Undivided
Addendum: Not Tomorrow
Author's jibberish: You will now know what happens when Draco decides to go to the Burrows. Thank my sister for pushing this addendum. And thanks to IndigoNightOwl for all your hard work. Draco and Ginny are just too fun to write.
Draco Malfoy was used to being stared at. He had spent the past year teaching at his alma mater, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was also used to silence. Growing up as a single child did not give him the environment for noise. But for them to all sit in silence and pretend not to stare at him was causing his hairs to stand on end.
Draco sat on a soft armchair in the middle of the Weasley living room. To his left on the couch sat Arthur and Charlie. To his right on the loveseat sat Harry. Ron settled on taking his seat at the armrest on the loveseat. Ron's arms were crossed and his lips were in a tight frown, constantly side-glancing at the blond guest. Draco tapped his fingers on the armrest of his own chair and then proceeded to feel the old upholstery that covered it.
It had been nearly a month since the school term was over, thirty days since Ginny's graduation. In all honesty, it was a good time as any…
"So," Arthur broke the heavy silence with a gentle slap on the knee. "How… how is your mother?"
Draco's eyes turned to the man. Grey orbs momentarily glanced up to the three women entering the room from the kitchen.
"The last time I saw her was in the hospital a few months ago," Arthur continued, noticing his wife bringing in a tray of tea.
"She's well," Draco answered, watching Ginny at the corner of his eye. "She's in… better spirits." Lucius was alive after all. Just missing. And most likely, very unhappy with Draco.
"Ah, that's good. I graduated with her, your mother," Arthur told him.
"Yes, she told me of… that," Draco flashed a quick smirk to Ginny as she handed him his tea. He was about to take a drink before he stopped himself. Draco stared at the monstrosity that he held in his hands. It was a stout orange mug with purple polka dots, standing over a blue and yellow striped saucer. He glanced around, noticing the other teacups; a variety of tall, narrow, short, bowl-shaped all with Technicolor stripes and patterns. It was nothing like his uniform silver set he had at home.
"Do you take sugar, Draco?" Molly asked, distributing the tea to the others.
"No, no thank you," he waited until everyone had their own cup before taking a drink.
Ron sipped his tea at an incredibly loud volume. Ginny rolled her eyes while pulling up a stool next to Draco. Hermione took her seat beside Harry while Molly settled on the couch between her husband and her second-born.
"I hear you were teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Charlie inquired as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his tea. "Are you going to teach again? You know, take on that cursed job?"
"I'm up for the challenge, I think." Draco admitted, "I like working there. Teaching has its rewards."
Ron's cough coincidently sounded like "Bull." Ginny shot her brother a look as she sipped her tea.
"Teaching takes patience," Charlie smiled. "A good quality."
Ron's sips and slurps became louder. Hermione elbowed his leg. "Would you like some, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, holding out a plate filled with finger snacks. An assortment of cookies and biscuits were piled on the plate.
He shook his head and noticed her offer some to Harry and Ron. "That's quite a nice bobble on your finger, Granger."
Hermione's lips erupted into a smile. "Yes, well, it's a sapphire, my birthstone." She set the plate back on the coffee table in front of them.
"And you plan to have a September wedding as well?" Draco asked politely. The irony was very clear, remembering the name calling that occurred in their youth.
"We're not sure. Most likely a late summer date. Sometime that falls between our birthdays," Harry answered.
"Sounds like a plan." Didn't they despise each other not too long ago?
"Oh, for pete's sake, I can't stand this," Ron's cup clattered as it made contact with his saucer. "I know you're not here just to chit-chat and drink my tea."
"Ron!" Ginny bit.
"What are you doing here?" Ron ignored his sister's scowling.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Tactless, aren't you?"
"Come on, Ron. It's obvious," Charlie laughed. "We all know very well that Malfoy and Ginny are… well, it's for formality's sake."
Draco gestured something that looked between a half-nod and a half-shrug.
"So, what's your deal, Malfoy?" Ron asked.
Draco stopped drinking from his teacup. "Well, Weasley, I am a simple man who knows exactly what he wants. I want to live on my family's land in the country and have a decent, gratifying job. And I also want to settle down, marry happily," Draco glanced at Ginny, causing her to raise her eyebrows, "and have a child." He continued, looking straight at Ron. "That's where Virginia comes in."
Clatters of cups touching their saucers echoed throughout the dead-silent living room. Everyone's eyes were wide. Molly first broke the silence with tiny whimpers. "Um…um…" Ginny could only look down nervously to take a drink. Maybe she heard that wrong…
"Wh-what do you me-mean by that?" Ron asked carefully.
Draco smirked. "Never quick on the uptake, were you?"
"Why you--!" Ron growled.
"Perhaps I should make my words more plain," Draco placed his cup and saucer down on the table. "I would like very much," he explained, looking straight at her parents, "for Virginia to be my wife."
Ginny spat her tea out.
Draco arched an eyebrow at her, eyes filled with mockery and disgust. "That was lady-like," he teased and handed her the napkin draped lazily over his lap.
"WHAT!" she screamed. "How--! What--! Huh--!"
"Don't act so surprised, Red," Draco shrugged.
"How can I not? Words of marriage never escaped your lips!" Ginny accused. "You never even proposed!"
"But I did give you my proposal," Draco informed her. "You're wearing it right now."
"Wearing?" Ginny's hand automatically flew to her dragon pendant. "You mean… this is… what does this have to do with marriage?"
"For every generation in my family, that necklace is given to the bride of the Malfoy heir. Somewhat like Granger's engagement ring." He paused for a moment. "Didn't I tell you?"
"No!"
"Huh," Draco breathed casually.
"Don't just 'huh' me, Draco!" Ginny jumped to her feet, tea still in hand. "I never agreed to this!"
"So you don't wish to marry me?" Draco's eyebrows rose slightly.
"That's not it," Ginny's cheeks pinkened.
"So you do then?"
Ginny froze for a few seconds, trying to think. Then, it seemed as if she suddenly realized her friends and family were around. "Excuse us," Ginny requested as she grabbed Draco by the wrist and dragged him up the stairs to her room, leaving her tea behind.
Arthur, Charlie, Molly, Hermione, Harry and Ron all sat still in the living room, watching Hurricane Draco-Ginny leave. When Ginny's bedroom door slammed closed, they remained there for a couple of breaths.
Arthur spoke. "Shouldn't, er, we--?"
"Way ahead of you, Dad," Ron jumped out of his seat, followed by his friends, then the rest of the family. Six pairs of feet scurried up the stairs, through the hallway, stopping in front of Ginny's room, trying to listen in.
Draco readjusted his robes when Ginny finished dragging him to her room. "Taking me to the bedroom already?" he laughed. "Who am I to refuse a woman's invitation?"
"Can it, Malfoy," Ginny slapped his shoulder.
"Oh, so back to last-name basis?"
"For now we are until you explain yourself! Why didn't you tell me this was a proposal?" Ginny pointed to the necklace hanging around her neck. "I thought it was just a graduation gift. A really nice graduation gift."
"I thought you knew. Ah well," Draco shrugged and picked up a few photo frames that were sitting on her dresser, chronicling Ginny's youth.
"So that's why you came here? To ask my parents' permission?"
"I assure you, Red, I would marry you regardless of receiving their blessings. I merely came here to inform them."
Ginny felt her initial temper begin to die. After a few breaths, she asked, "Draco, why do you want to marry me?"
Draco put down the green photo-frame he held in his hand. "Are you joking? I risked death for you and you ask why I want to marry you?"
"No, no," Ginny shook her head. "I understand that completely. I just meant…" she sighed. "Why do you want to marry me? I just graduated from school; I'm only starting my internship. I don't really have anything to give you."
"What I want you to give me has no value to it." The air between them grew heavy and Draco stared straight at her in silence. "Besides, I hate to waste," he said, slipping his hands into his pants pockets.
Ginny looked up to him. "Waste?" She watched as Draco strode to the other side of the room and stopped, standing in front of the window.
Draco stared off to the southern horizon that spanned Ginny's bedroom window. "I've already wasted so much time ignoring you the second part of my last year, avoiding you this first term, waiting for you to graduate until last June… It drives me mad when I know that time could have been spent better. My conscience tells me it was worth it, because there you are," he glanced over his shoulder, "alive," and then turned back to the window, "but I still feel cheated."
Ginny swallowed.
"If I feel cheated, then you probably do to." Draco released a soft breath. "I'll make amends to you. The only plausible option I could create to make up for the lost time is give my life to you. And if I have to amend for the rest of my life, I'll gladly accept it."
Draco's breath caught as he felt Ginny's slim frame against his back. She wrapped her arms around his middle, hands meeting at his chest. Ginny buried her face in his back, small beads of tears falling down her face. "Damn you, Draco," she exhaled, sounding somewhat like a laugh. "You didn't plan to marry me tomorrow, did you?"
"Gods, no." He continued to stare at the field outside. "You know, a year from now, I'll probably still be teaching or holding a job at the ministry. You'll mostly likely have your permanent position at the Daily Prophet. And probably in a year or two, you'll be married to me," he mused, placing a hand over her folded ones.
Ginny giggled and nodded. "You're probably right."
Draco turned to her and she released her embrace. "You never answered my question, Red."
"Your question?"
"So you do wish to marry me?"
Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She gave him a nod and a smile. "Just not tomorrow."
"Gods, no."
"But sometime later in our future."
Draco nodded, hooking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I knew you would say 'yes'," he taunted with a smirk.
"Shut up," Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him forward.
Before their lips could meet, her door swung open, and six bodies stumbled in.
Charlie was first to speak. "My little sister is all grown up!"
"Congratulations, you two!" Hermione smiled.
"Malfoy, I believe we need to talk," Arthur tried not to bellow.
"She's only a baby!" Molly shrieked.
"Ron, no!" Harry held Ron back.
"I'm gonna kill that ferret!" Ron growled with murder in his eyes.
"It's not too late to take it back, is it?" Draco muttered, with an air of humor to his voice.
Ginny punched his chest. "Too late," she smirked at her fiancé. Seeing that sight, Draco knew she was well on her way to becoming a Malfoy.
…the end.