The Morning After

The warm summer breeze blew into the massive honeymoon suite as Ginny slowly opened her eyes. She blinked twice to adjust her vision and looked around her. She could feel a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and a peacefully sleeping form against her back. Memories from yesterday came flooding in, and a smile crept onto her face, as realization dawned that she was no longer little ol’ Ginny Weasley, but Ginevra Molly Malfoy.

Yes, after seven years of hating each other, six months of friendship, two months of heavy flirting resulting in five years of dating, less than twenty four hours ago, Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy had finally tied the knot.

Ginny turned around to see Draco sleeping peacefully with a hint of a smile on his face. He looked angelic with his hair falling on his face and with his look of pure, contented bliss. Slowly bringing out her hand, she pushed away a few of his blond strands out of his beautiful face. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was already close to noon. She was usually awake hours before this. But if you couldn’t sleep in on the morning after you’d gotten married, then there was nothing fair about this world.

She slowly untangled herself from Draco and got out of bed. He never stirred. Once she was moving, she discovered a few little aches that were new to her experiences. So what? She didn’t mind when so many other sensations had been so extraordinary.

There were various articles of clothing on the floor, which Ginny realized were her own, since Draco had taken them off last night, before making love to her for the first time. Even though she was a modern girl living in the twenty–first century, she still believed that sex wasn’t just a form of physical pleasure. She had wanted to wait for someone special to come along, with whom she would be comfortable sharing such intimacy. She was lucky enough that she loved Draco and that he was willing to give her time until she was ready to commit to him, both emotionally and physically.

With one last glance at the love of her life, she headed towards the bathroom. She got into the shower and let the hot water soothe her body for several minutes. As the water tingled her skin, she visibly relaxed as all the stress from the past few days seemed to wash away.

*****

“Ginny, you will not be purchasing a new dress for the wedding. You know that all Weasley brides have worn the same traditional dress that has been passed on for generations; why won’t you wear it?” Molly Weasley yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Because, dear mother of mine, the dress is hideous! I know it has a lot of emotional value, and I’m willing to take it, but there is no way in hell I am wearing that for my wedding!” She grumbled, with every effort not to sound as exasperated as she was.

******

Turning off the showerhead, she wrapped herself with a towel. She couldn’t help but contemplate old memories, remembering the countless arguments and catfights she'd had with people, especially with her mother, considering the wedding. At the end of the day, it was all worthwhile, and the wedding was nothing but perfect.

She put on one of the hanging bathrobes that had the hotel’s logo on the pockets and reentered the room. Draco hadn’t moved. She still couldn’t believe that they were married to each other every day for the rest of her life, she would be waking up with the world’s most handsome man beside her. She was sure that many women envied her at the moment.

Ginny stepped out onto the balcony and soaked in the feel of the warm sunshine. She looked below to see the people hustling around on the busy street. All the noise reminded her of a particular day.

*****

The Burrow was dead silent when the youngest Weasley had just announced that her secret boyfriend was none other than Draco Malfoy. The tension in the family was palpable, and Draco and Ginny both stood in front of Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, hands clasped together, waiting for a reaction… any reaction.

Ginny wondered how long it would take to dig a hole, lie in it, and then die from mortification…

“WHY IS THIS BASTARD IN MY HOUSE?” Not so surprisingly, Ron broke the silence.

It seemed that Ginny lost all ability to speak, even though her mind screamed for Ron to shut up.

“You’re taking too long,” Draco muttered to Ginny.

He looked straight at everyone, meeting all of their gazes. “Umm… Ginny and I have been together for a while. And, well, we’re in love, so I believe congratulations are in order.”

Stunned silence and a shrill squeal met their ears. Within seconds, Molly barreled at Ginny at a dangerous rate.

“What is he talking about?”

“Why is he still here?” Ron asked, acting as if the announcement hadn’t just happened.

“Ron, if you would just listen. You guys need to understand the fact that I love him. I know you guys had your differences, but can’t you look past that and realize how happy I am now?” Ginny’s voice was cracking; her eyes welled up in tears. No matter how many times she said that she did not care about what her family thought, in reality, she cared a great deal.

“That’s it! Both of you need to calm down. Let me talk to your dad alone for a few minutes about this,” Molly Weasley ordered in a strict, motherly tone. With that, she left the room, and Arthur quietly followed, too shocked to even utter a word.

As they left, Ginny began, “You think this has been easy for me, Ron? I hated him for years too, you know! But I really do love him, and I know he feels the same way. What happened before, I’ve forgiven and forgotten, and if I can forget all those things, can’t you?”

“That’s ridi—”

And there couldn’t be a more perfect timing when, none other than yours truly, Harry Potter walked right into the Burrow.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Harry’s voice cut through the high-pitched arguments, emitting from Ron and Ginny.

Draco stood straight, his posture rivaling ancient European royalty, radiating a confidence and pride, unmatched by any human present.

“Really, Potter, Do you have to be included in every bloody thing that goes on? But if you must know, Ginny and I are currently going out, and we are here to let Ginny’s family know,” Draco said firmly, yet with a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

“Wow, this is awkward,” said Fred. He was leaning on the back of the couch, a goofy smile on his face, and after enjoying the ensemble performance by his family, he finally asked his question. “How’s the ferret in bed?”

Ginny felt a sudden surge of anger. This was clearly humiliating enough without all of their preposterous comments and questions. God only knew what possessed her to utter her next words.

“He’s fabulous in bed, thank you for asking,” she said coolly. “I’m sure he’d be happy to teach you a thing or two.”

“How could you do this to us, Ginny?” Harry said softly, hurt and confusion evident in his sudden query.

She looked at him and saw the hurt in his startling green eyes. “Harry, I’m not doing this to anyone. Please try to understand that I truly love him. Please, Harry. Think of me as a friend, and please try.”

Harry just shook his head and left the room. Ron followed behind.

Molly watched him walk away and turned to Ginny. “Gin-bug, you must give those two a bit of time. This has come as a great shock to them, and please don’t let them upset you. Your dad and I have enough faith in you to give him a chance.”

*****

They never did have an easy relationship. Things were much easier when they had hated each other in school. But after graduation, they started forming an unlikely friendship after one or two chance encounters. The path to friendship then led to an interesting relationship between two people who were as different as fire and ice. Even when Ginny decided to keep it a secret for almost five years, they had their own problems, even without involving her family.

*****

“You aren’t actually going to wear those earrings to my parents' Manor, are you?” Draco asked nonchalantly.

“Why not?” Ginny turned away from the mirror and faced Draco. “They’re just earrings, and plus they were my mum’s. They’re sort of a good luck charm for me, and Merlin knows I need loads of that to be meeting your parents today.”

“Ginny, try and understand that all the girls I have dated in the past came from the richest wizarding families, and my parents are accustomed to my girlfriends having the best clothes and accessories. I’m just trying to help. You need to learn to meet certain standards.” The moment the words left his mouth, Draco regretted it.

After a few agonizing minutes, Ginny calmly took out the earrings. “I’m sorry you had to spend so much time with someone as lowly as myself. Maybe it’s best that we stop seeing each other; it would only ruin your reputation.” With that, Ginny stomped out of his apartment.

Draco didn’t even know what to say, and by the time he started, “Ginny! Wait, I didn’t mean it that way...”

It was too late; she had already left.

*****

Arguments such as these were a weekly routine for them, and really, it was the base of their relationship. Nobody said that dating a Malfoy would be all sunshine and daisies, and Ginny wouldn’t have it any other way. They would regularly fight over the random things, and later they would spend time apologizing and showering each other with flowers, chocolate, and promises of unconditional love.

Ginny turned around at the sound of some shuffling to see that Draco had shifted sides, but still seemed to be in deep slumber. He must be really tired, she thought, after last night. The thought made her blush. She turned back and looked up at the sky. It was exactly one year ago that Draco had proposed to her.

*****

It was the fourth anniversary of them being together as a couple, and Ginny still felt a little uncomfortable going with Draco to Malfoy Manor. It’s not that she did not trust Draco, but because she trusted her instinct more than the situation. The last time she had been to the Manor was to have a very awkward dinner with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. After they had approved of their relationship, she swore that she would never be in the same room alone with them again.

But now, Draco had led her past the Manor into what seemed to be a hidden garden. “Draco, where are you taking me?” In reality, she was not expecting to come here, of all places, to celebrate the four years that they had been together.

“Gin, if you ask that one more time, I will put a Silencing Charm on you,” Draco replied, a little irritated. It was hurting his ego that his girlfriend was skeptical of his plans.

“Hmm, after all the time we have been together, I would have expected you to realize that patience isn’t particularly a virtue of mine.”

“Okay, woman, for my sake and yours, just shut up so I can find the bloody place!”

“Oh, but it’s so much fun annoying you, and plus—” Ginny stopped mid-sentence and gasped at the scene before her.

There was a small, white gazebo set up with a small table for two in it. The floor was scattered with red and white rose petals, and the only source of light was the floating candle lights that gave the area a soft, luminous glow. There was soft music playing, and everything, including the table setting, was top Malfoy-worthy quality. Just as Ginny thought that things could not have gotten any more romantic, she realized that they were standing in the middle of what she assumed was the Manor’s garden, and she looked around to see that they were surrounded by thousands of blooming flowers, in every shape and color imaginable.

Without really knowing what or how to express her feelings, she said the first thing that came to mind. “That’s a shit load of flowers.”

Draco’s expression changed from grinning to utterly confused, and finally, he burst out laughing. Ginny blushed deep red.

“I do all this, and that’s all you have got to say?”

“Are you laughing at me? I’m so sorry. I totally ruined the mood,” she said with a guilty tone.

Draco stopped laughing and answered sincerely, “No, you daft girl, if anything, you just reminded me why I love you so much. Only you would be so painfully honest.”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, still in awe at the fact that Draco went through so much trouble. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

“I would certainly hope so.”

He led Ginny towards the table and took out her chair. Ginny giggled as Draco did a little bow, motioning for her to be seated first.

“Where is the real Draco Malfoy, and what have you done with him?” Ginny asked with a hint of mischief in her voice.

“Why, Miss Weasley, I’m shocked and appalled that you didn’t think that I was fully capable of being the sappy, romantic prince charming that every girl wants.”

Ginny started laughing at his words. “Sometimes I wonder how I put up with your ego.”

Draco smiled and said, “Because you love me way too much.” He snapped his fingers, and a small house-elf bought two plates and placed them in front of them. Ginny grinned as she saw what they were having for dinner.

“Pizza?”

Draco shrugged and said, “I know it’s your favorite.”

Ginny was glad that Draco had decided to go with comfort food, although it felt weird being dressed up so nicely and sitting with the best cutlery, eating a greasy, yet delicious slice of pizza.

Although dinner was perfect, there was something missing. There was something wrong with Draco. He didn’t talk to her like he normally did, just an occasional ‘yes’ or ‘no’ was all that seemed to be coming out of his mouth. He didn’t make much eye contact with her, instead choosing to look at his plate or the surrounding flowers. His body language was unusual, and he almost seemed… nervous.

“Draco, are you okay? You haven’t really been eating or talking to me properly.” Ginny couldn’t help but ask. She was concerned about him since he had never been this quiet with her.

“Hmm, no, umm, just a little distracted. I’ll call for dessert. I ordered your favorite cheesecake.” He finished with a distracted smile.

As soon as the cake arrived, all thoughts of concern flew out of her mind, and right when she was about to dig into the most sinfully good cheesecake, Draco interrupted her.

“Bloody hell! I can’t do this anymore.” He flung his hands up in the air, proving that whatever the issue was, it was driving him crazy. Ginny looked up and was about to say something when Draco grabbed her hand across the table.

“Ginny, there is something that I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Umm, okay.” It was making her nervous as well, since Draco had never acted this way before. ‘Oh my god, is he breaking up with me?’

Draco took a sip of water and looked her right in the eyes as he began.

“Ever since I was little, I was taught to live independently and to never rely on someone for anything. And for most part, I managed to live life without having a lot of close friends. I thought that with all the money I had I would be able to live my life happily without having to worry about someone else. Things were so much easier that way, but then my fate led me to you. Even though we hated each other so long, we were able to find true love in a short time. I forgot about all the money and all the problems I would have dating a Weasley because all that mattered to me was being with you. When I am with you, I feel like a better person, Gin. You make me want to be better for myself. I want to be the one fulfilling all your dreams and give you all the happiness and love in the world.”

Ginny was smiling and had tears in her eyes. She had never imagined that Draco could ever be this open with his feelings. Her expression changed when Draco slowly got up from his seat, never breaking eye contact, and knelt down on one knee beside her.

“Ginny, I love you, more than anything in this world, and I want to spend every passing moment with you for the rest of my life.”

Ginny now had tears streaming down her face as Draco got out a small box containing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

“Will you marry me?”

Time seemed to stop, and Ginny thought she would stop breathing from the sheer joy that came from hearing Draco utter those words.

“Yes,” she whispered softly, looking down at Draco’s blue eyes.

He let out a breath of relief and got up to give her a soft kiss. As his lips descended on hers, her eyes flew open at the realization of what this meant.

“Draco, my family! I cannot marry you without their permission! Oh my god, it took so long for them to get use to the fact that we were dating, I can’t even imagine how long it will take them to understand that we’re getting married. Bloody hell, Ron, your parents, they’ll never—”

Ginny looked up to see Draco’s face and realized that although her hysterical rant, he had been grinning. She stopped talking as Draco pointed towards the bushes behind her.

She looked around and gasped as she saw a herd of red heads emerging from the bushes. She saw her parents first. “Mom? Dad?”

“My daughter is getting married!” She was sobbing, and Arthur looked like he was going to cry too. Her brothers came next, and before Ginny could utter a word, they all grabbed her in a huge group hug.

Ginny was in too much of a shock. She turned to Draco and asked, “Were they here the whole time?”

He just nodded, and winked. “I told you I could be the perfect prince charming.”

*****

It was a night to remember, as all her brothers took their turns threatening Draco about the consequences that would come if he chose to break their baby sister’s heart. She later found out that Draco had planned everything ahead of time. He had gone to the Burrow the week before and asked her father for permission to marry her like a perfect gentleman. Apparently, all the Weasley men had made him go through some undisclosed procedures to prove himself worthy of the youngest Weasley.

Even remembering his speech that night, Ginny felt giddy. She never thought in her wildest dreams that she would find true love in none other than a certain Slytherin bad boy.

It took a while for her brothers to get used to the fact that their darling sister was soon going to be a Malfoy. Bill and Charlie agreed to give Draco a chance for her sake. Percy was dubious at first, but after doing a thorough background check, he gave in. Fred and George were won over by the sheer amount of money that Draco decided to invest in Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes. But of course, Ron was the hardest to convince.

It was on their wedding day that Ron finally accepted that the ferret was going to marry his sister. Although, it had taken a very tense situation during their reception to get the message across.

*****

Once the wedding ceremony was over, the newest Malfoy couple and the rest of the guests were at the wedding reception. Everyone had settled down and was enjoying the slow music, as various couples slowly swayed to it on the enormous dance floor.

After enjoying their first dance as husband and wife, Draco and Ginny stood together at their table to receive hugs and congratulations from various people. When it seemed that they had paid their respects to the last guest present, a certain bespectacled man came walking towards them.

“OH HELL NO! What the fuck is that prick doing at our wedding?” At Draco’s sudden outburst, in what was a very quiet party, all heads turned to look straight towards the couple.

“Draco!” Ginny swatted his arm, embarrassed, as everyone looked at what seemed to be a very ill-mannered groom.

“What?” Draco asked.

Ginny did not have time to answer, as Harry Potter came up to them, and right when she was expecting another rude outburst, he only whispered one word.

“Congratulations.”

Draco’s jaw dropped at Harry’s sudden attempt at a civil exchange. He turned around and saw Ginny giving him an expecting look.

“Potter.” Draco acknowledged the other man as if they were on perfectly good terms, yet his eyes showed the truth underneath it all.

“Thank you, Harry. We are glad that you were able to show up,” said Ginny, all the while rubbing Draco’s arms in attempt to calm him down. Fortunately, it seemed to be working. Draco visibly relaxed at the contact and took a deep breath.

“Look, Ginny, I am really sorry about what happened. Can we forget it all and just be friends again?” Harry asked with pleading eyes.

Ginny knew that her family was all the relatives Harry had, and taking that away from him would make him miserable.

“No way she is not, and—”

“YES, that would be great, Harry,” Ginny said firmly with a smile on her face. It didn’t matter if she did like Harry or not, he was not ruining this day.

“I’ll see you around then, and... congratulations again, Draco,” Harry forced out casually.

“What the fu—” Draco started when Ginny sharply elbowed his side. “Ahh—ah, I mean umm, yeah, thanks?”

Harry nodded at both of them and left. Ginny released a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding, and Draco just kept muttering incoherently.

He was about to retort about her abusing him in public when Ron came up to them.

“Oh, good god, what now?” Draco asked, frustrated. He couldn’t take two members of the Golden Trio in such a short time period.

“Thanks for not creating a scene, Mal—Draco,” Ron said with great difficulty, as if he was reciting some unforgivable curse by uttering his name. “It shows how much you care about my sister.”

“What has the world come to? I just thanked Potter, and now the Weasel is calling me by my first name,” Draco said, more to himself than anyone else.

Ginny just smiled and hugged Ron. “Thank you, Ron, it means a lot to me that you are happy for us.”

He nodded and looked at Draco. “Don’t get used to me being to nice. It’s just that today is the wedding; I didn’t want to ruin it for Ginny.” He paused and smirked a little. “Take care of her, Ferret.”

“I don’t take orders from Weasels.”

*****

She chuckled to herself and accepted the fact that some things would never change. Even though they would probably never be friends, they had at least reached a mutual decision on non-violence.

Now that she thought about it, handling her family, Harry, and the Malfoys seemed to be the easy part of their relationship. If anything went wrong, they could both go their separate ways, but not anymore. Now they were bonded for life, and after last night, Ginny could never imagine spending even a day away from him.

She was no longer a Weasley. Weasleys were allowed to play in the mud, laugh out loud, and pull pranks whenever they wanted without having to worry what other people would think. After yesterday, she had turned into a Malfoy. It was like her old world had turned upside down, and like Draco had mistakenly once said, ‘You have to meet certain standards...’

Malfoys on the other hand were expected to make polite conversation, smile at random people at extravagant balls, and be a model of poise and grace, inside the house and out.

She had always been intimidated of Lucius and Narcissa, even though they have been terrific in-laws thus far. She started wringing her hands together as she grasped the fact that she was the new Malfoy bride and therefore had to take on all the responsibilities of the Manor. No wonder Narcissa was so delighted they were getting married. Finally, she will be able to get rid of all the liabilities that came with marrying Lucius.

There was no way in hell she was going to be able to plaster a fake smile on her face for hours during some boring social event. She’d probably never get to play in the rain or laugh out loud in her own house. Her own house, which was no longer the Burrow, but Malfoy Manor.

All these thoughts were making her a little dizzy. She tried to shake them away and just enjoy the view from her spot at the balcony, but nothing seemed to work. All these duties were a little overwhelming.

Just when she was about to turn around and go inside, a pair of arms snaked around her waist, and she let out a little squeak.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he said.

“Draco! You scared me.”

He nibbled on her ear. “Really? Who did you think it was?”

Ginny moved her head to one side to give Draco better access. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Hmm, I got up a while ago. Got a little too busy staring at my beautiful wife, though.” He saw her blush. “What are you doing out here anyway? It’s been a while since you’ve stood there.”

“Thinking,” Ginny answered truthfully.

“I don’t think any good has ever come of that, love,” Draco said playfully.

“Oh, hush, you prat!” Ginny jabbed his side to emphasize the point.

“You need to stop abusing your husband in public, woman!” Draco said, rubbing his arm like it was seriously injured. He pouted as well, to accentuate his injury.

“What are you thinking about anyway?”

“I was wondering what it takes to be your wife. I was wondering how to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy.”

Draco looked into her eyes for a couple of seconds and then simply said, “I don’t want a wife.”

“What? What do you mean?” Ginny said, clearly confused at her husband’s statement. He turned her around so that now she was leaning against the railing, her back towards the city. She looked up and faced him.

“Ginny, when I asked you to marry me, it was because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And when I say you, I mean Ginevra Weasley. I want to be a part of your life, the life that I was never allowed to have as a kid. I want to learn every little prank and every little joke, and I want to spend the rest of my days trying to help you pull them.”

“But I’m a Malfoy now, Draco. Things have changed. You don’t have to be different. I do.”

“See, that’s where you are wrong, love. I don’t want you to be the wife that society expects you to be. It doesn’t matter to me if you are as graceful as all the others at a ball or if you used all the right forks at dinner. It never did. And as long as it doesn’t matter to me, you can’t let others hurt or bother you. Then you’ll be fine, I promise.” Draco bent down and kissed her to prove that he loved her for everything she was worth.

“Are you sure, Draco?” she asked, still doubtful that she’d be able to handle being a Malfoy for the rest of her days.

Draco just shook his head and asked, “Do you love me?”

“More than anyone else in the world,” Ginny replied.

“Do you trust me?”

“More than I trust myself.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about because I’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll work through life together, Gin. That’s what we promised each other yesterday, didn’t we? And I’m not sure what I am going to be doing myself, but I’m sure you will be there for me.”

“Aren’t you scared though?”

“Okay, Malfoys are never scared.”

“Oh, really? What about that time Charlie threatened to feed you to a dragon if you ever cheated on his sister? What do you call that?” Ginny asked, challenging him.

After a few moments, he replied, “Nausea.”

Ginny started laughing all of a sudden, feeling foolish to be even thinking that she was going to have to deal with everything alone. Draco had asked her to be his life partner so that they could face life and its challenges together. If either fell, the other would be there to help them up.

Ginny didn’t even know what to say back. So instead she did the first thing that came to mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like her life depended on it.

After a few minutes of heavy snogging, things started to get a little heated, and Draco broke the kiss and smirked at his wife. “My, my, Mrs. Malfoy, I never took you for an exhibitionist.”

Ginny just giggled, and then asked Draco seriously, “Do you think we’ll always be like this, Draco?”

Draco smiled and looked below at the busy street. Ginny turned around as well, and her eyes landed on the couple that Draco was staring at.

The lady was probably in her late eighties, her skin gone a little wrinkly, but her face glowed with happiness as she sat at the café, hands clasped with her husband’s. Her husband looked older, his glasses at the tip of his nose and he stared into his wife’s eyes. Anyone could see the love they had for each other, and they looked as beautiful of a couple as they probably did fifty years back.

“I promise you that one day we’ll be the one in their spot. You’ll still be as beautiful as ever, and I’ll still look into your eyes and feel like I’m drowning in them,” Draco said, still admiring the couple below.

Ginny had tears in her eyes and looked into Draco’s eyes to say three words, “I love you.”

“I love you too, now and forever.”

It never ceased to amaze Draco or Ginny that after all the things that happened, after all the ups and downs they'd had in their relationship, one thing had always remained the same. Their love. They both hoped that their love would do nothing but grow each day for the rest of their lives that they had chosen to spend with each other.