A/N: First of all, a huge thanks to SometimeSelkie for agreeing to beta this piece. I highly recommend you to check out her work - it's fabulous.

Also, I'd like to apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. It's completely my fault, not my amazing beta, who was very fast once I finally sent her the chapter.


The Safe House

Chapter Twelve


August was coming to a close, and Draco and Ginny had made it a point to spend as much time outdoors as possible whilst it was still warm. Draco had spent the previous winter at the house and knew how cold it was going to be. He also knew that this winter would be much easier now that he had Ginny with him. Once she moved her tiny wardrobe into his closet, he realized that she not only needed more options but she would need more winter wear. So he gave some more of his warmer clothes to Ginny. The piano lessons had continued as well as the cooking lessons. They were both enjoying their time together, blissfully ignorant of what awaited them outside their protective wards.

One night, Draco dreamt again of Severus. This time the Dream Severus was already dead, and as he drew closer to him, he saw his mother and father standing behind his godfather. When he woke up the next day, he kissed Ginny on the forehead and told her that he was going to fly for a bit. Once in the air, he decided he would rather not be flying, and he landed in front of the house and sat on the steps of the small front porch. He was sitting with his head in his hands, contemplating his dream and everything it brought up. He had been starting to worry that the war had ended and Voldemort had won after his calling the week and a half before. Now, with the dream, he started seriously considering the possibility that the war had taken his family or had claimed another member of Ginny's family. It would be his fault if she didn't get to say goodbye. He also feared that Voldemort would flee and go into hiding for an indefinite amount of time. He would not allow Ginny to rot away in this house with him. Yet a part of him wanted more than anything to make her completely his. He couldn't even imagine returning to the outside world without her. He was thinking about all of these things when she joined him on the steps.

Ginny had tried to spot Draco flying in the air and had walked around the front of the house in her search. They spent most of their time in the back, so she was hesitant to disrupt his choice for a more private location. She quietly observed him with his head hung low, and she felt her heartstrings pull. After making a small noise to alert him of her presence, she made her way slowly over to him, sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder.

After a moment of silence, she said, "I know something is bothering you. I don't know what it is, but you can trust me. I promise. Please let me help you."

He breathed heavily and leaned his head onto hers. "It's easy to pretend that there is not a war going on when we're so happy in here. But we have to face the fact that we don't know what has happened to our families. The way I see it, there's hardly a chance that both of us will be reunited with the same families we left. One side is going to lose. And as it stands, we won't be freed if Voldemort wins. We could theoretically be in here forever."

She sighed, but then brightly responded with, "Yes, but we know that eventually we will win, and then we will be free." She sounded overly optimistic, even to herself.

He sat up and turned to her, his voice filled with emotion. "And what if we don't win? What if it is years, and we're still here? What if he disappears again, and I'm stuck with this thing on my arm forever? I can't let you – "

"I know you are not referring to your dying. I will die in here with you before I would ever let you sacrifice yourself for me." Her eyes were blazing with passion and she held his gaze, determined for him to see the truth in what she said.

"What about your life, Ginevra? Your family that I know you think about every day? What about you having a family?"

"My family is here. You are my family. I want this, Draco. No matter where we are, even if that is here. Even forever." A single tear had fallen from her cheek to his hand that was gripping her knee.

He looked away from her and out into the yard. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just want you to have everything."

She pulled his chin towards her, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "But I do."

Smiling in response, he replied, "I don't deserve you." He paused, and then his face became very serious. "I promise to make sure that every day of our lives is the best it can be. I swear that to you. Whether we are here or out there, I will never leave you, I will always love you. Will you marry me, Ginevra?"

She slowly smiled till her whole face was lit up. She kissed him hard and then said, "Yes, Draco, I would be honoured to be your wife."

They continued kissing until that was not enough. Then they quickly moved back into the house and on top of the desk in the office. Clothes were being tossed onto the floor haphazardly, and the two were laughing and joyful at their engagement.

Draco was just about to take her when, suddenly, Ginny placed a hand on his bare chest and said, "I want to do it here. I don't want to wait." He looked down at their bodies confused. She giggled and then continued, "I want to marry you here. We can use the Pureblood Binding Ritual. I want to be yours, and for you to be mine. I want us to become one."

"I thought we were, love." He chuckled at his own comment and then leaned forward and kissed her nose. "Where did you learn about the Pureblood Binding Ritual?"

"Hogwarts. I am a pureblood witch, Draco. I know those things have never mattered to you," she said with a smirk, "but I was curious about some of the traditions that have been lost to the Muggle-born wizards and witches. I even wrote a parchment on it for History of Magic. Are you familiar with the ceremony?"

"I believe it's on the first page of the Malfoy handbook, right after," he dropped his voice to a more serious and lower tone, "'You are superior to all other Wizarding Families. Act accordingly.'"

"Is that so? That high on the list?"

"Yes, of course, Ginevra, I believe it goes along with 'In order to maintain superiority, Malfoy Men must marry a Pureblood Witch and produce more superior Malfoy Men.' Something like that."

Her amusement faded a little, and with a voice filled with hope, she asked, "Are we really doing this?"

"Definitely."

"I love you, Draco."

"I love you. Now can we please continue the becoming one part?" His eyes quickly changed from mirth to lust as he ground into her.

"Oh…uh," she gasped. She was breathless with anticipation, feeling him so close to her but yet so far from where her body needed him to be. "Please, Draco." He did not answer her with his voice, but instead drove himself into her in one swift motion.

ooooo

Not wanting to wait, they decided to perform the Pureblood Binding Ritual at the beginning of September. This gave them enough time to write out the ceremony and make their plans and preparations for the ritual. Draco had jokingly said that someday when their children would be leaving for school, it would be a double blessing of their anniversary and an empty house. Ginny then started to question if she really wanted their children to be missing so many of their anniversaries, but Draco convinced her that by the time they would have children old enough to go to school they would be ready to be alone again.

The first of September was turning out to be a beautiful day; the sun was shining and the air was still warm, but not hot. The anxious bride and groom started the day by preparing their dinner to be reheated for later. They had decided to have the ceremony outside in the wooded area, so they spent much of the day clearing out a circular space and placing the objects for the ritual in the appropriate places. Draco had transfigured several small bells, and Ginny had taken the curtains out of the extra room and transfigured a canopy to be hung over them during the ceremony. Together they set up the canopy with the bells attached to it and put a small table underneath it as the altar. They placed the sacramental elements around the circle indicating the four cardinal directions. They had decided that although their families would not be able to attend, it would mean much more to them if they maintained most of the traditional wizarding wedding ceremony.

As the afternoon wore on, the two became noticeably quieter. They would occasionally share a small smile and glance as they continued to prepare for the ceremony. They had decided to spend the last week apart, with Ginny returning to the smaller bedroom. Ginny had been working each night on creating a robe in which she could feel like a beautiful bride. Together they had been carefully planning the ceremony to make sure that it would be accurate and legal. They did not want to leave the house and find out that their marriage had not been recorded by the Ministry. Although they left it unsaid, they both also feared their families' reactions to their union and did not want anyone to be able to separate them.

Because they wanted to perform the ritual during the setting of the sun, they decided to have their wedding dinner beforehand. Draco had dressed in his best robes. He had set the table and stood waiting for Ginny. Lighting the candles and placing a bouquet of flowers on the middle of the table, he looked up nervously as he heard her descending the stairs. Ginny had let her hair hang down and had woven some leaves into a pretty wreath that sat on her head. Her robes were white and cream since they were the colours of the fabrics she had found from around the house. She had decided that she would rather transfigure the cloth into a flattering design than change the colour. She wanted this dress to last and knew from experience that when working with older fabrics, she would need to be careful not to change too many elements. She had incorporated small touches of a leafy design around the edges of the sleeves and skirt and had tied some green and ivory ribbons low on her waist of the fitted bodice. She also had made the dress low cut in order to reveal Draco's pendant hanging from around her neck. Draco caught his breath as she entered the dining room.

He swallowed nervously and then said, "You look so beautiful, Ginevra. I can't believe you were able to make that from things you found. You are beautiful, smart, and talented."

She blushed. "Thank you, Draco. You look very handsome yourself, though I always think that you do." She couldn't believe that this was really happening. It was her wedding day.

He pulled out her chair and sat down across from her. They ate their dinner slowly, enjoying the food and each other's presence. Occasionally, Draco would reach over and brush his thumb across Ginny's hand and tell her that he loved her. It was a serene, but happy atmosphere at the table, and they both were eager to move outside and complete the ritual.

When it was time, Draco stood up and offered her the bouquet and then his arm. He led her out the back door and watched her eyes light up as she saw what was his first gift to her. Draco had covered the path from the house to the woods in flower petals whilst Ginny was upstairs getting ready. He wanted this evening to be as special as it would have been without the war and with all the Galleons he had in his Gringotts account. Throughout the week, he had tried to come up with little ways to improve their ceremony. As they entered the circle, he used the wand to light the candles that had been placed to the north, east, south, and west. The movement of magic through the air caused the bells above them to jingle and signified the start of the ceremony.

Draco's second gift to Ginny was having dozens of fairies and wood nymphs appear at the ringing of the bells. He had been calling them with his magic for several days, playing upon their vanity to convince them to be a part of the ceremony. He had told them that this wedding was a joining of two of the oldest wizarding families and would be written about for centuries, as it would mark the end a long feud. He promised to them that it would also always be written that it was the fairies of the forest who provided witness to the sacred union of the two lovers. It must have worked because there were hundreds of fairies in attendance, and they lit up the circle and provided their own kind of magic in the air as well as music with their singing.

Ginny's eyes were shining with happy tears as she looked around the forest, taking in the beauty of the trees and flowers, the fairy lights, and her groom. Slowly, she circled around Draco and the altar and then came to a stop standing across from him. She placed her bouquet at his feet and then untied the ribbons from around her waist and began to bind their hands as they stood over the altar. She joined her left hand to his right, leaving their wand hands free to perform the ceremony. Looking into his eyes, she began.

"You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. But as long as I live, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back, and you for mine. I shall honour you above all others. I love you. In front of God, this is my wedding vow to you."

Draco repeated the vow to Ginny, and then they knelt facing each other, their joined hands between them. On the altar sat a candle, a chalice of wine, a small box, and an empty glass vial. There were rose petals scattered around these items.

First, they held the wand together and lit the candle saying in unison,

"Incendio. This fire represents the joys and trials we will face. Good and evil, light and dark, comfort and danger. And through our life together, as through fire, our love will be purified and refined."

Next, Ginny held the cup to Draco's lips, giving him a drink of the wine, and then he did the same for her. Each said the next portion of the ceremony whilst the other was drinking.

"This wine represents my commitment to you as it will only grow stronger over the course of time. My love will guide me to serve you always, and in doing so, I will be as this wine, a source of both nourishment and pleasure."

Finally, Draco placed the vial in their bound hands and helped Ginny to her feet. They walked first to the east candle, laying the wand at the base of a tree. Then they walked to the north candle where also lay a bowl of salt. Each took one handful of the salt and emptied it into the vial, combining the grains for eternity. Next they walked to the west where sat a chalice of water; together they poured the water into the vial, mixing it with the salt. Then they continued the circle, moving to the south where a small knife lay on the ground. Draco slid the knife between the thumbs of their joined hands and let their blood drip into the vial. They returned to the eastern point, picking up the wand, before making their way to the altar, standing together on the north side of it.

Once at the altar, they held the vial in their joined hands and began the Pureblood Binding Ritual. Before starting, they looked reassuringly at each other. This was the part of the ceremony that involved an incantation. Giving Ginny a small nod, Draco smiled, and they lifted the wand together and pointed it at their joined hands.

"Sanctimonia Sanguineus Coniunctio Aeternitas. I bind myself to thee and swear upon my magic that I will live and die by the vows I have made."

A stream of red light, starting from the blood within the vial, wrapped around their hands and continued until it circled around their bodies. As it started to glow brighter, the fairies began fluttering all around them, excited by the rare display of magic. Draco took the wand in his left hand and then pulled Ginny close, wrapping his free arm around her waist. Ginny brought her free hand to his face, and they leaned in for a long kiss, lasting until the red light around them had faded.

When they pulled apart, Draco placed the vial on the altar, sealed it, and undid the ribbons around their hands. Then he revealed the last gift to his bride. Draco opened the small box, which contained two matching silver rings. He had found one ornate napkin ring in the dresser of the dining room and had split it into the two rings. She looked up at him, a mixture of awe and love on her face. This was unexpected, a part of the ceremony she had not anticipated.

"This ring is but a token of my love for you. It represents my love in that it is endless. Wear it in honour of our binding." He slipped the ring onto her finger, and she began to weep. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and handed her the larger ring.

"This ring is but a token of my love for you." She paused, looking unsure, and he mouthed the next few words before she continued. "It represents my love in that it is endless. Wear it in honour of our binding." She breathed that she loved him as she placed the ring on his finger.

Together they leaned over the burning candle and blew it out. Draco used the wand to extinguish the four candles in the circle once again causing the bells to ring. The ceremony was finished. They were married, and they were bound together by Old Magic for all eternity.


A/N: Review please!

The ceremony came from several different sources, including Jewish, Christian, and Pagan traditions. The first vow was mostly from one in the book, Finn Mac Cool by Morgan Llywelyn, with a small amount of editing on my part. I believe it is part of a traditional Celtic/ Pagan Handfasting Vow.

The Binding Spell is based on Latin, I have no idea if it is correct grammar, etc.

~ Sanctimonia Purity Sanguineus of blood Coniunctio uniting by blood Aeternitas eternity