Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little.
AUTHORS NOTESThank you to Rainpuddle13 for her amazing beta work!
This cookie falls between chapters 38 and 39 of Dragon and Angel.
DADDY'S NOT THAT BAD
Draco stood just over the threshold of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, glancing around for the familiar red hair reminiscent of the Weasley clan.
"Malfoy, what brings you here so early?" Harry Potter asked from behind the blond.
"Potter, I don't suppose Weasley has seen fit to turn up for work yet?"
"Yeah Ron's here, but he's checking on Pansy."
"Checking on her?"
"Morning sickness. He heads down every morning, gets a belly full of guilt then comes up here and whines all day about how it's all his fault."
"Well, if he'd just kept his pants on, she wouldn't be sick."
"True."
Draco checked his pocket watch. He had to keep an eye on the time; if he were too late for work his father wouldn't be pleased. "So how long does it take him to fuss over her?"
"He should be up soon," Harry replied, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Good, I need to talk to him before I go to work."
"Oh, anything you can share?"
"I imagine you'll be in the vicinity when I tell Weasley what I've done for him."
"You've done something for Ron?"
"Is there something wrong with that, Potter?"
"Umm, no, I guess not, as long as it's not going to cost him his life."
"There are no guarantees."
"I swear, Harry, never again. Next time I get the urge to shag her, do me a favor and hex me or something," Ron muttered as he entered the Aurors department.
Draco smirked at the redhead. "Good morning, Weasel."
"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron asked wearily.
"I thought you might be interested to know that I had breakfast with Alfred Parkinson this morning."
"You what?"
"And for some reason, I felt obliged to tell him what a fine upstanding wizard you are. Of course, the fact that you love his only daughter was also mentioned."
"I'm dead! He's going to kill me!"
Draco rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "Calm yourself, Weasley. I told him that I'd never seen Pansy happier and you're the reason for her happiness."
"You did?"
"I told you I'd put in a good word for you and a Malfoy always keeps his word."
"Err, thanks, I think."
"No problem. Mr. Parkinson is expecting you straight after work by the way."
"But…"
"Weasley, just go ask him for his blessing while what I've told him is fresh in his mind."
"Yeah, I suppose I should, but he doesn't like me very much."
"So change his mind. If you don't show up it won't look good."
"Yeah, you're right," Ron admitted grudgingly.
"Good. I'll be off then, have a good day!" Draco smirked as he sauntered out of the Aurors department. He knew that Ron would be thinking of what Alfred Parkinson might do him for the rest of the day and this buoyed his mood considerably.
Ron sighed pensively. "I'll have to take Pansy home first; then duck out for a while. We're supposed to be having dinner with my parents and I don't want her around when her father hexes me to Hades."
"You're going to tell her what you're up to?"
"No way, she'd stop me for sure. The idea of me and her father in the same room just terrifies her."
"So how are you going to get out?"
"I'll have to sneak out." Ron paused for a moment. "How about you and Mione come over for dinner? That way you can distract her while I sneak out."
"I could do that," Harry agreed.
"Of course, I can't let on to Mum what I'm doing. She'd just make a fuss and then Pansy would find out."
"Hermione and Ginny can keep your mum occupied," Harry assured his best friend. "It'll be fine."
"Yeah, sure it will," Ron muttered absently. His thoughts were already turning to how he was not only going to manage to sneak out of the Burrow, but also to how he was going to ask Alfred Parkinson for his only daughter's hand in marriage.
Ron stood on the doorstep of the Parkinson's manor. He was beyond nervous; it felt as though every fiber in his body was shaking in fear. The door swung open before he could gather his Gryffindor courage and a small dirty house elf admitted him.
"Mr. Weasley will follow Inky to Master."
"Yeah, okay," Ron muttered.
He found himself being led into an area of the house he had not visited before. The corridor was dark and covered with portraits of old wizards; he presumed they were Parkinsons by the way they sneered at him. The elf stopped in front of a set of double oak doors and rapped upon it sharply.
"Enter." The unmistakable voice of Alfred Parkinson rumbled from within.
Ron watched on as the house elf opened the doors. He more than half wished he could stop him, but he couldn't — this was it. He would ask for Pansy's hand in marriage, even if it killed him in the process. With steely determination, he stepped into the shadowy room. The room was so dim it took Ron several moments to adjust to the difference in lighting. Mr. Parkinson was reclining in his chair behind his large desk.
"Mr. Parkinson."
"Weasley."
"I…err…hope I'm not disturbing you," Ron stuttered as the newly born determination trickled out of his body and he began questioning if being here was entirely good for his health.
"No matter, you're here now," Alfred Parkinson growled as his gaze wandered over a stack of parchments in front of him.
Ron stood in the middle of the room looking decidedly uncomfortable. Mr. Parkinson had made no move to invite him to take a seat or to welcome him into his sanctum any further and Ron was unsure how to proceed. He cleared his throat uneasily and shuffled forward a little. The silence was deafening and he could feel the other man's eyes boring into his chest.
"Err—Nice room," Ron ventured hesitantly.
The older wizard regarded him like an Acromantula. This boy wasn't good enough for his baby girl and to make matters worse, he'd impregnated her. The urge to draw his wand and wipe the existence of this slime from the earth's surface was great. "Sit," Alfred snarled.
"Thank you," Ron uttered.
"I presume you have an agenda."
"Umm— Yes— Yes, I do."
"Get on with it then! I don't have all night."
"Yeah, sure." Ron took a deep breath. "Sir, I love Pansy very much and I would like your permission to ask for her hand in marriage."
"Really? And this sudden desire to marry my daughter wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that she's pregnant?"
"No." Ron shook his head vehemently.
"Why is it that I don't believe you?"
"I— I don't know, sir."
"Let me enlighten you, boy." Alfred leaned forward on his desk in a predatory manner. "You've been seeing my daughter for some time now and yet you never bothered to seek my permission to do so. Now she's pregnant, because you couldn't keep your filthy hands to yourself. This is a meeting you've been putting off for a long time, boy, and you're only doing it now because you have to, not because you want to."
Ron stared at the older man. His temper was rising and he fought to keep control of what may come out of his mouth. Now was not the time to tell the arrogant old bastard what he thought of him, not if he wanted to make it out of here alive. "I never asked your permission to see Pansy, because she is capable of making her own decisions and as for her being pregnant... Well, I didn't rape her if that's what you're implying. And I'm here because I love Pansy. I want to marry her. I have for a long time."
"Whether my daughter is capable of making her own decisions or not, does not erase the fact that you did not follow protocol and request permission to court her. I didn't imply that you'd raped her, if I thought that, you'd not be breathing right now. We, as men, know that a few carefully placed words here and there will have any woman just where we like to have them. I merely meant that you seduced her."
The first thing that crossed Ron's mind was that this man didn't have the slightest idea about the woman his daughter had become. She was an animal in the bedroom or broom shed or where ever they happened to be at the time. He'd never had to seduce her as such. It was on the tip of his tongue to explain this to the ignorant wizard, but he thought the better of it at the last moment. "Pansy would have been insulted if I'd asked your permission to see her."
"Perhaps, but at least you would have done the right thing."
"And have lost her in the process."
"Not if she truly wanted to see you."
"She's stubborn. She wouldn't have given me a chance just to spite me."
The feral grin on Alfred's face was frightening. Ron knew that the man didn't need further explanation of what would have happened, in fact he knew all too well how Pansy would have reacted and could now only dream it had happened that way.
Ron shook his head mentally. They were getting nowhere fast and he still didn't have an answer to his question. "Sir, I don't mean to rush you or anything, but Pansy is waiting for me at home and she'll wonder where I am if I don't put an appearance in soon."
"So?" Alfred posed quizzically. This boy was far too easy to torture; there was almost no fun in it at all.
Ron took a deep breath to steady himself and reiterated his question, "Do I have your permission to ask your daughter to marry me?"
"You know, I've had some time to think about your request—"
"Malfoy told me he had breakfast with you."
Alfred sneered. "He seems to think very highly of you and your family."
"If you think I put him up to—"
"Calm down, boy. I don't think you're capable of putting Draco Malfoy up to anything. That man wouldn't do anything he didn't want to do."
Ron fell silent. It was taking every ounce of strength he had not to tell the man to go to hell and storm out of the house.
"I have a few questions for you and I want honest answers." Alfred leaned back in his chair again, seemingly relaxed. "Where do you propose to live?"
"We haven't discussed it yet, but I thought we might get a place near London."
"I see. How do you propose to support my daughter?"
"I have a job, sir," Ron ground out. He knew Alfred Parkinson was fully aware of his occupation. "I'm an Auror with the Ministry of Magic and I earn a good wage."
"A dangerous career. Are you sure Pansy will be happy with you putting your life on the line every day?"
"She knows what my job involves and it doesn't bother her."
"It doesn't bother her yet. Women change when they have children. What would you do if she decided she wasn't happy with you working in such a dangerous position?"
"We'd discuss it, but she knows I love my work and it won't be an issue."
"So you'd continue even though she wasn't happy with your decision."
"Yes—no—I—."
"Well what is it, boy? Yes or no?"
"I—" Ron sighed heavily. He didn't even want to consider transferring to a desk job. He loved what he did and nothing could replace the adrenalin rush he got whenever they caught a dark wizard after a long chase. "I couldn't give up my job without a good reason."
"And my daughter being afraid for her husband's safety wouldn't be a good enough reason?"
Ron's head snapped up. Had he just referred to him as Pansy's husband? "No, I'd stay on as an active Auror."
Alfred quirked an eyebrow curiously; perhaps this boy had more backbone than he gave him credit for. "Really?"
"No—I mean we'd talk—yeah we'd talk about it and—"
"Calm yourself, boy," Alfred snarled with slightly less venom than before. "You answered the question honestly the first time."
"I never want to make her unhappy and if my job bothered her that much then I'd consider other options."
Alfred nodded pensively. He was aware that he didn't really have any choice but to grant his permission. Pansy was, after all, carrying the man's child and she did claim to love him for some bizarre reason Alfred couldn't quite fathom. "Very well, you have my permission to request Pansy's hand in marriage."
"Really?" Ron was flabbergasted. He didn't think the old man was going to ever give him permission. "Thank you, sir. I promise I'll—"
"Don't promise me anything." Alfred interrupted harshly. "My daughter is the one you need to make your promises to. However, I will make you a promise. If you make my daughter unhappy, in any way, I will kill you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Ron swallowed hard. He was certain the threat was not an empty promise. Auror or not, it wouldn't exempt him from this man's fury if he deemed his daughter was not happy.
"Now for a property appropriate to house my daughter and grandchild."
Ron frowned in confusion. He was certain he hadn't heard correctly. "Excuse me, sir."
"A house," Alfred rephrased with impatience. "We have a property in Oxford, nice house, lots of room for children to run around, lovely country setting. Smaller than this house, but ample room, I'm sure."
"I—err." Ron was stuck. He knew being given a house would take a lot of stress off of him, but the knowledge that he would owe Alfred Parkinson was irking. "I'm perfectly capable of finding a home for us to live in. It might not be as big or fancy as one of your properties, but it would be all ours."
"Just something for you to mull over. My daughter is accustomed to a certain lifestyle."
"Yeah, thanks," Ron muttered with no conviction. He was well aware Pansy had a liking for the finer things in life, things he wouldn't always be able to provide for her, but she was still with him and that counted for something. "I won't take up anymore of your time, sir. Thank you for hearing me out."
"You're welcome." Alfred stood and offered his hand to Ron.
It wasn't until Ron had Apparated safely into the yard of the Burrow that he began to breathe again. He'd made it out alive and now he had but one task left to complete his mission. The little velvet box in his cloak pocket bumped tauntingly against his chest whenever he moved, as it had since he'd picked it up this morning. He took a deep breath and opened the kitchen door.
"Ron! Where have you been? I was getting worried," Pansy shrieked as soon as she saw him.
"I'm fine and I'm home. Calm down." He removed his cloak and draped it over a chair.
"Everything go all right, mate?" Harry enquired cautiously.
Ron grinned broadly at his best friend. "Yeah, everything is good."
"Oh. Ron, there you are," Molly said as she bustled into the kitchen. "Go and wash up for dinner, it's about to go on the table. While you're up there you can give Drake a hurry along too."
"Mum, can you just hold off for a few. I need to talk to Pansy...alone."
Molly looked at her son disbelievingly. Of all her brood, Ron was the one who was continually ravenous and a request to hold dinner from him was something to be concerned about. "Is everything all right?"
"We won't be long," Ron assured her as he took hold of Pansy's hand and led her into the front room. He needed to get this over with before he could eat.
"Ron, what's gotten into you? Your mum is about to serve dinner." Pansy couldn't believe her ears when he'd asked that dinner be held a few minutes. He was usually chapping at the bit to start eating, especially at the end of a long day. "And where did you disappear to before? I know Harry knew, but he refused to tell me or your mum."
"I have something I need to ask you."
"Oh?"
"See, I just went to you place. I talked to your father."
Pansy's eyes opened wide with shock. This wasn't good. Ron and her father in the same room without someone to stop them drawing their wands on each other just wasn't a good idea. "What?"
"I'm all right."
"Why on earth would you go and talk to my father?"
Ron went to reach into his pocket to retrieve the little box that had been reminding him of its presence for most of the day. "Bugger! I'll be right back. Don't move!"
As he bolted back into the kitchen, Ron almost knocked Harry over in the process.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked. He'd been trying to listen at the door, but the noise coming from within the kitchen was making it difficult to hear anything.
"Left her ring in my cloak," Ron whispered.
"That's a good start."
"Shut it!" Ron snarled as he fished into his cloak for the little box.
"Oh, Ron," Molly exclaimed. She'd seen the small box as he took it from his cloak. "You're going to—"
"Not now, Mum." In a flash he'd disappeared into the front room again, closing the kitchen door firmly behind him.
"Ron, what is going on?" Pansy stood with her hands on her hips, clearly confused by her boyfriend's behavior. The thought that her father had bewitched him crossed her mind and was summarily dismissed — her father would have instructed him not to come any where near her if he'd had the opportunity to use such a curse.
"Pansy," Ron started as he dropped to one knee. "Will you marry me?"
She blinked a couple of times at him and opened her mouth to respond then closed it again. She hadn't even allowed herself to dream about the day he'd ask for her hand in marriage. She was certain it would never come, but here he was on one knee with a tiny box in his hand. "Oh Ron, yes! YES!"
As the words left her mouth, Ron had jumped to his feet and taken her into his arms. Pansy was beside herself with joy, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Eww! Are you two going to snog?" Drake demanded in a disgusted tone. This was not what he wanted to witness as he innocently wandered to the kitchen table for dinner.
Ron looked smugly at his nephew. "You bet we are."
He captured Pansy's lips in a deep, passionate kiss and ignored the commentary coming from the pint-sized wizard storming into the kitchen.
"Eww! Yuck! That's disgusting!"
Harry was still situated close to the door trying to listen to his best friend's proposal. "What's disgusting, little one?"
"Uncle Ron and Aunt Pansy are snogging!"
A grin spread across Harry's face. Ron had obviously been successful.
"Drake, what have you been told about saying things like that?" Ginny scolded harshly.
"Not to," Drake responded quietly.
"Well, how about you don't?"
"Still disgusting," Drake muttered under his breath.
Molly had left the kitchen in a great hurry when Drake had given his opinion of what Ron and Pansy were doing in the front room. She could be heard gushing over the couple from the kitchen.
Arthur walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see dinner not on the table. He'd had his apology for being late all ready, but it seemed he wouldn't need it. "What is going on here?"
The sound of Arthur's voice booming from the kitchen brought Molly back to the room. "Oh Arthur, Ron has proposed to Pansy! Isn't it wonderful! Another wedding!"
"Well, that is good news," Arthur exclaimed heartily. "And not before time."
When the happy couple finally appeared in the doorway they were immediately pulled into warm embraces. Words of congratulations filled the cozy kitchen and dinner was forgotten for the time being.
Harry finally found himself standing in front of his best friend. "So how did it really go with Mr. Parkinson?"
"Scary. I never want to do that again."
"Daddy's not that bad," Pansy said defensively as her arms wound around his waist.
"Love, I'd rather face He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named every day than face your father again."
"Poor Ron," Pansy purred. She stroked his cheek lovingly, but her smile was born of amusement. Her father was a big softie, in her opinion.
fin