mother once a week. She's a nightmare when you miss your routine."
Draco's smirk grew even more. "Anything to ruffle you a bit, Father."
"Shoo! Off with you, you insolent brat!" He waved his arms at him. He watched as Draco walked away, laughing merrily, temporarily forgetting his earlier pique.
He waited several minutes to make sure his son was not coming back, before he moved.
"And now to complete my day," he murmured to himself as he walked over to the wall a few feet behind his chair. He pressed accurately on a nondescript part of the wall and a compartment slid open easily. He carefully eased out a black ornate wooden box with an elegant M in ancient script on the top. He walked back to the conference table, laid the box on it, and reverently ran a hand over the top. He had been told about this box; in fact, the story behind it had been handed down from one Malfoy heir to the next for generations, but this would be the first time it would be actually used. He had mixed feelings about that; he was proud he'd be the first Malfoy to use it since François Gerard Malfoy conceptualized and actually created the contents of the box, but at the same time he was also ashamed of the need for it. He shook his wayward thoughts away and opened the box by pressing his right hand firmly on top of the symbol M. There was a click and the box slid open, the symbol separating neatly from the middle and the contents were revealed to him. Noting that everything he needed was inside, he closed the box by pressing on its sides firmly and prepared himself for what lay ahead for him. He had been waiting for this for a long time, and tonight was going to be the culmination of all his planning.
"Or the beginning," he said quietly before taking out his wand and with the box safely secured by his side, apparated from out of the Malfoy Holdings conference room.
Draco quietly opened the door to the conference room and closed it behind him on seeing that Lucius was no longer inside. He frowned in thought as he walked the length of the room towards the CEO's chair.
"What are you up to, Lucius?" he asked aloud, his left hand gripping the top of the leather chair and swinging it from side to side absentmindedly.
He stood there for several minutes, looking blankly at the spotless table before striding purposely into a section of the wall at the far left side of the room and pressed on it. It gave way to reveal a cozy room with a well-maintained hearth. Draco went directly for the pot of floo powder on top of the fireplace.
"William Chauncy's office!" Draco called out and stuck his head inside the fireplace. He only waited a few seconds before the man he wanted to speak to appeared before him.
"Mr. Malfoy!" The tall sandy-haired man immediately crouched down to eye level with his most important client.
"I need you to do something for me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I still find it hard to believe you had twins," Hermione said softly, gently rocking the sleeping Nicole in her arms.
Ginny smiled at her friend's awed voice. She'd been back at the Burrow for a week now and Hermione had found one excuse after another to drop by and ogle the twins. She had to admit that her friend looked good with a baby in her arms, and unbidden, wondered how Harry was coping nowadays with a wife obsessed with a baby.
"I've actually had sometime to get used to the idea, but I know what you mean," she said, carefully transferring Luke to her other breast. The blond infant immediately latched on to his source of food and suckled greedily. Ginny winced, still not used to the whole breastfeeding thing.
Hermione pulled her eyes from the adorable little girl napping in her arms and eyed Luke. "He's a greedy little bugger, isn't he?" she stated fondly as she watched the little boy's cheeks depress while he suckled.
"Hermione!" Ginny admonished, laughing. "Harry's been a bad influence on you."
"Did I hear someone mention my name?" Harry came up behind Hermione and circled his arms around her waist. He dropped a kiss on his wife of four week's shoulders before giving Ginny one of his disarming smiles, the same lopsided grin that had made many witch's hearts beat erratically; it did absolutely nothing for Ginny. "You do know watching you feed Malfoy's brat is a traumatic experience for all of us, don't you?" he kidded good-naturedly, carefully avoiding looking within the vicinity of Ginny's exposed flesh.
Ginny rolled her eyes. It was unavoidable for everybody to finally have their questions answered as to the paternity of her twins; once she was back in the Burrow for the twins' christening, her brothers had taken one look at Luke and Nicole's coloring and all of them had promptly turned a curious shade of green, before changing into a magnificent shade of red worthy of their hair color. Then the yells commenced and the `how could you's' and `are you mental' and not to mention the `fucking ferret-face' started flying all over the place, followed immediately by plotting on how best to castrate Malfoy. It took a lot of threatening on her part to get them to back down and even now, she wasn't absolutely certain they had given up on their plans of mayhem and destruction; the twinkle in Fred and George's eyes, not to mention their evil smiles, was enough reason for her to be wary.
"You, shut it," Ginny said lightly, "And stop acting like such a silly prude. It's not as though you haven't suckled your fair share of breasts yourself."
"ANYWAY," Harry said loudly to try to drown out Ginny's voice. He was very red in the face; he knew sooner or later she was going to bring up his past escapades, he just didn't think she'd do it in front of Hermione, of all people. "What do you plan to do after today?" He was talking to Ginny but his eyes were on his wife, gauging her reaction to Ginny's revelation and not sure what to make of the sparkle in her eyes.
Ginny smirked knowingly. She knew why Harry was desperately trying to change the subject; what he wasn't aware of was the fact that Hermione was already well aware of his past affairs, not just the one she was a witness to. After all, it was the reason why she had finally taken a moment, looked closely inside herself and admitted that Harry was more than just a friend to her. It explained why she was either hostile or coldly aloof to the girls he had dated, and there had been a lot of them; Harry's social calendar had been quite full their sixth year and the first half of their seventh, being the Boy-Who-Lived did have its perks. She was the only person Hermione had confided in, her rationale being that Ginny knew what it felt like to love him and found a way to get over her feelings. She had not thought it prudent to correct the older girl and just listened to her pour her heart out. What could she possibly say to her anyway? She hadn't yet felt that complicated emotion and prayed not to for many years to come if it was as difficult as Hermione was finding it. She could not find it in her heart to tell her about how intimate Harry's relationships really were with those other girls, which proved to be a huge mistake when she found out for herself and reacted badly. Seeing the boy you love and her then best friend in bed with another girl was not a good way to greet the Christmas holidays. Their relationship had been awkward afterwards, to say the least; Hermione couldn't look Harry in the eye and Harry could not understand why his best friend was reacting that way to what she'd seen. After that day, Ginny could only watch as Hermione retreated into herself more and more each day. She found one plausible excuse after another not to spend time with her two best friends and became even more miserable when Harry and Ron soon just stopped trying to include her in their misadventures.
Seventh year saw a different Hermione. Ginny could not believe the unhappy girl who left for the summer of her sixth year was the same girl who boarded the Hogwarts Express. If it weren't for the shiny Head Girl badge proudly displayed on her scarlet Gryffindor robes, she would have never recognized her. Neither could Harry or Ron apparently, judging by their slack-jawed reaction to her physical change. Who knew a whole summer could bring so much change to a person? Hermione Jane Granger, Hogwarts Head Girl and resident Gryffindor know-it-all had become a beautiful young woman, and more than one male eye appreciated the change.
Being the Head Girl, she had to share living quarters with Draco Malfoy, who was Head Boy, and thus she was brought into close proximity with the Head Boy's best friend Blaise Zabini. Before the first week of classes was through, Hermione and Blaise were already dating, much to Draco's dismay and many of the male population of Hogwarts, attached or not. She had talked with Hermione about Blaise and the older girl seemed to genuinely like the Italian Slytherin; she didn't love him yet, but she was hoping to get around to that feeling eventually.
That had been the one time she had seriously contemplated telling Hermione about her developing feelings for her Head counterpart, but decided against it at the last minute, resolving to nip the feelings in the bud; it would be a hopelessly one-sided thing anyway, considering that Draco was already half-way engaged to Parkinson, and if what she saw on the train going to Hogwarts was anything to go by, matrimony was a foregone conclusion to their relationship. What was totally unexpected though, was the explosive display of temper Harry had treated them to right before Christmas break, calling Hermione a traitor to their house and dubbing her the Slytherin whore. It had chilled her to the bone the way Hermione had answered Harry; she was very calm and outwardly cool, but she could see in her eyes that it was killing her to be at odds with Harry. It made her afraid as to what she would get into her head to do next; Hermione was smart, the smartest witch to walk the halls of Hogwarts, probably, but she had never been reasonable where Harry was concerned, and it made her a disaster waiting to happen. When she had quietly told Harry she wasn't a Slytherin whore, yet, but would be rectifying that oversight soon, she knew she had to do something to change her friend's mind before it was too late. Harry, too, seemed to realize his mistake and tried to apologize, but Hermione merely turned her back on him, exited the Gryffindor common room and went back to her own rooms.
It was probably the only time Hogwarts saw a Weasley and a Malfoy work together without simulating some long ago battle; Ginny, trying to keep her friend from doing something she knew she'd regret afterwards, and Draco, trying to keep his friend from dirtying his family by consorting with a mudblood. It was also about the same time she realized that dating other boys wasn't going to make her feelings for the blond Slytherin go away. In the end, they slipped in their vigilance and Blaise and Hermione were able to sneak away. If Harry himself had not been carousing the castle with his invisibility cloak and map, Hermione would have fallen into a trap of her own making. Thankfully, Blaise had understood right away and left the two combatants in the Room of Requirement and the rest, as they say, was history.
Looking at them now, Ginny was amazed at the easy way with which Hermione was able to forget Harry's affairs; she wasn't sure she'd be as forgiving with Draco. But she also had to concede that they had a very different set of circumstances to deal with; Harry never meant for Hermione to find out about him and Mandy that way, whereas Draco took great pleasure in telling her she had to make herself scarce before his girlfriend came by. No, it was not the same at all.
Seeing the pleading look on Harry's face, Ginny took pity on him and obliged his need for a topic change.
"I'm going back to New York. I have - obligations, there that I won't be able to get out of anytime soon." She had kept her answer vague enough to satisfy most asking what it was she does for a living in New York. Apart from her mother, she wasn't yet ready to take out an ad in the Daily Prophet, announcing her career.
"Oh, I thought you were back for good. Who's going to be helping you out with the twins if you're there?"
"I have Colin, of course, we do share a place. And I've also hired a nanny to help out. It won't be so bad."
Eyebrows rose questioningly. "You must be doing very well there if you can afford to engage the services of a nanny."
Ginny shrugged nonchalantly. "I do well enough, I guess. I owe a lot to Colin though, I wouldn't have what I have now without his help."
"You two have really grown close," Hermione observed, her eyes seeking out and finding the blond man who was conversing with Tonks rather animatedly.
"We've always been close in Hogwarts," Ginny remarked, "but we've grown even closer afterwards. He's a very important part of my life now; I wouldn't know what to do with myself if he wasn't around bossing me."
"Does he still do photography? I didn't see him lugging around a camera during the ceremony," Harry asked, looking at the smaller man.
"Yes he does," Ginny affirmed, smiling. She adjusted her hold on Luke who seemed to have fallen asleep still latched onto her nipple, but started suckling again when he was jarred. "He made quite a racket when I told him he couldn't bring his camera with him. Why do you think he's pouting at the moment? He didn't like it very much when I told him to act like a guest for once."
As though sensing they were talking about him, Colin excused himself from Tonks who immediately nodded and grabbed onto Remus Lupin in case he changed his mind and continued abusing her auditory nerves once again. He slowly made a beeline for Ginny, his snit still apparent on his handsome face.
"I hate you. Give me my godson," he stated, plucking Luke from Ginny's arms after seeing that the boy was no longer feeding but merely playing with his mother's nipple. His action was so abrupt that Ginny didn't have enough time to cover herself adequately before the infant parted from her chest.
"Ahh! My poor eyes! I've gone blind!" Harry yelled, frantically covering his eyes with his hand.
Ginny righted her dress and then smacked Harry upside the head. "Idiot! If you don't cease that adolescent display right now, you'll more than see my breasts, you'll be feeding from it! Just see if I'm joking."
Harry's eyes grew round as saucers and then he bolted as though a fire had been lit from under him.
Colin and Hermione were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces.
"Who knew?" Colin gasped, grasped his stomach with his left arm while holding Luke securely in his right. "The great Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding world, fearless in the face of Voldemort and countless Death Eaters, scared shitless at the thought of being breastfed!"
Hermione herself was having quite a laugh at the expense of her husband. "He can throw off the Imperius Curse and endure the Cruciatus without breaking; who knew the threat of breast exposure would have him folding his tail and running?"
Ginny took her now very awake daughter from Hermione when she saw the other woman was having difficulty keeping it together. "You are aware that's your husband you're disparaging, aren't you?" Ginny asked in amusement, holding Nicole in front of her and bouncing the infant gently as she gurgled happily, waving her pudgy arms at her laughing godparents.
"Yes, I know," Hermione nodded jerkily, "but you can't tell me you didn't find that funny."
Ginny grinned. Clearly, Hermione was Harry's match in every way; he would never be able to use his fame to get around his wife and she was far too smart to fall into the pitfalls every other witches fell into when they fell in love: losing their identities. They complimented each other perfectly and she could never be happier for them both. She could now safely say that had Harry ended up with another woman, he would have completely ruled her life to the point where he would have lost interest and eventually would have cheated on her; if she herself had persevered in her little crush on him, she would probably have eaten him alive and have some space left for dessert. Hermione was just what the Medi-Wizard ordered for him.
"Yes, quite," Ginny agreed with Hermione as she looked at the red-faced Harry, hiding behind Ron but trying not to be conspicuous about it. She looked back at the older woman and shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, we should be around for two more weeks and then it's back to New York for us."
"That's too bad," Hermione said, forgetting their previous hilarity for the moment as she eyed the beautiful little girl in Ginny's arms longingly. "I'll miss seeing my godchildren."
Hermione looked so wistful that Ginny felt guilty for having to leave. "We'll come for a visit as often as we can, Mione. And besides, I'm sure you'll have your very own baby to fuss over before long, if Harry has anything to say about it. He's rather, ahem, up to the job, as I'm sure you're well aware of. You won't even remember my little monsters once you have your own."
Hermione smiled eagerly. "I hope so. I know Harry wants to start a family right away."
"See! I'll bet you'll be the coolest Mum ever. I want to be godmother to all your little tykes, every single one of them."
Hermione grinned cheekily. "You're on."
"Umm, Gin, I hate to break this little tête-à-tête, but I think you're Mum needs a bit of assistance," Colin butted in, looking at the furious looking Weasley matriarch.
Ginny looked to where she could see her mother huffing and waving a wooden spoon in the air. "Right. Hermione, would you?" She held Nicole out to her and the other woman immediately said of course and happily assumed carrying the baby. Ginny made her way over to her mother, then followed her inside the house. She wondered where her father was and soon had her answer when she heard her mother's loud voice in the room under the stairs.
"We have guests, Arthur! I have spent the past hour looking for you, wondering where you've gone to and I find you here, tinkering with that thing again! Can't you leave that be for a minute to at least talk to your guests?"
Ginny winced. She had a very good idea what had upset her mother this much and as she slipped into the room, she'd guessed right.
"But Molly, I couldn't help myself! This is just amazing! Who knew Muggles were as ingenious as this! Look! Look! If I move this here, I can see you in this glass thing here! See!"
Ginny suppressed a chuckle as she watched her father pick up the video camera and focus it on his wife. Trust Arthur Weasley to abandon everything to play around with a Muggle toy. But her mother apparently didn't think too much about his excuse when her face grew even redder in her fury. Ginny immediately intervened before the argument escalated further.
"Mum, I think we're running out of Cherry pie. Tonks was just asking if there was any more since she found it particularly delicious." If there's one thing Molly Weasley hated, it was running out of food, and true to her word, the plump woman's eyes immediately cleared to be replaced with worry.
"Oh dear, I'll take out some more from the kitchen." She made to leave before remembering her reason for seeking out her husband. "And I want you out of here in five minutes, Arthur, or I swear I'll put away all that junk to where you'll never see them again." Then she huffed once before leaving the room.
Ginny grinned at her sheepish looking father. "Who set this up anyway?" she asked, looking at all the appliances in the small room: there was a wide screen television, a DVD player, a VCR and the video camera Mr. Weasley was still holding. On a shelf by the corner were electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes that had Ginny shaking her head in puzzlement. "Where did you get all this stuff? You do know some of this won't work here, right?" She picked up a PDA which was placed beside a cellular phone and a Gameboy.
"That friend of yours, Colin. He also set all of this up," answered Mr. Weasley, putting down the camera carefully.
"Really?" Ginny's eyes were raised in amusement and speculation. "Why would he do that?"
Mr. Weasley flushed in embarrassment. "He thought I would have more fun playing with things that work. He heard about my fascination with plugs but since we don't have eckeltricity, he thought since these all run on batteries, then there should be no problem."
Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Mum's gonna have his hide when she learns about this." She couldn't believe the number of junk in the room and had to wonder when Colin had the time to give it to her father. "But now you have to get out of here, you know Mum never makes idle threats."
"That would be best, yes," Mr. Weasley said, nervous at the thought of losing all his toys.
They came out together and her father quickly went to talk with Albus Dumbledore, who was, to her amusement, wearing periwinkle robes with stars dotting the formal attire. Touted the most powerful wizard that ever lived, he looked totally ridiculous and yet oddly, he was the only one who fit in with the flamboyant decorations courtesy of Fred and George. Her gaze moved over the Burrow's backyard, noting the few people that had been included in the guest list for the twin's christening. She and her mother had agreed that only those who were close family friends were to be invited so as to keep the existence of the twins a secret; it would be hard enough to explain to a few how she and Draco came together and really didn't fancy spending her short time at home explaining the whys of the matter. She looked at Tonks, with her purple hair talking with Remus; she wasn't certain, but it looked like the mild-mannered werewolf might have found his match. She shifted her gaze over to Mad-Eye Moody, who was eyeing a piece of chicken suspiciously, with Mrs. Weasley in the background telling him there was no need for him to worry that it might be poisoned. Her brother Charlie was sitting contentedly against one of the gaily decorated trees, his girlfriend Claire lounging against his chest as they talked, their hands entwined. Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were standing off to one side, not talking and looking disapprovingly at Fred and George, who were currently extolling the benefits of engaging in a rat race to a drunk Mundungus Fletcher and a bemused Neville Longbottom. Luna was, surprisingly, keeping her distance from her brother, and she wondered if her mother's intuition had proven right, after all.
Her gaze shifted to Harry, Hermione and Colin, who were now joined by another wizard she would never have otherwise invited. They were not enemies but they were also by no means friends, so seeing him mingling with her friends and family had shocked her. The shock had been replaced with panic after only a few seconds; Blaise Zabini was the unspoken half of Draco Malfoy, and if Zabini knew of Luke and Nicole, then it would be safe to say that Draco would too. She had only been able to breathe normally again after Hermione assured her Zabini would not say anything to anybody about the twins. Hermione knew the Italian well, and if she said he wouldn't tell, then she could trust her word on that. Somewhat.
Her gaze moved again to where her parents were. She smiled fondly as she spied her mother plunk down a full plate in front of her father and Dumbledore, insisting that he eat the lot or suffer the consequences; he didn't have to be told twice and started working his way through the mountain of food, with Dumbledore softly chuckling in amusement beside him. Her mother was always after her father to eat right and enough, and she was heartened to know that it hasn't changed over the years.
She made her way back to Harry, Hermione and Colin, inwardly preparing herself for a face-off with the deceptively quiet Slytherin; deceptively because to her chagrin, she had been far off the mark where the Italian was concerned. Blaise Zabini was quiet, yes, but it seemed that he had no problem expressing himself when necessary and when he expressed himself, he was one sarcastic and arrogant bastard. No wonder he got along famously with the Prince of Slytherin, and clashed frequently with his partner, one Harry Potter.
It had been quite a shock when Hermione told her Harry had been partners with Zabini for almost a year and the first two months of their partnership notwithstanding, they worked very well together. She hadn't wanted to believe Hermione at first when she said he wouldn't go running off to Draco once he saw the twins, but when she heard Harry relied on him to keep his back safe on a day to day basis, and since Harry was obviously still enjoying a very healthy life, she finally ceased her worries. Zabini himself had said he was Draco's friend, and cousin besides, but something as critical as his fatherhood would be better left for Draco to discover, without help from himself. He had a weird sense of logic but she was grateful for it in this instance. That same logic was probably what made him such good friends with Hermione, in spite of what they had been once to each other, much to Harry's dismay. It did not sit well with him to see his wife acting friendly towards the same man she had almost slept with. But she could well see what attracted her friend to Blaise: he was very intelligent in an unconventional way, and he probably constantly challenged Hermione's intellect with his illogical sense. That he was an abnormally attractive example of the male species helped, of course, and having one constantly fawning over you was not exactly a great burden.
Blaise was currently inspecting (that was the only word for it) Luke, holding the baby away from him and turning him this way and that. Luke, surprisingly, was allowing the inspection, his eyes fixed on the strange man before him. As Ginny approached, Blaise handed the quiet baby back to Colin and nodded his head, as though his theory had just been confirmed.
"Did he pass, Zabini?" Ginny said tartly, irritated at the Italian for his handling of Luke.
"That was never in question," he answered suavely, watching the redhead take the boy from Colin and holding him in front of her defiantly. "I knew some day, Draco's obsession with you would result in something like this. But when I heard Weasel King say ferret-face spawned a replica of himself, I just had to see for myself. He's right, about the replica, not the ferret-face," he said hurriedly when he saw Ginny's eyes flash dangerously.
Ginny looked around angrily for her brother. Was it really too much to hope that he would forget his animosity towards Draco for one night and focus on his niece and nephew instead?
"If it's any consolation," Blaise intruded into her thoughts, "he was quite pissed when he said that bit. Who knew he didn't have a head for alcohol? A bottle of Ogden's and he was spilling his guts out like a gutted pig. Courtesy of yours truly, of course."
Ginny's eyes snapped back on the swarthy man. "Tell me again why he's here with you, Harry?" she asked, her lips pursed disapprovingly, her eyes fixed on the dark-haired Slytherin.
"He invited himself, and because our covert mission ended sooner than expected, seeing as Zabini here killed our suspect," Harry replied happily, smiling like an innocent little boy.
"I wouldn't put it like that, Potter," Zabini drawled gruffly.
"Snuffed, expired, stop breathing, it's all the same to me. He's dead. And you're responsible."
"Funny," Zabini said, smirking, "you seem to have conveniently forgotten that he was about to make Hermione a widow. Pity he missed."
Harry growled at Zabini, unable to prevent reacting to his partners deliberate provocation.
Ginny leaned into Hermione who was ignoring the men's argument, busy making faces to Nicole. "They are aware the sexual tension's so thick around them you could cut it with a knife, right?" she said in a stage whisper and grinned mischievously as Harry flushed. Zabini winked at him, giving his body a thorough once over before letting a sly smile replace his smirk. Harry looked about ready to bolt again.
"Stop that, Blaise, you'll give him nightmares for a week," Hermione said without taking her eyes off the baby in her arms.
"Try a year," Harry mumbled under his breath, shooting a killing glare at his partner.
Ginny couldn't help herself. "Zabini's gay?!"
Four snorts answered her. Hermione then chuckled, Colin shook his head, Harry mumbled something remarkably like `I could only hope' and Zabini laughed loudly.
"He's not, trust me," Hermione said, glancing at her friend. "He's too much of a womanizer to ever be swayed in the opposite wagon."
Zabini staggered back, hand over heart. "You wound me, luv. You know you're the only woman for me. Just say the word and I'll spirit you away from that messy haired husband of yours before he can even blink."
"See what I have to put up with?" Hermione said as the two men faced off again, throwing insults at each other.
"Are they always like this?" Ginny asked as she watched Harry and Zabini try to outdo each other.
"Pretty much. Blaise is a good man though, despite some of his associations," she said meaningfully. "He's just lonely; there hasn't been a woman that kept him interested for longer than a few weeks, and it absolutely irritates Harry that we're such good friends. I know he likes Zabini, very deep down inside; it's a matter of principle to dislike him, though."
Ginny was about to reply when Luke decided he'd been ignored long enough and let out a loud wail, his little limbs stiffening as he engaged in his first temper tantrum. She had only started shushing and bouncing him gently when Blaise was suddenly standing in front of her.
"May I?" He didn't wait for Ginny to say no and plucked Luke from her arms, cradling him in his right arm then started talking to him firmly but gently. "Now, my lad, don't you know it's bad form, showing your tonsils to your adoring public?" he said wagging a finger at the boy. Luke, seemingly surprised and mesmerized at this person holding and talking to him and quieted down immediately. "Now, let me tell you something about your father, a more sorry piece of arse I've ever had the pleasure to know. Listen carefully now, this is important." Blaise seemed to have forgotten he had an audience. "Your da was a very quiet baby, never once made a peep unless it was absolutely necessary; you know, to make it known he was hungry or needed his nappies changed. He liked to listen and watch people and he learned quickly that people leave you alone if you act like you were part of the furniture. We grew up together, you know, your da and I, such a serious boy he was too. His Mum and Dad were not happy people then, not like your Mum here, and that's probably why he's such an arse. Now here is what I want you to keep inside that white head of yours: when you see him, your da I mean, don't be too hard on him okay? He doesn't know what he's doing. I'll help kick his arse around some for you, to be sure. I have you covered, don't worry. Just remember to give him a chance. Tell your little sister, too. She's too busy sleeping right now to listen to the men talk, so I expect you to be the one to guide her. Are we clear on this then?"
The baby just stared at the man talking to him, his eyes wide. Ginny was surprised at the easy way he had taken to Zabini; it took Hermione two days of making a nuisance of herself before Luke would let her near him, and another day to let her hold him. She had been greatly disappointed by this as she had found the boy to be very adorable, despite his decidedly Malfoy genetics; she had only been mollified when it took Harry even longer for the boy to warm up to him. Ginny could have sworn that Luke was somehow projecting his father's dislike for the two by refusing their presence.
Zabini broke his eye contact with the baby and looked back at the three stunned adults. "Well, at least he's not as thick as Draco, there's hope for him yet. There you go." He handed Luke back to Ginny, giving the boy a pat on his head and a small smile.
"Blaise, you never cease to amaze me," Hermione said, smiling brightly at the Italian.
"You know me, cara, I hate predictability." He smirked at the bristling Harry. "Of course, there are some things that I wouldn't mind seeing over and over again."
"Prick," Harry muttered.
"Of course, why do you think the ladies love me?" retorted Zabini.
"I think Luke and Nicole have heard enough name calling from these two, Gin," Colin pointed out. "Maybe we should put them to bed already."
Ginny looked between Blaise and Harry before nodding. "I think you're right. Can you take Nicole?" The little girl had thankfully fallen asleep through the whole verbal exchange.
"I can help you, Gin," Hermione offered right away.
"Better not, Mione. These two kids here," she emphasized, indicating the two adult males, "need a babysitter of their own or they'll be tearing each other's spleen out. Colin can help me."
"Ok, then," Hermione nodded reluctantly, carefully moving Nicole from her arms to Colin's. She kissed the fair head lovingly. "Bye, sweetie."
With Luke safely tucked in her arms and Nicole in Colins, they made their way slowly towards the Burrow. They had to constantly stop, as one guest after another halted their progress towards the Burrow, wanting to either talk or just to ogle at the babies once again. She didn't mind stopping; she knew pride was a sin, but she couldn't help but be proud of the way her babies had turned out. She knew had Draco only seen what he had created with her, he would also have been proud of them.
When they were finally nearing the Burrow's front doors, and safely away from anybody who might possibly stop them again, Ginny smiled at Colin.
"You certainly look pleased with yourself," Colin commented, his free arm loping around her shoulders.
"I am," she nodded, her smile getting wider.
"Is the reason behind it top secret or am I permitted to know?"
Ginny grinned even more. "I'm just happy to be here, with my friends around me, and my family supporting me. Daddy has been really nice, he hasn't pestered me about my single status even once, though that might have something to do about his preoccupation with his new toys." Her eyebrows rose in question and Colin laughed, not answering her unspoken question. "Anyway, it's just good to be home. You never really begin to miss something until you're taken from it and then given an opportunity to have it back again. I'm happy."
"Even with Zabini around?" Blond eyebrows rose in challenge.
Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "Especially with him around. Don't you know I find him to be a breath of fresh air? I'm not saying I'll marry him," she said quickly when Colin looked at her incredulously, "but I've rarely seen Harry so ruffled and Zabini does it so effortlessly. He's so - I don't know, alive! That's a feeling I haven't been familiar with for a long time, till Luke and Nicole came, of course. I wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit more."
Colin was still highly skeptical. "You do know he and Draco are cousins right? You can't start something with him if only because of that, Gin."
Ginny flushed. "Just because I said I wanted to get to know him better doesn't mean I'm jumping into the sack with him, Col. I don't think I could live with myself if I did that."
"Tell that to your libido then," Colin said pragmatically.
Ginny's chin rose a notch. "My libido, as it is, is firmly under control, thank you very much. I don't think it responds very well to outside stimuli that was not called Draco and Malfoy. I've tried, believe me. Whoever said that pregnant women's hormones go into overdrive must have been dreaming. That, or I've used up all my mileage and need to have my engines overhauled."
Colin chuckled. "You've likened yourself to an automobile?"
Ginny shrugged. "Why not? Not much of a difference. Better than saying my libido has taken a permanent sabbatical, which sounds positively grim for my future. You know I'm constantly surrounded by more than scrumptious men and still I can't seem to jumpstart my sex drive. You figure it out."
Colin was chuckling so much now, Nicole woke up from her light slumber. She started whimpering, her face beginning to scrunch up. Luke, who had been quiet up to that point, also started making a racket on hearing his sister's distress. The adults stopped in their tracks as each tried to settle both infants down again. But they refused to be pacified that way. They were growing more restless by the second and Ginny was truly baffled.
She was about to suggest to Colin that they go inside and try to quiet them down in their cots when she noticed that Colin's attention was riveted elsewhere.
"Col, what is it?" She got no reply, and deciding to follow his field of vision, she understood what had him transfixed. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that what she was seeing was just a figment of her overly active imagination but when she opened them again, she still saw the same thing. She began to shake all over, fear like she had never before felt consuming her whole being. Not even Tom made her feel this overpowering sense of doom. With every step taken, she was brought closer to the reality of who and what she had become. She wanted to run, to hide, but she knew it wouldn't make a difference. The truth was closing in on her and she was slowly suffocating from it.
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A/N: Answer to questions and other feedback:
aleja21: As you've already probably read, not yet. That will come much later in the story.
Dark Fairy: The story about the Malfoy's came out of nowhere, and one of my readers at the other site thought that chapter was disturbing, which I highly concur. I'm glad you liked it though.
Sailor Universe: I know, go figure. I'm just thankful that most of the reaction I got from that little scenario was fairly mild, and no derision anywhere in sight, would you believe?
Goldmund: It will take a lot more than dreams to make Draco see the light; in fact, and this is a bit of insight into the future chapters, Draco will make a total ass of himself before he finally realizes what it was he stood to loose.
GPGA: Understand that Draco is a bitter shell of a man, one who has grown up resentful of his father. Yes, Lucius knows that Draco probably loves Ginny, but he also knows his son is too set in his ways at present to be any good to his family, just like Lucius was when he married Narcissa. Notice the similarities between them? Lucius was not exactly falling over himself with glee when Draco was conceived, and their confrontation didn't exactly give Lucius the feeling that had Draco known he was already a father, he would suddenly change overnight, and that was a chance he wasn't willing to take where his grandchildren was concerned.
H&H Love: Not yet, and I'll be waiting with baited breath what you think when the chapter where they do eventually meet again comes up. It won't be anything you'd imagine.
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