An: Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy this chapter. The end of the story is near!
Chapter 15 - Resolutions
Luna sat there as her boyfriend made up a ridiculous excuse about being full, when everyone clearly knew that Ron was never full, and left the table. Hermione reached out her hand and held Luna's.
"It's nothing to worry about. Ron's just embarrassed about it. You know he only tries to impress you and he would hate to do anything that would cause you to think less of him." Hermione explained gently to him.
"I know. It's just that I thought Draco and Ginny had a wonderful relationship and in less than a day it fell to pieces. What if that happens with me and Ron? I was never his first choice. He had that crush on you, he dated Lavender and I've seen him looking at other women." Luna said revealing all of her insecurities about her relationship with Ron.
Hermione squeezed her hand tightly. "You have nothing to worry about. Ron would die for you."
"More importantly, Ron would give up food for your happiness!" Harry said pointing to the red head's half eaten plate.
"Have a little more faith, Luna." Hermione said encouragingly as Luna stared longingly in the direction her boyfriend had fled.
-*-
Ginny was about to spring out of Draco's lap when his arms snaked around her waist and held her securely to him.
"Draco, please let me go." Ginny pleaded with him.
"No." He said firmly as she continued to squirm in his lap. "We need to talk."
"I think we've done all the talking we need to." She spat at him as she struggled to get loose.
"Ginny, please, just talk to me. We are in this situation because you refuse to talk and listen to me." The blonde wizard said refusing to let go of his girlfriend.
Her stubborn side still dominated and she tried to bite his ear to get free but he easily avoided her.
"Ginny, you know I can stay like this forever." He told her.
"Fine," she huffed. "Talk"
"Are you going to listen?" he asked calmly.
"We'll see." She pouted.
Draco's grip tentatively relaxed around her and when she didn't stir he completely let go and turned the other chair on the porch to face him. He placed her on it and turned his chair to face her. He inhaled deeply and wondered where to start. He guessed he would just start with the obvious.
"Ginny, I love you." He told her.
"No you don't." She responded as she crossed her hands defensively in front of her.
Draco squeezed the side of his chair. He knew he couldn't get angry. If he did they would get no where and he needed to get past the front that she was putting up and get to the root of the problem. He had seen her do this act with her brothers and he knew if he persevered, it would all be worth it in the end. Maybe it was time to use his Slytherin cunning.
"Who do I love then?" He asked her seriously as he cocked his head slightly to the side as he analyzed her body language.
"No one. You don't know what love is!" Ginny responded meanly.
Draco did extremely well to suppress his initial reaction to her. "Ginny, the past is the past. I love you and you know that. Now why did you feel so threatened that an innocent conversation with another woman caused you to attempt to end our relationship?"
"It has ended Draco. You're just in denial." Ginny said stubbornly.
"Ginny just talk to me!" Draco half begged, half shouted out of frustration.
"You want me to talk to you Draco. Ok I will talk to you Malfoy." Draco flinched at the use of his last name but kept listening to her.
"We've been dating for two years and we've reached no where. I don't know what you want or where we are going. I'm pregnant and I don't even know if you want this child! You are so difficult to understand." Ginny screamed at him.
Draco sat there stunned. A million thoughts flew through his head and he tried to find the right words to handle this situation.
"Wow, I've finally stopped any sarcastic retorts from you. Where has the Slytherin attitude gone now?" Ginny spat at him.
"You weren't going to tell me?" Draco asked hurt.
"Of course I was. You would have noticed when I began looking like a whale." Ginny said defensively as she gave him a `how stupid do you think I am look'.
"Of course I want our child. Why wouldn't I? Anything the two of us do comes out great! I'm going to be a father!" Draco said with a slight smile as he imagined the continuation of the Malfoy line.
Ginny looked sourly at him. "Our child is more than just an instrument to continue the Malfoys!"
He gave her his most charming look. "Marry me Ginny."
"I'm not marrying you because you are only asking because of the baby. This is exactly what I didn't want." She told him.
"That's not true. I planned on asking you on this trip. I had it all arranged. I bought a nice ring and on the night before we returned I would have popped the question." He told her.
"I don't believe you. Where is the ring?" Ginny said flatly.
"Ginny, when are you going to start trusting me more? I'm not the wizard I was when I was in Hogwarts." He said reaching into his pocket for the box he thought was there.
"Damn. I don't have it. I gave it to Potter." Draco said.
"So I break up with you and you ask Harry to marry you?" Ginny said arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.
"So you're in a joking mood now?" He asked glaring at her.
"Mood swings come with pregnancy doesn't it?" She asked rhetorically.
"Are you going to be like this with all your pregnancies?" He responded.
"You want more?" She asked hesitantly.
"Definitely." Draco said giving her his most dazzling smile.
She lunged forward straight into his waiting arms.
"I love you so much Draco."
"I love you too, Mrs. Malfoy."
-*-
Night time at the Montecito
"Harry, where are we going." Hermione asked as he dragged her away from the dinner table.
"Couldn't you tell, Ron and Luna wanted to be alone." Harry said giving her a lopsided smile.
"Actually, Luna was a bit worried. We haven't seen Draco or Ginny all day." The brunette told him.
"Draco is a big wizard. He can handle Ginny just fine." Harry said brushing it aside.
"Suppose she's killed him?" Hermione said eyeing him.
Harry snorted. "I doubt that. Draco could probably slither his way out of anything that she throws at him."
They reached the elevator and Harry pressed the button for the top floor.
"Harry, that's the wrong floor." She chided him.
"I know what I'm doing." He said giving her an exasperated look.
The doors opened and he quickly pulled her in.
"What's this about Harry?" she questioned her friend.
"There's something I want you to see." he told her excitedly.
As soon as the elevators opened, he lead her out and up to the roof.
"Harry, you know I've been up here before." She told him.
"I spoke to Ed. He turned off the cameras up here for us. Do you trust me Hermione?" He asked ignoring her negativity.
"Of course I do Harry." She replied with a roll of eyes.
He pulled a small object out of his pocket and enlarged it.
"Your broom." Hermione said with slight fear.
"It'll be fine." Harry said mounting it.
"Harry, you know I don't like flying?" she told him.
"Ah, but I will be doing the flying." He told her as he held out his hand, his eyes asking her to trust him.
She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at the broom. She reluctantly placed her hand in his larger one. He easily pulled her on to the broom and placed her in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his right hand on the broom in front of her while he used his left hand to secure her against him. He pushed off the ground and Hermione shrieked as they wobbled a bit.
"Relax," he whispered in her ear causing a chill to run up and down her spine. In response Harry held her closer as his left hand rubbed her right hip soothingly.
She could feel his firm chest behind her and she relaxed into him as he slowly ascended with her.
"Isn't it pretty?" He asked her.
She looked down at the city below and the view took her breadth away.
"It's wonderful." Hermione agreed as she looked at the multitude of lights that was Las Vegas. The city seemed to have its own type of magic.
Harry made slow circles round the town as Hermione enjoyed the view.
-*-
Ron had been sitting at the dinner table alone for the last twenty minutes and Luna still hadn't come back from the bathroom. He was beginning to worry and he pushed his third plate of lasagne aside. He had been really hungry since he didn't get much to eat at lunch earlier.
He got up from the table and headed to the restroom. The door had a shape of a lady on it with the word "Ladies" written in big letters below it. He stood hesitantly before the door as he tried to decide what to do. His hand reached forward and yanked the door open as he marched in hoping to see Luna washing her hands by the sink. Instead he saw a group of old ladies taking money out of their bras. As soon as they saw him they started shouting at him and he was assaulted with heavy handbags as he tried to survey the bathroom for any sign of his girlfriend. All the stalls were open and she wasn't among the crazy old women, so he fled as quickly as he could.
He wondered what those women had in their handbags. He was sure his arms and back would be bruising from the abuse he received. His worry was beginning to grow uncontrollably and dread filled his stomach. Where could she have gone? He decided to check his room. He ran to the elevators to find them already on the higher floors. He had not patience to wait so he took the stairs, three at a time until he was on the ninth floor. His thighs were burning him but he ignored the pain and he approached their room.
He took out his spare key and had problems getting it into the slot. He wished he had his wand, he could have just blasted the door off its hinges. After a few tortuous seconds, he got the door opened and searched the room frantically. Panic set in as he couldn't find her. He cursed the Las Vegas aurors for taking his wand away. Without it, he was useless. He couldn't even find Harry and Hermione to get help searching for Luna. A thought that she could be with them occurred to him but then he remembered Harry saying he wanted to take Hermione flying. They must be having such a wonderful time while he was being utterly useless to Luna. Why did she choose him? Why couldn't she have chosen someone stronger who could have protected her properly?
Ron looked at the device called a telefoney, or something like that. He picked up and pressed zero for help. He asked for Danny and waited for a few seconds. Soon he heard Danny's voice on the other end and he was forced to say the worst words he had ever said in his entire lifetime.
"Luna's been taken!"
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