You Are the Only One
Summary – DG, Post Hogwarts, a tad AU-ish. What happens when your marriage does not turn out the way you envisioned? Would you stay, knowing that life would be a bit worse? Or would you cut and leave? Most importantly does true love last a lifetime? Ginny and Draco struggle to find out the answers before it is too late.
DISCLAIMER – Anything you recognise is not mine.
Part Three
"Marriage is about being tested, you find out who you are, who the other person is and how you accommodate or you don't." - Professor Morrie in Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
When Ginny came to, she was lying on an examination table in what looked to be one of the exam rooms in St. Mungo's. The sterile atmosphere and the antiseptic smell of alcohol gave it away. Oddly though, she was still in her office clothes. Something was off, but just as Ginny was going to holler out for someone, the nurse, Mrs. Blackman as her nametag read, entered the room.
"Ah! You're awake," she smiled pleasantly.
"How long have I been… did I black out?" Ginny asked anxiously.
"Only fifteen minutes or so," the nurse responded, "Just long enough to worry your husband."
"Ex-husband," Ginny was quick to assert.
"Well, he's outside waiting, and the healer will be here in a moment."
"I feel fine now. Really."
"I don't think so, Mrs. Malfoy-"
"Miss. Weasley, please," Ginny interjected, growing upset.
"It's just that we've only done a superficial charm diagnosis and the healer needs to confirm the results," the nurse beamed.
Ginny however, could not share Mrs. Blackman's enthusiasm. She felt weak, tired, and weary in general. She wished briefly that Draco were there in the room, standing by her bed and holding her hand for moral support. The door opened then and the Healer strode in.
"Hello dear, I'm Healer Dennis Harper."
Healer Harper was not who Ginny had expected. He seemed much too young to be a healer. His face had charming boyish features, and they clashed unusually with his balding head. He smiled again before going over to the sink to wash his hands.
"So how long have you been having these dizzy spells?" He asked, reading her medical chart.
"Today was the first time I've completely blacked out, but I've been feeling dizzy on and off for the past few weeks. Nothing too serious though," Ginny answered.
"Any vomiting? Nausea?" He asked.
Ginny nodded. "Especially in the mornings, I can't stand coffee or eggs," she shuddered at the mere thought of those food.
"Just as I had thought." The healer exchanged an amused look with the nurse.
"What is it?" Ginny asked, not appreciating their amusement at her expense.
"Give us a moment," the doctor then placed the tip of his wand on her stomach, muttering some incantation. A great sense of déjà vu filled Ginny, but she could not place it.
"Well, Mrs. Malfoy," Ginny did not bother correcting him this time. "Your files say that you've been pregnant before, so I'm surprised that you didn't notice the signs earlier."
It took a while for his words to sink in, but when they did, Ginny sat up abruptly, her jaw slack as she stared at the healer. He simply smiled and nodded his head.
"You can't be serious… no… NO, absolutely not! Not now…" Ginny was just about ready to put her head in her hands and start sobbing her insides out.
The healer seemed to not notice her distress. "Yes, you're pregnant, one month approximately. In exactly a month's time, we'll be able to confirm the gender," he informed her, thoroughly pleased.
The nurse spoke up, "from experience though, I'd say it's going to be girl," Ginny turned to stare at the nurse who, like the Healer, had a huge grin plastered on her face.
Now Ginny really could notstop the tears. They welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, dropping silently off her jaw. A girl. She had always wanted a daughter after having Rafael. So did Draco. After Rafael was born, he often joked that their son needed a little sister rather badly.
That had been one of Draco's favourite ways of coaxing her into bed with him. He would put his hand on her top, around her breasts, and kiss her. Somehow, that would always make her smile. After a while, though, all that had stopped; and with it all ideas of having another child. Yet now, it seemed that fate had other ideas.
"I'm pregnant," Ginny murmured to herself, the beginnings of a smile glimmering on her lips.
That was how Draco found her once the Healer told him that he could go in to see his wife. Draco never bothered to correct him. The smug smile on the healer's face had unnerved him though. As he walked into the examination room, that smile was the last thing on his mind.
There was Ginny, sitting on the exam table; her head tilted back, the salt mark of tears on her cheeks and a funny sort of smile on her face. Draco fell in love with her all over again, which was crazy since he loved her already, but there he was – falling for the woman who he had loved for most of his life.
Draco remembered that Ginny was the only woman he knew who could make his pulse accelerate simply by resting her hand on his leg. He remembered how he liked to blow her hair away from her neck before he kissed the freckles that dotted the back of her neck in the shape of a star.
Some people can remember the exact moment when they lost everything. They can look back and see it as plain as day, and for their lives, they cannot understand why they did not recognize and prevent the situation as it was happening.
It was always a mistake to threaten someone, "Don't you dare walk out that door," and a far worse mistake to actually cross the threshold and walk out on the one you love. Both Ginny and Draco were thinking that at that exact moment, wondering if there was anything they could have done differently.
It was too late now, Ginny realised, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Besides, what guarantee was there that their problems would not resurface with time? She would have to have this baby alone.
"What did the healer say was wrong?" Draco asked, concerned.
Ginny shook her head. "Just low blood-pressure," she lied, unable to meet his silver-eyed gaze.
She took her handbag, which he was holding onto, thanked him, and left – almost as if they were two people who chanced upon in each other in the streets now and then.
That night, Hermione received an owl from Ginny asking her to come over as soon as she could. After making sure there was no way for Ron to burn down the house or cause some other unintentional destruction while she was away, and promising him that she would be back ASAP, Hermione floo-ed to Ginny's place.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione asked Ginny as she stepped out of the fireplace, dusting soot off her cloak.
"Can't a woman have a chat with her best friend?" Ginny asked jokingly, as Hermione followed her into the kitchen.
"Please tell me you're not serious. Ron will kill you for dragging me away from him for a lady's chat tonight of all nights." Ginny laughed as she conjured two mugs of warm hot chocolate for the two of them.
"I had forgotten it was a Thursday night," Ginny smirked, rolling her eyes.
Hermione had once told Ginny that after few years of marriage, she and Ron had decided to set aside a night of the week which they had to spend together and do what most couples do – make love. The reason was simple; they did not want their marriage to fall victim to their busy schedules and Ron's overseas stints as keeper for the Chudley Cannons.
"You did say it was urgent," Hermione said, making herself comfortable on one of the bar stools at the counter.
Ginny, who was standing behind the counter, was much too nervous to sit. She had to tell someone, and it was best that it be Hermione. She decided not to beat around the bush.
"I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant," Hermione repeated. After a long pause and a heavy stare she added, "whose baby is it?" Hermione waited eagerly for a response even though she was quite sure of the answer.
"Who do you think?"
Hermione gave her an awestruck look. "So you did sleep with Malfoy that night," she paused to sip her hot chocolate before adding with a grin, "you liar."
Ginny could not deny it. "I'm not going back to him because of this. This will not change things. And I can't believe I even slept with him in the first place."
"Love does things for reasons reason cannot understand."
"But I do not love him, 'Mione."
"You sound like you're convincing yourself more than anyone else." Hermione noted, shrewdly.
"Draco's a bastard, and that's all the convincing I need." As soon as she had said it, Ginny felt guilty for talking about Draco in such a way. At least her son was safely tucked up in bed and sound asleep. She and Draco had agreed to refrain from bad mouthing each other in front of Rafael.
Honestly though, she rarely could bring herself to talk badly about Draco even after all he had done to her. This was one of those rarities. Hell, she was frustrated – more so because of the way she was feeling about Draco than anything else.
"Schmucks are people too," Hermione said, using Ron's new word of the month.
Ginny wished Hermione would not say such things. Maybe then she would not have this feeling deep inside, a feeling she could deny all she wanted but would never cease to be a feeling of pure desire. Even worse, carrying Draco's daughter inside of her did not help the situation.
"Does he know?" Hermione asked.
"No, you're the only one who knows now. Besides, he doesn't need to know, it might not even be his." Ginny lowered her mouth to her mug as she realised how horrible she was at fabricating lies.
"Oh, please," Hermione snapped, "when you first told me, I was thinking along the lines of an immaculate conception. You barely even have time for yourself. So you obviously have no time in your life for any other man besides your son and your husband."
"Ex-husband," Ginny corrected impulsively.
"Forget it, Ginny. You no longer have any right to correct me when I call Malfoy your husband, do you understand? What sort of woman has a one night stand with the man she is preparing to divorce?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?"
"A woman who loves that man, that's who. Don't be so prideful and blinded," answered Hermione, remaining unfazed by Ginny's sarcasm. Now that she had begun, she had to go ahead and make her point.
"Are you done?" Ginny's tone was pure ice, and Hermione did not fail to notice she was being frozen out.
"Yes, I am." Hermione backed off.
"For your information, I had too much to drink that night," Ginny said, sounding a little hysterical. Who could blame her though? Such a predicament was mind boggling and shocking at the very least.
"I presume you want this to stay between us." Hermione ventured.
"Absolutely."
"And what, may I ask, are you going to do when your pregnancy starts to show?"
"Skip town?" Ginny suggested, making a feeble attempt at a joke. Hermione glared at her.
"We'll cross the bridge when we come to it." Ginny told her.
"Well, the bridge is a lot nearer than you think, Ginny." Hermione warned her, sensibly. That was what Ginny was most afraid of.
Draco ran his fingers distractedly through his hair and sighed. Here he was in his office crunching numbers once again. It was one of his least favourite parts of his job, but it had to be done. Pushing his chair away from his desk, he surveyed his progress and mused that he might actually get everything done. This was due largely to the fact that he had instructed his secretary, Peggy, to divert all of his fire-callers and visitors.
And it was for this reason that Draco was even more surprised than he would usually have been at having his office door flung open to reveal a rather calm and nonchalant Harry Potter. Peggy stood behind him looking very flustered.
"I tried to stop him from coming in, Sir," she explained, "he just refused to listen to me." She stood in the doorway wringing her hands in trepidation as Harry made himself comfortable on one of the cushioned seats in front of the huge oak desk, immediately across from Draco.
Draco withheld another sigh and waved Peggy off. "It's fine. Potter's just used to having his way." Harry snorted.
"You were talking about yourself, right?" Harry asked, smiling, as Peggy left looking relieved.
"So what brings you here? And why are you so free nowadays?" Draco pushed aside the sheaf of papers he had been going through and hefted his dragon-skin-booted feet up onto the table, leaning back in his chair. It was time for a break.
"I put in a request for more paper work."
"You? Of all people?"
Harry shrugged, "I need to spend more time with Luna."
"Admirable, Potter," Draco commented.
Harry shrugged, modesty a well-worn cloak for him. "You look worse than hippogriff dung. What's up with that?"
Draco gave Harry a pointed look, "you said that the last time you saw me too."
"You had the cold then. What's your excuse now, Malfoy?"
Draco hated getting sick and the last time had been exceptionally bad. He had fallen victim to the flu, a potent springtime variety that boiled the blood and made for light-headedness, an illness that left him suffering with aching bones and a cough that rattled his ribs.
Perhaps he was so afflicted because his resistance was down; in losing his wife, he appeared to have lost everything. Ginny had always risen to the occasion whenever he fell ill – pampering him, babying him, and administering his medicine.
"I'm bogged down with work, the divorce, and the fact that my wife's pregnant."
Harry was not expecting the last bit. His jaw practically grazed the floor as he stared at Draco in disbelief. He looked plain exhausted, though there was something akin to a feral gleam in his grey eyes.
"WHAT? Ginny!" Harry asked, askance and flabbergasted.
"Yes, Ginevra," snapped Draco irritably, rising from his seat to face the row of windows behind his desk which overlooked Hyde Park.
He was not taking in the view, but wondering about his wife and the baby growing inside of her. He had been thinking about them a lot the past couple of weeks, ever since he had found out from the healer at St. Mungo's. Draco felt a tad more relieved telling someone about it, rather than bottling it all up, as he had been doing all the while.
"But… but… how?" Harry looked more affected than Draco would have expected. More than anything, he was surprised Harry did not already know. Harry seemed to be thinking along those lines as well. "I mean, Luna would have told me if she knew. And as far as a I know, Ginny's not seeing anyone else."
Draco's shoulders sagged with relief at hearing those words from Harry. "Are you sure she's not seeing anyone?"
Harry shrugged, "Not that sure. I mean, if Luna didn't tell me about the pregnancy, chances are she'd probably not tell me if Ginny's was in a relationship."
Draco was back in his seat, slumped in it in fact. The Malfoy façade of grace and refined mannerisms dissipated in panic filled doubts that had been eating away at him the past few weeks – was the child his or not?
"If it makes you feel better, I don't think Ginny would have told anyone," Draco told him.
"Wait a minute," Harry said, his Auror instincts kicking in, "why are you so concerned about Ginny's dating someone? It's obvious she had to be seeing someone secretly, right? That's why she's pregnant. I mean, unless…" Harry trailed off as realization dawned in his eyes, as bright as the afternoon sun blazing outside.
"You didn't…" Harry's voice was filled with disbelief.
Draco took a deep breath, " I thought it was a reconciliation. But she felt it was a mistake and left in the morning, never wanted to talk about it and so on."
"So you slept with her and now you don't know if you're the father or not, right?"
"That just about sums up my dilemma." Draco glanced across at Harry, evaluating how much he could really trust his friend. His memories of The War reminded him that he could. "Well, that's where you come in."
"What do you mean?" Harry was suspicious.
"Could you do some nosing around to find out what's going on? Who the father is? What Ginny's planning to do? That sort of thing." Harry did not protest. He was nodding, the wheels in his head turning as he tried to think of ways to get the needed information.
"How did you know about it if she did not tell you?" Harry asked, briefly confused.
Draco had to explain to him all that had happened that afternoon, nearly over two months ago, at the legal office and how they ended up at St. Mungo's where Ginny had been rather evasive, causing his suspicious instincts to kick in. Thus, he had cornered the healer, inquired about Ginny's condition, and gotten all the necessary information.
"Well, I'll be off then." Harry stood, already weighted down by this unexpected news, as he mulled over it and digested it. "I'll let you know anything I find out," Harry reassured Draco, who looked more anxious than ever.
"Thanks," Draco managed.
"Don't mention it." Harry walked towards the door to let himself out before things got any more awkward.
He paused then, his hand at the doorknob. He turned to face Draco who was reshuffling his papers, preparing to drown himself in his work.
"Malfoy," Draco looked up and threw Harry a questioning look, "if the baby's yours, what then?"
Draco did not hesitate. The notion had crossed his mind more times than he could count. He knew precisely what he had to do. "I'll have to make Gin come back to me."
Always keep mint on your windowsills in August to ensure that buzzing flies stay outside, where they belong. Do not think that summer is over even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky.
Never presume August is a safe and reliable time of the year. It is the season of reversals, when birds no longer sing in the morning and the evenings are made up of equal parts golden light and black clouds. The rock solid and the tenuous can easily exchange places until everything you know can be questioned and put into doubt.
It was Luna Lovegood's intention to ignore August completely and sleep for four weeks, refusing to wake up until September when life was settled and nursery school had already begun. Less than a week into this difficult month, however, her boyfriend Harry informed her that her good friend Ginny Weasley was pregnant.
He told Luna right after they made love at her place, a cottage so small he could talk to her from bed while she fixed them hot fudge sundaes.
"What rubbish," Luna said when he told her about Ginny being pregnant, "I'd be the first to know."
"We're probably the only ones who know," Harry informed her.
If she let herself, Luna could become invested in Harry. This was the reason she was ready to argue whenever she had the chance – to ward off anything deeper than what they already had.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Malfoy himself had to find out from the healer who attended to Ginny after she fainted. She hasn't told anyone, well, at least that's what Malfoy thinks."
"So you found this out from Malfoy?"
"Yes, he told me a few weeks ago."
"And you did not feel the urgency to tell me then?"
Harry got out of bed and stood in front of Luna. He was one of the few men Luna knew who looked better without clothes than with them.
"You were busy with school the past few weeks, Luna. I was preoccupied as well, taking on my new duties at the Auror Headquarters."
The hot fudge was ready, but Luna did not bother with it. She did not even take notice that the ice cream she scooped had begun to melt. "Pregnant… but I saw her most days when she came to pick up Rafael. She didn't look it at all."
"According to what the healer told Malfoy, she should be around three months or so now. I guess she wouldn't start to show till later, right?"
Luna nodded her head slowly. "When is she planning to tell people? She cannot have a baby in secret… How did she even get pregnant in the first place?" Luna mused aloud.
Harry shrugged, "That's the mystery. No one knows who the father is."
"She's not even dating anyone," Luna told him. She was completely puzzled.
Harry hesitated before deciding not to tell her about the one nightstand between Ginny and Malfoy. It was better that she heard it from the horse's mouth.
TBC
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This will be a five part fic..
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