"The best Butterbeer I've ever tasted!" Rachel exclaimed to Madam Rosmerta
upon tasting it, as the four of them sat at the Three Broomsticks.
Dumbledore, in his never ending wisdom, had Madam Rosmerta's Three Broomsticks temporarily connected to the Floo Network and gave this rather skewed version of Weasley/Malfoy family permission to go to the Burrow straight from Hogsmeade. He knew of the child's arrival even before Ginny and Draco had gone to discuss it with him; he basically nodded his head the whole time, and, if Ginny so wanted to exercise the option, would allow Ginny the opportunity to owl her homework back and forth to Hogwarts in the later trimesters of her pregnancy.
Draco sat silently in the back corner of the table, absent-mindedly tapping his fingers on the table, a sure sign he was nervous, Leah was able to distinguish. "Nervous much?" she asked, cocking a smile.
"Just a little," he answered, his face more pale than his white blonde hair.
Rachel pulled at Leah's hand, getting antsy once again, her mug of Butterbeer absolutely empty. " 'K, let's go exploring then. Come on, Leah."
"Have fun, you two," Ginny said, as Leah and Rachel went to go look around Hogsmeade. Their father had given them far too much money upon their arrival here at Hogsmeade, and she had told him as much. "Draco didn't give you guys that money to spend solely at Zonko's, Rachel."
"G-aw-sh, Mum," Rachel said, reverting to the familiarity of mother and child, "I promise I won't spend too much of Daddy's money at Zonko's, but if he didn't want me to spend it, why'd he give me so much?" She flashed a mischievous look at Ginny. "And besides, there's still Honeydukes." Before Ginny could respond, she dragged Leah out of the Three Broomsticks.
"Rebellious thing, isn't she?" Draco questioned, watching Leah and Rachel walk down the street through the window. "I think the Rat'll cause us more trouble than Leah."
"No one who looks that angelic can actually BE that angelic," Ginny agreed, taking a sip of her Butterbeer, "but she does take after you physically, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised she's so shirty with me."
"It's a good thing, though, her nerviness," he concurred. "She knows you know you're their mother, so she doesn't have to be that cautious 'bout calling you 'Mum' and such. At least, that's what Leah told me. It's easier for her to be around you because she's not worried anymore."
"I guess so." The events of last week had really shocked Ginny, but among the other surprises swirling around her as of late - the pregnancy, the truth about the girls - she was most surprised at the fact that suddenly Malfoy had become her only confidante in this rather confusing situation. She took in his anxiousness. "I don't think my parents should be as intimidating as Leah made them out to be," she comforted.
"Intimidating?" he asked wearily. "I can work with intimidation - I did grow up with Lucius Malfoy as a father. It's a loss of limbs or-" he looked down- ". . . other appendages, that causes me the greatest worry."
The girls walked back into the Three Broomsticks with a small bag of gifts for themselves. Rachel had purchased a few chocolates, while Leah had bought a Blood Pop.
"So, I guess we should go," Draco told quietly. To Ginny, he asked, "You have the Floo Powder?"
Reaching in her knapsack, she pulled out a small silk bag of a grainy substance as they made their way to one of the Three Broomsticks' backrooms with a fireplace. "Girls, you first," Ginny instructed, putting a little bit in each of the girls' hands.
They stepped into the fireplace and said, "The Burrow!" before vanishing in a fit of flames.
Ginny went next, giving him the bag before taking some for her. Looking at him as she stood in the fireplace, she asked, "You DO have your wand, don't you? You know, just in case?" a second before releasing the powder and shouting, "The Burrow!"
Draco stood there for a seconds, still debating whether to enter the Floo Network himself.
There could be pain on the other side.
A whole lot of pain.
Malfoys were not cowards, he reminded himself before stepping into the fireplace, and nervously, dropping the powder and yelling, "The Burrow!"
*****
Charlie Weasley sat in a corner of the living room, glaring at Malfoy, watching, waiting, counting the seconds until he could take the boy outside and give him a very painful tutorial in keeping his trousers up and buttoned.
Molly stood beside her husband, holding his elbow, tears escaping her eyes, but all the while focused on the task at hand - NOT allowing her husband to kill the blonde boy who stood behind her very determined daughter.
Ginny stared at her father, who had been yelling at her and Draco for last 45 minutes, and did not flinch as his voice got louder and louder as the minutes passed.
Draco had never situated himself in one place for long, listening to someone call him every name in the book for so long WITHOUT responding. As he attempted to drown out Arthur Weasley's voice, he had to compliment himself on his superb self-control. It was not so much Arthur's yelling that fazed him - he had expected as much when they told him Ginny was pregnant - it was the cat-like stare Ginny's older brother Charlie gave him, as if he were wishing with every fiber of his being for him to drop dead.
Leah and Rachel, who had been introduced as friends of Ginny's before being rushed outside, had been told to go and play with the chickens. It wasn't the most interesting thing going on at the Burrow, but at least they weren't witness to this. At least, that's what Ginny reasoned when she had told them to leave before breaking the news.
The sisters stood there, yards away from the house itself, right outside the chicken coop, and they could still hear their grandfather yelling. No words were exchanged between them as both strained their ears to hear even more.
"My only daughter, my only daughter! How could you do this? How could you let him do this to you?" a voice boomed.
"Arthur, please! She's only a girl, and in a delicate condition. . ." Molly responded.
"Molly, he's a Malfoy! A Malfoy! She's sixteen! What are we going to do about this? Dammit, Malfoy, I'll kill you. Even if I have to go to Azkaban, I'll kill you for doing this. . . ." the same voice yelled.
A calmer voice entered the conversation - Ginny's. "We never planned on this, Daddy, but we are going to have this child."
"You are, are you?" Arthur questioned mockingly. "You're sixteen years old, Eugenie Molly Weasley. How on earth are you ever going to raise a child? You're not even done with your schooling yet!"
A new voice entered the conversation. It was tentative, slow, as if choosing the best words. "Professor Dumbledore gave her permission to finish her studies at home through owls."
There was silence for a second, as if someone were thinking something over. In all probability, it was Grandpa Arthur.
The boy - Draco, of course - was ignored. "And you conceived a child with Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy's son? Ginny, good gods, Ginny!"
Rachel and Leah could see in through the Burrow's front window - Grandma Molly was whispering something into Grandpa Arthur's ear. He seemed to lose the tension in his shoulders, slumping, before retiring to a chair by the fireplace. Rachel saw her parents exchanged a relieved look - somehow, they knew that the screaming was over, and that was perhaps the worst part. Rachel could clearly see that Ginny had lost her previous control, and was now crying into Rachel's father's shoulder. A look of surprise crossed Draco's face momentarily before he made eye contact with Molly, rubbing the back of Ginny's head soothingly.
Charlie got up from the corner he had previously been inhabiting, and Draco had the opportunity to realize that this dragon-wrangler was a whole lot taller than he was. If anyone could hurt him, it would be. . . this. The large redhead whispered seethingly, so quiet that the girls had to walk forward a few feet to hear him, "You couldn't have just whored yourself out to the Dark Lord - you pick one of his minions instead? For shame."
Rachel saw the look of pure horror on Ginny's face as she raised her head from Draco's shoulder.
"I can't be here right now, in this house, knowing that SHE'S going to be bearing the demon spawn of THAT," he spat, nodding at Malfoy who was still fiercely clutching Ginny. "I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, but I can't be here right now. Owl me when You-Know-Who's whipping boy has vacated these premises." With that, he Apparated out of the Burrow.
Leah stood on tiptoe from the far corner of the chicken coop to see towards the fireplace. Grandpa Arthur glared straight at Malfoy, and finally addressed him. "Malfoy, when will you two be getting married?" he questioned, thoroughly overwhelmed.
Ginny wiped her tears away, and resumed her defensive stance. Her chin held high, she stated, "There will not be a wedding."
Molly rushed to her husband's side as his cheeks reddened up again, fury blossoming on his face. "Arthur, Arthur, now listen to me. . ." she attempted.
Grandpa Arthur walked straight to Malfoy and Ginny, and bent down so that he was inches from her face. He used to same tone of voice Charlie had, but calmer and without the vindictiveness. "You will marry this boy, Ginny, or you will no longer associate with this family. Do you understand me? I am prepared to cut you off from this family without a cent. You will not attend Christmas here, I will not pay for your seventh year of Hogwarts. I WILL leave you destitute with an illegitimate child, if you do not marry this boy. Your mother, Fred, Bill, and, for damn sure, Charlie and I, will not hesitate to deny your existence if you shame this family."
Draco released Ginny, his usually rather pale face cherry red. He could not stand here while the people who claimed to love her so much emotionally massacred the mother of his child. "Ginny has decided to give birth to a child. A new life! We're young, granted, but we are going to have this baby, and I will do right by them, even if she does not share my name," he exclaimed, defiantly.
He glowered at Malfoy as he moved toward him. "Malfoy, the Weasleys may not have much in the wizarding world - we may not have your wealth, we may not have the fear your family name entails- but we have ALWAYS had our dignity. If you even ATTEMPT to debauch the Weasley name by not marrying Ginny, I am not above going to Azkaban to retain my family's honor. I will do whatever it takes. Look into these eyes, you filthy little rich boy, and let me say it again, I am not above doing whatever it takes to retain my family's honor. You WILL marry my daughter before she bears your bastard." He shoved a finger at his chest. "You, of all the people in this world, will NOT deprive my family of its integrity."
A/N Yes, before you flame the living daylights out of me, Arthur Weasley is a touch OOC in this chapter. I realize this. Thank you for pointing this out - but let me give you a peek into my (rarely) rational thinking -I believe Arthur, a man living on a meager salary, subconsciously compensates for this by treasuring something even MORE important - yup - that's right, his integrity and if anything (including his teenage daughter bearing a child out of wedlock) puts that in jeopardy, he's going act. Fast.
And again, a quick thanks to all of you who check back day after day to check for updates and leave such wonderful reviews. I appreciate your honesty. I appreciate you even more for reading!
And this will end this week's tour of SnapeJuice's brain. Thank you for your time, and as usual, donations are always appreciated.
Dumbledore, in his never ending wisdom, had Madam Rosmerta's Three Broomsticks temporarily connected to the Floo Network and gave this rather skewed version of Weasley/Malfoy family permission to go to the Burrow straight from Hogsmeade. He knew of the child's arrival even before Ginny and Draco had gone to discuss it with him; he basically nodded his head the whole time, and, if Ginny so wanted to exercise the option, would allow Ginny the opportunity to owl her homework back and forth to Hogwarts in the later trimesters of her pregnancy.
Draco sat silently in the back corner of the table, absent-mindedly tapping his fingers on the table, a sure sign he was nervous, Leah was able to distinguish. "Nervous much?" she asked, cocking a smile.
"Just a little," he answered, his face more pale than his white blonde hair.
Rachel pulled at Leah's hand, getting antsy once again, her mug of Butterbeer absolutely empty. " 'K, let's go exploring then. Come on, Leah."
"Have fun, you two," Ginny said, as Leah and Rachel went to go look around Hogsmeade. Their father had given them far too much money upon their arrival here at Hogsmeade, and she had told him as much. "Draco didn't give you guys that money to spend solely at Zonko's, Rachel."
"G-aw-sh, Mum," Rachel said, reverting to the familiarity of mother and child, "I promise I won't spend too much of Daddy's money at Zonko's, but if he didn't want me to spend it, why'd he give me so much?" She flashed a mischievous look at Ginny. "And besides, there's still Honeydukes." Before Ginny could respond, she dragged Leah out of the Three Broomsticks.
"Rebellious thing, isn't she?" Draco questioned, watching Leah and Rachel walk down the street through the window. "I think the Rat'll cause us more trouble than Leah."
"No one who looks that angelic can actually BE that angelic," Ginny agreed, taking a sip of her Butterbeer, "but she does take after you physically, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised she's so shirty with me."
"It's a good thing, though, her nerviness," he concurred. "She knows you know you're their mother, so she doesn't have to be that cautious 'bout calling you 'Mum' and such. At least, that's what Leah told me. It's easier for her to be around you because she's not worried anymore."
"I guess so." The events of last week had really shocked Ginny, but among the other surprises swirling around her as of late - the pregnancy, the truth about the girls - she was most surprised at the fact that suddenly Malfoy had become her only confidante in this rather confusing situation. She took in his anxiousness. "I don't think my parents should be as intimidating as Leah made them out to be," she comforted.
"Intimidating?" he asked wearily. "I can work with intimidation - I did grow up with Lucius Malfoy as a father. It's a loss of limbs or-" he looked down- ". . . other appendages, that causes me the greatest worry."
The girls walked back into the Three Broomsticks with a small bag of gifts for themselves. Rachel had purchased a few chocolates, while Leah had bought a Blood Pop.
"So, I guess we should go," Draco told quietly. To Ginny, he asked, "You have the Floo Powder?"
Reaching in her knapsack, she pulled out a small silk bag of a grainy substance as they made their way to one of the Three Broomsticks' backrooms with a fireplace. "Girls, you first," Ginny instructed, putting a little bit in each of the girls' hands.
They stepped into the fireplace and said, "The Burrow!" before vanishing in a fit of flames.
Ginny went next, giving him the bag before taking some for her. Looking at him as she stood in the fireplace, she asked, "You DO have your wand, don't you? You know, just in case?" a second before releasing the powder and shouting, "The Burrow!"
Draco stood there for a seconds, still debating whether to enter the Floo Network himself.
There could be pain on the other side.
A whole lot of pain.
Malfoys were not cowards, he reminded himself before stepping into the fireplace, and nervously, dropping the powder and yelling, "The Burrow!"
*****
Charlie Weasley sat in a corner of the living room, glaring at Malfoy, watching, waiting, counting the seconds until he could take the boy outside and give him a very painful tutorial in keeping his trousers up and buttoned.
Molly stood beside her husband, holding his elbow, tears escaping her eyes, but all the while focused on the task at hand - NOT allowing her husband to kill the blonde boy who stood behind her very determined daughter.
Ginny stared at her father, who had been yelling at her and Draco for last 45 minutes, and did not flinch as his voice got louder and louder as the minutes passed.
Draco had never situated himself in one place for long, listening to someone call him every name in the book for so long WITHOUT responding. As he attempted to drown out Arthur Weasley's voice, he had to compliment himself on his superb self-control. It was not so much Arthur's yelling that fazed him - he had expected as much when they told him Ginny was pregnant - it was the cat-like stare Ginny's older brother Charlie gave him, as if he were wishing with every fiber of his being for him to drop dead.
Leah and Rachel, who had been introduced as friends of Ginny's before being rushed outside, had been told to go and play with the chickens. It wasn't the most interesting thing going on at the Burrow, but at least they weren't witness to this. At least, that's what Ginny reasoned when she had told them to leave before breaking the news.
The sisters stood there, yards away from the house itself, right outside the chicken coop, and they could still hear their grandfather yelling. No words were exchanged between them as both strained their ears to hear even more.
"My only daughter, my only daughter! How could you do this? How could you let him do this to you?" a voice boomed.
"Arthur, please! She's only a girl, and in a delicate condition. . ." Molly responded.
"Molly, he's a Malfoy! A Malfoy! She's sixteen! What are we going to do about this? Dammit, Malfoy, I'll kill you. Even if I have to go to Azkaban, I'll kill you for doing this. . . ." the same voice yelled.
A calmer voice entered the conversation - Ginny's. "We never planned on this, Daddy, but we are going to have this child."
"You are, are you?" Arthur questioned mockingly. "You're sixteen years old, Eugenie Molly Weasley. How on earth are you ever going to raise a child? You're not even done with your schooling yet!"
A new voice entered the conversation. It was tentative, slow, as if choosing the best words. "Professor Dumbledore gave her permission to finish her studies at home through owls."
There was silence for a second, as if someone were thinking something over. In all probability, it was Grandpa Arthur.
The boy - Draco, of course - was ignored. "And you conceived a child with Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy's son? Ginny, good gods, Ginny!"
Rachel and Leah could see in through the Burrow's front window - Grandma Molly was whispering something into Grandpa Arthur's ear. He seemed to lose the tension in his shoulders, slumping, before retiring to a chair by the fireplace. Rachel saw her parents exchanged a relieved look - somehow, they knew that the screaming was over, and that was perhaps the worst part. Rachel could clearly see that Ginny had lost her previous control, and was now crying into Rachel's father's shoulder. A look of surprise crossed Draco's face momentarily before he made eye contact with Molly, rubbing the back of Ginny's head soothingly.
Charlie got up from the corner he had previously been inhabiting, and Draco had the opportunity to realize that this dragon-wrangler was a whole lot taller than he was. If anyone could hurt him, it would be. . . this. The large redhead whispered seethingly, so quiet that the girls had to walk forward a few feet to hear him, "You couldn't have just whored yourself out to the Dark Lord - you pick one of his minions instead? For shame."
Rachel saw the look of pure horror on Ginny's face as she raised her head from Draco's shoulder.
"I can't be here right now, in this house, knowing that SHE'S going to be bearing the demon spawn of THAT," he spat, nodding at Malfoy who was still fiercely clutching Ginny. "I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, but I can't be here right now. Owl me when You-Know-Who's whipping boy has vacated these premises." With that, he Apparated out of the Burrow.
Leah stood on tiptoe from the far corner of the chicken coop to see towards the fireplace. Grandpa Arthur glared straight at Malfoy, and finally addressed him. "Malfoy, when will you two be getting married?" he questioned, thoroughly overwhelmed.
Ginny wiped her tears away, and resumed her defensive stance. Her chin held high, she stated, "There will not be a wedding."
Molly rushed to her husband's side as his cheeks reddened up again, fury blossoming on his face. "Arthur, Arthur, now listen to me. . ." she attempted.
Grandpa Arthur walked straight to Malfoy and Ginny, and bent down so that he was inches from her face. He used to same tone of voice Charlie had, but calmer and without the vindictiveness. "You will marry this boy, Ginny, or you will no longer associate with this family. Do you understand me? I am prepared to cut you off from this family without a cent. You will not attend Christmas here, I will not pay for your seventh year of Hogwarts. I WILL leave you destitute with an illegitimate child, if you do not marry this boy. Your mother, Fred, Bill, and, for damn sure, Charlie and I, will not hesitate to deny your existence if you shame this family."
Draco released Ginny, his usually rather pale face cherry red. He could not stand here while the people who claimed to love her so much emotionally massacred the mother of his child. "Ginny has decided to give birth to a child. A new life! We're young, granted, but we are going to have this baby, and I will do right by them, even if she does not share my name," he exclaimed, defiantly.
He glowered at Malfoy as he moved toward him. "Malfoy, the Weasleys may not have much in the wizarding world - we may not have your wealth, we may not have the fear your family name entails- but we have ALWAYS had our dignity. If you even ATTEMPT to debauch the Weasley name by not marrying Ginny, I am not above going to Azkaban to retain my family's honor. I will do whatever it takes. Look into these eyes, you filthy little rich boy, and let me say it again, I am not above doing whatever it takes to retain my family's honor. You WILL marry my daughter before she bears your bastard." He shoved a finger at his chest. "You, of all the people in this world, will NOT deprive my family of its integrity."
A/N Yes, before you flame the living daylights out of me, Arthur Weasley is a touch OOC in this chapter. I realize this. Thank you for pointing this out - but let me give you a peek into my (rarely) rational thinking -I believe Arthur, a man living on a meager salary, subconsciously compensates for this by treasuring something even MORE important - yup - that's right, his integrity and if anything (including his teenage daughter bearing a child out of wedlock) puts that in jeopardy, he's going act. Fast.
And again, a quick thanks to all of you who check back day after day to check for updates and leave such wonderful reviews. I appreciate your honesty. I appreciate you even more for reading!
And this will end this week's tour of SnapeJuice's brain. Thank you for your time, and as usual, donations are always appreciated.