Chapter 15
Reunited at Last
"Do you think he has gotten it by now?"
Draco sat behind his wife with his arms wrapped protectively around her waist as she leaned back against him. "I would think so."
"Do you think they will come?"
"I'm certain they will... Wouldn't you if you hadn't seen one of the kids in nearly twenty years?"
"In a heartbeat."
"Then there is your answer sweet."
She smiled into the darkness. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Helping me write him last night."
"I only offered a few suggestions and dug up a few dusty photos. It was nothing."
"I still couldn't have done it without you."
"I know my love." He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."
Ginny turned around to face Draco. "Do you mind if we head in? I'm exhausted. I spent all day frantically cleaning worried they would just pop up in the living room with no notice."
He laughed. "Well that explains why the girls were complaining about cleaning their rooms before dinner."
The two rose from their spot underneath the weeping willow that stood on the far left side of the front lawn.
DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG
Molly Weasley's tears were tears of happiness. "Oh Arthur, she's grown into such a beautiful woman."
"That she has my dear that she has. If you would like I can take the next couple days off. They conveniently gave you a way to go right to them."
"I so terribly want to, but I don't want to put her out showing up with no warning."
"Mol I think it's fairly certain Ginny is expecting you to take her up on the offer to come. She wouldn't have primed the letter to take you to her if she didn't expect you to use it."
"But your work? You have meetings to deal with don't you?"
"Not a thing that can't be put off a few days I assure you. Molly why are you making excuses to not go?"
Molly cried harder. "She didn't trust us to help her. She just left without a word. Certainly she knew we wouldn't cast her out just because of who she fell in love with or because she was going to have a baby. She did such a good thing helping him. Surely she would have known how proud that would have made us. Helping not just an enemy but someone that she was raised to despise. That takes a special kind of person Arthur."
"Molly we were at war, no one trusted anyone. Then Ron went off and scared her like he did. It's a wonder she didn't leave before she did. She's finally coming back home are you going to stand aside and not welcome her back?"
"You know bloody well I don't want to do that Arthur, I'm just scared."
"Of what Mol?"
Her tears grew even heavier still. "That she doesn't need me anymore," she gasped out between hiccups.
Arthur wrapped his arms around his wife. "Oh Molly, you should know better than anyone a daughter always needs her mum. No matter how old she gets or how far away she moves, Ginny will always need you. Do you think she would have let anyone know she was alive if she didn't? They could have gone on living their muggle lives pretending they were no one special till the day they died if they had wanted. They didn't have to let their daughter come to Hogwarts. They didn't have to be anything to anyone here anymore. But they are. You can't tell me that don't mean more than her leaving in the first place. Gods Mol you have been praying for this since the day she left that somehow some deity would hear your pleas and send her home. Well Mol the gods answered, are you gonna let them keep knocking at the door or are you going to answer it?"
Molly wiped her eyes with her apron. "How soon can we leave?"
Arthur smiled. "That's my brave girl. First thing in the morning. I'll floo Harry now and let him know we need to take care of something on the continent and that we'll be gone for a couple days at the very least. He knows how to contact me if the world begins to go to hell."
"Oh don't you go jinxing us like that."
He laughed. "Of course not dear. Now you head on up and pack while I floo Harry."
Molly suddenly looked stricken. "Oh dear me, I don't own muggle clothes Arthur, whatever am I going to take?"
"I don't think it's going to matter what you wear in their home Molly. Last I checked you do have a wand, certainly you can transfigure your clothes into something more fitting once we get there if the need arises."
"Goodness me, I'm so excited I can't remember my own head."
Arthur laughed as he watched the retreating form of his wife. Just a few hours till he could see his sweet Ginny again and meet the three grandchildren he didn't know he had just five hours before. Yes this was a very, very good day and tomorrow would be infinitely better he was very certain.
DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG DG
The following hours were a rush of packing, contacting Harry and the boys to let them know they were taking an impromptu trip, and the smell of Molly literally destroying the kitchen in the process of baking every treat she could remember Ginny liking. She had insisted she could not show up to see her grandchildren empty handed.
He was fairly certain his wife had not joined him in bed till well after midnight but the moment the sun had come up so had she. Dressed, pressed, bag in one hand, basket of confections in the other waiting a bit impatiently for him to get dressed and take them to her daughter.
"Molly they probably aren't even up yet. It's hardly past seven in the morning. Dear heavens pet, give them time to get up before you go bursting into their home."
"Now you listen to me Arthur Weasley I refuse to wait a moment more to see my daughter. I am ready to go right this moment. Now get your arse moving and get dressed so we can go. They have children for heavens sake they aren't having a lie in."
Arthur just shook his head and went to shower and dress. Half an hour later he came downstairs to see his visibly irate wife tapping her foot rather impatiently, waiting to leave.
"Well madam if you are ready then we can go."
"If I'm ready? I was ready at six this morning Arthur Weasley. Now you take our bags and hand over that letter so we can go!"
He took the bags and pulled the letter from his pant's pocket passing it to his wife. "Hold this please."
She took it without as much as a peep.
"If we wake them up, it's your fault witch." Placing a finger on the edge of the envelope he pulled his wand from his pocket with his other hand before he tapped the letter. "Portus."
The familiar tug at his navel began and a moment that seemed like an eternity passed as the charmed envelope pulled them away to an unknown location. Moments later the tug passed and two were deposited on the front lawn of a sprawling manor. Grape vines seemed to line a road that lead away from the house.
"This is their home?"
"Well the letter did say it was a Malfoy property. It's obviously an operating vineyard now. It seems our baby girl has made quite the life for herself."
"So it would appear my dear. Are you ready to go knock on the door?"
She cut her husband a look. "I was ready hours ago."
The two crossed the lawn hand in hand and just as Molly reached to knock on the imposing front door it swung open to reveal Draco. "Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley we've been expecting you. Please come in." Draco stepped back and ushered them in the door.
Arthur extended his hand to his son-in-law. "Mr. Malfoy."
"Draco please."
"Draco then. I assume my daughter is here."
Draco smiled and nodded. "She is."
Isaac came through the hall at almost the exact same moment. "Dad?"
"Isaac, please go get your mum and sisters please. And please tell them to hurry."
His son did a double take to look at the couple standing with his father before moving in the opposite direction to do as his father had requested. Molly stared at the boy as he walked away. "He's my grandbaby."
"Yes ma'am he is. He'll be back in a moment hopefully with the other two in tow. You'll have to excuse us. With all the excitement of the past few days we haven't been able to fill everyone in on everything. The children had no clue you might be coming."
"Your letter came as a bit of a surprise but Ginny did say you have had other visitors this week."
"Yes the headmistress and my godfather paid us a visit just two days ago."
Isaac returned with Katharine riding piggy-back style on his back. "Daddy you're not in your office this morning."
"No angel I'm not. Where are your mum and sister?"
Isaac put Kat down. "They said they would be here in just a second. I think Sere might have tossed something at Kat on purpose. Mum seemed rather hot under the collar at her."
Draco rolled his eyes. Sere would pick this morning off all days to have a goad at Kat. "Welcome to a normal morning at Shadowy Secrets. Care to sit?"
Kat caught her daddy's hand as they were walking to the living room and pulled on it to get his attention. "Who is the lady that looks like Mum?"
He winked at his youngest. "Just wait till Sere and Mummy get here and you'll find out."
Draco led Ginny's parents into the sitting room. Clara seemingly appeared out of nowhere and took the overnight bags from Arthur before silently slipping back out of the room.
Molly eyed the woman a bit suspiciously as she left the room. "Well she's the efficient one isn't she?"
Draco laughed. "That she is. She's Gin's personal assistant. The woman can be as quick and quiet as a house elf sometimes. It's a bit worrisome honestly but she does good work so whatever."
A few moments after Molly and Arthur sat down Serenity came into the room. "Katharine, I'm sorry I tossed the chair in your direction."
Kat shrugged. "Whatever."
Finally realizing they had guests Sere quickly said hello and pretended she didn't care that her sister was brushing off her apology.
Ginny walked in a minute after her daughter. She stood shocked in the doorway. "Mum? Dad?"
Molly was off the sofa and to her daughter before anyone could hardly blink. "Oh my baby!"
Ginny threw her arms around her mother and held on for dear life. "Oh Mummy I'm so sorry. I've missed you so much."
Molly brushed her hand down Ginny's hair like she had so many times when she was a child. "Oh Hun, its all okay. I'm here now."
Arthur coughed. "Don't I get a hug from my Gin Gin?"
Ginny laughed through her tears. "Oh Daddy." She moved away from her mother only so she could hug her father.
After a long heart warming hug, Ginny let go of her father and let her parents sit back down.
The years really hadn't hurt her parents. Her father was a little balder and her mother a little thinner but otherwise they looked the same as they had the day she left.
"Mum?" Sere's voice drew Ginny from her musings
Ginny wiped the remaining tears from her face. "Yes honey?"
"They are your parents aren't they? The ones you always tell us stories about?"
"Yes Sere, this is my mum, grandmum Molly and my dad, granddad Arthur. Mum, Dad meet your grandkids; Isaac, Serenity, and Molly Katharine, we call her Kat."
Molly started crying again. "You named one of your babies after me?"
"Yes Mum."
Sere was visibly bored to death. Knowing her mum as she did, she would spend the next several hours crying on and off for hours. And if she had to guess so would the woman she now knew to be her grandmother. "Mum can we go play while you guys talk?"
"Yes you may." Sere and Kat were up and gone without as much as another word. Isaac also took their escape as a cue that he could leave also. "I'll be in the library if you need me."
Draco stopped his son as he walked out of the room. "Check on your sisters every so often please." Isaac turned to leave the room, then stopped and turned back. "Dad did that book I asked for come in yet?"
"Yes it did. It should be on my desk in the library."
"Thank you."
-->