Chapter Eleven: Fathers and Daughters

With a pop she entered the front of the manor. Her eyes cast about taking it all in. It wasn't scary, as rumors had said before. It was actually…welcoming and cozy. She walked over to some white roses in a vase and smiled. She reached over and her fingers touched the soft pedals. She bent over and breathed in the scent. Her smile grew a bit; these were her favorites.

"Just on time," a voice boomed making her look. He walked down the stairs with a grin. "Blaise Zabini," he said reaching her as he stuck out his hand. Ginny took it mutely as she took his in. His green-blue eyes shined under the sunlight coming from the windows. His smile was wide as he gripped her hand. "Ginny Weasley, right?" He asked letting go of her hand.

"Yes," Ginny said smiling back. His mood was infectious.

Blaise nodded. "Kailey's with Draco," he said motioning her to follow. She walked next to him as they entered a living room. Ginny glanced to the floor and what had happened all came back. She shook her head slightly trying to get back to reality.

She looked over to the other door and Draco came in. His arms carried a young girl about six. Long black curly hair went down to her waist. She had green-blue eyes like her father but they seemed darker. Her lips formed a pout as she tugged on Draco's collar. Draco rolled his eyes before whispering something to her. She sighed and was placed to the floor.

"Draco and I have an arrangement." Blaise said making her eyes shift back over to him. She nodded as the girl walked over and clutched Blaise's hand. "This is Kailey. Kailey, this is your teacher."

She smiled and walked up to Ginny before curtsying. "Hello, Ms. Weasel."

Ginny looked at her shocked as Blaise gave a dry laugh and brought Kailey back behind him. "Draco," Blaise growled turning around.

"What?" He said smirking. "She must've heard me wrong."

Ginny rolled her eyes before smiling at Kailey. "It's nice to meet you, Kailey." Kailey met her eyes and smiled. A dimple showed on her left cheek.

"Hurry up, Zabini," Draco said as he tapped his shoe onto the floor. "We have fifteen minutes left," he stated before looking at her.

Ginny smirked at him. "Shouldn't be Apparating with those wounds you know," she said making Blaise raise an eyebrow.

"Wounds?" He asked turning to Draco who shrugged.

"Nothing," he said. "Tell her what to do already."

Blaise eyed both of them before smiling. "Well, Kailey here needs to know…

It was four when they returned. Kailey and Ginny were going over a math problem. Ginny sighed in frustration as she could feel their gaze on them. "No," she said quickly stopping Kailey. "You see this?" She asked pointing to the number six.

Kailey nodded her brow furrowed. Ginny was surprised at how patient this girl was. Moving her finger to the right she showed her the seven before dropping down to the three. "You have to times three with both six and seven."

Kailey gave her an annoyed look. "You don't do that during adding. I don't understand why you have to do it when you times."

Ginny smiled. "They're two different things. Look, just try it and see what you get and we'll see if it's the same as my answer."

Kailey shrugged before doing it. Talley marks were all over her paper as she tried to count with out using her finger. She watched Kailey carefully as she wrote the one down and carried the two. Ginny nodded and watched as she finished the problem. Kailey looked proudly from her paper as Ginny frowned a bit. Her answer was one hundred and eighteen rather two hundred and one.

"I didn't get it, did I?" She asked sulking. "I don't like this."

"Don't worry, I hated it too." Ginny said.

Kailey looked at her unsure. "Really?"

Ginny laughed. "Are you kidding me? I made the paper explode I hated it so much when I was your age."

Kailey grinned. Ginny nudged her. "Want to figure out how you did it wrong?"

Kailey titled her head. "Zabini's don't anything wrong. We were only misinformed."

Ginny grinned and ruffled her hair. "Let's just see," Ginny said. She looked it over and nodded. "You forgot to add the two."

"What two?" She asked with a slight yawn as Ginny heard two pair of footsteps make there way to them.

"This one," Ginny said pointing to it.

Kailey looked at it. "Can I do it again?" She asked.

Ginny nodded before looking up at a hand at her shoulder. She stiffened under it once she saw the owner of it. "Had a good day?" He asked his breath caressing her ear as her nose was invaded by his scent.

"Fine," she said curtly as her eyes wondered over to Blaise who talked with his daughter who laughed a second later.

"You remembered what I said last night, didn't you?" He asked.

She looked back over at him and met his eyes. "Did you mean it?" She asked. "Are you really that lonely?"

"No," he said but she could detect the hesitation in his voice. "I have Kailey and Blaise."

She looked away and stared at the two being mentioned. "Where's her mother?"

"Dead," Draco said in a flat tone. "She was murdered when an Auror said Blaise murdered his daughter. They said she was guilty at the time. She was innocent," he said a slight anger hidden in his voice.

"She doesn't deserve it," Ginny said as she made circles against her jeans.

She felt Draco shift behind her. When she looked he was sitting there staring over at the daughter and father. "Deserve what?"

"Not having a mother," Ginny said looking back.

"Like Lillian without a father."

She stiffened and turned her eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to make a point?"

He shrugged, "which ever way you want to see it," he said.

"Harry's been-"

"A good father?" He asked bitterly. "Oh joy, Potter always coming into the picture. It's him you always run to isn't it? You're damn hero."

"Been there," she finished. "He's always been there. I never said anything about him being a good father."

Draco looked away and glared onto the floor. "Here," he said digging into his pocket and pulling out a pouch. "Your pay for today and this is for Lillian," he said handing her a bear that he apparently hid behind the couch. Ginny touched the white fur on the bear and smiled.

"She'll love it," she said quietly. "I better go now," she said standing up on her knees.

She walked over to Kailey and poked her stomach making her look up. "Oh! Ginny, look!" She said running over back to the table. She came back with the piece of paper. "Father said I got it right," she said grinning.

Ginny grinned back and looked at it. "Yep," she said before shaking her head. "You're a genius!"

Blaise laughed. "Don't say that," he said. "You'll make her head grow bigger."

Kailey pouted and crossed her arms. "It is not big!"

Blaise shook his laugh before picking her up. "Same time tomorrow?" He asked.

Ginny nodded. Blaise smiled and took her hand before kissing it. "Thank-you," he said before turning to Draco.

Ginny turned around and saw Draco glaring at Blaise. She met his eye and nodded before Apparating back to Harry's. Once arriving she heard laughter. She walked over and smiled slightly as Lillian groaned. Harry grinned as he picked her up. "You're so stupid, Unkle Harry."

Harry shrugged as he poked her belly. "You're the one who gave me the sugar."

"Sugar?" Ginny cut in bringing her presence to the room.

Lillian looked over and smiled as Harry put her back down to the ground. She walked over and took Ginny's free hand. "Hey, there's my baby," Ginny said smiling as she kneeled down.

"I'm not a baby," Lillian said crossing her arms trying to look mad but her eyes looked down and stared at the bear in Ginny's hand. "What's that?"

"A present," Ginny said in a singsong voice as Lillian reached out to it but only failed in getting it as Ginny put it behind her back. "What do you say?"

Lillian groaned. "Please?" She said pouting as her eyes looked at the bear hungrily.

Ginny grinned. "Here," she said giving the soft white bear over to her.

"Yeah!" Lillian said hugging it close to her. "Thank-you mummy!"

Ginny smiled. "It wasn't from me though," Ginny said pushing back a lock of Lillian's hair behind her ear.

"Who was it from?" Harry asked intervening.

Ginny looked over at him and smiled weakly. "Draco," she said.

"Daddy give this to me?" Lillian asked as Ginny watch Harry stiffen. Ginny looked away and smiled.

"Yep," Ginny said and Lillian grinned.

"I like Daddy," Lillian said while Ginny picked her up. "I like him lots."

Ginny smiled softly. "I'm sure daddy loves you too." She looked back at Harry who picked up a few cushions on the floor before tossing them over to the couch. "Thank-you Harry."

He turned with a smile that Ginny knew he was forcing. "Anytime," he said.

Ginny smiled and pushed back a lock of her fallen hair. "See you then," she said taking her wand out.

"Bye, Unkle Harry," Lillian said as she curled against Ginny- still hugging the teddy bear.

"Bye, Lil's," Harry said in a soft tone before looking at Ginny. "Bye, Gin."

"Good-bye, Harry," she said softly as she sucked in a breath before apparating home. Ginny ended up in her bedroom. She felt like that good-bye with Harry may have been a last one for a long time. Shaking her head she smiled at Lillian who played with the teddy bear.

"Do I see daddy?" Lillian asked looking at Ginny with her gray eyes.

Ginny looked back down and smiled slightly, "maybe tomorrow."