A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.
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On Sunday morning, Draco called a meeting in the grand ballroom with the entire staff of the Malfoy estate. Seated around the room were the house elves as well as the wizards who took care of the stables and the witches who maintained the gardens. Rumors had been swirling among the staff ever since Lucius had gone to St. Mungos and Draco had returned, presumably to assume control of the family. For many of the staff, they had never known anything other than working for the Malfoy family, so there were concerns for the future all around. Draco walked to the front of the ballroom, greeted by murmurs and worried faces from humans and elves alike.
"Thank you for taking a few moments from your duties this morning for this meeting. I know that you have all been concerned, as I have been making many changes since I have returned to the estate. I hope that after our conversation today, your fears will be quelled." Draco shifted in front of the faces in front of him, many of whom he had known his entire life. He continued on with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I want you to know that regardless of the decisions that are made today, your futures are safe. And I hope to put the decision of your future in your own hands."
The house elves started to whisper amongst themselves, afraid as they had never heard a member of the Malfoy family speak this way to them. Despite how much Draco tried to reassure them, the elves grew fearful that they were going to be forced out of the only home they had ever known. The elves had been speaking with fear over Draco's actions ever since he had started to work with the auctioneers and packing up the house.
"Yesterday I went to Hogwarts and spoke with the headmistress there. As you know, I have recently purchased a penthouse for myself. The fact of the situation is that this estate is too large for just me, and it always will be. The time for us to find a better use for this estate is now, and I would like your help with that. I have offered this estate to those who run Hogwarts as a primary school for young witches and wizards." Draco smiled again, pleased that his plans were so close to their conclusion.
Excited chatter arose from those in the room, not believing their ears. "What does this mean for us?" inquired one of the gardeners, and almost every other head in the room nodded in agreement.
Shifting again, Draco continued, "Well, you have three choices. First, I am hoping that two of you," he gestured specifically to the elves, "will be willing to come with me to my new home. It is significantly smaller than the manor, and at most, I will be living there with a spouse and any guests that may stay with us."
Zippy, the elf that had interrupted Draco and Ginny in the hallway outside of her flat, nudged his companion Zinnia, and raised his hand. "Young master, Zippy and Zinnia would like to volunteer. Zippy has seen that you are not like other master, and Zippy would be honored to continue to serve the Malfoy family."
"Thank you Zippy, I look forward to having you and Zinnia with me for a long time." Draco looked around the room to the remaining staff. "The second and third options then remain open to the rest of you. I assure you that a decision does not need to be made today, not until my father passes. As for the second option, the headmistress has promised me that any of you who wish to stay on and work in the employ of the school are more than welcome. I look forward to the estate having an atmosphere of happiness and joy the likes of which haven't been seen in recent years, and hope those of you who are interested will stay on for that."
Murmurs filled the room. The elves in the manor had long heard of the way the elves at Hogwarts were treated, and could not believe their good fortune. The gardeners and the stable keepers whispered amongst each other, not quite believing the world that had opened up to them. The Malfoys had always paid generously; generously enough to stay on despite being treated as well, servants. But to think now that Hogwarts would employ them, that was something most of the Malfoy staff had never dreamed of.
"There is a third option of course. Unlike my father, I do not believe in forcing any creature to do anything against their will. If you do not wish to stay with the estate under Hogwarts, for the house elves, I can present you with clothes, if you so choose." Draco raised his hands in a gesture to calm the now vocally upset elves down, "You misunderstand me – I only make the offer as one of freedom, not one of punishment. That was not a threat. Please, please calm down."
The elves could not be calmed, until Zippy stood in Draco's defense, "Young master is not a cruel man. This is not a trick my friends, Zippy promises."
"Thank you Zippy, I appreciate your assistance," Draco then turned to the witches and wizards in the room. "A similar offer is open to you. If you are uninterested in becoming Hogwarts employees, I will offer you an ample severance so that you can move on and be comfortable while seeking other employment. I will send letters of reference as well, though I would hope that the reputation of our prize winning stables and gardens will be reference enough."
The noise in the ballroom had reached near riot levels, when the head of the stable rose, looking around the room, and walked up to Draco. He offered his hand in thanks, and for the first time in many years, looked his employer in the eye. "Sir, I think I can speak for all of us, elves and wizard alike, in that we are honored to have this offer presented to us." Heads nodded all around the room. "Thank you for the opportunity, and I promise you, we will do you proud." He sniffled and wiped at his eyes with a dirty rag he kept in his pocket, having released Draco's hand.
"I am confident that every single one of you will make me proud. There is a contract being drawn up between Hogwarts and myself, and I will let them know that with the exception of Zippy and Zinnia, you will be staying on. I can't tell you how pleased this makes me," grinning at the faces who were in various stages of delight, shock, and tears, "and assure you that nothing will officially change until my father passes. If you change your mind and wish to speak to me about it in private, don't hesitate to let me know. In the meantime, I look forward to working with all of you to make this estate a new and better part of the wizarding world. Now, please, feel free to get back to whatever task I have taken you away from." Draco stepped forward and gestured towards Zippy, "could I please talk to you and Zinnia for a moment?"
The two young elves came forward and stood before him, "Yes Master, what can Zinnia and Zippy do for you," the little female asked.
Draco crouched down to their eye level and tried to smile in a reassuring way. He thought to himself, I haven't smiled this much in, well, ever. Too bad smirking doesn't convey the same message.
"I just wanted to thank the two of you for staying with me. I hope that you will be happy in our new home, and look forward to working with you both in making it a pleasant place to live. I will change the wards on the penthouse for you both today, so that you can begin to familiarize yourselves with it and make yourselves comfortable while we prepare to move over permanently. There is a small room behind the staircase that I hope you will find suitable to live in, though other than a few boxes of books, the penthouse is currently empty." Draco stood and brushed off his slacks as the two elves stood before him in a state of shock. Never before had a Malfoy spoken to a house elf as if they were a creature worth respect, and they were both extremely relieved about the decision impulsive they had made.
"As an aside," Draco continued as the trio walked out of the ballroom, "I am hoping that it won't be just the three of us for very long. Tell me, how do the two of you get along with kneazles?"
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At three thirty, Ginny found herself sitting on her sofa, fretting. She had never really taken anyone "home to meet her parents." It seemed like Harry had always been around, from when she was small enough to look at him through the eyes of idol worship, through the evolution and then deterioration of their relationship. She knew that her mother would be willing to give Draco a chance, based solely on the fact that she didn't want to see Ginny live alone as a spinster the rest of her life. But her father, she was worried there. Worried that the life-long feud between her father and Lucius would get in the way. Their feud made this twice as hard, as she still struggled with the boy Draco had been at Hogwarts, so mean and petty, so quick to call names and tease. Smoothing down her skirt for the millionth time, Ginny kept chewing her bottom lip, obsessing that things were moving to fast, that there was too much history, too much baggage, for this to ever work out.
A flare of green flames in the fireplace shook her from her worries, as Draco stepped out of the floo with an annoyingly casual elegance. In his hands he had a wrapped present, a small brown bag, a bouquet of flowers, and a small green plant. Ginny quirked her eyebrow at him and said, "What is all this? Are you still cleaning out the manor?"
Brushing an imperceptible bit of soot off of his grey slacks, he straightened and stalked towards her, heat radiating off of him. "Hello and good afternoon to you as well," he leaned and kissed her on the top of her head, "how are you today?"
She rolled her eyes at him for ignoring her, "Considering we left each other a little over than twelve hours ago, I am fine. Now cut the small talk and what's in the bag?"
"Manners Ginevra, manners," he smirked at her, and presented her the flowers with a dramatic flourish. "These are for you. As Blaise would put it, I am officially wooing you, and with that you get gifts. The necklace yesterday was the tip of the iceberg."
She reached for the charm and a tiny tingle of warmth shimmered off of it, to go with his teasing. "Thank you for the flowers, let me put them in some water," blushing a bit at the old fashioned idea of being pursued with such obvious and deliberate intent.
"This," he continued, "is for your furry companions. A little friend mentioned to me today that kneazles have a fondness for this plant." Putting it down on the ground, both Shadow and Dash came over to sniff it, and purr as they nibbled on the greenery.
"Are you wooing my pets as well?" Ginny teased, amused that he would bring a present for them too. "And what about the other two packages?"
"The wrapped gift is for your mother, and the bag is for your father. My mother always said that pretty wrapping made a gift complete, but my father thought presents were too much of a production. I hope your parents feel similarly" he replied, with a bit of a challenge in his eye.
Staring back at him, Ginny could tell that he didn't want to be pressed, that his bravado was hiding more nerves than he wanted to let on, that this had been a source of worry for him too. She smiled at him, having put the beautiful flowers in a vase on the mantle, high enough that her pets wouldn't knock it over, and walked over to him again. She wrapped her arms around him and murmured, "Thank you for making so much of an effort Draco. I do appreciate it, and I'm sure my family will too. Shall we floo over?" Feeling him stiffen at the suggestion that they leave, she leaned up and kissed him briefly on the cheek. "I promise you that if it gets uncomfortable, we can leave. And Angelina and Charlie will be there, to vouch for you. We'll have fun, I promise." She leaned into him again, trying to convince both him and herself that the day would go smoothly.
"Let's get this over with, Ginerva," he smiled down into her hair. "Plus, if you keep hugging me I might not let you leave this flat anytime soon."
With a squeal and a swat to his arm, she stepped away and into the floo. Waiting for him to join her, she threw down the floo powder and called out, "The Burrow." As they began to zoom through the network, Draco thought to himself, If you had told me ten years ago that I'd be willingly headed to the Weasleys, with the intention of making a good impression, and nervous about it, I'd have had you committed to St. Mungos.
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Ginny's tendency to fret came honestly, as Molly had spent the day fretting as well. She couldn't believe that a Malfoy would willingly come to the Burrow with no malicious intent. But if she were honest with herself, she couldn't believe a lot of her life. She couldn't believe that she and Arthur rattled around in their home by themselves, alone after all these years. She couldn't believe that Percy found love with Neville. She couldn't believe that George had lost his twin in the war. She couldn't believe that she had lost both Ron and Harry, through their own doing. She couldn't believe that the serious and studious Hermione had turned into the perfect mate for her prankster son, and couldn't believe that Ginny was in the beginning of what appeared to be a serious relationship, with a Malfoy.
Arthur came up to her in the kitchen, where she was wiping down the counter for the millionth time. "Love, stop," he pulled her into a hug, "you're going to rub a hole in it with worry. Today will be fine. And Ginny has promised that if it starts to go badly, he'll leave. Today will be fine," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself as well as his wife.
Green flames rose in the living room floo, and Charlie and Angelina exited, the first of the younger generation to arrive for the Sunday meal. As the twins rushed to hug their mother after spending the night away from her, Charlie noticed his mum wiping away a tear as she left Arthur's arms. "What's wrong mum? Is everything ok?"
"Oh luv, don't worry about me. I'm just worried about your sister. I don't want to see her get hurt again," Molly continued to fret, but pretended not to, waving the men away with her hands as she hugged John and Dora.
"Molly, I was worried too," Angelina chimed in, "but we saw them together last night. I think that they're good for each other. We had a nice time. Malfoy seems to have grown a lot, and he seemed more than civil."
Charlie agreed, "I didn't know him in school like Ange did, but if I hadn't heard the rumors about him from Ron, I don't think I'd be worried at all. Plus, you know that both George and I have spoken with him, and I think he might be torn which of us to be more afraid of, the mad scientist or the dragon tamer." He gave a roguish grin to his mum, as the floo lit up again with the familiar green flames.
"Hello? Mum, Dad, hello?" Ginny called out tentatively, pulling Draco out of the floo behind her hand in hand.
"Draco, how he heck are you?" Charlie walked into the living room, open arms waving expansively in greeting. "Long time no see!"
"Charlie, Angelina," Draco nodded to them each, shaking hands with them both while balancing his two packages. "It is good to see you both." Ginny smiled at how Draco's shoulders had relaxed upon the warm welcome from her brother.
"We're the only ones here so far. You know how George and his clan are, no matter how hard 'Mione tries, there is always a last minute emergency. But I expect Neville and Percy to arrive any second. Mum and dad are in the kitchen, shall we do the official introductions?" Charlie smiled at his little sister, noticing with love how his mother and sister wore identical expressions.
The two couples entered the kitchen, and Ginny found herself immediately engulfed in a hug from her mother. Taking a second to savor the comforting smell of her mother's natural perfume, a mix of yeast and sugar and tea. Leaning back while remaining in her arms, she grinned at the other female Weasley, and whispered a quiet "thank you mum" for the unspoken support. "Mum, I don't know that you've formally met Draco. Draco, this is my mother, Molly Weasley."
Draco stepped forward into the room, and when Molly offered him her hand, he raised it to his lips. "Mrs. Weasley, I see where Ginevra gets her beautiful smile. This is for you," as he presented her with the wrapped package.
Molly blushed at Draco's compliment, and took the package. Opening it, she gasped in delight when she discovered the complete collection of Celestina Warbeck's recordings. Flipping through, she noticed that more than one of the covers were autographed. In complete shock she looked up at her house-guest, "Draco, you shouldn't have! She is my absolute favorite singer! How did you even know?"
"Yes Draco, how did you know?" Ginny squinted at him curiously.
"A wizard never reveals his sources," Draco smiled and nodded thanks towards Charlie. "Mrs. Weasley, as Ginny may have told you, I'm in the process of moving out of the Malfoy estate. These recordings belonged to my mother. You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me was her favorite song, and I just can't bring myself to sell this collection. It would make me feel much better to know that they are in the hands of a fellow fan."
"Well young man, it appears you have charmed not one, but two of the women in my family," Arthur stepped forward and extended a hand to the son of one of his greatest enemies.
"Mr. Weasley, it is a pleasure to meet you, in an official manner. And thank you for welcoming me into your home. I do appreciate it." Draco smiled, and continued to shake the hand of Ginny's father nervously. He knew that despite the approval of at least one of Ginny's brothers, it was this man who held his fate.
"It is good to have you here, young man," he too continued to shake Draco's hand, comically. "I would hope that any man interested in being part of Ginny's life would realize how important her entire family is to her."
"Dad, that's enough," Ginny stepped in to break the never-ending handshake. "Let's just relax and enjoy today together," she continued, rolling her eyes.
"Mr. Weasley, this is for you," Draco handed the plain brown bag to Arthur. "Several years ago I spent some time abroad, and the wizards I socialized with introduced me to the muggle card game of poker."
Arthur peered into the sack, and pulled out a deck of muggle playing cards and a package of poker chips. A broad grin spread across his face as he moved closer to Draco, his passion for all things muggle taking over his initial concern of having a Malfoy in his home. "And these coins are part of that game?" he inquired with curiosity.
"Yes, and to tell you the truth, since I've returned to London I have missed playing cards with fellow wizards, and I was hoping that perhaps after dinner that we could play a few rounds. Perhaps George and Charlie might join in as well. Ginevra mentioned that you all do something fun after the evening meal, and I thought this might be an interesting change."
"Yes, yes, absolutely, now tell me, what do the different colors of the coins signify?" Arthur pressed Draco, leading him into the living room, pestering him with a barrage of questions that the remaining family could then overhear in the kitchen. Charlie followed close behind, curious to learn the rules as well.
Ginny smiled in relief, and whispered to Angelina, "That went a lot better than I had hoped."
Angelina whispered back sharply, "What the heck are you talking about? Now we won't be able to play quidditch!"
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A/N: Thank you again! Next update the end of the week.
Up next: More antics at the Burrow...