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 FOUR

LESSONS IN INFANCY

It wasn't enough that Draco had arranged a Portkey for them, Ginny insisted one of them had to be in the foyer to greet Bill and his family. Draco tried to tell her it was entirely appropriate with a house the size of the manor to have a servant answer the door and escort the guests to the parlor, but she wouldn't hear of it. So there he was, lurking in the foyer, waiting for Bill and his brood.

Just when he thought his sanity might begin to fray, due to boredom, there was a knock at the front door. Draco schooled his features into a pleasant expression as he crossed the foyer. Before he reached the doors a servant popped into the space right in front of the doors and opened them as usual.

"Bill, Fleur, good to see you. Come in." His voice startled the house elf, but Draco continued anyway. He stood back and beckoned the family to enter the house. "Hello, kids."

Beau and Courtney were too busy staring at their surrounds to reply. Eloise gave him a shy smile and a giggle.

Fleur moved two-month-old Henri to her other hip and leaned in to kiss Draco's cheek. "Draco, thank you for inviting us."

Bill held his hand out and as Draco shook it he leaned forward. "You've got a Wizard's Wireless, haven't you?"

"Bill!" Fleur sent her husband a warning look. "We talked about this. It won't kill you to miss one match."

Rather than get caught in the middle of a domestic disagreement Draco changed the subject. "Why don't we move through to the parlor? Ginny and the twins are waiting."

Draco led the way to the southern wing. Ginny had decided to use the family parlor rather than one of the formal entertaining areas tonight and with the children in attendance Draco had to agree. As they approached the parlor a blond head poked out and peered down the hallway.

"Mummy, they're here! They're here!"

"All right, calm down, Drake," Ginny said amusedly. The twins had been anxious for the arrival of their first guests in their new home all day. Ginny had lost count how many times they'd asked her how much longer they had to wait. "Remember you have to say hello properly before you run off and play."

Drake rolled his eyes at his mother. Didn't she realize that waiting around for Aunt Fleur to kiss him was not only disgusting it ate into their valuable playtime? "Yes, Mummy."

The moment Bill saw his sister he opened his arms ready to embrace her. "Gin, how are you?"

"I'm good, and you?"

"Good." Bill lowered his voice before continuing, "Still amazed all this is yours."

Ginny smiled at him. She still had to pinch herself occasionally just to make sure this wasn't some fairytale dream.

"Are you going to let anyone else say hello?" Fleur asked as she passed Henri to his father.

"Sorry," Bill mumbled as Henri's little hand slipped into his open mouth.

While the women greeted each other Draco quietly garnered Bill's attention and pointed the Wizard's Wireless out to him. Bill's big grin and mouthed 'excellent' well and truly conveyed his approval.

With their parents otherwise occupied, Drake and Beau began to inch towards the open patio doors. Both little boys were bursting with energy and they knew if they could just get outside everyone might just forget about saying hello properly. They'd just reached the threshold, thinking they'd escaped the indignity of being slobbered over by their respective Aunts when Bill's voice interrupted their progress.

"Neither of you have said hello properly."

Drake and Beau groaned in unison. They knew they'd have to wait until very last to be spoken to now, especially since Ginny already had baby Henri in her arms.

"Come on, back over here and say hello or you won't be going outside," Draco added.

With softly grumbled protests, the little wizards wandered to where their father's were waiting for them.

Drake offered his small hand to his Uncle. "Hello, Uncle Bill."

"Hello, Drake."

Beau tugged on Draco's arm. "Hello, Uncle Draco."

"Beau." Draco picked the little boy's hand up and made a big deal of shaking it firmly.

"Go and say hello to Aunt Ginny, Beau," Bill instructed.

The little boy almost opened his mouth to ask, do I have to, but snapped it shut when he saw his father's uncompromising expression. He dragged his feet to the other side of the room. His Aunt was cooing over his baby brother, so she wasn't going to be in any hurry to pay attention to him.

"Drake, you too. Go and say hello to your Aunt Fleur."

Drake gazed wistfully outside. Even if he could say hello quickly he'd have to wait for Beau and by the looks of it his mummy was busy.

"After you've done the right thing then you can go out and play," Draco assured him.

Drake wandered over to his Aunt. He endured her kissing him twice without wiping either cheek with the back of his hand and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes when she started telling everyone how handsome he was becoming. As soon as she paused for a breath, Drake quickly moved back to stand beside Beau, who was still waiting to get Ginny's attention.

The boys waited silently for some minutes. They were both aware their playtime was being wasted, but neither was brave enough to attempt another escape. Big family gatherings were far better in their opinion - no one ever noticed if you skipped out on saying hello to go and play.

When his mother showed no sign of acknowledging their presence Drake dared to interrupt her silly 'conversation' with Henri. "Mummy, can you please say hello to Beau, so we can go play?"

"Sorry, boys, I thought you were waiting to see Henri," Ginny responded lightly.

Drake screwed his face up in disgust. "He doesn't do anything."

"Not yet."

"Are you looking forward to meeting your baby brother or sister, Drake," Fleur asked.

"Nope. Mummy, can you say hello now?"

"All right." Ginny passed Henri back to his mother and began making a fuss of Beau.

The little boy foolishly wiped his Aunt's kiss from his cheek the moment she drew back far enough for his hand to slip between them. This, of course, meant his torture was prolonged, and by the time Ginny released him nothing short of a full face scrub would have removed all the kisses she'd bestowed upon his face.

As fast as their small legs could carry them, the two boys ran outside. Beau wisely waited until he was well out of his Aunt's sight before he wiped his face dry.

"You two stay where we can see you," Bill called from the doorway.

"They can't wander far," Draco informed him. "We've set a ward around a generous portion of the area in front of the patio to keep them safe."

"Good. I'd hate to think what those two would get up to if they had roaming rights."

"Yeah," Draco chuckled. He hadn't thought of the havoc the Weasley cousins could inflict if given no boundaries. "Ginny insisted we enclose some of the yard, because of the size and the lake."

"It pays to give them somewhere specific to play."

"At least they can come outside now without Ginny."

"She wouldn't let them?"

"No, and it drove Drake mad all week." Draco pulled out two chairs from the outdoor table and offered one to Bill. The moment the men sat down a servant appeared with two bottles of Mead.

"She never worries about it at Mum and Dad's."

"I pointed that out. Apparently there's nothing dangerous in the field behind your parent's house because she played there as a child."

Bill shook his head. "Best not to argue with women's logic."

"I'm learning that."

"Only now?" Bill snorted with laughter.

"I never had to deal with them past breakfast," Draco replied defensively.

"Okay I'll give you that. You and Gin did happen faster than usual."

Draco rubbed the back of his neck pensively. "Yeah we did."

"Regrets?"

"No, none at all. Ginny's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Good to hear." Bill considered his brother-in-law for a moment. "So is everything going all right?"

"Yeah, of course," Draco responded a little too quickly.

"If you say so."

"Just a few teething problems-minor things."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. There was always a myriad of small things that made life a little interesting in a new marriage. He remembered when he and Fleur had first returned from their honeymoon, they hadn't spoken to each other for a week over some silly difference of opinion that he couldn't even recall now.

"We sorted it all out anyway."

"Good."

The men relaxed in their chairs, sipped their Mead and watched their boys running around the yard; soon after the women joined them at the table. Ginny had reclaimed Henri and was cradling him in her arms.

"Where are the girls?" Draco asked curiously.

"Angel took them to the playroom," Ginny answered.

"Are they all right on their own?" Bill asked.

"Yes, they're fine and Millie is with them."

"Millie?"

"House elf."

"She's very experienced with children," Draco offered.

"It must be wonderful to have servants at your beck and call," Fleur said wistfully. She'd grown up in a privileged home and had an army of servants at her disposal until she moved to London. Bill earned enough to provide his family with a comfortable lifestyle, but servants were not part of that life.

"I'm still getting used to them. Most of the time I just go ahead and do everything, because it's easier."

"They're there to help, love," Draco said gently. Ginny had created quite a stir with the servants during the week when she made their bed before going down to breakfast one morning.

"Yes I know." She was still smarting from the talking to Draco had given her after she upset the house elves.

"You should be making the most of it, Ginny," Bill pointed out.

"That's exactly what I keep telling her," Draco said.

"Are you two quite finished?"

"Umm- Yeah I'm finished. How about you, Draco?"

"For now." He smirked cheekily across the table.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and gave her undivided attention to the squirming baby in her arms. "I think you might be getting hungry, little man."

As if in response Henri buried his little face in Ginny's chest, trying mightily to latch on to her.

"He's a healthy eater," Fleur commented as she reached for her son.

Draco stared in barely disguised horror as his sister-in-law began to feed the baby. It was one thing to witness this at the Burrow where there were a lot of people to distract him, but this was his home and there was only the four of them. He couldn't exactly wander away, like he usually did, without being obvious.

"Draco, is everything all right?" Fleur had felt his eyes on her from the moment she put Henri to the breast.

"Err-umm-" Draco couldn't get his mouth to function properly when his brain was screaming at him about exposed breasts. "I-err-Fine."

"My feeding Henri isn't making you uncomfortable, is it?"

"Of course it isn't," Ginny answered for him. "How could something so beautiful make anyone uncomfortable?"

Draco bit his tongue. He didn't trust himself to respond, especially after Ginny's comment.

Bill's hand landed heavily on Draco's shoulder. "You'd better get used to it, mate. If your new one is anything like Drake was Ginny will be feeding around the clock."

Unable to stop himself in time, Draco's eyes popped wide open. He'd definitely have to have a word with Ginny about appropriate times and settings to feed the baby. There was no way he was going to tolerate her sitting with an audience while she exposed herself.

Fleur leaned over to Ginny. "I can go inside if Draco's really uncomfortable."

"Don't be silly. He can't see anything with the blanket covering you. It's just the thought of what's going on. He's not used to being around babies."

"He'd better get used to it." Fleur laughed softly.

"He will; he just needs a little time."

"So what are you hoping for?" Bill asked.

Draco frowned in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Boy or a girl?"

"Oh-" Draco cringed as Henri made a particularly loud slurping noise. "I'd like a little girl."

"There's nothing quite like having a little princess to protect. Another Daddy's little girl."

"If we're lucky enough she'd be my first. Angel is most definitely her grandfather's little princess."

"We noticed she had Lucius twisted around her little finger pretty tightly when you were away."

Ginny snorted with laughter. "Tight? I doubt he dares to breath without her permission."

"He doesn't exactly offer Drake the same... for want of a better word, devotion," Bill said carefully. He'd debated whether he should mention his observations or not. The whole thing could blow up in his face very easily.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw them shopping in Diagon Alley one day. Angel just had to look sideways at something and it was on the counter being paid for, yet Drake had to almost beg to get your father to part with a few sickles. If your mother hadn't been there I doubt Lucius would have bought Drake anything. It just seemed a little unfair."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have a word to him. Make certain there wasn't an underlying reason. Father can be harsh at times. A lot is expected of Drake - he'll be the head of the family one day, take over the company. It's important he learns to be strong and unaffected."

"He's only five."

"Bill, it's not like he misses out. He has more than most kids, more than your kids. My father has very definite views on how children should be brought up."

"Do enlighten me."

"Girls are to be spoiled and pampered, they should never want for anything."

"He makes that obvious."

"There's method to his madness." Draco smirked. "A female who has everything she could ever want will never feel the need to wander or leave."

Bill grinned. "Okay, but he does know eventually it won't work."

"I'm sure he lives in fear of the day."

"And boys?"

"Boys are to be made into men. Strong uncompromising leaders."

"So denying Drake what he wants while he watches his sister being showered with gifts is a way to achieve this?"

"I didn't say it was how I viewed the situation. My father is set in his beliefs, but that doesn't mean Drake misses out. My mother would have more than made up for everything Angel received."

"Your mother?"

"Yes, you see there's a balance. Father spoils Angel and Mother spoils Drake. Neither misses out."

"What about you?"

"I treat them the same on a material level. On an emotional level Angel probably gets more, but that's only because Drake isn't that way inclined."

"All right."

"Are we going to be discussing how my children are being raised every time one of you thinks something isn't fair?"

"Only if it's something major. Look you were away and I didn't know if you were aware of what was going on." Bill paused for a moment to consider his next words carefully. "The thing is we've all looked out for Ginny and the twins for so long it's a little hard to just let go."

"So you're all going to be butting in whenever you see fit?"

"We don't see it as butting in. There's nothing wrong with family looking out for one another."

"No there's not, but there is such a thing as overstepping boundaries."

"None of us want to do that, and you're free to tell us to get nicked if you feel that way."

"Why do I feel that telling any of you lot that would be a waste of my time?"

"Because it would and I'd watch the 'you lot' bit from now on."

"Why is that?"

"You're included in the family and so one of 'you lot'."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You're welcome." Bill grinned broadly. "There are advantages to being part of a large family who look out for each other."

"I suppose you're going to enlighten me."

"It means you don't have to do it all on your own. Like that situation with Drake when you got engaged - you had the support of the whole family. Sometimes it's good to have the additional input. Of course, there are times when you wish everyone would just sod off and let you get on with it."

"All right I admit your help with Drake was good in that instance. I don't think-I know I wouldn't have had him sorted out so quickly on my own."

"We're all willing to lend a hand whenever you need it and most likely at times you don't want it as well."

Draco had been so caught up in the conversation with his brother-in-law that he was most surprised to see Fleur had Henri sitting up. The infant was gurgling to himself while his mother patted his back rather rigorously, in Draco's opinion. After an extremely loud belch for a baby, Fleur and Ginny praised the little one profusely.

A few moments later another rather wet sounding burp came from the infant.

"Fleur, he err-" Draco had to pause and swallow the bile rising from his own stomach. "You might want-"

"Love, you'd better wipe him clean before Draco loses his lunch," Bill said with amusement.

"Didn't you want that bit, sweetheart?" Fleur crooned as she wiped Henri clean.

"Obviously not," Draco muttered sarcastically.

An almighty rush of high-pitched squeals assaulted everyone's ears as the girls ran out of the house. Bill managed to grab a hold of Courtney as she passed him. He was busy chastising her for running in the house when more urgent screams invaded their peace.

Draco had never seen three people move so quickly. Bill, Fleur and Ginny had all flown over to Eloise. The toddler was sprawled in an ungainly position on the lawn. She'd tripped going down the two steps from the patio and had flipped in the air before landing on her back. It had all happened so fast Draco couldn't quite figure out how he managed to be holding Henri now.

The noise Eloise was making bordered on painful and Draco screwed his face up in protest. Henri was no happier at being dumped on his inexperienced uncle's lap and began to make his displeasure known.

"Fleur, the baby-"

"For goodness sakes, Draco, just talk to him," Ginny snapped impatiently.

Draco looked at the miniature wizard on his knee. What did one say to a baby? "Hello, Henri."

It seemed that was not the right thing to say to a baby, because Henri's efforts to get his mother's attention doubled.

"Just pop him on your shoulder and jiggle him a little; that should calm him down," Bill called over the din.

Draco started to carefully move Henri to rest on his shoulder.

"Watch his head, Draco," Ginny yelled.

"I am!"

The look he received from his wife told him he most definitely hadn't been careful enough. Rather than dispute the fact, Draco readjusted his hold on the infant and successfully deposited him on his shoulder. Not that it made any difference to the crying baby.

"You need to stand up, Daddy," Drake advised from beside him.

"Stand up?" Draco looked at his five-year-old son skeptically.

"Yep, that's what Uncle Ron does with Pippa and Scarlet, and they always stop crying."

With no more advice coming from the other adults, Draco stood up and began moving around slowly. Henri stopped crying almost immediately. Draco smirked. Victory was his. However, Draco's triumphant feeling was short lived. His face morphed into a disgusted expression when he felt a very warm trail snaking down his back.

"Ewww yuck," Drake expressed loudly. The little boy's face held an identical expression to that of his father's.

"Don't just stand there, Drake," Draco said irritably.

"Draco, don't jiggle him so much, he'll be sick," Ginny called.

Draco glared at the group on the lawn. "Thanks for telling me," he growled. "Drake, pass me that cloth over there."

The little boy wandered over with painful slowness. "This one?"

"Yes." Draco frowned, then screwed up his face in utter repugnance. It seemed Henri wasn't quite finished purging his small body; only this time it wasn't his top end with the problem. Some very sloppy sounds were coming from the tiny wizard's bottom. "Bloody hell!"

Drake stood ready to pass his father the cloth. "Daddy, why is Henri's face red?"

"He's concentrating really hard," Draco snapped.

Beau sniggered behind his hand. "No he's not. He's doing a poo."

"Thanks, Beau," Draco muttered. He wished he could move his hand away from the baby's rear end, but if he did he didn't feel his hold on the infant would be secure enough. This was nothing short of torture.

He looked towards the lawn where Eloise was still screaming like a banshee. There was little hope of any help from the others until they'd sorted the toddler out. Draco began to notice his hand was growing warm. He could only hope that nothing was leaking from the baby's diaper. He honestly didn't think his stomach would hold if it were.

At long last the group on the lawn began to move. Eloise was still howling, but they were making progress in the right direction-Draco's.

"We'll just clean Eloise up, love," Ginny said as she got close enough.

"You don't need to go in."

"I have to show them the way to the bathroom."

"I can do that."

"It's fine, you've got Henri."

"You could-"

"Be back soon."

They were gone before he could protest further. He gazed around hopelessly. Angel and Courtney were playing in the yard. Drake and Beau, though hovering nearby, were engaged in some little boy conversation. How had this happened? He was alone with five children and there was no one close by to help him if need be.

For some reason unbeknownst to Draco, Henri began to wail heartily. He tried walking around and bouncing him lightly to no avail. The baby wouldn't stop.

"Boys, can you go and get one of the women? I don't know what's wrong with Henri."

"Okay, Daddy."

"Good boys. Try the closest bathroom or summon Millie, she should know where they are."

The minutes seemed to drag on forever. Henri continued to howl no matter how much Draco walked or bounced or talked to him. If only he could work out what the baby wanted then he might have a chance of restoring the peace.

Just when it seemed they were never going to return Drake and Beau came into sight. Much to Draco's horror they were alone.

"Mummy said Henri's bag is in the parlor and you should change his nappy, because that's probably what's wrong with him," Drake informed him matter-of-factly.

"What? I can't change- I don't know how!" Draco didn't know whether to be flabbergasted or horrified. He knew what was most likely lurking in his nephew's nappy and he was not about to willingly make a confirmed sighting. "Millie!"

The elderly house elf Apparated beside her master and looked expectantly at him.

"Mummy also said you're not allowed to get Millie to change Henri."

"Why?"

Drake shrugged in response. He was only delivering the message and mummy didn't say why.

"Go and tell Mummy I need her now!"

"She's helping Aunt Fleur."

"I don't care. I need her now."

Drake sighed affectedly. The downstairs bathroom was noisier than out here. Eloise could scream louder than Angel and that was too loud for him to want to return to where she was. He wandered back inside slowly.

"Drake, hurry," Draco urged. Henri's wailing was becoming more raucous by the minute. The sound was disturbing Draco greatly.

Within minutes Ginny came stalking through the parlor. "What is the problem, Draco? We have our hands just a little full with Eloise at the moment."

"Henri won't stop bawling."

"Change his nappy. From what the boys told Fleur, he's more than likely filled it."

"Ginny, I don't change nappies."

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Well it's about time you started and Fleur doesn't want a house elf she doesn't know touching him."

Draco watched his wife turn on her heel to leave him alone with the discontent infant again. "Ginny, I can't change him- I-I don't know how."

Ginny stopped in the doorway and turned to face Draco. "What?"

"I've never changed a baby. I've never even held a baby until today."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." This shouldn't have surprised her. "Give him here."

Draco passed Henri over as fast as he dared. "I'll just-"

"No you don't. You're not sneaking off."

"But I-"

"You're going to watch and learn."

"I don't-"

"Come on, you can get me Henri's bag. It's over on the chair."

Even though his mind was protesting loudly Draco's feet obeyed his wife's words. "There's two here, Ginny."

"Henri's is the blue one with the dragons on the design."

"Of course," Draco muttered. The other bag was bright pink with pictures of fairies, completely inappropriate for a wizard. "Here."

"There should be a blanket or something in there, lay it on the floor for me."

"You're not going to change him here!"

"The nearest change table is in the nursery and he's too worked up to make him wait any longer."

"A few more minutes won't matter, surely."

"Would you like to be sitting around in a shitty nappy for longer than you had to?"

The expression on Draco's face conveyed his utter disgust at the notion.

"Spread the blanket out," Ginny instructed firmly.

Against his better judgment Draco located the fluffy blue blanket covered in pictures of broomsticks and laid it on the floor.

Ginny spared no time laying her nephew on the blanket and beginning to strip him off. "Draco, get me a fresh nappy from the bag."

Draco fished around the bag again. "Here."

"I have my hand's full. Do you think you can fold it?"

"Sure." Draco folded the square cloth in half and then in half again. "Done!"

"Just put it down next to him." A cloth nappy landed next to Henri's kicking legs. "What is this?"

"A folded nappy."

"That's not how you fold a nappy! How the bloody hell can that go on a baby?"

"I told you I know nothing."

Ginny began to mutter tetchily under her breath. Draco wasn't overly enamored with some of the words that drifted up to his ears. With his wife now becoming angry, he decided it might be time to make a hasty exit.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Umm-the boys haven't come back from the bathroom."

"Drake is showing Beau his bedroom."

"I'll just see how they're getting along."

"Oh, no you don't. You're staying right here and you're going to learn how to do this." Ginny paused to glower at her husband's expression. "Even if it kills you."

"It probably will," Draco mumbled.

"Get down here on the floor. You can talk to Henri while I clean him up."

Draco considered his options for a moment. He could refuse and walk out of the room, thus endangering his place in their marital bed until she calmed down, or he could accommodate her request. One look at her face to gauge the impact escaping would have on his well being made Draco's mind up immediately. He dropped his tall frame to the floor with an irritated huff for effect.

Ginny smiled cruelly at him. "Watch what I do."

If I have to, Draco thought to himself, but didn't dare voice. Instead he forced a smile for Ginny's benefit.

As Ginny was removing Henri's dirty nappy she babbled away to the infant, having a one sided nonsensical conversation. Draco sighed affectedly. This was ridiculous. It wasn't difficult to change a nappy; he simply had no desire to try his hand at the task. Even so, his eyes didn't leave his wife's hands, taking in all she was doing, so she'd have nothing to complain about later.

"Oh god." Draco's hand flew up to cover his nose and mouth as he fought to keep the contents of his stomach where they were.

Ginny rolled her eyes at his antics. "For Merlin's sake, Draco, it doesn't smell."

"It would have to!" The muffled response from the sickly looking wizard would have been funny if it weren't so pathetic. "What does his mother feed him?"

"Breast milk and that doesn't smell." Ginny shook her head at him and withdrew her wand. A quickly whispered charm banished all signs of the mess. "Talk to Henri while I fold his nappy the right way."

Draco looked at his wife incredulously. What did it matter if he spoke to the child or not? It wasn't like he'd respond.

"Draco!" Ginny's tone brokered no argument.

Not silly enough to disregard her warning Draco leaned over, close to Henri's head and began to hold a one-sided conversation. Much to his amazement, and secret delight, Henri happily cooed back at him.

"I think he likes you," Ginny commented.

"What's not to like?"

"Your impossibly over inflated ego," she pointed out good naturedly. "Seeing as the two of you are getting along so well now, I might just check on how Bill and Fleur are going with Eloise."

"What about his nappy?"

"He enjoys a kick without his pants on. Just keep talking to him." Ginny started out of the room slowly, waiting for Draco to launch a protest, but it didn't come.

"I guess we can let Aunt Ginny do that, can't we, little one?"

Ginny paused just outside the door to listen to more of the animated chat Draco was having with their nephew. Several times she had to muffle her giggles, especially when Draco began talking of Quidditch teams in a singsong tone. So captivated with the conversation she was eavesdropping upon, she failed to hear Bill and Fleur approach with a now calm Eloise.

"Gin, what are-"

"Shh, come here."

"What?" Bill whispered.

"Draco is talking to Henri. It's so sweet."

The group listened in on the conversation for a few minutes.

"What's sweet about him telling my son the Canons are useless?" Bill growled softly before striding into the parlor. "Don't listen to him, son. The Canons will regain their former success."

"That's what we call delusional," Draco said to Henri. The baby gurgled happily at the attention. "See he agrees with me." Draco's smirk transformed into a frown then, as he realized what had happened, a look of utter repugnance.

Bill laughed heartily. "That's what he really thinks of you calling his old man delusional."

Draco looked down at his freshly wet leg and the small puddle beside it with revulsion. "He-he-"

"Draco, it's only baby wee," Ginny said as she tried not to laugh.

"I have to go change," Draco muttered. "I smell."

"You don't smell."

"He vomited all over me before!"

"A little bit of spat up breast milk is not all over you."

"Smells," Draco mumbled.

"It won't kill you," Ginny called after him as he left the parlor.

Fleur redressed her baby son and the group returned to the patio. Conversation flowed easily between the three adults. Bill made some no-so-discreet enquiries about the teething problems Draco had hinted at earlier. Ginny assured her brother that all had been settled and there was nothing to be concerned about or to tell the rest of the family. By the time Draco returned to the patio, hors d'oeuvres had been served. As he took his seat a servant appeared beside him with a fresh bottle of Mead.

"You were a while," Ginny commented casually.

"Took a shower," Draco admitted. He could still smell baby sick and hoped it wasn't emanating from his body.

Bill sniggered into his bottle. The confession from his brother-in-law didn't come as a surprise or a shock. He didn't need to be told the man was fastidious; it was more than obvious. It made him wonder how much time Draco would be spending in the shower when his own baby arrived.

"Thank you for looking after Henri while we were with Eloise, Draco," Fleur said genuinely.

"It was... interesting." Draco smiled across the table. "Is Eloise all right?"

"She'll live," Bill answered casually.

The toddler in question was snuggling on her father's lap. There was a sizeable egg on her forehead that was already turning a nasty shade of violet.

"That's one hell of a bump."

"All part of being two, isn't it, Eloise?"

The little girl sniffed and buried her face in her father's chest.

"It looks nasty," Draco stressed.

"It's nothing that won't heal in time," Bill assured him. "You should have seen the scrapes and bruises Drake earned himself at the same age."

Between Bill, Fleur and Ginny they told Draco about some of the situations his son had found himself in around the age of two. As one story lead to another Draco was almost relieved he'd missed that era in his son's life. Some of the incidents they were describing were horrifying and he was about to say so when Millie appeared beside his chair.

"Yes?"

"Master did ask Millie to inform Master when Quidditch game is about to begin."

"Excellent," Bill expressed quietly.

"Ladies, we'll leave you to your tea," Draco said as he stood.

"We're having dinner in half an hour," Ginny warned.

"Yes, love."

Bill attempted to place his daughter on her feet. "Eloise, why don't you go play with the girls?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Come on, baby, Daddy wants to listen to the Quidditch with Uncle Draco."

Eloise shook her head again and tightened her grip around her father.

"Take her in with you, Bill," Ginny advised. "There's no point upsetting her again."

"Doesn't look like I have much choice," Bill muttered.

"Just watch your language," Fleur warned. She knew how loud her husband could get when the game wasn't going to his liking.

"Yes, dear."

"I mean it, Bill. No cussing."

"No cussing I promise."

The men disappeared into the parlor just as Drake and Beau wandered back outside.

"Mummy, you should see Drake's room. He's got his own bathroom and everything," Beau exclaimed excitedly.

"Isn't he lucky?"

"Wish I could have a room like that."

"I was going to show you through our wing," Ginny said.

"I'd love a tour."

"We'll leave Henri with the boys and I'll show you around before dinner."

"That would be wonderful," Fleur responded enthusiastically.

"Millie!" Ginny waited for the servant to appear. "Can you keep an eye on the children?"

"Yes, Mistress."

When the women reached the doorway, Ginny stopped Fleur. Bill's arms were still occupied with Eloise, so Draco was the only option to take Henri. She knew he wouldn't be pleased and may even protest, so the transfer would have to be handled with delicate brutality.

"Give Henri to me. I've probably got a better chance of leaving him with Draco without him protesting."

"I could just take him with us," Fleur offered. "If Draco's not willing there's no point in forcing him."

"Don't be silly. It won't kill him to hold Henri for a little while and Bill's right there if he has a problem."

"If you're sure it won't cause a problem."

"Positive." Ginny grinned at her sister-in-law confidently. She was almost convinced Draco wouldn't cause a scene in front of their guests even if he was displeased.

With determination Ginny walked across the room. "I'm giving Fleur the grand tour before dinner."

"Okay, love," Draco answered absently. He was far too preoccupied with the game on the Wizard's Wireless to notice his wife was holding their nephew.

"You be a good boy for Uncle Draco, Henri," Ginny said as she placed the baby in her husband's unsuspecting arms. Just as she thought, his arms automatically moved to accommodate the infant before he truly registered what was going on.

"Err-Gin?"

"We'll be back soon," she called over her shoulder on her way out the door with Fleur.

Draco looked at the bundle in his arms like it was a stink bomb. How was he supposed to listen to the game with a baby in his arms? It was totally inappropriate.

"He doesn't bite, yet," Bill chuckled. "No teeth."

Draco sent him a withering glare. Just because he was accustomed to listening to the Quidditch with kids everywhere didn't mean everyone was. Still it wasn't like he had any other choice right now, so he settled back in his chair and tried to concentrate on the game.

"Wadcock - Davies... intercepted by Cadwallader. He's flying solo up the northern side of the stadium - if the Canons could attract more players like this fellow they'd have half a chance of winning a game sometime in the next century. The Puddlemere Beaters are having a time of catching him... This boy is destined for the National team if he keeps flying this way. Wood is ready at the hoops... Cadwallader will have a hard time getting anything past this seasoned keeper. What's this? Gudgeon is Blatching! He's just flown straight into Wood! Most unusual play from a Seeker! Wood appears to be in trouble... He wasn't expecting the Cannons Seeker to start playing the part of a Beater... Yes, he's definitely in trouble... I don't like the way he's slumped over his broom, folks..."

Draco abruptly sat forward in his chair and yelled in the direction of the Wizard's Wireless. "Come on umpire that's common brutality! Call it!"

Henri's little arms and legs sprung out for his body as shock registered. He began to whimper.

"Bloody hell!" Draco threw Bill a helpless look.

"Just pat his backside and talk to him softly," Bill advised offhandedly.

"Shh, I'm sorry, little mate. I didn't mean to give you a fright," Draco crooned. "Where is your Aunt Ginny? She's going to be in so much trouble when she gets back."

Much to Draco's surprise Henri settled down right away. The infant was rapt with the sound of Draco's voice.

"Keep going," Bill urged quietly.

While he was trying to listen to the game, Draco continued to talk softly to Henri, explaining just what he was going to do to the baby's aunt when she returned, and his hand absently patted the baby's bottom.

"You're going to do what to me?" Ginny said softly from behind Draco's chair.

"It's about time," Draco groused. "Henri got upset when I yelled at the umpire."

"Did he hear you?"

"Of course he did, he's in my arms."

"The umpire?"

"Very funny, Ginevra." Draco curled his lip at her. Women just didn't understand the role of the Quidditch supporter. "Now if you wouldn't mind unburdening me, we men can get back to listening to the game properly."

"You haven't looked at Henri lately, have you?"

"What?" Draco hadn't so much as glanced at his nephew for a good ten minutes. While his mouth kept uttering painful torture plans for his wife in a soft melodious tone his eyes had been fixated on the Wizard's Wireless.

"Don't look at me. Have a look at what you've done."

Tendrils of fear snaked down his spine and against his better judgment Draco glanced at the infant in his arms. "He's asleep."

"Yes, all thanks to you," Fleur said happily. "Now I might get to eat a meal in peace."

"I'll set the portable crib up," Bill offered placing a not very happy toddler on her feet.

Eloise's arms went straight up, trying to entangle with her father's body. "Daddy."

Bill expertly negotiated his way past the clingy toddler. "In a moment, pumpkin. Daddy has to set up Henri's bed."

Not happy at being abandoned, Eloise began to whimper. With no soothing cuddles coming willingly from anyone the little girl attached herself to the closest human body part she saw-Draco's legs.

Unable to remove the upset toddler without risking waking the baby Draco sat perfectly still and allowed her to cling to him. He could hear the other adults setting up the crib in the far corner. As the minutes passed Eloise's whimpering calmed to an occasional sniffle. Henri slept on, oblivious to the commotion in the corner or his older sister's miserable demeanor.

Draco found himself entranced with the slumbering infant. Every so often the little one's lips would smack together and he'd suckle the fresh air as if at his mother's breast. In between, small lopsided smiles would tug at the baby's mouth. The notion that there was nothing more innocent or beautiful in the universe became apparent to him and he was suddenly looking forward to the birth of his new child with renewed fervor.

"Draco," Bill called across the room. No response from the blond wizard could be heard. Bill crossed the room to where Draco was sitting. "Draco?"

"Yeah," Draco responded vaguely.

"Do you want to bring Henri over and put him down? It's easier if he's not passed from person to person."

"Sure, but I seem to have a new attachment."

Bill peered over the chair. "Eloise, come here sweetheart."

The toddler tightened her grip on Draco's leg.

"I don't think she's too keen to let go," Draco whispered.

"Sorry," Bill muttered as he walked around to Eloise. "Come on, pumpkin, Uncle Draco needs to get up."

"No," Eloise wailed.

"Eloise, I'm not kidding. Let go of Uncle Draco's leg now."

The toddler clung even tighter to Draco's leg, refusing to let go of her own volition. Bill growled discontentedly under his breath. He had two options left open to him at this stage. One would involve removing his daughter physically and risk having her scream the house down. The second was bribery.

Bill knelt down beside his youngest daughter. "Baby, if you let go of Uncle Draco and allow him to put Henri to bed then he can give you a proper cuddle."

Eloise's head lifted and she looked at Draco expectantly.

"Umm-err-" Draco's eyes flicked to Bill when the older wizard cleared his throat. Bill nodded meaningfully, almost begging Draco to play along. "Yes... just let me put Henri to bed and you can come sit on my knee. It's far more comfortable than my leg."

The pressure on his leg gradually decreased. He couldn't believe he'd just agreed to allow her to sit on his lap while he was trying to listen to the game.

"You're right to stand up, Draco," Bill prompted.

Very slowly Draco inched forward on his chair and stood up carefully. Henri seemed to be none the wiser for the change of position. Ginny was waiting by the crib to help him settle the infant.

When he reached the side of the crib Ginny instructed him to carefully lower Henri to the mattress. Draco managed to transfer the baby to the crib without waking him. He stood back while Ginny tucked the blankets around the baby's small body.

Henri squirmed a little and frowned deeply. Ginny quickly rubbed his back soothingly and he settled immediately.

"He's smiling," Draco whispered.

"No he's not, love."

"Yes he is, look!"

"He has wind, that's why it looks like he's smiling."

Draco gave his wife an unconvinced look.

"It's true, Draco."

"He's smiling," Draco said resolutely.

"Come on, dinner should have been served fifteen minutes ago." Ginny shook her head at her husband. There was no point in arguing with him when he sounded so convinced. He'd done well with the baby, but he obviously had a lot to learn.

They rejoined their guests on the other side of the room. Bill had a strong hold on Eloise's hand, but as Draco approached she wriggled free and ran to him. Her small arms went into the air instantly and she waited to be picked up.

"I should have warned you," Bill said. "Eloise never forgets a promise."

"Just my luck," Draco mumbled as his picked his niece up and sat her on his hip.

"Millie," Ginny called. "Can you have the children wash their hands for dinner please?"

"As Mistress wishes."

"Eloise, you need to wash your hands too. Go with the others," Fleur instructed.

"No!" The little girl flung her small arms around Draco's neck in a vice grip.

"Draco, love, why don't you take Eloise to the bathroom?" Ginny suggested lightly. "It'll save the drama."

With an innocent child in his arms, Draco couldn't tell Ginny exactly what he thought of her idea, but he did meet her hopeful gaze with a not very happy look.

"Go on, it'll save tears before dinnertime," Ginny urged.

Uncharitable thoughts flowed through his head as he left the parlor. He had no idea what was going on with the game and that irritated him to no end, adding a clingy child not of his own loins just made the situation worse.

Ginny listened to her husband grumble his way out of the room. She knew he wasn't happy, but it was hardly her fault the kids found him so intriguing.

"Shall we go through to the dining room?"

"Let's go, I'm starving," Bill announced.

Fleur looked positively aghast. "Bill!"

"Only stating the facts, sweetheart."

Ginny showed Bill and Fleur to the family dining room. The servants had been quite disturbed when she refused to use the formal dining room for this evening's meal. One even had the nerve to inform her that guests never ate in the family areas. She took perverse delight in informing the creature that she was Mistress of the Manor now and if she chose to have dinner served in her bathtub then the servants would comply without question or suffer her wrath. The servant in question scurried away, apologizing as it went.

When Ginny took her seat at the table a house elf appeared beside her chair.

"Mistress is ready to serve?"

"Not quite. I'll summon you when we are ready."

"Yes, Mistress." The creature vanished.

Within minutes, Drake wandered into the dining room.

"Drake, did you wash your hands?"

"Yes, Mummy."

"Show me."

Drake rolled his eyes impatiently. His mummy always had to check. Why couldn't she just believe him? He held his hands out for inspection.

Ginny frowned at her son. "Drake, how many times do I have to tell you to use soap and water? Just showing your hands to the faucet doesn't make them clean. Go back and wash them properly."

As he walked from the room the little wizard mumbled to himself about the injustices of being sent back when he was starving.

"He's so much like Draco," Fleur commented.

"Too much at times," Ginny agreed. "It's scary."

Over the next five minutes the other children began drifting into the dining room along with Draco. He sat a protesting Eloise in a chair and went directly to the head of the table.

"You sent Drake back to the bathroom?" Draco said to Ginny.

"He didn't actually wash his hands," she replied.

"He didn't?"

"Draco, you were in there. Why didn't you make him do it properly the first time?"

"I had my own problems."

"Oh?"

"It doesn't matter now, but I was sufficiently involved in my own dilemma to not notice how Drake washed his hands."

At that moment the subject of conversation wandered casually into the room. He was acutely aware all eyes were on him.

"Drake, come here," Draco beckoned. "Show me your hands."

"I washed them this time." He turned his hands over for his father.

"Take your seat."

Within moments of Ginny giving the order to serve the table was laden with food. Two servants stationed themselves near the children so their parents could enjoy the meal without disruption. Polite conversation gave way to the clatter of cutlery on china.

"Bloody buggering hell!"

Fleur looked at her oldest son with open horror. "Beau!"

"I spilled my pumpkin juice," Beau explained.

"You do not use that language ever."

"Why?"

"It's impolite and most unbecoming."

"Uncle Draco uses it."

All eyes traveled to Draco.

"Eloise splashed water down me," Draco said defensively.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow at her guilty husband and waited for him to continue.

"What was I meant to do? Tell her she's a good girl?"

Bill sniggered quietly to himself. He was very glad Draco had taken his youngest daughter to wash her hands. It would have been him getting in trouble now if he'd accompanied her.

"No, but something that didn't involve cursing would have been more appropriate," Ginny said patiently.

Draco muttered something under his breath, not meant for anyone else's ears, and resumed eating his meal. He wasn't happy with being chastised in front of the children.

Eloise was having a lot of fun with Millie who was hovering nearby. The little witch had discovered if she dropped her cutlery the house elf would pick it up immediately, clean it and pass it back to her - only to be dropped again the moment Millie stepped back. Even though Millie was becoming irritated with the child she wouldn't dare to chastise her. The other children were thought the little girl's antics were most amusing.

"Come on, you lot. Eat up," Ginny said sternly. "Eloise, Millie has better things to do than pick you knife and fork up all the time."

The little girl looked at her Aunt defiantly and dropped both pieces of cutlery to the floor, then giggled.

"Enough, Eloise," Fleur growled. "Millie won't be picking them up again."

The aging house elf looked to Ginny for confirmation.

"Millie, if she drops them again just leave them where they are until we're finished our meal," Ginny instructed wearily.

"As Mistress wishes," Millie muttered.

After another stern glance from Ginny, the children continued eating their meal with only the occasional giggle from the older boys. Ginny made a conscious note to herself to ensure the next dinner party they held was an adult only affair. She didn't think she'd have the patience to have god knows how many children at the table considering the rather long guest list sitting on her desk.

The moment both men had finished their main meal Draco pushed himself back from the table.

"Bill and I will take dessert in the parlor," he said authoritatively.

"Draco," Ginny responded in a low warning tone.

"Come on, love, we're missing the match."

"I told you we wouldn't be eating around a Quidditch match."

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day," Bill muttered and shook his head sorrowfully. "She's turning into Mum."

Ginny spun her deadly gaze on her oldest brother. "What?"

"Sorry, Ginny, but it's true. I can't pretend it's not," Bill said sadly.

"Pray tell, how am I turning into Mum?"

"Listen to yourself - You must eat your dinner before you listen to the match." Bill's impression of Molly Weasley's commanding tone had the children in fits of laughter. "The rest of the family is going to be devastated."

Draco sat at the head of the table in mute horror. Even though he'd only been married a few weeks, he knew you never compared your wife to her own mother unless you planned on not shagging for the rest of your life. His brother-in-law was destroying his life, marriage and everything he'd come to value. Even if Ginny now agreed to serve dessert in the parlor, how was he going to go without appearing to agree with Bill?

Ginny gaped at her brother for just a fraction of a second before narrowing her eyes and pinning him with a look that would have had Voldemort piddling his pants.

"You know there's only one way to prove you're not," Bill continued with clear disregard for his life. "Let Draco and I have dessert in the parlor, so we can listen to the match."

"I am nothing like Mum," Ginny growled.

"So we can go and listen to the game then? Come on, Draco. She's likely to change her mind if we hesitate." Bill was on his feet and had walked to the doorway before Draco had dared to move.

Draco chanced the briefest of glances at his wife. She was well past furious, so despite what trouble it might find him in later, it was definitely safer to escape now before she exploded.

Bill was laughing as he dropped into a chair near the Wizard's Wireless. "Did you see her face?"

"Do you know what you've done?"

Bill sat up straight, looking extremely proud of himself. "Absolutely! I got us some time to enjoy the match without the women or children."

"You've had me kicked out of my bed!" Draco stared at the other man incredulously. "I'll be sleeping on the sofa forever!"

"Don't worry, mate, she'll calm down in a few days."

"A few days! We're bloody newlyweds! I shouldn't be relegated to the sofa yet."

"She's pregnant, so you'll be back in there in no time, if only for one reason."

Draco muttered unhappily to himself. It wasn't like he needed any help getting into trouble with Ginny; he did just fine on his own thank you very much.

"Why don't we drown your sorrows in some very old Firewhisky?"

"May as well," Draco sighed despondently. "I'm going to need something to keep me warm tonight."

Draco poured two very generous tumblers of the fiery liquid and passed one to his amused brother-in-law. He dropped his tall frame into his chair and tried to concentrate on the match. The Canons were well behind and only a miracle would see victory go their way - something along the line of the entire Puddlemere team walking off the pitch and allowing the Canons to score another ten goals before bothering with the Snitch would just about see the victory go their way.

"This match is lost." Bill sighed heavily as the announcer bellowed the score over the wireless.

"It was always going to be," Draco sniped.

Whether the result was inevitable or not made no difference to the men. They still sat in their comfortable chairs, drinking Firewhisky, and listening to the Wizard's Wireless.

By the time Ginny and Fleur joined the men in the family parlor, Draco had topped off Bill's glass several times. The aged liquor was sliding down very easily and both men were enjoying the treat immensely.

"Where are the kids?" Bill asked absently.

"All of them have gone to the playroom," Ginny answered, rolling her eyes at her sister-in-law. Neither of the men had registered what she'd said and she knew they wouldn't before she replied. She doubted they'd even noticed dessert wasn't sent in for them, much to the distress of the servants. "We'll sit over here, Fleur."

Ginny led Fleur to the other side of the room where two wing back chairs sat with a small occasional table between them. It was the perfect set up for nights like this when the men were engrossed in Quidditch and the women wanted to be in the same room, but not involved in the match. They sat quietly discussing the family and other topics over steaming cups of tea, pausing only every so often when shouts of either disgust or elation came from the other side of the room.

The hour grew late and the children were becoming increasingly irritable. Ginny knew if they didn't get to sleep soon they faced an all out war between the boys and an all in catfight between the girls. She glanced across to her husband and brother. They were undoubtedly drunk and getting louder with each additional mouthful of Firewhisky.

"Fleur, why don't you stay the night?"

"We couldn't."

"Of course you could. We've got the room and Bill is just about legless."

Fleur looked at her husband. Bill was leaning precariously towards Draco to whisper something in his ear and almost fell into the other wizards lap. "All right, we'll stay."

"Good." Ginny smiled warmly at her sister-in-law. "Let's get the kids to bed and then we can relax."

"All right." Fleur smiled gently. Portkey or not, it was a relief to not have to worry about how she was going to get four children and a drunk husband home on her own.

Ginny led Fleur upstairs with the five children in tow. Once in their corridor, she sent her own children to their rooms before assigning beds for her nieces and nephew. Little Henri would sleep beside Fleur in the room Ginny had told her she and Bill could use. With Millie posted at the end of the corridor as a sentinel the women made their way downstairs. They hoped all the children would be too tired to contemplate getting out of bed.

When the women reentered the parlor both the men were standing over Henri's portable crib. The infant was letting all of England know he was awake, but the wizards wisely chose not to pick him up after the amount of alcohol they'd both had.

"What's wrong with him?" Draco slurred in his wife's ear.

"He's hungry."

"Again?"

"Yes, Draco. Babies need to eat about every four hours or so when they're Henri's age."

"When does she sleep?"

"Who?"

"Fleur!"

Ginny almost snorted with laughter. Her husband's incredulous look was most amusing. "At night, in between feeds."

"She'd be exhausted." Draco regarded his sister-in-law with renewed respect.

"It's amazing what you can get used to," Ginny muttered quietly.

As soon as Fleur sat herself down and started to feed her son, Draco made a hasty retreat to the other side of the room. No matter how much admiration he had for the witch he was still uncomfortable watching her feed her son. It wasn't that he could claim to have seen anything indecent, far from it in fact, but the sounds that came from under the baby blanket just about drove him insane. He knew what was happening and that was quite enough to make him squirm.

Ginny ignored her husband's dash across the room and sat in the chair opposite Fleur. "Would you like another cup of tea?"

"Thank you that would be wonderful."

"And a glass of water?"

"If I don't you know your mother will be after me for neglecting myself." Fleur laughed lightly.

Within moments a fresh pot of tea and a large glass of iced water had arrived on the small table between the witches. Ginny dismissed the servant and poured the tea herself. The women picked up their conversation again, this time focusing on Ginny's pregnancy and plans for the new baby. She had yet to select a Midwitch, so Fleur gave her the name of the one she'd used for all four of her children along with others she knew by repute.

"I didn't like the Midwitch Ayna had at all. She was a nasty cow," Fleur stressed.

"Really? I never met her," Ginny responded with surprise. "Still she can't have been that bad if Anya liked her."

"I don't know that she did, but being in Hogsmeade I don't think she had much choice."

"How horrid for her. She never said anything."

"It would have only worried Charlie if she had. You know he would have insisted she change Midwitches, no matter how inconvenient it was at the time."

"I suppose," Ginny said thoughtfully. "All I know is I'm going to have to be careful. I can't see Narcissa keeping her mouth shut if she doesn't like my choice."

"You're lucky you don't have to worry about money. You can have whomever you want."

"I have a secret to tell you." Ginny leaned forward conspiratorially. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"How so?"

"If I don't chose the most expensive of everything I'm seen as being tied to my upbringing-afraid to spend."

"Nonsense! Just because something is a little cheaper it doesn't mean it's necessarily inferior."

"Tell my mother-in-law that."

"She does seem the type to take price over anything else."

"Believe me, she is."

A rather loud and final smacking sound came from the infant under the blanket. "Are all done for now, little man?"

"Give him here. I want a cuddle." Ginny held her arms out ready. "Hello, little man."

Fleur yawned widely as she fixed her top up and folded the blanket. "Excuse me. I think I'll have to head up to bed once I get Henri settled again."

"It has been a full day. I think I'll be joining you." Ginny patted her nephew's back firmly waiting for the loud belch for which the youngest member of the family had already become famous. "Good boy!"

While Fleur changed Henri's diaper, Ginny gave instructions to a servant to transport the infant's crib to the suite Fleur and Bill would be using for the evening. At this time of night there would be no allowing the little wizard to kick without his pants on, much to his displeasure.

"I might wander up and get Henri settled then go to bed myself," Fleur said quietly.

"I'll come up with you," Ginny offered. "I'm suddenly exhausted."

"Will the boys be all right down here?"

"I'll have a servant escort Bill to your room when he's ready."

"Thank you. I could just see him getting lost."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think I'd best get this one settled before he decides it's playtime."

The women bid goodnight to the men and issued several warnings about further consumption of certain beverages before leaving the room. Of course the only response they received was a very slurred insincere 'yes, dear' from each of the men.

"Another?" Draco held the almost empty bottle of Firewhisky towards Bill.

"Don't mind if I do," Bill mumbled as he leaned forward, offering his tumbler.

Between drinks, thoughts of retiring for the evening were raised, but not acted upon by either wizard. Both were quite comfortable in their chairs, adding to their inebriated states while holding an almost inarticulate conversation.

A servant waited patiently by the door to escort Bill to his room when he was ready and to make certain his master reached his chambers unharmed. It was a wait that would see the clock strike the hour more than once.

Only when the bottle was empty, and they'd consumed a number of brandies in the name of having a nightcap, did the men deem it was time to join their wives in bed. Their journey from the parlor to their beds was one that would have provoked much humor to the curious bystander. Both men appeared to be victims of the Jelly-Leg Jinx, over balancing often and using each other for support. Their drunken laughter echoed through the corridors of the manor, followed by loud reminders from both of them to hush lest they wake someone.

At the double doors leading to Draco's suite he bid his brother-in-law a very loud good evening and left the other wizard to the servant tugging forcefully on Bill's sleeve. Draco let himself into the bedchamber. He tried mightily to be quiet and failed dismally. As he staggered past the bed, he caught his toe on the foot of the bedpost and went sprawling over the bed.

"Hello, love." Draco's foolish grin did nothing to endear him to his now angry wife.

"Can't you be quiet?"

"I tried."

"Not hard enough!"

"Don't be like that, love." Draco pouted pathetically at the witch in bed while his hands began to roam. "Why don't we stay up a bit longer?"

Ginny removed her husband's hands without delay. "No."

"You love me, don't you?"

"I love you more when you don't smell like the dregs tray at The Leaky Cauldron." Ginny grimaced as Draco expelled a large breath in her direction. "Just get ready for bed and go to sleep."

"Come on, love, I just want a little loving," Draco crooned drunkenly as his hands tried to roam again. "Let me show you how much I love you."

"Draco, go to sleep! You're not capable of even thinking about such things tonight."

"I feel-"

Ginny watched as Draco lowered his head to the bed. She prayed to the deities, hoping he wasn't about to be sick. What happened next was almost as bad. Her decorous husband let loose a belch that would have outdone any of her brothers on a bad day and it stank the entire room out.

"Draco!" Ginny tried not to gag as the smell of stale alcohol invaded her nostrils. She shoved his shoulder. "Draco, get ready for bed and for Merlin's sake brush your teeth before you come back."

When she received no response, Ginny was torn between feeling relieved and revolted. While she wouldn't have to deal with his roaming hands, he was going to smell a whole lot worse in the morning and she'd have to deal with that if her stomach would hold. She lay back down, fluffing her pillow angrily before dropping her head onto it and rolling on her side.

Just as her eyes drifted closed, Draco began to snore loudly. Ginny huffed irritably and rolled onto her other side. If he was anything like any of her brothers there was no point in trying to stop him in the condition he was in, he wouldn't even register her complaint.

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

The early morning peace of the manor was something Lucius and Narcissa cherished dearly. After breakfast they decided to take a leisurely walk by the lake. It was the perfect way to start a relaxing Sunday. The pleasant sounds of nature flowed around them until they were suddenly disturbed when they drew level with the southern wing of the grand house.

"What on earth is going on in there?" Narcissa expressed with concern.

"Wait here, dearest, I'll investigate." Lucius strode across the lawn towards his son's family parlor.

The closer he got to the building the more deafening the noise level became. It sounded as though a swarm of banshees had been let loose in the lower floors of the wing. Lucius entered the house through the parlor his son and daughter-in-law had named the family parlor. As best he could tell the din was coming from the playroom, but it sounded as though there was a mob of children in there instead of just his two grandchildren. He made his way purposefully towards the origin of the sound.

Lucius surveyed the chaotic scene with veiled abhorrence. There were three too many children in the house and they had Weasley red hair. "What is going on in here?"

All the children stopped dead in their tracks and stared at the formidable wizard in the doorway.

"Grandfather!" Angel squealed and threw herself at Lucius' legs. "We had a sleep over!"

"Did you?" Lucius drawled. "Are you aware we can hear you clearly at the lake?"

"Really?" The little strawberry blonde witch looked clearly impressed.

"Really," Lucius snarled. "Where are your parents?"

"Still in bed, Grandfather," Drake answered quietly.

"And the parents of-" Lucius waved his cane in the direction of Bill's children.

"Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur are in bed too," Angel informed him.

"I see." Lucius turned his head to the corridor. "Millie!"

The servant appeared at Lucius' feet instantly. "Old Master did summon Millie?"

"Inform my son his presence is required in the playroom without delay."

"As you wish, Old Master." With a pop Millie was gone.

"All of you can sit yourselves on the couch... quietly," Lucius ordered sternly.

The children obeyed silently, except Angel who hovered close to her grandfather, attaching herself to his hand the moment it came into range. The three Weasley children sat close together, while Drake slumped sulkily in the corner of the couch. He wasn't pleased at having their game disturbed by his grandfather and he knew the prospect of them all getting into trouble was very likely indeed.

Time ticked by slowly and just when it seemed Draco would never appear, he wandered into the room looking very much worse for wear. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing the evening before and the odor that was emanating from his body was less than desirable.

"Ah, you do decide to grace us with your presence," Lucius drawled sarcastically. His son's obvious condition didn't go unnoticed. "Was it a big night?"

"Sort of." Draco cringed as though the mere act of opening his mouth caused great pain. "What is the problem, Father?"

"Apart from the children running around like common street urchins making enough noise to raise the dead... nothing."

Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to be a bad day; he could feel it in his bones or was it his stomach? "I'll take care of it, Father."

"See that you do," Lucius ground out impatiently. He sneered and turned on his heel, eager to rejoin his wife.

Draco grimaced at the sound of his father's hard shoes on the marble corridor. The click-clack sound seemed to be going right through him. "Right, you lot, how about some breakfast?"

Squeals of delight filled the room and Draco's head painfully.

"Enough," Draco pleaded unintentionally. "Just keep the noise level to a dull roar if you can."

Angel looked up at her father with concern. "Aren't you feeling well, Daddy?"

"Not particularly."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not," Draco snapped. "Everyone to the dining room."

The children filed out of the room. Beau and Drake were whispering as they walked.

"I bet your dad is hung over," Beau said.

"Probably," Drake agreed. "He looks like Uncle Ron when he drinks too much."

"Yeah, all green and grumpy."

Drake sniggered into his hand.

Draco growled and immediately regretted making the effort. His head felt like it was about to roll off his shoulders and he more than half wished it would, so he wouldn't have to put up with the throbbing pain between his temples. As he meandered down the corridor behind the children Draco pondered the unfairness of being out of bed and in charge of five noisy children when he had the hang over from hell. When the children had seated themselves around the table, Draco summoned a house elf and demanded breakfast be served immediately. His theory being the sooner the children busied their mouths with food the sooner his head could find some relief.

What Draco hadn't factored in was the ear-splitting squeals of delight that sent fresh bolts of pain through his entire being as the servants placed two platters of pancakes on the table. Unable to find the strength to quiet down the children, he stepped out of the room and sagged against the corridor wall. Bile rose in his throat and he grimaced with revulsion. The last thing he needed now was to be sick.

"Millie!" The usually strong summons came out as little more than a groan.

"Master did summon Millie?"

"Watch the children."

The aged servant didn't miss the agony in her master's voice. "Millie can get something for Master?"

Draco shook his head, a move he immediately regretted and staggered down the corridor with his hand over his mouth. If he didn't do something soon he was going to be incredibly ill. When the staircase came into sight, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. A few more hours sleep should see him right and he fully intended getting what he needed.

"Draco?"

"Father," Draco grunted.

"Where are the children?"

"Breakfast."

"Are they alone?"

"Millie is with them."

"I see."

"Was there something you wanted?"

"I was merely concerned about the children. They were running wild before I intervened."

"They're fine now."

"For how long?"

Draco closed his eyes momentarily and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was accustomed to his father playing games with words to get what he wanted, but Draco wasn't in the mood for games this morning. "What are you getting at?"

"I have no doubt that once the children have finished their meal they will resume their vociferous activities if there is no supervision."

"They have supervision."

"Do you think they'll listen to a servant?"

"Yes."

"I have my doubts. If it were just Drake and Angel they'd be fine, but with the others-"

"Father, what is it you want?" Draco ground out irritably.

"I would be far more comfortable if someone was with them."

"You're quite welcome to supervise their play if you feel that way."

"Ah, but they're not my children."

Draco expelled a large breath. His patience was teetering on the very edge of extinction. "That may be so, but you are the only one concerned about them, so supervise them yourself or leave them with Millie. Either way I'm going back to bed."

Lucius watched his son mount the staircase a little unsteadily. He seemed to be almost dragging himself up step by step. With Draco not complying with his wishes, Lucius was left with a decision to make: to supervise the children himself or simply leave them to the servant. It didn't bode well with him to know there were Weasleys running around his home unsupervised by someone with authority. He grunted irritably and made his way to the dining room where the children were talking and laughing loudly as they ate.

"Settle down," Lucius growled in a low tone. "Eat your breakfast in silence."

The room fell silent except for the sound of cutlery against china. The three Weasley children didn't look up from their plates. Drake glowered at his grandfather, again annoyed with the old wizard spoiling his fun. Only Angel seemed entirely unaffected by Lucius' presence, she smiled amiably at everyone as she ate her pancakes.

"Millie, what time does my daughter-in-law usually rise in the morning?"

"Mistress should be awake now, Old Master. Millie can fetch Mistress-"

"No," Lucius snapped. He didn't want to be seen to be sending for Ginevra, but with the knowledge that she should have risen by now he was heartened to assume she would be downstairs to check on the children soon.

While Lucius' attention was fixed on the servant, Courtney left her seat and ran towards the door.

"Where are you going, young lady?"

The little witch stopped with a pained expression on her face and looked at the older wizard. To just about anyone else her plight would have been obvious, but Lucius was oblivious.

"I asked you where you were going," Lucius reiterated gruffly.

"I need-" Courtney stopped with a whimper and crossed her legs.

"Well?" Lucius sneered.

"Darling, I thought you were coming back?" Narcissa said as she glided into the room.

"I was, but our son has returned to his bedchamber and left the children unsupervised."

Narcissa glanced at the small witch standing before her husband. "Oh dear, if you need to use the facilities, dear, do hurry."

Courtney looked at the blonde witch with wide eyes. She had no idea what the woman had just said, but she did hear the word 'hurry'. Undecided as to whether she should move or not Courtney's pained expression doubled.

"Do you need to use the lavatory?" Narcissa asked slowly.

Courtney nodded.

"Do you know where it is?"

Again Courtney nodded.

"You may leave to use the lavatory and return as soon as you're finished."

The little girl didn't bother to respond as she ran through the door.

"Now the rest of you eat up." Narcissa pulled a chair out beside her grandson and sat down. She summoned a servant and ordered a pot of tea for two. "Lucius, come and sit with us."

The wizard growled under his breath and took a seat at the table as requested. This was not what he'd had planned for today.

Narcissa fussed over each of the children, making certain they kept eating and used their best table manners. Drake and Angel knew exactly what was expected of them and fell easily into the routine their grandmother insisted upon. The two Weasley children ate up obediently, but from time to time glanced at the formidable witch giving out light toned orders.

When Courtney returned to the dining room she clambered up into her chair and began to eat again with her hands.

"Oh, darling, you must use your cutlery," Narcissa stressed. "It's most unbecoming a lady to eat like a commoner."

Courtney blinked at the blonde witch and slowly picked up her implements.

"Drake, sweetheart why don't you do the introductions? I have no idea who you have invited to breakfast," Narcissa crooned. She knew they were related in some way to her daughter-in-law, but couldn't quite remember how.

The little boy swallowed his mouthful, wiped his face with his napkin and smiled at his grandmother. "This is Beau, Courtney and Eloise."

"And they belong to?"

"Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur," Drake answered politely.

"Yes of course. Your uncle works for Gringotts, doesn't he?"

"Yep."

Narcissa looked at her small grandson with wide expectant eyes.

"I mean... Yes, Grandmother, Uncle Bill works for Gringotts. He's a curse-breaker."

Beau immediately began sniggering at his cousin. He'd never before heard Drake use such formal tones and it sounded hilarious to his ears.

"Is there something amusing, young man?" Lucius snarled.

The little boy snorted in an effort to quell his open humor and shook his head profusely.

"Might I suggest you finish your meal then?" Lucius narrowed his eyes at the amused little boy. There was something he didn't like about the child. It wasn't obvious, but it was most definitely there.

Beau settled himself down as quickly as he could. He didn't like his cousins' grandfather. The man frightened him a little.

"When you've all finished your breakfast we might take a walk by the lake," Narcissa suggested lightly.

Lucius masked his shock before it even appeared on his face. "Dearest, do you think it's wise to remove the children from the house? Ginevra is apparently awake before now usually."

"She will be tired from entertaining last night, let her sleep. It's the least we can do."

"I was merely suggesting she may be worried if she discovers the children missing," Lucius persisted.

"Nonsense! I'm sure she'll appreciate the time to rest properly."

Lucius fumed inwardly. He knew Narcissa's expression and tone well enough to know that arguing the point would not see victory go his way. At times she was more stubborn than he and that was saying something. Of course, he could refuse to go along, but to leave his wife with three children she didn't know, and with their background, could be potentially disastrous. If anything happened he'd never forgive himself.

When the children finished eating, Narcissa sent them upstairs with instructions to dress quickly and quietly. She added that if they were to disturb their parents then their planned trip to the lake wouldn't be possible. Millie went with the children to assist where needed, most particularly with Eloise.

As soon as the children were out of earshot, Lucius couldn't help but voice his concerns. "Narcissa, do you truly think this is wise? The other children are hardly civilized."

"Darling, if I thought they were quite that bad I wouldn't have suggested it. All they need is some refined guidance. Perhaps while they're here we can impress just a little upon them?"

"I doubt we have enough time to imprint anything upon them," Lucius muttered.

"You never know what impressions children will keep with them. It's worth the effort if only to know we've made a small difference."

"If you say so, dear."

"They do have contact with our grandchildren, dear. You wouldn't want them to inflict their poor manners upon Drake or Angel."

"Of course not."

"We have to do our best then to impress the correct standards upon them for the short time they are here."

Lucius muttered to himself as his wife ordered a servant to fetch their cloaks. It didn't really matter to him if the next generation of Weasleys were completely without social skills or not. If any of his grandchildren were to pick up on their behavior they were easily corrected. Which, of course, made this exercise of Narcissa's totally unnecessary.

Before long Millie escorted the children back to the dining room. They were quietly excited, only because the aging house elf constantly reminded them to keep their volume down lest their walk to the lake was cancelled. With firm instructions to notify the parents of the children where they were once they emerged from their chambers, Millie returned upstairs to wait until it was appropriate to deliver the message.

Once outside, the children gave into their delight and their volume rose instantly. No amount of subtle frowning on Lucius' part could quell the din. He could only be thankful that as the children ran ahead their dreadful noise invaded his head less and less.

"Isn't this lovely?" Narcissa chimed as she threaded her hand through the crook of Lucius' elbow.

The blond wizard merely grunted. An honest response to his wife's query would have been offensive to her delicate ears.

"It's wonderful to see the children so full of life - running around enjoying themselves," Narcissa continued, ignoring her husband's demeanor.

"Grandfather, Grandfather, can we show Courtney my horse?" Angel bellowed from a distance.

"It is most unladylike to shout, Angelique," Lucius responded firmly, without raising his voice.

"Can we, Grandfather?" Angel asked when Lucius drew closer, ignoring his attempted reprimand.

"We shall see," Lucius replied absently. His attention was on the boys, who had run ahead to the lake and were now very close to the waters edge. "Drake, be careful."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Lucius' lip curled at the tone of his grandson's voice. He could hear the boy rolling his eyes to the heavens. Later in the day, he'd have a word to his grandson regarding paying the appropriate respect even when his back is turned. He watched the small boys run to a near by tree and pick up some long sticks. When they returned to the lake's edge they began slapping harmlessly at the water as they ambled towards the pier. About to tell Drake to remain on the shore, Lucius caught himself firmly. Drake was well aware of what was expected of him near the lake, so there was no legitimate reason why he should deny them access to the structure.

"Do you go swimming here?" Beau asked as he peered over the edge of the small jetty into the water.

"Haven't yet, but Daddy says he's going to take us swimming," Drake answered nonchalantly.

"Wonder how deep the water is," Beau mused aloud.

"Don't know," Drake muttered.

"Do you think it's deeper than my stick?"

Drake shrugged. He hadn't given the lake a whole lot of thought.

Beau hung his stick over the edge and plunged it into the water. The little red headed wizard leaned over precariously holding onto the stick and pushing it further into the water. "I still haven't reached the bottom!"

Drake leaned over to see how far his cousin had the stick in the water. As he placed a hand on the small of Beau's back to balance himself, the other little boy pitched forward, pin wheeling his arms in a futile effort to save himself or grab onto his blond cousin. Not moments after Beau hit the water, Drake followed. His attempts to grab a hold of Beau, before he hit the water, had thrown Drake so far off balance it was really only a matter of time before he too plunged into the lake.

Lucius watched the entire scene unfold before him. He was too far away to save either boy from falling in, but he was moving towards them instantly with a speed that his body hadn't felt in years. As he moved, his cloak was unceremoniously dropped to the ground along with his cane. There was no time to consider removing his shoes or any other item of clothing before he dove into the dark waters of the lake.

Somewhere in the distance, Lucius could hear Narcissa shrieking orders to save the boys. He ignored her for the time being. She was hysterical and would need to be calmed down, but for now he had to find his grandson and the boy's cousin. A splashing behind him alerted Lucius to the position of one of the boys. He spun around quickly and was rewarded with two small hands pummeling his face. The little redheaded boy the hands were attached to was grasping desperately at anything to remain on the surface of the water. Lucius gathered him in quickly.

"I have you now. Let go of my hair," Lucius growled sternly. "Boy, stop fighting me."

Beau went limp in the older wizard's arms. His hand releasing its death grip on Lucius' long hair, but remaining tangled in the platinum blond locks.

Lucius scanned the surface of the water for any sign of his grandson. With a sudden rush, Drake broke the surface to Lucius' right side. Without hesitation Lucius' arm shot out and grabbed Drake by the forearm. The little boy's gray eyes were wide with panic and his face paler than snow.

"It's all right, Drake," Lucius said gently. The relief he felt was all consuming.

With the two little wizards clinging to him, Lucius began to make his way to the shore. The journey was slow and arduous. When he was only feet from safety, Draco Apparated nearby and ran to meet his father. The two men worked in silence as Lucius handed over the boys to his son, then accepted assistance to clamber ashore himself.

Millie had already wrapped the little boys in large towels and was attempting to dry her old Master off where he stood. Narcissa was fussing over the Drake and Beau, ensuring both were not harmed and hugging both of them to her tightly, despite the fact they were dripping wet.

The three little witches stood back staring in awe at the scene unfolding before them. Angel dare not move after her grandmother had growled at them to stay put in a voice she'd never used before, at least not around Angel.

"How did you know?" Lucius asked Draco quietly.

"Millie... apparently Mother sent for her."

Lucius nodded his acknowledgement gently.

"What happened?" Draco enquired, concern lacing his tone thickly. Adrenalin had all but banished any signs of his hang over for the time being, something he was eternally grateful for.

Lucius glanced past his son to the three adults coming across the lawn swiftly. "They fell in."

Draco's brow furrowed. "How?"

"Beau was leaning over and Drake placed a hand on his back... the next thing I knew they were both in the water."

"Drake pushed Beau?"

"No, I don't think so. It was more a case of overbalancing from my view."

"All right." Draco sighed heavily. Even though he was thinking a lot clearer than he had been an hour or so ago, this was not something he wanted to deal with this morning. Bill's reaction worried him greatly. If it was unfavorable it could place unnecessary pressure on his relationship with Ginny.

Draco turned to watch his wife gather their son in her arms. Fleur had done much the same with Beau, while Bill made a beeline for Lucius.

The redheaded wizard extended his hand in a show of gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

"I could hardly stand by idly and watch the boys drown."

"Your efforts are certainly appreciated," Bill reiterated.

"May I suggest swimming instruction for all the children?" Lucius proposed impersonally.

"I think we'll be starting that straight away," Bill admitted.

"Us too. This lake has given me too many scares," Draco voiced gravely.

Bill looked at his brother-in-law quizzically. "You've had more than one incident?"

"Ginny fell in the first weekend she stayed here and now this. The twins will be starting swimming lessons this week, even if I have to teach them myself."

"But Ginny can swim," Bill muttered in confusion.

"The water was still freezing," Draco disclosed. "I think she panicked when the cold hit her."

"Lucius," Narcissa interrupted. "I'm taking the girls back to the house. You need to get yourself dry before you catch your death."

"Yes, of course, dearest." Lucius inclined his head to the men. "I will see you back at the house."

Bill and Draco made their way over to their sons. Their respective mothers were just about smothering both little boys. The women made utterances of warm baths and dry clothes as they rubbed their boys dry.

"Ginny, why don't we head back and get the boys into that warm bath you keep promising them." Draco smiled at his wife. He wanted to point out that the day was warm enough for swimming, so a warm bath was unnecessary, but he'd learned to keep his mouth shut when Ginny was fussing over one of the children like that.

Draco, following Bill's lead, gathered his towel-swaddled son in his arms and walked in the direction of the house. As the group entered the building, Ginny summoned Millie and instructed the anxious servant to draw a warm bath for the boys in Drake's bathroom.

By the time they reached Drake's suite, the bathtub was full and waiting for the two little boys. Narcissa flitted into the room just as the Ginny and Fleur began stripping their respective sons of their wet clothing.

"Is there anything I can do, Ginevra?"

"No thank you, Narcissa. I think we're right here. Where are the girls?"

"They're being supervised in the playroom. I was about to send Millie down to them if you're finished with her here."

"Yes, that's fine. Fleur and I will take care of the boys."

The house elf didn't wait for the order to be given. After giving her old Mistress a knowing nod, she Disapparated with a low pop, leaving the women to their work.

"I'm so sorry," Narcissa said stiffly. She felt guilty about the incident, but apologizing was not a virtue she had perfected. "I thought a walk by the lake would be fun for the children and you would be able to sleep in a little,"

"It's fine, Mrs. Malfoy," Fleur said with a smile. "The boys are safe and there's no harm done."

"Don't worry yourself, Mother," Draco intoned gently. "Accidents happen and Father was on hand to rescue them."

"But if one of them-"

Draco's arms slipped around his distressed mother and he whispered, "Don't think about it."

"Draco's right, Narcissa. It doesn't bear thinking about," Ginny said firmly as she ushered her naked son into the bathroom.

"If you're sure there's nothing I can do, darling, I'll go and check on your father," Narcissa expressed quietly.

"I'm positive Ginny and Fleur have everything under control, Mother, and we know where you are if we need you," Draco assured her, placing a kiss on her forehead before she left.

Ginny's head poked out of the bathroom. "Narcissa, I wonder if you could arrange for some hot chocolate for the boys, after you've checked on Lucius."

Narcissa smiled fondly at the younger witch. "Of course, where would you like it served?"

"The family parlor would be fine."

"It'll be there for when the boys come downstairs."

"Thank you." Ginny grinned to herself as Narcissa left the room and she returned to the bathroom. She'd taken a punt on how Narcissa was feeling and it seems she was right. Narcissa simply needed to feel like she was doing something to help.

Draco stood in the doorway of the bathroom looking curiously at his wife. "What was that about?"

"Just giving your mother something to do so she feels like she's helping." Ginny beamed at him from the edge of the tub. "My mum is the same. They need to feel wanted. Now you can watch your son while I get some clothes for these two drowned rats, or you can check on Henri while Fleur watches the boys."

Draco looked at her incredulously. "What about Bill? What's he going to do?"

"Bill is going to go downstairs and check on the girls," Ginny said sending her brother a meaningful look. "You do remember the way, don't you?"

"Yeah I think I can find the playroom," Bill murmured. After the comment he made last night at dinner about Ginny turning into Molly he'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't really all that far off the mark. The witch just couldn't help but issue orders and organize everyone in sight.

"Good. So, Draco, what's it going to be? Two splashy boys or one sleepy boy?"

"What's Henri doing?" Draco asked cautiously.

"He was asleep and a house elf was watching him in case he woke up while we were outside," Fleur offered.

"So he's asleep?"

"Possibly." Ginny smirked. She could see the indecision in her husband's eyes. "The servant was told not to interrupt us unless Henri was distressed. If he's awake, you'll have to change his bottom and bring him in here to Fleur."

"I'll take the splashy boys," Draco stated strongly. There was no way he was getting near that child without his nappy on again, at least not by choice.

"Fine, we'll be back soon." Ginny left the bathroom ahead of her brother and his wife. As she crossed to Drake's dressing room she was already mentally going through his wardrobe deciding what she'd get out for the boys.

Draco waited until Bill and Fleur left before moving closer to the tub. He could only see the heads of his son and nephew above the bubbles. "How are you two feeling now?"

"Okay," Drake admitted.

"Yep, okay," Beau concurred.

"Good, so what happened out there?"

Drake shrugged. "We fell in."

"Yeah, that bit I sort of guessed for myself," Draco said.

"Uncle Draco, how deep is your lake?" Beau asked.

"Pretty deep," Draco responded.

"Oh."

"Why?"

"'Cause we were trying to see how deep the lake was," Beau admitted faintly.

"I see." Draco rubbed the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension. Now that the adrenalin rush had worn off his hangover was coming back to haunt him. "You know you could have just asked, instead of falling in to check it."

"Didn't mean to fall in, it just happened," Drake said innocently.

Draco regarded his son and nephew for a moment. Both were trying to look as regretful as they could, but were failing somewhat miserably. He remembered thinking it was a great fun falling in the lake when he was child. Still the adult in him reared up and he felt it poignant to warn them one final time. "You two were really lucky today. One of you could have drowned."

"Yes, Daddy." Drake had the good sense to hold his sheepish expression for a second or two longer before allowing a cheeky grin to light up his face.

A fraction of a second before it happened, Draco realized what his son's grin meant. Although he tried to move, his still Firewhisky affected brain was unable to issued the instruction in time and the two little wizards made short work of saturating him to the bone. They splashed him mercilessly until the entire bathroom was flooded with water and bubbles. Draco was left with no choice but to defend himself, so he leaned over the tub and started sending water in the direction of the boys, much to their delight.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

All three wizards froze in position. Drake's arms were poised to dump a large quantity of water on his father, and Beau was protecting himself from the onslaught on bubbles Draco was pushing over him.

"I don't believe this," Ginny muttered half to herself as she glanced around the bathroom. Puddles were forming all over the tiles and the floor looked precarious at best. While she itched to wrap her wand around the three naughty backsides, Ginny didn't dare step into the room for fear of slipping. "How hard is it to watch the boys while they're in the bath, Draco?"

"It wasn't-"

"I don't want to hear it. You were in charge!" Ginny's eyes narrowed on their target. "You are the adult."

"But they-"

Beau leaned over and whispered in Drake's ear, "My dad's right, your mum is starting to sound like Grandma."

The notion was too much for Drake and he immediately burst into a fit of giggles. Beau couldn't contain himself then and joined his cousin a moment later. Draco glared at both boys; they were going to get him into even more trouble if they didn't shut up.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you two." Ginny sent a stern look at both little boys. "You're both in trouble too."

Within seconds the boys sobered themselves. Neither needed to be reminded how volatile the Weasley temper was.

"Draco, get the boys out of the bath and clean the bathroom. I can't risk walking in there, so it'd had better be completely dry by the time I need to," Ginny instructed firmly. "And don't even think about calling a servant to do it for you."

"But, love, I'm not good at those cleaning charms."

"Then I suggest you get the boys out of the bathroom first, just in case something goes wrong," Ginny responded sweetly as she vanished from the doorway.

Drake and Beau looked at Draco with wide eyes. Their contrite expressions were tainted with amusement.

"See what you've done now? I'm in trouble again," Draco seethed.

"But it was fun," Drake ventured, trying mightily not to giggle again.

A wicked smirk crept across Draco's features. "Yeah it was fun, but now I have to get you two out and try to remember the difference between drying charms and flooding charms."

The two little boys looked blankly at one another. They didn't have the foggiest idea what the difference between the two charms was and probably wouldn't ever show an interest is such domestic magic.

"Ginny, where can I find dry towels?" Draco called. The towels on the rack were sodden.

"In the cupboard under the sink."

"Right," Draco muttered to himself. He cautiously made his way across the slippery tiles to the sink and found the towels. Fear of landing on his backside kept Draco ever alert to where he was stepping. A few near misses later he finally made it back to the side of the tub. "Now carefully step out. Make sure you don't slip."

"Draco, spread a towel on the floor, so they won't slip over," Ginny called from the bedchamber.

Draco scowled at the empty doorway. With only two towels over his shoulder, he was going to have to make a trip to the cupboard again. She really could have mentioned this beforehand. Half way across the bathroom, Draco felt his foot slip from underneath him. Try as he might he was unable to regain his balance and with an unmanly yelp he landed hard on the floor.

"Draco! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Draco grunted. Despite hearing the concern in his wife's voice he refused to look to the doorway where she was now standing. "Just fine."

Ginny flicked her wand around the room, drying the floor instantly, and rushed to his side. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Draco ground out. At this point in time he wished the ground would open up and swallow him, at least that way he could be alone with his humiliation and bruised arse.

"Can you get up?"

With great effort, Draco began to get to his feet. His backside was screaming in pain, but he grit his teeth and tried to smile. "See, I'm fine."

"Why don't you get changed? I'll get the boys out and we'll meet you downstairs," Ginny offered sweetly.

"Yeah, I suppose I should," Draco muttered as he tried to exit the bathroom without limping. As soon as he got out of Ginny's sight he was going to Apparate to his chambers and then downstairs to his favorite chair, this walking caper was just about killing him.

Ginny waited until Draco had left the bathroom before turning to the two amused little boys in the bath. "Don't even think about laughing," she warned seriously.

Beau and Drake held their amusement until they looked at each other, and then burst into loud giggles.

"Come on, out of the bath quickly," Ginny said as she spread a towel on the floor. It was pointless to tell them to settle down now that they'd started. She passed both the boys fresh towels as they exited the bath and sent them into the bedchamber to dress in the clothes she'd left on the bed.

Before leaving the bathroom, Ginny sent several more cleaning charms around the room, just to ensure she'd not missed any puddles. The boys were getting dressed, as little boys did, with lots of giggles and messing around. Rather than hurry them along, Ginny instructed them to come down to the family parlor when they were dressed and they could have some hot chocolate.

Confident the boys wouldn't be far behind her, Ginny left them to dress and wandered downstairs. On her way she stopped by her own chambers to see if Draco was okay, but he wasn't in there. Not overly concerned with his absence Ginny continued on her way.

Everyone but the Drake and Beau was gathered on the patio outside the family parlor. The girls were hovering close by eyeing the selection of pastries Narcissa had ordered to be served.

"Where are the boys?" Bill asked looking behind his sister for any sign of the two troublemakers.

"They're coming. They were just getting dressed when I left them," Ginny responded as she reached for the pot of tea. She hadn't realized until she saw the pot that she was in desperate need of a cup of tea, having not had one this morning.

"Maybe we should send Millie up to check on them," Draco suggested quietly.

"They'll be here soon." Ginny suppressed a smile as she noted a plush cushion under her husband's derriere. "I told them there was hot chocolate waiting for them."

"I'm surprised Beau's taking the time to get dressed," Fleur commented lightly. Her son loved hot chocolate and would do just about anything for a taste of the sweet beverage.

"Are they all right?" Lucius asked tightly.

"Yes, they're both fine. None the worse for the drama they put us through," Ginny responded.

"That is a relief." Narcissa reached across the table and placed her hand on her daughter-in-law's. "I'm so terribly sorry they fell in. It just happened so quickly."

"Narcissa, don't let it worry you. I'm sure both of them think it was a wonderful adventure." Ginny smiled gently at the older witch. She'd never seen Narcissa quite like this before and it surprised her that the woman would show this amount of emotion in front of guests. "They'll be telling everyone about it for the next month."

"Who would they tell?" The alarm in the blonde witch's voice was unmistakable.

Bill chuckled heartily. "Everyone they see. Believe me the entire family will hear the story a hundred times over and it'll grow into the biggest tale ever told with little encouragement."

"Oh dear." Narcissa's hand flew to her chest. "What will people think?"

"They'll think you were magnificent for keeping them out of the water for as long as you did," Ginny said firmly. "Narcissa, it doesn't matter how vigilantly they're watched; they always find their way into mischief. Now please stop blaming yourself."

"I second that motion," Lucius drawled. He knew if his wife were allowed to continue to blame herself she would be a mess before midday and he would have to pick up the pieces of her fragile emotions.

Further discussion of Narcissa's misplaced guilt was impeded by the arrival of Drake and Beau.

"Drake, darling." Narcissa flew from her chair and gathered her grandson in her arms. "Do tell me you're all right now."

"Fine, Grandmother," Drake muttered, trying to free himself from her hold.

"You gave me such a fright- I thought we'd lost you." Narcissa's voice cracked as she uttered the last words.

Quick to read his wife's demeanor, Lucius was on his feet and beside Narcissa within seconds. It seemed he was going to have to deal with her tears after all. "Come along, Cissa, it's time we sought some privacy."

With tears already making her blue eyes shimmer Narcissa allowed Lucius to gently lift her to her feet and guide her inside.

Drake, grateful for the reprieve, headed straight for the table and the pastries. He was starving after his impromptu swim. "Mummy, may we have one?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

The words had hardly left Ginny's mouth when five little hands converged on the platter of sweet treats.

"Take it easy, kids," Bill warned sternly.

"Just one each," Fleur added.

After Ginny had placed a warm mug of hot chocolate in front of each of the children she noticed that both Bill and Fleur were fussing over Henri. It allowed her the perfect opportunity to have a quiet word with Draco.

She leaned over and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"Yes."

Ginny tugged a little on the cushion Draco was sitting on. "Really?"

Draco forced himself to hold his stoical expression, even though the slightest movement was pure torture. What he wanted was for everyone to leave, so he could crawl back into bed and convince himself the entire morning was a nightmare. "Really," he grunted. "Just leave it alone."

"Fine," Ginny responded flippantly. "I was just concerned about you."

"There's no need." Draco forced a smile in her direction, but to Ginny's trained eye it looked more than a little sickly.

With Draco being stubborn about admitting his obvious injury, Ginny turned her attention to her baby nephew, extracting the infant from his father's arms with ease. If he didn't want to talk about it then that was fine, she'd play with Henri.

Fleur leaned in close to her sister-in-law. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Ginny smiled pleasantly and turned attention to her squirmy nephew.

Bill and Draco began discussing the match they'd listened to the night before and how it would affect the teams' standing on the ladder. While Quidditch was an almost safe subject for Draco to discuss with her brothers, Ginny did wish they'd change the topic once in a while. She loved the sport, but certainly didn't see the need to sleep, eat and breathe Quidditch.

When the children had finished their morning tea, Fleur announced it was time for the family to be getting home. Ginny attempted to convince her to stay for lunch, but the French witch was firm in her decision. Once their few belongings had been gathered the two families strolled to the front lawn of the grand manor.

"Thank you so much for everything," Fleur gushed as she kissed both of Ginny's cheeks.

"You're more than welcome. Next time we'll make a weekend of it," Ginny replied sincerely. She cuddled her young nephew one more time before handing the infant to his mother.

"Ginny, it's been great," Bill said, hugging his sister tightly, before turning to his brother-in-law. "Draco, we'll have to do it again."

"Absolutely," Draco responded without exuberance. His head was killing him slowly, his backside was torturing him to death and he just wanted these people to leave, so he could crawl into a dark corner and die peacefully.

Bill looked around for his other three children. "Come on, kids, say goodbye quickly."

With five children running around bidding everyone goodbye the noise level rose to past painful for Draco. By the time the Weasley family was standing with their fingers poised on the Portkey, he'd been pulled down and slobbered on more times than was necessary.

"Safe trip," Ginny wished them as the Portkey activated.

As soon as the family disappeared from the front lawn of the manor, Draco turned back to the house. He knew his family was following him at close quarters and he would likely get questioned over the direction he was going to take once inside, but he didn't care. The need to get some more sleep and rest his injured body overrode any fear of upsetting his wife.

Ginny paused in the foyer to watch her husband climbing the staircase. She knew he wasn't well, but it was self-inflicted and therefore not worthy of her sympathy. There was that fall in the bathroom as well, though he claimed to be fine from that incident, she didn't believe him. Still if he was unwilling to admit he was hurt then he didn't want or need her compassion. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"Bed," Draco muttered.

"Draco, it's almost lunchtime!"

"And I'm hung over! I'm going back to bed before I die."

"I doubt you'd die if you stayed up."

"I might. It's not worth taking the chance."

Ginny shook her head at her husband as he continued up the staircase. He looked to be really struggling to pull himself up each step. There was no point in forcing the issue, because he'd just be a miserable prat if he didn't get some more sleep. She'd allow him a few more hours and then wake him. Perhaps in a most pleasant way, if the twins were sufficiently occupied.

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

Lunch had passed without Draco showing his face downstairs. Ginny and the children had eaten on the patio, before the twins ran off to play. As she rested on a sun lounge with her book Ginny began to grow sleepy. It had been a late night and the excitement of the morning had worn her out more than she cared to admit.

"Millie!"

"Mistress did summon Millie?"

"Do you know where Lucius and Narcissa are at the moment?"

"Old Master is working in his study and Old Mistress is with Old Master."

"Can you keep an eye on the children?"

"Millie is happy to be watching the children."

"Thank you," Ginny muttered as she made her way inside.

When she reached the door to Lucius' study Ginny knocked tentatively and waited patiently for a response.

"Enter." Lucius deep voice was unmistakable.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Ginny mumbled, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

"Not at all, Ginevra, do come in." Lucius beckoned her forward.

"I'm feeling a bit tired and I was wondering if one of you would keep an eye on the twins for a while."

"Of course we don't mind, do we, Lucius?" Narcissa responded happily.

"Not at all. Where are they currently?"

"They're playing outside. Millie is watching them, but I'd feel better if there was an adult close by just in case," Ginny explained.

Narcissa packed up her embroidery straight away. "I think I'll take advantage of the sun and sit out there with them. Will you be joining us, dear?"

"In a few moments," Lucius conceded. "I just have a few small things to finish here."

"Thank you," Ginny said as Narcissa drew closer to her.

"Don't mention it, dear. You go and get some rest. I assume Draco has not yet surfaced?"

"No, we haven't seen him since Bill and Fleur left. He's feeling a bit sorry for himself."

"Not to worry, you have a lovely nap and perhaps we can all have dinner together this evening?"

"Yes, that would be nice." Ginny smiled tiredly at the woman. "If there's any problems, just wake me up."

"I'm certain we'll be fine and we won't be going anywhere near the lake," Narcissa assured her.

"All right then," Ginny replied. She didn't want to get into another round of assuring Narcissa that she did nothing wrong by taking the children for a walk this morning. It was just easier to agree with her at this juncture, so she could get upstairs and into bed sooner. "I'll see you later then."

"Why don't we keep the children with us until dinnertime?" Lucius suggested. "We can meet you for dinner in our dining room at six o'clock, if you like."

"Okay then, we'll do that." Ginny smiled and quickly made her way out of the study. Whether it was being in the dimly lit room or her exhaustion was more complete than she'd given it credit, she had begun to feel far more worn out than she did outside.

When she reached her chambers, Ginny silently undressed, dropping her clothes on the floor at her feet and slipped into bed carefully. Draco was sleeping on his stomach, snoring softly. As her body molded to fit his, Ginny noted that she didn't feel any cloth between them. Her fingers trailed softly down his back and over his buttocks. A wicked twinkle lit up her cinnamon eyes and her mouth twisted into a naughty grin. He was completely naked. For as tired as she was, she knew she'd sleep a lot sounder if her energy was completely depleted and that almost constant itch she now had was scratched thoroughly.

So as not to disturb him too suddenly, Ginny lifted the covers off his body gently. She started placing licentious kisses in the middle of his back while her hand wandered down to the tops of his legs to fondle the sensitive flesh between. As she worked her way lower she could feel goose flesh start to prickle his smooth skin and when he groaned lightly, Ginny's grin widened. The longer she worshipped his body, and the more she thought of what of his touch would feel like on her body, the hotter she felt.

Draco groaned and rolled over onto his side. Her hands felt like heaven on his body, and he didn't really want to lose the sensation, but manly developments had forced him to take action. With his eyes still closed, he reached for her, caressing her body as he drew her flush against his body. He smirked when the tip of his cock found the already damp thatch of hair between her legs. She'd obviously planned this little encounter. Draco's head dipped, placing lazy kisses over her face until he found her mouth. Before he had the chance to deepen the union, her hot tongue darted out and ran along his bottom lip, sending shivers down his spine.

Ginny melted against her husband's muscled chest as his tongue danced inside her mouth. She carefully lifted her top leg a little, so his hard dick could slip between her legs. She didn't realize quite how worked up she was until his hardness rubbed against the little bud of nerves between her legs. The thought that she might simply explode if he wriggled like that again occurred to Ginny, but she didn't much care. A moan escaped her as his mouth trailed down her neck and settled in a particularly sensitive spot.

Intent on making his wife moan wantonly, Draco failed to feel her hands wandering dangerously close to his sore arse. It wasn't until Ginny tried to pull him closer to her that he let out a telltale yelp.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ginny asked as she drew away.

Draco cringed in pain. "It's nothing."

"Draco, you don't squeal like that for nothing. What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "My arse hurts," Draco admitted reluctantly.

"Let me have a look."

"No it's fine."

"Draco, I'm taking a look. You could have done some real damage when you fell in the bathroom."

Draco muttered something under his breath while Ginny sat up on her knees. At her insistence, he rolled as far onto his stomach as he was willing to with an aching erection. Her hands didn't feel quite so good on his body when she was poking and prodding particularly tender spots.

Ginny almost gasped when she saw the state of her husband's usually delectable backside. There was an angry purple bruise still forming near his tailbone and another on his left cheek. "Oh gods, no wonder you're sore."

"What is it?" Draco tried to turn and look himself, but fell miserably short of actually sighting any damage to his body.

"You've got some nasty bruises and they're still coming out."

"Is that it?"

"Yes. I felt around and there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong. You're going to need to ice them."

"Not now," Draco spluttered. He had a raging hard-on and was desperate to get things back on track.

"Well, it's the only way you're going to feel better. You need to bring the bruising out." Ginny made to move off the bed, but stopped when Draco's hand wrapped around her wrist.

"I know something else that might make me feel better," Draco said with a wicked smirk. He was desperate to return to more entertaining activities and leave the subject of his humiliating fall alone.

"Oh?"

"You could kiss it better."

Ginny dipped her head and placed a light kiss on one cheek. "Like this?"

"Mmm... Maybe it needs a bit more of that treatment," Draco responded softly.

As her mouth covered his wounds with soft kisses Draco very slowly began to rotate his body, so she had no choice but to allow her mouth to travel around his hip. He wasn't exactly lying on his back, but he was very close and it took all his strength not to just collapse onto the mattress fully when her hot mouth closed around his dick. Coherent thought abandoned him as her tongue swirled around the sensitive skin. All he could do was surrender to the incredible bolts of pleasure pummeling his nerve endings.

Ginny slowly traveled up Draco's body, pausing only to bring his nipples to painful peaks and enjoy his gasps of desire as her teeth scraped over the sensitive flesh. His hands roamed over her curves making her tingle all over. As she reached his mouth, she could feel herself being tipped back against the pillow and the weight of Draco's body carefully sliding on top of hers. Her legs drifted open of their own volition to accommodate him comfortably.

Without further ado Draco slid into her gently, relishing the warmth of her insides as they enveloped him. Her breathy sigh as he filled her brushed across his ear sending a shiver down to his toes. Not in any particular hurry now that he was within reach of his release, Draco set a languorous rhythm and simply enjoyed the unadulterated pleasure of being one with the woman he loved. Lascivious kisses and murmured declarations of love passed between the pair as they moved together.

Ginny's breath began to grow shorter as their momentum gradually increased. She could feel the knot in her core begin to tighten to an impossible level. Her release was frustratingly just out of reach.

So well in tune with his wife's body, Draco deepened his strokes and picked the pace up just a fraction. Ginny's eyes had glazed over sometime in the last few minutes - a sure sign she was close to completion. As her first muscle spasms began to grip him, Draco heightened the pace to an almost blinding speed. Her distorted words of encouragement and approval were just about lost in her gasps for air.

Even with all consuming pleasure teeming through her entire body, Ginny felt Draco stiffen momentarily. He thrust deep and hard, and his throaty groan of satisfaction in her ear sent delicious quivers to her core.

Draco covered her face with languid kisses as their pace slowed. Not wanting to collapse on top of her, Draco gently slipped off to the side and gathered her close to his body. Unable to form a coherent thought, let alone actually speak articulately, he continued to pepper her with small kisses as he waited for his senses to return to normal.

Ginny rested, enveloped in her husband's arms, thoroughly content. His loving kisses continuing until his breath evened out and slumber claimed him once more. Sometime just before her eyes drifted closed, she decided there were definitely some benefits to living in the same house as her in-laws, even if they didn't always see eye to eye on certain subjects.

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

AUTHORS NOTES

Huge thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her sensational beta skills and plot discussions.

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