Draco Malfoy handed the vial to his mother. "This will show you and Father where I am going," he told her.
"Draco," she whispered with a catch in her voice.
"It's going to be fine, Mum," he said impatiently, but seeing the concern and worry in her eyes, he gave her a hug. "Father will have to accept it. It's beyond his control."
Narcissa Malfoy swallowed hard and blinked back her tears. "I'll try to hold your father off when he comes home," she told him, then glanced up. "Her owl is coming. Go quickly."
Draco turned to leave, then turned back and hugged his mother again. "Thanks for everything," he told her, and she nodded, hugging him again before pushing him toward the door.
Ginevra Weasley stood at her window, her hair pulled back from her face in a barrette. She was waiting until lunch to tell her family that she was leaving: it had taken her nearly all morning to pack. Vaguely, she wondered if it was this hard for every runaway child to leave their families.
She nearly cried when she saw George arrive with Rabastan, knowing that George was going to very disappointed in her. Seeing Harry and Ron arrive made her feel terrible, but even more determined to go through with her and Draco's plan. Ginny did not want to hurt Harry, but she'd been trying to give him the slip, and he wasn't taking the hint. She knew that not only Ron, but also her mother, would be absolutely furious with her for even thinking of a Malfoy as a potential husband.
Her father. Ginny didn't even know how he would react. She was afraid of what he would think, because he never went against her mother, and Molly was sure to absolutely blow a fuse over what Ginny was about to do.
Ginny jumped in surprise when she heard footsteps and a knock on her door. "Come in," she called, turning to hide her trunk and make her room look like it was still being lived in.
George came into the room, looking at her carefully. "Ginny," he began uncomfortably, "are you okay?"
"Yes," she replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I saw you in the window: you looked terrified about something, but—" George looked away. "I don't think that would stop you from it."
"No," she agreed with him. "It wouldn't."
"Just be careful, Gin?" he pleaded. "Promise?"
Ginny nodded, looking down. "I promise." George hugged her tightly, then hurried away, out of her room. Moments later, Molly called her family to come down to eat, and Ginny waited til all the others had gone down before moving her trunks downstairs, near the door. She entered the tiny dining room and looked at them all.
George looked at her, and a look of horrified realization hit him, but Rabastan gave him a severe look (that Molly thankfully did not see), and George said nothing.
Arthur looked up, as did Harry and Ron. "Sit down, Ginny," her dad said, and Harry motioned to a seat beside himself.
"No."
Everyone looked up at this. Molly frowned and said, "Ginevra, what is going on? Sit down for lunch."
Ginny looked around the table, seeing Ron scowling at her, and seeing Harry watching her curiously. "I—I'm leaving."
Tension instantly built up in the room, and Molly snapped, "Whatever do you mean? Of course you're not leaving!"
The red-haired girl kept her right hand ready in case she needed to draw her wand. She stretched her left hand out so that they could see the ring on her third finger. "I'm getting married in a couple days."
"What?" cried nearly everyone, and Harry stared at her, mute.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are doing no such thing—!" began her mother, but Ginny stepped back from the table as Ron jumped up.
"Who do you think you are marrying?" Ron asked sharply, nearly at the same time as his mother.
Ginevra twisted the ring on her finger so that the small ruby and emerald glowed together, surrounded by tiny diamonds. "Draco," she whispered.
Hermione screamed. George swore colorfully, and Harry stared, still nearly unresponsive. Arthur looked over at Rabastan, who refused to look back at him, watching Ginny instead. Ron and Molly turned red in the face together.
"You will not even think of him that way!" Molly shrieked at her daughter. "He is not worthy of you, and I won't allow it! You will not leave this house until you have realized that—in fact, go to your room!"
Ginny glared at her mother coldly. "I will not. I will go through with the plans he and I have made, no matter what you say, even if I have to fight you." Arthur and George stared at the girl in shock. "Draco has already left Malfoy Manor, and is meeting me somewhere else. Lucius doesn't know yet, but we're hoping that Narcissa will help him see our reasons. I know that nothing I say will make any of you understand me. Goodbye.
Molly moved to block the way, but Ginny drew her wand and Molly whispered, "Ginny, why?"
"Because I love him," Ginny replied through gritted teeth, edging backward out of the room. "I'm sorry you all have to be hurt, but if you weren't so prejudiced against others, like you are against Rodolphus, and now Tonks, then you might get along better with the rest of the world."
"Ginny!" George cried as she stepped backward through the door, just seeing Harry cover his face with his hands. "Ginny, don't go!" But she was gone, taking all her things with her.
Draco was waiting for her when she arrived and greeted her with a gentle squeeze of her hand. She looked up at him, her face blank, but her mind racing. "I know," he murmured, putting his arms around her and pressing his lips into her hair. "Let's go on. There's no need to remain here long."
Ginny gathered her things around her, then caught Draco's hand so he could apparate them. They appeared outside the apartment that Tonks had shown to Ginny, and walked up to the door together, glancing nervously at each other. Ginny raised her hand and knocked on the door with the Hufflepuff password, as Tonks had told her to. She stepped back, watching the door and not looking at the blonde young man that she had come with.
It was not Tonks or Rodolphus that answered the door, but Shaul. "You're here?" Draco said in disbelief. "Wonderful."
"Oh, you didn't know?" Ginny said in surprise, then closed her mouth when Draco looked at her.
"Get in here," Shaul said, opening the door. "Nymphadora told us that you were coming today. She and Rodolphus are upstairs." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she told us that you'd knock with the Hufflepuff password unless you'd forgotten what she told you."
Draco and Ginny went into the apartment, and Shaul continued, "Just leave your stuff in the living room for the moment. Oh, and Teddy's in there, in the playpen. I sent Mordor to go get Nymphadora to tell you where you'll be staying. I do apologize, Draco, for she said something yesterday about you rooming with us."
The blonde boy glared at his cousin. Ginny took his hand in hers quietly, and he merely looked away from the Lestrange boy.
Moments later, Mordor came down the stairs, his cheeks slightly pink, with Nymphadora following him. She was black-haired, without her Extension Charm, and Draco stared at her, mouth open.
"Close it, Malfoy," Mordor told him. "Don't want—"
"Hush," Tonks said, waving her hand at him. "Oops, I forgot you didn't know. My bad. Anyway, there's another Lestrange on the way." She grinned happily, and Draco swallowed hard, still unable to say anything or look away from his pregnant cousin.
Ginny shook her head slightly, then stepped forward and threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly but carefully. "How are you?" she asked.
"Fine," Tonks replied, blushing. "Oh, by the way, this child—" she rubbed her hand over her stomach "is a secret, and we are not revealing her presence to the world yet, so your silence is appreciated." She looked around at her three cousins and Ginny, who all nodded after a moment.
Tonks grinned again. "Now then," she said to Draco, "unfortunately, this apartment is not made for a crowd, so you will have to ever so grudgingly share a room with Shaul and Mordor. I made them promise not to hurt you unless you attack them. And I expect there to be no instigating fights, Draco. I'm not trying to be a dictator, but the last thing I want to have to do is take you all to St. Mungo's."
Ginny giggled, and Mordor snorted. "You shouldn't think that's funny. You know that it's entirely possible for me to put them in St. Mungo's?"
"Anyone is capable of doing things like that," Ginny replied. "It's just that most people wouldn't."
Draco smirked, looking at Mordor, who just glared right back. Tonks rolled her eyes and sighed. "Stop," she told them. "Follow me, Draco. I'll be right back, Ginny. Shaul, Mordor, you should come with us."
The twins followed her, Draco having been glaring at them as he worried that Nymphadora would leave them to bother Ginny. She led them into the room, multiplying one of the beds so that Draco had a place. With a flick of her wand, she put up curtains on all three beds, and the Lestrange twins sat down on their beds after opening their curtains. "We get to share a dorm," Shaul laughed, and Mordor rolled his eyes at his twin.
Draco sat down on his bed as Nymphadora informed him of where the restroom and dining room were. "If you need anything, let me or Rodolphus know," she told him. "And if you put a Cheering Charm on one of these—" she pointed to the twins "they might help you as well."
Shaul merely grinned, but Mordor didn't react to her humor. Draco merely nodded at Tonks. "Thank you," he told her, and she smiled slightly before leaving the room, giving the twins a firm look on her way out.
Ginny was sitting on the floor in the living room, holding Teddy's hands as he walked a few steps around her. She looked up when Tonks came in and smiled. "He woke up, so I took him out of the playpen," Ginny explained. "He wasn't crying, but he was staring at me as if he thought he knew me. So I picked him up."
Tonks smiled as Teddy glanced between her and Ginny in surprise. "It's your hair," Tonks told her, turning her own hair red.
"Ma!" Teddy said indignantly, looking from his mother to the other girl.
Both of them laughed, and Tonks turned her hair back to black. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you your room," she told Ginny. The Weasley girl stood and picked Teddy up, following Nymphadora up the stairs.
Nymphadora opened the door and led the way into the room she'd prepared for Ginny. "Well, here you are," she said, and Ginny turned the light on, looking around.
"This is wonderful," Ginny said, pleased. "Thank you for helping us, Tonks."
"You're welcome," Tonks replied, shrugging as she looked away from Ginny. "I couldn't not help you."
"Family history?" chuckled Ginny as Teddy decided that he wanted to be put down. She set the child on the floor, and Teddy toddled over to his mother.
Nymphadora reached down and picked up her son, saying, "You have the history too, although not from the Weasley side. Your dad's mother was once a Black, you know."
Ginny nodded, grinning. "We never knew dad's parents, though—" Ginny bit her lip and glanced up at Tonks. "Mum and Ron are furious with me. And I hurt Harry."
Tonks sighed and sat down on the bed next to the redhead, putting an arm around her. "Ginny, it really is going to difficult to go through with something like this, especially when your family is disappointed in you—"
"No," Ginny whispered, "most of them are angry. Dad was the only one who didn't say anything, and Bill and Charlie don't know anything yet. I didn't want to tell them, because Bill probably would have told Fleur, and Charlie was too far away. Percy knew, but he wasn't going to be there, and he knows how I feel, that this is right for me, and I have to do it. But—George was upset, and he rarely gets upset!"
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Nymphadora said softly. "You know that we're behind you through this, as long as you're certain that it's what you want to do. Your family won't shun you, but it's going to be really awkward to them with you as a Malfoy." Ginny sighed deeply, and Nymphadora squeezed her gently. "You know, if you want to talk to someone who has experience in this, you could talk to my mother."
"But don't you have the experience?" Ginny asked, looking up at her.
Tonks shook her head. "I didn't suffer like Mum did. She faced leaving her family for good, while I merely faced Mum's disappointment and my friends' anger before they accepted it. My friends still aren't thrilled with me, but at least they don't voice their objections deafeningly."
Ginny nodded, sighing. "Okay. I'll talk. But your mother makes me really nervous."
Nymphadora laughed softly, then drew her wand and sent a Patronus message to her mother at the Tonks house.
Andromeda was talking to Rabastan, who was telling her about what had gone on at the Burrow when a hurried knock came on the door. She went to answer it, realizing it was Arthur Weasley. "Oh, Merlin, he must have followed me!" groaned Rabastan.
"Hush!" Andromeda hissed at him, then opened the door and greeted Arthur kindly. "Are you here about Ginny?"
Arthur just stared at her, still too shocked to really speak. Rabastan sighed. "Get in here and close the door," he said.
The red-haired man stood there for a moment, then said in a near whisper, "You knew, didn't you, Lestrange?"
"I cannot deny that I was aware that the two were seeing each other," Rabastan said quietly, knowing that the Weasley was hurt deeply by his daughter's actions.
"Do you know where they've gone?" Arthur said anxiously.
Rabastan frowned. "I will not tell you."
Arthur looked from Rabastan to Andromeda, and she did not move. As he was about to speak, a werewolf Patronus ran into the room, and Rabastan jumped in shock. "What is that?" he gasped.
"Hush!" Andromeda commanded him, stepping forward to meet her daughter's Patronus.
"Mum," the werewolf said in Tonks' voice, "both of them are here at the house. Ginny needs to talk to you, so please come as soon as you can. She's terrified of what's going to happen."
Arthur turned to stare at Andromeda. "Did all of you know?"
Andromeda regarded him silently for a moment, then said, "No. I didn't know until a week ago. I was told that they were going to run away, but I wasn't told everything about it."
"And they're at Tonks' flat in America?" Arthur said. "I don't suppose you would take me there, would you?"
In reply, Andromeda drew her wand and sent her jaguar Patronus back to her daughter. "Only if Nymphadora thinks it wise."
Arthur sat down on the couch, covering his face in disbelief, and whispered, "I just want to talk to her!"
Rabastan shook his head. "I'm going back to work," he said. "Goodbye."
The Lestrange left the house, and Andromeda asked, "Do you want anything to drink as you wait?"
Arthur shook his head, too sick at heart to want anything.
Nymphadora was still sitting with her arm around Ginny when the jaguar Patronus returned. Andromeda's voice answered, "I will come as soon as possible, but there is one thing. The girl's father is here, and he wants to talk to her." Ginny's eyes opened wide in alarm as the jaguar went on, "He can come, and then I will come and talk to her. I do not think he will tell her that she is absolutely out of bounds, but he will ask her to think about what she is doing. If you want me to bring him, let me know."
"Well, Ginny?" Tonks asked softly, and Ginny nodded her permission. Tonks sent her Patronus back, hugged the girl, and went downstairs to receive them. Within minutes, there was a knock on the door, and Nymphadora let the two in, telling Arthur to follow her.
She knocked on Ginny's door, then opened it, letting Arthur in before she shut it and went downstairs. Andromeda looked at her daughter. "Nymphadora, Molly is not going to be pleased with you."
Nymphadora glared at the wall. "She hasn't been pleased since we took in Rodolphus and Rabastan, and I don't live my life to please Molly Weasley," she replied. "Even if she is my friend," she added after a moment. "You know, every time she goes off at Arthur or one of her children, she reminds me of that portrait of Walburga hanging up at Grimmauld."
Andromeda's eyes twinkled as she smirked in amusement. "I see," she said softly as Shaul and Mordor laughed at Nymphadora's words. "Where's Teddy?" she asked after a moment.
Tonks looked surprised and glanced around, then replied, "I guess Ginny still has him."
Her mother nodded and sat down beside one of the twins. "I've only seen you two when you're angry with your father," she said to them. "It is nice to see you sitting calmly. Speaking of Rodolphus—" she turned to Nymphadora "where is he?"
"Upstairs," Tonks replied. "He hasn't been downstairs since Draco and Ginevra arrived."
They all waited in silence, not sure what was going to happen.
Arthur hugged his daughter close as she wept. "Just know that I love you," he told her. "It's going to be very hard for you for a while."
"Dad," Ginny said, grasping his arm as she looked up, "will you bring Mum back here? I think I'll be ready to talk after a moment. But if she screams at me—" Ginny frowned at him.
"I understand," Arthur answered softly, hugging her close again. "But listen, if it's just for me."
"I will," Ginny whispered, hugging him again.
Arthur released her, and they went to the doorway of the room, Ginny opening it and finding Draco leaning against the wall opposite the room. She drew a quick breath, then stepped aside for her father to leave the room. Arthur looked at Draco, and the young man met his eyes after a moment. "Do your parents know?" he asked.
Draco glanced at Ginny, then looked back at her father. "Mother has known. Father will know by the end of the day: that is why I am here. Mother did not want me to be in the house when she told him."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "So your father has no idea. Will he be upset, do you think?"
"Yes," Draco answered, the word hissing between his teeth. "He will no doubt be very upset, but Mother said that he will have to accept it, for I am his only child." Ginny smirked behind her father's back and mouthed, "And I am a pureblood" at Draco, who returned the smirk.
"Well, she is a Weasley," Arthur said, glancing at his daughter. "We do have a habit of raising large families. You do remember saying things about that?"
Draco looked over at Ginny, who had moved closer to his side. "It would not trouble me to have six boys and a girl," he said. "Or more." He and Ginny shared a look, and Draco smiled slightly. "And it was never about the large family," he continued. "It was merely for us to flaunt the wealth that you did not have. And money does not bring happiness, do you think?" Draco tilted his head slightly, looking at Arthur Weasley out of the corner of his eye.
A broad smile spread over the older man's face, and he held out his hand to Draco. "Welcome to the family."
Draco reached out and took the offered hand, shaking it firmly. "Thank you, sir," he said. Arthur released the handshake, then turned and went downstairs.
Ginny stepped forward and Draco took one of her hands in his, putting his other arm around her. "It will be over by tomorrow," he said quietly, squeezing her hand slightly.
"Dad's going to get Mum," she whispered, pressing her face against his shoulder. "She's going to scream at me."
"She'd better not," Draco said. "At least, not in front of me."
Ginny laughed softly. "Tonks' mum is supposed to be coming to talk to me," she said quietly. "Mum will be here after that."
Draco sighed quietly. "My parents will probably be coming over here as soon as Father arrives home and Mother tells him what is going on."
"We're going to have a lot of people here," Ginny said with a sigh, stepping back from Draco but keeping her hand in his.
"And most of them are related," Draco said with a smirk. "All of the Black sisters' children are under one roof here."
"Yes, they are," said a soft voice. "And when your mother arrives, we will only be missing Bellatrix."
Draco and Ginny looked up in surprise to see Andromeda Tonks regarding them solemnly. "Here to talk?" Draco smirked at her.
Andromeda merely turned away from him. "I don't do marriage counseling." She motioned Ginny toward her room. "Go in."
Draco squeezed Ginny's hand again before he released it, and Ginny went on into the room before Andromeda. The brown-haired woman came back to the doorway, holding Teddy. "Take him down to his mother. And since Molly is coming, you'll probably want to be by someone who will defend you if you need it. You will not want to act in any way antagonistic to her. Go now." Draco gingerly took the child from his aunt and went downstairs.
Nymphadora gave him a slight smile when he walked in, motioning him to sit down. He came over to her and said, "Your mother told me to bring this—Teddy to you."
"Thanks," she replied, but when she reached out for Teddy, he just looked at her and held onto the front of Draco's robe. "Ooh," she laughed at Draco's expression. "I guess you're stuck with him."
Rodolphus glanced at his wife. "If you really want to hold him, then you should," he told her. "He'll be quite the willful child if you're not careful."
She sighed and looked at Teddy thoughtfully. "I don't even know what I want. He doesn't need me to hold him as much as he used to. And he seems to like you."
Draco frowned at her. "Spare me the indecision of a Hufflepuff," he growled, then pulled Teddy's hands away from his robe and gave the child to his mother.
"Speaking of Hufflepuffs," Rodolphus said, pointing behind Draco.
Nymphadora, Draco, and the twins turned to see a bright Patronus scamper into the room, and Tonks gaped at it. "Whose Patronus is a badger?" she asked in surprise. "I don't know anyone—" her mouth dropped open again as the Patronus began to give its message.
"Nymphadora: Lucius arrived home early, so we will be coming earlier than expected. We should be there as soon as Lucius is ready." The badger Patronus disappeared, and Draco stared at where it had been.
"Mum has a Patronus?" he said in surprise. "After everything that's happened to her?"
"A badger, of all things," Tonks sighed, leaning back against the couch and trying to quiet Teddy's protests. "Representing Hufflepuff—and your mother—the badger. I don't know whether to laugh or cry."
Rodolphus sat up. "Don't cry: the Malfoys are coming."
"The Ministry is fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming," intoned Nymphadora in her best impression of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
The four ex-Death Eaters around her looked at each other awkwardly. "Do you have problems, Madame Lestrange?" Shaul asked her, eyebrow raised.
Nymphadora giggled, then grimaced. "He just reminded me: Kingsley sent us a Patronus that the Ministry had fallen when we were at Bill and Fleur's wedding."
She made a face, and Draco snorted. "Did you know that their brat was born yesterday?" he asked her, and Nymphadora's eyes grew wide. "They named her Victoire, because she was born on the anniversary of the last battle."
"Charming," said Mordor. "Bet that was the Veela's idea."
"Ginny told me that Bill would never come up with a name like that," Draco smirked. "She also said that Bill normally would not agree to a name like that."
"Bill's the closest to knowing anything about the French language," Tonks said. "But most of the Weasleys know nothing."
Shaul laughed. "Obviously. They did not understand a word of our conversation with Father at the Burrow, and they did not understand the inheritance ritual at the wedding, either."
Mordor nodded and added, "But Draco did. He was standing up there, understanding every single word and looking like he couldn't believe what he was hearing."
"I couldn't," Draco said. "And it wasn't until later that I realized that Nymphadora hadn't known that it was going to happen. Then it all made sense."
"Oh, yes," Nymphadora nodded as Rodolphus took Teddy from her. "We discussed it at our wedding reception before we left early."
Draco rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have left so early. When it came time for the dancing, they were going to make Rabastan and Ginny lead it, but Rabastan didn't want to. Then they were going to have me and the Mud—I mean, Ms. Granger—lead it, but she refused to dance with me. I swear I did not ask her: I didn't. So I asked Ginny instead, and we led the dance. Some people were not thrilled, but we did what we had to do."
A knock sounded at the door, and Rodolphus stood, setting Teddy down on the couch. Rodolphus answered the door, and found Arthur and Molly Weasley there, Molly still seething, tears on her cheeks. Rodolphus motioned them to enter, and Arthur led his wife inside. Shaul and Mordor stared at the Weasleys without shame, and Draco sat down next to Nymphadora on the couch, watching Mrs. Weasley.
"My mother is speaking to her right now, but as soon as she comes down, you can go up and talk to Ginny," Tonks said as Rodolphus sat on the other side of Teddy.
"How long have you known?" Molly asked Tonks, her voice harsh, but trembling.
"Since my wedding," Nymphadora replied softly. "I asked them and they told me they had been talking. Did you never ask Ginny where she was going every time she disappeared?"
Molly said nothing, but turned to glare at Rodolphus. "You knew a lot longer and never said anything!"
Rodolphus laughed at her. "I would not tell anyone that the Weasley girl had just apparated to Malfoy Manor when you were in the middle of blaming Nymphadora for Ginny's disappearance. I had more important things with which to concern myself." The woman just stared at him, too furious to say anything. "If you get rid of your prejudice, you would see things more clearly. I would know."
Molly gaped at him, and Arthur put his hand on her arm, making her stay by his side. She didn't say a word, but fairly trembled with rage.
Nymphadora glanced at Rodolphus and decided not to say anything to him. She guessed that he wasn't a bit sorry for whatever he might say to Molly Weasley.
Moments later, Andromeda came down the stairs, glancing at the two Weasleys. Molly turned on her, and Nymphadora's eyes narrowed sharply and flashed black. "And you've known about this," she snapped. "How long have you known?"
"For a week," Andromeda replied. "And if you think I would betray my nephew or my daughter's friend like that, you are wrong."
"What did you tell my daughter just now?" Molly hissed in a dangerous voice, and Arthur looked at Tonks nervously. "You should not encourage her in this!"
"In what? Following her heart?" Andromeda asked, just as dangerously. "I told her, 'Make sure this is right; then go for it with everything in you.' If it is not right (but I doubt that), then she will know."
The red-haired woman cried, "You shouldn't encourage her to be like you!"
Andromeda stopped in the middle of the living room, glaring at the Weasley woman. "I do not encourage anyone to do what I've done. I do not even endorse what I did, but it was right for me to do it. I told Ginny that she has to be certain, or she will destroy her life. She is a bright girl, and she will eventually choose to do the right thing. She is, after all, a Weasley."
"You—you—!" choked Molly furiously.
"I suggest you not finish that," said Andromeda coldly, turning and walking toward the door. She paused and looked back at Molly. "Bellatrix wasn't the only bitch in the family." She flung open the door, then smiled and said, "Do come in."
Narcissa stared at the black-haired witch in front of her, then went on into the apartment, Lucius coming with her. The woman stepped out, then turned back to glare at Molly venomously. "Remember what I said." She went out and slammed the door, rattling the entire room.
Everyone was frozen, staring at the door. "Her hair," whimpered Nymphadora. "It turned black when she opened the door!"
"What just happened?" Shaul asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Andromeda ran away again," laughed Narcissa, then became solemn and bit her lip slightly.
"Her hair turned black," Nymphadora repeated, sounding lost. "How?"
Mordor rolled his eyes. "Magic," he said slowly, as if he were speaking to a toddler.
Narcissa sighed quietly. "She used to be a Metamorphagus, a long time ago," Narcissa told them.
"Why didn't anyone know that? During her school days, or anything?" Arthur asked as Nymphadora stared at her aunt in shock.
"Our parents put her under the Imperius as soon as they realized her powers," Narcissa sighed. "They didn't want anyone to know what she was, so that she could use it to her advantage—so they could use it to their advantage, really. When she left for school, they worried that she couldn't control it properly, even though they had been working with her on it, so they put Bellatrix in charge of her for the first year. Andromeda broke the Imperius by Halloween, and owled me that she could control her own powers and did not want to be put under the Imperius anymore."
Narcissa took a deep breath. "That summer, when they came home, Mother and Father told her that if she ever, ever showed her powers to anyone, that she would live to regret it. They let her work with it on her own, but she resented both her parents and Bellatrix for attempting to control her by the time she left school." Narcissa smirked slightly. "Bellatrix was never very good with the Imperius."
"So why doesn't Andromeda use her powers now?" asked Shaul curiously.
"Because they've much weakened," Narcissa replied very quietly. "The powers of a Metamorphagus are very unstable until they have turned twenty one years old. Any major changes to them—and that includes pregnancy—can severely hurt their abilities. When Andromeda got pregnant, her Metamorphagus abilities basically left her, and I don't know how much power she has now, anyway."
Rodolphus frowned. "So your parents tried to use her to their advantage?" he asked.
Narcissa glanced at him guardedly. "You would not believe the things they made her do," she sighed, shaking her head slightly. "She was so glad to leave; she really was. Do you know that it was Andromeda who negotiated Bellatrix's marriage to you with your father?"
"What?" cried Rodolphus in horror, and Nymphadora's hair suddenly flashed its werewolf grey as she took his hand in hers.
"She hated herself for doing it, but if she hadn't, Father and Mother would have forced her to do it, just as they forced her to do everything else she had done with her abilities before then," Narcissa replied, her brow furrowing in worry. "She didn't want to, Rodolphus. She told me the night you and Bellatrix were married that she had ruined your lives. Andromeda had not wanted to do it, but she really had no choice: she could not leave because she had no place to go."
Rodolphus continued staring at Narcissa as if she'd stabbed him in the heart, and Nymphadora squeezed his hand gently, aching for him.
Narcissa looked down. "When Ted Tonks came around, she fell in love with him because he accepted her as she was: I don't know if she ever told him what she really was, but they were married only a few months after they met each other, when the two of them left school. Andromeda became pregnant a year or so after she graduated, making her about nineteen. I found her packing her bags one day, and she told me what she had done and that she was leaving to live with her husband, the one who really accepted her for who she was. She wouldn't even listen to me when I wanted her to stay: she would not change her mind."
"Mother and Father and Bellatrix were furious when Andromeda finally told them," Narcissa said, pain in her eyes. "Bellatrix tortured her, and then we all found out that Bellatrix had taken the Dark Mark."
"Mum said that—that Bellatrix had always disliked her," Nymphadora gulped, shocked at everything she was hearing.
"Bellatrix was jealous of your mother's special abilities," Narcissa explained with a sigh. "And her running around with Sirius didn't help much. Sirius understood Andromeda too, but I don't think she confided in him very much. Andromeda was the most powerful witch in our family because of her being a Metamorphagus and all. Not the best duelist, of course, but being able to morph makes up for that."
Nymphadora gave a small nod, and Narcissa continued. "Bellatrix hated that Andromeda could always best her—and she hated that Andromeda was our parents' favourite. Mother and Father thought that because Andromeda was so special, that she should be their heir, completely surpassing Bellatrix. They raised her and trained her as Orion and Walburga trained first Sirius and then Regulus: to carry on the House of Black. But Andromeda had other plans. When she fell in love and got married, she purposely made sure that she got pregnant before she had even turned twenty."
Her eyes boring into Nymphadora's, the Malfoy woman said, "Not only did she marry a Mudblood, but she got pregnant, completely destroying her Metamorphagus abilities and wreaking havoc on her magic. Her magical core has never recovered to its original strength because her powers had not yet solidified before you were conceived. Your mother did it on purpose, to force herself to stop hurting other people. And in her place, you now have the powerful magic that was once hers."
"Oh, no," Nymphadora breathed, burying her face in her hands.
"Nymphadora, it is nothing to be afraid of," Narcissa said earnestly. "Your mother knew what it was to be controlled, and she would never have let it happen to you. It is not your fault that your mother is no longer as powerful as she used to be, and Andromeda was a holy terror when she still lived at home! Now, she feels a lot better about herself because she cannot be used as a tool to hurt people like she used to. And I don't mean that you stole her magic: I mean that her abilities enhanced the power that you would have had if you had been anyone else's child."
"Oh, Merlin!" the Metamorphagus whispered, her eyes closed, frozen in place on the couch.
Rodolphus picked up Teddy and gave him to one of the twins before putting his arms around Nymphadora and holding her close. Narcissa shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know she could still morph. I don't know about that: you might have to ask her."
"Yes, we didn't come to talk about Andromeda," Lucius said, glancing over at his son, who was sitting on the edge of the couch. Ginny stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching everyone and wondering why Tonks seemed to be ready to cry.
Draco looked at his father, then stood and walked over to Ginny, both of them coming toward the middle of the room. "Father," he said quietly.
Ginny glanced at her mother, who still seemed to be in shock and confusion. "Mum?" she asked worriedly.
Molly merely looked at her daughter, seeming lost, but Lucius stepped forward, standing directly in front of his son. "Draco," he said quietly, "are you certain this is wise?"
"Yes, Father," Draco replied, maintaining eye contact.
"How long have you two been seeing each other?" Lucius asked.
Ginny sidled closer to Draco as he replied, "About a month after the Battle of Hogwarts was when we started. Eleven months, nearly to the day."
Lucius looked thoughtful, then turned to look at Ginny. "So you want to be a Malfoy, girl?"
"No, sir," she replied, and the twins smirked at each other as Ginny said, "I am going to be a Malfoy."
"Indeed," Lucius said, his eyes narrowing at her words. "Such surety. Such...pride; I had been hoping you were different from your parents and brothers."
"Oh," scoffed Ginny. "Don't tell me that you have no pride either. I don't believe it for a millisecond."
Mordor snorted with laughter. "It's dignity he hasn't got, Ginevra." Shaul and Rodolphus joined in with his laughter, and Draco's face flushed red.
Nymphadora looked up and hissed, "Stop it, all three of you!"
Ginny looked severely embarrassed for Draco, and said to Lucius, "I do have pride: pride in myself and what I am. I do not pretend to be what I am not."
"A very good plan," Lucius said, then looked back at Draco and spoke softly in French, so that the twins and Rodolphus had to strain their ear to hear it. "You want the Malfoys to look like gingers?"
"Father, if red hair is the only objection you have, I know you could do better than that," Draco replied in French as well.
"Not at all, but your mother already voided some of my objections," Lucius replied. "But it will not do to have a family of ginger Malfoys."
Mordor snickered, full of smart comments. "Oh, no, not the whole family. It will be red, blonde, red, blonde, red—"
"Like a Gryffindor House scarf!" Shaul shouted with laughter.
Draco buried his face in his hands, but Ginny, not understanding the French, did not get it. "Father," he said in English, "it will not be like that. Ginevra and I have discussed it, and it is not likely that any child of ours will have red hair. Malfoys do not have the recessive trait for red hair."
Shaul and Mordor smirked. "Mutation," they corrected together, and Nymphadora pointed her wand at the twins, silencing them both.
"Therefore," Draco continued painfully, "they will only be carriers."
Ginny glanced at the silently laughing twins that were leaning against each other to remain sitting up. "Anyway," she said, "we do not intend to just have one child: so in case of a redhead—"
Draco smirked at the agonized look on Mordor's face and said, "Use a Colour-changing Charm." Mordor started laughing again, and Draco grinned in spite of himself.
Lucius seemed almost amused, but merely held out his hand to Draco and shook his hand. Looking at Ginny, he said, "You'll probably have a hard time getting used to life with a Malfoy."
Narcissa smirked slightly, then motioned Ginny over and gave her a hug, telling her, "It shouldn't be too hard."
"As soon as you get used to their Dark Marks," Rodolphus said, unable to resist. His wife glared at him.
"Let us know when your wedding is," Narcissa told Ginny quietly. "We'll be there." Ginny nodded and Narcissa released her.
Draco took Ginny's hand in his, and Molly seemed to really look at them for the first time since Ginny had come downstairs. "Why a Malfoy of all people?" Molly asked Ginny, struggling to keep her voice even.
Ginny sighed. "A few years ago, you told me to go after the best young man I could find. And I did. He stands before you, with me." She held up her and Draco's clasped hands. "I could find no one better."
"Not even Harry?" Molly asked her in disbelief.
Nymphadora gulped at Ginny and Draco's expressions of mixed pain and anger. "Mum!" cried Ginny. "No! Harry was—a crush I had before I finally grew up into reality. And I'm sorry that Harry never took the hints I tried to give him, but here it is. I'm in love with Draco, and not Harry, and that's that."
Molly shook her head. "Ginny, I don't know what Harry, Ron, and Hermione are going to do when they see you again."
"Mum, I told Hermione that sometimes we have to do things that we feel are right, and she agreed with me," Ginny said. "She didn't know I meant this, but if she doesn't get it now, she'll know after I repeat myself. Ron will most likely never accept it, so I'm not even going to attempt reconciling this to him. Harry—I cannot even speak to him of it: I wouldn't be able to handle it, and Harry will need some time to get used to the idea before he can speak about it either. And don't worry about the trio: they always got along without me anyway."
"Well, I hope you're happy," Molly said, dabbing tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. "Now that you've upset the entire family."
"I didn't," Ginny said. "About half our family doesn't even know yet. And I'm not happy that you don't know how to accept people who are different. You found it so easy to adopt the Order members—"
"But she sent back my papers," Nymphadora said wryly, and Molly looked stricken.
"Tonks, I—" Molly looked around at everyone, most of whom appeared judgmental. "I don't want the influence on my children—my children—I haven't done very well—"
Nymphadora nodded understandingly. "That's what Mum said when I told her that I was going to marry Rodolphus. She told me that leaving her parents' house really hadn't saved me from anything."
Narcissa looked over at the Weasley woman and said, "There comes a point when you can't really protect your children anymore. You have to let them make their own decisions, and it is difficult. I know Ginevra is your only daughter, but you have to let her grow up, Molly."
Molly looked from Narcissa to Ginny to the others seated on the couch. "Draco," she said sharply, "if you don't take good care of her, I will have more than a few things to say about it!"
"I can imagine," Draco replied, neither he nor Ginny moving.
The Weasleys left soon after, and Ginny sighed in relief, leaning her head against Draco's arm. "Are you okay?" Tonks asked her in concern.
"I'm fine," Ginny said. "Fighting with her has always made me want to go out and blow up a building." Tonks raised an eyebrow, and Ginny quickly added, "I don't do it, though."
"You're going to have an interesting life, Draco," Rodolphus said. "She talks violent, but it sounds like she keeps it to herself."
Draco gave his uncle a very unamused look, and finally requested, "Nymphadora, take the charms off of them, would you? We can't let the Lestrange heir suffocate."
Shaul laughed even harder, and when Nymphadora took off the charm, he spluttered for a moment before gasping, "Thanks, Dora." Mordor echoed his brother, and she grinned at them.
"We'll see you two later," Narcissa said to Draco and Ginny. "Ginevra, I want a say in your wedding dress."
Blushing, Ginny replied, "We'll see" as the two older Malfoys walked toward the door.
Nymphadora stood, following them so that she could lock the door behind them. Narcissa looked at her, then said, "I didn't know you were pregnant, Nymphadora."
"Busted," she sighed, then added, "Don't call me Nymphadora. I go by Dora mostly now."
"Congratulations," Narcissa whispered, giving her niece a hug. "Goodness gracious, you might end up with a rather large family!" Lucius walked right past the two of them without looking back.
"Yes," Nymphadora replied, blushing furiously. "One at a time, though. And it's rather a secret; I've been hiding it so that no one really knows about the child except our family."
Narcissa nodded. "Good luck, and ooh, have fun with a Lestrange brat." She stepped back, then grinned slightly before turning swiftly and following her husband out the door.
Once Narcissa had disapparated, Nymphadora shut the door and leaned against it, sighing. Ginny and Draco sat down on one of the couches, both of them looking relieved and exhausted. "Perhaps you should get extra rest tonight," Nymphadora suggested. "It will help with stress and everything."
Draco nodded, then said, "I'm just going to sit here for a moment." Ginny said the same, but the two didn't speak to each other, holding hands quietly.
Shaul and Mordor stood and went upstairs, leaving the couple with Tonks, Rodolphus, and Teddy. "If either of you want something to eat, help yourself," Nymphadora yawned. "I think I'm going to bed early tonight. I have to work tomorrow and I also want to go see Mum." Her eyes clouded for a moment before she sighed. Rodolphus stood and picked up Teddy, carrying him over to Nymphadora, and the three of them went upstairs to go to bed early.
Draco and Ginny stayed downstairs quietly for quite a while before retiring to their own rooms, their minds finally quiet and calm enough to sleep.