Draco looked at his face in the mirror and swore…a week later and the bruise was still as brutally purple as it had been the first day he had gotten it. He cursed his pale complexion and went about using a glamour to cover it.
It was still early and Ginny was not up yet… lately she had been sleeping very poorly and he dared not perturb this brief reprieve she had from insomnia. Instead, he went to the sitting room, poured himself a cup of tea and took the time to open the daily prophet.
Taking a long sip he perused the front…and spat the tea in a violent spray. The bold headline pronounced: Malfoy harlot set to deliver unknown man's babies! Rita Skeeter reporting:
It seems once again little Miss Weasley is back in the news for some less than decent reasons. Recently Miss Weasley wed Draco Malfoy, a well off, handsome man and was soon after discovered pregnant. Scandal averted? Not quite…our sources have reported that Mr. Malfoy was unaware of the pregnancy when he married her and is said to NOT be the father.
What can this mean? Only that little Miss Weasley couldn't keep her legs shut and has now forever tarnished the prominent Malfoy name. Our condolences go out accordingly.
Gasping, he threw the paper aside. "She's going to kill me…" he breathed heavily. This was too much! He wanted to get the focus off of her… not to dig her in deeper!
It hurt…it hurt to breathe. His head swum from lack of oxygen and Draco was forced to sit down again. This was bad…so very bad and about to get a lot worse.
Ginny wrapped her robe around her enormous belly as she padded into the sitting room. Immediately she felt the tension and turned to Draco who seemed to be having a full scale panic attack. "Draco, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly.
"Nothing." He said quickly…but a little too quickly.
She narrowed her eyes. "We've been married for 7 months…you can't hide anything from me." Sitting down next to him, she rubbed his back gently. "Tell me what it is."
Draco swallowed and handed her the paper. His blood pounded in his ears as she watched her eyes widen. "I'm so sorry Ginny…"
"You? What are you sorry about, love?" Ginny looked up into his moody grey eyes. "I'm not much of a Hollyhead Harpies fan anyway."
Shock registered on his face as he looked down…the article was gone and replaced with a rather long article on Regina Malcolm's addiction of sleeping potions. "Oh I-I…I suppose I'm being silly."
Leaning over, she kissed his cheek gently. "I would never think anything that you care about is silly." Folding the newspaper again, she placed it on his lap. "Now the babies and I are starving…will you join us in the kitchen for some breakfast?"
"In a bit love, I want to write a letter to my mum. I'll be down in a moment though." He gave her a sweet smile and watched as she waddled away. If it were possible, he thought her more beautiful than ever before. There was beauty in the knowledge that she was carrying his children within her…
And he would protect them at any cost.
"You can thank me later." A sneering voice came from behind Draco. "Right now, we have some business."
Draco nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of that voice. "Father! How did you get through the wards?"
Lucius rolled his icy blue eyes skyward. "I owled Goyle this morning and he approved a visit…" he started. " With that being said, WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE THINKING, BOY?" he roared, grabbing Draco by the shirt and pinning him against the couch. "Are you bloody mad or just stupid?"
As much as Draco hated to admit it…he was frightened. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." He stuttered, watching his father fume in anger.
"No? Then why would I receive a letter from Bartemius Crouch telling him that you're going to betray Pansy Parkinson for information?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"What else am I to do? I have to keep Ginny safe!" Draco retorted, pulling away from his father.
Lucius frowned, breathing heavily. "You do not betray your friends for anything!" His voice was deadly calm now. "I learned that the hard way and I will not let my son make the same mistake as I did."
Draco watched in astonishment as tears began to form in his father's eyes. "Your mother was my best friend…my confidante…and I betrayed her all for what! Why did I do it?" He cried painfully. "For power, money, greed! I wanted information…I wanted it all…and when I had it all, I was angry and lonely and I had lost my best friend."
Draco felt helpless…what was he to say? What WAS there to say? Never had Lucius Malfoy been this intimate with his son. He was almost certain that Lucius Malfoy had never even cried before; in fact, Draco had doubted that his father even had the ABILITY to cry.
"You're going to give this up; do you understand me, boy?" Lucius asked gruffly.
He nodded profusely and said nothing more. With interest, he watched his father straighten his clothes and floo away without another word.
Thinking on it, Draco was sure that was one of the strangest things he'd ever witnessed. It was right up there with his quickie wedding and finding out Ginny was pregnant.
Pansy huffed as she walked into the sitting room. "That girl is going to be the death of me! It's the end of August, the hottest days of the year, and she wants to wear her winter woolies!" Shaking her head, she looked over at Draco. "Is something wrong?"
"Well…it's my father." He began carefully.
"What about your father? Is he ill?" Pansy asked hurriedly and sat beside him. "Oh please tell me he's not sick…not with things being how they are!"
Draco smirked. "My father? I don't think he's ever been sick a day in his life..." he sighed heavily. "He visited me this morning."
Pansy was struck silent for a moment. "He came here? Couldn't that be dangerous?"
"He came here to yell at me and nothing more. Besides, he can always tell the Death Eaters that he's working with me…" Draco reasoned. "Because I've been in contact with Bartemius Crouch."
"Why?" Pansy burst out. "Why would you ever speak to that bastard?"
He was quiet for a moment as he looked into Pansy's eyes. "Well, I was trying to get information on the whereabouts of Percy Weasley… you know, to help Ginny."
"Well?" she demanded, feeling more excited as she thought of the prospects. If they found Percy this war was over… "Does he know anything?"
Draco was silent for a moment. "Yes, he knows everything…but the trade off for information is too great. I will let my father handle it."
Pansy was confused now. "What do you mean? There's nothing I wouldn't trade to save the person I loved! I'd sell my soul if it meant that Goyle would live…"
"Pansy…it's you." He said quietly. "He wants you in exchange for information."
A pin could be heard dropping down the lane…
She stared into his cold grey eyes, not daring to move or speak just yet. He was just as staunch in his resolution. Shifting uncomfortably, he looked into her eyes, steeling himself against looking away.
Swallowing deliberately, Pansy exhaled deeply. "Then you will have to trade me."
Of all the things he was expecting THAT was not one of them. "No Pansy, you can't!"
"But you were willing to before?" She burst out. "I'm going to do this! And you're going to help me!"
Nodding, he took her hand. "He wants me to lure you just outside of the wards and we'll exchange. I'll get his information, he'll take you." Draco explained. "But he'd rape you or kill you Pansy, I can't have that on my conscience and I can't do that to Goyle!"
Pansy stood up. "Stop telling me what you can't do and start telling me what you CAN do! You need this information to save your wife…your VERY PREGNANT wife, Draco. This isn't a game!"
"I certainly don't find this fun, Pansy!" He spat caustically. "And I want this to end just as much as you do—if not more. Don't accuse me of taking this lightly…because I was all too ready to sell you out to Bartemius Crouch for whatever information he would give me."
"And your father changed all of that?" She pressed, pressing her hands into her hips.
Draco stood as well. "He cried, Pansy…and these weren't tears of joy." He said quietly. "This was years of anguish and torment pent up and finally exploded. He told me that betraying my love and my friends will make me a bitter, angry man in the end…and that I cannot do it."
She nodded. "You do what your heart tells you…but my mind won't change: if you need help, I am here." Leaning down, she gently gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're a good friend."
Draco didn't feel very much like a good friend…not after what he had done and was continuing to do behind Ginny's back. Instead of arguing with her, which was pointless, he stood and went down to the kitchen to where Ginny was sitting with Faye.
Faye giggled as she pressed her hand onto Ginny's belly. "Is that really the babies?" she asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.
"Yes, and very soon they will be born!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling at the young girl beside her.
Faye looked troubled for a moment. "How do you get them out of your stomach? Do you have to throw up?" she asked innocently.
Like a deer in headlights, Ginny frenetically racked her brain for any explanation to give the young girl. How did she explain that she had to squeeze two 5 pound babies out of an opening no larger than a lemon? It wasn't something you could say to a young child…
"No, Merlin comes and magically removes the babies." Draco cut in from the doorway. Smirking, he sat down beside Ginny.
Ginny flashed him a grateful smile and kissed him chastely on the mouth. "I hope you gave your mum my regards."
"Of course." He answered absently and grabbed a blueberry scone off of a platter. Ginny kept on chattering with Faye on babies, names and such but Draco couldn't bring himself to join in. Occasionally he grunted his approval on one subject or another…but his father's and Pansy's words haunted him.
Draco had a lot to think on…and not a lot of time to do so.
A/N: Thank you fans for all your support! I am fully moved back to America now…and please pray for me, I am waiting for news on my loan that should come by September 1st! I have now read Half Blood Prince in English…and it's not imperative that you not say HBP spoilers in your reviews. And again, thank you for that patience!
And thank you for your reviews! Leave some more for me! What should happen next?