A/N- Before you read this, go to chapter 24 and read the Author's Note there.
It's important to the conclusion of the story; I promise it won't ruin it.
Weasley's the Name: Post Hogwarts
Beginnings
Anthony woke up feeling unusually excited. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see a thin white sheet over his head, instead of his blue one. There was a soft humming coming from someone else in the room, and suddenly, the night's events came rushing back to the redhead. His face heated up as he remembered what he and Taylor had done (how could he forget?)…in this bed…
The redhead wanted to groan. It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed their first time together (he had, very much so) it was just…call him old fashioned, but he really wished they had waited until they were married. He wondered why Taylor didn't seem to want it that way. Too late now, he thought, might as well stop worrying.
The humming grew louder; a familiar tune that he recalled from a musical Taylor had taken part in one summer. Her town was split between Wizards and Muggles, and being the eccentric girl she was, Taylor had auditioned for a play after their fourth year called. She landed the lead role, and all of her Gryffindor friends had come to see her perform. Anthony had to admit, even though he didn't like that she had to stage kiss a few times, that she was very natural on stage.
So the song was vaguely familiar, and lying cautiously stiff under the covers, he listened to her hum some more. It grew louder, but by the shuffling of her feet he knew she was still on the other side of the bed. Anthony heard the scraping off of what might've been her dresser, and then, she began to sing softly,
"Summer loving had me a bla-ast…" she sang in a very deep voice, for it was the boy's part. Anthony suppressed a laugh as she continued. "Summer loving happened so fa-ast." Her voice went up about a pitch higher than she should have for the girl.
His shoulders shook with laughter, and he hoped that she didn't notice. He remembered the song now, the boy and girl sang back and forth without realizing it; the girl was talking to her friends and the boy to his.
"I met a girl crrrrrazy for meeee…Met a boy cute-as-can-be," she exaggerated each part greatly, much to Anthony's amusement.
"Summer days drifting away to oh oh the suh-huh-mmer nights." Taylor made some odd noises that sounded like they could be part of the song, but the redhead didn't remember it that well.
"Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far?" her voice went deep, and he heard the thumping of her feet as she danced or jumped or something.
"Tell me more, tell me more, like does he have a car?" she sang in the most girlish way she could.
He couldn't resist it anymore, so Anthony pulled the cover slightly over his head, and peeked out at what he saw was the dancing Taylor.
She stood in front of her dresser, facing the mirror. With one hand she held her hair at the top of her head, and in the other she held a brush, using it as a microphone. She wasn't dressed either. The gray shirt she was wearing last night hung very loosely around her.
Amused, Anthony sat up, making sure that his boxers were still covered under the blanket. He watched as she bounced around some more as she sang, and then, she saw him sitting up in the mirror.
Turning around quickly, Taylor blushed, but then smiled and slunk towards him, exaggerating a 'sexy' walk.
She leaned on the bed with both hands in front of his feet, eyeing him with the same gaze she had used last night. Anthony felt his face heat as she placed both knees on the bed, crawling up towards him,
"I got chills…they're multiplying…" she sang, in a soft, almost husky voice. "And I'm looooosing control-ol…" Taylor was now straddling his stomach, sitting down rather abruptly, but not hurting him. "Cause the power…you're supplying." She traced a single finger down the middle of his chest, sending shivers throughout his body, "It's electrifying."
She leaned forward and kissed him. His arms, which had been supporting him, buckled and he fell back onto the pillow, Taylor falling on top of him.
Anthony noticed as she gazed into his eyes that her hair seemed to be cut in a neater fashion; she must have fixed it before he had woken.
"Well," she said, batting her nose with his. "This position seems familiar, doesn't it?"
He flushed immediately as they divulged into another kiss, her hands running through his messy hair. His arms wrapped around her waist, and they remained quite occupied with each other for quite some time. Until…
"Taylor Parkinson?" a squeaky voice from the foot of the bed called. The two froze and Anthony watched as Taylor flushed red. Seeing that he was very on top of her, the blonde peeked out from around his arms to look at whatever was talking to her.
"Y-yes?" she asked, in a very strangled sort of voice. Anthony shut his eyes and waited for a response; he didn't dare turn to look at the person who had caught them.
"Er…I is not wanting to bother Taylor Parkinson, but Malcolm said that breakfast is serving," The voice went deeper, as if to imitate Malcolm's voice, "'In precisely ten minutes, and she better be dressed respectively.'"
Taylor nodded slightly, her arms still wrapped around Anthony's neck.
"Alright. Er. If you excuse us then…" she said softly, shimming out of Anthony's grasp. But the little voice squeaked as if trying to stop her,
"Oh, Taylor Parkinson! Your brother does not know that…" Anthony could imagine the elf (he had figured it out on his own, thank you very much) looking around the room incase someone was listening. "Your Wheezy spent the night."
Anthony and Taylor yelped at the same time, each dreading the fact that now they had problems after such a wonderful night. He rolled off to his side and smiled weakly at the elf, who was peering over the edge of the bed with its bright green eyes; only its pointy ears truly visible.
"Hullo," he said quietly, sending a wave its way. The elf squeaked and disappeared with a CRACK.
"Oh my God," Taylor hissed, furiously crawling out of the bed, throwing her legs over the side. She turned to Anthony with eyes as wide as Quaffles. "If he comes up here, we're both dead."
He gulped, and more calmly than she had, he found his clothes in a messy pile at the side of the bed. The redhead didn't turn when Taylor cursed at something in her closet, nor did he even flinch when she slammed her dressers shut. Anthony dressed quietly with deep relaxing breaths. He heard her mutter a few charms and then she sighed heavily.
"How are you going to get out?" she asked. He turned to her as he put on his glasses, and smiled softly. She wore a black skirt that reached just above her knees, and a white off the shoulders shirt. Her black boots went right below the knees, and her hair bobbed adorably at her shoulders.
"Love, forgot I could Apparate?" Anthony said, with a grin tugging at his lips. Taylor blushed immediately, embarrassed for not realizing the obvious.
He stood, and soon the two were joined in front of the fireplace. Placing his arms around her waist, they rocked slowly together, Taylor leaning her head and arms on his chest.
"I'll send you a letter, with information about talking with my mum, alright?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. Anthony's stomach tightened at the prospect of 'tea with Pansy,' but he nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Of course. Have a good breakfast." They kissed, and then he was gone.
She stared at the place where Anthony was just standing, and crossed her arms across her chest. Taking a deep breath, Taylor strode to the door and out to the hall. It was dark upstairs, but the voices she heard floating up the staircase caused her to be wide awake.
Tip-toeing to the stairs, a peculiar sight alarmed her. On the bottom step was a young boy, with light blonde hair, playing with what looked like a toy dragon. Interested, Taylor began down the steps, hoping her boots didn't cause too much to startle the boy. He looked up anyway, but instead of looking nervous, he smiled.
"Like my dragon?" he whispered, lifting it up and pushing it towards her. Taylor smiled and sat down on the step above him.
"That a very nice dragon. What's its name?" she asked sweetly, patting the dragon's head. The boy shrugged slightly, biting his lip,
"Sebastian," he said simply. Again, Taylor grinned, and she tapped her feet to the song in her head.
"What's your name, sweetie?"
The boy looked up at her, and she was startled to notice that he looked remarkably like Malcolm; he even had the same color eyes. Surely Malcolm couldn't have a son?
"My name is Michael Reginald Malfoy." He grinned brightly and giggled, proud to have remembered his full name. Taylor held back a gasp, how could Malcolm not tell her?
"Well, Michael," she said in a strained voice. "My name is Taylor Iris Parkinson." She stuck out hand and reluctantly Michael took it. "It's nice to meet you."
"Taylor!" a voice called from the dining room. "Would you please bring Michael in here with you?" It was Malcolm. Fuming because of this secret, Taylor took the little boy's hand, and stormed towards the voice.
"Malcolm Drake Malfoy, you have so much explaining to do, or I swear I'll…" her rant drifted off into silence as she reached the dining room. She felt as if she was going to vomit.
Malcolm stood at the head of the table, with his hands on the top of one of the chairs. He smiled weakly at her, and besides him, looking rather ill himself, was Draco Malfoy.
"Ugh," he groaned as he stood on the step in front of his house. There was a huge smudge on his glasses so he took them off and was reaching for his wand when the front door swung open.
An eruption of noise and chatter escaped the house. His mother was crying with a huge smile on her face, and his father pounded him on the back.
"Come in! Oh! Isn't it exciting? I'm so happy for you!" Hermione squealed, hugging her son around the neck. Anthony eyed her oddly, and the other people in the people in the room (who seemed to be the entire Weasley side of the family. Although he did spot his Muggle grandparents squished between Uncle Bill and Charlie.).
Anthony blushed slightly; they weren't celebrating about his love life with Taylor, were they? The redhead didn't think his mother would be too happy with the new situation he and his girlfriend were in.
"What did I do?" Anthony finally said as they shut the door behind him and dragged him into the living room. Ron tilted his head at his son, and then it seemed as if a light had turned on in his head.
"Oh! We have the wrong twin," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
The family groaned and Hermione let go of Anthony, feeling very embarrassed. He fixed his glasses and put them on, still very confused about the surprise party for Jacob.
"Why is everyone here?" he asked, sitting on the couch between Emily and Uncle Fred.
"Jake's going professional, here, look." Emily shoved The Daily Prophet into his lap with a grunt. It seemed that she didn't enjoy all the sudden company. Anthony scanned the article (he had a shock when he saw Jake's picture) and grinned broadly.
"Well, this does deserve a celebration! Jake and Brian, that's amazing."
"This house isn't going to be empty for a long time," Emily mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. Anthony eyed her carefully, and then shrugged; figuring out girls was never his forte.
Uncle Fred nudged him with a sharp elbow. Anthony smirked at the gesture and turned to his uncle. Fred grinned wildly,
"So heard you were out all night, where'd you stay?" he said in a loud whisper.
Anthony felt his ears burn, and he gawked at his uncle until he could think of a suitable excuse. Stating that he had stayed over at his girlfriend's place the entire night in a room that contained almost all of his family was not a smart idea.
"Leaky Cauldron," he croaked.
Fred raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to make a comment when a burst of cheer erupted from the back of the house. Fred jumped up and raced towards the noise. Anthony and Emily shared an excited glance, and they too soon followed Fred.
In the kitchen, Brian and Sarah (they came in through the back door) were being swarmed by the Weasleys. Fred barged through the ocean of family and pulled his son out of the grip his Uncle Ron had him in. Brian stared up expectantly into his father's eyes, and Fred, quite unexpectedly, burst out into tears.
"Oy!" Uncle George moaned as his twin hugged his son tightly around the neck. "I always knew he was the pansy out of the pair."
Grandma Weasley smacked her son on the head, tears falling freely out of her eyes. Millions of questions were being asked at the same time to Brian, who looked utterly flustered at the sudden attention.
"Can I sit? Blimey, it hasn't even sunk in yet," he said with a tired look on his face. His mother pinched his cheeks and let him sit in on of the kitchen chairs.
Anthony and Emily slowly backed out of the kitchen (which had gotten very loud very quickly) and into their living room.
"Exciting, huh?" Emily asked, sitting on the arm of the couch and smoothing out her skirt. Anthony nodded as he continued to walk towards the stairs.
"I just want to be the first to see Jake, before the mob hits," he called over
his shoulder. His sister agreed and jumped off the couch to follow him.
"Where were you really last night?" she asked, stopping Anthony in his tracks. He turned and before he could answer, she knew that he had been lying earlier; his bright red face sold him out.
"With Taylor," he barely whispered, praying to whatever looked down upon them that his family wouldn't hear.
Emily's eyes widened with surprise and she ran towards her brother at top speed. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along into the library, where she shut the door.
"Oh my GOD!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Are you two back together?"
Anthony nodded and Emily squealed happily, jumping up in place. He couldn't help but laugh at his sister's excitement as she regained her calm.
"And you're engaged again?"
She shrieked as Anthony nodded again.
"This is so great! Oh my God, I have to talk to Taylor, we have to start planning!"
Anthony rolled his eyes and was about to tell his sister to shut up when they heard the front door click open and the unmistakable laugh of Jacob. The siblings pushed the door open slowly, and peeked out.
Jacob had his arm around Soledad's shoulders, smiling brightly at some joke they must've shared. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and the two began dancing to silent music. It the dim light of the hallway, something glittered on Soledad's left hand.
Emily twitched.
Anthony's mouth fell open.
His sister moved as if she wanted to jump out of the room to greet them, but Anthony put a hand on her shoulder to keep her still.
"Brian is causing quite a distraction," Jacob said softly, leaning his head against Soledad's curls.
"You're not going to say hello?" the girl asked, giggling because Jacob had just dipped her.
Jacob shook his head and Emily growled.
"Nah, I want to spend time with the missus."
Anthony had to cover his sister's mouth to stop the shriek that was about to escape. She looked up at him with wide excited eyes, but he just put a single finger to her lips to keep her silent.
"Mrs. Soledad Weasley, don't think I'll ever see that as the norm," Soledad laughed as Jacob twirled her around, pulling her back into his arms. "When your family finds out we eloped—"
It happened too quickly for Anthony to truly comprehend. Emily had bitten down on his fingers, making him scream out in pain. His scream startled the couple in the hallway, making Soledad shriek. Her shriek was heard by Hermione, who jumped up from her chair and stepped on Marauder's tail. Marauder's yowl made everyone in the kitchen jump, and Delaney started crying when the gray cat shot past her, knocking her down. Delaney's crying made the other baby, Ben Potter, begin to wail, and now the house was full of chatter at what the shriek was.
All of this because Emily couldn't contain herself.
"You ELO-?" she tried to scream, but Jacob had caught her just in time. Soledad put a silencing finger to her lips, but had to quickly spin around because Hermione had rushed in.
"Jacob!" the woman of the house said loudly.
Anthony slipped out of the room and saw that his mother had tackled Jacob; she was now crying into his shoulder. Ron sighed at his wife's emotions, but he looked as if he was ready to burst into tears of happiness as well.
This started another chain reaction, and now all the women were squealing with delight. The men were pounding Jacob on the back, looking proud, and Grandma Weasley was patting a soft hand on her grandson's cheek.
Anthony realized that the rest of the day would be for Jacob and Brian, so he climbed the stairs to his room, smiling as he heard his Uncle Charlie say to Soledad "D'ya think we could get some autographs…?"
He entered his room and shut the door, smiling at the way his mother had tidied it up.
It seemed, finally, that their futures were finally taking shape; and it terrified and excited him at the same time.
Draco Malfoy looked extremely uncomfortable under the gaze of the intimidating blonde. As he stared at her, he noticed that light bounced off of her hair in the same manner it did his and his sons'.
Her eyes were filled with a flare that commonly resided inside of his, and his mouth gaped slightly at the anger that poured out of them. He had only seen a few pictures of her, they were provided by Malcolm, and though he was sickened by the fact that this daughter was the cause of the separation from his wife, he could never divert his eyes from her.
Taylor's eyes left his and they flicked to Malcolm. Michael giggled by her side, waving to his father. The little boy would be three in November, and he was the last thing Draco had to remind him of his wife. He waved back, still frozen by the sight of the young woman.
"Malcolm," she croaked, letting go of Michael's hand. "What is going on here?"
Draco watched as his son twitched, smiling weakly at his sister. The elder Malfoy knew that his son loved his sister very much, and he wondered why exactly, he had set this up.
"I thought, since you're out of Hogwarts, and, you are mature, that…well…you should meet your father."
She glared at him, her lips pursed so tightly that Draco smirked slightly; it reminded him of Pansy. The way she placed her hands on her hips was also a trait her mother had possessed in their school days, and he pondered, briefly, if she still did that.
Taylor turned to her father now, shaking slightly.
"Did you want to talk to me?" she whispered, crossing her arms across her chest. Draco gulped softly and nodded. "Why? After so long…why?"
He closed his eyes and then opened them suddenly, reaching for a chair from the table. Draco took a seat, and motioned for Taylor to join him. Malcolm took this as an escape route, and he crossed the table and took Michael's hand, leading him out of the room (he avoided Taylor's eyes).
The girl took a deep breath and strode to the seat next to Draco, giving him the impression that she was very sure of herself. The arrogant vibes she was sending him made him chuckle slightly. Taylor stared at him questioningly, and he answered,
"Your swagger. It reminds me of myself, at your age."
She paled slightly, and looked down at her hands, which were placed nicely on her lap.
"I'm a Gryffindor," she said simply, looking back up at him with determination. Draco nodded, not losing eye contact.
"I know. I know a lot about you, Taylor."
"Why?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "I've never spoken to you until today, I've never even seen you in person."
"Honestly…I've always wondered what you were like." He looked into her eyes with such intensity that Taylor was sure he was telling the truth. "I wasn't allowed to see you, I didn't want to cause trouble between my family…"
The two looked away as they remembered the events of Taylor's first year. It was the starting point of the break up with his wife, Alexandra.
"Are you sorry for it?" Taylor asked quietly, finally looking back at him. Draco looked up and stared at her, right into eyes that mirrored his.
She really was as beautiful as Malcolm had described her; Draco had just believed that it was his son's intense love for his little sister that made him embellish her looks. But…she was, and that wasn't a surprise, she did have Malfoy blood.
"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. Taylor seemed perturbed by the answer, so he continued, "I don't know you well enough to know if having you was the best thing for my family. My boys…Stephen and Richard…they ended up like I was going to, until I decided to ignore my father's demands. Did you know that? Did you know that I was never truly a Death Eater?"
He watched as the girl shook her head, her eyes widening with astonishment.
"I wasn't. I would pass some information that might be useful to my father and the rest of the Death Eaters, yes, but nothing ever important. There was really, nothing for me to do. I was too young to cause havoc, and I wasn't slick enough to out wit the infamous trio."
"So you were just a pest?" Taylor said, cutting to the chase. Draco smiled slyly, and nodded, running a hand through his hair. It was cut just above his ears, and he was glad his hair was so light in color; people couldn't see the few grays that had started to grow.
"Just a pest."
Taylor looked back down at her hands, and Draco wondered how well she was taking to this conversation. He also thought about what their relationship would be like after this, would Pansy be all right with him being in his daughter's life?
"I suppose you know about my boyfriend, then."
Draco's cheeks tinged red. Taylor stared up at him and frowned, leaning back into her chair. He, on the other hand, smiled softly, understanding her anger. He was only slightly annoyed that his daughter was dating a Weasley.
"We've only been on speaking terms for five minutes, and you're already bringing boyfriends into the picture?"
His heart raced as Taylor smiled, rolling her eyes slightly at the comment. She looked very relieved, and her shoulders slumped in relaxation. Feeling brave, and wondering how Gryffindors did it all the time, Draco put his hand on his daughter's (the phrase still made him choke) knee and he took a deep breath,
"Taylor, I'm sorry for any trouble I've brought you. I've…changed; I know I have. I'll put down all the money in the Malfoy bank at Gringotts if you would just let me slowly become part of your life, because, since I first found out about you, I've always wanted to have a little girl of my own." He blushed slightly, shaking his head. "If only my roommates could hear me now, I sound like such a sissy."
The girl smiled again and opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it, shaking her head. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, tears were brimming at her eyelashes,
"Slow and steady…that's the only way we'll be able to make this right. I want to…I trust you." Taylor said in a tight voice. Draco nodded, releasing a breath.
He decided, based on that comment, his daughter was one of the best people he had ever met.