A/N: Thanks so much to my beta, SometimeSelkie. She volunteered to help me with this after reading Part One. Without her help, I probably would have given up on this fic. Thank you!

There have been some very faithful reviewers who have not logged on or have PM blocked. I would like to thank them now since I haven't been able to before. If I missed you, I'm sorry, but just know that every review has been cherished. Thank you.

kiera14 – Higgles – darinmeg – Del – Sammmmm - Forested

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The Safe House

Chapter Forty-One

Blaise sat across from Draco in the holding room. "You ready, mate?"

"Yes."

"If they believe Potter and disregard your testimony, you will most likely be going to Azkaban. Have you accepted that possibility?"

"Yes… Do you think they will believe him?"

"I'm not sure." He held Draco's gaze for a moment and then continued. "They will probably believe him, but I'll have the opportunity to make the point that he may be mistaken."

"Splendid." Draco clenched his jaw for a moment and then took a quick breath. "Ginevra has access to all of the accounts?"

"Yes, everything has been taken care of."

"Will I be allowed to see my children?"

Blaise noticed the sadness in his friend's eyes. Slowly, he answered, "It will depend on what they decide."

Draco swallowed back his anger. "If I'm imprisoned, I want them to pay for what they did to her."

"I know," he said as he nodded. "Once the baby is born, we can proceed with charges against the Weasleys and with the Healer."

"Yes, of course. She needs to stay calm. Mum says that she still sleeps in the nursery with Thuban."

"Well, let's hope that she will be sleeping with you tonight." Blaise grimaced. "That didn't sound like I meant."

The two chuckled lightly. Draco smirked at his friend. "Yes, let's do. Did you bring the paper?"

"Oh, yes." Blaise reached into his bag and pulled out the current edition of the Prophet. "Lovegood could have a second career as a photographer. It's great." He slid the paper across the table.

Draco smiled as he watched the picture they had taken the week before in his room at Parkinson Prison. He was standing just behind Ginny, holding Thuban in his left arm with his right arm draped around Ginny's waist. Her hands were on her pregnant belly. She would tilt her head up at him, smiling sweetly as he started to tilt his head towards hers. Then the little toddler would start waving at the camera, and they would shift their attention to him and share a laugh. Luna had agreed to keep Ginny's pregnancy quiet until it was revealed in court. The article mostly described Ginny's shocking testimony and the Wizengamot's decision to uphold the Malfoy marriage, but it also had several quotes from the expectant parents.

Draco looked at the guards who entered the chamber, ready to take him to the courtroom. He quickly tore the picture from the paper, folded it, and tucked it into his robes. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to meet his fate.

ooo

The court was buzzing with anticipation for Harry's testimony. He was the first on the list of witnesses for the Ministry for the day. The others were several captured Death Eaters who had been part of the missions in which Draco had participated. Several reporters were there, including Luna, who smiled warmly at Ginny as she entered the courtroom and took her seat. Everyone knew that the most serious charge against Draco was that of betraying the Order. All other remaining crimes committed as a Death Eater would hinge on whether he was found guilty of treason. He had already admitted on the first day of the trial that Harry would be the only one to corroborate his being a spy for the Order.

The Weasleys were again in attendance, sitting on the opposite side of the room as Ginny, Narcissa, and Pansy. George filed in behind his father and looked across at Pansy. She arched one brow at him and gestured to the empty seat next to her. He looked at Ginny, who was pale with worry, her hand rubbing protectively across her belly. George quickly made his way to the other side of the room. After greeting his former housemates, he embraced his sister.

"Sorry, Gin. I should have been with you each day."

"It's okay. You've been with me for months. I don't expect you to get disowned as well."

"You're not disowned," he said seriously. "They love you. They are here for you right now."

"So they can rejoice in my face when my husband is taken away from me?"

"No, so they can hold you and love you if that happens."

Ginny slowly dragged her eyes across the room to look at her family. Her parents were watching her, and they both smiled when they met her eyes. Hermione was also looking at her and mouthed "I'm sorry" before giving her an encouraging smile. Ginny frowned in confusion and looked back at George.

"I can't think about them right now, George."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek before taking the seat next to Pansy.

Narcissa took Ginny's hand and held it tightly as Draco was brought into the room. He immediately turned his head to Ginny. They locked eyes, and the world around them seemed to disappear. He smiled at her as they shared the memory of the night that they had finally admitted their love for one another. Several flashes from cameras went off and the two of them broke their connection. Draco turned his head back to face the Chief Warlock, who had begun to address the court.

Harry entered the centre of the court circle and took the seat next to Draco. He looked miserable, as if he hadn't slept at all the night before. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who nodded to him. He then looked at Ginny. She had been watching him. She started to look away when their eyes met, but he opened his mouth as if to speak and she kept her eyes trained on him. He could feel Draco's presence so close to him, but he smiled at Ginny and mouthed to her as quickly and as subtly as possible that he loved her. Before the reporters could notice the exchange, he turned his head back to the Wizengamot in front of him.

Interrogator Bennett stood up from his seat and began in a serious voice, "Mr. Potter, you have been called today in order to respond to Mr. Malfoy's claims of being a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He has stated that you were his only contact. Can you please tell the court if there is any truth in his statement, and if so, what was the extent of your relationship with Mr. Malfoy during the war?"

"First, I would like to state that Draco Malfoy did act as a spy for the Order." Harry paused, expecting some reaction from the people. After a few moments of chatter, he continued, "As we all know, Severus Snape had been working as a double agent for the Order for over twenty years at the time of his death. In the summer of 2000, he came to me to inform me that he would be training Malfoy as a spy. He believed that having Malfoy on our side would give us a huge advantage. It was a little over a year later when I met with Malfoy for the first time. For years he brought me leads on finding Voldemort, and he also was able to give to the Order several warnings of Death Eater attacks. As you heard from Miss Parkinson, he helped her to join the Order. The night that he brought her to me was the last night that I saw him until this past September." Harry stopped and took a deep breath.

The Interrogators looked at one another and then back at their star witness, waiting for him to continue. Finally, Interrogator Bennett spoke, "Mr. Potter, you have made claims that Mr. Malfoy purposely gave the Order false information that led to the death of Remus Lupin, the continued hospitalisation of Nymphadora Lupin, and the serious injury of Hermione Weasley. Can you please tell the court about this betrayal?"

Harry once again glanced over at Ginny. As much as he wanted to avoid seeing Malfoy, his eyes automatically flickered over to the man he hated. Harry turned his head to the left and looked at Ron and Hermione. When they had shown him the Blood Stone the night before, he felt the last fragments of hope that he had been clinging to disintegrate with each failed spell he cast at the red gem. He was broken, and he knew that he could no longer run from the truth.

~.~

Ron and Hermione were still holding him, letting him finally grieve for everything he had lost. Ron patted his back and extended his hand, lifting Harry to his feet. "It's time, Harry. Time to tell us everything."

"You will hate me."

Hermione pressed, "We could never hate you."

"Yes, you could and you will."

The three sat back down at the table. Ron and Hermione were holding hands, sharing a concerned look for what they were about to hear.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault. … I knew that it was a trap at the museum."

Hermione leaned into Ron and shook her head no. Ron wrapped his arm around her, his jaw clenched tight. "Go on," he choked out.

"Malfoy had given me that list months before. It was just before he disappeared, and by the time Ginny was taken, I had already been working through it. He had warned me that there could be false leads. He said the list could be incomplete, but he was fairly certain that it was everything, including several traps. He didn't know which ones were safe. He told me to be extremely cautious when investigating any of them. He actually almost died trying to get that list. He said he had watched as another Death Eater was killed in his place. I was just so angry about Ginny being taken when I gave it to you. I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't even once think about warning you."

Ron grimaced as if in pain, and he bit out, "He never betrayed us? Everything they have been saying has been true? You let us believe … you let us turn against Ginny so you could have her?"

Harry pleaded, "We all believed that he had hurt her, Ron. You were the one who started talking about him cursing her."

"I thought he had killed my child! I hated him more than Voldemort!" Ron shouted at his friend as he stood up and began pulling at his hair.

Harry's face fell for a moment, and then suddenly, he jumped to his feet and pointed at both of them. "You forgot to follow protocol! All of you risked your lives that night! Why were you even there, Hermione?"

Ron started to draw his wand when Hermione stood up and intervened, "Stop it! Both of you!" She pulled Ron back into his seat.

After a few minutes of silent tension, Hermione found her voice again. "You have to tell the truth, Harry."

He stood for a moment, frozen, before he dropped his arm and fell back into his seat. "I know. I just kept thinking that we'd find out that he did hurt her, that he did make her be with him, and then I wouldn't care if I had to … I wouldn't have to lie."

"It's not your fault, Harry." Hermione placed her head on the table and mumbled, "And we did mess up. We thought it was going to be so simple. But I should have never put my baby at risk. If I….if I had…" She broke down before she could finish.

Ron pulled her back from the table and into his lap. "Shh. It's no one's fault." He looked over her head at Harry and glared, revealing the lie in his statement.

Harry looked at his friends, still reeling from his mistake. "Yes, it is. You would never have taken any chances if I had told you there were traps. I'm so sorry. And then, I was just so afraid of losing you, too. Everyone already thought he was dead. It was easier to let you blame him. And when they came back, and they were together, I just didn't know what to think. You were ready to kill him that night, Ron. And then when you started talking about him using her and manipulating her, and Hermione, you were talking about Stockholm syndrome. I wanted to believe it. I needed to believe it. I'm so sorry."

Hermione turned her tear-streaked face away from Ron's chest. "Like you said, Harry, we all believed it. For different reasons maybe, but we all wanted it to be true. Instead of being happy that she was safe, we were more concerned about destroying him."

Ron sighed, "I still hate him. I don't even know why anymore. I guess it's just habit." He took Hermione's hand. "She's never going to forgive us." He abruptly stood them up. "We need to go. I need to deal with this. Harry, I don't know what to say to you right now."

Hermione silently followed Ron to the Floo and gave Harry a small smile before disappearing into the flames.

~.~

"Mr. Potter?" Hanson smiled at Harry. "Can you please tell the court about the allegations that Mr. Malfoy betrayed the Order and was in fact working for Voldemort?"

Harry closed his eyes. That morning, Ron and Hermione had brought him breakfast and a copy of the Daily Prophet. Ron pointed at the picture of Ginny and her new family, trying to motivate Harry to do the right thing. Harry had watched the loop of the happy family repeat three times. But all it did was make him want to tear them apart, wishing that he could do what he had accused Malfoy of doing. That he could alter her memories and make her forget the other man.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry snapped his head up at the Interrogator. "Malfoy had given me a list of locations that needed to be checked. There were some traps on the list, including the one that you were referring to." He paused and watched the Chief Warlock lean forward in his chair. "I was wrong about his betrayal. He had left me a warning about the possibility of traps, but with his disappearance, it did not reach me. I did not find this warning until very recently." He knew he was being vague and he levelled his gaze at the Chief Warlock, showing him that he was serious. "It has been a terrible mistake on my part, and I am willing to testify under Veritaserum if necessary."

The Chief Warlock frowned. "Mr. Potter, I'm sure you are aware that you have been the driving force behind these accusations. Are you telling the court that you are withdrawing your claims?"

"Yes, sir. I no longer can claim in good conscience that Draco Malfoy ever attempted to betray the Order."

The courtroom erupted in noise. Some people were cheering, others were shocked, and a special few were crying in relief. Harry could not bear to look at the Weasleys; his shame of what he had done to them was weighing heavily upon him and secured his gaze straight ahead. He could feel Malfoy's eyes burning into him, and he could hear the other man's breaths coming fast and heavy, but he didn't want to ever see that wizard again. Finally, after several minutes of chaos, the Chief Warlock stood up and regained control of the room. Harry was shaking with relief at his dismissal and fled the Ministry as quickly as he could, using his privileges as an Auror to escape through a private exit.

The Chief Warlock and the Interrogators conferred for several minutes, shaking their heads in disbelief and in anger. The Chief Warlock stood again and addressed the Wizengamot. "I think, due to the recent development in the case, that it is time to vote for the dismissal of all charges against Draco Malfoy. I am also suggesting that Mr. Malfoy's time spent in involuntary hiding to be considered as time served in regard to his unfortunate role in the death of Felicity Cresswell. All in favour of full dismissal?" A vast majority of the witches and wizards in plum robes raised their hands. The Chief Warlock smiled tightly at Draco and stated, "Mr. Malfoy, you are free to leave with your wand."

Again the room broke into chaos, and several cameras were flashing, adding to the uproar. The Auror guards emerged from the back of the circle and unbound Draco from his chair. Draco shook their hands and stepped forward to receive his wand from the Interrogators. Turning around, he quickly ran to the seating entrance closest to Ginny. She had also been making her way to him. They met at the end of her row and embraced. He gave her a long-lasting kiss before wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Narcissa pulled her son into her arms and kissed his forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

Draco smiled at his two witches and said, "Let's go home."

Pansy, George, and Blaise quickly joined the other three as they headed out one of the private exits, following the Auror guards. The small group entered the hall, and Pansy began cheering.

"Didn't I tell you he wouldn't lie?"

Draco still had his arm around Ginny's shoulder, keeping her close to him. "Yes, Pansy. You were right. But I think it wouldn't have been that bad. Blaise did a great job this week, everyone did."

Ginny said, "Let's never even think about what might have happened. You're free, and that's all that matters." She started crying again and buried her face into his chest.

Narcissa started to weep as well and hugged Pansy. "Draco, let's get you home to your son."

He looked up from Ginny's head. "He's not here?"

Blaise replied, "If things had turned out differently, you would not have been granted a visit today. So we thought it was best to leave him at home."

"Oh, of course." He kissed Ginny once more. "Then let's go." They quickly made their way down the hall and turned the corner only to run into Ron and Hermione.

Ron stepped forward and looked at his sister. "Ginny …" He stopped and choked back a sob. "I'm so sorry, Gin. I know you have every reason to hate me."

Hermione joined her husband. "Please, Ginny. We know we were wrong. I can never apologize enough for what happened."

Ron reached into his pocket, and Draco stepped in front of his wife. "Malfoy, we owe you an apology as well. We've blamed you for years, and we hated you for something you did not do. I really did believe that you had hurt Gin, but I can see that you love her. I'm very sorry." He handed him the Blood Stone and a piece of parchment.

Hermione smiled at her former enemy. "This belongs to you. The parchment explains its significance."

Narcissa gasped, "Is that a Sardonyx Sanguinis?"

Hermione eyed the older witch with respect, and nodded.

Ginny finally spoke to her estranged family members. "I'm not ready to forgive you." She looked at Draco and quietly added, "Please take me home now."

Ron watched his sister walking away, and he could not stop his cries from escaping. He called after her, "Ginny! Please, I'm so sorry I hurt you."

She turned back to him, her lips puckered in anguish.

Ron ran to her and shook his head. "Did I … I didn't hurt the baby when I pushed you down?"

He looked so pained at the possibility that it broke her heart when she realized what he was thinking. "No, Ron. The baby is very healthy. There have been no problems." She stared into his blue eyes, almost glowing against the redness from his tears. "Someday." She sniffed her tears back. "Someday, we'll be okay again. I just need some more time. And … Ron, Hermione. I truly am so sorry for what happened to your baby."

Hermione had slowly walked forward as Ginny had been speaking. She broke down at the mention of her child, and Ron pulled her to him. They stood together as the group continued down the hall to where they could Floo to Malfoy Manor.

ooo

Upon arrival at his childhood home, Draco fell to his knees in relief. They had Floo'd directly into the sitting room of the Manor. Ginny joined Draco on the floor, and hugged him to her, kissing his face repeatedly. With each kiss, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks. She began to weep tears of joy as she felt the release of her anguish. The last few days had been some of the hardest of her life. She knew that Draco had become her world whilst they had been in hiding together. And even if he had been sent away from them, she knew that she would have done whatever it took to provide a happy life for her children. But she also felt that her heart would have never healed completely if it would have had to go on without him. She held his face in her trembling hands and searched his eyes, finding only love reflected back to her. She felt as if she were floating and yet anchored at the same time. The constraint of her burdens had been lifted, and she had found her home once again.

It only took a few minutes for the rest of the group to join them. Narcissa immediately sent a house-elf to get her grandson. Within minutes, Andromeda, Teddy, and Thuban entered the sitting room. Andromeda smiled at her long-lost nephew and sat down the sleepy toddler.

Draco held his hand out to his son and called to him. "Thuban. Come here, Snitch. Daddy is home."

The little blond was leaning against his great-aunt's legs, but at the sound of his father's voice, he looked up. His tired eyes started to open wide, and he ran to his father. Draco embraced his little boy, and he finally felt his mask slipping as his tears began to fall freely. Ginny wrapped her arms around them and kissed their matching heads.

Draco looked around the room at his family. He never thought that he would have a chance at happiness, a chance at love, a chance at forgiveness. He still wasn't sure if he deserved any of this new life. He had never participated in the worst of the Death Eater activities, but he had watched the others do terrible things. When Severus had locked him away, he had become a cold and callous man. His life as a spy had only hardened the walls he had spent many years building around his heart. Weeks of being alone had felt torturous, but each time his godfather would visit, he would try to encourage him to be hopeful and patient. He would remind him that there was a better world awaiting him. A world without Voldemort and all of his corruption.

~.~

Severus placed his hand on Draco's back. "I know you can't see it, but there will come a time when this will all be worth it."

"My family will probably die because of me." He shrugged away from his godfather. "How will that ever be worth it? Let me go, Severus. I need to help them."

"Your parents would want you to be safe more than anything else in this world. I will not deny them that, Draco."

"I'm going mad." He turned back quickly to Severus. "I can't take it any more. I need to get out of this place. I could be doing so much right now."

"What would you do? Start killing all the Death Eaters? Or would you go after the Dark Lord?" He lifted his dark brows. "Have you decided to fully join the Order now?"

Draco glared at the older man. "I'm not joining anyone."

"The Order must destroy the Horcruxes. You know that. If you chose to join them and –"

"I wouldn't have this damned Mark if it were my choice. If it were my choice, I would have taken my mother and ran a long time ago."

"Unfortunately, that is not your reality, Draco. You do have the Dark Mark, and at this point, your mother will not leave your father." He stood back and took a deep breath. "I actually think losing you may convince them both to leave. You staying dead may be the best way to protect them."

"Don't manipulate me, Severus." Draco just shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Besides, my father won't ever leave that bastard. If I could get to my mother, I know I would get her out. Beyond that, I don't care what happens to me."

The two wizards locked eyes for several minutes. Finally, Severus broke the silence. "But I do. I want more for you, Draco. More than your parents or I ever had."

~.~

As weeks turned into months, Draco had finally begun to give serious thought to what he would do outside of the house, how he would live the next phase of his life, and why he would never be the man his father had raised him to be. He had promised himself that he would not waste one second if he were lucky enough to survive the war and to return to society.

Looking at his precious son and his beautiful wife, carrying another perfect child, he realized that everything he had been through had been worth it, just as his godfather had said. He knew that he would have always loved Ginevra if ever given the opportunity. But he also understood that he had not been capable of earning her love before he had entered Severus's house. It had been the place that had kept him and then his own family safe from the war, but it had really been what had saved him from himself. He kissed Ginevra sweetly on the lips and enjoyed the warmth that spread through his body. No, he wouldn't waste this chance, he wouldn't live to regret his life like his father had, he wouldn't forget one lesson that he learned whilst living in the Safe House.

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A/N: Thank you all so much for reading. This has been quite the journey. My very first attempt at writing fiction. It's been my baby this last year, and this story has been in my mind for at least a year before that. I will miss it.

And yes, there will be an epilogue. I know there are a few things left unresolved that some of you would like to know.

Please let me know your thoughts. Reviews are my only payment. Were you surprised at Harry's revelation? Do you think Ginny should forgive her family? Did you enjoy one last moment with Severus?

Thanks again. Now review!