I reccomend listening to Settle for a Slow Down, by Dirks Bently, and Look at What I've Done to Her and Miss Me Baby, by Chris Cagle while you read this. :D
M o t h T o T h e F l a m e//O n e s h o t
"You don't seem to understand."
He just met my gaze steadily, the dead look in his mercury eyes suffocating.
"I fully understand why you think that it's so, but you are dreadfully mistaken," he replied. His voice was cold and dead, void of any emotion. I felt the fissure in my heart open more. I tried uselessly to keep the desperation out of my voice, to keep it from drowning me. I failed miserably.
"No, I am not. You can't leave."
My voice broke with my last words. I fought hard against the tears that threatened to pour, a battle I was doomed to lose before it even began. I let myself believe I saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but as I spared a second glance, they were empty again. He towered over me, six feet and three inches of lean muscle, my safety. Did he realize he was breaking me? The tears fell heavily.
"I'm going to go, far away, and I will never cross your mind again. I am sorry that I've lead you on this far. You were obviously under the impression that what we had was more than just a small fling. I don't lo-"
"No, no, don't say that, please don't say that!" I sobbed, my body heaving with the tears caused by the pain of his words. His beautiful face was stiff, regal, just as it used to be. "Draco, please, don't....don't, d-don't do this, I need you Draco!" I hardly recognized my own voice.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Ginevra. I am leaving, and you will never see me again. You'll forget me, and you will live on."
My heart broke with each word he uttered. Had it all really been a lie? Had every glance, every hug, every kiss, everything that had been my world, had it all been meaningless to him? No, I refused to believe it.
"Don't act like you don't care, Draco! Don't do this to me, don't leave me, don't act like it was meaningless!" I sobbed through my tears, hating how weak I was. But I'd be as weak as a fledgling if it meant he'd stay. "Draco, I don't know why, but you're...you're lying, and I want you to stop! Because you....you...you can't, you just can't! I love you, Draco! D-Do you get how much you mean to me? M-My life will be a living h-hell, without you! Stay, Draco, stay." I pleaded. My voice was broken, barely understandable through my tears. He shook his head.
"Don't love me, Ginevra. Hate me." His voice was tinged with disgust, though whether it was directed at himself or I, I was unsure. And then he turned, and started to walk. "Draco!" I screamed, and I grabbed his arm. He turned his head to look at me, meeting my brown eyes. I searched his face for some clue, anything that hinted he was lying, for something in his eyes that said he still loved me. I saw nothing. My heart shattered. I stared at him in disbelief, letting go of his arm and stumbling backwards toward the steps of the burrow. My broken eyes never left his face, memorizing it. He kept staring at me. One last broken whisper left my lips as a sob.
"Please."
He met my eyes for one last, painful moment. And then he walked away. He walked away from me, from everything that I loved, that he loved. And he didn't look back.
I watched his white blond hair as the sun caught it. I watched his long, sauntering gate. I watched him until he walked past the boundaries. Then with a single crack, he was gone. I collapsed onto the steps, and I sobbed. I just sat there and cried. I felt empty. I was empty. Long arms wrapped around me, and I felt someone sit next to me. I grabbed their shirt and buried my head in their shoulder.
"He's gone, Fred, he's gone!" I wailed into my big brother's shoulder. He said nothing, just rocked me back and forth.
***********************
Narrator
He'd done it. He made her believe that he no longer loved her. He'd seen it in her eyes; he saw the moment she believed it. He saw how it broke her.
Part of him was hurt, very hurt indeed. Had it really required so little to convince her that he didn't loved her? That he never had? But he knew that she found it amazing that he could ever love her, though for the life of him he could never figure out how she thought herself undeserving of him. It was he who was undeserving of her.
Another part of him was proud. Despite it all, he'd saved her. He would most likely die soon, in a week's time at most, but they'd never find her. That filthy git would never find her. She was safe.
Yet another part, perhaps the largest part, was selfish. He'd always been selfish; it was how he'd been raised. So, in a warped way, perhaps, it made since that this part was the part that fought the most for control of him. That was the part that urged him, that left him with the mad desire to run back to the Burrow as fast as wizardly possible and comfort the beautiful redhead he'd left crying on the porch. He wanted to hold her in his arms, and keep her for himself, not share her with anyone. That part of him wanted to sacrifice her safety just to be able to be with her. And yet he would never allow that to happen. He had something to hold onto, finally, something to keep his grip on sanity tight; he'd found his saving grace. And nothing, nothing, would hurt her.
He'd just broken the one person who was worth protecting. In his eyes, she was the one thing worth living for. The one thing that was worth this horrible pain he was feeling. Draco Malfoy now knew what a broken heart felt like. His had slowly broken as he broke hers. Every tear that had fallen tore at his heart. To see what he'd done to her.... His selfless act was not meant to build his already existent self hate, and yet that's exactly what it did. Being the cause of her pain made him hate himself.
But I did it for her, he told himself. Not that it eased the pain. The blond man stood for a second, hesitant, before bracing his shoulders. To those who knew him, even if only by sight, they'd see the normal glint of hatred in his eyes return. His silver eyes flashed with determination. To anyone he met on his journey, he'd seem slightly mad. And maybe he was. Maybe only a mad man would take on a group of death eaters on his own. Maybe only a mad man would have his heart set on killing his father, all for one girl. If so, then they're all damn well welcomed to call me mad, he thought as he pushed open the gate to the cemetery, a bitter, mad smirk on his face.
***********************
I didn't eat much, only when Fred made me. Or perhaps the best word was pleaded. Only when Fred pleaded for me to do so. Mum had tried, but I only reacted to my brother. Brothers, I suppose. George, too. The twins, my favorite brothers, are the sole reason I ate, slept, and bothered to breath. Only with them was I able to draw my thoughts away from Draco, momentarily. I was a ghost, a ghost in my own skin. No more was the fiery, determined girl. Only the broken, miserable girl remained. The trio was off, searching for horcruxes, Dad was practically living at the ministry, and Charlie and Bill were at thier jobs. Mum was bustling around the house, feeling useless. Only she and the twins were around to see me in my misery. And only two were able to do a thing about it. For five days, this went on.
Something Hermione said kept floating around at the back of my mind, something I'd found useless at the time she said it. But now, with my brain flying around random topics in a dismal attempt to pry itself from thoughts of him, it made sense.
"Moths are attracted to flame. The light draws them in, and they don't realize the danger until it's too late."
I knew how the poor insects felt. I was the moth, and Draco was the flame. He'd drawn me in. I'd woven him into every part of my heart, defied my family, given my heart and soul completely to him. He'd consumed me. And then, without batting an eye, he'd destroyed me.
And yet, I never even thought to hate him. I still hoped.
So there I was, curled in the tiny window seat in my room. I stared out the window, thinking about everything, while at the same time thinking of nothing. An unusual sound reached my ears. I didn't pay attention, only enough to recognize my brothers' voices. Then one word drifted to my ears, one word that jilted me into action.
"...Malfoy,"
I reached for my wand. "Accio extend-able ear," I whispered, my voice raspy from lack of use. The ear I'd stolen long ago from the twins' room flew into my waiting hand. It flew then from my hand, out of the crack in my door, and presumably under the twins' door, being spelled to go to the first thing you want to hear. I held my end up to my ear.
"....how can you be so bloody calm? Five days, Fred, five days our sister's been like this! And where's the git? Off gallivanting with his father and his fellow death eaters, I'll bet! We never should've trusted him, Fred!" George whispered furiously. Fred sighed.
"Yes, he's gallivanting with his father, all right."
"You sound sure of that. And not angry. What do you know that I don't, Gred?" As this dawned on him, the edge in his voice was slowly replaced by curiosity.
"You can't tell Gin," Fred warned. "Twin swear?"
"Twin swear." I heard the smacking sound of their secret handshake thing.
"Alright. Malfoy talked to me before he left."
"And he said-"
"-that he was leaving for her safety." My heart stopped. My safety....?
"Her safety? How would leaving--oh."
"Yes. His father's looking for him. He refused to let Lucius find out about Ginny. So he left." He'd been lying. I was right. He still loved me.
"But where's he going? He's not going to-"
"-kill Lucius? Yes, he is." I gasped. No!
George echoed my thoughts. "No! He can't! He's not--"
"-powerful enough? But he is, Forge, he is. I wouldn't mess with the likes of Draco Malfoy-"
"-adultDraco Malfoy-"
"-unless my life depended on it. And by the time I messed with him, well,-"
"-it would. You're right. He's grown up, that one. He'd give Harry a run for his money. Do you think he'll come back?"
"Alive? Merlin knows I hope so. I've actually grown to like him, cold as he is. Not a bad--Damn!" Fred swore.
"What?"
I heard Fred sigh, practically heard him roll his eyes, before he said,
"You can come in, Ginny."
Oh....damn indeed. I stood and made my way to the twins' room. I pushed open their door to find George standing and Fred sitting on the bed. Both stared at me. I met their eyes evenly. Fred grinned suddenly.
"She'd definitely our sister, George. Come here, you," he chuckled, patting the bed next to him. I offered a half smile and made my way across the room to him. George ruffled my hair as I passed.
"Definitely got our blood in her," George agreed, a small smile playing across his lips. I sat next to my brother, his arm slung around me, glad to see me functioning properly. I must've been quite a sight.
"Good to see you among the living, oh sister of mine," Fred joked. I didn't respond right away. My head was still reeling. Draco hadn't abandoned me; he'd most likely saved my life. And now he was....
"He's going after them all, isn't he? Goyle, Lucius, Avery; the lot of them," I asked, already knowing the answer. The twins sobered. There was no anger in my voice; just acceptance. But I was suddenly so scared, scared for him. I'd half a mind to go after him. Apparently Fred sensed this, because his arm tightened around me. The twins' stony silence answered me better than any words they had would. I sighed. They'd matured greatly since the start of the pre-war. I felt guilty, realizing that their lack of lightheartedness was partly my fault. I asked a question I knew had no answer.
"Fred, George, will he make it?"
George looked out the window, as if he'd find the answer there. He shook his head sadly.
"I don't know, Gin. I just don't know."
***********************
Narrator
He laughed. Perhaps they were right; he'd gone mad, laughing on his deathbed. So this is how it would end. He saw the moon glowing in the eeiry, dark night. He felt the blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth, the hard ground under his head. His eye hurt, and his arm, but he was much to far gone to care. He just laughed up into the face of his father, a morbid laugh, the laugh of a manic. The remaining group surrounded him, their numbers diminished greatly.
"You can't beat me, Draco. I've won. You don't out number us. Five against one. Give in, son."
"I'm not your son," he spat. He'd disowned his father long ago. "You've won nothing, arrogant arse. You-"
He heard the cries of the other death eaters, and saw them fall. Quickly, they all went down. All that were left standing were Lucius and Zabini Sr. Who'd come to his aid? A voice came out of the fog.
"The numbers are now even, Lucius." Blaise Zabini stepped into view. Draco smiled, a sad, small smile. So he had a friend in Blaise after all. Blaise had never wanted to be a part of this either; his father'd dragged him into it. In this, he and Draco had found a camaraderie, and later a friendship, of sorts. Ironic, Blaise's father would die at his son's hand, for Draco had no doubt that Blaise would win. Yet another similarity between them, he thought.
"Ah, Zabini. Why don't you have a talk with your father, hm, while Draco and I finish our little reunion? Be a good boy now," Lucius sneered. Zabini glanced at Draco, meeting his determined silver eyes. He nodded. Blaise looked at his own father. "Very well then, come on Daddy. Let's talk." He held up his wand. The spells flew.
"You still think you've got me beaten, Draco? Face it, boy, you stand no chance. You can't even stand. I. Have. Won."
Again came that mad laugh. "Beat me, have you? Won? Do you even know what you've won, Lucius? Nothing! You have won nothing, because you will never, never find her," his cold drawl was weak, and he was fading quickly. But he'd distracted Lucius.
"Who, boy? Found who?" he barked. He was so preoccupied that he never saw Draco's hand inch toward his wand. Lucius Malfoy never saw death coming.
"Avada Kedrava," he whispered softly, before his world faded to black.
***********************
I sat by my widow, waiting for an owl, a letter, something. Anything. Anything to tell me that he was alive. There'd been no word from the trio, from the Order, from Draco. The remaining Weasleys were left in the dark, perhaps for the best. Even if it was for our own well being, it was maddening. We all hated it, I believe.
So I sat in silence, dreary, frightened thoughts crowding my brain. So lost was I in my little world that when something crashed into my window with a loud thunk! a scream was present on my lips, and my hip made fast friends with the hard floor. I stayed there, paralyzed with fright, staring at my window in horror.
They've come for me, they've killed Draco, and now they're after us, he's lost, he's dead, and oh no, mum, they'll find mum! Oh-
My scattered thoughts were interrupted when a screech came from the window. That sounded like a bird.... sure enough, when I gathered my Gryffindor bravery and scooched closer to the window, the face of a very familiar hawk stared back at me. y heart lept as I hurried to open the window.
"Come here, pretty Eversor, come show me what you have," I cooed. Eversor, named for the Latin word destroyer, perched neatly on my arm, and obediently held out a rolled piece of parchment.
"There's a good girl, beautiful. Good job. The water's over there, but you know that."
She immediately flew to the perch and water. I unrolled the parchment, excitement filling me fast. My exultance was smothered at the first glance of writing, though. The messy scrawl was not his. With a heavy heart, I began reading.
Ginevra,
I know at this moment you are mentally cursing, frustrated, and likely close to tears. You must
forgive me for ruining the happiness I'm sure you felt when you saw Eversor. It was not my
intention, I assure you, but dire times call for certain measures. But, before anything else,
I must tell you what you are waiting to hear: Draco lives. Lucius and the rest of that group of deatheaters
are dead, killed by my own and Draco's hands. I know you were already aware of his destination, as you
always were clever. And if your feelings toward my friend are anything like his to you, you stopped at nothing
until you discovered his reason for leaving. Do not tell Draco, Ginevera, but when I saw him enter the graveyard, he looked
like a mad man out for revenge. He fought like a cornered tiger. He was so determined to protect you, Gin, so glad to
rid the world of threats to you, that he laughed as he lay precariously close to being killed by Lucius.
The relief was overwhelming. I sat down on my bed, my head spinning. He was alive. He'd done what he set out to do. With a light heart, I continued the letter.
I am sending this to you in hopes that it reaches you before I, and that you'd ask your mother to prepare for a patient.
For, valiantly though he fought, just after his father died at his hand, he lost consciousness. No, don't panic, Ginny, he'll live. He's sleeping right now, but he
can walk and move. Just a few nasty cuts. Oh, and before I forget, Draco was very upset about something when he was
unconscious. He seemed to think you currently hated him. I do not know what happened between you two,
Ginevra, but I was told to tell you this, in Draco's words.
I lied.
As I said, I do not know what he has lied about, but I get the impression you will. Expect us by morning.
Yours,
Blaise Zabini
P.S. In case you hadn't figured it out yet, love, I've come to the right side of this war. I'm a good guy now.
Only Blaise was able to flirt and joke around at a time like this, I thought as I rolled my eyes. I was glad he'd come to the 'light side.' But I didn't dwell on that.
Draco was well. Bruised and battered, though I didn't know to what extent, but alive, and on his way. And although I'd known that he'd lied, it felt so good to hear it from him. Well, from Blaise. From him, through Blaise. But no time to think about that now; my Ferret was hurt. I dashed out of my room, and thundered down the stairs, yelling,
"Mum, mum, Fred, George, come here, come quick! HURRY!"
I heard what I believe to be George falling out of bed, and then three sets of hurried footsteps. Fred stumbled in first, wand at the ready, pajamas still on.
"What, Gin, what's wrong?" he exclaimed. I thrust the paper at him, as mum and George blundered in, tripping in their haste, a chorus of "What, what?!" meeting my ears. He stared at me for a moment, wondering why I'd scared the bloody hell out of them just to show a them a letter, before turning his eyes to the parchment. His eyes scanned it quickly, before meeting mine again, a grin on his face. He handed the paper to George, who in turn handed it to Mum. Mum snapped into action.
"Thank Merlin, the boy's alright! Ginny, darling, you'll help me of course? No, no, you, George, Ginny'll be wanting to watch the window, if I know her at all. Oh, Ginny, that's fantastic!" With a hug like only a she can give and a kiss on the forehead, she bustled into the kitchen dragging George behind her. His only congratulations was a smile and a thumbs up before he was pulled into 'the lair', as the twins called it. I turned to Fred.
"Told you he'd make it," he laughed, the mischievous glint, so long absent, almost present in his blue eyes. I laughed too, feeling light with happiness and relief.
"You said no such thing, you oaf!" I reached up on my tiptoes to swat him in the back of the head before running to the front steps. I sat. I realized how similar it was to that one day, exactly a week ago. Except this time, I was smiling, not crying, and my heart felt as if were about to explode with happiness, not shatter. Similar, yet opposite. After an hour, Fred joined me, then George, creating a twin sandwich. My eyes never left the horizon, where the protective spells ended, allowing people to apparate.
This time, the skyline was dark, lit only by the moon. George snored gently, long limbs sprawled out all over the steps. Fred leaned against the wall, eyes closed, but awake. I kept watching. I saw the two darker dots against the midnight blue horizon. I nudged Fred, and poked George in the side.
This time I watched as he walked closer to me, not away. This time I watched as the moonlight make his hair glow. I watched as his sauntering gate was slowed by a limp. I watched until he was a Quidditch field away. Then I stopped watching; I flew. I ran, my footsteps pounding out a rhythm. I ran, my breathing hard, and slammed straight into his strong arms. I hugged him tight, burying my head into his chest, saying nothing. I breathed in his scent, re-memorizing it.
He held me to him, bending down to bury his head into the crook of my neck. We stood like that for what seemed like forever, but ended too quickly. I pulled back slightly. I met his glacier eyes, reveling in the emotion and love, so often hidden, that I saw there.
"Would you believe me if I told you that I hate you for leaving me like that?" I questioned. He arched his right eyebrow in a very Malfoy way and gave me a signature Malfoy smirk.
"After that greeting? No."
His voice, if slightly rough, was the same, and it still sent shivers down my spine. I laughed.
"Good, because then you'd be an oaf, like Fred."
Fred, who'd joined us just then, gave an objective "Hey!" but was ignored. A soft cough turned my attention to the handsome man standing behind Draco.
"Blaise!"
I gave him a one armed hug, unwilling to let go of Draco just yet. The dark skinned man's surprise showed on his face; we'd never exactly been friends.
"Thank you," I told him. His smooth voice replied with slight confusion.
"For....?"
"For bringing him back." My gratitude was evident in my eyes. He smiled.
"Nothing to it, love," he answered, mock bowing. I rolled my eyes, then turned back to Draco. He was smiling, a rare thing to see on Draco Malfoy, even around me. He was evidently very happy to see me, too. I hugged him again. The grin present on my face was quickly wiped away when he winced.
"You're hurt." I stated, knowing full well he was. I felt the need to state the obvious, though. I pursed my lips, holding him at arms' length. I raked him with my eyes, taking in ever scratch, every blood stain, every bruise. His once starch white button up shirt was ruined, and his dark jeans torn. I frowned.
"Inside. Now."
"No, Gin I'm fi-"
"Now." There was no room for argument in my voice. I took his hand and led him toward the Burrow. Blaise and Fred followed, Fred's voice floating up to us, his tone slightly amazed.
"She sounded identical to Mum! I'm not sure if that's good or not!"
Draco snorted. I pulled his arm a bit harder. "Ouch! Okay, okay, I'll be a good boy now," he surrendered, shooting me a glare that might've been frightening if not for hs smile. I barely noticed,however, too worried about the extent of his injuries. Mum must have seen us through the window, because she rushed out, almost tripping on the still sleeping George.
"Draco, dear, how good to see you back!" her eyes surveyed him, then, "How badly hurt are you, dear?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Nasty cut there....you're limping, are you dear? That's quite the black eye.....yes, yes, come in hear, I'll have you fixed up in no time!" She ushered all of us into the kitchen, and immediately started a series of complicated spells on Draco. After a while,
"There. Good as new. You'll be a little sore, dear, but that'll be the extent of it."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Draco said, dipping his head. He had yet to loosen up around my family.
"Molly, dear, how many times must I tell you? Call me Molly!" Mum admonished.
"Molly, then. Thank you, Molly." He even offered a small smile. Mum beamed. After making sure Mum was sure he was fine, I found myself outside on the steps for a third time.
"I'm getting very attached to these steps," I informed Draco, a rueful grin on my face. He snorted. We sat in silence for a while. Well, it would've been silence, had George not been close by snoring. I was content to just sit there, knowing Draco was by my side. But suddenly the silence was broken by a desperate voice.
"I had to, Gin, I had to. You know that, right?"
Draco's voice held more despair than I'd ever heard before. I turned to look at him in surprise. His glacier eyes were for once portraying every emotion he was feeling; they were alive with turmoil. The sadness in them was overwhelming.
"Yes, Draco, of course! I understand."
He sighed, and had I not known better, I would've thought that Draco Malfoy was on the brink of tears. Needless to say I thought that perhaps I'd drunk a bit too much butterbeer while waiting on Mum, because his next words came out as dry sob.
"You should hate me, Ginevra!"
I stared at him, shocked. Not only by his sudden outburst and tears (though very few), but by the fact that he still thought me capable of hating him.
"Never."
My voice was firm, my lips drawn into a frown.
"I'm a monster, Gin, a monster! How can you still love me? Can't you tell I'm the worst thing in the world for you?!"
His voice was laced with self hate, and his brow was puckered.
"No."
He eyed me incredulously.
"No? Ginny, I killed my own father! I've...I've killed more people than you'd care to think about! I'm just like my father! I've caused you so much more pain than you deserve! Look at you-you're tired, you've lost weight, and it's my fault! How can you not think me what I am, a monster?" He turned his head to avoid meeting my eyes. I was slightly angry.
"Draco Abraxas Malfoy! Look at me!"
He shook his head.
"Look at me, dammit!" I exclaimed sternly. He hesitated, then turned his face back to mine. It hurt me to see him this distraught.
"Draco Malfoy, you are no monster! You were raised to do those things! I don't care about who you were, Draco, I care who you are now! What you used to be like, what you've done....can't you see that none of that bloody matters to me any more? You're different now, much different! I...how can you...ugh! Are you daft? You are not you father! You will never be anything like him! I love you, Draco, and nothing is going to change that! You...You're pigheaded! Daft, I tell you! If that's what you think, then you are an idiot! A bloody idiot! I-"
I broke off as I notice the way he was looking at me.
"What?" I asked self consciously.
He stared for another moment, all traces of tears gone, then burst out laughing. I stared at him in confusion. I loved his laugh, and, as I'd only ever heard it a few times, wanted to keep listening. So I waited until it was dieing down before asking,
"You find this funny?"
He shook his head and waved his hand in my direction, dismissing the remark. His molten silver eyes sparkled with mirth.
"No, no, how on earth could I find that pep talk funny?!" He smirked. "I didn't expect that uplifting speech to end with numerous insults directed at yours truly."
Okay, so maybe I'd let my Weasley temper get a bit out of hand.
"Yes, well, that's just....lovely. Laugh away, you daft pig," I grumbled. I wasn't really all that aggravated, though. And he knew it.
"I was actually feeling important just then, and then the little Weasley temper raised its head. Who was I to think I could escape it?" He smirked again, his eyebrow lifted. I wondered for the billionth time how a smirk could be maddening and endearing at the same time as I glared at him.
"You're bipolar, Malfoy, are you aware of that?"
His smirk grew. "Yes, I may've been told a time or two. Mostly by you, I believe."
I looked at him, wondering how on earth the mood had gone from quite depressing to lighthearted in a matter of minutes. He seemed to know what I was thinking, for he shrugged. There was silence, again, spent with me staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. Suddenly he said,
"I love you, Gin, do you know that?"
It threw me off, because he'd never actually told me. I just knew. I muttered, "Bipolar," causing him to smirk again. Then I answered,
"Yes, I know."
He studied me intently, one eyebrow raised. "Do you really? I've never said it, not in so many words. Do you know just how much I love you, Ginevra?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but was cut off.
"This is how much."
And he leaned over and kissed me. He'd never kissed me like this before. Never this deeply, never this thoroughly. Never had I felt so loved. His lips were soft and warm against mine, and I unhesitantly let him take control. I-
"Oi, you! Get your hands off my sister, you bloody- oh! It's you!"
We broke apart to look at George, having just woken up from his very long nap. I don't know who was redder- me or George. Draco sayed cool and unflushed.
"Draco, mate, didn't know you were back! Lovely to see you, of course, sorry about that..." He was slowly inching his way towards the door, his cheeks flaming with the Weasley blush. "...and my, you're looking dashing...erm, speaking of dashing, I'll leave you two, now, yeah?" He disappeared into the burrow at an incredible speed. I distinctly heard Fred exclaiming, while laughing so hard I feared his head would fall off, "You idiot!" before turning my attention back to Draco. He was looking at the door where George'd disapeared with one pale, perfect eyebrow arched dangerously high. He turned to meet my gaze.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to a family of Weasleys."
I laughed at him. He continued.
"But I guess I'll have to. Got to get along with the inlaws, don't I?"
Realization of what he'd said hit me. I gaped at him. "Your...what???" I asked, totally bewildered.
He smiled a little. "Yes, my inlaws. Because, Ginny, I was wondering if you would marry me?"
Only Draco Malfoy's proposal could be that down to the point. But, hey, I wasn't complaining.
"I...you....yes!" I nearly shouted.
I grinned so wide that my face hury. Draco smirked (I swear, I think it's a generic disease) before saying worriedly, "Are you sure? That didn't sound too definite..."
"Smart arsed pig."
He laughed again, then looked down at me. "Then I believe this belongs to you, Miss Weasley."
He slipped an intricate band of gold and silver on my hand, topped with a sparkling red gem, which seemed to glow in the light of the early morning. I held it up to my face, examining the design in the metal. A lion and a snake, intertwined, made up the gold and silver band. The work of goblins. The gem was...
"Is that a...?"
"Red diamond? Yes, Gryffindor Princess."
I looked up to meet his eyes, speechless. "Draco...it's beautiful!" I threw my arms around his neck. He held me to him. "I love it," I murmred into his chest. Neither of us heard the door open until Blaise crowed,
"Told you! He wasn't going to wait much longer! Pay up, Carrot tops!" We turned to look at him, just in time to see Fred and George roll their eyes, in sync, and place a few pieces each of gold into the dark boys hand. At my questioning look, they all grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"Our new business partner made a bet on how long Draco here would wait to propose," Fred explained. Then he took a step forward and slapped Draco on the shoulder as George wrapped me in a hug. "Congratulaions, mate," he said before switching places with George, then being replaced by Blaise.
"Business partner?" I questioned. Blaise puffed his chest out in a mock display of pride. "Yep! Meet the newest member of the WWW staff!"
"What are you all doing out- oh!" Mum's voice interupted us all. Her eyes were on my finger. She screamed.
"MY DAUGHTER's GETTING MARRIED! Married! Come here, you!" She wrapped both me and Draco in a hug. "Welcome to the family, dear, welcome! Oh, when will the wedding be? How many people....maybe I should start the cake.....Oh, i-"
"MUM!"
Fred, George, and I chorused. She stopped bustling around in hurried circles, wondering where to start.
"What?"
"Calm down, Mum, you've got time," I laughed. She blushed.
"Yes, yes, I suppose so," she admonished, chucklng at her own antics.
"Molly," Draco began, "I was wondering abot something."
"Yes, dear?"
"Would you take the liberty of planning the reception dinner, then helping with the actual wedding? I don't want to ask too much..." He got interrupted by a beaming older Weasley wrapping him in a Mum hug. "No, dear, no problem, I'll start planning right away!" She disappeared immediately into the house. We all stared after her, slightly taken aback, before bursting out laughing.
"Mate, you just made somebody's day," George chuckled. Then he, Fred, and Blaise wondered back into the burrow after Mum. I turned to the gorgeus blond man who'd so stubbornly argued his worth earlier. He was staring after my family, slightly dazed.
"You think I'd be used to it by now...." he muttered to himself. I laughed.
"Think you can handle them for the rest of you life?"
He met my gaze. "Never said I didn't like it. Just freaks me out a bit, is all." I laughed even harder.
"Good because you're stuck with 'em!"
We met each other's eyes, then fell into fits of laughter. Yes, today was a good day indeed.
Fin
Haha, this is the longest thing I've ever written so far. I liked it. Can't wait to hear what y'all think! Just click and lemme know, because I love feedback!
--Paris