Chapter 7
Ginny awoke with a start. Her head was pounding and the first thing on her mind was making a headache potion. She slipped on her robe and headed into the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a head of white blond hair sticking up over the top of the sofa.
"Draco?" she called. He stirred and then bolted upright. She laughed. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you said to come over whenever and I was worried about you. You sounded so tired last night! I know Pansy likes to shop- I guess she wore you out. Anyway,I came over bright and early this morning but you were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you. I guess I fell asleep." Ginny stood behind the couch, stroking his silky hair.
"Awe, thanks honey!" she cooed in a baby-like voice she knew he hated. She snickered as he scowled playfully at her. She glanced at the clock. Eleven in the morning! Merlin, she'd slept in. Draco was trying to pull her over onto the couch with him. "Um, Draco," she began." We need to be at my folks house in an hour. We've got to tell them about our engagement. I need to owl mum and let her know we are coming for Sunday lunch!"
"Relax," Draco said, winding a comforting arm around her. "Your dad will let your mum know. It's all taken care of."
"What do you mean? How'd you know I would want to… what has my dad got to do with it?" she asked curiously.
"I met him for lunch earlier in the week to ask for your hand. He suggested we come for lunch. I told him I'd see to it that we did."
Ginny gaped at him. "You asked my father… for permission… to marry me?" she asked.
"Yes of course. Despite the poor nature of some of the things I may have been brought up to believe, I was not brought up without manners. I did what any young man does. He asks the father for permission. To do it any other way would be uncivilized." Draco wrinkled his nose at the thought.
"And he said yes?" she cried, clasping her hands together, happy that at least one family member had consented.
"Naturally. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise. I would have had to prove myself worthy before returning to ask his permission again." Tears of joy were streaming down Ginny's face.
"Oh Draco! I do love you so very much!" She kissed him sweetly on the mouth. "I guess I'd best go and get ready." Draco nodded and Ginny went about cleaning up and dressing. She'd forgotten all about making a headache potion, as her headache had subsided.
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Ginny and Draco flooed into the Burrow shortly before noon. Apparently, although Mr. Weasley hadn't told anyone about any kind of announcement, he'd made sure the clan was all there. Ron and Hermione were sitting in the living room talking with Charlie, Bill and Fleur, and Angelina Johnson (who was soon to become Angelina Weasley). Fred and George were off somewhere, no doubt up to no good.
Mr. And Mrs. Weasley emerged from the kitchen to call everyone in for lunch. Mrs. Weasley shrieked and ran over to hug Ginny, giving Draco and smile and a hug as well. She'd become quite taken with the young man from the stories of all the nice things he did for Ginny. A moment later, Ginny was shocked to hear someone else floo in. She turned around to see Harry.
"Hullo Gin. Malfoy," he said flatly. He greeted everyone else rather warmly. Ginny eyed Draco and then her dad. She patted Draco's arm and went into the kitchen after her father who'd disappeared suddenly.
"Dad!" she hissed. "What is Harry doing here?" she tried her best to keep her voice at a whisper.
"Erm… well since everyone was coming over your mum wanted to invite him and I couldn't very well tell her she shouldn't without ruining the surprise then, could I?" he asked innocently. Ginny fumed. She had seen Harry only once since their conversation at the hospital and he'd completely ignored her and Draco. They had all been at a party and Harry had been happily making his way around the room, flirting with anything female, including Millicent Bulstrode!
Everyone began to file into the kitchen and Ginny quickly grabbed a seat at the other end of the table from Ron and Hermione, hoping Harry would sit near those two, which he did. They made it through dinner without any confrontations. Everyone chatted merrily and Harry seemed to be ignoring the far end of the table where Draco and Ginny sat with her parents and Bill and Fleur.
Once the dishes were cleared, Molly brought out a cake and ice cream. Mr. Weasley stood and produced a bottle of champagne. He accio'd the champagne flukes and asked Draco to stand.
"Ahem!" He cleared his thought as he gathered everyone's attention. Ginny began to blush. "I had a meeting this week. Draco, would you like to explain?" Ginny saw her mum's eyes begin to tear up.
Draco rose and smiled at Arthur, then at Ginny. "I had lunch with Mr. Weasley this week and I asked him if I could have Ginny's hand in marriage." Mrs. Weasley let out an audible sob. "He said yes and on Friday night, I asked Ginny to marry me. She has agreed as well, and we are now engaged!"
Cries of 'hear hear' and 'congratulations' rang out from most everyone at the table. Notably missing from the cheers were Ron's voice and Harry's voice. Mrs. Weasley, still sobbing loudly, flew around the table and gathered both Ginny and Draco in her arms. Ginny's eyes were wet and she smiled at Draco, who took her hand and squeezed it. Once Molly let the couple go, Ginny was attacked by Hermione, Fleur, and the other girls demanding a look at her engagement ring. Ginny had cloaked it with a charm before they left her flat and now uncloaked it to show it off. Fred, George, and Charlie were busy taking the mickey out of Draco for asking their goofy sister to marry him.
Ginny looked around as the girls admired her ring. Ron and Harry had left the room. 'Fantastic,' she thought. She tapped Hermione's shoulder. "Hermione, where's Ron." Hermione frowned.
"He probably went with Harry. I know he's got to be upset about this. I'm happy for you, Gin, really I am! But, even though he's never been able to maybe express it in the way you wanted Harry cared about you and this hurts him." Hermione whispered. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron will be supportive, I'll see to that," she reassured.
"Good. I am happy, Hermione! So much more happy than I could have ever imagined!"
"I know you are," Hermione smiled. "I can see it. And Ron will too. Perhaps even Harry, once he finds what will make him happy." There was sadness in Hermione's smile as she said this. With Voldemort defeated, Harry had been troubled by finding himself; finding value in his life after Voldemort.
Ginny was pulled from this train of thought by her mum's grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her into the living room. "Now, we've got lots of planning to do! Have you set a date?" Ginny nodded no. "Well, I think a spring wedding in the garden would be just lovely!" Ginny nodded slightly as her mother rambled on about this and that. She smiled at Draco, who came into the room and headed outside with her brothers; a pickup game of Quidditch no doubt.
By the time they left the Burrow later that evening, Mrs. Weasley had managed to get Ginny and Draco to agree to a wedding date, bridesmaids and groomsmen, and even a colour scheme. Ron had returned and reluctantly offered Draco and Ginny his congratulations, but Harry had been nowhere in sight. For this, Ginny was grateful.
"Merlin, your mom is tiring!" Draco sighed as he yawned, stepping from Ginny's fireplace.
"Don't I know it! It's almost enough to make me want to elope!" she laughed. Draco snickered and headed for her room.
"Coming?" he asked slyly.
"Can you stay? I thought you had a trip this week?"
"I do but I moved my departure to tomorrow afternoon. I missed you last night!" he smiled and he returned to her, pulling her into his arms and nuzzling her neck. She let him lift her into his arms and carry her into the bedroom and make long, slow love to her.
Later, as they both lay there naked and exposed in the dark, Ginny cuddled up to Draco. He squeezed her tightly, reveling in the tingling just the slightest touch of her sent through is body.
"So what'd you say? To my dad?" she asked. Draco sighed.
"Well, first of all I thanked him for he and your mum producing such a beautiful daughter who is by far the best shag in all of England, probably the world actually," Ginny laughed but he continued. "Then I told him that you were doing so well as a Healing Intern that I think you'll end up being the most brilliant Healer in all of the Wizarding world which will make you wealthy and I told him how much I want a sugar momma. That was all it took. He agreed immediately."
Ginny's sides ached as she laughed. Draco tickled her, making it worse. "But what did you really say?" she exclaimed between fits of laughter. He stopped his tickling and pulled her to him, tilting her chin up so her eyes met his.
"I told him that you are the most beautiful, kind, intelligent, giving person I have ever known. I told him I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life without you. I promised him that I would protect you, love you, and give you everything your heart desires. I promised to be an active participant in any family we make and," Ginny smiled as she thought of having children with Draco. "And quite frankly, I begged him to let me marry you. I think he was quite amused. Probably never thought a Malfoy would come to him begging for anything."
"Yes, but he likes you. He knows you're not your father."
"Yes. My father is not even my father anymore. I hope he never is… as he once was. I wish he just… Oh I don't know what I wish." Draco let go of Ginny and clasped at his temples as if he had a headache.
"What is it? Can I get you something?"
Draco shook his head and returned his arms to her. "I just want to hold you and go to sleep." He smiled and kissed her chastely on the lips.
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With Draco gone out of town the following weekend on a business trip, Ginny had plenty of time to pour over books and potions with Philip and Pansy. Philip had brought in a few medications he hadn't thought of before. Pansy had taken him to visit Lucius Malfoy and he felt the symptoms were similar to something he called 'Dementia' and 'Alzheimer's.' He'd given Pansy and Ginny reading material on the two conditions and they had agreed that some medications that helped with that might benefit them in their search for something to help bring an intelligible part of Lucius Malfoy back.
"These acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the newest drugs in terms of treating Dementia and Alzheimer's. Basically they prevent acetylcholine being eliminated too quickly by a substance responsible for its breakdown. While they are not a cure, they can help stave off deterioration, preserving and partially improving mental capacities and coping with daily activities. I think if we use these in combinations with a few of your potions and perhaps a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, perhaps a dopaminergic stimulant as well."
Ginny sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. "Let's get to work on it then. Pansy, were you able to get one of the Interns currently on rotation in Pysch to get you another sample?"
"Yes, but this has to be used in miniscule samples. We can't get any more without risking further damage," she said as she handed Ginny the vial filled with small samplings of brain cells from Mr. Malfoy.
The three of them got down to work and spent a total of forty hours that weekend testing potions and doses on the valuable cells. Finally, they got a response from titrated combinations of the medicines and potions Philip had suggested. Finding the right dose was what had been difficult.
"Now," Pansy instructed. "I am going to request that you and I move back into Pysch rotation on Monday. Hopefully, we can be placed back in the following week. I will have to tell Healer Bennett what we have been up to, but I am sure given the nature of research and how widely this could be used, it'll be no problem."
Ginny and Philip nodded. "What about making a supply of potion then?" Ginny asked.
"Take whatever you like. Make as much as you like. I've brought lots of vials and flasks for you and plenty of samples from my office. Drug companies send us tons of samples every month so we'll try their products. I can keep you well in stock of what you need. Your fiancee's father will likely be on this for the rest of his life," Philip said as he handed her the vial of the successful fluid.
All three of them packed up all the potions, medication vials, and flasks, and Philip handed Ginny the parchment containing the final 'recipe.' Philip and Pansy helped her floo the boxes to her flat, and store them in a closet in her spare room. After they left, she went straight to bed and slept soundly, knowing she was not far away from showing Draco just how much she loved him.
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A/N: Ah! Love the reviews and love writing the FLUFF! We're pretty near the end, a couple more chapters and an epilogue probably. Thanks so much for all you who have reviewed and let me know you like this! I don't need the reviews to continue, but it does help knowing someone appreciates what you are doing. Thank you all again SO MUCH:)