The whispering went unnoticed by her for some time until it swept over a small group of the party. While George and Luna cut a rug on the make shift dance floor with what looked to be a majority of Luna's family, a small group stood and stared around the house towards the front walk. As Ginny finally gathered the courage to rejoin the group, she happened to glance in the direction of the whispers. Her feet froze on sight and she stumbled forward, knocking into an older wizard she couldn't pick out of a line up. "Apologizes," she stammered as she moved towards the gossiping group to get a better look, sure her eyes were deceiving her. "Shite," she hissed when she heard the name drift along the gossip.
Kicking off her high heeled shoes, for they were killing her feet anyway, she tore through the yard towards the figure standing uncertainly at the property line.
"What the bloody hell are you thinking, showing up here?" she snapped as she skidded to a halt in front of him, her feet kicking up dirt as pebbles dug into the soft underside of her soles.
"Uhhh... I was thinking you invited me, Weasley."
"Yes, as my plus one. Not as some creepy git standing at the property line, staring up at my family house looking a bit like a crazed man."
"Well, I wasn't exactly sure the best way to enter this type of party stag, so I was still out here mulling it over when you so graciously sauntered up."
"You need to leave."
He baulked at her demand, his jaw dropping in shock. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," he snapped with a dry laugh and a shake of his head. "I mean, you are kidding right?"
"I am not kidding. You can't just show up here and make a scene like this." She felt the sudden urge to burst into tears, and it was no longer the thought of her brother that did it.
"Was there any scenario in which I could have attended this event without making a scene? As that, if you can recall as far back to as this morning, was my major concern with attending in the first place."
"Then why in the blazes are you here?" she snapped. Angry as she was, she leaned forward and used a hand to his shoulder to hold her balance as she lifted her foot and brushed off the shards of rock embedded into her sole.
"Because you asked me to come and the longer I sat at home, alone, the worse I felt about not coming with you this morning. Especially because the longer I sat there, the more paranoid I became that you actually meant what you said this morning when you said you wouldn't be coming back. And I know you and I aren't always a picnic, but... well, you know."
"I was exaggerating, okay? You can wait up for me. I'll be there in a few hours. Just, for the love of everything magical, please-"
"Ginny?" the shout was muffled over the distance by the open air, but it was loud enough to shut her up as she spun around. The gossiping crowd had grown in size considerably, and her heart sank as she saw half her family approaching the group.
"My life is flashing before my eyes." Her eyes were certainly larger than usual when she turned around to face him again. Reaching forward, she grasped his dress robes in two fists so tight her knuckles turned white. "Please leave. I am begging you. You were right, I was wrong, this was a horrible idea. If my parents see you-"
"Little late for that, I'm afraid."
"Shite," she cursed again, racking her brain for the quickest concealment charm she could remember, only to realize her wand was still in her bag back at the table.
Then she heard her father shout, and she could swear she heard her mother gasp even from this distance. The short lapse in time without bickering with Molly had just ended, she ventured to guess.
He leaned towards her, likely to offer a few words of encouragement before they faced the crowds, but she shoved him quickly away. "If you try to kiss me right now, I'll throw up."
Ron was the first to reach them, his robes flapping behind him as he approached. Draco grabbed her wrists and spun her around to face her brother. If she didn't know any better, she would have accused him of using her as a shield. "Oi! Don't you lay a finger on my sister!" Ron yelled as he ran. "If you make any movements for your wand, I swear I'll curse you!"
Harry and Hermione were the next to join in. Ginny could see them pushing their way politely through the crowd, but knew there was no way they could catch Ron on his war path. Then Ron pulled his wand from inside his robe and aimed it at them as he closed the ground between them.
"Ron!" she yelled at him.
"Get away from that Death Eater, Ginny!" he yelled back at the same time.
She didn't move, and Ron didn't utter a word. When he reached them, he tossed his wand to the side, and with lightning quick reflexes he managed to skirt around her and tackle Malfoy to the ground. Ginny doubted the blow harmed Draco, but the impact with the ground was enough to knock the breath from him, which held him down for a moment as Ron raised his fist to punch.
"Oi!" Ginny shouted, tripping over the hem of her dress as she grabbed for his cocked arm. "Ron, I beg you, stop this before we ruin another family wedding."
"Another?" Malfoy managed to laugh out as Ginny struggled to pull Ron off.
"Not helping!" she shouted down at him. Harry and Hermione finally reached the skirmish, and Harry managed to pull Ron off of Malfoy and to his feet.
"Oh-" Hermione started, but Ginny had reached her limit for the day.
"Don't you even think about 'Oh, Ginny'ing me," she snapped. "It was your bloody idea to invite him!"
"WHAT?" Ron shouted, his face so red it matched his hair.
Ginny grabbed Draco's arm and helped him to his feet.
"It was also my idea to tell Ron before the party, if you recall," Hermione snapped back.
"WHAT?!" Ron shouted even louder this time, fighting the restrain Harry held him in.
"Ron, please," Ginny begged desperately as Malfoy dusted off his robes and checked for tears. "Just calm down. You are making a scene."
"A scene? A SCENE? Have you all completely lost your minds? Do you not realize who this is? Are you mad?"
"You see, I told you this would be like dinner at the Potters all over again," Draco grumbled as he straightened and readjusted his robes.
At that, Ron managed to break free from Harry's hold and turn on him. "You had him over for dinner? For DINNER!"
"Ron, please," Hermione pleaded.
Hermione and Ginny gasped in unison as Ron cocked his arm back again with precision speed and swung it around, catching Harry squarely in the jaw and dropping him to the ground.
"RON!" Ginny squealed in horror.
"Stole my girlfriend! Had the bloody balls to marry her even! Then let this trash into your house and didn't think to mention it to me?" Spittle flew in all directions as he glanced down at The Boy Who Lived.
Hermione stood frozen in embarrassment; Ginny shoved her brother out of the way as she yanked Harry to his feet. "You have lost your mind, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione finally snapped.
"I've lost my mind?" he spun his fury on her.
"Ron, please, you are causing a scene," Ginny pleaded again. "Mum and Dad don't know yet, and you are going to make this impossible for me to explain to them if you don't stop punching everyone."
"Don't know that for some sick, twisted reason you all are cohorting with a Death Eater? I think they might have an inkling now, Ginny!"
"Cohorting," Draco repeated with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Never heard it called that before."
"Malfoy!" she hissed.
"What?" Ron snapped, clearly a little lost. Then his face began to turn an even darker shade of red, were it even possible, and Ginny swore she saw steam rising from the top of his head. "No. No, no, no, no, NO! Ginny!"
"Can we all just please calm down?" Harry asked as he fingered his jaw and squinted in pain. "I dare say people are starting to stare."
"Ginny." The word held so much anger and betrayal that she took a step back, actually afraid of her brother for the first time in her life.
"I swear, I was going to tell you. I was going to tell all of you. Today. That's why he's here." She cursed her hormones as she felt the moisture begin to gather in her eyes. It was turning out worse than she had expected, if that were even possible.
Ron turned on Harry, "You're okay with this? You let that near my little sister?"
Harry spit a loogie of blood onto the grass, intentionally close to Ron's feet. "Need I remind you that your sister made it perfectly clear that I no longer had any business in her love life when she broke up with me?"
"Ron, I know you're mad, but please-"
"Mad?" he spun to face Ginny. "I'm the only sane one here. You're the one who's lost her marbles."
"Please just go back to the party," Ginny asked in pure desperation.
"Oh, Ginny, it's too late for that," Hermione whispered softly.
As a collective, the group turned to look back towards the house. The group of bystanders had grown massively in size. The music had halted, and everyone seemed to stare at them in astonishment.
Ginny spun back around to face their rather unwelcome visitor. "I swear, if you leave, I will do whatever you want when I get home. And I mean whatever."
Ron let out another roar of fury at that, grabbing Ginny's arm and yanking her towards the Burrow. He only got a step before Malfoy caught his shoulder and hand, shoving him roughly in the shoulder. Ron released her arm. "You lay one more finger on her in that manner, and I swear I will remove your hand from your body, Weasel."
"Are you kidding me?" Ginny hissed at him. "In what universe is it a good idea to threaten my brother right now? Hey!" she yelled in surprise as Ron grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder in one fluid motion.
"Ron!" a choir of voices shouted at once, but he was a man possessed. He marched her down the front walk and then turned towards the group until he found their parents. Despite her desperate pleas, he didn't stop until he reached Arthur and Molly. Then he dropped her from his shoulders and thrust her towards them.
"Bill! Charlie! Percy! George!" he called out.
At the mention of George's name, they all seemed to remember where they were. "Ronald Weasley!" Molly snapped.
Arthur tried to defuse the situation as he turned towards the gathered group. "How about an old timed jig? Band!" he shouted out. Grabbing his closest daughter in law, he caught Charlie's wife, Susan, and pulled her towards the dance floor where George and Luna stood frozen in place. The band struck up a fast paced number, but it took the group a while to disperse.
"Mum," Ginny started, but stumbled. She couldn't find the words to say. In what universe had she thought it a good idea to invite him here, now? And just when she had finally seemed to reach some middle ground with her mother regarding her love life.
Harry, Hermione, and Draco finally regrouped with Ginny and Molly. Ginny stood like a trapped animal, her focus shooting from Draco to Hermione to her mother and then back to Draco.
"Good news," she exclaimed with false excitement, "my plus one made it after all." Her nervous laugh died on her throat.
Hermione shot her a sympathetic look before dragging Harry away towards the dance floor.
"Oh, Ginerva," Molly clicked her tongue.
Of all the possible retorts her mother could have gone with, this one pissed Ginny off the most. Her brashness took control before her brain could interject. She caught the front of his robe and pulled him towards her. His hands instinctively found her waist as she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him.
"Weasley," he snapped as he pulled away. She was only making it worse, so many times worse, but control had spiraled away from her and she had no idea how to pick the reins back up. She could hardly blame him now for his offhanded comments earlier. It was a defense mechanism they both used.
He moved around her and awkwardly extended his hand to her mother. "Draco Malfoy, ma'am," he introduced himself. As if he needed any introduction.
Ginny stared at his extended arm for what felt like an eternity until, as if all the stars aligned at a singular point, her mother reached forward and took his hand in hers. "Son, I am afraid you have bit off more than you can chew with our Ginny."