Merlin! A Malfoy and A Weasley, how did that happen?
Draco waited patiently for the best possible thing to come out of that war to come home: his beautiful wife, Ginevra. Orion's letter had reminded Draco how lucky he was, Draco was more aware than anyone that if it hadn't been for the war, he would never have been able to marry a Weasley...
Chapter 4: A Change of Heart
Present Day
He could hear his children before he heard them, they were babbling away about something that had happened at the Prep today.
Astria rushed into the room. She is a bundle of energy, incredibly lively and very passionate about Quidditch. She had fiery, red hair and the trademark Weasley freckles. She had a light blond streak at the front of her hair and grey eyes, which she got from her father.
"Dad! You waited for us to come back from school! Let's go outside, I want to show you my new Quidditch trick. Can we go outside? Please, Dad, please?"
Ginny followed Astria into the room, holding the hand of a small boy. His hair was as blond as his father's, he looked the spitting image of Draco, except for his eyes. He had the warm brown eyes of his mother. Ginny smiled at Draco and rolled her eyes to him at their daughter's request.
"Astria, calm down, your father might have not finished work for today yet. Now, darling, you need to do your homework done first before you can go outside. Go upstairs, get changed and then come back here."
"But mum—, it's going to be dark soon" Astria whined.
"Sweetheart, listen to your mother, the quicker you do so, the quicker you'll get your homework done," Draco responded. "Take your brother upstairs too, Mum and I need to talk."
"Come on then Drake." Astria stropped but did as she was told, often not willing to defy both her parents, dragging with her, Draco, her younger brother – affectionately called Drake by his friends and family. It did help to distinguish between him and his father.
Ginny walked towards Draco and settled into the chair opposite him. She looked at him, brown eyes meeting grey eyes.
"The children enjoyed their day at–" She began, unsure whether to begin a new conversation about the war. Draco reached over and put his hand on her arm, she stopped there.
"Gin, Orion's letter, the memories, how are you?"
Ginny instinctively pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs as she always had done when she felt vulnerable.
"Honestly, I'm okay. Orion's letter was so heart-warming, it was lovely to hear from him and for him to be enthusiastic about our relationship. We knew that with Orion going to Hogwarts this was bound to come up at some point. It took us long enough to accept our relationship, our family and friends were shocked enough too, and I suppose he has a right to be curious. It just reminded me, of that day, and all the pain came rushing back as if it was yesterday. I still miss him, Draco, every single day."
Whilst she was talking, Draco had moved from his seat and was kneeling in front of her. He pulled her, gently, towards the edge of the chair and wrapped her in his arms to try and soothe her, she quickly controlled her breathing and bit back the tears threatening to fall.
"How are you Draco?" She asked.
"I'm fine, like you Orion's letter brought back my horrid memories of that year. It was sickening remembering living with HIM in that house, my revolting actions and this disgusting mark just reminds me every day."
Draco had turned away from her now, he always did this when he remembered the war. The guilt began to rise in him again and he turned cold and harsh. Ginny knew how revolted he was by his and his family's actions and beliefs, she knew he hated that mark. Ginny knew that he would never forgive himself for how he treated other people, especially her own family. She also knew he was a changed man.
"Darling, he's gone. I have forgiven you; my family have forgiven you. You have turned your back on those bigoted views of your family and accepted the errors of your ways. The war will always affect us, we'll carry those scars with us, but we mustn't let it get in the way of lives." Ginny's flaming personality flared as she moved towards him, placed her hands on his shoulders and tried to comfort him, yet also be forceful enough to snap him out of his latest guilt rut. "And bloody hell, we need to pull ourselves together, Astria and Drake will be back any second and they can be very… demanding."
"They clearly take after their mother," Draco smirked as he turned around the face his wife and saw that hard, blazing look in her eyes. He then could resist that look in her eyes, Draco then lowered his head to whisper in her ear "I wouldn't have it any other way, of course."
Ginny could feel the heat rising, the blush surely stained her cheeks and probably her whole face by now. She felt the hairs on her neck rise and found herself a little breathless. She cursed herself for the physical reaction her husband could still extract, even after all these years. After a few seconds, she gave him a little shove on his chest to push him away and try and regain control.
"Nice save, mister. They're on their way back now." Sure enough, the two children practically ran into the library. Astria engulfed her father's leg, whilst young Draco wrapped himself around his mother.
"Mummy, please can we go on the brooms? I'll read later, promise." Drake whined to his mother. Ginny exchanged a look with Draco, he shrugged his shoulders, leaving the decision up to her.
"Yes, on one condition though, Daddy joins us. I think we can all use some fresh air." Both Astria and Drake separated themselves from their parents and started jumping around excitedly.
"Yay! Thanks, Mum. Come on Astri, lets' go get the brooms." They both ran from the library to the back door and the broom cupboard.
Ginny smiled at Draco, and they walked hand in hand to follow their children out to the garden. An hour later, the Malfoy family strolled back into their house, all fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked after being out in the autumn evening air. Draco went back to his study to carry on with his work for the Ministry, whilst Ginny started on dinner. The children were sitting at the breakfast table whilst she cooked working on their homework. Now and then, she would stop what she was doing to check on them both and offer some help. Whilst she was stirring the pot, she thought back to how this all began…
Summer 1998
Ginny was lazing around in the fields behind The Burrow. She spent a lot of time outside after the war, listening to the birds and the wind whistling through the trees. It was more peaceful than staying in the house. She was reminded of Fred everywhere she looked in the house and garden, of dancing with him at Bill and Fleur's wedding, of when he and George used to secretly teach her how to play Quidditch, all the time de-gnoming the garden and their laughter over teasing Ron. It was painful to be inside and be with her family, everyone was in pain and feeling the loss of Fred. She knew that she was unbearable to live with now, she was not very agreeable and kept snapping whenever anyone spoke. It was easier for Ginny to be outside, by herself where she could process some of this grief. Deep down she knew she'd never truly get over Fred's death.
"GINNY, dear. Lunch" She heard her Mum call from the garden. Ginny thought her Mum was still in a state of denial over Fred's death, she pretty much ignored it during the day and busied herself with The Burrow, at night Ginny heard her Mum's weeping. There was a lot of cleaning to be done and repairs to the house after it had been left empty for a while. Thankfully, her dad, Bill and Charlie were quickly able to establish that there had been no curses placed on the house, so it just needed repairs after the Death Eaters had wrecked it. Her Mum refused help on the cleaning and instead told Ginny to rest, Ginny thinks that because Mum couldn't bear the idea of running out of stuff to do. So, Ginny lazed around in the fields for most of her days. Occasionally Harry would join her, but since the trials had started at the Ministry she hadn't seen much of Harry. Hermione and Ron would sometimes join her too, but they had started their plans to visit Australia to try and find Hermione's parents. In true Hermione nature, she spent as much time as she could researching memory charms and spells to restore memories. So, Ginny was alone and grief-stricken.
No-one spoke over lunch, or any meal at The Burrow these days, mealtimes that were once a boisterous affair with such a large family became very sombre. Soon after the memorial and Fred's funeral, Fleur and Bill had returned to Shell Cottage, Charlie had returned to Romania and George had gone back to the flat in Diagon Alley. Percy stayed behind, he worked at the Ministry during the day, but came home to The Burrow every evening, Ginny suspected it was out of guilt for his estrangement and guilt for not protecting Fred in the Battle. Ron and Hermione would be heading off for Australia soon and Harry was very much the centre of attention and had an important role to play in the post-war repairs. Mr Weasley had returned to work as well, although he wasn't currently focusing on Muggle Artefacts, instead, he was involved with the restructuring and repair of magical Britain. She knew her dad loved his job and used it as a welcome distraction from his grief.
"Ginny, we should get you something to do, it must be boring just lying in the grass all the time," Hermione said over lunch. "Why don't you help me with this research?"
"I don't want to read anything, Hermione, merlin, not everyone is as obsessed with books as you are!" Ginny snapped back at Hermione. Hermione looked very put out by Ginny's comment and opened her mouth to retort. Ron got there first.
"Gin, Hermione's just trying to help. We know you are upset; we all are, you just need to find something to do to try and distract yourself."
"Ugh, Ronald. Just because you can easily forget about your brother's death and distract yourself by snogging all the time, doesn't mean we all can."
"THAT'S ENOUGH." Mrs Weasley shouted. "We are all grieving in our own way, Ginevra, you have no right to suggest Ron has forgotten about him." She paused, choked up for a second before continuing. "As it happens, you will have something to do. Professor McGonagall sent an owl this morning asking for volunteers to help rebuild Hogwarts – you will be doing that, whilst Ron and Hermione go to Australia."
Ginny knew when an argument had been lost and quite frankly, she didn't have the energy to argue with her mother so instead, she stropped up the stairs and threw herself on her bed. She didn't want to go back to Hogwarts, she didn't want to do anything, it would have been easier if she'd not come back from the war.
Ginny had no idea how long she had been lying there, she wasn't even aware she had fallen asleep. She did feel her mattress sink under the weight of someone else and felt someone's hand begin to stroke her hair. She stayed there with her eyes closed for a minute, just enjoying the sensation before she opened them to find a pair of emerald, green eyes looking into hers.
"Harry! You're back" Ginny exclaimed, smiling as she tried to sit up enough to give him a peck.
"It's good to see you too, Gin," Harry said with a slight laugh. "Ron told me what happened at lunch."
Ginny huffed and lay down again. "I suppose you think I'm a bitch too like they all do."
"Of course, I don't think that Gin, I know you are grieving, and it will be a tough process, it's a personal journey and you'll get through it in your own way. I know you feel angry and upset now, this will pass Gin, I promise you."
At that moment, Ginny knew Harry was right. He had lost so many people throughout his life and was grieving for all those they had lost in the war. She knew that if anyone understood how she was feeling, it would be Harry.
"I suppose your right – did Ron tell you Mums signed me up to help repair Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded "That will be great for you, a good opportunity to get out of the house and help with fixing everything. Don't go off the deep end Gin, but I must tell you so it's not a surprise. Malfoy will be there."
Ginny was trying to understand Harry's muggle saying, so it took a while for her to clock what she had heard. She stared at Harry, the shock and anger evident on her face.
"M-Malfoy will be there, how can that foul, loathsome ferret be allowed back at Hogwarts. He should be rotting in Azkaban with his. They fucked everything up, Harry, how can he be allowed to help? It's not right."
Harry looked at Ginny and saw the blazing look in her eyes. "I knew that fiery, red-head I know would come back out eventually. Shame it took a Malfoy to do it." Harry joked.
"Harry" Ginny lightly threatened. She wanted answers.
"Look, Kingsley cleared Malfoy. After the battle, Malfoy had an interview with Kingsley about his part in the war and explained to him his story. Kingsley said Malfoy showed real remorse and was punishing himself more than a stint in Azkaban would. Kingsley believes Malfoy was coerced and blackmailed into joining Voldemort rather than acting on his principles. Mrs Malfoy was excused as her lie indicated her allegiance had changed. Mr Malfoy has more war crimes to testify to, so he remains in the holding cell at the Ministry."
Ginny looked at Harry with that fierce look in her eyes again "I won't work with him Harry, Kingsley may have cleared him, but I can't."
"You don't have to Gin, just focus on helping out and stay away from him."
Harry leaned over to her, his face inches from hers, he quickly kissed her. Before he stood up and began to leave her room.
"I want nothing more than to stay with you, but I have to change. I arranged with Andromeda to meet Teddy this evening."
Ginny nodded, and as Harry left, she huffed and threw herself back on her bed. She was getting annoyed at Harry, she needed him. She only calmed down when he was here, but he had so much to do she barely saw him. Bugger, she thought, it's what I get for dating 'The hero of the Wizarding World'.
Present Day
"Ouch!" Some of the sauce from the pot had splashed over the side, she'd been so lost in her memory she hadn't realised how furiously she had been stirring the pot.
"Mummy, are you okay?" Astria enquired.
"Yes, darling I'm fine. Mummy was just being silly and splashed some of the sauce onto her hand." Ginny used a quick scourgify charm to clean up her mess. It was only after dinner when the children were asleep, and Draco was working on something in his study that Ginny started thinking about her memory again. Blimey – Orion's letter had really made her think. She got lost in her thoughts as she stared into the fire, watching the light flicker.
After the war, she really struggled. Ginny was grieving Fred, Tonks, Colin, and Remus. She was also dealing with the psychological torture of her sixth year at Hogwarts. She remembered how her grief and anger was combined with jealousy too. Ginny hated to admit it, but she knew she was jealous of Ron and Hermione's relationship, and she was angry at Harry for the lack of time he gave her. She knew that she had been harder to deal with after the war than she had during her pregnancies – and Ginny did reluctantly admit that she was a 'moody cow' when she was pregnant.
Draco had been a childhood bully, being the year below him she didn't get teased as much by him as Ron, Harry and Hermione had, but on occasions, he had been spiteful to her. Ginny knew that and she knew what his family had believed about hers being 'blood traitors'. She also knew that the 'pure-blood' ideology wasn't as entrenched in the Malfoy's as it was with some of the other pure-blood families, like the Lestrange's or the Blacks for instance.
The Malfoy's, like other pure-blood families, did pride themselves on this status but ultimately, they protected each other first. Draco's childhood had been so different to her own, Ginny grew up in a poor home surrounded by love. Draco grew up in a rich home, surrounded by power. Narcissa Malfoy, of course, had loved Draco and went to severe lengths to protect him when he was growing up, even taking the Unbreakable Vow without hesitation for her son's protection. Having said that, the Malfoy's were a proud family and family always came first, after Voldemort's demise, Lucius renounced his role and was able to use his power to secure the Malfoy's prominent place in society. When Voldemort returned, it was out of fear for his family's safety that Lucius returned to his side, Draco too, didn't hesitate to take the Dark Mark when he knew his mother's life would be on the line if he refused.
Ginny knew Draco's history and she was aware of the entrenched views his parents held. Yet, she also knew her husband had changed, he softened after the war and renounced the views his family had prided themselves on in many ways. Draco refused to keep any of the Malfoy's 'dark' heirlooms in the house, he had married a 'blood traitor'. In almost twenty years, Ginny hadn't heard Draco use the term 'mudblood', say anything against anyone who was muggle-born.
When she and Draco had discussed the war, he had always been horrified by his actions and she knew the faded scar on his arm had caused him so much pain. It was a constant reminder of his choices and ones her husband could not reverse. She knew he had changed, or maybe being away from his abusive family members and friends he had simply become himself. Ginny chose to forgive him and truly loved him. In the early days, she had doubted herself and him a lot, Ginny had made the choice, but it was harder than others on many occasions.
After the war, she was angry at everyone and anyone, especially those that had identified with the Death Eaters. She knew this was a natural reaction, she had never felt so angry in her life when she first saw Draco at Hogwarts. She knew her entire body was as red as her hair with her anger, and she spat his name, shouted, and swore at him for what he'd done and everything he symbolised to her.
She hexed him with her almost lethal and famous 'Bat-Bogey Hex'. She still remembered, how stunned she felt when he didn't respond, curse her back or make a snide comment about her family. Instead, she was shocked speechless, when Draco had said quietly "I deserve your curses Weasley, I'm truly sorry for what your family experienced."
Ginny was angry for a long time after this encounter, she couldn't bring herself to even look at Draco whilst they worked at Hogwarts. She would refuse to be on the same side of the castle as him. She couldn't help herself but dwell on his words, and his apology. That only fuelled her anger further, how dare he apologise to her.
It was Luna that had calmed her down eventually. Ginny remembered their conversation with fondness.
Summer 1998
Luna approached her one day at Hogwarts that summer and said, "Malfoy's wrackspurts have gone. He's different now. I noticed it when I saw him at Malfoy Manor."
"Luna?" Ginny inquired. She knew Luna had a more challenging sixth year than she had, being held prisoner to blackmail her father.
"Being different isn't a bad thing, Ginny, it means you're brave enough to be yourself." With that Luna floated away and Ginny was left confused as she pondered Luna's words, so confused she forgot to be angry. Could some change that quickly? Was it just a way to get back on top?
When Ginny saw Malfoy a few weeks after their first encounter, she couldn't help but be inquisitive. Luna was her most perceptive friend thought Malfoy was different now. For all Luna's quirkiness, Ginny couldn't help but trust her friend. Ginny approached Malfoy with civility and noticed he was suffering just as much as she was.
Ginny was struggling with grief. Malfoy was struggling with guilt. Over the course of that summer, both used the other, selfishly, as a coping mechanism. Ginny knew this grew and, though they were an unlikely pairing, they each possessed an understanding that helped them both deal with their pasts.
Present Day
Ginny smiled sadly as she thought back on this summer and the pain it held. She knew her husband was one of the only people that could truly help her battle her demons and he understood and felt the pain as much as she did from his first-hand experience with Voldemort. Ginny knew, ultimately, that the forgiveness of her and her family would heal Draco's wounds and help him to make amends for his bullying and bigoted views. There were many times over the last nineteen years that Ginny and not been sure she and Draco would make it, there were so many obstacles she thought she would be unable to overcome. Sometimes she blamed their differences or their backgrounds for the obstacles they faced and used them as excuses to blame Draco, to treat him as his father's son, not the man he became. Equally, there were times when he treated her with contempt and would make snide comments, often they pushed each other too far – of course, each of them knew exactly which buttons to push to hurt the other.
Ultimately though, as powerful as their differences were, as strong as the pain that clutched at each of them was, Ginny knew she needed Draco as much as he needed her. They were fire and ice, they juxtaposed yet complimented each other.
Orion had asked, how a Malfoy and a Weasley could end up together? Ginny knew their journey was filled with pain, discomfort, hurt, grief, and guilt. She knew it was also filled with honesty, happiness, love, and comfort. Ginny knew their union was significant, she knew it represented healing, forgiveness and provided people with hopes for the new era. Hope for a time when one's blood status no longer mattered.
Ginny, Draco, and their peers paved a way for the new generation. An era where many pure-blooded children rejected their parent's views and their families' traditions. The union of Ginny and Draco represented the change in heart many witches and wizards desired.
Ginny glanced up at the photograph on the mantlepiece, a picture of their wedding day. She was laughing at something one of her brothers, probably George or Ron had said. Draco was looking down at her, smiling, she moved in the photo to glance up at Draco and her smile grew wider.
She walked away from the mantelpiece across the Entrance Hall to her husband's study, she pushed the door open and leaned against it. He glanced up at her and commented.
"Really, darling, there are plenty of good places to sit in this room." Ginny rolled her eyes and stayed where she was. For some reason, her leaning against the door always had riled him up.
"I was just looking at our wedding photo" She stated. Draco raised his eyes in response. "We looked so happy and proud to be with each other, I don't think I ever realised how significant that day was. Not just for us but for everyone."
Draco leaned back in his chair and responded "We did capture the Prophet's attention for quite some time. Rita Skeeter surely had lots to say about our marriage and it seemed that many others had their opinions, good or bad. I, for one, only care about one witch's opinion and luckily for me, she is standing in the doorway. So, tell me, dear, how is our marriage significant for you?"
"Well, Draco, our marriage is significant in many ways for me. One – our children, as much as they can be little buggers, they are also delightful." Draco smiled, he had left his chair now and was sauntering towards her. "Two – to reclaim the wizarding world as our own and show everyone what they were missing. Three –"
Draco had moved to stand opposite his wife, he was leaning against the wood-panelled wall, his hand pressed on the wall, millimetres from her was resting her head. Ginny felt herself get lost in her husbands' grey eyes, the smell of his aftershave was taking over her senses and his warm breath tickled her skin. Ginny could feel her body warming at his presence and her concentration was waning.
"Go on, I'm listening." He encouraged gently.
Breathlessly, she continued "Three – to piss off your mother and my brothers naturally." Draco gave a hearty chuckle.
"Ginevra… Molly… Malfoy." Draco teased between kisses on her neck. "Are you trying to tell me… that after all these years… love is not significant for our marriage… your body … for one… is telling me a different story."
After a few seconds, Ginny managed to regain some control of herself and began to attack Draco with kisses of her own. In between them, she murmured. "Draco…Lucius…Malfoy… love… is the greatest reason of them all."
With that, she felt her legs leave the floor as Draco scooped her up and carried her up the stairs to their room, both prepared to lose themselves and their memories in each other.