Many thanks to my beta, Aerileigh.
~~~~~~~~
Silence reigned after Ron's exclamation. Ginny and Draco stared at Serena with rapt attention, watching as her face went from surprised to angry. Narcissa stood behind them with a smug look on her face. She had known all along that her son had been dating the mother of his child, so it didn't come as a surprise to her. Ron was still waiting for some kind of response from Ginny and Draco. Instead, he got slapped in the back of his head by Pansy, who whispered furiously in his ear about saying such things in front of Serena. Luna simply looked serene. And Blaise looked perplexed. He had not been privy to the fact that his best friend was dating Ginny. Xavier was slowly backing away from Serena, knowing that his friend had a volatile temper, even at her tender age.
Suddenly, the silence was broken.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Serena spoke softly and avoided eye contact with her mother. She only had eyes for her father. "You tell me everything."
"Serena, I'm your father, not your friend," Draco stated. "I do what's best for you. If I keep things from you, it's for your own good."
Serena finally looked at her mother. "This is your fault. I hate you."
"Serena," Ginny said, her heart breaking.
"We don't need you," Serena yelled. "He's my father. And he used to be my best friend. He's all I have and now you want to take him from me."
"Serena-"
"No, we were fine before you came along. Father never kept anything from me." Tears were forming in the young girl's eyes. "Why don't you leave us like you did before? I was happy with just me and Father. Now you've come along and ruined it."
"That's enough, Serena," Draco said sharply.
"No, it's not. I hate all of you." Serena ran down the hall, away from her parents and those around her.
"Oh dear," Narcissa murmured. The smug expression disappeared from her face.
"What the bloody hell are we all standing here for?" Draco glared at everyone, his nostrils flaring. "We have to find her. Has it slipped your minds that there is a murderous man out to get me and my family?"
His words put everyone in motion. Draco and Ginny ran down the hall Serena had taken, Ron and Pansy went down to the lobby to make sure she didn't try and make an escape, while Luna and Blaise picked up Xavier and went to the stairwell. Narcissa decided it was best for her to stay in the hall in case Serena decided to come back.
"Lucius," Narcissa called.
Lucius stepped into the hallway. "What is all the commotion about?"
"Serena ran away," Narcissa said hurriedly. "When she found out about Draco and Ginny, she took off. Ginny and Draco went to search for her, as did Pansy, Ron, Luna, and Blaise."
"I will inform Theo," Lucius said.
He went back into his room to write a letter to Theo, who was keeping tabs on Warrington. He had to inform Theo that Serena was on the loose-and warn him to interfere if need be.
Narcissa didn't like waiting. Ever since she had been married to Lucius, she didn't have the need to wait. She was a Malfoy. Malfoys did not wait. However, when Ginny and Draco came back without their daughter in tow, Narcissa wished they had made her wait a little longer. She was not prepared for the fact that they could not find her granddaughter. She was definitely not ready when Pansy, Ron, Blaise, and Luna came back without news of her granddaughter. Narcissa felt like dissolving into tears.
"The manager is getting a list of who used the Floo network from the Ministry." Ron immediately reverted to work mode. "I contacted Harry. He said he'll go down to the Department of Transportation. They'll know if she's returned to England."
"I'm so sorry," Luna whispered. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"You're right," Draco said, gazing at Luna with disdain. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you said it. The fact that my daughter would jump to the wrong conclusion didn't once enter your head. I don't even want to be near you. If something happens to her, there won't be a place that you can hide where I won't find you."
"Watch it," Blaise growled.
"Serena's missing, Blaise. Alan Warrington is out to get me at all costs." Draco rarely lashed out at anyone; he preferred calm, silent fury. However, losing Serena was an entirely new situation for him to deal with, and he had no idea how to handle all the emotions inside of him.
"Let's all calm down," Narcissa said shakily. "We have to approach this from Serena's point of view. She's angry. Where does she go when she's angry?"
"Home," Draco said. "She goes to the tree house I built for her."
"Does she know how to use the Floo?" asked Ron.
"We taught her when she was five, in case of emergency," Narcissa said offhandedly.
"Draco, go and check your house," Narcissa ordered. She then turned to Ginny, who looked about to collapse on the floor. "Ginny, I need you to pull yourself together and check your bakery."
"We can't Apparate. We haven't given due notice," Ginny said, the sound of tears in her voice.
"All hotels have emergency Portkeys." Lucius came out of his room, wearing his travel cloak. "This is an emergency. We are their highest paying customers."
"Go." Narcissa motioned for Draco and Ginny to leave. "Lucius, check the Manor. I'll stay here and delegate."
"It's what you do the best. I'll send word should I find her or hear anything." Lucius kissed his wife on the cheek before following Ginny and Draco.
"Harry will inform the authorities at home." Ron tugged at the collar of his dress robes. "I will go and speak to the Aurors here."
"Good idea," Pansy said. "I'll go with you."
"No, Pansy. I need you to go and inform everyone else of what's happened." Narcissa stopped Pansy from joining her boyfriend. "We'll cover more ground with more people. Tell them I will keep the children with me."
"Okay." Pansy went to the stairs instead of the lifts.
"What can we do?" asked Luna. She was feeling helpless and guilty. "There has to be something I can do."
"Check if the manager has received the list of Floo calls and connections." Narcissa said, placing her hand on Luna's shoulder. "These things happen, Luna. It'll be okay."
"For the sake of my good health, I hope so," Luna whispered.
"He wouldn't touch you." Blaise's jaw was twitching. He understood Draco's anger. But he was never one to tolerate anyone speaking to his wife that way. "I would make sure of it."
"Blaise, go and calm Xavier. He looks frightened," Narcissa said. The paling boy certainly didn't look alright. "Then go to your home and see if Serena went there. I will be here if anyone needs me."
Ten minutes later, several Weasleys burst through the door in the staircase. If it hadn't been for the dire situation, their entrance would have been funny. Bill and Charlie were fighting their way through the door, attempting to walk through at the same time, while Hermione beckoned them forward, since she had been the one who first arrived on the floor. George could be heard behind them yelling about getting their very large arses through the door, and Angelina was yelling at George to watch his language in front of the children. Fleur was speaking in rapid French and none of it sounded good. None of the Weasleys looked happy at all. The one logical voice, Percy, was being drowned out by the sound of the rest of the Weasleys arguing.
"For Merlin's sake Charlie, let Bill through first." Hermione rested her hands on her hips in annoyance. "I am in no mood to deal with you two and your sibling rivalry this morning. We have a missing child on the loose."
That seemed to get everyone into motion. Charlie allowed Bill to go through, and almost instantaneously, the Weasleys came pouring onto the floor. All at once, they surrounded Narcissa, shouting questions at her. Narcissa was unsure of what to do. She had delegated to people before, but she had never been in a situation where people were shouting in her face, and she found it to be quite rude. Thankfully, Hermione, who seemed to be the controlling one in the family, screamed at all of them to quiet down. It didn't work the first two times, but after she smacked her husband on the shoulder, waved her finger in George's face, and threatened bodily harm, the Weasley men calmed down enough to be considered civilized.
"Mrs. Malfoy, if you would please update us, now that this lot is managing to act like actual human beings," Hermione said. "Where are Ginny and Ron?"
"Ginny went to check her bakery, Draco is checking his home, Lucius is checking the Manor, Mr. Weasley, Ron that is, is informing the local authorities, and Mr. Potter is handling the Aurors back in England as well as seeing to getting the entry records from the Department of Transportation. Luna is checking to see if the manager of the hotel has gotten the Floo records back yet, and Blaise is, hopefully, calming both himself and Xavier before heading to his home to see if Serena is there. And I am staying here to handle everything."
"Blaise?" queried Charlie.
"Zabini," Hermione filled in tersely. "He was at the Malfoy ball. He's Luna's husband."
"I know." Charlie glared at his wife for her sarcastic attitude. "I was hoping to be informed on why he is here and upset."
"Draco took a rather angry tone with Luna because of Luna's bad timing. Luna said something about a marriage between my son and your sister-"
"They're getting married?" Percy looked completely flabbergasted. "They haven't seen each other in seven years. They have never dated. I told you Ginny was irresponsible."
"Charlie, get your brother to shut his mouth before I shut it for him," Hermione muttered furiously. She turned to Percy, anger radiating off her in waves. "Your sister has been dating Draco for a month. For someone who claims to be the smartest in the family, you are really thick. Even Ron could tell and that is saying something."
"I would calm down and be very quiet if I were you, darling." Penelope gripped her husband's forearm. "I would rather have you in one piece during my pregnancy."
"As I was saying before, Luna made a comment, which is untrue. However, Ron happened to enter when Luna said something and revealed Draco and Ginny's secret." Narcissa held a hand to her heart when she began to think of the things that Serena had said. "Serena did not take it very well."
"I told her this would happen," Bill grumbled.
"You knew our sister was dating him?" Percy was beginning to feel left out. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Perce, Hermione is fingering her wand," George said warningly. "And who didn't know? It was blatantly obvious."
"To the people who actually visited Ginny," Angelina reminded the Weasley brood. "Percy hasn't been around that much."
"While I would love to sit around and discuss Percy's lack of common sense, can we please devise a plan of some sort? Or have you all forgotten that your niece is missing?" asked Hermione brusquely.
"It's the pregnancy," Fleur whispered to Bill, who looked shocked by Hermione's attitude. "It makes you very testy."
"You weren't like that," Bill replied.
"I was never in a situation like this one," Fleur said.
"We'll check the town," said Bill, finally managing to come up with a statement pertaining to the situation at hand. "We'll split up in groups."
"I'll stay here with the children," Fleur volunteered.
"We'll meet back here in an hour," Bill said.
"Ginny must be devastated." Hermione sighed. "Let's go."
~~~~~~~~
"I don't understand why you're so angry with me." Ginny tried her best not to fall flat on her face while walking down the hill the Portkey had landed them. Lucius had remained as far behind as possible in order to give Ginny and Draco, who practically ran down the hill from the minute they touched down on the hill, some space.
"I'm not upset with you. I am simply concentrating on finding my daughter." Draco didn't stop or slow down as he spoke. "I would hope that the same can be said for you."
"Of course I'm concerned about Serena. It's why I don't want us to be fighting. The worst thing we can do right now is be at odds with each other" Ginny said, grabbing onto Draco's arm to stop him.
"I suggest we go our separate ways." Lucius said, catching up with the duo at the bottom of the hill. "We will meet at Draco's home when we are finished searching our own places."
Draco didn't say anything and Apparated away, and Lucius gave Ginny a sympathetic gaze before doing the same. Ginny Apparated to her bakery, shocked to find a few reporters standing outside her bakery. It seemed they were attempting to get interviews with the wizards renovating her kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to be seen. However, she had to get in the bakery. Ginny hadn't been harassed by any reporters since the Malfoys had intervened. It made her a little bit wary of approaching the group of five reporters, cameras clicking away. She didn't think she could handle their questions with the thoughts of Serena disappearance and Draco's anger on her mind. Mustering up her Gryffindor courage, she straightened her shoulders and walked out of the alley next to the building.
"Ms. Weasley!"
She had been spotted.
"Are you and Draco Malfoy engaged?"
"Is it true that the Malfoy Ball was really an engagement party?"
"Were you involved in the incident with Tracey Davis?"
"Is it true that you are currently on vacation with Draco Malfoy?"
"Are you having another baby?"
Ginny kept her head down as the questions were shouted at her. She hurried inside the bakery, surprising the workers. There were three women and two men standing around. They looked at her questioningly. As she was about to ask if they had seen Serena, she remembered the reporters outside. The last thing she wanted to do was to make Serena's disappearance public knowledge. Ginny knew that Aurors were being informed. But she trusted that the Aurors would keep the situation secret-they didn't want to risk letting Warrington know that Serena was out there by herself. Warrington would start looking for her as well. Thinking of Warrington finding Serena before she did increased Ginny's determination to find her daughter. All the other emotions she felt, the worry, the fear, were pushed to the back of her mind. She couldn't risk letting them get in the way.
"I'm simply checking in on how things are going." Ginny quickly gave an excuse. "Are the reporters bothering you?"
"There was only one guy in the beginning," one of the men said gruffly. "There are a couple of them out there now."
"I'm really sorry about that." Ginny pointed to the kitchen. "Is it done?"
"We just finished removing all the appliances," one of the women replied.
"That's good. I'm going to have a look in the back," Ginny said.
She didn't wait for an answer, dashing into the kitchen. There was no sign of Serena. Ginny knew that it was silly to even think Serena would be hiding at the bakery. The workers would have said something to her if Serena had arrived. She checked the pantry just to be sure. She held a hand to her forehead, thinking about where in the world Serena could have gone. She hoped that Draco or Lucius would find her. In the meantime, she would check her apartment. If Serena wasn't there, she would go to Draco's house and help him search.
She exited the kitchen. "You're doing a great job. Thank you."
"Are you alright, Ms. Weasley?" asked one of the women. "You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine." Ginny waved. "I can't wait to see the finished results on Monday."
"Bye, Ms. Weasley," they chorused.
Ginny was accosted by the reporters on her way out. She ignored them. She was too busy trying to stave off the thoughts of what could happen to Serena. Different scenarios began to play out in her head and they all involved harm coming to Serena. She gripped the railing of the stairs with more force than necessary. Her knuckles turned white as images of Warrington torturing Serena began to flash across her mind. She ran up the stairs faster than she thought she could, bursting into her flat. Her eyes were wild as she searched around the flat for Serena. Finally, she thought of Polly.
"Polly!"
"What is Mistress Ginny doing back so soon? Is something wrong?" Polly looked around at the mess Ginny had made. "What can Polly do?"
"Have you seen Serena? Has Serena been here? Please tell me she's been here," Ginny pleaded.
"No, Polly hasn't seen Mistress Serena? Is Little Mistress missing?" Polly suddenly became panicked.
Part of Ginny wanted to collapse onto the floor in a heap. Until now, Serena's disappearance hadn't aroused such panic within her. However, it was hitting her full force at the moment. She had been in shock earlier, and now she was fully aware of what could be happening to her daughter. She couldn't believe she had been thinking of her relationship with Draco when her daughter was missing. It suddenly hit her that no motherly instinct had awoken within her when she found out that her daughter was missing. Instead, she had been worried about her romance. Suddenly, Ginny felt as terrible as Draco had implied she was. She wanted to do nothing more than inflict pain upon herself for not caring enough about her offspring.
The conversation she had with Draco a month ago in the hospital went through her head. He had said she would be selfish to take herself out of her daughter's life. It seemed that her daughter had no need for her after all. Ginny began to think that Serena was right. However, at the same time, Ginny started to think of her own mother. She had said similar words to her mother when she was younger. At six, things were exaggerated. Everything and anything life changing seemed like the end of the world, and even when she screamed how much she hated her mother for making her cut her hair, at the end of the day, she still loved her mother.
Ginny regained her senses. She could think about everything later. For now, she needed to concentrate all her energy and thoughts on finding Serena. She wouldn't think of anything else until she found her daughter. She patted Polly on the head and told her to go and rest. She squared her shoulders before she exited her apartment, knowing that the reporters would be waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. She didn't think that the crowd would have grown while she was inside. But it had. She was greeted by several cameras in her face as she stepped onto the bottom step. Ginny elbowed her way through to the Apparition point, disappearing with a crack.
~~~~~~~~
Draco landed onto his estate, his mind whirling. Serena had never disappeared. She had never acted out the way she had in the hall. She'd never spoken to him the way she did. He couldn't help but think that Ginny Weasley was the cost of all of it. Before she had waltzed into their life, or rather, they waltzed into hers, things had been going smoothly. Serena was right. There hadn't been any arguments between him and Serena. They had managed to get along nicely together. They spent most of their days together. They didn't have disagreements. They coincided perfectly. Serena had been right in saying that he was her best friend. She confided in him for everything. He had been more than her father.
Lately, their relationship had changed. With the Quidditch season starting and his attempts to be with Ginny as much as possible, he was spending less time with Serena. The little girl noticed these things. From time to time she would mention the fact that he hadn't taken her flying at the end of the day like he used to. She realized that she had been spending a lot more time with her grandparents than she usually did. Serena had said these things to him. But he simply made excuses. At first, it hadn't felt right; Draco didn't like lying to his daughter. As time passed, though, it became easier. It reminded him a lot of his days back at Hogwarts. He could spin tales and mask secrets better than anyone else, but he never thought he would be using that skill against his daughter.
He walked up the stone pathway leading to his home, feeling guilty. He had deceived Serena. And it hadn't been hard. In fact, it was easy to do because she believed every word he said. In school, when he wasn't responsible for a child, deceiving people and being conniving had been expected and fun. However, as an adult, as a father, it wasn't fun. Yes, it was simple to do. But it was not something he enjoyed doing. It surprised him how easily he slipped back into his former self. He expected to do that when it came to people such as the Weasleys and Potter. But when it came to his flesh and blood, his daughter, it sickened him. His father had tricked him into believing that following the Dark Lord was the right decision. He was doing the same thing to his own daughter, tricking her into believing his lies.
"Master Malfoy," a house elf bowed as he entered the home.
"Is Serena here?"
"No, Mistress Serena is not here. I haven't seen Mistress since she left with you, Master Malfoy," the house elf said.
"I was afraid of that," Draco murmured. "Check her tree house anyway."
He paced the entrance hall. He had no idea where Serena would go. She only had so many safe havens that he knew of. Blaise would, no doubt, be checking his manor as soon as he reigned in his emotions. Draco didn't feel any remorse for the way he had spoken to Luna. He was Draco Malfoy, and he could speak to whomever he wanted, however he wanted. And he certainly could speak to Luna any way he wanted after she knowingly said something she knew would make people upset. Luna had known of his worries about Serena finding out. She had known that Serena was standing close by to them. Therefore, Draco strongly believed that this was her fault, hers, for speaking of marriage and Ron Weasley's, for confirming that Draco and Ginny were together. He snapped out of his thoughts when a figure landed in his fire place.
"Is she here?"
"Do you think I would be pacing if she was?" Draco pressed a finger to his temple, the yelling causing his head to pound. "I knew this was a terrible idea."
"What was?" asked Ginny.
Draco stopped pacing to look at her. He couldn't deny the fact that he had become close to Ginny over the past month. But when compared to his relationship with his daughter, Ginny would always come in second. He liked his relationship with Ginny for several reasons. The sex was exceptional; Ginny was willing to try any and everything. Furthermore, she was good company, easy to talk to and she understood him. She never judged him, not even for his past. And she was, undeniably, beautiful, in a way that he could barely comprehend. It was a beauty that she did not know she possessed, making her that much more appealing. However, there was one thing that made him want to end their relationship, Serena. When compared with anything else, Serena would always win.
"Us," Draco said. "We're over."
Ginny's mouth fell open. "What?"
"I could go the rest of my life alone because I have Serena." Draco's eyes were sad, his face impassive. "If our relationship hurts her, I can't be a part of it. She is all I have. She is all I want."
"She's six, Draco. She doesn't understand anything right now. What we should have done, after the first couple of weeks, is to sit her down and talk to her about it." Ginny stepped towards him, her eyes locking with his. "Ending our relationship won't miraculously bring her back to you right this minute."
"She is the most important person in my life. She always will be," Draco said. "Will you be able to be in a relationship where you always come in second?"
Ginny stared at him, awed by his honesty. "She's my daughter too, Draco, and I love her. But one day she will grow up and go off on her own. And who will I be left with? It may sound selfish of me, especially considering the situation we're in now, but it's true. When she's off at Hogwarts, when she gets married, where will you be Draco? Will you be left all alone?"
Before Draco could respond, a house elf popped into the room. "A letter has arrived for Miss Weasley."
"Who could be sending me a letter now?" Ginny grabbed the rolled up piece of parchment, suddenly smelling homemade fudge. She unrolled the parchment, briefly scanning the letter. "It's from my mum. Serena's at the Burrow."
"The Burrow?"
"It's my home-or used to be my home," Ginny replied
"I don't understand. Why would she go there?" Draco fixed his traveling cloak around his shoulders as he readied to Floo.
"It's the one place none of us would have ever thought to look." Ginny stared at Draco, unable to get their last conversation out of her head. "We should go. Mum said she sent Serena upstairs to take a nap."
"Why would it matter where in your home she is?" Draco grabbed Floo powder from the mantle.
"You don't want her to see us and decide to run off again. We need to approach her where she cannot run." Ginny grabbed a handful of Floo powder, tossing it into the fireplace. "The Burrow."
Ginny landed in the fireplace at the Burrow, soot covering her. She quickly stepped out of the fireplace. Soon, Draco was behind her. Out of habit, Ginny cleaned both herself and Draco. It had become second nature to her to care for Draco and Serena. According to him, though, she was to rid herself of that habit because he no longer wanted a relationship with her. Ginny didn't have time to think about the conversation she would have to have with Draco in the future. Molly entered the kitchen at that moment, with the small, welcoming smile she reserved for guests.
"Hello, Mum," Ginny said. She was the first to speak. Draco didn't look as if he wanted to say anything. "Mum, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco this is my mother, Molly Weasley."
"It's lovely to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." Molly shook Draco's hand. "I understand that there is a certain animosity between us right now. But I'm sure we can deal with that after you have a talk with your daughter."
Draco nodded. "I'm certain we can as well."
"She's in your room, Ginny," Molly said. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Write one of the boys and tell them she's here." Ginny thanked her mother before leading Draco up the stairs. "What are we going to say to her?"
They reached the top of the stairs and Ginny pointed to her bedroom door, which had been left slightly open. If they had peeked inside, they would have seen Serena staring at a picture of her mother.
"How are we going to approach this?" asked Ginny quietly.
"I plan on asking her what she was thinking running off like that," Draco drawled. "How else would I approach it?"
"I don't think we should just go in wands blazing," Ginny whispered furiously. "We don't want to make her feel like to run off again."
"She won't be getting a chance to," Draco spat.
Ginny sighed, knowing she was going nowhere. "Fine, how about we let her speak first?"
Draco looked about to protest. But he nodded resignedly. "I suppose."
"Good," Ginny said softly. "We need to be gentle. We don't want to scare her away."
Draco pushed open the door. "Hello stranger."
"I knew you'd find me," Serena whispered. She watched as her mother stepped in behind her father. "Is this where you grew up, Mother?"
"Mother, not Mum?" asked Ginny.
Serena shrugged. "If you get married, I'll have to listen to Grandmother's etiquette lessons and call you Mother. She said Mum is inappropriate."
"Your father and I aren't getting married," Ginny said softly.
"But Aunt Luna said you were getting married. And Uncle Ron said you were dating," Serena exclaimed.
"They were mistaken," Draco stated. "Your mother and I are doing neither of those things."
"You're not dating?" Serena said, expressionless.
"We were." Draco sat down on Serena's bed. He wrapped an arm around Serena's shoulder. "But we decided to end things. I only care about you Serena, you and only you."
"Oh, is it my fault?" Serena looked down at her lap. "I want you to be happy, Father."
"None of this is your fault, Serena." Ginny sat down on her other side. "We will never blame you for anything. This decision is something that your father and I decided."
"Your mother is right." Draco tightened his embrace as Serena leaned against him. "I should have said something to you about my relationship. I kept it from you to protect you, because I didn't want you to be disappointed if things didn't work out."
Serena played with her hands. "I'm sorry about running away."
"It's alright." Draco wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "I don't want you to ever scare me like this again, Serena. There are people who would find pleasure in taking you from me to see me hurt. I need you to understand that, alright?"
Serena nodded. "Okay. I won't do it again, Father. I promise."
"Good. Now, are you ready to go home?" Draco stood from the bed and held his hand out for her to join him. "It's been a long afternoon."
"What about the broom race, Father?" Serena placed her hand in her father's.
"I think our weekend has ended," Draco said. "I'll arrange for our luggage to get home."
Serena turned to look at her mother on the bed. "Are you coming, Mum?"
Ginny put a smile on her face. "No. You go home. I have to go and get my things from the hotel."
"I could have those picked up, Ginny.'" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to?"
Ginny hesitated before saying, "Yes. Could you have them delivered to my flat?"
"Yes," Draco replied. "Will you join us for dinner tonight, you and your family?"
"I think I will have to decline, Draco," Ginny said, bowing her head. "Thank you for the invitation, though."
"Bye, Mum." Serena let go of her father in order to give Ginny a hug.
"Bye," Ginny whispered.
"Serena, go downstairs and thank Mrs. Weasley." Draco ushered Serena out the door. "I have to talk to Ginny."
"Mum, why do you look so sad?" Serena stood at the door with her arms crossed. "I don't want you to be unhappy either."
"Oh, I'm not sad." Ginny moved from the bed, walking over to Serena. "I'm so happy we found you and that you're alright. There isn't an ounce of sadness in me."
"Then what does father want to talk to you about?" asked Serena.
"Serena," Draco said, looming over the young girl. "This is adult business."
"We're going to make arrangements for you to come and spend some time with me. I hope you don't mind." Ginny held Serena's chin in her hand.
"Can I help you at the bakery?" asked Serena.
"How does next weekend sound?" Ginny kissed Serena's cheek when she gave an affirmative. "I think I smelled homemade fudge downstairs. I'm sure my mum would give you some while your dad and I make arrangements."
"Okay." Serena skipped off.
"She's happy again." Ginny closed her bedroom door, leaning heavily against it. "I had to make up the whole spend the weekend thing. Do you mind?"
"She seems to want to spend the weekend. So, no, I don't mind." He sank down on her childhood bed, looking out of place amongst all the pink and white. "I meant what I said about ending our relationship, Ginny."
"I think you always mean what you say." Ginny cocked her head to the side. "So, I guess this is it. It shouldn't be that hard. We'll act the same way we've been acting for the past three months just without the secret rendezvous on the side."
"It didn't last long, Ginny. We haven't been doing this for six months. It's been a month," Draco said. He stared up at her, his eyes cloudy. "It shouldn't be hard."
Ginny opened the door. "Remember what I said, Draco. She'll grow up. You can't stop her from doing so. You won't be able to put your life on hold because you have a daughter, Draco. And I'm not just talking about me. I'm talking about when you find someone you truly love."
"Loving someone is not something I think I will be doing in the future." Draco rose from the bed and walked towards her. "There's infatuation and lust but never love."
Ginny gave him a sad smile. "Think about what I've said, Draco. I don't want you to end up alone. I may not love you, but I care about you a great deal. You deserve to find happiness with someone."
"Did you want me to find that happiness with you?" Draco reached out and brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Is that what you wanted from me?"
Ginny gently removed his hand from her shoulder, not letting go of it. "I wanted a proper chance, Draco."
"I can't, not with Serena's recent behavior," Draco murmured, desperation in his tone. "I can stand to lose you but I can't stand to lose her."
"If I were any other girl, I might be offended. But I'm not." Ginny brought his hand up to her lips, kissing his palm. "I understand, Draco."
Draco cleared his throat, withdrawing his hand, his tone becoming business-like. "I'll drop Serena off on Saturday morning."
"Before eleven, I'm at the flat. After eleven, I'll be at the bakery. I'm operating on new weekend hours." She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you then."
"For what it's worth, when we were together, I was happy," Draco said remorsefully.
"I guess you were right. I didn't last until your birthday." Ginny laughed, walking away. Before she descended the stairs, Ginny turned back and tossed Draco a wink. "It's a pity you won't be getting the present I had planned for your birthday. I spent the last two weeks thinking of something. I'll have to return my present."
Draco watched as she sauntered down the stairs, a melodious laugh following her.