Unofficial Portkey Archive

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 FOURTEEN

WHITE LIES

Draco placed his quill in its holder and leaned back in his chair, satisfied that everything he had set out to achieve today had been done to the best of his ability and that the office could survive without him for a day or so. He was rather looking forward to getting away for a few days, even if his reasons for escaping were a little shady. Well, they would be considered ambiguous if anyone else knew the full truth.

While at the Burrow on Sunday, for Percy's birthday celebration, Harry and Ron had pulled him aside to inform him that they would be making an official visit to Malfoy Manor on Friday. Draco had immediately decided that a long weekend was in order, and if it could be spent out of the country, all the better. Under the guise of having a little paperwork to do, Draco escaped to his study the moment they returned home and placed an urgent Floo call to Blaise Zabini. Without divulging his real reasons for wanting to get away for a few days, Draco was able to arrange to stay at one of his friend's properties in the Greek Islands. When he suggested that he wanted to do this before Ginny got too uncomfortable to travel, Blaise decided that he and Katarina might join the Malfoys for the three days. Draco was hardly in a position to argue the point, and besides it gave him an excellent opportunity to create a reason for going that he could pass on to Ginny. She'd been reluctant at first, but when he explained that they'd been invited to spend a few days with the Zabinis and it would be indecorous to refuse such a generous offer, plus Katarina was looking forward to the weekend, Ginny caved in and agreed to go for her new friend's sake.

"Sir?"

Draco, startled out of his thoughts, came forward on his chair in a hurry. "Enter," he uttered redundantly, as she was already inside his office.

"These need your signature before you leave," his secretary informed him, passing Draco a small pile of parchment.

"Very well." Draco picked up his quill and scanned the documents quickly. "Have they been proofread?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded and began to scrawl his signature at the bottom of each page. When he was finished he collected the papers and passed them back to the waiting woman. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll be off then." Draco stood up behind his desk. "I won't be available at all, so if there are any problems you can direct them to my father."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll see you Monday morning."

"Have a lovely weekend, sir."

"Thank you," Draco intoned as he reached for his traveling cloak.

After slinging his cloak around his shoulders, Draco picked up his briefcase and strolled out of his office. As he entered the corridor he wasn't surprised to see Lucius striding towards him. "Father."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, we have an International Portkey."

"Of course." Lucius nodded thoughtfully. "Where is it that you're going again?"

"Palestrikaeo," Draco supplied. "The precise details are on my desk at home and, if you can't locate them, Harry knows how to contact me."

"Potter?"

"Yes, Father, I told him just in case." Draco lowered his voice deliberately. "That way if anything comes to light it doesn't look like I'm running away."

"I see."

Draco only just resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's a small price to pay for the favor he and Ron did for us."

"Yes, yes, I suppose."

"We'll see you Sunday evening then," Draco said.

"Do have fun," Lucius drawled.

Draco knew his father wasn't pleased with the fact that he was leaving the country for a few days. Lucius had even argued that Ginny would eventually find out that they were still subject to raids from time to time and that it was better that she know from the start. It was a logical argument, but Draco still didn't want to subject his wife or children to witnessing a raid. "I intend to."

As he walked away, Draco heard his father growl deep in his throat, and then he did roll his eyes. It wasn't like being out of the country was going to exonerate him from any responsibility if they did turn up something in the raid, which was precisely the reason he made sure Harry had their itinerary and contact details. Now that he was master of the manor he would be held responsible, perhaps solely responsible, though he doubted Harry and Ron would take such a hard line with him when they know anything they might find would have been in the house from his childhood or even earlier - at least he hoped not.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco was greeted with ear-piercing squeals of delight as he arrived in the foyer of his home. Drake and Angel were bouncing around, trying to hug him and announcing their delight at his arrival loud enough to wake many generations of their very dead ancestors. Somewhere amid the melee a house elf arrived to divest him of his cloak and brief case.

"Calm down, you two," Draco begged. "Angel, let me go, so I can get my cloak off."

Once free of children, Draco shrugged his cloak off and passed his brief case to the waiting servant. His freedom didn't last long, as the twins launched themselves excitedly at him again.

"Darling, you're home," Narcissa intoned a little louder than normal so she could be heard over the din.

"It would appear so, Mother," Draco responded with a happy grin.

"I believe Ginevra is upstairs checking on the last of the packing," Narcissa supplied.

"Good, we need to leave in an hour."

Narcissa's forehead wrinkled ever so slightly at Drake's attempts to get his father's attention, but she said nothing to her grandson. "The children have been very excitable all day."

"I've a feeling their excitement has been building since we told them we were going away for the weekend," Draco responded before looking at his son. "Yes, Drake?"

"Are we going soon, Daddy?"

"Yes, mate, we're leaving soon, so you'd better check that you've packed everything."

"Mummy wouldn't let me pack," Drake complained.

"I can't imagine why," Draco replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"She didn't pack my broomstick or my Quidditch stadium or anything I wanted," Drake continued.

"Well, we're only going for three days, so I'm sure you can live without those things."

Drake sighed tragically, as if the mere thought of leaving his most prized possessions at home was already taking its toll on his very will to live.

Angel rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. "Mummy only let me take three dresses."

"Only three?" Draco exclaimed theatrically. "The pain you must be in!"

"Daddy!" Angel stomped her little foot on the marble floor.

"Come on, let's see if Mummy has finished packing your scant possessions." Draco tried to herd the twins up the staircase ahead of him, but they each attached themselves to one of his hands. "Mother, we will see you before we leave."

"Are you taking a servant with you?"

"Yes, Millie will be accompanying us, for the twins' sake more than anything."

"Very well. I will be in my summer parlor." Narcissa turned on her heel and glided away.

Draco released the oxygen in his lungs in a long sigh. Between the children's excitement and the general stress his parents were under at the moment, he was beginning to feel rather weary. The sooner they were on their way the better he decided as he mounted the stairs.

He found his wife in their chambers adding to an already full suitcase. "Perhaps we should take some trunks?" Draco suggested cheekily as he entered.

"Thank goodness you're here," Ginny expressed as she accepted his light kiss. "Right, I need you to sit on the lid, so I can snap the locks shut."

"Ginevra," Draco started seriously, after eyeing what she was trying to cram into one suitcase. "Is it really necessary to bring all of this?"

"You never know what the weather is going to do, and I assume we'll be expected to dress for dinner," Ginny explained, frustration tainting her tone.

"Love, we're going on holidays, so if we don't want to dress for dinner we don't have to. Do you remember when we didn't dress for dinner on our honeymoon?" Draco grinned wickedly at the memory. They had decided to order room service one night, after spending the entire day shopping, and when it arrived they'd only just gotten out of the bath, so rather than allowing their meals to go cold they decided to eat right away, however, by the time they reached the small table in their suite both their towels had gone missing in action. As that particular meal progressed, he had discovered that table napkins strategically placed over one's lap were a necessity to protect certain extremely tender body parts from hot food accidentally dropped off one's fork.

"We are going with Blaise and Katarina, remember?" Ginny eyed her husband with an expression that was somewhere between amusement and disgust. "Somehow I don't think eating dinner err- like that would impress our hosts."

"This is Blaise we're talking about," Draco pointed out. "He'll probably have to be reminded continuously to put pants on."

"Should I pack a blindfold then?"

"And maybe some rope," Draco added cheekily, running his hand across her derriere suggestively.

"What do you need rope for?" Drake asked with a confused expression on his face.

"To tie you up," Draco growled playfully as he tipped his son over his shoulder to a gale of screams.

"If you lot are going to play around you can go do it elsewhere," Ginny chided futilely.

Drake's squeals filled the room as Draco started to tickle him. The little boy was squirming so much that Draco almost dropped him. Angel joined in the production by adding a few well-pitched screams of her own. Draco glanced at Ginny and noticed that she looked decidedly unimpressed. Her foot was tapping the floor aggressively and her eyes were as frosty as a Scottish winter. He quickly placed his son on his feet and straightened up. "Sorry, love."

"Do you think we can save the silly behavior until after we're ready to go?" Ginny asked.

"Of course." Draco grinned charmingly at her, but he had a slightly uneasy feeling that his efforts had gone unappreciated. "Now what was it you wanted me to do?"

Ginny pointed to the suitcase. "Sit on it."

Rather than argue the point when he was, apparently, on the verge of being out of favor with his wife, Draco sat on the luggage, forcing it closed. Before Ginny could take care of the locks, Draco leaned forward and snapped them closed, then cast a charm to keep the case locked. "Is there anything else?"

"No, the twins are all packed. Your case is over there. Mine was the last," Ginny uttered uncertainly as she glanced around.

"Where are the twins' suitcases?"

"In their sitting rooms."

"Millie," Draco called.

"Master?"

"Collect Drake and Angel's luggage from their sitting rooms and transfer it to the foyer ready for our departure, then come back for ours."

"Yes, Master."

"I told Mother we'd see her before we leave, so perhaps we could collect our cloaks and visit her before it gets too late."

"All right," Ginny agreed. "Go and get your traveling cloaks," she said to the children. "I put them on the chairs next to your suitcases."

Angel stared at her mother in horror. "Millie can get mine."

"Millie is busy with your luggage," Draco pointed out. "Now go and get your cloak."

The little witch widened her eyes momentarily at her father and opened her mouth to say something, but then thought the better of it and left the room without another word.

"Are you going to change?" Ginny asked Draco.

"No, I'll just go as I am," Draco responded. "Is this your cloak?"

"Yes, where's yours?"

"A servant took it when I arrived. I'll get Millie to locate it when she's finished with the luggage." Draco picked up Ginny's cloak and draped it over his arm. "Shall we?"

"All right," Ginny answered tentatively, glancing around the room.

"What is it?"

"I feel like I've forgotten something."

"Whatever it is, if it's anything, we can buy it," Draco promised.

"Okay." Ginny nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Come on, let's go and say goodbye, so we can get there and start relaxing."

When they stepped into the corridor, Drake and Angel were moving towards them with their traveling cloaks in hand.

"We'll leave our cloaks in the foyer while we visit your grandmother," Draco instructed as the children passed he and Ginny.

"Mum sent over a list of the photographs she wants to order," Ginny said as they started towards the staircase.

"At last," Draco muttered. He was feeling a little put out about the wedding photographs, because it seemed everyone else had had the chance to look at them except him. Ginny had taken them over to her mother the day after her birthday and had left them there, so Molly could decide which ones she wanted. He'd watched the leather albums being passed around on Sunday, when they attended Percy's birthday luncheon, yet he still didn't get to look at a single photograph.

"I think Hermione and Pansy went through them as well."

"Your entire family went through them," Draco stated. "They had time to do an in depth study of each photograph."

"They probably did."

"So, how many does she want?"

"Quite a few."

"How many?"

"Too many to count at a glance."

Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They'd offered to pay for any photographs Molly wanted, but he had the distinct feeling she had added on what other family members wanted. "Fine, whatever she wants," he ground out.

"I'll talk to Colin and see if we can't work something out."

"Don't worry about it. We made the offer, so we'll pay for whatever is on the list."

"Drake, don't drop your cloak on the floor," Ginny said as they descended the staircase. "Place it neatly on one of the chairs, so it's not crushed when it's time to put it on."

The little wizard rolled his eyes and huffed impatiently as he picked his cloak up and dropped it onto a chintz chair.

"Thank you," Ginny said in an overly happy tone.

Angel fussily laid her cloak on top of Drake's and headed in the direction of Narcissa's parlor. Draco chose another chair to lay Ginny's cloak across. While he was bent over straightening the cloak out, so it wouldn't wrinkle, Millie Apparated into the chamber with a loud pop, making him jump.

"Millie, fetch my traveling cloak when you've taken care of the luggage and do it a little quieter," Draco growled.

The servant bowed low enough to scrape her nose on the marble floor. "As Master wishes."

"We'd better catch up with the twins before they upset Mother," Draco said, taking Ginny's arm.

"Upset her?"

"When I arrived home, she told me they'd been very excitable all day."

Ginny nodded. "They have. I actually sent them to visit her after lunch, so I could get the packing finished without interruption. Maybe I shouldn't have done that."

"It's all right, she's got three days to recover," Draco said.

Ginny laughed lightly. "If they don't let up we're going to need a holiday to get over this one."

"You'll get one," Draco promised.

"Will I?" Ginny asked doubtfully.

"Of course, Miss Sheehan is arriving on Monday, isn't she?"

"Yes, I'd almost forgotten." Ginny bit her lip thoughtfully. "I need to check her rooms."

"I'm sure we can leave that in the hands of the servants," Draco replied.

"But I'd like to make sure-"

"Shh, we'll instruct the servants to take care of it and have Mother check their progress Sunday morning, then you can make certain everything is to your liking when we arrive home Sunday evening."

"Okay," Ginny conceded. "We'd best keep up with those two."

"I agree."

Draco set a furious pace with his long legs. The twins had seemingly disappeared. When they turned into the corridor that Narcissa's favorite summer parlor ran off, Draco only just spied his children as they went charging into the parlor.

"Grandmother! We're going soon!"

Draco cringed as Drake's voice thundered out into the corridor. When he arrived in the doorway, his mother was sitting with her hand resting on her chest, a clear sign that she'd been startled. "Drake, we don't charge into rooms bellowing at the top of our voices," Draco said sternly. "My apologies, Mother."

Narcissa waved a hand dismissively at her son. "He's excited. You used to get the same way whenever we were preparing to travel."

"That doesn't excuse his poor manners."

"Perhaps not, but it does provide him with a viable reason at five-years-old," Narcissa informed her son. "Enough of this talk. Do you have time for a cup of tea, Ginevra?"

"No, I don't think we do, but please don't let us stop you."

Narcissa smiled at her daughter-in-law, and then ordered tea for one.

"Is Grandfather coming home?" Angel asked, looking around the parlor as if she expected Lucius to arrive at any given moment.

"No, he's not," Draco answered, immediately bracing himself for a protest.

Angel's eyes began to fill with tears. "He has to say goodbye."

"Sweetheart, we're only going for three days," Ginny reminded her daughter softly. "You'll see him on Sunday night."

"I want to see him now!"

"He's at the office and he can't come home," Draco said a little more sternly than he'd intended. The last thing he wanted to deal with were tears from Angel over something so trivial.

"Perhaps it might be an idea to leave a few minutes early," Narcissa suggested.

"I think that's a great idea," Ginny said firmly. "If we're moving she won't have time to dwell on absent parties."

"Drake, say goodbye to Grandmother," Draco instructed.

The little boy, who had been silent since his earlier scolding, flew into Narcissa's open arms.

"Have a wonderful little holiday, darling," Narcissa expressed. "I'm going to miss you."

Drake frowned over his grandmother's shoulder. "We'll be back on Sunday."

"I know, darling." Narcissa sniffed lightly.

"Angel, say your goodbyes," Draco whispered. He wanted to add, 'before your grandmother dissolves into tears,' but thought the better of it.

The moment Narcissa's arms loosened around him, Drake escaped and went to stand near the doorway.

"I'll tell Grandfather that you said goodbye. I'm sure he'll be devastated when he discovers that he missed you."

Angel nodded and sniffed affectedly.

"Have a wonderful time, darling. The Greek Islands are enchanting at this time of the year."

"Will you miss me?"

"Dreadfully so," Narcissa intoned genuinely. "However, I'm looking forward to taking tea with you on Monday and hearing all about your adventure."

Angel's eyes brightened immediately as the promise of a tea party overshadowed Lucius' absence.

"Oh, Narcissa, would you mind checking the tutor's quarters on Sunday morning? She's arriving on Monday," Ginny said in a rush.

"Of course."

"Thank you. I'll instruct the servants to have the rooms ready before then," Ginny responded gratefully.

"Don't worry about a thing," Narcissa assured her. "I'll inform the servants of what is required."

"Thank you."

"You just enjoy your long weekend." Narcissa smiled warmly, and then directed her attention back to Angel. "And I will see you for tea on Monday."

"Yes, Grandmother," Angel responded happily.

"Shall we?" Draco motioned towards the door in the hope that Ginny and Angel might start moving in that general direction.

"Yes, of course," Ginny responded. "Angel, go and wait with Drake."

As soon as Angel had moved away, Narcissa stood up and embraced Ginny lightly, placing a dry kiss on her cheek. "Have a lovely time."

"I'm sure we will," Ginny answered.

Draco moved forward as soon as Ginny had stepped away. He embraced his mother and kissed her cheek. "We'll see you on Sunday night."

Narcissa smiled tightly and nodded her head. Her blue eyes, now unveiled, showed uneasiness in this private moment with her son.

"Everything will be fine," Draco whispered into her ear, under the guise of embracing her again. "Harry has instructions to contact me if anything should happen."

"We'll be all right," Narcissa whispered in reply. "Now go and have some fun with your family."

Guilt pooled in his stomach like poison. Draco knew he should be here while the Aurors searched the manor, but he just couldn't bring himself to put Ginny or the children thought something like that. With a curt nod, because words were failing him at the moment, he turned on his heel and joined his family. He heard his mother exhale loudly as she sat down in her chair again, and it felt like all the air in his lungs was being expelled with her sigh.

"Is everything all right?" Ginny asked with concern.

"Fine," Draco answered automatically. "Let's just get going."

"Okay," Ginny replied, watching her husband skeptically.

Draco smiled broadly for Ginny's benefit as they walked back to the foyer where Millie was waiting with the luggage.

Once everyone had their traveling cloaks secured around their necks, Draco sent Millie off with the luggage and the family followed just seconds later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Ministry was buzzing with activity, forcing Draco and Ginny to keep the twins close. Draco cursed the fact that he'd not had time to arrange a Portkey to leave directly from the house, not that it helped their current situation. He was thankful that Millie stayed close; in fact, she was walking so close to him that when he paused to yield to a rather aggressive Ministry memo she ran into his legs.

"Millie is most sorry, Master," the servant uttered as she tried to bow submissively.

Draco grunted, but didn't admonish the house elf. After all, she had their luggage, and he had instructed her to stay close. He ushered his family up to the security wizard and handed over their travel documents, with his wand. Ginny's wand clattered into the tray next to his a mere second later.

The security wizard perused their papers and handed them back with a sneer. "All right for some."

Draco's eyes narrowed on the man, but he didn't bother to respond. The man was a plebian and not worthy of his time. As soon as their wands had been returned, Draco urged the family to the lifts.

The twins were staring shamelessly at all that was going on around them. Even though several members of the extended family worked for the Ministry, they'd not visited often enough to remove the awe from the experience. When the lift began to draw close to them the clattering of the chains drew their undivided attention.

The moment the golden grille of the lift started to open Draco made sure he had a hand on each of his children, ready to guide the into the lift and to make sure they didn't get swept away by those disembarking. He heard Millie squeak from behind him, as a flood of people flowed past the group waiting to embark. If the noise wasn't enough to remind him of her presence, Millie pressed her body into the back of his legs causing Draco to adjust his stance.

The moment the way was clear, Draco all but pushed his children into the lift. Ginny had expertly negotiated her way through the crowd and found her way to his side. Millie followed Draco at very close quarters, almost walking under his cloak. They were crushed into the corner of the small moving room, but at least they were on their way to their departure point. The grilles couldn't have closed a moment too soon as the lift was filled to capacity and still more people were trying to board.

"Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and Ludicrous Patents Office."

"Quidditch?" Drake questioned as the lift ground to a halt and some people exited. "Can we get off here, Daddy?"

"Not today, Drake," Draco answered with a grin. He might have known that the mere mention of the wizarding sport would get his son's attention.

"Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparition Test Center."

"This is us," Draco announced as he pushed the twins forward towards the opening doors. "Millie, come!"

Before he moved, Draco placed his hand on Ginny's back and guided her in front of him. The corridor, though only a few feet away, seemed to be miles away. It took them several minutes to find their way through the crowd and out of the confined space, but they eventually found themselves standing in the corridor watching the lift move upwards.

Draco looked up and down the corridor. "Right, this way," he ordered, leading his family towards the Portkey Office.

They'd no sooner stepped over the threshold of the office than Pansy appeared before them looking excited.

"Are you looking forward to your break?" Pansy asked as they approached.

"Yes, it's going to be wonderful," Ginny answered. "Are you settling in all right?"

"There's a bit of work to be done, but we're getting there," Pansy admitted.

Ron and Pansy had finally moved into the house Pansy's father had offered them, and while the house itself was sound, it hadn't been lived in for several generations, so there was a fair bit of redecorating to be done.

"I can give you the name of our decorator, if you like," Draco offered. "He did an amazing job of our wing and in a timely manner as well."

"No thanks," Pansy answered with a smile. "Ron is intent on doing it all himself."

"Insanity," Draco muttered under his breath.

Pansy tried to eye her old friend dangerously, but her expression held too much delight. "Maybe so, but at least he'll know he did it on his own when it's done, which is more than you can say."

Draco wisely didn't respond. He was still deciding if his brother-in-law genuinely wanted to redecorate the house himself or if he was just doing it because their funds weren't sufficient to hire a professional.

"Anyway, we're going to have a house warming party when it's finished," Pansy continued. "You will be attending."

"We'd love to," Ginny said.

"Whenever he gets it finished, we'll be there," Draco intoned sincerely. "Of course, you won't mind if our great-great-grandchildren accompany us, will you?"

"You should come over and see what he's accomplished so far," Pansy dared. "I think you'd be surprised."

"I might just do that," Draco responded, checking his pocket watch thoughtfully. "Time is growing-"

"Let's get you on your way to the Greek Islands." Pansy led them to a private lounge area set aside for international travelers who paid the levy to use the facility. "Where are your travel documents?"

Draco pulled out a sheaf of parchment from his cloak pocket and handed them to Pansy. "You'll find everything is in order."

Pansy smirked at him. "I'm sure I will." She opened the parchment up and began to read, but a frown crossed her forehead not long after she started.

"Is there something wrong?" Ginny inquired.

"Do you really want to go through the Greek Ministry or would you rather go directly to your final destination?"

"Directly, but it was difficult to arrange at the last minute," Draco confirmed.

"Let me see what I can do." Pansy smiled, and then left the room.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Draco told his family. "This is our lounge for the time being."

"This is something else," Ginny said as she looked around.

The room was decorated tastefully, but in what appeared to be a very expensive fashion. A room like this seemed totally out of place in the Ministry of Magic and would be better suited to a home like Malfoy Manor.

"They accommodate us quite well while we're waiting to travel," Draco admitted. "But they do charge extra for the privilege."

"I'm sure," Ginny uttered.

"You know you really should know better than to let anyone else plan your travel, Draco," Pansy said as she re-entered the room. "I've managed to get you a direct Portkey this time, but I won't be able to do that every time you mess it up."

"Thank you," Draco responded tightly. The notion that she thought he'd messed up the travel plans irked him a little, because at the time he took the most direct route available to them without going through any extra trouble.

"You're welcome," Pansy replied sweetly. "Now, you're traveling direct from here to the Zabini property in Palestrikaeo, and I've changed your return Portkey to take you from Blaise's straight home."

"Thank you so much, Pansy," Ginny said genuinely.

"I owe you," Draco mumbled.

Pansy grinned nefariously at her friend. "That you do."

Draco rolled his eyes comically, but couldn't quite hide the shudder of dread that ran through him given her expression. He could see himself being put to work with her husband getting their home ready for the arrival of their baby.

"I'll let you know when and where," Pansy continued.

"You do that," Draco answered, promising himself that he'd find something else to be busy with at the time.

"Here are your revised documents and new Portkeys. This yellow one is for now and the blue one is for the return leg."

Draco accepted the package, his eyes passing over the oddly shaped Portkeys. They appeared to be wooden discs with no real definition of shape.

Pansy pointed to the blue Portkey. "If you hold it the right way up it's actually shaped like Britain, and the other one is in the shape of Corfu, the island-"

"I do know where Palestrikaeo is situated," Draco pointed out.

"Well, that's what they are, so there's no confusion about which Portkey will take you where."

"Labeling them would have been too simple, wouldn't it?" Draco asked.

Pansy sent Draco a derisive look and didn't respond to his question. "You have less than five minutes now, so I suggest you start getting ready to leave."

"Thank you for everything you've done," Ginny said, hugging her future sister-in-law briefly.

"You're welcome. Have fun and enjoy the break," Pansy replied warmly.

Draco cleared his throat, so the words wouldn't stick as he tried to talk. "Thank you, Pansy," he intoned sincerely as he embraced her and placed a kiss on her temple.

"It was a pleasure," she assured him.

"Yes, well let's get organized then," Draco muttered, stepping away from his old friend. "Drake and Angel, come over here. Millie, make sure you're holding on and don't drop the luggage."

"Have fun!" Pansy moved to stand near the door, so she wouldn't get caught up in the vortex of the Portkey.

Draco made certain everyone was touching the Portkey before looking up just in time to flash a brilliant smile at Pansy, who was waving them on their way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They'd landed a short distance from the imposing front doors of the huge, white beachside house. Draco had instinctively reached out to catch Angel before she went sprawling. Drake, however, ended up some feet away from the rest of the family, landing firmly on his backside with a loud complaint. Ginny steadied herself on Draco, so she wouldn't fall over.

"Right there, love?" Draco asked, concern tainting his tone.

Ginny smiled at him. "Yes, just lost my balance for a moment."

"Drake, pick yourself up," Draco instructed.

"It hurts," the little wizard countered.

Millie instantly dropped the luggage and ran over to her little master, fussing over him until he was on his feet with a smile on his face again.

"Better?" Draco questioned.

"Yep."

"Good. Shall we announce our arrival?" Draco looked towards the house just as the front doors opened.

Katarina all but floated down the stairs towards them. "I'm so glad you're finally here!"

"It's good to be here," Ginny exclaimed as she greeted her friend. "I can't believe how beautiful it is. That view is worth a fortune."

"I don't think I'll ever tire of it," Katarina admitted, taking in the breathtaking view of the ocean.

"Millie, you can take our luggage inside and perhaps deposit them in the rooms we are to use while here," Draco instructed.

"Oh yes, just see the kitchen elves and they'll point you in the right direction," Katarina added. "Children, why don't you explore a little?"

"Can we really?" Drake asked excitedly, waiting for confirmation from his parents.

"Yes, but don't go too far," Ginny warned.

"I want to be able to see you at all times," Draco instructed firmly. "And no deeper than your toes in the water," he added as the twins ran directly for the water.

"Welcome to the life of the rich and infamous," Blaise boomed as he joined the small group on the front lawn.

Draco snorted. "More like the shrewd and scheming."

"Hey, I resent that remark," Blaise protested good-naturedly.

"I don't know why." Draco feigned innocence. "I was referring to your mother, not you."

Blaise smirked proudly. "She's quite a woman, isn't she?"

"Oh yeah, just as long as you don't marry her."

"Am I missing something?" Ginny asked, a little confused.

"Blaise's mother has been married... How many times is it now?" Draco asked.

"Lost count after ten, mate," Blaise admitted nonchalantly.

Ginny's eyes widened so much they almost popped out of her head. "Your mother collects husbands?"

"Nah, she collects houses," Blaise corrected. "She generally disposes of the husbands."

"I-err-" Ginny could think of nothing to say that wouldn't appear rude or derogatory.

"It's all right, Ginny," Blaise assured her with a wink. "You're perfectly safe, unless you marry her. This little gem-" Blaise swung his arms around to indicate the house. "-was a gift from husband number six, I think."

"A gift?"

"It's her little term for what she inherits."

"Oh." Ginny nodded and smiled a little uncomfortably.

"Don't listen to their nonsense," Katarina insisted. "They're just being silly."

"Silly?" Draco choked out. "I'd ask her ex-husbands if they thought we were being silly, but they're a little hard of hearing now that they're all dead."

Katarina rolled her eyes expressively. "Most of them were hard of hearing before they died. Come on, Ginny, we'll have some tea, and then I'll give you the grand tour."

"Sounds lovely." Ginny looked at Draco just before she followed Katarina. "Make sure you don't take your eyes off the twins."

"I won't, love," Draco promised.

Katarina linked arms with Ginny as they strolled towards the house. "My mother-in-law has a thing for older men, much older men, and then when they pass on everyone thinks something wicked has taken place. Of course, the Ministry investigates every time she's widowed, but they've never been able to prove any foul play."

"Old men?" Ginny frowned.

"Really old, wrinkly men." Katarina shuddered visibly. "I don't know how she does it."

"Actually, I don't think she does it exactly," Ginny said before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Ginny answered quickly, hoping that Katarina would let the subject drop.

"Come on, you said something. Details!"

"I shouldn't... It's just something I heard-"

"From who?" Katarina pressed.

"I really shouldn't be repeating-"

Katarina stopped just before they entered the house. "Ginny, believe me, if I knew for certain she wasn't- well, she wasn't doing that with her husbands I'd feel a whole lot better."

"I don't suppose me assuring you that she isn't would be enough, would it?"

"Nope. You're going to have to give me the gossip."

Ginny sighed, cursing herself for opening her mouth in the first place. "All right, but not a word to Blaise."

"I promise."

"Narcissa told me that she has many younger men that she entertains for that purpose alone."

"She has affairs?"

"Apparently."

"That explains a lot then." Katarina linked arms with Ginny again and began walking into the house. "At least now I'll be able to look at her without imagining her doing the unthinkable with some hundred-year-old wrinkled prune."

Blaise and Draco looked at each other as their wives disappeared into the house.

"Merlin bless the wind blowing in the right direction," Blaise said with a chuckle.

Draco smirked. "It's just like old times."

"How much information did we get from hovering near your mother's parlor?"

"More than we bargained for most of the time," Draco admitted, shaking his head ruefully.

As young lads, Draco and Blaise had taken to hiding near Narcissa Malfoy's parlor doors whenever they thought something interesting might be going on. They had often gleaned more gossip than they were truly interested in, but once in position they couldn't escape without detection.

"So Mother's little indiscretions are no longer a secret." Blaise sighed heavily.

"Were they ever?" Draco asked.

Blaise shrugged casually. "Not really, but Katarina didn't need to know."

"She didn't seem all that bothered."

"That's true."

"Whom is your mother running around with at the moment? Anyone we know?"

"Nah, he's French or something and all of about nineteen."

Draco snorted indignantly. "He won't last long."

"Most likely not, but for now he's keeping up with her."

"She told you that?" Draco stared at his friend, clearly aghast.

"She tells me everything."

"I couldn't think of anything worse," Draco mumbled in disgust.

"You learn to turn off after a while." Blaise chuckled and slapped his mate on the shoulder. "We should probably see where your kids have gotten to."

"Where are they?" Draco spun around in a panic that escalated when his eyes didn't land on the pair. "They were right there."

"They've probably just wandered a little. They couldn't have gone far," Blaise assured him.

"You don't know Drake very well," Draco muttered as he strode off towards the water. "Drake! Angel!"

When his feet hit the white sand of the beach, Draco turned one way first and then the other. Relief flooded through him when he spotted his twins just a short was up the beach on the sand.

"There you go. Nothing to worry about," Blaise said as he joined Draco.

He cast a withering glance at his friend. "Drake! Angel!"

"Daddy! Look at what we found," Drake shrieked as he ran up to his father.

"Look at the pretty shells, Daddy," Angel insisted, holding her hands out for his inspection.

"Listen, I told both of you not to wander out of my sight," Draco said sternly. "You must not, under any circumstances, leave my view."

"We were just collecting shells," Drake countered quietly.

"You should have let me know that you wanted to do that and I'd have come with you," Draco pointed out with a little frustration.

"They're back now," Blaise interjected. "Why don't we just let it go?"

Draco took a deep breath and reminded himself that his friend had a lot to learn about being around children. "Because if I let it go before they understand that what they did was wrong, they'll just do it again and perhaps come to grief next time."

"They won't do it again. Right, kids?" Blaise looked at the twins expectantly.

Drake and Angel nodded furiously to confirm their compliance.

"See?" Blaise posed.

"Can you just let me handle this?" Draco growled. "They need to understand what they did was wrong."

Blaise stepped between Draco and the twins. His expression was serious as he examined Draco's face. "I don't believe it! You're channeling your father."

"Don't be ridiculous," Draco snapped.

"You are! Lucius, come out and talk to me," Blaise beckoned humorously.

Draco snarled at his friend, but it was to no avail. Blaise was teasing him mercilessly and encouraging the twins to find his efforts to make them see the error of their ways funny. "Fine!" Draco held his hands up in surrender. "I give up!"

"It's about time," Blaise exclaimed. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to resort to tickling you."

"You wouldn't," Draco hissed menacingly.

Blaise smirked wickedly. "You know I would."

Draco started to mutter under his breath about mates and enemies, but he was ignored for the most part.

"How about we all go for a swim?" Blaise suggested.

Even if Draco had wanted to say no, he couldn't have been heard over the din the twins were supplying as their excitement peaked.

"Get that look off your face," Blaise ordered. "We're going for a swim!"

"What look?" Draco snapped defensively.

"The one that's saying no," Blaise pointed out. "Come on, kids, let's go and find your swimsuits."

Draco watched as his children ran off, hand in hand, with Blaise. He shook his head in defeat, and then followed at a more sedate pace. It seemed they were going into the water, whether or not he felt like a swim. By the time he reached the house, Blaise was nowhere in sight, so Draco had to summon Millie to find out where their chambers were located.

As he approached the rooms Millie had directed him to, he could hear the children excitedly changing in the rooms just a little further down the corridor. Much to his relief, Draco discovered that Millie or one of the Zabini servants had unpacked their luggage, so after only a short search of the drawers Draco found his swimming trunks. After he'd changed he found the corridor eerily quiet. A quick check of the other rooms confirmed what he suspected: the children had returned to the lower levels of the house. If his feet touched the floor on his way out of the house it was only when he almost tripped as he flew down the staircase. With fear just about consuming him, Draco burst through the front doors, only to come to an abrupt halt.

"No need to hurry, mate," Blaise said with a chuckle. "We weren't going anywhere without you."

"The children- I thought- didn't know-" Draco stammered as he tried to catch his breath.

"I told them to meet me at the bottom of the stairs inside," Blaise explained. "We decided to wait for you out here."

Draco nodded and muttered a weak thank you, well aware that his children were now staring at him like he'd taken leave of his senses. He cleared his throat and dragged his thoughts back from the nightmare they'd been entertaining. "Let's go for a swim," he suggested as evenly as he could.

As the twins took off for the shoreline, Blaise fell into step beside Draco. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Draco mumbled.

"You don't look all right," Blaise pointed out.

Draco stopped walking, glanced at his children, who were playing on the sand, and then looked at his friend. "They were upstairs when I arrived to get changed, but by the time I changed they were gone. I didn't know whether you told them not to go into the water or ... Well, they don't swim strongly."

"Mate, I'd never let anything happen to your kids."

A tight smile stretched across Draco's mouth. He knew Blaise wouldn't do anything deliberately to hurt the twins, but his casual attitude could very well be the cause of an accident.

"Sure, I don't have as much experience as you with kids, but I do have some commonsense." Blaise paused to grin brilliantly at the blond. "Besides, I've had Kat in my ear all week about the kids and the water, and any number of things that could befall them here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She actually wanted me to put a ward around the house, so they couldn't wander."

"We have a ward at home," Draco admitted.

"Where?"

"Outside their playroom and the family parlor. Without it they can't go outside without supervision."

Blaise frowned. "Why not?"

"Ginny won't let them," Draco reasoned.

"Good enough."

"She's afraid of them wandering too far and the lake is too close for her to feel comfortable."

"Daddy!" Drake bellowed.

"We're coming," Draco responded. "We'd best get down there before Drake decided he's waited long enough."

"Chip off the old block, is he?"

"So my father keeps reminding me."

Blaise snorted with laughter. "That's poetic justice."

"I'd be careful if I were you," Draco warned. "You could have a son just like yourself or worse... a daughter."

The dark-haired wizard's eyes opened wide as he blanched. "Don't go there."

"You'll have to consider it," Draco commented as he walked off.

"No, I don't," Blaise insisted, upon catching up to Draco. "My kids are going to be saints."

Draco snorted indignantly. "So you're not going to sire any offspring then?"

"You're so funny, Malfoy."

"That's odd." Draco frowned. "I was being serious."

Apart from sending Draco a scathing glance, Blaise ignored his comment and instead scooped Drake up over his shoulder. He raced towards the blue-green water with the now shrieking little boy.

Angel stared in horror at what the other wizard was doing to her brother. Her eyes had sharpened and she appeared not to be breathing, until she began to scream.

Drake's squeals of protest filled the air right up until the moment he broke through the surface of the water. He emerged, coughing and spluttering and trying to cling onto Blaise.

"Calm down, little man. I'm not going to let you drown," Blaise said as he hoisted the floundering little boy above the waterline.

"Angel, that's enough!" Draco demanded. His eardrums were about to burst with the sheer volume his daughter was reaching. "Drake is just fine. Look!"

"He-" Angel hiccupped. "Dra-"

"He's just fine. Blaise was just having some fun with him," Draco assured her as he gathered her in his strong arms. "Now, why don't we join them?"

"Don't drop me," Angel warned, her eyes still brimming with tears for her brother.

"I promise," Draco said sincerely.

As Draco neared his friend and son all he could hear was Drake pleading with Blaise to throw him again.

"Again, please? Please, Mr. Za- Blai-" Drake frowned.

"How about we go with Uncle Blaise?" Draco suggested evenly.

Blaise shook his head. "Blaise is fine."

"Yeah, until my mother hears one of the kids call you that. I'm afraid you're stuck with the very respectable Uncle Blaise."

The dark haired wizard frowned, and then pulled a face. "I feel old."

Draco chuckled lightly.

Drake felt around Blaise's face, and then very deliberately looked into the man's eyes. "You are old."

Angel squealed when Draco almost dropped her as he doubled over with laughter.

"Did you hear what your son just said?" Blaise demanded good-naturedly.

Draco cleared his throat and sobered himself as best he could. "Drake, that wasn't very polite."

"Sorry," Drake mumbled.

"You should address people respectfully," Draco continued, still trying not to snort with laughter.

Drake turned to face Blaise again. "You are old, Uncle Blaise." The little boy looked back to his father. "Is that better?"

Draco was unable to answer. There didn't seem to be enough air in his lungs to breathe effectively, let alone speak at this point, and then he did the unthinkable: he dropped Angel into the water.

"Drake, can you swim a bit?" Blaise asked hurriedly as he was already reaching for the little girl.

"Of course," Drake answered indignantly. "I swim-"

"Good," Blaise cut Drake off and tossed him into the water, then lunged to pick the flailing little witch.

Angel came out of the water coughing and spluttering and looking absolutely murderous. She pinned her still overly amused father with a look that would have turned a more concerned man to ash. "My hair is wet!"

As Draco didn't seem to be in any condition to take his daughter's claim seriously at the moment, Blaise foolishly thought he would try to quell the little one's fire before she got out of hand. "You usually get wet hair when you go swimming, Angel."

The little girl turned her steely eyes on her father's friend. "I was not ready to get my hair wet."

"Well, I-err-" Blaise stammered, fighting hard to find a counter argument and failing miserably.

"Daddy promised and he dropped me!"

"I'm sure he didn't-" Blaise stopped as something tugged sharply on his shorts. He turned to find Drake clinging to his only item of clothing, an item that was suddenly not covering enough of what it should have been. "Drake, mate, let go a minute. You're stripping me."

"I need to hang on," Drake responded determinedly.

"Malfoy! For Merlin's sake, pull yourself together," Blaise demanded. "I need help here!"

"Sorry," Draco choked out.

"You can have your daughter back," Blaise offered, holding Angel at arms length.

"I'll get Drake, if you like," Draco responded, not moving to take his daughter.

"No, you can have this one," Blaise insisted, thrusting Angel into her father's arms before he could refuse. "I prefer the easy one."

"Daddy, you dropped me!" Angel blurted indignantly. "My hair is all wet!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to drop you," Draco crooned. "Why don't we have a nice swim before it's time to go in for dinner?"

"I don't-"

"Why don't you show Uncle Blaise how well you float?" Draco encouraged at the same time as sending Blaise a telling look, knowingly full well his daughter was about to demand that she be returned to the shore.

"You can float?" Blaise expressed with mock surprise. "I don't believe it!"

As Angel laid herself backwards into the water, Draco sent his friend a grateful look. They had successfully avoided a huge scene with Angel, and it was mostly thanks to Blaise. For the next few hours the four of them swam in the crystal clear water. Often the men set challenges for the children, which were always accepted enthusiastically, even if the goal was a little out of reach of their current ability. It was only when the sun began to dip low in the sky that they decided to head back to the house.

Millie and one of the Zabini house elves met them at the doors. While Millie ushered the twins upstairs for baths, the other servant informed the men that dinner would be served on the terrace in half an hour, as per Katarina's instructions. With so little time to spare, the men parted at the top of the staircase with promises to meet on the terrace in no less than twenty-five minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ladies," Draco intoned warmly as he stepped onto the terrace. He'd had a quick shower and had donned some causal clothes for the evening, and was quite pleased that he'd managed to arrive at dinner before Blaise. "I trust you had a pleasant afternoon."

"Yes, we did," Ginny answered.

Something in her tone put Draco on his guard immediately. It didn't matter that she said they'd had a good afternoon, because something had obviously displeased her. The question now was did he care to explore it in front of company or should he wait until they had some privacy.

"I take it you had fun swimming this afternoon?" Ginny asked evenly.

A ball of trepidation formed in his stomach; something told him that he may have, inadvertently, done something foolish. "Yes, love, we all had a good time."

Ginny nodded calmly. "Tell me, Draco, is you skin a bit pink tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, I did get a bit of sun," Draco admitted, wondering just how she knew.

"So did the twins."

It suddenly dawned on him what she was upset about. He'd cursed himself in the shower when his skin had stung, but it hadn't occurred to him at the time that others might be suffering as well. "I forgot sun protection charms."

"You did, and now they're sun burnt."

"I'm sorry," Draco replied softly, his guilt increasing when he glanced at the red faces of his children. "I just didn't think."

"You've got to think of these things," Ginny insisted.

"Is there something Millie can do for them?" Draco inquired hopefully.

"She's going to try after dinner," Ginny responded tiredly.

"I really am sorry, love," Draco repeated. "It won't ever happen again."

A muffled snort from behind him attracted Draco's attention right away. Upon turning around, he found an overly amused Blaise Zabini standing behind him with his hand firmly clamped over his mouth. Draco sneered at his friend. He despised being the source of anyone's amusement.

"You should hear yourself, Malfoy, it's truly pathetic," Blaise teased. "I really am sorry," he mimicked.

"Blaise, don't be horrid," Katarina chided. "You're at fault too, so I'd be very careful if I were you."

"Me? What did I do?" Blaise asked.

"The children got sun burnt," Katarina informed him. "You are just as much at fault as Draco for not applying sun protection charms to them."

Blaise looked at his wife with confusion. "I don't need those charms."

"The children do and as an adult you are responsible for making sure-"

"All right." Blaise held his hands up in surrender. "We're both bad boys. Now, can we get over it and enjoy the evening?"

The women exchanged glances, and then turned back to their men with smiles. Though their expressions could hardly have been described as warm or inviting, it was better than the frowns they'd worn earlier, and it gave the men something to work with.

"Shall we?" Blaise indicated to the two vacant chairs around the table.

"Thank you," Draco muttered.

"Wine?" Blaise offered.

Draco nodded his agreement.

"You're not going to get rolling drunk tonight, Blaise," Katarina whispered.

"Of course not, we're just having a drink with dinner," Blaise assured her, not bothering to keep his voice low. "Relax, love. We're with good friends and we're going to have a great weekend."

Katarina smiled tightly at her husband.

"Blaise is right," Draco interrupted. "All we want to do this weekend is relax with good company, so you can forget about being the perfect hostess and just enjoy yourself."

"All right," Katarina agreed slowly. "But if there's anything you need or-"

"We'll let you know," Draco cut her off with a dazzling smile. "For now, I propose a toast." He paused while everyone raised their glasses. "To good friends."

"To good friends," the other three echoed.

Even Drake and Angel touched their glasses together and muttered something between themselves, just like the adults.

"Now for dinner," Katarina announced as she clapped her hands together.

The meal was a sumptuous seafood feast, served with bowls of leafy green salads and as many condiments as they could possibly use. Compliments flew around the table, but Katarina continually reminded everyone that she had nothing to do with the preparation of the food.

Millie joined the diners during the meal and was kept busy tempting the twins to try things they'd not eaten before. For the most part the servant was successful, but that was only due to her own stubbornness. After all, if it hadn't been for her, Draco would still think that chocolate was the only food group.

Dessert was Baklava served with fresh fruit and whipped cream. While the men still enjoyed their wine, the women moved from the sparkling pumpkin juice they'd been drinking to steaming cups of tea. The moment everyone had finished eating two servants appeared to clear the table. Blaise waved one of them off when it dared to touch the chilling wine bottle beside him.

"Millie will take the children upstairs for treatment now?" the aging servant asked of her mistress.

"Yes, of course, just let me know if you need any help," Ginny answered, getting the distinct feeling that Millie would much rather if she stayed away for the time being.

"As Mistress wishes." Millie bowed low before ushering the protesting twins inside.

"Do you think she'll be able to ease their discomfort?" Katarina inquired.

"Undoubtedly," Draco answered confidently. "If there's something Millie can't do it hasn't been invented yet."

Ginny smiled at her husband. She'd never heard him speak so passionately about any servant, least of all the one who spent the most time with them. Often it seemed as though he simply took her granted, but this outburst gave Ginny cause to reconsider her view of her husband and his relationship with the creatures that served them.

"I'd hate for something like that to ruin their weekend," Katarina continued sadly.

"It won't," Ginny promised. "Even if Millie can't help them, they'll just keep going as if nothing is wrong. Kids always ignore what's bothering them when there are fun or different things to be doing."

"Then we'll hear all about it when we get home," Draco added ruefully.

"Drake won't bother, but you know your daughter will give you grief." Ginny smiled knowingly.

Draco pulled a face and sighed heavily. His daughter knew exactly how inflict guilt upon any unsuspecting person and extract a hefty payment for her woes, imaginary or not. While he was no longer considered susceptible to her wiles, or he shouldn't be at this stage, it was rather difficult to ignore her efforts.

"We visited your brothers' store last week," Katarina said, changing the topic smoothly.

"Stay away from that place," Draco warned seriously. He could only think of one set of Weasley brothers who owned a store that the Zabinis might visit.

"Why? They have the most beautiful range of lingerie I've seen for a long time," Katarina countered.

"The lingerie? Stay away from it!" Draco leaned forward and pinned Blaise with a meaningful look. "Do not, under any circumstances, let Katarina put that stuff anywhere near her body. Nothing in that store is what it seems."

"You sound like you're talking from experience," Blaise commented casually.

"I am," Draco admitted flatly. "It was- horrifying."

"Tell us what happened," Blaise encouraged.

"You don't need the sordid details. Just don't buy anything from them," Draco insisted.

"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that, because I think Katarina would look smashing in some of their lingerie," Blaise pressed.

Draco groaned. He chanced a glance at his wife, whose cheeks were flaming at the memory, and wondered if it was worth rehashing the incident.

"Come on, tell us what happened," Katarina pleaded.

"All right, but only so you won't buy anything from them," Draco conceded. "Unless, of course, you want to viciously torture someone."

Blaise grinned broadly. "I like the sound of that."

Draco quickly gave Blaise and Katarina a brief synopsis of what happened the night of Ginny's birthday lunch. Their joint shock, disbelief and sympathy came as no surprise when they learned the truth.

"I can't believe your own brothers did that to you," Katarina expressed as she reached to hug Ginny. "It's just inconceivable."

"They think they're funny," Ginny supplied, accepting the other woman's compassion graciously.

"You didn't let them get away with it, did you?" Blaise questioned Draco.

"Of course not," Draco answered indignantly. "I'm just a little more subtle than they are."

"What did you do?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Ginny, of course, went to their store the following morning and ranted at them, but that really didn't have any affect, because they'd heard it all before from just about every family member from what I can gather," Draco started. "So I had to think of a way to get them back without being overly obvious and at the same time ensure they were caused the maximum amount of pain."

"And?"

"Ginny's brother, Percy, had his birthday lunch on Sunday. It was the first time I've come face to face with Fred and George since that night, so I felt it imperative that I let them know how disappointed I was with their assumption that we'd find a gift like that funny. Out of respect for the occasion, I called them aside, so the other men wouldn't overhear and wouldn't get upset."

"What happened?" Blaise's knowing smirk told everyone present that he knew Draco's payback was coming.

"There we were against the house, supposedly having a private conversation, and all of a sudden Molly Weasley appears before us, and she's absolutely livid. The rest of the women were backing her up and, I've got to tell you, some of the things they were suggesting that should happen to Fred and George were truly frightening - these women are sadistic."

"Did you tell them, Ginny?" Katarina asked, her suspense all too obvious.

"No, I didn't say a word." Ginny smiled at her husband. "What Draco forgot to mention is when he called my twin brothers over for a word he made sure they were standing just to the side of the open kitchen window, where Mum was standing preparing lunch. When she erupted, the rest of the women just followed."

Draco sighed with satisfaction. "They were in a world of pain, and I didn't even have to break a sweat or raise my wand."

"There was quite enough of that going on," Ginny pointed out.

"Your family doesn't hex their own, do they?" Blaise asked in morbid horror.

"No, but wands hurt like the devil when they catch the edge of your ear." Ginny winked across the table at the mortified wizard.

"What happened next?" Katarina prodded with excitement.

"All sorts of threats were thrown about by various family members, especially by my other brothers when they finally figured out what was going on, but Mum held their attention for a fair while."

"My personal favorite was when Molly threatened to tie their dicks in knots, so they couldn't take a leak, if they dared to pull another prank like that on one of the girls." Draco chuckled loudly as he relived the memory. "I thought I was going to fall off my chair by the time she was done with them."

"Are they married?" Katarina enquired.

"Yeah, but if they keep going the way they are their wives are going to kill them for sure," Ginny replied. "They were appalled at what they did. More than I've ever seen them before. I think the boys have spent the week at the shop to avoid going home to the couch."

"The cowards," Blaise uttered with a shake of his head.

"You've got to look at it from their perspective too," Draco pointed out. "Would you go home after that?"

Blaise glanced at his beautiful wife, and then back at his mate, before quietly admitting, "Probably not."

"Neither would I," Draco agreed heartily as he raised his wine glass.

Blaise followed suit, taking a healthy mouthful of the golden liquid. It was all he could do to stop himself from making any further confessions that might see his male psyche too easily unraveled by his wife.

Draco cleared his throat meaningfully, and then looked at Blaise with a smirk. "Have you started on the nursery?" he asked, steering the conversation away from dangerous territory and into an area the women could talk about for days without drawing breath.

"We've been looking at some furniture," Blaise answered. "What about you?"

"Yeah, we've got the furniture. Ginny's in charge of redecorating the nursery, aren't you, love?" Draco smiled at his wife.

"Yes, I'm going to get started on that when the twins are in classes," Ginny replied.

"What colors are you going to do?" Katarina inquired.

"I was thinking about keeping the walls neutral and using toys to brighten the room up," Ginny admitted.

"Where did you get the furniture?" Katarina asked curiously.

"It's been in my family for generations," Draco responded proudly.

"I'll show you the nursery next time you come over," Ginny promised. "The furniture is really beautiful, though it's a little hard to imagine that Lucius and Draco once slept in the cradle."

Katarina laughed heartily. "I can't imagine either of them being so small and helpless."

Ginny joined in the hilarity. "I don't think Lucius ever was."

"Are you going to find out what you're having?" Draco asked once the women had settled down again, determined to keep their minds occupied with a safe topic.

"No, we want it to be a surprise," Katarina answered determinedly.

Blaise made an odd sound in the back of his throat and averted his gaze from his wife.

"You disagree, Blaise?" Draco observed astutely.

"I thought it made perfect sense to discover the sex of our baby, so we could plan more thoroughly, instead of getting everything unisex," Blaise answered strongly, though his eyes were fixed on his friend's to avoid contact with his wife.

"Blaise doesn't understand that the surprise and anticipation of not knowing is what gets you through the tough times," Katarina expressed tightly.

"Sorry, Blaise, I'm with Katarina on this one," Ginny interjected kindly. "Believe me, there are times when you wonder when it's all going to end, but when you remember what you're doing it for, or rather who, then it makes it seem not so bad after all."

"Don't you think it would be better to be able to identify your baby from the beginning? Things like giving it a name? Wouldn't personalizing the experience be better?" Blaise gushed emotionally.

"It can work both ways," Ginny admitted. "Personally, I liked having the surprise at the end. The joy of finally finding out made everything I went through during the pregnancy and the birth seem insignificant."

"I'd give up now while you still have your dignity," Draco mumbled across the table.

Blaise ignored his old friend's advice. "I just wanted to have a name for my child. I think it's better than calling it 'It."

"So find a name for it," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "Something that's amusing, but endearing at the same time."

"What on earth? You can't name a baby without knowing whether it's a boy or a girl," Blaise claimed.

"I don't mean a proper name," Ginny said with an amused grin. "I mean something funny."

"Like?" Blaise prompted.

Ginny sighed and thought for a moment. "When Fleur was pregnant with Beau she called him Peanut."

"Peanut?" Blaise looked horrified.

"It's better than Blob or Firecracker," Ginny reasoned.

"Don't tell me," Draco interrupted. "Your twin brothers?"

Ginny nodded. "I can't remember which one used which for what child, but those names were around for a while."

"Peanut," Blaise muttered thoughtfully. "It's pitiful that that name actually sounds good right now."

"It's better than 'It'," Draco reminded him.

Katarina looked expectantly at her husband, waiting for him to make eye contact with her. "Do we have a name?" she whispered.

Blaise tried not to cringe as he slowly turned to look at his wife. "Peanut?"

"Peanut it is then!" Katarina smiled brightly and reached for her husband's hand.

"What about you two? Do you have a name for the baby?" Blaise inquired.

"No, we don't," Draco answered. The moment Blaise's lips began to twitch he regretted introducing the subject; he should have stuck to Quidditch. "It's not like we need one," he continued defensively.

"I think you need one," Blaise argued. "After all, what is Peanut going to call his friend?"

"Or her friend," Katarina added with purpose. "The real reason Blaise wanted to know the sex of the baby was because he's sure it's a boy, and he just wants to know if he's right."

Ginny cleared her throat to attract everyone's attention. "Actually, we do have a name for the baby."

Draco frowned at his wife. "We do?"

"Yes, I feel funny not calling it anything, so I named it," Ginny explained.

"Do I want to know what you named it?" Draco asked cautiously.

"You sound like you don't," Ginny observed.

"Tell us," Blaise encouraged with a wide grin.

"Poppet," Ginny said simply.

"Poppet?" Draco sat forward in his chair suddenly, clearly looking appalled. "This is a Malfoy. You can't give a Malfoy a name like Poppet!"

"Well, I did," Ginny answered calmly. "Besides, it's my choice, because I'm carrying Poppet, and I'm the one who's got to give birth."

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times, but didn't utter a sound.

"She's got a valid point," Blaise muttered.

Draco sighed heavily and shook his head. "Just do one thing for me."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, her lips twitching into a grin.

"Don't tell Father you've named the baby Poppet. We'd never hear the end of it if he found out."

Ginny smiled. "I won't tell him, I promise."

"Thank you."

"But I can't promise that your mother won't tell him," Ginny continued.

"We're done for," Draco groaned. "I'm going to get my ear bashed for this for sure."

"Oh, don't be silly," Ginny tutted. "If he gives you any grief, just tell him it was my doing, and if he wants an opinion, he can carry a baby for nine months, and then give birth."

Draco's eyes opened exceedingly wide at his wife's words. There was no way his father would accept Poppet, and it was just as unlikely that he would keep his opinion to himself, regardless of what argument Draco put forth.

"So, how about those Cannons," Blaise said suddenly. "They might actually win a game this season."

Everyone seemed to stop all of a sudden and look at the dark-haired wizard quizzically. The silence held for a minute or so, and then Draco began to laugh. Before long all four adults were lost to hilarity, and the tension that had been building gently dissolved completely.

For the rest of the evening they chatted amicably between themselves. Millie escorted the children downstairs to bid everyone goodnight, before marching them straight back up to tuck them in. She had been successful in taking the sting out of their tender skin, a fact that assuaged Draco's lingering guilt. By the time the two couples called it a night both women were incredibly tired and the men were equally tipsy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Friday morning dawned with perfect blue skies, dotted with fluffy white clouds. Everyone had gathered on the terrace for breakfast, before heading to the beach for an early swim. After a picnic lunch on the rolling green lawn of the property they'd gone for a long walk to take in some of the sights and views that surrounded the Zabini mansion

Draco fought to maintain a normal demeanor all day. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to notice he wasn't his usual self, because that would lead to uncomfortable questions that he really didn't want to answer. He felt the tension from his worry about what was going on at home start to build for real the moment his eyes opened that morning. A Floo call home would have either banished his unease or confirmed his worst fears, but he wasn't alone long enough to consider sneaking off and making the call.

He knew his success at hiding his worry was failing at times, because he'd caught Ginny looking at him oddly a few times throughout the day. She never said anything, but he could see she was curious. Blaise, on the other hand, had actually asked him if everything was all right at one stage. Draco had brushed off his concern, but he was sure he'd failed to convince his friend that all was well. Not that it mattered, because Blaise didn't push the issue and for that Draco was grateful.

It was really only when he was doing something with the children that he was able to push aside the worry and behave as if there was nothing wrong. By mid-afternoon he was determinedly keeping them busy to stop his own mind from wandering back to the shores of England. There were many times during the course of the day that he'd wished he'd confided in Blaise, so that he would at least have a sounding board and perhaps a little personal support.

By dinnertime Draco was so tied up in knots that he thought he'd be unable to keep anything down if he bothered to eat. He decided that he would excuse himself during the meal and, under the guise of using visiting the bathroom, he'd contact his father. A certain amount of relief settled over him when he realized he had a workable plan, and he would get the information required to save his sanity in just a short time.

They had just gathered on the terrace for some pre-dinner drinks when a house elf appeared at Draco's side.

"Mr. Malfoy has a Floo call in Master's study," the elf squeaked.

Draco could feel the blood draining from his face and he was powerless to stop it. If they were contacting him it could only mean one thing: they'd found something really bad.

"Mate, are you all right?" Blaise asked with concern.

He could feel his friend's hand on his back and hear his voice, but the only response he could make was a short, unconvincing nod.

"Draco?" Blaise tried again, trying to get his full attention.

"I should take this," Draco mumbled as he shuffled away.

He didn't really want to speak to whoever it was in the grate of Blaise's study, but it seemed the better choice at the moment. To stay on the terrace with everyone focused solely on him wasn't an option. The thought that he might go mad at any given moment was very real and he could feel his grasp on his control slipping through his fingers.

As he entered the house, he could hear a murmured conversation start behind him. There would be no hiding that there had been something bothering him today, so he would have to come up with a plausible story to cover himself before he rejoined them. Of course, that was if the Ministry wasn't on the way to arrest him and, in that case, the truth was going to be exceedingly difficult to hide.

Draco paused for a few moments outside Blaise's study. He rested his head against the cool wall and tried to calm himself. It was of the utmost importance that he not show any weakness to whoever was waiting for him on the other side of the door. When he thought he had brought himself under as much control as possible, Draco schooled his features expertly and entered the darkened room.

The only light source within the walls was the emerald flames coming from the fireplace. Draco didn't so much as glance at whose head was floating in there as he approached, for fear he might lose his control and flee. His heart felt like it was going to jump right out of his chest and he could feel his body growing damp with sweat, but his expression remained stoical.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."

Draco's eyes snapped to the hearth, as the familiar voice demanded his attention. "Weasley."

"You don't sound very pleased to be hearing from me," Ron observed with a smile playing around his lips.

"Just tell me," Draco snapped.

"Let's see, we arrived at Malfoy Manor at-"

"I don't want a full rundown," Draco snarled. "Did you find anything?"

"A bit touchy, aren't we? Anyone would think you've been worried." Ron's blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

Draco took a deep breath and tried to force the urge to reach through the Floo network and throttle his brother-in-law from his mind. After all, the murder of an Auror just wouldn't look good on his record, no matter how much said Auror deserved to die. "Just tell me," he said calmly.

"You're clean," Ron admitted simply.

A huge wave of relief washed over Draco. He could feel the tension draining out of his body, and for the first time that day, he smiled genuinely.

"Except-"

The hairs of Draco's neck rose immediately and fear flooded back into his body faster than it left. "What?"

"Well, I'd really appreciate it if you'd buy my sister some decent underwear." Ron grimaced as if in pain. "It was really disturbing going through those drawers."

If he hadn't been leaning on a chair he would have fallen over as every fiber in his body relaxed. There were no words that could have possibly expressed how relieved he felt at the moment.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked, sounding a little confused.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm perfect," Draco mumbled.

"You were worried, weren't you?"

"I think that's only natural," Draco growled.

Ron appeared to shrug. "I suppose. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know there was nothing to worry about."

"Thanks," Draco intoned sincerely.

"No problem. Enjoy your weekend."

"We will," Draco answered as a smile started to pull at his lips again.

With one last nod of his disembodied head, Ron disappeared from the flames and the hearth went dark.

If he'd been more prone to express his emotions openly, Draco would have been dancing a jig and hooting at the top of his lungs right about now, but instead he stood straight and grinned foolishly as he glanced around the room. The rest of the weekend was going to be brilliant; he could feel it. Not to mention, he'd managed all of this without his wife discovering his underhanded play to get her away from the manor or the reason why.

On the way back to the terrace he whistled a merry little tune under his breath. He couldn't help but express his happiness and relief in some form, even if it was a bit out of character. As he stepped onto the terrace everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Everything all right, mate?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Yeah, everything is perfect," Draco assured him. "It was just-"

"So Ron and Harry didn't find anything then?" Ginny butted in before her husband could bury himself in another lie.

Draco's world seemed to slow down to the point where it almost stopped. He could feel himself turning to face his wife and, though he didn't really want to, he was powerless to stop himself. After all his effort to protect her, how had she known? Words were coming and going in his mind, but nothing was staying long enough to make the journey to his tongue. His eyes held the question he was, apparently, unable to voice at this point.

"Percy told me," Ginny informed him gently. "I already knew they were raiding known properties, and he thought I ought to know that they were targeting Malfoy Manor as well."

Although the damage had been done, seemingly earlier than Draco ever would have guessed, the desire to kill his least favorite brother-in-law was very strong. "I didn't want-"

"I figured that out." Ginny shrugged her shoulders and smiled softly at him. "That's why I didn't let on that I knew."

"It's not pleasant," Draco uttered. "That's why I didn't want you-"

"Draco, it's all right," Ginny said as she walked towards him. "I'm not angry. Actually, it's rather comforting to know you'd go to such measures to protect me from something like that."

He could hardly believe his ears. "You're not?"

"No, of course not. But you do need to remember that I'm not your mother, and I don't need protecting from all the unpleasantness in the world," Ginny reminded him.

Draco sighed as he rested his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you. I just didn't want you to have to go through that."

"It's over now and they didn't find anything," Ginny said. "Let's just leave it at that, shall we?"

"Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"No, I think you missed that today," Ginny answered impishly.

"I love you more than anything," Draco murmured just before he claimed his wife's lips in an impassioned kiss. He could hear his son's disgusted protests in the background, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Look, if you two want some privacy we could take the kids and go out for dinner," Blaise offered amusedly.

"Hush, Blaise," Katarina chastised. "Leave them be."

"Thanks, mate," Draco said when he surfaced for air. "But it won't be necessary. I'm sure we can control ourselves until later this evening."

Blaise pinned his old friend with a serious look. "You know, now that we're both older and married, that falls into the category of too much information."

Draco smirked. "Sorry," he uttered insincerely.

Both men burst into laughter at that point. Draco could tell Blaise was remembering some of the more detailed conversations they'd had over the years about their conquests. The two really never had any secrets and even used to trade helpful tips at one time.

"Anyway, good to hear everything is as it should be at home," Blaise said as he sobered.

"You knew as well?" Draco questioned.

"Why do you think I jumped at the chance to come with you?" Blaise asked. "If they're searching all the old properties, then mine will come up eventually."

Ginny frowned at the other wizard. "Why would they search any of your properties? I didn't think you had an alliance with-"

"I didn't, but some of my mother's ex-husbands had questionable backgrounds, so we usually get included in the periodic raids," Blaise explained. "It doesn't bother me; I just don't like to be there when they're ripping through everything."

"No, that wouldn't be pleasant," Ginny conceded.

"Can we have dinner now?" Drake asked impatiently. "I'm starving!"

"We can't have that!" Katarina exclaimed. "Come on, everyone, we'll sit down and get this meal underway."

"Wine?" Blaise offered Draco.

"I feel like celebrating tonight," Draco answered with a wicked smirk.

Blaise quirked his eyebrows nefariously and smirked back. "We haven't done that since we were teenagers."

"Are you up for it?"

"Of course I am," Blaise responded defensively.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Draco prompted.

Within minutes, Blaise had summoned a servant, ordered a bottle of Firewhisky and had poured two tumblers to the brim. The women watched their partners in silence, exchanging sympathetic looks with each other. They both knew, without doubt, that their men were going to end up rather drunk by the end of the evening.

Whether it was a blessing in disguise or not, Ginny didn't much care, but the twins had started yawning quite widely during their meal and were escorted off to bed not long after they finished. They'd been kept active all day, so it really wasn't a surprise that the two five-year-olds had come to the end of their energy levels around dinnertime.

From the moment the twins were declared sound asleep the conversation took a decidedly adult route, compliments of the inebriated wizards. In the course of a very short time, Ginny and Katarina learned all sorts of interesting things about their respective husbands and their habits as students, as well as some of what they got to between leaving school and finding their wives. The two men were seemingly lost down memory lane and no subject was taboo. Some of what they were recalling was definitely not supposed to be for conversation in mixed company, let alone the company of their wives, but they'd drunk far too much to register that fact.

"Do you remember--" Blaise leaned over the table, trying not to snigger as he slurred and pointed directly at Draco. "-when I came to Paris to visit you?"

"How could I forget?" Draco made a show of sitting up straight and directed his glassy gaze at the women. "The first day Blaise arrived in Paris I had to work, so he went off to do a little sight-seeing. About mid-afternoon he bounces into my office saying that I had to leave right now, because he'd met two Swedish tourists and had promised to show them around Paris."

"It was the polite thing to do," Blaise interjected earnestly.

"Believe me, it had nothing to do with his manners." Draco smirked. "As I discovered when I met the two lovely ladies."

Ginny rolled her eyes comically at Katarina and the other woman responded by pulling a funny face.

"So these two ladies were perfection personified: blonde hair, big tits, long legs, hourglass figures - perfection! We did the gentlemanly thing and showed them the sights, then we took them to dinner and as they were allegedly staying in some seedy hotel, we offered them a place to stay." Draco's lecherous grin let them know that his thoughts had been anything but charitable at the time.

"Couldn't let them stay in the place they were planning to," Blaise slurred. "They might have caught something."

"Sounds like you two were planning to give them something anyway," Katarina muttered not quite under her breath.

"This is where it gets really funny," Draco claimed.

"Oh, this is a funny story?" Ginny questioned cynically. "I thought you were just telling us about another one of your duel conquests."

"No, it's hilarious!" Draco insisted. "We spent all that time with them and got them back to my place. I won't lie and say we were just thinking of their best interests, we were definitely-"

"Thinking with your dicks," Ginny supplied with a smile.

Draco blinked a couple of times at his wife. "Err-yeah, something like that. Anyway, we were trying to work out the sleeping arrangements and who would be sharing with whom, when the girls insisted that they share. We didn't want to see rude or pushy, so we went about trying to convince them otherwise. Who would resist a couple of handsome, charming Englishmen?"

The women rolled their eyes at one another, neither willing to verbalize their thoughts.

"I know the answer to this," Blaise claimed loudly, leaning forward and slamming his hand on the table. "Two lesbians!"

Ginny couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard. She was sure Blaise must have butchered a word and her ears had simply adapted it to sound like something else.

"Are you telling us that you two spent all that time and effort, and you didn't get your reward shags?" Katarina asked in amused shock.

"That's exactly what happened," Draco confirmed. "They ended up taking my bed and we ended up in the guest room."

The moment Ginny's eyes flicked over to Katarina they both burst into gales of laughter. Draco was right. His tale of Blaise's visit to Paris was hilarious. It took the women quite some time to bring themselves under control, because every time they so much as glanced at one another they burst into renewed laughter.

Not long after Draco's Paris tale, Ginny and Katarina decided to retire for the night, leaving the men to continue drinking and reminiscing about the 'good old days'. They'd heard quite enough tawdry tales about their husbands to last them a lifetime. There were just some things a wife shouldn't know about her husband, but then a little information was handy for those times when blackmail becomes necessary, so what they had learned would be filed away for later use.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco stepped out onto the terrace into the glaring sun and groaned painfully. He'd spent the last hour or so with his head in the toilet, losing everything he'd ever ingested, or so he thought at the time. It was obviously late, but he had no idea what the actual time was.

"Coffee?" a pained voice ground out.

"No, can't stomach it," Draco mumbled, slumping into a chair in the shade. "Water would be good."

Blaise nodded, and then looked as though he instantly regretted the move. His face, which was already pale, turned a sickly gray color and he swallowed hard.

Draco watched on in morbid fascination, willing his friend not to lose his stomach right at that moment, because he knew his wasn't strong enough to resist following suit.

A house elf popped onto the terrace and looked Draco up and down before offering, "Mister would like coffee?"

"Water," Draco rasped out.

The servant left the terrace with a pop that reverberated through Draco's head. He closed his eyes, cursing to himself, and tried to settle the throbbing that was threatening to overtake his whole head. If he didn't get this under control very soon he was going to have to make a mad dash for a bathroom. Just when he thought he was getting it to abate, the servant arrived back and seemingly slammed a pitcher of water on the table along with a tall glass. Unable to speak, for fear of opening his mouth and something other than angry words coming out, Draco breathed deeply through his nose and concentrated on sending the nausea away.

When he opened his eyes, Draco noted that while the servant had delivered the water and a glass, it had failed to fill the glass. It took conscious effort to get his hand to reach out and take hold of the pitcher. As he raised it ready to pour himself some water he noted that his hand was shaking rather violently.

"I spilled half of my first coffee all over me," Blaise muttered.

"Can't wait," Draco moaned, as he tried to pour water into the glass.

By the time he'd filled his glass almost to the top there was a large puddle on the table. Draco didn't much care at this point; he just needed to get some water into him. As he picked the glass up, water sloshed from the brim, falling over the table and down his front, but it wasn't like he could help it at the moment - his hands simply wouldn't stop shaking.

"Maybe we ought to find you a straw," Blaise offered without conviction.

Draco ignored him and sipped the water gratefully. He could only hope that it would stay down, because he didn't think he could handle vomiting again. After sipping from the glass for several minutes, Draco placed it on the table as gently as he could. "Don't you have some hangover potion or something?"

"No, forgot to bring some," Blaise moaned.

"Fuck," Draco hissed.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Where are the girls?"

"Beach with the kids," Blaise mumbled. "You can just see them in the water if you squint."

Draco looked towards the water, but the glare from the sun caused him physical pain. "I'll take your word for it."

Blaise grunted in acknowledgement.

The men sat in relative silence for sometime, each lost in their own suffering. Draco continued to sip his water, and Blaise managed to down a few cups of strong coffee. It was with painful slowness that each started to feel a little better, not entirely, but at least a little more human than they were when they first rolled out of bed.

They'd been there about an hour when the women and children started to walk across the lawn. Draco's eyes, though his sight was less than perfect at the moment, were fixed on his wife. Ginny was wearing the black bikini she'd bought on their honeymoon, along with the sheer wrapped that matched the swimsuit. He could see the bulge of their child clearly and it again sent him into a wondrous state. The impending birth of his child seemed so surreal most of the time, but when he saw her like this the facts crashed around him, sending his thoughts in all directions.

"We're going to be fathers all too soon," Blaise commented.

"Yeah," Draco agreed absently, his eyes not leaving Ginny.

"I don't suppose it'll change much for you."

"I wasn't there when the twins were babies, so I expect it will," Draco countered.

"Good point," Blaise conceded. "Are you-"

Draco waited for his friend to finish the question, but it hung in the air for several seconds before he glanced at the other man. "What?"

"You know… Scared?" Blaise finished in a small voice.

His eyes wandered back to the women and he exhaled slowly. Scared didn't really begin to cover how he felt most of the time about becoming a father again, and from the beginning this time. Draco licked his lips and turned back to his long-time friend. "Terrified."

"Me too," Blaise admitted, a nervous smile tugging at his lips.

"I don't know anything about babies," Draco continued. "Hell, I don't know anything about children."

"You do all right with Drake and Angel."

"Most of the time that's just luck. Believe me, I've made some monumental mistakes with them."

"But you're managing," Blaise pointed out.

"Only just." Draco glanced at his advancing family, thankful that the grassed area was wide and they were walking slowly. "Did you know I had to have help to sort Drake out at one point?"

"No, you didn't tell me."

"Well, all of Ginny's brothers and her father came around, as well as his godfather. We got him sorted out, but that was-well, it was disconcerting. He's five-years-old, and I couldn't figure out what to do with him."

"Yeah, but he's smarter than you," Blaise teased.

"Very funny," Draco answered dryly. "Wait until you're pulling your hair out with yours."

Blaise smirked. "I can always call on the very experienced Uncle Draco for advice."

"I'll be taking no responsibility for any advice I hand out," Draco replied.

"Daddy!" Angel squealed as she ran the last ten meters or so.

"Someone kill me now," Draco mumbled under his breath.

"Can we gag her?" Blaise asked seriously as his hand went to his head.

"No, you cannot gag Angel or anyone else," Katarina answered sternly. "It's your fault you're feeling horrid, so you'll not be getting any sympathy. And you can stop looking at me like that Draco Malfoy."

Draco averted his gaze quickly. He didn't have the energy to defend himself if she decided to attack or perhaps try to read his thoughts, which were centered around how heartless she sounded - a sure path to a torturous death.

"Don't you feel well, Daddy?" Drake asked, his little voice full of concern.

"No, mate," Draco answered softly.

Drake reached over and stroked his father's arm. "What's wrong?"

Draco had been hoping Drake wouldn't ask, because it was going to be impossible to lie about why he was feeling like something stuck to the bottom of a mountain troll's foot with the women standing within hearing distance. "I just don't-"

"He's hung over," Ginny butted in with a sadistic grin. "This is how you wake up the next afternoon after a big night with Firewhisky."

The little wizard's eyes popped wide open, and then he solemnly declared, "I'm never drinking that stuff."

"Famous last words," Blaise mumbled.

"Yes, I seem to recall you saying something like that last time you woke up like this," Katarina mused aloud, while smirking at her husband.

Surprise colored Drake's face as he turned to face the black-haired wizard. "Why did you drink it again, Uncle Blaise?"

"I-err-you see-umm-"

"Drake, there is no explaining how silly grown wizards are sometimes," Katarina explained.

"I'm not going to be silly when I grow up," Drake stated with a firm nod of his head.

"You keep to that idea and you won't ever have to wake up feeling like your dad or Uncle Blaise," Katarina encouraged.

Draco put his head in his hands and wondered just how old Drake would be when he discovered the alluring beauty of Firewhisky. He'd been around fifteen when he and Blaise had stolen a bottle from Lucius' study, and had gone out to the lake to drink it. They thought they were so grown up and so very clever. Of course, the effect it would have on their inexperienced bodies hadn't come under consideration when they started, and before long they were so drunk they couldn't stand straight. Not long after Lucius had discovered their private party the vomiting started. Much of that day remains a hazy blur, but one thing Draco remembered vividly was how much the alcohol burned on the way back up. He didn't think he'd ever stop vomiting and thoughts of death lingered in his brain. His father had been a great help; he stood back and smirked at them, chortling occasionally when they seemed to be particularly hurting.

"Never," Drake said reverently.

Katarina looked at Blaise with a fiendish expression on her face. "I thought we might eat out tonight. There's a restaurant I'd love to share with Draco and Ginny."

"Do we have--" Blaise paused as his eyes bulged. He clamped his mouth shut and breathed deeply for a few seconds. "-to talk about food right now?"

"It's called planning, dear," Katarina answered sweetly.

"More like cruel torture," Blaise muttered under his breath.

Ginny shrugged casually, but a smile was playing around her lips. "It works for me. Would you like to know what we had for breakfast? Oh, wait! I'll tell you what we had for lunch!"

"Don't," Draco pleaded from between clenched teeth.

"Well, if you're positive," Ginny said. "But just so you know, you missed a real treat at lunch. The chicken salad was perfect. Katarina, you've got to get that recipe for me. Did I taste bacon in it?"

"Yes, and avocado," Katarina responded with a cheeky grin. "Speaking of food, weren't we going to have afternoon tea?"

"I'm always starving after swimming," Ginny replied.

"Are we going to be good?" Katarina posed.

"Nah, let's be wicked." Ginny cackled.

"Evil," Blaise muttered. "Pure evil."

"Which one?" Draco asked.

"Both."

While the men were discussing the iniquity of their wives, Katarina summoned a servant and ordered afternoon tea to be served. Soon enough there was a selection of creamy pastries on the table, along with large pitchers of pumpkin juice and a huge teapot. The twins didn't take long to scramble up to the table and inform Katarina what they would like on their plates.

Once the children were served and resituated at the other end of the table, Katarina turned her wicked grin on the men. "Afternoon tea, boys? There's plenty to go around."

Blaise shook his head and Draco waved his hand to indicate that he declined.

"Are you sure?" Katarina double-checked, waving a plate with a pastry on it in front of them.

"The two of you could probably do with something in your stomachs," Ginny observed seriously.

At that point Draco got to his feet awkwardly. "Walk-fresh air-away-"

"Me too," Blaise said as he stood up quickly.

The women watched their men wander away in a rather ungainly manner, considering both of them usually moved with authority.

Katarina gnawed at her lip as she sat down. Worry had etched itself into her features. "Do you think we went too far?"

"No, they'll be all right," Ginny assured her. "They need to keep purging until the alcohol is out of their system, and by the looks of them it's not even close to being gone."

Throughout the rest of the afternoon both women kept a close eye out for their husbands, who had seemingly disappeared. It wasn't until they went to return to the beach for a swim before dinner that they discovered the men had snuck back into the house and were both sleeping peacefully in their suites. A servant had supplied the information when Katarina had requested Blaise be informed of her whereabouts in the hope that they might join them.

"You know, I think we might have the night to ourselves," Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Most likely." Katarina sighed heavily with disappointment. "What would you like to do then?"

Ginny thought for a moment and then a broad smiled crept over her face. "After dinner, and when the twins are in bed, how about we have a girlie night?"

Katarina brightened immediately. "You mean facials, nails, hair-"

"Yep," Ginny confirmed. "We may as well enjoy ourselves while those two are being anti-social."

"What time are the twins going to bed?" Katarina inquired cheekily.

Ginny smiled broadly. "I should think it will be early, considering the day we've had."

The two women linked arms as they wandered back to the beach with the twins. They discussed their plans for the evening in depth and decided that even if the men decided to make an appearance they would have to keep each other company, because they were now looking forward to the evening and weren't prepared to change their plans.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the women arrived for breakfast on Sunday morning they found two very sheepish looking wizards sitting at the table on the terrace. Both men had clearly already been for a swim and were now enjoying a lavish breakfast with the children.

Ginny and Katarina hadn't seen them the evening before at all, but in the end they weren't all that bothered by their absence. Together, the women enjoyed a long soak in an oversized tub, facials, pedicures, manicures, and after all that, they experimented with hairstyles. It was an old fashioned girls' night in, complete with the analyzing of a little gossip that they'd both heard floating around for a while.

Draco and Blaise greeted their wives humbly and politely held their chairs, while they made themselves comfortable. Neither of them needed to be told that their behavior the day before was going to be frowned upon and they would have to make up for it in some way today.

"Tea, ladies?" Draco offered, holding the pot up to show them they had thought to order one.

"Thank you," Ginny answered.

"Yes, please," Katarina responded.

Ginny's eyes opened wide for a fraction of a second before she forced a normal expression back onto her face as Draco poured their tea himself. He rarely poured tea and this alone told her how guilty he was feeling.

"Something to eat, ladies?" Blaise suggested, waving his hands over the food platters.

"Some fresh fruit would be lovely," Ginny replied.

A panicked look passed through Blaise's eyes. "I'll get you some."

"If it's too much trouble--" Ginny started.

"No trouble at all," Blaise assured her. "Anything you want."

Ginny couldn't hide the small smile that played around her lips. It seemed the boys had a plan to exonerate themselves: do everything that was asked of them.

Katarina winked across the table at Ginny, and then started rubbing the back of her neck.

"Are you all right, Kat?" Blaise inquired.

"I slept awkwardly," Katarina complained. "My shoulders are so stiff at the moment. A nice massage would loosen them up."

"Say no more, love," Blaise said as he jumped to his feet and took up position behind his wife.

"Oh, yes," Katarina moaned gratefully as Blaise's hands worked magic with her allegedly stiff muscles.

By the time they'd finished breakfast, the men had granted all sorts of requests and made more promises than they could possibly keep. The girls were making the most of their compliance and were even stepping in to secure some promises for the twins. It was amazing how fast their husbands dropped to their knees with a bat of their eyelashes.

Ginny leaned back in her chair as she drained the last of her tea. It was terrible, but she was determined to finish it, because Draco poured it for her. The moment she placed the empty teacup on the table she locked eyes with Katarina, who was smirking at her in a conspiratorial manner.

While it would have been easy to keep Draco and Blaise to their promises, or as many as they could manage in the time they had left, Ginny thought that it might be time to let them off the hook. She sent children off to play and ordered Millie to keep an eye on them. When the twins were out of earshot she prepared to expose what they knew about what the boys were attempting.

"You know, this has all been very nice," Ginny started indifferently.

"Is there something wrong?" Blaise asked quickly. "Something you'd like, perhaps?"

"No, I think you two have promised far more than you can deliver already." Ginny smiled at the men. "We just wanted you both to know that you didn't have to go through so much to ease your guilty consciences."

"Guilty? What do we have to feel guilty about?" Draco asked abruptly.

Ginny's smile didn't slip, but she added a knowingly look, which she passed to her husband, who now wouldn't look her in the eye. "All you had to do was say you're sorry."

"Sorry?" Blaise repeated, though it was most definitely a question given his slight look of confusion.

"Yes, it's that easy," Ginny responded.

While the men exchanged glances the women remained silent, allowing them to have their silent conversation in the hope that this charade might end and they could get on with enjoying their last day.

"All right." Draco sighed heavily. "We're sorry we got so drunk and basically left you to your own devices yesterday."

"Blaise?" Katarina prompted when her husband remained silent.

"Yes, we're both very sorry," Blaise conceded quietly. "These things happen."

"They do," Ginny agreed. "Now, can we possibly move forward and enjoy what time we have left without you two making fools of yourselves?"

Draco spun around, blinking at his wife as if he thought his ears might have been telling him lies. "Fools?"

Ginny nodded. "Fools. You're both falling over yourselves trying to please us and it's really disturbing, because neither of you are really that attentive."

"Yes, I am," Draco refuted.

"Draco, you poured my tea," Ginny pointed out calmly. "The only time you pour my tea is when you think you're in trouble."

"I-well, I thought you might-"

"Not growl at you if you did it yourself?" Ginny finished for him.

No amount of his former Slytherin self could hide from the facts when his wife knew him so well. It seemed the game was up and they were thoroughly embarrassed by their efforts. "Okay, we thought we'd spoil both of you in the hope that you'd forget to tell us off," he admitted straightforwardly.

"I'm so glad we got that sorted out," Katarina expressed with delight. "I'm getting a little warm. Anyone for a swim?"

As the group moved towards the beach, laughter could be heard as the women teased their husbands over their efforts to regain a position in their good books. The men took the teasing in their stride, mostly for fear of upsetting the newly restored good mood in the house.

After their goodbyes had been said and promises to catch up with each other soon had been made, it was an exhausted, yet happy, Malfoy family who surrounded an International Portkey late in the afternoon. They had had a wonderful long weekend, and though they were sad to be leaving the beauty of Paleokastritsa behind, it would be good to get home and resume their normal lives. If one had to live like this every day, one would end up very exhausted. Besides, they could return anytime they liked, according to the offer Blaise had made while bidding them a safe trip home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her fantastic beta skills!