Molly Weasley paced the length of her living room, nervously chewing her nails. "Oh, Arthur…" she said, stopping finally in front of her husband. "They're going to be here soon…" her eyes darted around the room at the scattered tinsel and Christmas decorations. "What if he doesn't like this place?" she started pacing again.
Arthur Weasley smiled slightly. "Molly." He said bracingly. "You don't need to worry. Ginny knows what to do. She's sixteen, for goodness' sake!" he got up and placed his hands onto his wife's shoulders. "And besides, Fred and George are driving…" Arthur's words seemed to affect him more than it affected his wife. "Fred and George." He repeated faintly. "Are driving?"
Placing her hands on her hips, Molly said sternly, "Fred and George," she paused, thinking about what she was about to say. Her expression changed swiftly. "Are very responsible." She finished. "You need to put more trust into your sons." She said reprovingly.
"You need to put more faith in your daughter." Arthur corrected her. "She knows how to choose her friends." But even as he said this, he didn't seem too reassured about the situation himself.
"You're right." Molly admitted, after a short pause, sitting down in the armchair next to the brick fireplace. "But it just doesn't feel right." She buried her face in her hands. "She's dating a Malfoy."
The doorknob jiggled. Molly's eyes widened as she hastened to get out of her seat. The door burst open, revealing-"Bill? Charlie? Fleur?" Molly smiled faintly. "I forgot you were coming." She collapsed back into the chair, placing her head on one arm.
Her two eldest sons cast confused looks toward their father, who replied simply, "Ginny." Fleur nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh." She said understandingly. Bill grinned at his brother; Fleur's English had improved since the last time Charlie had seen her, and all because of the lessons Bill had given her.
They turned to their mother. Bill and Charlie's amused grins told everyone they understood. "Draco Malfoy, eh, mum?" Charlie said, stepping forward carefully. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"
Molly didn't answer; to the others, it almost seemed as though she were asleep. It wasn't until she said, "What?" that it became clear that she wasn't listening, and wasn't planning to.
The doorknob gave another wiggle. Molly gasped, but was too exhausted to get up right away. The door opened, revealing two boys, looking exactly the same as the other. Molly threw herself out of the chair and pushed herself past the twins. She only just heard their cries of indignation before turning to Ron and his friends. "Hello, dears." She said, enveloping them into quick hugs. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Harry and Hermione sharing an amused grin. Pushing past them, too, she found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy and her youngest child and only daughter. "Oh, Ginny!" Molly cried, throwing herself onto the girl. She pulled back and glanced at Draco, before embracing him too. From behind her, she heard Ginny's relieved sigh. She drew back, smiling brightly. "Well, must get to the kitchen. My roast must be burning by now." She smiled at her daughter before rushing out of the room.
Once safely in the kitchen, Molly let loose a sigh. The truth had finally sunk in. Her daughter was dating Draco Malfoy. No matter how she said it, it just didn't sound right. Molly leaned on the kitchen table.
Draco cast a curious glance at the Christmas tree in the corner, taking in the homeliness of it. It was decorated, of course, in scarlet and gold, the Gryffindor colors. Ginny was standing right next to it, looking nervous, but beautiful all the same. She seemed to be waiting for Draco's opinion; she was nervously fumbling with the scattered tinsel on the floor, trying to pick it all up and stow it away.
"Ginny…" he said, rolling his eyes jokingly, "You don't need to do that. It looks fine." He reassured her.
Ginny still looked nervous. "You know you're lying, Draco." She said stubbornly, walking up to him and waving a finger in his face. "Don't try to deny it!"
Draco gave her his trademark smirk. "I'm not." He drawled. "It's actually looking better than my house." He held out his hands to show that he wasn't crossing his fingers. "I'm not lying."
Ginny pursed her lips. "Whatever you say." She muttered dryly, striding into the kitchen.
Draco looked highly affronted to be left alone, especially in his girlfriend's house. "Hey! You're not supposed to leave me!" he cried indignantly.
"Left you, has she?" a bitter voice answered.
Draco winced. This had been what he was dreading; spending two whole weeks with Ginny's brothers. "Damn." He mouthed. "Look, Weas-Ron." He corrected himself. "It's common courtesy not to blow up a person's house if you're spending your Christmas Vacation there, so try and help me to stop myself from doing that."
"I'd rather be eaten by the Giant Squid than help you, Malfoy." Was the bitter reply.
"Draco! Ron?" where are you two?" Arthur's deep voice cut back Draco's remark. "We're waiting to start dinner."
"Sorry, Mr. Weasley!" Draco said, not lifting his glare on Ron. "We'll be there!" he turned on his heel and left the living room.
He entered the kitchen and took the seat next to Ginny, which was obviously saved for him by her. He saw Ginny's reproachful look, but promptly ignored it. "What were you two doing?" she hissed, grabbing Draco's wrist, stopping him from grabbing food, which would have proven a good distraction.
Draco shrugged, trying to look as graceful and innocent as his appearance would let him. He pushed his white-blond tresses out of his eyes, making it seem as though he had just fallen down from heaven. "He's trying to protect you." He muttered.
Ginny blinked. "Protect me? Why would I need to be protected?" she said, taking her hand off his wrist. "You mean that-?" her eyes grew wide. "Oh! He doesn't need to do that, you know." She said, looking slightly embarrassed, not noticing the soft sigh Draco had let loose.
"I know." He muttered. He stuck his fork in his turkey grumpily. He stared gloomily, almost dreamily, at the fork, poking it every now and then. He could feel Ginny's eyes boring into him, and he could just vaguely hear her calling his name. But at the moment, he didn't seem to be able to hear properly. The whole prospect of the Weasley family not liking him, not knowing or even hearing that he had changed, just because they didn't want to, was eating him from the inside. All of Ginny's brothers seemed much more intimidating all of a sudden. And now, Draco actually had something to defend, other than his dignity. Ginny had always been a mediocre and unimportant part in his life, up until a year ago, when he was sixteen. Everyone, including himself, had been surprised (that's the understatement of the year. Draco thought grimly.) when he had let loose the fact that he was in love with Ginny Weasley. "Ow." Draco said, surprised at the sudden pain he had felt in his right arm. He looked at Ginny. She was holding the fork that had previously been in his turkey. Draco raised a thin eyebrow at the turkey, realizing that he had been poking thin air for the past minute.
Ginny scowled, dropping the fork down on Draco's untouched plate. "I've been calling you for the past five minutes, Draco." She said roughly. "What have you been thinking about?"
"Five minutes!" Draco said. "It hasn't been five minutes!" the fork clattered to the floor and he dived down to get it, but not before Ginny managed to kick him in the gut. Or was that Ron?
Above him, Ginny was still talking very angrily. "Oh, so you're aware that I've been calling you?"
Draco sighed, emerging back from under the table. "Yes, but the only reason that I wasn't answering," he said innocently, kissing Ginny's cheek, "Is because I was thinking of you." It was half-true; he had been thinking of Ginny, and the sacrifices he had made for her. He turned to his plate, now fully aware of his stomach, which had been rumbling ever since they were on the Hogwarts express. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ginny's cheeks become steadily redder. Stuffing his mouth with his food finally, he couldn't help but notice three pairs of reproachful eyes from across him. He looked up, having rid of the food in his mouth, and saw, all eyes on him, Ron and the twins, staring angrily at him.
"Don't do that. Especially at the dinner table." George said, "It's making us sick." He glared at Draco, and then turned to his mother, who had been trying to draw his attention. "ARGH!" Molly had smacked him upside the head.
"Can't you see they're trying to enjoy their Christmas dinner without you bothering them about their love life?" she hissed. "It's rude!"
Molly watched joyfully from her end of the table. Ginny was listening raptly to Draco, her eyes turning brighter with every word, Draco was whispering in her ear, a wide grin forming on his face. Molly's fears and regrets vanished as she continued to watch them out of the corner of her eye. Ginny seemed truly happy, happier than everybody in the house, even. And Draco…she had never expected the son of one of the dark lord's closest supporters to even look twice at a Weasley. But even he looked happy, gazing lovingly at his girlfriend every chance he got, teasing her out of the corner of his mouth every five minutes, it was as though this was the most fun he had ever had in his life. She smiled as Ginny burst out laughing at a comment Draco had made. She only just heard a snide comment coming from Ron's mouth. She was about to reprimand him, but Hermione had gotten there first. Punching his arm painfully, she said angrily, "How can you say that, Ron? She's happy, can't you at least let her be?" still glaring, she turned to her food.
Molly smiled again. It seemed everyone, with the exception of Ron and the twins, had noticed the happiness radiating from the young couple.
Bill Weasley grinned at his French girlfriend, intertwining his fingers through hers under the table. Who says veelas can't fall in love? He expected Fleur to giggle, or blush at least, but she seemed to be daydreaming. Completely oblivious to her interlocked hand, she was staring at another pair of hands on the table, and Bill knew whom they belonged. Ginny was giggling at a comment Draco had said, her fingers playing with his on the white tablecloth. Bill now knew why Fleur was finding it difficult to keep her brilliant eyes off them; they were the perfect example of happiness. Together, they formed a bind that would never rust, a knot that would never undo. As Bill watched, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Draco was now flicking bits of stray string from his jacket into Ginny's hair, something Bill used to do to Fleur. Ginny turned to face Draco, having had enough of Ron's snide comments, just in time to see Draco's hand, suspended in mid-air, holding what looked like more string. Draco froze, and slowly lowered his hand, grinning sheepishly. "OUCH!" It took most of Bill's energy not to burst out laughing. Draco's hand was in his white-blond, and treasured hair, rubbing the spot where Ginny had flung her silver plate. "Don't touch the hair…" Draco muttered.
"It's just like a fairy tale…" Fleur muttered, apparently oblivious she had spoken aloud. And Bill had to agree. It was exactly like a fairy tale. The two teens faces were full of life and love, and it seemed as though, in their world, nothing mattered except each other. Everytime they looked at each other, it looked as though they forgot about their surroundings, forgetting about their problems, forgetting everything.
Fred scowled as 'Malfoy' continued to flick bits of string into his sister's hair. "What gives him the right to do that?" he hissed to George.
"Exactly! We do that!" George said, under his breath. "It's our job!"
"Ahem." Harry was frowning.
"What?" Fred and George both shot at him.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Hermione was telling me to tell you to shut up about Malfoy and Ginny." He rolled his eyes at them, once he had made sure that Hermione was not listening. "She says," he put on a high voice, "It's disrespectful! They should be supportive of their sister!" he laughed, but stopped immediately when Hermione shot a reproachful look at the three of them.
Fred frowned at Hermione, but she didn't seem to notice, as she was now glaring at Ron. Fred sighed, turning back to Draco and Ginny. They were getting up now, Draco's hair back to its normal state. Fred and George shot Draco a scathing look, but either Draco chose to ignore it, or he didn't notice. Either way, he had put his arm around Ginny's shoulders, and it seemed to the twins that he was doing that just to make them jealous. The rest of the family followed suit, including Harry and Hermione, and walked heavily toward the living room to warm up. Molly stayed behind, insisting she make some hot chocolate for everybody. The others settled in the living room, fidgeting at the sight of their mounds of gifts, and trying to wait for Molly.
Helluuuuuuuuu! Crazylily here again! First draco/Ginny fic on ffnet. Just wanted to tell you to review, or suffer my curser! MUAHAHAHA!!!