Chapter 4
When Ginny was asked to sum up her first year at home with Devon she always used the word "insane." Between Marissa's wants and needs and Devon's Ginny was pulled in so many different directions that she relished the two days a week she went into work. Her mother was able to deal with a two year old and one year old much better than she could. The day after Draco was done school and Ginny was lying in bed, relishing in the fact that Devon, just two years old, was sleeping in…a rarity for him.
July 1st brought a warm breeze through their open bedroom window and for a moment Ginny wondered if she should get up, go down and read the paper in quiet. Then, she felt Draco roll over, slipping an arm over her waist and settling in behind her.
"Why is it so quiet?" he asked, punctuating his question with a yawn.
"Because Devon is sleeping in. I guess your birthday party last night went a bit past his bedtime." Ginny nestled back against him, humming softly as he kissed her shoulder.
"Midnight is about three hours past his bedtime," Draco mentioned slipping his hand under her shirt.
"Draco! What're you doing?" Ginny laughed swiping his hand away. He just laughed softly, moving his hand in the opposite direction. "Last night wasn't enough for you?"
"Never," Draco answered swiftly shifting himself so he was lying on top of her. Placing her hands on his shoulders, Ginny stopped him from leaning down and kissing her.
"We can't right now. I started my period about three hours ago."
Draco sighed muttering something about how unpredictable she was.
"I know you don't like it when you can't control something and it annoys me too but I think you can live through this," Ginny smiled as he gave a melodramatic groan.
"Well, maybe this will be a good time to ask you something." Draco slid to Ginny's side and she looked up at him, quietly wondering what was running though his always busy mind. As his gaze glanced to the baby pictures of Marissa and Devon on their wall she knew. She had seen him the night before playing with Jeremy, Ron and Samantha's second child who was almost one year old.
"You want another child?" she asked and saw his eyes flicker over to her in surprise.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because about six months ago we were talking about how three was a nice number of kids to have. Then you played with Jeremy quite a bit and are now gazing at the pictures of Marissa and Devon. I can read you well after all these years, Draco." She placed a hand on his chest and he remained quiet so she continued on. "I wouldn't mind having a third, but do you think we can try and time it so he or she is born when you are on break? I'm sure you are getting tired of trying to find people to cover your classes."
"I'm sure we can try for that. But, given your cycles I'm not sure that it will be a given that a baby will be born in July or August."
"Well, it will be fun to try won't it?" Ginny placed a kiss on his shoulder seeing the faint scar where she had scraped him during one of their moments in bed, back when they were at Hogwarts.
"Always is," he smiled softly at her and for the next few minutes they took comfort in the quiet surrounding them until Devon came bounding into the room, launching himself onto Ginny's side of the bed. His hazel eyes shown with excitement, knowing that tomorrow would be the day they left for vacation.
"Pack!" he bounced between his parents who laughed at him.
"It won't take long to pack Devon. We don't need to start this early."
"I want to go. Now."
"Sorry, Devon. We leave tomorrow which gives me a chance to get all my school exams out of the way and concentrate on the summer," Draco pulled himself up out of bed citing the need for a shower while Ginny led Devon downstairs to feed him breakfast.
"Can I ride dad's broom?" Marissa asked while they were eating yogurt at the table.
"Marissa, no. Daddy has told you that. You have one; his is too big."
"Faster broom!" Devon piped up and ran around the kitchen, crashing into Draco as he walked in, hair still wet from his shower.
"Steady, son," Draco picked him up off the floor and set him back on his feet.
"Pleeeease?" Marissa begged and Ginny repeated her answer.
"She doesn't understand NO does she?" Draco whispered pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"She's three and a half. That word is the only part of her vocabulary she resorts to when we ask her to do something."
As if on cue, Devon yelled at his sister as she tried to reach out and grab his last biscuit.
"Then sit down and finish, Devon. Stop wandering around." Draco told him firmly, pushing his son's chair closer to the table.
"She may be old enough now for the intermediate broom, Draco. She's huge on that little one now," Ginny whispered as they leaned against the counter watching Devon's blond head bouncing to a tune only he could hear and Marissa scraping the last of the yogurt out of her bowl.
"She's not ready, Ginny. We discussed this on her birthday. It's a huge responsibility and time consuming for one of us to teach her how to use a larger, faster broom."
"I know that, Draco, it's six months later and she's at least an inch taller," Ginny said firmly keeping her eyes on their daughter. "I have all summer so I could show her. Or, don't you think I can teach her the basics of an intermediate broom?"
"I didn't say that. Why do you have to go putting words into my mouth?" He turned and placed his cup in the sink, slight anger in his movements.
"Because that is what I think you are saying."
"I'm not. I just don't want her to have one yet. She's too little."
"What about what I think? Doesn't that count?" Ginny asked hotly her eyes now clashing with Draco's. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by someone calling from their fireplace.
"Well finish this later," he said firmly turning away from her to see who was calling upon them before ten in
the morning.
Ginny and Draco didn't have much of a chance to continue their conversation as they began packing up their children's clothes for the two week holiday at their house in Spain. The Potter's would be joining them days after their arrival, and then heading off to Hermione's parents.
At lunch time, Draco ran out to purchase some items they couldn't get in Spain so while Devon napped and Ginny munched on a sandwich, Marissa played outside. Every once in awhile, Marissa would run to the corner, peek around it then seeing her mother on the porch, giggle hysterically as Ginny pretended not to notice. Marissa announced she was going to run around the house, and seeing her mother nod, she took off.
Ginny flipped through the magazine that had arrived in the mail yesterday and on the back page saw the perfect broom for Marissa. It was on sale being last years model and figuring that she had much of a say in her daughter as Draco (and was probably better versed in knowing what she could handle). Ginny sent an owl to the address listed with the right amount of money and the request to express mail it to them that afternoon before they left.
Not sure if she was feeling guilty for outright defying Draco, she began thinking of ways to defend her decision. Suddenly, she heard Draco yelling outside and as she ran down the porch towards his voice, she caught the last of his words from behind the house.
"…Marissa Ginevra Malfoy! What part of NO don't you understand? You're lucky you didn't break something!"
Ginny skidded to a halt seeing Draco's older Quidditch broom in two pieces on the ground and Marissa sitting next to it, crying. Running to Marissa she asked if she was hurt; her practiced hands running over her daughter's head, arms and anything else she could reach.
"She's fine!" Draco insisted pacing up and down, his eyes flashing with anger. "I checked her first! That bloody child broke my broom after we told her she couldn't ride it!" Draco fumed bending down to pick up the two pieces.
"What's wrong that you don't understand NO?" he yelled, turning to Marissa who just cried harder and scooted towards Ginny.
"Draco. She's three, go easy."
"Why? She should know I'm angry. She defied me…us," angrily he threw the two pieces as far as he could towards the broom shed then pointed a finger at his daughter.
"To your room. Now."
An unhurt Marissa tore from Ginny's grasp and ran wailing into the house.
"If you had let me get her a broom when I knew she was ready, she wouldn't have been bored and looking for yours."
"You should've been watching her!" Draco accused as Ginny marched down the slope of their yard to inspect his broken broom.
"Just leave it there."
She ignored him and a frustrated Draco followed her. "She's not getting a broom now, that's for sure. She can't be trusted to listen to us."
"I just ordered her one so she very well will get a broom."
"What? I said--," he looked down at her, his blue eyes narrowed in anger and Ginny stared hard back at him, cutting him off.
"I don't care what you said, Draco! For once, I think I may know something you don't. You aren't here with her every day for eight hours. You don't know what she can and can't do. She can fly an intermediate broom. She has the height, is over their minimum weight and meets all the other requirements and, even if you don't see it, she has the talent!"
"You just outright went out of your way to piss me off didn't you?"
"No. I am doing what I think is right!"
"It's not!"
"Look at your damn broom! She's not hurt, but still broke it so obviously she knew how to fall properly in order to cause the minimal--," Ginny was stopped as Draco held up his hand.
"Stop. You can just cancel that order. We don't need her killing herself."
"No. I won't. You just need to admit you are wrong on this one," Ginny threw back at him and before she started cursing him out, she turned and walked quickly up the hill, hearing Marissa's cries through her open bedroom window. He yelled something back at her and she ignored him, walking and going upstairs to deal with the punishment Marissa was going to receive for not listening.
The rest of the day was as tense as Ginny had ever experienced. Draco was short with both children and managed to make Devon cry twice and Marissa stayed glued to Ginny's leg, never having seen her father so angry. Ginny managed to get Marissa to apologize, her heart breaking as she heard the whispery, quivering voice saying, "I'm sorry, daddy." Draco nodded curtly, looked as if he was going to fly off the handle again then thought better of it, turning his attention to securing the straps on their trunks.
"Did you pack my healer's kit?" Ginny asked after the kids were in bed that night. She could hear them talking across the hall to each other, excited about leaving tomorrow but at least they were staying in their toddler beds for the moment.
"If it was out with my items on the bed, I did." Draco levitated their four trunks, two bags and an assortment of toys to an area in the foyer where no one would run into them.
"Thanks," Ginny said trying to get him to talk so they could continue their conversation from earlier. He just nodded and announced he was going to finish grading his student's exams and effectively cut off her effort to talk to him.
Giving up for the moment, Ginny floo'd to Hermione's and chatted with Harry while Hermione put Brian to bed. She needed to prepare Hermione for Draco's mood and told her the whole story while Harry listened from his desk, grading papers as well. Ginny felt a bit relieved to hear that both of them agreed with her, but was given a slight reality check when Hermione continued on her train of thought.
"It's a big decision to buy a broom like that. It might have gone a bit better if you had been able to set him down in a day or two to talk about it." Hermione waited for Ginny's temper to kick in, telling her she was wrong but instead she agreed.
"I know. The broom arrived already and I hid it figuring she'll need it at some point. I tried apologizing while we were eating dinner but he goes "what is done is done." I pissed him off; quite a bit I believe."
"Every couple has their squabbles. Hopefully this will blow over," Hermione said reassuringly before Ginny floo'd home. Remembering the best way to approach Draco when she needed to talk with him, and he was in a "mood" she knocked on the doorjamb to his office. He glanced back over his shoulder, and then continued moving his quill down a row of answers.
"Can I talk to you when you have a moment?"
He gave a slight nod and Ginny snuck away, heading up to check on the children then busied herself for the next hour. She heard him moving around in the kitchen and joined him watching him lean back, cross his arms and look at her with every emotion closed off from her view.
"Will you please sit and listen to what my reasoning was?" Ginny asked making an effort to keep her voice quiet and even.
"I heard what your reasoning was. You thought she was ready, even thought we discussed it back in January that she was not ready. You went ahead and bought one anyway even after I told you my reasoning earlier today. What else is there to say?"
"I'm sorry if I made you angry, but in my heart I know she's ready and I wish you'd give me the chance to show you."
"In your heart," Draco repeated slowly keeping his eyes level with hers. "What about your brain? I would think seeing her on the ground would lead you to the conclusion she's not ready."
His comment stung and all Ginny could do was close her eyes and take a deep breath, trying to see things from his point of view. She could feel the first stirrings of her Weasley temper beginning to move around and she knew now wouldn't be a goodtime for it to rear its ugly head.
"Maybe we could take it with us on vacation and you could observe her on it. If you still-," she began but he cut her off, slamming his coffee mug down on the counter.
"It's here already?"
"It is. Maybe we could-," Ginny tried to begin again and he turned away from him, grasping the counter and trying to control his temper too.
"No. Because then Brian will want to get on it, then Devon and we'll have a mess on our hands."
"Then I'll wait until we get home," Ginny said thinking maybe he was turning the corner.
"I wasn't giving you my permission. I'm still saying "No". I don't want our three and a half year old daughter on an intermediate broom. I didn't even get one until I was six. She is not mature enough to handle the movements of one."
"She is, Draco. I am here all day and have seen her! If you could just watch her and see what I do!" Ginny insisted, becoming impatient with him.
"I do see!" he spun around and walked over to her, seeming to tower above her as his anger radiated off him in waves. "I see you totally went against my opinion, which you asked for then throw to the side like a used candy wrapper."
"I didn't!" Ginny said and was stopped suddenly as his hand flew out and gripped her arm, spinning her around towards the table.
"We sat right there and talked about it and I said, "No, she's not ready for one. When she is old enough to follow directions and listen for more than three minutes then we can buy her one." He gave her a little shake before Ginny knocked her hand off her arm.
"And I said she has a natural talent and we should encourage it. She's bored on hers and I told you it was going to lead to problems and it has. Now look where it has us!"
"Exactly. Send it back," Draco ordered spinning around and walking out of the kitchen. Ginny followed him talking to his back.
"No, I can't as it was on sale. And, I truly believe-," she stopped her words as he halted in front of his office.
"What you believe is wrong," he told her in a tight voice, then quickly walked into his office, shutting the door behind him.
And that was the first night of many that he willingly slept on the couch, leaving Ginny upset and tense as they began their two week vacation.