Some People Change
Chapter 10
Getting on With Life
It was two day since Draco woke up and soon Molly would be there with Darcy and a few of the Weasleys to visit. He found out that Fleur and Francis were staying at the Burrow to help Molly with Darcy and they were teaching the small girl French. It seems that his daughter had a knack for languages and was picking it up very quickly. Sometimes they had full conversations in French with Fleur only filling the one or two words Darcy didn't know. Life was getting better for the small girl. She was still plagued by nightmares but that was to be expected with everything she had been through. Draco just wished he could be there to comfort her when she woke up at night.
He had had many vistors during his stay at the hospital. His uncle and his family and most of the Weasleys had all come to see him. In fact the only member of that family that hadn't was Ginny. After the events of that night she had been really quiet and withdrawn. Hermione told him that she had cut most of them out of her life for the past few days so when she walked into his room and sat by his bed he was surprised.
"Hey how are you doing?"He said in a happy voice. She just stared at him for what felt like a long time before leaning foward and kissing him deeply. He eagerly returned the kiss tasting the sweet taste of her lips. They kissed until they couldn't breathe and then she pulled back. She brushed his face softly.
"If you ever put yourself in the hospital again I'll kick your ass understand?" She said trying not to smile at him. Draco kissed her hand softly.
"Deal. So what now? I assume you aren't going out with Harry anymore."
"No I'm not but honestly I don't want to rush back into a relationship right now. I want to live my life for me for a while." She said looking down.
"I can understand that. How about for right now we just agree to be friends?" Draco asked, forcing himself to smile as his heart was ripped out. He wanted a future with her but he wouldn't force her to do anything. If he did he would be no better then Harry in his book.
"Thank you for understanding. I have to go to get ready for work so I'll see you later." She said as she left. Draco held it in for a few more minutes before he just started crying softly.
Meanwhile at the Ministry Ron and Kingsley sat in Arthur's office and Ron looked upset. Arthur just looked at the paper work on his desk. Ron seemed to have grown tired of waiting as he cleared is throat.
"So are we going after Harry now?" Ron asked. Arthur sighed and shook his head.
"No son we are not."
"Why the bloody hell not?!" Ron shouted. His father shot him a hard look. Ron fell quiet but was still fuming.
"Because we would never get the support for it. As much as he is a criminal for what he did he is also Harry Potter. Do you really think that the Wizgamort would approve a warrent for him because he hurt the son of the right hand of the Dark Lord?" Kingsley asked in his deep baratone. Ron still fumed but he shook his head.
"So what do we do then?" Ron asked his tone dark.
"We give Draco and Darcy the kind of life they deserve." Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair. They all went back to work but Ron sent a message to Hermione to go take care of Draco because they weren't going after Harry. Soon Hermione was at St. Mungo's and when she walked into Draco's room she saw that he had been crying.
"Draco what happened?" She asked as she got closer.
"Ginny was here. She said she wants to be single for a while so that means that I have to wait to be with her and what if she meets someone else? I know I would have to let her go but I don't want to." Draco said as he laid his head back. Hermione gently patted his shoulder.
"I know it feels horrible but trust me it does get better. I felt the same way when I saw Ron going out with Lavander but I had to let him go. That is what you are going to do. Just let her go and be her friend. If she cares about you like I think she does then she will come back to you." Hermione said. Draco nodded as he tried to get back under control. He hated being emotional but sometimes there was no choice.
Over the next few weeks Draco and Darcy really started to love their new lives. Darcy found a talent for learning new languages. In one month with almost constant exposure, thanks to Fleur and Frank, she was quite fluent in French including reading and writing it too. Hermoine started teaching her Latin and she loved it.
As for Draco he continued to teach her by example as he took his NEWTs at the Ministry and was only two behind Hermione's record. He then started taking the courses at St. Mungo's to become a healer. He wanted to help others and thought this was the best way.
And then there was Ginny working on becoming a full professor. She threw herself into the work and tried to remain focused on it but always in the back of her mind was Draco and Darcy. She went home for their first Christmas at the Burrow and while she loved spoiling Darcy, as most of the family had, she really loved seeing Draco.
"So how is everything Ginny?" Draco asked as they walked in the snow covered gardens. He was wearing a long black fur cloak that Charlie had given him as she wore an emerald green one.
"It is great. I love teaching although some of the students are trying at times. Like Michael Snee who seems to not be able to aim his charms. He levitated one of the girls in the class last time we tried to lift a feather." she said with a chuckle.
"Sounds to me like he is way stronger then most eleven year olds."
"He is and he loves to show it off."
"So maybe he didn't miss his aim."
"No he did because he looked completely shocked. He isn't a very good liar." Ginny said as they sat down by the small lake near the house. The water was iced over and the moon light reflecting off of it made the whole area glow majestically. Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. They sat there lost in thought for a long time before he gently tilted her head up and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly returned the kiss. He pulled her on top of him as his hands slid through her silky hair. Her hands played with his now shortened hair, as he had dontated his hair to Locks of Love. When they finally seperated to catch their breath Ginny seemed to remember where she was. She slowly stood up and walked away from him lost in thought as he stayed seated trying to figure out what just happened. For the rest of the break they were fine around others but when ever they were alone they were awkward. Neither wanted to address what had happened out in the snow but for different reasons. Draco held it all in because he did want to scare her away. He loved her company and couldn't stand the thought of her not being around because of him. Ginny, on the other hand, was awkward because she had just gotten out of such a long and unhappy relationship with Harry that she didn't want to rush into anything but his kisses made her feel so loved and special. She didn't know how to react.
The next time they saw each other was at Darcy's birthday party. Draco tried to spoil her but Darcy had ways to shut him down. He wanted to go buy her a lavish cake, she made one with Molly. He wanted to buy her dresses and shoes, she asked for those from the Weasley men, who all used their wives to do it. He did spoil her one way. Hermione helped him track down first editions of The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask, both in French for her. Frank gave her a special gift, a small white charmed fox plushie holding a red rose in its mouth. Darcy blushed at that and hugged him which made him blush. As they watched the children interact Draco looked at Bill.
"Either he is a charmer or we will be seeing those two walk down the aisle together." He said in a low but happy tone. Bill just laughed and nodded. While it may be way to early to think of them getting married he could see them dating. During the party Ginny and Draco stood close together and once again people saw them as almost a family when they interacted with Darcy. After the party and before Ginny left Draco stole another kiss and once again they lost themselves in the moment before Ginny left again.
That summer Draco and Darcy said good bye to the Burrow and moved into Draken Cottage, the cottage left to him by his mom. It was a quaint little cottage just in the shadow of Hogwarts. Severus and his family came over and he helped Darcy plant a little herb garden in the back yard. That summer Severus started tutoring her in plants needed for potions. Lily, of course, knew all of this but she liked having someone to learn with. Ginny was over every few days. It got to the point that Darcy and Draco didn't feel like it was a normal day unless Ginny at the very least flooed them.
When school started back up and Draco working towards his Healer training Darcy went to Bill's house almost everyday. There she was immerced in the French culture and language. During that time Frances and Darcy got closer and closer. Every few days he would bring her flowers, normally a single red rose, and everytime she would kiss his cheek. One day while he was out with friends Fleur asked about it.
"So you and Frances are becoming close no?" She asked as they prepared dinner. Darcy wasn't great at cooking but she liked preparing the ingredients. It reminded her of preparing potion ingredients with Uncle Sev and Lily. As she chopped up the onions she answered her aunt.
"Yes Aunt Fleur. He makes me feel special. I really like him too." She said, that last part going down to a whisper. Fleur gave her a hug and smiled.
"That is nothing to be ashamed of. Embrace your feelings. That is what I did with Bill." She said in loving way. Darcy blushed and later that night when Frances told her good night she kissed him on the cheek before running to her Daddy to go home. Fleur couldn't help but giggle at her son's awestruck expression as he rubbed his cheek. Even Bill and Draco had to fight back their laughter. It was adorible.
All through this time the specter of Harry sat over the family. While Draco was doing this studies and putting out feelers for an apprenticeship Harry shut them down. Using his connections he made it so not one Master Healer in England would take Draco on. With out his two years of apprenticeship he would never be seen as a Healer. It would also prevent him from getting a job and taking care of Darcy. He spent the next two years trying to find someone to work with and finding nothing. It wasn't until the end of August just before Darcy was on her way to her first year of Hogwarts that three very interesting things happened.
The first was that while going through his family vaults Draco found something buried in the back. Even though all of the money had been taken to pay for what his father had done there were still family heirlooms in the vault along with important papers. What he found though made him smile. It was his mother, or at least a painting of her. The image of Narcissa Malfoy was tall and regal. She was also achingly beautiful with her smooth pale skin and blond hair. She stared at the man before her.
"Lucius?" She asked terrified that he had come back to taunt her but the image of her husband just shook his head.
"No Mother. Its Draco." He said in a soft caring voice. She continued to stare and it was a good five minutes before she spoke again.
"D-d-draco? Your father told me you had died. Where have you been?" She asked as her eyes moistened from her tears. Draco squatted down in front of her frame.
"As you know I ran after my fifth year. I stayed gone for ten years before coming home. I have been all over but now I live in your old cottage with Darcy." He explained.
"Darcy? Your wife?" She asked hopefully.
"My daughter." He said softly. Narcissa looked shocked, even more so then seeing her son again after all these years.
"You should explain this my son." She said in a tone that left no room for arguement. Draco just smiled and told her the story that started two years ago. When he was finished the look on his mother's face made his heart swell with pride. It was a look of completely acceptance and pride at how he had acted. He then had her moved to Draken Cottage and for the first time Narcissa Malfoy met Darcy Malfoy.
Darcy was scared to meet Draco's mom, even if it was just in a painting. She knew enough about pureblood culture to know that she may not like her. She wanted to hide behind her Daddy but Fleur had told her that if she was scared to hold her head up high and never let it show. It was the sign of a true lady. So she squared her shoulders and looked Narcissa right in the eye when she was called in.
"So this is Darcy." Narcissa said in a curious tone. She looked the eleven year old, taking in her neat and french braided black hair, her sparkling green eyes, her light colored skin, and her simple light blue dress that made her look very cute. Narcissa smiled and spoke to her. "Well Darcy I wish I was there to give you a hug. I could not ask for a greater gift then to see my granddaughter."
"Thank you Grandmother. I am going to start Hogwarts in two weeks." She said as she smiled at her. Soon they were talking and chatting as Draco left them alone. It did his heart proud to see how lady like his daughter was becoming. While she knew the value of hardwork she also knew the value of decorum. He couldn't ask for a better daughter.
The next thing that happened was Ginny finished her apprenticeship and was made the full Charms professor. Everyone met at the Burrow for a huge party that got even wilder when Hanna announced she was expecting her first and Fleur and Bill were now expecting their second. The joy at the house was almost tangable. Once again Draco and Ginny spent the whole party together and they looked more like a family then ever but still neither would acknowledge it any further. Darcy and her Aunts Hermione and Fleur all shared a look.
Finally Draco found a job when Professor McGonagall said that Pomfrey was looking to retire and wanted Draco to learn how to be a Healer under her to take her place. He happily accepted the position as it would let him be closer to the two women he loved. This lead to McGonagall, Hermione, Fleur, and Darcy all over at Hermione's home trying to figure out how to get Ginny and Draco together.
"So any ideas on them?" McGonagall asked. Minerva had watched them every Hogsmead trip and saw the same thing everyone else had seen.
"It is Ginny that is the problem." Darcy said matter of factly. When all the women looked at her she just sighed. "Daddy is in love with her and admits it all the time. I've seen women ask him out and he always turns them down, and some of these girls were really beautiful. He never gives them a second look."
"So why is Gin holding back?" Fleur asked.
"Harry. For so long she was with him and in her head she compares Draco to how Harry was. She wants to find love again but she is terrified that it will become another Harry." Hermione explained. The others looked down and tried to figure how to changed her mind. Minerva spoke next.
"What we should do is just slowly work with her. Help her see the truth of Mr. Malfoy. I want her to be happy." She said in her brogue. The others nodded and started plotting. In two days Darcy would take the train to Hogwarts and she couldn't wait for her new adventure.
A/N: Sorry this was so late but real life has been kicking my ass. I had my scheduel changed at work and I am still getting used to it. Now I know I said this would be finished at chapter 11 but you know what I can and will keep this going. So next chapter is Darcy's first train ride and her sorting. Put your guesses for her house. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. Lets try to get to 55 reviews and I will still do a oneshot for who ever gives me my 50th review.