Chapter 26
Dancing Under the Starry Sky
A/N: My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.
Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible.
No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.
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"Draco what time is it?"
Draco pushed the cuff of his shirt sleeve up to check his watch. "Six-thirty Gin. Are you anywhere near ready? Mother is going to have a coronary if we don't make our grand entrance soon." Draco immediately stopped talking when his wife stepped out of the dressing room. Her fiery red hair was partially pulled up, fastened with a sparkling clasp at the crown of her head. The rest hung in loose curls flowing down her back like shimmering flames.
The gown was better than he had hoped. The strapless number showed off his wife's delicate shoulders speckled with thousands of tiny freckles like stars in the night sky. The silk of the material clung to her breasts like a second skin, cinched tightly in an empire waist ornamented with a tasteful bow before falling into elegant cascades of shimmering fabric that pooled behind her the shortest train.
Ginny smiled at her husband. "So how do I look?"
"Like an angel."
She arched an eyebrow at her husband. "An angel in black luv? Well that sounds all kinds of dark and demonic." She gave a giggle. "Thanks luv. I always aspired to be a dark angel after all."
He couldn't resist, he swept her into his arms and kissed her. "You're beautiful… and several inches taller?" He released her and looked her over. She certainly seemed taller.
She giggled again as she lifted the skirt and the tulle underneath that gave the skirt body. She stuck out her right foot and wigged it about. "Do you like?" She had on the most enticing heels. Little more than strips of ribbon that held a delicate heel to the bottom of her foot. The ribbons twisted up her calf and tided just below her knee.
He nodded rather speechlessly before finding his voice. "I like them very much. How ever are you ever going to dance in those?"
"Very easily. Your mother cast a few spells I would never have thought of and a couple I live by on them. Let's see there is one for not breaking because honestly these things are as fragile as glass and broken heels are just no fun. There is one to stop slipping since the soles are rather slippery. There is even one to keep the ribbons from breaking or slipping down my legs. Most importantly there is the one spell every witch casts on any pair of heels, one for comfort. They are like walking on air. So yes I'll be able to dance in them rather easily.
"So long as you're happy love." He gave her a purely wicked look. "I have to say I have thoughts of something other than dancing you could wear those for."
"Oh you do, do you? Well I'm sure we can arrange something along those lines."
He laughed. "You are so wanton sometimes."
"Oh I really am." She smiled sweetly and glanced at the clock on the wall. Only five minutes had passed but she knew Draco was right. She couldn't put off going out there much longer. "I'm ready if you are."
"Almost." Draco picked up a black velvet box from the top of the dresser. "Mother asked me to give this to you. It should have been yours years ago, but I guess she never thought of it till now and I know I didn't. I probably wouldn't have ever remembered it if she hadn't handed it to me this morning." Draco opened the box to reveal the most stunning set of diamond jewels. "Every Malfoy bride of the eldest son has always presented these to his wife on their wedding day. I should have remembered and requested them from mum, but well I had better things on my mind."
Ginny was staring at the jewels. She and Draco were by no means poor. They still had money from the original vaults that his mother had turned over when they had first left Britain but they had never once thought of buying anything as stunning or expensive as the contents of the box in Draco's hand. "Better things?"
He smiled and nodded. "Marrying you and being the best father I could possibly be to our son pretty much took up all my thinking time."
"That's defiantly better things to think about."
"I agree. But well now that she has found them and reminded me of them I, no we, want them to take their rightful place around your neck. Wear them for me tonight?"
"They're beautiful and they must cost a fortune. What if I lose them or break them? I couldn't."
"You can't do either. They have charms to protect them from loss, theft, breaking, and probably a whole host of other protections I don't actually know about. Tell me you'll wear them. The whole set Gin. Please."
"What about my locket? I never take it off."
"I know that. We can always cast a see-me-not spell on it for the evening. You can wear both."
Hesitantly she nodded her head.
"I need to prick your finger."
The slightest look of alarm crossed her face before a look of questioning slipped into place.
"It's part of the charms. Until the jewels are assigned to you by blood the charms will see you as an improper holder. I had to do the same to even hold them. Just a quick prick enough for one single drop of blood to rub into the back of the necklace. Every bride and their husbands before us have done the same thing and no harm fell on them because of this."
"Okay." She held out of left hand palm up. Blood magic always frightened her. It had since she was eleven and had been forced to kill Hagrid's chickens. Draco removed a small pearl tipped needle from inside the box. Quickly he pricked the tip of her ring finger, dropped the needle back in the box, and squeezed to draw the smallest drop to the surface. "I swear its safe Gin."
She nodded again as he directed her finger to the back of the jeweled necklace. He placed her finger against the cool metal of the back of the necklace, rubbing her finger in tiny circles across the expanse of it. Following his lead she rubbed the drop of blood over the cool metal. The jewels glowed a brilliant white for the briefest second before returning to their normal splendor. "All done."
She dropped her hand from the box as he set it back on the top of the dresser next to them. He removed his wand from his sleeve and cast a charm over her locket to hide it from view as it hung around her neck. He slipped his wand back up his sleeve and lifted the ornate necklace from the box and draped it around her neck. He removed the matching tear drop earrings from the box and passed them to her to put on herself as he clasped the diamond tennis-style bracelet around her wrist. "There now you're all set."
He stepped back and looked at the vision that his wife made. "Simply stunning." Ginny blushed at the lavish praise from her husband. Their many years together had not tempered his praises or her ability to blush at everyone as if she was still sixteen. He held out his arm to her. She wound her arm around his.
When the duo made it to the back hall Draco summoned Uric. With a pop the elf appeared before them. "Please inform my mother we are ready if she is."
"Yes Master." He was gone again with a pop. Within a few moments Narcissa joined them from outside. She gushed at the site of the two together. "Dear me you're so beautiful together." She ran her finger across the necklace on her daughter-in-law's neck. "You accepted them. Draco was worried you wouldn't because of the charms. I'm sorry if it scared you, but they honestly are perfectly safe my dear."
"I know. I was a little hesitant, but I wouldn't have dreamed turning them down. They're beautiful thank you."
"Oh there is no need to thank me dear. They were rightfully Draco's to give you. I'm sorry I had forgotten about them. They've been in my vault for well over twenty years. I haven't worn them since the Ministry Christmas ball when Draco was still at Hogwarts; before he returned. Truthfully if I hadn't gone to Gringotts last week I likely would have continued to forget about them. It was purely coincidence that I noticed them at all my dear." Narcissa tucked a stray curl of hair behind Ginny's ear then adjusted Draco's tie as they talked. "Well dears I do believe you're ready. The children are already out and about running around mad with their cousins having quite the good time.
Draco wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist. "Ready Hun?"
"As I'll ever be. Come on the sooner we get out there, the sooner I can grab a glass of wine to shake these nerves."
Draco laughed then realized what his wife had said. "You two aren't serving our wine tonight are you?"
"Muggle wine mum? Father must be turning over in his grave."
"Let him turn then dear." His mother smiled broadly. "Do you think I would serve anything else? Honestly, you know I only serve the best. I'm proud of what you do; of course it's what I'm serving."
Draco laughed. He rather enjoyed seeing this side of his mother. She had for the most part always been a kind hearted soul when Lucius wasn't in her direct vicinity. Now that his father was gone and she truly was her own person she was even more so than he ever had remembered her to be. "Point taken mother."
"Well now, give me a moment to gather everyone's attention then I'll call you out. Walk to the top of the steps, pause, then continue down the walk up to myself and Ginny's parents."
"Mother it's not been so long that I don't remember how to make an entrance."
"I know that dear I wanted to remind you. It's been ages since you were forced to do this."
"No mother it hasn't. We constantly have to attend rather upscale events back home. Being awarded winning wine makers in wine country tends to force you to attend all kinds of gatherings; must play nice with the competition and all that rot."
Narcissa honestly looked shocked. "Well I seem to learn something new about muggles every day."
"Mother, do stop talking and just go get on with it."
Narcissa huffed at being reprimanded by her own son as she made her way back out the French doors. Through the glass Draco and Ginny could see his mother quickly gathering Arthur and Molly up to the stage to join her. She tipped her wand to her throat. "Ladies and gentlemen it's with great pleasure that we have gathered this fine evening. The return of our children is a most happy event. One that we hope each of you are as pleased to be part of as we are. Now without further ado I am pleased to introduce to you the Draco and Ginevra Malfoy. With a flourish the French doors swung open by themselves to present them to the crowd. They walked arm in arm to the edge of the elevated terrace, pausing for a moment before making their way down the steps to the main walk through the roses to the stage where their parents stood.
The band played a soft song that was perfect for swaying in your lover's arms to. Draco held Ginny close to him as they danced, the short train of her dress trailing over the dance floor beneath their feet. "Are you having fun luv?"
She nodded her head against his shoulder. "I am. I wasn't expecting your mother to go to all this trouble. Even after I knew what she had planned it seemed a little unbelievable till we actually stepped through those doors."
"She doesn't see it as trouble you know. She rather lives for all this. I hate to know how much she's been dieing to throw one of her parties again. Severus says they have been few and far between since the war. She used to throw several parties like this a year; many just because she could."
"Well she did an amazing job of it. Everything is perfect."
"I'm sure she would love to hear you say that."
"I have…a couple times. I just can't seem to get over how beautiful everything is or how fast she got everything in and out to decorate the place. You would think it would have taken weeks to do all this, but for it to only taken a few days is almost unbelievable even for wizards."
Draco laughed. "You don't know my mother. She pays well to have everything fit the exact design she has in her head and have it done promptly. Years of throwing parties like this for snobbish people who demand only the best has taught her how to throw a party. But I agree she is extremely good at it."
"Good at it? More like bloody brilliant."
"You shouldn't swear in mixed company luv."
"No but it's never stopped me before."
Draco laughed as he held her to him. "No it hasn't."
The couple had dance either with one another or with someone else from a small group of friends and family most of the night in an effort to avoid speaking to each one of the hundreds of guests. Each of Ginny's brother's had danced with her more than a couple times. When her father danced with her he managed to make her cry when he told her how beautiful she had grown up to be.
Isaac held his mother's hand in his as they danced around the floor. "You look happy mum."
She smiled. "I am. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I am. Grandmum can throw a wicked party."
Ginny laughed. "That she can."
"Dad looks like he's about to fall."
Ginny looked over to find Draco attempting to dance with both his daughters at once. Sere clung tightly to his right side and Kat to his left. "I hope someone gets a picture of that. It's too good to miss."
Isaac shook his head at his mother. "Is Kat standing on dad's foot?"
"Looks like it. Isn't it cute?"
"Yeah, she obviously hasn't danced with you tonight. It bloody hurts when she does that."
"Oh stop picking on your sister."
He laughed. "Sure mom. Right after the sun turns blue and the ocean turns into lime jell-o."
"Oh you." Mother and son danced quietly together as the song continued on. "Have you spoken to any of your cousins tonight?"
"Yeah, some of them aren't too bad. The only ones that seem to understand that I go to a muggle school are the Potter kids. I guess that's cool though. You did try to tell me most wizards wouldn't understand. It's not like it bothers me or anything. Though I wouldn't mind not having to answer `what are muggle schools like' for the zillionth time."
"They're just curious."
"I know mum."
"So who have you danced with?"
"Don't you mean who haven't I danced with? Grandma Molly has asked me to dance with pretty much all the girls."
Ginny laughed. "Sounds like you've been busy."
"Can we say understatement much mum? I have more cousins than I would care to admit to most people. But it's cool. At least I didn't get the orange hair."
Ginny laughed. "Ha, ha, ha young man; very funny. I'll have you know my hair is not orange."
"You know me mum, always out for a laugh and a half."
"Your uncles Fred and George would be pleased to know it I'm sure."
"They are wicked funny mum. Xavier warned me off eating out of the candy bowl from the buffet table."
A look of horror flooded Ginny's face. "Oh no they didn't."
Isaac smiled and nodded. "It's nothing too bad, just laugh-a-lot taffies. I don't think many people have eaten them, mainly just the little kids. A few of them seem to have endless cases of the giggles."
Ginny shook her head as she scanned the crowed for her prankster brothers. "They could have done far worse I promise you. Just remember to watch what you eat around them. You never know when you might grow feathers, turn colors, or age a couple hundred years."
He laughed. "I don't think I can forget. You've warned me off a half dozen times at least mum."
The night slipped away as quickly as the wine flowed and as gently as the breeze blew around them. Just after midnight Draco and Ginny sent there children and the children of Ginny's brothers off to bed as they had planned. There was no need to send everyone home when the good portion of the children were more than capable of changing into their own night clothes which had been brought along in preparation for the preplanned sleepover and tucking themselves into bed. Those that weren't had the aid of a duo of matronly nannies that Narcissa had insisted on hiring for the evening to allow Ginny's family to enjoy the evening longer. After all there was more than enough room for each family to stay at the manor. Magic had allowed her to adjust several rooms on an empty hall into dorms for the children to stay in. Boys were on one side of the hall and girls on the other.
Slowly, as the night grew into morning, guests began to make their goodbyes to Draco, Ginny, and their respective families. Ginny and Draco stood politely at the edge of the garden accepting the well wishes of there many guests till Ginny just wanted to snap at them to just go already, but held her tongue for the thought of what the Daily Prophet would be reporting the next day if she did. Well and for the fact that she refused to insult Narcissa's kindness by insulting the guests no matter how much she wished they would just leave. After some time she was granted her wish.
By two AM the only guests that remained were family and the closest of friends. Blaze who had kept his promise twirled some delicate flower of a woman around the dance floor to the final strains of the classical wizarding song that the band was playing as their final set. Many of Ginny's brothers and their wives were doing much the same
The band packed up and in their place Draco charmed Ginny's radio to play loud enough for everyone to hear. More than once Draco noticed her father marveling at the tiny device that sat on the edge of the stage seemingly making music out of nothing. He had attempted to explain it only to have Hermione tell him not to bother. She'd been trying for years and Arthur still just didn't get it. She flat refused to try and explain computers, MP3 players, and cell phones to the older man and thusly warned Draco off explaining those and anything else even slightly computerized as well.
Draco sat down in a chair and pulled Ginny into his lap. "Having fun Gin?"
"I have had a wonderful time." Ginny leaned against her husband. "Severus hasn't asked your mother to dance yet."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. She's danced with nearly every person that's asked her, including each of my brothers and my father but he hasn't asked her. Such a pity, she looks terribly like she wants him to."
"Gin I can hear the wheels in your head turning. What are you planning?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking he might do well with a polite nudge from you."
"My godfather is not an emotional man luv. No matter what I say he's not going to ask her."
"You won't know until you try now will you? Just suggest it to him. If he knows you're okay with it, he just might surprise us all."
"He knows I'm okay with him seeing her."
"Yeah he knows you're okay with him seeing her on rare occasions when no one is around to witness it.
It's an entirely different story for you to be okay with them being a public couple."
"You're not going to drop this until I talk to him are you?"
Ginny looked back at her husband and smiled sweetly. "No I'm not."
"Well up with you then. I can't very well go talk to him if you're sitting in my lap."
Ginny hopped off of his lap and smiled as he rose up from his seat. "The things I do for you
woman."
"I love you too."
Draco walked straight from his seat to the unoccupied chair next to his godfather.
Severus gave his godson a very curious look. "Tell me Draco, why does a man, leave a seat that he is sharing with a shapely witch to come sit in a cold chair next to his godfather?"
"Because if I didn't I would be sleeping in one of the many unoccupied bedrooms of the manor for the duration of our stay. You'll excuse me if I would prefer to do this instead of vacate my nice warm bed that I share with my wife."
"So you are saying that your wife is requiring you come spend your time with me?"
"Only momentarily. No worries, I'm not going to make you talk about your feelings and eat copious amounts of sickly sweet desserts."
"Then pray tell what are you over here doing?"
"Telling you something my wife insists you need to know."
"Which would be?"
"You really should go ask mum to dance. She's apparently pining according to my wife."
"Narcissa pine; not hardly."
"I completely agree. However, I'm neither a woman nor in touch with my inner witch. My wife thanks to the graces of the Fates fits both qualifications. I'm going to take her word on the behaviors of other women over my own observations if you don't mind."
"Not at all."
"Then get off your bum and go ask mum to dance before I end up spending the next several nights in a cold bed."
"It would not be proper to ask her."
"Proper my lily white arse. Uncle no one cares if you dance with her." He stopped for a moment noticing Molly tutting over one of Ginny's brothers. He couldn't repress an utterly wicked look. "Well that's not entirely true is it? I'm sure Molly would love to see you taking up time with a nice witch. Dancing with mother just might get her off your back about finding a wife."
"That is utterly cruel of you to even suggest."
"No it's Slytherin tactics. I would assume you would notice them when you saw them in action considering you spent several years teaching me to perfect them."
"Touché"
Draco rose from his seat as if to walk away. "And Uncle if it's my feelings on the matter you're worried about then I'll tell you now you have nothing to worry over. I've already told you I have no problems with your relationship with my mother. You make her happy. So do us both a favor and go ask her to dance. There is no one left here that would be the slightest bit put out by you actually moving along to music."
Severus grumbled about pushy godsons and nosy witches as he rose from his seat in silent defeat. Draco smiled in the direction of his wife. He would never hear the end of her being right about this one he was fairly certain.
Draco watches as his godfather summoned as much courage as a Slytherin could possibly muster as he asked his mother to dance. The smile on his mother's face only served to prove his wife was even more correct in her estimation of his mother.
Ginny came up behind her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist to turn him around to face her. "I told you she wanted to dance with him."
"And I concede to you madam. You are one hundred and ten percent correct."
"They are rather beautiful together don't you think?"
"I'll admit they are a nice looking couple. But I will never admit that to anyone but you."
"I don't think you'll have to. I'm fairly certain my mother has decided they need to be together."
"Draco looked over and noticed Molly was all but bouncing with excitement. "So she does. Severus doesn't stand a chance of keeping their relationship a secret after this."
"Not if my mother has anything to say about it."
"She will. I tried to get her to lay off Severus when they visited. I may have mentioned he was in a private relationship. However my mother laying her head on his shoulder may well have just given that private relationship a public outing. Your mother knows."
The hours slipped away, by four AM the remainder of their friends had left and Ginny's brothers and sisters had either left for a few hours at home in their own homes without their children or were in bed in one of the many spare rooms that Narcissa had offered for them to stay in for the evening.
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