What Is Love? Ginny's 24th Birthday.

d&gforever

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Humor
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 6
Published: 10/08/2006
Last Updated: 12/08/2006
Status: completed

A cute little one-shot detailing the events of Ginny's twenty-four birthday. It follows the story line of "What Is Love?"

Chapters

1. Happy Birthday

1. Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Ginny!

-------Thursday, August 11th, 2005-------

Ginny rolled over in bed at the family beach house to find a cold spot where her husband should have been. She hoped one of the boys had gotten up early and needed him. She hated it when he went into the office early without telling her. When she sat up, not only did the early morning sun shine in her eyes, but also the morning queasiness she had experienced the last two days returned. She collected her robe from the chair, put it on and headed for the kitchen. She always felt better after a piece of toast or a cracker.

As she grew close, she could hear her sons’ voices. The sound of running water and a squabble between 4-year-old Cam and 5-year-old Thuban made her pick up her pace. As she placed her hand on the kitchen door, Draco’s voice stopped her from opening it.

“Come on, little mates. We have to work together if we want to get breakfast ready for Mummy before she gets up.”

“I want to wash the strawberries, Daddy,” Cam said. “They’re her favorite.”

“Thuban, get the tea cup and pot on the tray,” Draco instructed, “Serpens, put the croissants on the plate.”

Despite her stomach's need for food, Ginny quickly and quietly went back up to the master bedchamber and lay back down. She didn’t have to wait long before the four wizards in her life made their appearance. Two-year-old Serpens was the first. He jumped on the bed and crawled over to her.

“UP! UP! UP! Mummy! UP! Happy birday!” he said excitedly.

“It’s Birthhhday. Happy Birthday, Mummy,” Thuban said and then hugged and kissed his mother.

“Happy Birthday, Mummy. I love you,” Cam stated followed by a hug and kiss.

“Happy Birthday, Love.” Draco placed the wooden breakfast tray on her lap.

It didn’t surprise her that it was a simple breakfast. Draco didn’t know how to cook. The tray contained breakfast tea, sliced smoked Scottish Salmon, four butter croissants, marmalade, fresh strawberries and a glass of juice.

“I cleaned the strawberries myself,” Cam stated proudly.

“We made it for you all by ourselves,” Thuban informed his mother.

“No elves helped,” Serpens said while shaking his head.

Ginny looked at Draco. “Didn’t the elves made the tea?”

“I can heat up water, Love.”

Ginny took a sip of the tea. It was a little too strong, a sure sign that the elves didn’t made it. She looked at the tray again. Draco had made her breakfast in bed. Sure, he had ordered the elves to serve her breakfast in bed before, but he made this one. Tears slowly started running down Ginny’s face.

Her family surrounded her quickly, Serpens wiping her tears away with his little hands, Thuban taking her left hand in his, Cam hugging her around the neck and Draco kneeing next to the bed her right hand in his.

“Love, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just being a silly, woman. That’s all. I’d never dreamed that four handsome wizards would make me breakfast…” Ginny tears stopped her speech.

Draco removed his handkerchief from his robe and motioned for his sons to move away. He dried her tears and spoke softly to her. “This is how a princess is treated. Now, is there another reason for your tears?”

“I’m merely overly happy.”

“Well, that’s good, love. But you’ve been a little emotional lately. Is there something you need to tell me?”

“What are you on about, Draco?”

“Are you feeling queasy again this morning, love?”

Ginny placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my. I hadn’t even thought about that.” Her head searched the possibility. Her last cycle started June 4th. Normally she’d have to consult her calendar, but Draco was quite unhappy with the timing of the event. It limited some of his birthday fun.

“Oh, Merlin. I could be.” She shook a little with excitement and then calmed herself. “But I’ve had false alarms before.”

“You could be what, Mummy?” Thuban asked.

Ginny looked at her sons. “I could be talked into sharing this lovely breakfast.” She cut open a croissant added marmalade and handed it to Serpens. She did the same for each boy and Draco also. The boys also helped themselves to the fresh strawberries. In short order she finished her breakfast. Draco sent the boys to collect their gifts for Ginny, after they were out of the room he talked.

“So, are you expecting?”

“I said, I could be, Draco. My last cycle was before your birthday. But I’ve missed before and wasn’t pregnant.”

“Yes, but I can only think of three other times you missed, where queasy three morning in a row, where a little emotional, and your breasts were overly sensitive.”

“I never said my,” she looked down at her chest, “were sensitive.”

He raised an eyebrow cockily at her. “You didn’t need to tell me. It’s been quite obvious the last couple of days.”

She heard the boys coming back to their room. “There’s a test in the bathroom cabinet at the Manor.”

Draco kissed her cheek and whispered, “After you open your presents I’ll retrieve it.”

Serpens handed his box to Ginny first. “Happy Birday, Mummy.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek before unwrapping the gift. She removed the lid of the small box to find an elegant gold bracelet with a dragon charm. “It beautiful, darling. Can you help, Mummy put in on.” The toddler put his chubby fingers on her wrist and Ginny fastened the bracelet.

Thuban handed Ginny a small rectangular gift wrapped in gold paper. He watched her closely as she unwrapped it and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with an interlocking hearts pendant. At the bottom of each heart was a brilliant cut gem. Thuban pointed at each gem. “This is an alexandrite, my birthstone. Look in the sunlight it looks green but in candlelight it looks reddish purple. That is a peridot, your birthstone. The heart are together cause it says I love you.” He kissed her cheek.

“Happy Birthday, Mummy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Thuban.”

“It’s my turn.” Cam pushed his brother out of the way. He handed Ginny a very small box wrapped with silver paper on the top lay a real four-leaf clover. “I found that clover for you all by myself,” he announced. She opened the gift to find a pair of four leaf clover earrings. Four heart shaped peridots were used to make each earring. “Both peridots and four leaf clover are good luck, so these should bring you lots of it.” He kissed his mother. “I love you a whole lots, Mummy.”

“I love you too, Cammy.”

Draco collected the boys. “All right, mates. It’s time for you to go downstairs and play. Tipsy is waiting for you.” He walked them to the door and then closed it behind them. Ginny took the clover placed it in a tissue and then she removed a large book from her nightstand. She placed the tissue containing the clover inside the book and closed it. There were a number of gaps into between other pages, it was apparent that she used this book to press flowers and other flora.

Draco placed it back in the nightstand. “He searched for that clover for three evenings. He even passed up flying to look for it.” He kissed her cheek. “You are an excellent wife and mother. Now this way, Princess.” He took Ginny into the bathroom. There were flowers along two of the walls and candles along another. Her favorite bath oil sat on the front of the tub and at the back were a box of her favorite chocolates and a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket. The wireless played a soft melody from across the room.

“I’ll leave you to your bath.” Draco pointed at the champagne. “But you may only want to have one of those until we have confirmed or denied our suspicion.” He left and Ginny sunk into the refreshing water. Her mind recalling birthdays past that she had spent with him.

------******------ Wednesday August 11, 1999 ------*****------

Turning eighteen wasn’t as big of a deal in the wizarding world as it was for Muggles. She'd had a great party for her seventeenth last year, the age at which wizards and witches come of age. She was happy for that. She knew today would be like any other day. They were still on the honeymoon, having spent three weeks in Paris, a couple of days in Rome and they had just gotten to Madrid. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t looking forward to her birthday. Draco wouldn’t remember it and if he did he wouldn’t do anything for her, she was sure of that. And with their recent change in hotels, her parents’ owl wouldn’t arrive until the next day.

She woke up and was surprised that the space next to her was empty. Well, that was one good thing. She was still getting used to waking up with his thing poking her back or bottom. A smile bloomed upon her face when she thought about that. She did miss seeing that boyish grin on his face in the morning. Merlin, he was a very handsome wizard.

Draco cantered into the room with a breakfast tray. He placed the tray on her lap and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday, Ginny.” She glared up at him with a shocked expression. “It is your birthday isn’t it?”

“Yes, but…”

“You didn’t expect me to do anything?” he asked and she nodded. “Well, I have. The card under the rose has your morning present. Would you like me to stay or would we prefer to eat alone?”

“Please stay. I prefer company. Have you already eaten?” Ginny asked.

He sat on the edge of the bed. “Yes.”

“You're already dressed for the day,” she said sounding disappointed. Oh Merlin, she thought, I didn’t mean it to sound that way.

He moved so he was sitting next to her in bed. He kissed her cheek and placed his hand on her upper thigh. “I can change that if you like?”

She jumped a little as his hand moved closer to her private area. He stopped and peered at her. “Sorry, I’m just a little sore.”

“I thought as much. It’s alright.” He assured her. “Well, are you going to open your gift?”

She removed the card from the envelope and smiled at him awkwardly. “I’m sure it’s a lovely gift, Draco, but what do you do at a Health Spa?”

He smiled at her. “Well, Mrs. Malfoy, one gets pampered at a Spa. They perform body massages, facials, have aroma baths, mud baths and other types of relaxing treatments. They’ll style your hair, apply your makeup, give you a manicure, a pedicure and immerse you in soothing, luxurious sounds and smells. I only have a couple of requests.” Ginny glanced at him. “Ginny, please don’t cut your hair short or color it. I really like it the way it is. And don’t let them put too much makeup on you. I don’t want to taste powder when I kiss your cheek, and you're beautiful without it.”

------******------ Friday August 11, 2000 ------*****------

Ginny sat on the terrace holding 2 month old Thuban and watching the Muggles pass below her from her unplottable Paris Wizarding Hotel. She couldn’t believe she was here. Lucius had told Draco about this necessary business trip on Monday and had, along with Narcissa, objected to Draco's taking Thuban and her along with him. Despite his parent’s myriad objections, Narcissa's upset about international travel with a young baby, Lucius' claim that Draco wouldn’t have any time for his family on the trip and that Ginevra had not recovered fully from the birth of the child, Draco went ahead and planned on taking Ginny and his son with him.

Having verified that with three different Healers the trip was safe for both his wife and son, he acquired accorded a portkey for his family. When Lucius continued to insist that Draco wouldn’t have time for his family, he informed his father that he would make time for them. ”Father, I will not leave Ginevra alone on her birthday! She and Thuban are coming with me or I'll cancel the trip!”

Not being left in the Manor with his parents for a week was birthday present enough for Ginny. She didn't ask for anything more than that. She knew there would be no spa this year. She and Draco where still very over protective first time parents. Thuban had to be with one of them at all times. And Draco was worse than her. He wouldn’t even let Tipsy the house elf near Thuban and he even stood impatiently next to Narcissa when she held the baby.

“Ginny,” Draco whispered before kissing Thuban’s forehead and then hers. “Happy Birthday, Love.” He gave her a soft kiss on her lips. “I don’t have a meeting until ten. Come.” He took Thuban into his arms, assisted her up and led them into the bathroom.

“Oh!” she said covering her mouth and holding back her surprise. The room was filled was flowers and lit with soft candlelight. Smoothly music played in the background and scented oils and salts lined the large tub.

“You get two hours before I have to leave. So relax. I’ll take care of Thuban.” He pointed to a tray bursting with breakfast foods. “Your breakfast is there.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll leave you to your bath.”

She had been soaking in the tub for some time before she saw the card. She was amazed when she opened it.

Ginny,

The hotel spa is awaiting your floo call. They will provide many of their services in the room. So you need not worry about Thuban.

The dress designer will be coming at three to show you the latest Paris styles and to take your measurements. Feel free to order three dresses. He will show you the green material I favored.

The jeweler will be here at four. He will need to see the dress styles and materials you have chosen to design your jewelry.

Happy Birthday, Gin.

Draco

-------*******-------

Back to Thursday, August 11th 2005

The wizard on the wireless announcing the time brought Ginny from her thoughts. It’s ten o’clock, I need to get out of here so Draco can get to the office. She sat and her itchy back remained her. She called an elf and sent for Draco. He Apparated into the bathroom in moments, she held a mush sponge in his direction. “I can’t find my back brush, do you mind?” she asked cheekily.

He lost his robe and dress shirt instantly and scurried for the bath.

“Don’t get too excited, Draco. Your hands are to only touch my back.” He let out a growl of frustration. “Until tonight that is,” she finished.

He kissed her neck and washed her back. “Until tonight then.” He placed a warming charm on the bath towel, helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in it. “I brought the test from the Manor.”

“Good, place it on the corner. I might as well take it now.”

He placed the box on the corner. She opened it, mixed the three bottles together, took the cup in her hand and stepped to the loo before she noticed he was still in the bathroom.

“What are you still doing in here?”

“I wanted to watch you take the test.”

“Well to do that I have to pee in this cup.” Ginny put the cup under his nose.

He face flushed red. “All right, I’ll leave so you can do that. But I wanted to see the results.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll bring it out into the bedchamber. Now, please go.”

A short time later Ginny placed the small tube on the end table next to Draco’s chair, then walked into her dressing room.

“It’s still red, Ginny. What does that mean?”

“It can take up to twenty minutes to change color,” she answered from inside her dressing room.

Draco put his elbows on his knees, rested his chin on his fist and focused intently on the small tube of red liquid.

“What time are you going into the office?” she asked still in her dressing room.

“I’m not going in today. I thought I’d take you and the boys wherever you wanted to go for your birthday.”

“Anywhere I want to go?” she asked.

“Yes, yes. Anywhere,” he said impatiently. “What color will it turn if you’re pregnant?”

“Purple.”

“Purple?”

“Yes, Draco. It will turn purple if I’m pregnant,” she answered as put on the jewelry her children had given her that morning.

“Purple.” he said in astonishment.

Ginny missed the tone in his voice and she walked out of her dressing room annoyed. “I’ve already told you two times. It will turn purple if I’m pregnant.”

He held the small tube up to her showing the purple liquid. “It’s purple!” he beamed. “So that does change my first answer. Flying is out of the question, today.”

Ginny started to cry. Draco ran over to her and pulled her into his arms. “These are happy tears right, love?” She nodded into his shoulder. “Good, I’m very happy too,” he whispered. “This ones a lot more exciting. I hope she has your hair.”

Ginny kissed him. He'd never told her that he’d stopped taking the potion that caused their first three boys to favorite him in appearance, but she knew he had. And he had said she, did he want a little girl and not his fourth son? Merlin, he amazed her at times.

He rested his forehead on hers. “I love… to continue, but we should get back to the boys,” Draco stated.

“Yes, we should.”

The couple started down the hallway. “So, Ginny, what do we want to do today?”

“It would be nice to go to Bournemouth Pier,” she said calmly.

He rolled his eyes at her. “The Muggle beach?”

“Yes, the Muggle beach. The boys love it there. Plus I want to go to a Muggle movie theater,” she added.

It was no shock that he stopped and stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Why on Magical Earth would you want to do that? Besides Muggle movies are not suitable for children.”

“I think it’s good for the boys to see the Muggle World. The Muggle’s do have movies suitable for children. Ron told me just the other day about one. I believe it’s called ‘Herbie’. It’s about an enchanted Muggle car. It reminded him of our old Ford Anglia.”

“Isn’t that the car he and Potter flew into the Whomping Willow?”

“Yes.”

A smirk appeared on his face. “I remember that. You were sitting next to Granger when that git got his howler.”

She shook away her puzzled expression instantly. She had to have heard him wrong. There was no way he remembered whom she had been sitting next to almost thirteen years ago. “Of course you would remember the howler.”

He smiled at her and turned back to their bedchamber.

“Draco, where are you going?”

“Well, I have to put on some Muggle type clothes now didn’t I. Can’t go walking around Bournemouth in my dragon hid boots,” he said smiling at her.

“Well, grab our bathing suits while you’re in there. I’ll get the boys ready and their things together.”

Draco mumbled as he entered their room. “We have our own private beach. I’ll never understand why she wants to go to a public one with Muggles no less.”

“Because!” she yelled causing him to turned and look at her. “My husband looks sinfully delicious in his swim trunks. My sons are the cutest and best-behaved children on the beach. When I’m lying on my husband’s chest and my boys are building sand castles next to us, every women on the beach wishes she were me, and that makes me very happy.”

------******------

Draco had the driver drop them off at the Odeon Cinema in Bournemouth and informed him when to return. Ginny carried Serpens into the building and took him over to the movie posters. She pointed out different Muggle items to the 2 year old. Ginny took her sons to Muggle places as often as she could. She knew the Malfoys' dislike of them would rub off, but she hoped by introducing the children to the Muggle World, they see that Muggles were likable.

Draco queued with the many other families. Bournemouth was a very popular vacation spot and it was the height of the season. He had hold of Thuban’s and Cam’s hands as they waited. Before long they reached the clerk and he let go of the boys to purchase the tickets. After completing the transaction his reached for the boys and found they were gone.

He quickly looked over where Ginny stood. She was still by the posters holding Serpens. He didn’t want to worry her or admit that he had lost their sons, so he did a quick check of the lobby. When he didn’t see them there, he looked in front of the building. He come back in and checked the lobby again. He was wearing a worried expression and was walking toward Ginny, when a movie attendant addressed him.

“May I help you, Sir? You look like you’ve lost something.”

“My sons have wandered off,” Draco said.

“Oh, if they’re over seven look in the arcade.” He pointed out the arcade. “Under seven, the candy counter is your best bet.” He pointed out the concession stand.

“Thank you,” Draco replied as he headed to the concession. There were eight queues here and each was long and he couldn’t see to the front where the candy counters were.

As he bobbed back and forth trying to see, he bumped into a man. “Pardon me,” Draco said.

“Not a problem, friend,” the man replied with a heavy American Southern accent.

“Are you looking for someone?” the man’s wife asked.

“Yes, my sons.”

“Are they two towheads?” the woman asked.

“Yes, they’re blond. Have you seen them?”

“They’re in the third line at the corner.”

“Thank you.” Draco answered before running off.

“How many pounds to a galleon, Thuban?” Cam asked.

“Five pounds for each galleon,” Thuban answered. “This candy is really expensive. We can get more at the shop on the pier.”

“I wonder why Muggles have all that writing on the paper,” Cam asked.

“I don’t know,” Thuban answered.

Relief washed through Draco at the sound of his sons’ voices. They both had they faces pushed up against the glass and were staring at the bright candy wrappers. He wanted to hug them both for being safe and unharmed but he knew they needed to be scolded for their actions. So he removed the look of relief from his face and adopted a stony expression. He cleared his throat and both boys looked up. They smiled brightly at their father hoping they weren’t in too much trouble. Draco simply offered a hand to each boy and they walked over to him.

It was unbecoming of his station to chastise his children in public, so Draco looked for a private corner in which to talk to his sons.

“I’m very disappointed in your behavior. You know better than to run off.”

They looked at their feet. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” they said together.

“We only wanted to see the candy,” Thuban stated. “We didn’t go that far.”

“You went far enough and you know it,” Draco scolded in a whisper. “We’d be on the car going home right now if it wasn’t your mother’s birthday.” He paused and thought for a minute. “There will be no candy today for either of you because of your actions. Let’s go get Mummy and Serpens.”

------******-------

The night sky was very clear and the breeze very cooling as Ginny and Draco sat cuddling, snogging from time to time in a lounge on their balcony. Champagne glasses filled with bubbling fruit juice sat on the table next to them along with chocolate covered strawberries.

“Did you have a nice day, Love?” he asked.

“It was wonderful. Thank you for tolerating Muggle Bournemouth.”

“Least, I can do for the mother of my children on her birthday. Merlin, the sky is clear tonight.” He kissed her forehead and pointed. “What do you think about Polaris?”

“It’s bright tonight,” she answered.

He rolled his eyes at her. “Not what I meant, Ginny. For the new baby’s name if it’s a boy.”

“I like Leo,” she said as she unbuttoned his shirt and kissed his collarbone.

“What about Markab?” he said pointing to the sky again while trying to ignore her lips.

“What about Leo?” She ran her tongue around his left nipple and he held back a gasp.

“Maybe Cepheus or Perseus?” he managed to say.

“Maybe Leo?” She kissed across his chest to his right nipple.

He growled. He’d have to change the topic now or she would have him agreeing to name his next son after a lion. He pointed to the sky, one last time. “If it’s a girl, I like Carina or Talitha.”

“What do you think of Hydra or Vega?” Ginny whispered in his ear seductively after moving her mouth along his chest.

“I like all four,” he gasped before her lips came down onto his. The young couple jumped apart when Thuban knocked impatiently on their bedchamber door crying loudly. Draco used he wand to remove the locking charm and open the door. Thuban darted into the room and to the balcony were his parents stood.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Help, there’s a Bogart in my room,” the five year old cried as he pulled on Draco’s arm. “Daddy, come on.”

He kissed his wife as he left the balcony. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

------*******------

After a thirty minutes search for the Bogart, which wasn’t found and twenty minutes of convincing Thuban he has was too big of a boy to sleep in his parents’ bed, Draco finally re-entered his bedchamber. He was disappointed with what he saw. He had been looking forward to giving his wife a very enjoyable birthday shag, but now she lay in their bed asleep. He walked to his dressing room and got ready for bed.

It was a damn shame she was asleep. He was a good wizard all day. He had earned a shag. He never complained once the whole day and it had been a very intolerable day. Well the first twenty minutes of the movie wasn’t bad. In the dark of the theater he got in some very nice cuddling with Ginny before Serpens had to sit on his lap. It was down hill from there. The recently potty trained two year old was so preoccupied with the movie, he forgot to mention his need to use the lavatory until it was to late. While Ginny had brought extra clothing for Serpens for these emergencies, the toddler was on his father’s lap at the time. Seeing how they were in a Muggle area, Draco couldn’t use a cleaning charm.

At the beach things didn’t get much better in his opinion. Scared of having another accident Serpens was requesting to be taken to a bathroom every thirty minutes. While on one of his many trips to the facilities Thuban and Cam decided to wander away from Ginny. The little wizards were found quickly with the help of Muggle workers at the beach. Draco believed the older boys where in need of a spanking, but Ginny argued that they were merely excited. It was easy to talk him out of spanking the boys; he hated punishing his children.

He crawled in the bed and Ginny instantly cuddled into his chest without waking up. He held her close and kissed her forehead. It really hadn’t been a bad day. The boys enjoyed the movie, playing in the sea with the boys and Ginny had been great fun, lying on the beach with her on his chest was very enjoyable. And the walk through the city gardens was quite refreshing. Plus the matching colored wristbands the Muggles placed on the family had given him an idea. He purchased his family matching bracelets at a fine jeweler and charmed them so they could find each other if anyone got lost or wandered off.

“Ginny, Ginny” he whispered. When she didn’t reply and he was sure she was asleep he whispered again. “If it’s a boy, we’ll name him Leo. But I hope it’s a girl and she looks like you.” He kissed the forehead of his sleeping wife again. “I love you, Ginny. Happy Birthday.”