Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little.
ACCIDENTAL LOVE
FORTUITOUS FUMBLING
His acceptance into the Weasley family took place one night when Ginny was working the graveyard shift at the hospital. In the six months they'd been seeing each other she'd never put in for the evening shifts when Draco was home, preferring to spend the time with him, but she had been asked to cover for someone and couldn't refuse. Draco had sulked a little initially. However, in the end, he was all set to spend the night by the fire in his study with a good book, when Harry dropped by with her brothers in tow. They'd demanded he get dressed in some suitable attire to go on a pub-crawl. Draco had complied, but only out of fear that they'd take matters into their own hands and dress him themselves.
Sometime around dawn the next morning, Draco stumbled out of his fireplace and fell onto the floor, next to the couch he'd been aiming to sleep upon until he could feel his legs again. Ginny had arrived for breakfast, as they'd prearranged the afternoon before, to find her boyfriend in a drunken coma and smelling worse than the slops bucket at The Leaky Cauldron. She'd left him where he'd fallen and crawled into his bed to catch a few hours sleep herself. Several hours later, when he'd gained enough control over his body to ascend the staircase, he discovered her presence. To say she was less than sympathetic when he woke her up was an understatement.
It was the closest they'd ever come to having a disagreement. She'd been furious with him for getting that drunk and even more wild with her brothers for getting him that drunk. Her claims that anything could have happened to him fell on mostly deaf ears, as her brothers claimed that even though they too were fall-down drunk they were looking after her 'precious boyfriend'. Draco's claims that he was an Elite Auror, the best of the best, were met with slightly scary glares.
The next day, feeling suitably guilty, Draco visited Gringotts and removed a piece of jewelry he thought he'd never have reason to use, until he met her. Bill Weasley had noticed his presence in the bank and he'd been forced to swear the man to secrecy, because if word got out about what he was planning to do he wouldn't get around to doing it before she found out along the family gossip line.
A week later he was still carrying the little package around in his pocket. Although he wanted to give it to her, the time just never seemed right or the setting was wrong. There was always something he could find that was just not right. Of course, the fact that his mouth dried up and his voice seemed to take a vacation every time he thought about introducing that particular topic had nothing to do with his inability to find the right moment. He'd decided he needed a plan to help him get through this. It had to be something spectacular, something she'd remember for the rest of her life.
They'd just finished dinner at the manor and were snuggling in one of the cozier sitting rooms before the fire one night after work. The weather had turned a little frosty over the past few weeks, so romantic evenings by an open fire were becoming routine for the couple. Draco was leaning back into the corner of the long sofa with Ginny resting back against him. She was telling him about a patient of hers-one that was frustrating her. There was, apparently, some indecision among her colleagues as to whether the woman was genuinely sick or if she was simply a lonely old woman who had found a way to stem the said loneliness.
Ginny sighed. "I just don't know what to do for her."
"Don't stress over her," Draco whispered absently, his thoughts roaming over possible plans for a special proposal. "You won't have to worry about these things once we're married."
Ginny sat forward slowly and turned herself around to face him. "What did you say?"
"I-err-" Draco cringed. "I said that aloud, didn't I?"
She nodded, her face a mask of surprise.
"I didn't mean to," he blurted. He hadn't meant to at all. He'd been thinking it, and it was supposed to have remained a silent thought.
"Oh." Ginny couldn't hide her disappointment. Her face fell and she cast her eyes down.
Draco sat forward and took both her hands in his. "I mean, I did mean it, just not like that."
Ginny frowned at him. It wasn't like Draco to babble. He was usually so composed, but now he simply looked confused.
"I'm making a right cock up of this, aren't I?" he groaned more to himself than to Ginny.
"Draco?"
He glanced up to meet her eyes. They were like windows to her soul; he could see just how much she loved him though them. It was then that he knew without a doubt that this was what he wanted, no matter how much he messed up the proposal. His hand slipped into his pocket and withdrew a small jeweler's box. When he opened it she gasped loudly. "I've been carrying this around for about a week now. I wanted to make it memorable for you, but I've screwed that up."
"It will be memorable," Ginny scarcely whispered.
"But not for the right reasons." Draco shook his head, disappointed with himself for making a mess of such an important personal moment.
Ginny remained silent, allowing him time to gather his thoughts. She knew, no matter what she said, he'd still be angry with himself for the slip up.
Draco stood up, bringing her with him. Without breaking eye contact with her he slowly lowered himself to one knee. "Ginevra Weasley, will you do me the honor of agreeing to become my wife?"
"Yes," Ginny breathed more than articulated. Her heart was racing and tears were beginning to well in her eyes. She watched as he slipped an enormous solitaire onto her finger, pressing his lips to it when it was in position. "I love you," she uttered as he stood up.
"I love you," Draco said with conviction, taking her into his arms and kissing her in a way neither of them would ever forget.
It was the last clear memory either of them had for some time. The morning heralded the beginning of a week full of hugs, kisses, handshakes, and backslapping as the happy couple made their around their family and friends, telling everyone their news.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Draco propped himself on the corner of his future brother-in-law's desk with a smug grin on his face, purposely ignoring the stares of disbelief from his colleagues. He knew none of them thought that he'd ever marry, even though he'd been seeing Ginny exclusively for the past six months.
Today he could finally relax after a week of feeling anxious every time they told someone close to Ginny. Not that he'd had any cause for concern, because everyone was ecstatic for them. Ron and Harry were the last of the people they had to tell in person and with that done all his worries melted away.
Right now he felt like the luckiest man alive. There was something infinitely satisfying about finally getting what you want after worrying about it for so long. Of course, there was never any doubt in his own mind that he'd eventually get her to say yes, but popping the question was far harder than he thought it would be, and there was always that nagging thought in the back of his mind about it being too soon.
In retrospect, he really owed that nutter who sent him to St. Mungo's a lot. If he hadn't been Ginny's patient for a week he probably wouldn't have curbed his dating habits or seen her for the wonderful woman she was, instead of the dead sexy body she possessed. The true turning point for him was probably that fateful evening when Harry and Ron set them up. He had become attracted to her in a way he'd not previously been attracted to a woman before. There was something alluring lurking beneath the surface of her beautiful face. It was something he'd intently set about discovering in the months that followed.
"When did you pop the question?" Ron asked curiously.
"Last week," Draco answered with a broad grin.
"You've been engaged for a week? No one told me," Ron said sulkily.
"I wonder why that is," Harry pondered aloud. "Could it be your habit of threatening to have Draco hunted down?"
"I did that once… Maybe twice."
"Do I have to go into hiding to make the chase more entertaining for you?" Draco asked with a smirk. Ron did threaten him good-naturedly, or rather drunkenly, from time to time and Draco took it in his stride. It had come to the point where the whole thing was turning into a family joke.
"If you're going into hiding then you're taking me with you," Ginny said with certainty as her arms went around her fiancé.
"I couldn't leave you behind." Draco kissed the top of her head. "Have you finished showing off your ring?"
"Yes, everyone just loves it!"
"Good. We have to get going now if we're going to be on time for our meeting with the wedding coordinator."
"Already? You're planning the wedding now?" Ron spluttered.
Draco smirked. "Yes, of course."
"How soon are you getting married?" Harry asked curiously.
"As soon as possible," Ginny responded happily.
Ron frowned. "Why?"
"Because we want to," Draco answered, knowing exactly what everyone would think when they found out how soon they planned to tie the knot.
"Any other reason?"
Ginny giggled into Draco's chest, she knew what her brother was thinking. "Nope."
"Weasley, give your sister a little credit. She is a Healer, and she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to those sorts of charms and potions."
"What sort?" Ron asked, feigning innocence poorly.
Draco smirked at him, knowing his next answer was going to have the redhead spluttering again. "Contraceptive."
"I think we should go now before he passes out or something and I'm forced to treat him," Ginny whispered, as her brother's face went through a range of colors before their eyes.
On their way out of the department, with the congratulations of his colleagues still ringing in his ears, Draco couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like when he announced he was going to be a father. He hoped that it would be something he'd be able to do in the not too distant future.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~fin~
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Written for dgficexchange. Thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her fantastic beta skills.
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