DISCLAIMER: If you recognize any of the characters it clearly shows they aren't mine. If they were mine I'd be swimming in a pool of gold.. But since I can't swim I'm neither swimming in a pool of gold or water. It all belongs to the great J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 16
How could things have spiraled down the way they did? How could things just get so complicated? No one really understood how or why things were going this way. It just wasn't clear. It just didn't make sense anymore.
"Listen, Draco. I'm sorry for just running off the way I did after we kissed," Dahlia said between sips of water, "it's just .. I don't know what came over me. I mean, one minute I'm dwelling with you over the whole Pansy issue and next I'm kissing you. I'm just glad we didn't do anything else that we'd regret."
"You're right. I just.. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. You're a great person Dahlia, and you know it, but things between us just wouldn't work. Not in the past, the present or the future. Not even in some alternate universe." Draco paused.
Dahlia looked up at him teary eyed.
"I know you're going to find someone better," he started, "but don't go looking after Blaise. He's due soon to be a father and the Weasley.. He's too into his business with the joke shop. Honestly, I don't know what you saw in the lot. Wood is off playing professional Quidditch. Potter... dear Potter. Don't know who fancies the likes of him.. Well, besides you."
"That's not true. It was just that he was shirtless at the Quidditch pitch."
"Right. So you say. Look, we'll go out as friends to a pub or something and we'll find you a suitable man and we call it even."
"Even? What do you mean even? What am I suppose to do for you?" she asked setting the glass down on the sink.
"Show me that you truly are happy and care about life," he said sympathetically. "Don't run away from life the way you've been doing since your mother's death. Since the Dark Lord sent her to rot in the infinite hell of Azkaban; don't blame yourself. You were only 19. What were you suppose to do?"
"SAVE HER! DIE FOR HER!" she cried.
"No. You were better off saving yourself. You're traveling the world. Seeing places you only dreamt of when we were at Hogwarts. You have it all," he said.
Dahlia stared down at her hands and gave a small laugh.
"You know..you're being too compassionate. Honestly, it's quite charming to any woman who didn't know you your whole pubescent life. But to me, Dahlia Ramman, you're the most sadistic, self-centered, rich boy and prideful man alive."
Draco and Dahlia stayed in his flat all afternoon talking about the simple pleasures in life letting the day pass them by.
"It doesn't feel like.. A Saturday morning," Ginny muttered to Hermione.
Hermione sat on Ginny's bed. She played with the button on her blouse just waiting to know what was going on with Ginny. Ginny muttered and moaned and finally sat up. She had managed to put on a Chuddley Cannons tshirt that fit her tight and some black sweat pants. She pulled her hair up in a loose bun and yawned,
"Ahhmm soo tiiireeed."
"Ginny?" Hermione's voice quivered.
"Yeah," Ginny said getting up to pick up her clothes and threw them in a hamper.
"What's been going on lately? I mean, not just you but with Ron?" she said standing up and helping Ginny fix the bed.
"Well I can tell you that.. Things in my life are spiraling upwards and downwards that sometimes I don't even know what's wrong with me. Ron... I don't know. I mean, he's been acting a bit strange lately. Always slouching around, white in the face because of the whole Dra- uh.. Malfoy issu-"
"Draco? Were you going to say Draco?" Hermione gasped.
"Noo. Not at all. It .. It just slipped. I guess I've been going over the Honeydukes papers and reading Draco Malfoy on the papers just stuck to me, you know?" rushed Ginny.
"Right. So anyway, what about Ron? Yesterday, he really got me mad. I asked him to take care of Samantha while I went down to the Burrow to pick up some remedies your mum was going to give me and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Honestly, I really needed the time to myself. Going back to work and taking care of the baby is just too much for me. You should know. But.. Ron just doesn't understand."
"You know how Ron is, Mione," Ginny said walking into the bathroom.
She started brushing her teeth. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed again and talked a bit more loud so Ginny could hear.
"I had to lock him out of the house. Block the fireplace so he wouldn't floo in. Put an Anti-Apparation charm over our house and took his wand. As well as the keys," Hermione said.
"Yuu di wha?" Ginny walked back into the room with a bubbly mouth full of toothpaste. "Yuu kicked im out of the owse?"
"Yes. He was being a real prat. I have a lot of things to read with the new case I'm working on. He expects me to handle everything myself. Brings things home he shouldn't be bringing home and... I just don't know what to do."
"'ave yuu taled to im?"
"I tried. But, he's being Ronald Weasley. Really stubborn," she said wiping a tear away.
Ginny rushed to the bathroom and rinsed out her mouth. She ran back to her room and sat on her bed.
"It's just hard Gin. Marriage, children, being an Auror... everything. Things would be a tad bit easier if I would've been a Mediwitch. Or just a common Muggle nurse."
"I know what you mean but you can't give up now Mione. Look, go home. Relax. You can leave Samantha here with me, I'm picking up the twins real soon and you can have the day for yourself. Bubble bath.. Spoil yourself. Then, when you feel a lot better, you can have a talk with Ron. If something bad happens, don't hesitate to call. I do have a telephone now you know."
"I'm glad everyone is coming up to date with telephones. So much faster. I'm thinking of setting a few lines up at the Burrow. I just couldn't imagine the things your father would do to the phone. Nor your mother. She'd throw a fit. She's a wonderful woman she is."
"Yeah.. She really is."
After Hermione left leaving Samantha behind, Ginny took a quick shower and dressed, holding onto Samantha and heading off to the Burrow.
When she arrived she was greeted by Annette and Victoria, who at the moment, were covered in dirt from pulling out garden gnomes with Bill and Charlie.
"BILL! CHARLIE! How are you two?"
"Things are looking great. How are you Ginny? Here, let me hold Samantha. Are you here to pick up the twins?" Charlie said.
"Yes, I am. I have the day off today so I was going to take them home with me. Even though I need some peace and quiet, I would really like to spend it just with my girls,"she said.
"You know mum's going to throw a fit," Bill said picking up Victoria.
"I know, I know. But they're my children. I promised them anyway to take them to see a new broom at Diagon Alley. So, I might just take them."
"Well, when are you going to stop by? Don't forget Ron's birthday party is next weekend. Percy might even come with what I suppose is his wife."
"Percy? Wow.. I..I haven't seen Percy since the war."
"Ginny dear? Is that you I hear out in the garden?" cried out Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes mum! It's me. I'm here to pick up Vicky and Annette!"
"Can't you come in and have some tea?" she said coming out to greet Ginny.
"I can't mum," she said kissing her mum on the cheek.
"What? No, come in and tell me about your day. How work is and everything," she said tugging on Ginny's sleeve so she could follow her.
Ginny shrugged. Bill and Charlie just laughed.
"Finish taking out the gnomes dears," Mrs. Weasley said to Bill and Charlie.
Five little grumpy gnomes were beginning to hop the fence when Fred and George Apparated into the garden scaring off the gnomes. There was a third pop.
"Oi! What are the lot of you doing here?" Fred asked.
"Visiting," Bill said. "Who's that behind you?"
"This here is our new associate. We never thought we'd get a hold of him but lookie here. Colin Creevey. We needed him to make advertisements with his camera and charm them. You know business," George said.
"Right you go there brother of mine," Fred said smiling.
"'Ullo. You must be Bill and Charlie. I've heard a lot about you two. Dragons in Romania still and working at Gringotts as well. That's .. That's amazing," Colin stuttered.
Bill and Charlie just laughed. Fred, George and Colin walked inside the house only to be greeted by a stern looking Ginny.
"'Ullo Ginny. Little sis. How's it going? Lookie who we got here.. Colin Creevey," Fred said.
"Yes. We've met. We use to date, remember George?" Ginny said bitterly.
"G-g-ginny," Colin managed to stutter.
"Well mum, it really is getting late. I want to bathe the girls and sort some papers out for the Pansy Parkinson thing. I'll stop by some time this coming week to help with dad's birthday festivity," Ginny said walking over the kitchen counter.
"Oh alright," Mrs. Weasley flailed her arm in defeat.
Mrs. Weasley still hadn't noticed her two sons and Colin aside from the small talk they made not too long ago.
"Mum, have you realized Fred, George and Colin Creevey are in the kitchen?" Ginny asked her mother picking up Samantha from the floor.
"No dear. OH! FRED, GEORGE! I told you two, if you don't cut that unruly hair I will cut it off for you! Honestly, trying to look like your brother and his ponytail," she said setting her wand down and picking up some scissors.
Fred and George ran off into the garden laughing their heads off.
"Alright then mother," Ginny said kissing her mum on the cheek. "Take care and say 'hello' to dad for me when he arrives from work. I love you."
"I love you too dear. Take care," she said.
She walked out to the garden and kissed her granddaughters goodbye. Ginny said her goodbyes and headed off to her flat.
When she arrived Blaise was waiting for her in the living room.
"Blaise! Merlin, I haven't seen you in ages. I haven't heard from you nor Nixon," she said in amazement conjuring a playpen for Samantha to be in for the time being.
"Well, we've been having some problems with each other so we decided to stay out of your hair for some time," he said watching Ginny place Samantha on the pen surrounded with toys.
"What's been going on? Are you two alright? Is Nixon ok? What about the baby? Isn't it time for the baby to come already?" she said sitting down on the sofa across from Blaise.
"Well, we've been having fights over our marriage and my association with a woman I've been meeting with lately from work. Nixon's been taking it the wrong way. I know we were betrothed to be married since the day we were born and I know I went out with other girls but that's then this is now," he said.
"Uh huh," Ginny nodded for him to continue.
"And well, she wanted to come stay over here but she said it'd be best if she didn't bring you into the problem. We're doing ok for now. We've been in and out of St. Mungo's because she's a week late. The baby is ok, but it just doesn't want to come out yet. We're thinking one of these days because she's getting labor pains.. Or something of the sort," he said looking down at the floor.
"Blaise. You know better than to keep the problem closed up. You should've come to me. You know I'm here for you," she said.
"I know, I know. But with this whole deal with you and Draco..." he started.
Ginny gave a sort of sarcastic laugh.
"Draco... Draco's better off without me. We had sex last night... what can I say? We were drunk," she said a bit ashamed.
"I heard... I heard. He owled me in the morning telling me he felt bad for just leaving the way he did but he feels as if... there's not going to be an 'us' as he put it. An 'us' as in you and him. No more Ginny and Draco. He said it's a weird feeling," he said looking up at Ginny.
"I think I know how he feels," she admitted.
"Did it mean anything to you? Last night with Draco?" he asked.
Ginny sighed.
"Honestly... I don't know what to feel. In a way it's as if .. I were empty inside and I'm confusing my thoughts for feelings," she said.
And she was right. Everything was going bad and beginning to feel empty. But how?
"Anyway, really, what brings you here after so long?" she said smiling, maneuvering the conversation around.
"Just wanted to stop by.. I don't know. Talk for a while. I just feel like talking," he said.
"Well, let's talk then," she said patting her legs with her hands and getting comfortable.
"So, Colin. What brings you here to the Burrow?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"I came with Fred and George," he said quivering a bit. "I'm their new associate. Making advertisements in the Daily Prophet for their store. Campaigning with them against other "joke shops" and helping around their store," he said feeling a bit more at ease.
"That's good. Would you like something to drink, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked setting a plate down of string beans on the table for cleaning.
"If you have milk that would be great," he said.
"Milk it is then," she said waving her wand around and handing a glass full of milk to him. "Anything else?"
"No. Milk is just fine," he said smiling and thanking her. "Mrs. Weasley. If I'm not mistaken, Ginny isn't seeing anyone at the moment, right?"
"No. Why? Do you have intentions of having an engagement with Ginny again?" she asked smiling.
"Well, no doubt in my mind she is quite beautiful but I doubt she would want to," he said setting his hopes down.
"Well, I doubt she would want to. She's a single parent and I'm sure she would like to stay that way for a longer while, which I strongly wish she would settle down with someone."
"Single parent? I didn't know Ginny had children. She never told me," he said. "I heard rumors while at Hogwarts but I didn't think it really was her since she was always wearing big robes and playing Quidditch and I never really wanted to ask when we dated those two weeks two Christamases ago."
"Oh no dear. That was her last year at Hogwarts. Ginny stopped playing Quidditch in her 6th year."
"Hmm. Ginny was dating someone in her 6th year and part of her 5th year. Sometime in the summer. Some say it was someone outside of Gryffindor, right after Harry and the uprising of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name," he said. "Her 7th year there wasn't anyone. She was always alone avoiding everyone. Even her friends."
"Well, she was pregnant already. I suppose she wanted to be alone. She even avoided her family," Mrs. Weasley said getting up to place the string beans inside the soup on the stove.
Someone knocked at the door and Harry walked inside.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley. Colin, nice to see you mate," he said. "Mrs. Weasley, have you seen Ron today?"
"No dear. But please, sit down. You look hungry. My soup is almost done and we'll have you eat a little something," she said guiding Harry to sit at the table.
Harry didn't object knowing better than to do so. He sat down and caught up a little with Colin.
"So you did play professional Quidditch?" Colin asked, his hand twitching, wanting to take picture after picture of Harry's every movement.
"Yes, I did. I couldn't take the pressure. They're still asking me to go back. Puddlemore's been sending letters asking to join their team as Seeker. But, I'd much rather become an Auror. I wouldn't be in the Daily Prophet everyday. "Boy Who Lived" now Puddlemore's Hero." I wouldn't want that," Harry said accepting Mrs. Weasley bowl of chicken and vegetable soup.
"Quidditch. You still play?" Colin asked.
"Yeah. Sometimes with Ginny, Fred and George, Bill, Charlie, Ron and my two nieces: Annette and Victoria who are Ginny's twin daughters. They're only 4.. 5 years old."
"Nieces? But you're not related," Colin said.
"They consider me their uncle so I suppose I can call them my nieces," he said.
"Do you play with your old team mates from professional Quidditch?" Colin asked getting more antsy.
"Here and there when they're not playing with other teams. Just to catch up on old times. Now I'm busy with Auror Training so I don't have much time anymore and I'm busy handling Honeydukes with Gin," he said.
The kept talking until Fred and George were ready to leave.
"So what did you two stop by for?" Mrs. Weasley asked George.
"Oh, to pick up some stuff from our old room. Unfinished projects we need to test. Colin was just here to get use to following us taking pictures for the Prophet."
"Yeah mum. Must you ask so many questions?" Fred said from behind his mother.
"Just be glad you don't live here anymore otherwise you'd be washing all the floors wand less. What's that you're hiding in your pocket?" she asked Fred.
"Nothing. Just a potion I found," he said.
"It better not be one of mine from my special bottles," she said placing her hands on her hips.
"They work very well mother on our experiments," George said.
"Oh honestly," she muttered taking Harry's empty bowl and washing it.
That night Ginny sat on her bed brushing her hair. Her girls were sound asleep and Samantha was back in her own home. There was a knock at the door. Ginny quietly walked down the hall making sure the twin's bedroom was closed and walked to the front door. She opened the door and Draco stood there leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pocket.
"Evening," he said smiling.
"Evening to you too. What are you doing here? It's well past nine," she said.
"I.. I just wanted to talk, I guess. We... uh, we need to talk," he said. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, come in. Make yourself at home," she said feeling a bit awkward about the situation."Would you like anything?" she asked closing the door and walking into the living room.
"No. No thanks," he said. "Gin, listen. Last night–"
"Didn't mean anything," Ginny cut in. "We were drunk. I don't know why you keep coming here or why I come to you."
Draco scratched his head. This wasn't the way the conversation was suppose to go. But, she had a point, right?
"Well, that... that's exactly what I was going to say," he said not realizing her had just said that.
"You.. You were?" she said in what was barely a whisper.
'How could he? He just used me then? Get a grip Gin. He's a man. All men do that. Charm a woman. Fuck her. Leave her. Move on,' Ginny thought to herself.
".. and well, I didn't know if to stay or leave," he said not bringing in that Ginny had just droned off into her thoughts. "I wanted to stay but I wouldn't know how to react to waking up next to you. But then I wanted to leave so you wouldn't feel pressured because of me."
Ginny sat there staring at him.
"... just to say goodnight? It still feels foreign to me," he said. He looked at Ginny. "Ginny? Earth to Ginny?"
"Huh?"
"Are you even listening to me?" he said getting rancorous.
"No.. Umm yeah I am. Can you repeat what you just said?"
"I said, can I just see the girls. Just to say goodnight?" I guess you were in another world," he said getting frustrated.
"Oh sure. Follow me," she said.
She led them down the hall to the door that bore stickers and two engraved wands crossing each other reading Annette Sophia and Victoria Kristen on a silver plaque that was given to them at birth. It's been on the door since Ginny moved in there.
She opened the door slowly trying to be really quiet and let Draco walk in first.
"They look so peaceful," he said admiring the two girls lying on their own separate beds. Their Malfoy blond hair all over the place and their angel like faces beautifully etched with the shadows making them look surreal.
"They're ours," Ginny said.
Draco stayed quiet trying to sink in what Ginny had just said.
'Ours, they're ours. I just can't believe it. It feels unreal. It doesn't feel like they're mine,' he thought to himself.
"I guess it's best that I be going now. I'm sure you have things to do tomorrow," he said walking around of the room to the front door.
"I guess it is. Take care and.. Have a goodnight," she said putting her hand on the doorknob.
"I'll.. I'll see you then," he said holding up his hand to say goodbye.
Ginny smiled and closed the door.
"What the hell Ginny?" she said to herself while walking back to her room.
Draco lay on his bed that night. He lay on his newly washed silk black sheets all alone. No one beside him. He looked at the clock which read 2:00. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was two in the morning and he was still wide awake.
He wondered if Ginny was still awake. He wondered what she was wearing. He wondered what would happen if he showed up again, taking her in his arms, kissing passionately towards her bedroom ripping off their garments and taking her every way possible the way they use to when they were but mere teenagers in love. Or so he thought.
Finally at a quarter past four in the morning he fell into a deep sleep with dreams full of empty dark corridors and Ginny's moans echoing throughout them.
'Ginny!' he cried out.
'Draco. I'm over here.. I'm waiting for you,' she spoke out seductively.
'I can't find you. What room is it?' he called out running down the corridors.
'It's the one we've always been in. Have you forgotten?' her voice sounded much more distant.
A dark shadow crossed his path. The face of his father appeared and Ginny's face got closer and closer as he fell into a dark pool of water, drowning.. Not being able to scream.
Draco woke up to a dark gloomy day followed by endless rain. It was only 10:35 a Sunday morning. He sat there in bed drenched in hot sweat.
He muttered to himself and got up. He walked to the bathroom and stuck his head under the faucet and let the cool water run down his hair onto his face. He turned off the knobs on the faucet and grabbed his puffy black towel. He rubbed his face with it; brushing his teeth he looked at himself in the mirror watching the water droplets fall from his hair fall onto his well built body. Quidditch over the years had paid off. He was neither big nor small. He was just right.
There was a knock at the door and he looked over his shoulder. Should he get it or not? He dragged his feet all the way to the front door and opened the door. Natasha stood there smiling broadly.
"Since when do you knock?" he asked grumpily.
"Since when do you greet me like this, you arse?" she asked giggling.
"Since when do you smile like this?" he asked walked towards the coffee table to pick up a dirty mug.
"I have news," she said jumping on the balls of her feet, her hands stuffed inside her cloak.
"Which would be?" he drawled walking to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.
"I think I'm in love," she said.
There was a loud crash and Draco walked slowly as if Death and his mother were waiting for him in his living room.
"Come again?" he asked slowly twirling his finger in the air.
"I.. Natasha.. Think I'm in love," she said smiling.
"The great Natasha in love? My Natasha?" he asked sitting down slowly on the couch.
"Yes.. Me. Who else?" she asked.
"Who? With... with who? Who's this man that's making you feel this way?" he asked trying to absorb everything that was going on into a part of his brain.
"I know I shouldn't. That wasn't the way it should've worked out. It was business.. You know. From the Dark Lord... but.. I think I'm in love with... Harry Potter," she said sitting down in front of Draco.
He gagged a bit and turned pale as his white walls.
"Excuse me while I go and retch everything inside my stomach," he said getting up.
"Draco. Come on. I know I shouldn't have–"
"Yes! You bloody well shouldn't have," he blurted out. "Your orders were clear: KILL."
Natasha sighed and looked around anxiously. She looked over at Draco and got up.
"Well, I can see that you're not happy for me so I guess I should go, no?" her Russian accent shot out.
Natasha hid the fact that she's half Russian and German born and lived in Russia from ages 5-10. Hid the fact she lived in France the first 5 years of her life. So living in London, England the rest of her school years at Hogwarts paid off. And doing "work" in the States until she was 22 was a shameful act. Living amongst Muggles.. 'those sickening crrreatures," she would say mimicking her German father with his heavy accent.
"Tish..look. I'm following the orders too. But I'm trying to recruit or whatever you want to call someone who will be a great asset to the Dark Lord," he said.
"And who might that be?" she asked.
"Ginevra Weasley."