Chapter 3: Can't Escape The Past

Standard Disclaimer: I only own these characters in my own little fantasy world... which sadly none of you live in. Beware of DH Spoilers!!

Two days after the wedding Draco was still experiencing a high from the time he had spent with Ginny. They had parted on good terms, and he was actually considering owling her and asking if she wanted to go out to dinner. In the past few days he had not been able to focus for long on anything because he was consumed with thoughts of her. He may not want to admit it, but he was starting to believe that Gryffindor may have had the best girls. The Ravenclaw's always had their noses stuck in a book, the Hufflepuff's were too clingy and sweet, and the Slytherin girls were too much like the Slytherin boys for a relationship to ever work out for long.

Ginevra Weasley had it all; brains, looks, charm, the whole package. He had only just admitted it to himself, but he wanted her. But it wasn't as if he could just go up to her and say that, or go after her like he would go after any other girl. This was going to be a challenge, a challenge that he was more then willing to try and achieve.

As he sat musing to himself he heard a slight crack. He looked down and saw his house elf Blinkin looking up at him.

"Blinkin is sorry for intruding Master Draco, but Master and Mistress has just returned home," "Thank you Blinkin," Draco said, waving his hand to tell her to go.

He slowly made his way down to the entrance hall. "Mother, Father. How was Milan?"

Narcissa Malfoy turned to her son and smiled. "It was lovely as usual darling, we only wish you could have come."

She embraced him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"So Draco," his father began. "How was the Weasley wedding?"

"It was... eventful father."

"I am glad I did not have to go. I kept having visions of what that place they called a house would look like, what the plain wedding would be like. I couldn't help thinking that, had we gone, at some point during the night someone was going to produce a piglet and make us chase it."

Narcissa shot her husband a glare. "Lucius!"

He held up his hand. "I know Narcissa, I know. 'They have been our only allies'. That still does not mean I want to throw away what we have and live like they do."

Lucius snapped his fingers, and his own house elf appeared before him. "Winkin is here Master."

The small creature gave the Malfoy a tumbler of Firewhisky.

"Winkin, take all of Mistress's new things up to our rooms," he turned to his wife. "Face it my dear, you could never live that life, with all the shopping you do."

Narcissa ignored him, and began to walk with her son to her room.

"So darling, you said the wedding was interesting, what happened?"

"The youngest Weasley, the girl who was dating Potter," he began.

"Yes."

"She publicly broke up with Potter at the wedding."

"Really?" his mother turned to face him.

The female Malfoy thrived on gossip.

"Mother if I tell you, you have to promise me that you will not go telling everyone. I'm sure people will find out about it soon enough. Do you promise?"

"Of course Darling, now what happened?"

"Well Ginevra, thats her name Ginevra, found out that Potter had cheated on her because she wouldn't sleep with him. Then this week he called her over to tell her something "important". She thought he was going to ask her to come back to him, but he really told her that he got the girl he cheated on her with pregnant."

"No!" the blonde women looked shocked. "Simply scandalous."

Draco gave an acidic laugh. "She deserves better than him anyway. Potter is such a clueless wanker."

"Draco, I do wish you could at least be civil toward Harry Potter. We owe him a lot."

Draco groaned. "Mother, I don't want to hear this again."

"Well you are going to," she grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away from her. " Darling he saved your life, even when he hated you. He could have let you die but he did not. You also know I think he's the reason..."

"The reason we were never put on trial. I know mother, I know."

"And you also know what kind of power he has in the Ministry. We could be sitting in a family sized cell in Azkaban if not for him. I could have told Voldemort he was still alive, but he was our last hope. I lied to save you, can't you just do this one thing for me?"

Draco gave a very heavy sigh, "For you mother, of course I can try."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you darling, I'll see you at dinner."

Draco watched her walk into her private room, with all three house elves, Blinkin, Winkin, and his mothers elf Nod, trailing behind her with all of her new things. Draco just shook his head and turned down to his own wing to have some peace and quite back in his room.

As soon as he entered his room he went to his bed and fell on it, he stared up at the ceiling of his room and just thought. His family had been to hell and back in the past three years, and sometimes he still wondered if any of them, himself included had learned a thing.

The first year, the three of them barely left the Manor. The read the Daily Prophet each day and went over the list of convicted Death Eaters, unaccounted for Death Eaters, dead Death Eaters, and the Death Eaters who still had to be tried. Each day the lists grew, but each day their names were miraculously left off them. They kept to themselves as much as possible, not even daring to go to any trials, or the funerals of their so called friends. Draco had spent much of his time that first year reading, and exploring parts of the Manor no one had thought to enter for years, that was how he found the second library with all those unreadable texts in it. He recalled how the first year had been with his emotions a little more peaked then they normally would be. That first year had been filled with many fights. Lucius was still on about the war, and what could have been prevented, and what they could have done. Narcissa hated hearing him dwell on the past, telling him that if the rest of the Wizarding world was moving on he should to. When she would tell him that he would say horrible, hurtful things to her that still haunted Draco's dreams, but his mother was never weak, by any definition of the word. When he had said what he pleased to her, she would calmly tell him that she would leave him, and that would solve all of her problems. Draco smirked as he remembered how quickly his fathers tones changed, and how often he had slept in his study after those fights.

The second year was better, his mother began to connect with new women who were not exactly "society types". His father began to work for the ministry from the manor. At first, Kingsley Shacklebolt could find little use for him except to bury him in necessary paperwork, until he discovered Lucius' one very important use. Soon Lucius was called into the Ministry everyday, they began to use him for information on convicted and suspected Death Eaters. Needless to say Lucius would often come home with a good deal of Veritaserum in his system. Narcissa would always stay away from him on those nights, knowing that the temptation to ask her husband things she really would not want to know was too great.

It was the way that Lucius connected with Arthur Weasley that still struck Draco as odd. Lucius had just been allowed to go home one day after some heavy questioning, and he was sitting on a bench in the Ministry when Arthur came upon him, and asked him what was wrong. Still under the effects of the Veritaserum, the Malfoy began to list off all his problems in a jumbled mess. After he was done, he realized that Arthur was probably going to laugh at him, or tell him he got what he deserved before walking off like he hadn't a care in the world. So when Arthur asked him to get some coffee with him, and they could try and sort this mess out he was slightly taken aback. The two men sat in a little coffee shop late into the night, talking, making plans, and for the first time in neither of them knew how long, helping each other. It was there that Lucius came up with the idea about the Malfoy's backing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, it was there that Lucius found out the head of Arthur's department in the Ministry was retiring, and needed a replacement, it was there that Arthur came up with a more permanent, and less brutally honest way for Lucius to help the Ministry, the two men even planned how to get Malfoy Industries back off the ground.

That night Lucius came home and began to tell his son and his wife about what he and Arthur had come up with. He told his wife to plan a fancy dinner party so he could invite Arthur, Molly, and George over to try and discuss future business ventures. Narcissa, never wanting to be out done, made the Manor perfect for the Weasley/Malfoy dinner. Despite life changing events, and all of their lives being at stake Lucius still thought he was better then the Weasley's, he just was now willing to work with them to try and help himself, and his family. He did not plan on however what was to happen at dinner that night. He had thought a good dinner party would be just what Narcissa needed to help get her back into the swing of things, Lucius however had forgotten that it was Molly Weasley who had killed Bellatrix Lestrange. At first the atmosphere at dinner was cold, and quiet. The men were afraid that at any second their wives would turn on each other, Draco could not think of anything at all to say, and George was so out of it no one was sure where he was. After thirty minutes of tense silence, George finally seemed to come back to himself.

'Okay,' he had said. 'Your sister was evil,' he pointed at Narcissa.

'You killed her' he pointed at his mother.

Both women nodded.

'Okay, now lets not argue and bicker about who killed who, this is an occasion to celebrate. Malfoy's and Weasley's have been under the same roof for nearly an hour now, and we are all still very much in tact.'

At George's statement Draco had burst out laughing, followed by Arthur. Soon enough the past was put aside and the future had begun, for both families again.

Draco came back to the present upon that last memory. That had been almost two years ago, and now Draco was contemplating opening a whole new door in his family's relationship with the Weasley's. All he needed now was to owl Ginny Weasley and start their courtship, as it were. Just as he was about to write out his letter, his mother's house elf Nod, popped into his room.

"Master Draco, Misstress, and Master are wanting to see you in Mr. Graves study right away."

Draco looked at the small creature for a moment or two. "Tell them I will be right there.

As the Elf disappeared Draco got to his feet. He wondered what on earth Mr. Graves could have found that would really concern his parents and him. The only way to find out was to see for himself.

Okay I know this chapter was really short, but it was really starting to get on my nerves. So now I can start a new chapter and try and get this issues out in the open. Stay tuned, and just so you know any reviews I get help spur me on!