A Life Worth Choosing

Chapter 15: Fury of Fights

Draco walked into Ginny's hospital room, closing the door behind him and took a seat beside her.

“Your mother said you were over stressed,” he smirked reaching for her hand.

“Apparently so,” she grinned. “My mother dealt with seven of us, eight including Harry, and she was never over stressed and only Merlins knows how she dealt with the facts of us all working for the Order. Me, I have two children who are fully capable of taking care of themselves and have very little on my mind to worry about and I end up here!”

“Since when do you compare yourself to your mother?”

“Well I was- I just- grrr...”

Draco laughed as her cheeks flushed for her own mistake.

“I'm not my mother, nor will I ever be!” she growled.

“I know.”

“So, the children said you had to speak with me?” she asked curiously.

“Well, I couldn't wait to tell you the good news.”

“That we'd have to have a whole other war if we want to get rid of you?”

“You were at the interview?” Draco asked confused.

“George brought me a Witches Wireless,” she smiled. “Congratulations on your new job. When do you start?”

“Not until after we put Kaeda and Junior on the train back to Hogwarts. Harry says I should spend as much time with them as possible.”

Draco looked down into Ginny's eyes.

“We were really worried about you, Gin,” he whispered brushing her fiery hair from her eyes before brushing his lips against hers.

Ginny didn't hesitate before falling into his trance, but something in the back of her head made her push him away before he could deepen the kiss.

“We shouldn't do this right now, Draco,” she said studying her hands which fidgeted with the itchy hospital blanket.

“But this morning-” he stuttered, searching his mind for something he missed.

“It's just that,” Ginny took a deep breath. “Addison just left you and you're still technically married, and I'm not sure if its appropriate at the moment.”

Draco turned his attention to the floor.

“I'm sorry,” she said trying to break the silence.

“It's alright. I understand,” he answered without looking up. “It's just- I missed you for so long and I just- I mean with the children and all and I'm just-”

“Afraid that you'll loose it all?” she asked.

Draco sighed.

“I'm afraid too,” she admitted. “But maybe if we just take it slow. Things just happened so fast last time and we were dealing with things we weren't ready for,” Ginny reached for his hands to draw his attention back to her. “One step at a time?”

“One step at a time,” he smiled back.

Ginny leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

“Sorry I took so long, dear,” Xavier said walking in trying to balance several cups of ice while trying to hold the door open. “I didn't know if you wanted crushed, shaved, cubed, or chipped so I asked Kaeda and she said chipped, but Junior said crushed and I had already gotten shaved so I had to go back and- what's going on here?” he asked noticing Draco for the first time.

“Ginny, what is he doing here?” Draco asked, his eyes fixed on the blonde squib before him.

“Xavier was just-”

“I'm her fiancé! What are you doing here?” he interrupted putting the cups down on a side table.

“Draco and I were just talking,” Ginny answered quickly.

“Didn't seem like you were just talking,” Xavier glared at Draco who sneered back at him.

“What makes you think she still wants to marry you!” Draco drawled back as he stood up, his Slytherin school boy attitude gleaming in his eyes.

“Draco that's enough!”

“You can't possibly think she would marry you, do you? Wouldn't be the first time you walked out on her,” Xavier spat back.

“Xavier stop!”

“I left to protect her which is more than you could ever do, Squib!” Draco shot back, his hand in his pocket wrapped around his wand, ready to draw.

“Draco please-”

“You left to protect your own arse, you Slytherin scum!” Xavier called out getting into Draco's face.

“Xavier, no-”

“Where were you during the war?” Draco questioned.

“ENOUGH!” Ginny screamed, her hands over her ears.

Draco and Xavier turned their attention to Ginny.

“If both of you are going to be this selfish, disrespectful, and childish then maybe I won't be with either of you! Take your stupid ring,” she said throwing her engagement ring at Xavier.

“If he hadn't-” Xavier began.

“Take all your stupid promises,” she said turning to Draco.

“Ginny, I'm-” Draco began to apologize.

“LEAVE NOW!”

Before either of them could protest any further, an angry Cho rushed in and ushered them out into the hallway, slamming the door in their faces.

Xavier continued down the hall mumbling curses under his breath.

Draco leaned against the marble wall, his head tilted towards the ceiling and sighed. His whole plan was ruined now.

“You're just going to let him get away like that?” a voice asked from beside him.

Draco looked over to see an old friend standing beside him.

“What are you doing here, Milli?” Draco asked a little annoyed.

“I was being treated for a hex I received after being thrown out of your interview. I couldn't help but over hear. So you're just going to give up?”

“What do you want me to do? Chase him down and hex him?” Draco snapped.

“Boy, you're sure not the Slytherin I knew in Hogwarts,” Bultrobe cackled. “That Draco wouldn't let anything get in the way of what he wanted,” she said as she slinked away.

Letting his anger and her words get the best of him, Draco marched down the hallway in pursuit of the Squib, catching up with him as he was waiting for the lifts.

“What do you want now, Malfoy?” Xavier snapped as Draco approached.

“To settle this once and for all, Bryce!”

Xavier grinned as he walked away from the lift, allowing it to leave without him.

“Rumor has it, you were nothing without your two bodyguards. So tell me Malfoy, where are they now?”

The mention of his school mates only angered Draco more.

“Shall we test this theory of yours?” he said drawing his wand from his pocket and pointing it at Xavier.

“What are you going to do? Hex me with your fairy wand?”

“I don't need a wand to deal with you,” Draco threw his wand to the floor and pushed up his sleeves before taking a swing at Xavier.

Xavier ducked causing Draco's fist to hit full force into the wall. Draco stumbled back hold his throbbing fist as Xavier tackled him into the opposite wall. Draco pushed him away far enough to where he hit him with a full blow to the nose, breaking it easily as blood gushed from his nostrils.

Xavier staggered back to his feet, ignoring the pain and the mess as he launched towards Draco, popping him in the cheek, causing a tooth to fall to the floor with trickles of blood.

Slightly dazed, Draco swung back, knocking Xavier in the gut, causing him to fall to the floor holding his bruised stomach. As Draco stood panting victoriously over his fallen opponent, he underestimated the strength of the smaller wizard as well as his speed. With one quick swoop, Xavier had knocked out Draco's knees bringing him to the floor as his head smacked back against the wall.

Before Draco could retaliate, he felt himself being pulled to his feet by his collar.

“Let me go!” he fought tiredly but he was easily overpowered by Harry.

Draco looked over to see Xavier being dragged away by Ron.

“What were you thinking?” Harry chastised, throwing Draco up against the wall.

“Sod off, Potter,” Draco growled, pushing Harry out of his way and allowing himself to walk away.

“Draco!” Harry called out after him, but Draco continued on to the lifts without a backwards glance.

__________________________________________________________________________

Draco awoke the next morning, his head pounding so bad that it pained him to even open his eyes. As he rolled over to try to fall back to sleep, his feet kicked something at the bottom of his bed. Slowly, he pushed himself up, carefully opening his eyes. As his vision cleared, he found Harry sitting at the foot of his bed.

“Morning sunshine,” Harry said cheerfully.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here, Potter?” Draco growled as he fell back onto the bed, pulling the covers back over his head.

“Long night?” Harry retorted.

“Go away, Potter!” Draco groaned.

Harry stood up and walked over to the side of the bed before pulling the covers off.

“It's quarter passed noon. Get your lazy arse out of bed!”

“Leave me alone!”

“Do you even remember how you got here, last night?” Harry asked.

“Nope! Don't care to either.”

Fed up with this little game, Harry pointed his wand at Draco.

“Incendio!”

With one quick leap, Draco was out of his bed, holding his smoldering behind.

“What the hell, Potter! Are you bloody mad!” Draco called out. “What the bloody hell was that?”

“The same thing I did to Avery when he had a little too much fun, one night. Got you out of bed though, didn't it,” said Harry as he watched Draco pour a pitcher of water on his wound. “Relax, Drae, I only singed you. Well, now that you're up, I think we should talk.”

“I don't want to talk,” Draco growled.

“Fine! Then you'll listen!,” Harry took a deep breath. “What the bloody hell were you thinking! First you start a fist fight in the middle of a Hospital, then I get an owl in the middle of the night from your frantic mother wanting to know if I'd seen Junior.

“Ron, Bill, and I were up half the night looking for him, only to find out that he was out looking for you, because you didn't have the decency to tell your own children where you were and they were worried about you and I'm not finished!” Harry said through gritted teeth as he saw Draco's mouth start to open. “And though you don't want to know, I'm going to tell you anyway. Junior is how you got home last night. By the time he found you at that Muggle club you were already passed out and he had to drag you for about five blocks before he found a clearing to strap you to his broom and fly you home!

“Now you wanted to know why I'm here now? Because Kaeda came to my office this afternoon in tears, because you were still sleeping and wouldn't wake up. Anything else you want to know?”

Draco just stood there.

“Good, now spend some time with your kids. They leave for Hogwarts tomorrow. We will all be meeting here where everyone will say their goodbyes. Be there!”

Draco nodded before watching Harry walk out the door, slamming it behind him.

Draco sat at the edge of his bed with his face in his hands; his head still throbbing from his all night partying. He only moved when he heard a faint `pop'!. He looked up see the bright eyes of his house elf standing before him.

“What is it, Kiaree?”

“Mistress has sent Master Draco potion, sir,” she said bowing as she handed him the vial. “Mistress says potion will make Master Draco's head feel better.”

“Thanks,” said Draco taking the vial from the elf.

With one gulp, he swallowed it down. A warm sensation took over his body instantly, and the pain vanished.

“Kiaree, please find the children and ask them to meet me in the dinning room.”

“Yes, Master Draco, sir,” with a final bow, she was gone.

Still wearing the same attire from the previous day, Draco strolled down to the dinning room where he found his family all sitting down to lunch. Narcissa and Severus sat at one side of the table talking quietly while the children sat at the other, hidden behind copies of the Daily prophet. At the sight of her son entering the room, Narcissa stood up, gesturing her husband to follow.

“I am very disappointed in you,” she whispered to Draco as she walked passed him out the door.

Draco sat down opposite his children as Kiaree rushed over to serve him a plate of soup.

“Good Morning,” he called out.

Draco watched as Junior peered over his paper before slamming it onto the table and walked out of the room, his lunch untouched.

“Is he alright?” Draco asked his daughter.

Kaeda folded up the paper before handing it to Draco.

“See for yourself,” she said. “Front page.”

Draco unfolded the paper and looked at the headline. Where he thought he would find his interview was the headline...

“Draco Malfoy Seen Passed Out in Muggle Club!” Draco read out loud.

“Nice going Father,” Kaeda called out.

“Kaeda, Kaeda come back!” Draco called after her as she left the room. He looked to the bottom of the article for the author. “Skeeter! Should of known!”

He continued to skim through the remaining paper. It seemed that every page had his name on it.

`Draco Malfoy Starts Fist Fight at St. Mungo's', `Has Draco Malfoy Lost the Race for Miss. Weasley's Heart?', `What Will Happen to Draco Malfoy Next?'.

Draco turned to the front page looking for his interview when he noticed another headline.

“Mother of Malfoy heirs to wed Squib!” he read aloud.

Underneath the title was a flashy photo of Xavier and Ginny. He was about to throw the paper down, but thought otherwise. Instead Draco frantically began to search the paper for his interview.

“The last page?” Draco growled throwing the paper to the floor.

_________________________________________________________________________

Ginny sat quietly, alone in her hospital bed, flipping through a few magazines when a knock sounded at the door.

“May I come in?” Ron peered in through the door.

“Of course,” Ginny smiled.

“So how's my little sis feeling today?” he asked.

“Great! Almost ready to go home. I just have to wait for Cho to release me.”

Ron sat on the bed and picked up one of the magazines.

“Wonderful Witch Weddings?” he read the title.

“Yea, I've been getting them all day. About an Owl every hour,” Ginny groaned. “Has anyone talked to the children yet?”

“Harry was there earlier checking in on them, they know everything.”

“Good,” Ginny smiled. “I hope this doesn't upset them.”

“Don't worry about them. They will be fine.”

Ginny looked around for a moment before turning back to her brother.

“How's Draco?” she asked.

Ron cringed for a moment. He wasn't about to bring her the news of her teenage son dragging his father home late the night before.

“Well he lost a tooth and hit his head pretty hard, but he was in much better shape than Bryce was.”

“How could he be such a jerk! All this wouldn't have happened if he never opened his big mouth to begin with.”

“Gin relax, you're going to upset yourself again.”

“You're right,” she said taking a deep breath. “As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to go talk to him.”

“No, you're not!” Ron declared.

“Says who?”

“Me! You need to relax. You are going straight home to the Burrow to relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, we will put the children back on the train to Hogwarts and then you can do what ever your heart desires.”

“But!”

“Keep the children out of this. Wait until after they leave. They're disappointed enough, Gin. Don't get their hopes up, until you're certain.”

“Fine!”

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