Draco awoke when she shifted beside him, suddenly aware of how bright it was, and how drafty it felt. Memories of the night before flooded his mind and he smiled, holding out his hand for his wand. It came floating towards him and he blocked out the sunlight in the room with it silently. Ginny seemed to relax a little, as thought thinking a lamp had been turned off. He then carefully pulled the covers up around them, and let his wand float back over to the table.
He lay down again, curling his arm around her bare midsection once more. Just as it seemed the wisps of welcome sleep were surrounding him again, there was a sudden bright light and an audible gasp. Draco opened his eyes to see Granger standing in the doorway to the room, having dropped whatever file she was carrying.
"Aaaahhh!" He said loudly (yet still sleepily), pulling the covers closer around him and Ginny as she woke up. Granger shielded her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I um, just wanted to drop this off before you left, Ginny. I didn't know… I'll go now." She set the file she had been picking up on the dresser and rushed out of the room, taking the bright light which had obviously come from the open door with her.
Ginny giggled a little and slumped back into her bed, and Draco was not so quick to follow.
"Happen often?" He asked, looking down at her.
"Actually yes, though I'm not usually in bed with the father of my child." She stretched her arms over her head, and Draco tried to stop himself looking anywhere but her face.
"Then who are you usually in bed with?" He asked suspiciously, and she swatted him on the arm.
She began to stand up but he caught her arm and yanked her back with a startled shriek. "No you don't." He told her, wrapping his arms tightly around her small figure. "Mm still sleepy."
Ginny giggled at his complaining and rolled over to face him. "We have to get up." She told him. He shook his head, closing his eyes tightly and scrunching up his face.
He was happy to find he wasn't surprised at all when she kissed him, and he pulled her closer. She stopped much too soon, and this time he let her go. She stood and stretched lazily, and he watched her get some cloths out of her dresser and head out of the room. Draco sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to just lay here forever.
Ginny was back in a moment and she crawled over to him. "Time to get up." She repeated. Draco sighed dramatically and she smiled. "Come on, let's go shower." She said, grabbing his hand and tugging him into a sitting position.
"Two showers in less than 24 hours? I suppose this means you'll be expecting me to eat breakfast as well?" He mused, smirking at her.
"You'll have to get used to a lot of things I suppose, living with me." She ran her hands through his hair.
"Hmm, I suppose so." He pulled her into a gentle kiss. "Is that one of them?" He asked quietly.
"Mmmhmm." She mumbled, kissing him again. Before he could stop her, she had scrambled out of bed. He grinned slightly, following her.
"And the others are in the shower." She said, rushing from the room.
Draco smirked. "Indeed."
Draco lathered up the soap in his hands, rubbing gently over Ginny's back.
"Do you know what today is?" Ginny asked, rubbing shampoo through her hair. Draco shook his head and then remembered she wasn't facing him.
"No." He answered, partly curious why it mattered.
"Today is the 17th. And before I was captured, I was supposed to be going home today." She stuck her head under the water and Draco paused shaking conditioner out of the empty bottle.
"Supposed to be?" He asked, setting the bottle down.
Ginny turned around. "That's right. And as it turns out, they think I've been through enough." She wrapped her arms lazily around his neck, smiling up at him. "And you know what that means?"
Draco raised his eyebrows. "We're going… home?" he asked uncertainly, rubbing conditioner through her hair.
Ginny nodded.
The next few hours seemed to pass in a haze for Draco. Ron had come in to help him pack up while Ginny finished some last minute work. Ginny had told Draco that the sooner he got the packing done, the sooner they could leave.
Once he and Ron had talked about the wizarding news and the many things going on that Draco didn't know about, Ron led him through ministry security procedures; he had to have his wand checked, his fingers printed and his wizarding ID renewed.
When they returned to Ginny's room she was sitting on the trunk, looking apprehensive.
"So you promise you'll be in within the month?" Ginny asked Ron seriously, hugging him goodbye.
"Of course. Cassie will have my head if I'm not home a week after you." He reminded. Harry shook Draco's hand, promising he and Hermione would come and see them back at the house.
Once Ginny had said goodbye to everyone they left the ministry, checking their baggage like mail so that it would arrive later that night.
"Where exactly are we going?" Draco wondered aloud as he followed Ginny down the street.
"To Diagon Alley." Ginny supplied. Draco stopped in his tracks. Ginny turned to look at him.
"That's not a good idea." He said, thinking about the many people and the familiar surroundings. Ginny took his hands as if to lead him like a little child.
"Come on, I need to pick up a few things before we go home, and you need to get some new cloths." She told him, eyeing his attire. While Draco agreed with her on this point, he was still not too fond of going shopping at this particular moment.
He chose an argument he could at least win. "I'm not going to let you pay for it. And I can't afford it right now, it's not as though being a Death Eater pays." He pointed out, reluctantly following her into the Leaky Cauldron. They stopped in the entry way.
"Draco, you're loaded." She reminded as though it was obvious. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I was loaded. But the ministry took all that when I became a registered Death Eater. It's probably all gone by now." He imagined the ministry spending every last drop of his trust fund and inheritance and cringed.
"If you think they could spend that much money…" Ginny shook her head. "Draco, you've defected to our side. You've got it all back. Every last sickle. It's all waiting for you at Gringotts."
Draco let his mouth hang open for several moments. Ginny took his hands in hers again and used one to close it. Draco blinked several times, as though to clear his vision. So much for winning the argument.
"So it's like they just expect me to pick up right where I left off, isn't it?" He asked suddenly, realizing that apparently, everything was back to normal. He assumed that he still owned Malfoy manner after all, unless his father decided to defect.
Ginny squeezed his hands tightly. "You've got a second chance, Draco. Let's make the best of it."
Ginny took him all through Diagon Alley. She picked up all the little things she needed, and they went shopping for cloths as well.
"So they'd already left?" Draco asked as they looked through windows.
"All that was left were the walls and a few damp fires. They'd covered their tracks too, but we're still searching." Ginny shoved one hand in her pocket, looking upset. Draco felt torn over the particular subject.
After all, he was still a Death Eater. The two sides were not equally important to him, but he could not help but feel resent mixed with smugness at the news that the Death Eaters had escaped completely. Perhaps that too, would fade.
After they had several packages, Draco managed to persuade Ginny to lunch, and then the port key station.
Before they reached it however, Ginny stopped in front of a shop Draco recognized all too easily. Ginny looked quizzically between the shop and Draco, her lips pursed. Finally she nodded.
"Yes, you're getting a hair cut." And she dragged him into the shop.
Draco hadn't port keyed in several years, and the feeling of being yanked into a strange vortex once more nearly made him sick.
They had port keyed to a secure location in the village outside Ginny's home, which Draco had never been to before. He couldn't help feeling a little light hearted, or perhaps he was just light headed.
Draco reached up to swipe his fingers through his hair before realizing he didn't have much to run his fingers through. He's had it cut to his old school haircut, and Ginny had remarked it made him look much younger. Draco wasn't sure he agreed. Maybe, he thought, it makes me look more innocent.
Draco followed closely behind Ginny through the village, and finally they were walking along a windy dirt road. Ginny was growing more excited by the second, but Draco's sense of foreboding was only growing. His heart was beating faster with every step he took.
Ginny was calling out to the house before them, and she took off at a jog towards the gates. Draco slowed his pace, letting Ginny make all her greetings first.
"Charlie, I'm so glad your okay! I've been so worried!" Ginny jumped into her older brothers arms, and he hugged her tightly with one arm, leaning heavily on a cane with the other.
"I'm fine, no worries. Mums been terribly worried about you! She wouldn't stop sobbing when you went missing. I don't think she'll ever let you go back now." Charlie admonished. Ginny shook her head.
"Grandma! Grandma! She's here, she's here, she's here!" A little girl Draco recognized immediately came running out of the house towards them. She had bright red hair, and lots of freckles, though she couldn't have been as tall as Ginny's hip.
"Lara!" Ginny shouted, running towards the girl and scooping her up in her arms. Ginny spun her around several time while holding her tight, and Lara giggled appreciatively.
"I'm so glad your home Mummy. Just wait till I show you how well I can read now, and I'm getting better at spelling every day! Isn't that right Uncle Charlie?" The little girl looked up happily at Charlie, who nodded proudly.
Ginny was kneeling down beside her, fixing her hair. "Well that's wonderful but look at you! You're covered in flour! Have you been helping Grandma with the baking?" Ginny brushed halfheartedly at the little girls clothes while Lara nodded happily.
Charlie turned to him and held out a hand. Draco shook it and caught his eye. Charlie looked very amused.
"I never got a chance to thank you." Charlie said at last, smiling. Draco shook his head.
"Don't worry about it." He said quietly. Ginny looked up at them curiously. Draco realized she'd probably never heard about that day in the woods. He and Charlie exchanged another amused glance before Ginny stood with Lara in her arms.
"What's this about?" She asked, looking between them. Charlie shook his head ruefully, glancing at Lara.
"I'll tell you someday. Right now, there are more important things." He turned and headed back towards the house, leaving Draco, Ginny and Lara.
Nobody said anything for a few moments while Lara studied Draco closely. Draco felt as though he couldn't move. He'd imagined this moment, meeting Lara, his child, but it felt so different, seeing her for the first time.
Lara finally looked between her Mom and the man she didn't know with questioning glances. Ginny smiled reassuringly at Draco.
"Lara, I'd like you to meet Draco. You recognize him, don't you?" Ginny kneeled down beside the little girl again, and Lara nodded. "He's your father. He's home Lara."
Draco tried his best to look friendly, although he still could not move. Lara was still looking up at him cautiously, but she finally stepped forward. She held up a hand and made a come hither gesture, to which Draco leaned forward. They were face level, eyes locked.
After several long moments looking into what appeared to be his own eyes, "Can I call you daddy? Like Tommy calls Uncle Ron?" She asked very quietly, as though it was a very important question.
Draco found himself smiling. "If you want to." He answered. He heard a sniff, and they both looked to find Ginny with her eyes watering and her hand pressed firmly against her mouth. She waved them off, smiling broadly.
"What's the matter Mum?" Lara asked, grabbing Ginny's hand. She smiled and picked Lara up in her arms, wrapping one arms around Draco's waist.
"Nothings wrong darling, not anymore." She buried her head in Draco's chest happily, and Draco and Lara shared a look of amusement.
"Ginny!" Came a scream from the front of the house. "Ginny! Oh my baby! My daughter! Oh, she's alright, thank Merlin!"
Mrs. Weasley came running towards them from the house, sobbing uncontrollably. Ginny wiped at her face and set Lara down, who quickly moved out of the way rather than suffer the bone crushing hug that was inflicted on Ginny.
Ginny hugged back at her mother tightly, and the two women broke into tears once more. They were both crying and mumbling incoherencies at each other that they seemed to understand. Lara moved to stand by Draco as the two watched the warm display of affection.
Lara finally reached up to grab his hand. "Come on, I'll show you inside, and you can help me make sure the turkey doesn't burn, because I'm not allowed to touch the stove." She grabbed the package Ginny had dropped while Draco picked up his and she began to lead him inside, leaving the two emotional women outside.
As they began to head inside, Ginny pulled away and gathered herself enough to call after them. "Lara, sweetheart, wait."
Lara didn't even look back. "Don't worry Mum, Daddy's safe with me."
And they burst into tears again.
By the time the night was drawing to a close, Draco thought he might collapse from exhaustion. There had been somewhat of a party for Ginny's homecoming, to which almost all her brothers had attended. Ron could not come as he was still at the ministry, but Fred, George, Charlie, and Bill were all there. Ginny's brother Percy was unsurprisingly absent, and there were several rude remarks made on his behalf. Cassie and Tommy, Ron's wife and son also showed up, along with Harry and Hermione. Everyone had laughed and ate and drunk, accept for Cassie who was again expecting, and around midnight the party was finally drawing to a close.
As Ginny helped Cassie to the Floo with Tommy, Draco collapsed next to his sleeping daughter on the sofa. He looked down at her little curled up frame, tired and exhausted, and thought that he couldn't agree with her more.
In the short time he had been there, Lara had shown him all around the house, explained about the Gnome problem in the backyard, showed him her toys and puzzles, read a story to him which she had clearly memorized, and had shown him the dog she wanted which her mother refused to buy for her until she was older, making him promise he would work on her.
Draco tucked a bright red lock of hair behind the little girl's ear, admiring her outgoing spirit. He figured the questions she didn't know how to ask yet would come someday, but it was not today, and for now he was content.
Ginny came over, smiling at him. He smiled back. She picked Lara up, who mumbled something that sounded like 'not tired' and Ginny took her upstairs. Draco sat there alone for several minutes, until he realized he was not alone at all.
Mrs. Weasley was sitting in the chair directly across from him, Mr. Weasley already having gone to bed. They stared at each other for some time before Mrs. Weasley took another gulp of wine.
"I don't suppose you know how special Ginny is to me. She's the first Weasley girl in ages, but you know that." She was slurring slightly, but only slightly, and Draco found the look on her face a little disturbing. "No, she's very important to me. When she was six years old she caught the most terrible fever. The doctors said she wouldn't make it, but I knew otherwise. I sat by her bed and prayed all night long, and when I woke up that morning, her fever had lessened and her color was back. She's always been one to pull through, my Ginny. Never gives up on anything, or anyone." At this, Mrs. Weasley looked up at him with concern in her eyes. "I don't know if her loving you has done either of you any good in the past, but I hope that somehow, it can give you both a future. There's more at stake now that just your own lives. There's a little one now, and you're going to have to take some responsibility. I hope you're ready for that." Mrs. Weasley stood and swayed a little before beginning to head towards the kitchen.
She stopped when she was almost there, and turned around.
"You know, I suppose I ought to thank you for saving her life. But I think, somehow, you've got a long way to go before that'll mean anything to either of us. So maybe, one day, I'll be able to thank you. But not right now." She turned again, calling over her shoulder. "Goodnight, Draco."
"Goodnight Mrs. Weasley." He answered. Mrs. Weasley's reply came back slurred, and he somewhat hoped that her lecture had been the wine's fault.
"Please dear, it's Molly. They can call me Mrs. at the funeral." And she disappeared through the kitchen and into her bedroom.
Draco stared into the fire for several long moments, waiting for Ginny to return. What Mrs. Weasley had said was probably true. It was hard to think that any of them could accept him here. And he didn't much like the idea of living at the burrow. He decided suddenly that he would go house shopping soon, probably tomorrow. If he and Ginny were really going to have a life together, it should be in a place where they could make their own memories, not live in the shadow of their parents.
Ginny walked back into the room and sat down next to the fireplace, staring fixedly at him.
"You were wonderful tonight." She told him with a smile, pulling her knees up to her chest. Draco moved down to sit by her.
"It was harder than it looked." He promised, smirking. Ginny only shook her head.
"Lara loves you. She's absolutely smitten. Though I don't know if she actually understands everything that's going on. And you seemed to do alright with everyone else, my brothers that is, and Cassie. Dad even seemed to want to like you." She insisted, and Draco shook his head.
"They don't approve." He told her, looking to the dim kitchen.
"They don't have to." Ginny moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "I approve."
Draco smiled. "I'll bet you do." He leaned in and gently kissed her, relaxed by the familiar feel of her lips.
They pulled apart and cuddled for several minutes before Draco figured he should enlighten her on his plan.
"Do you like living here?" He asked, looking around. Ginny shrugged.
"Its home." She closed her eyes again and laid her head on his shoulder. Draco played with one lock of her hair while he thought.
"How do you feel about finding somewhere else? Somewhere all our own?" He asked at last, looking once more through the pictures on the walls. Ginny's head lifted off his shoulder and she looked at him cautiously.
"I'd love it. But I don't think Mom would approve." She said, wrinkling her nose. Draco smirked.
"I'm serious, you know. If this…" He struggled to find the right words. "If this is what we want, to be together, to get married and live happily ever after, then we need to start thinking about our future. We have to make plans, for ourselves and for Lara."
Ginny grinned. "The fatherly instinct kicks in." She kidded, but Draco just poked her. He had to admit, he did adore the little 5 year old. She'd be 6 soon too, old enough to start school. "What're you going to do? I mean, technically you have enough money that you'd never have to work again, so it really doesn't matter."
"Neither of us ever has to work again if we don't want to." He told her, feeling suddenly protective of her. "But I think I want to help you. I already know you aren't going to stop fighting until the war is over, so I figure I might as well be there with you." He shrugged, as though it didn't matter, but it apparently did to Ginny.
She kissed him fully and hugged him tightly. They stayed that way, and he was grateful for their closeness.
"You'll have to change your schedule, I hope you're aware, to something like Harry and Hermione have." He added, not being able to bear the thought of behind away from her for 6 months at a time. Ginny nodded, and kissed him again.
"Come on, they'll be plenty of time for all this in the morning. Let's go to bed." She stood and held out her hand. Draco took it and followed her to her room.
Ginny went into the bathroom to change, and Draco found this absurd, as he'd soon be undressing her again anyway. She smirked at this thought and changed into sleeping cloths himself.
"Do you really want to get married?" She asked when she came back from changing. Draco paused, studying her. She crawled into bed and laid on her side, waiting for him.
"Do you?" He asked, crawling in beside her.
"I'm not asking you." She stated firmly, glancing up at him. Draco smirked.
"Then you'll have to wait." He told her, lying down.
"For what?" She asked curiously, cuddling up next to him. Draco smiled broadly.
"For me to buy the ring."
Draco woke up for the first time in a long time feeling whole. He felt renewed and happy, and he was sure it had something to do with the redhead lying next to him. He smiled, watching the sun start to peak through the curtains.
He got up gently from the bed, quietly putting on his dressing robe as to not wake Ginny and headed downstairs. He didn't figure anyone would be awake, and he was right.
He went into the backyard and looked at the pale luminescence before him, thinking just how lucky he really was.
He had been given a second chance. After everything that had happened, after all the death and the war and the pain, if felt so strange to be happy and safe and complete. He had missed so much of the wizarding world, waiting for death in a Death Eater camp. He had missed the birth of his child, his firstborn, and he had missed Ginny.
Yes, things had changed. Things would never be the same again.
Draco didn't think he wanted them to be.
He could feel the painful burning in his arm, his mark coming alive once more. The strange symbol no longer meant anything to him. It simply served as a scar of the past.
Draco's thoughts turned to Blaise and Nott, and the lives of the innocent children in the camp. He wondered what would become of them, and if he'd ever see them again as Blaise had predicted.
At the moment, he wasn't sure where his life would be taking him. He knew two things: He was going to marry Ginny, and he was no longer a Death Eater. Everything else was a bit of a blur.
It wasn't going to be easy, he knew that. But it was a struggle he wouldn't regret.
Draco pulled the red diary from his pocket, running his hands over the worn leather. He opened it up and flipped through the pages, reading over words that seemed to be from a different lifetime yet were still very real.
He closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer for everyone who had been lost to the dark, and everyone who was still fighting it. And, of course, those who followed it as well. Those who had not been as lucky as him.
"What're you doing?" A tiny, sleepy voice came from beside him, startling him from his reverie.
Draco looked down to see Lara beside him, tiredly rubbing her eyes. She was holding a big stuffed rabbit in her arms. Her hair was tousled, and she was wearing a long sleeved pink night gown. Draco pocketed the diary and smiled.
"I'm watching the sunset. What're you doing up so early?" He asked. Lara shrugged.
"I heard you get up." It was a simple answer. She held out her arms expectantly, wanting to be picked up. Draco complied and hoisted her onto his side, where she rested her head against his and stared at the rising sun once more.
Draco turned his head back out as well, studying the colors. The pale yellows slipped over the darker oranges and the once bright reds turned to barely visible pinks. He hadn't watched a sunrise in a long time.
He heard a noise behind him, and he didn't have to look back to know Ginny was awake too. She came over to them and glanced briefly at Draco and Lara before grinning and studying the sunrise for herself.
This was true happiness, Draco mused. This was a life. This is where it starts. Right here. Right now.
Ginny laced her arm around his midsection and he draped an arm around her shoulders. Lara's head bobbed down on his shoulder, a sign she was drifting off to sleep again.
"I just love happy endings." Ginny mused, smiling at him. Draco shook his head.
"There isn't an end in sight." He kissed her once, and then they turned once more to the beginning of a new day.
End
AN: And so, The Absence of Good draws to a close. I hope you all liked the ending! However, there will be one more chapter posted; i'm in the process of doing a comentary on the whole story, so if any of you want to read that it'll be up soon too. I am sorry this chapter took so long, but i wanted to get it right. For all of my loyal fans, i want you all to know that i am working on a sequel, but it might be some time before thats happens. I just want to say thanks to everyone who had supported me and read this story and kept it going. You guys are awesome! Also, i would kill for some fanart to go with this story. Just a note, teehee.
Once again, thanks to the many readers, and remember to check back for the Sequel: Where it Takes Us (working title)
A new day has come...
By Celine Dion
I was waiting for so long
For a miracle to come
Everyone told me to be strong
Hold on and don't shed a tear.
Through the darkness and good times
I knew I'd make it through
And the world thought I had it all
But I was waiting for you
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun
A new day has come…
Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength…
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new son
A new day has come!
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new son
A New Day Has Come…
