The next morning he was roughly shaken awake, by Ron and Harry. He hadn't been to work in two weeks and Ron and Harry were his partners. Draco's head was pounding and he had a god-awful headache. He rolled over on his side, and he felt the bile rising in his throat. Ron muttered something rude, then conjured a bucket. Draco took it greatfully and vomited. Harry rolled his eyes as he lay on the bed, grasping the bucket next to his side.
"Will one of you please give me a hangover spell?" He gritted out through his clenched teeth. His head was pounding and he was sweating. He heard Harry mutter "Purgo" and felt instantly batter. "Thank God. Now what do you two want?" He sat up and was relieved that the throbbing in his head was gone.
"You've been missing work for two weeks straight. You can't keep missing it. They're going to fire you. They have no sympathy, they did, but not anymore. Moody said that you have to get your arse out there." Harry said, walking into the closet to pull out his clothes for today. They had a special uniform for being Auror's and he needed to get ready. He tossed it onto the bed and Draco began to get dressed.
"They can kiss my Malfoy arse." He was beginning to button up his shirt, when he heard Hermione's voice from the fire in the living room. He could only hear a little bit, but he could tell she was trying to get him to come to work. He chuckled as Ron made his way downstairs. Harry was using the restroom and when he came out he sat in the chair across from where Draco was putting on his cloak, and studied him. Draco glanced at him.
"What?" He asked a little nervously. Harry was prone to studying people, but it always made Draco nervous, the green eyes of Harry Potter would make anyone nervous if he just stared at them. His eyes were dark and mysterious, you could never read what he was thinking, and that was what made people flustered.
"Just thinking. I wonder what Ginny will be like when she wakes up. I wonder if she'll remember being married to you. Or will she think she's still with me." Draco turned towards him and his eyes narrowed. Harry had a look of longing in his eyes as he looked at Draco.
"She'll remember me. I have no doubt. I know you love her Harry, but... but I love her too. I miss her just as much as you do." Harry had closed his eyes and had his head between his hands. His voice came out muffled when he talked.
"I hated you for a long time after you took Ginny. I was angry because I loved her and thought she had loved me. I hated having to see her with my enemy, much less hear her say she loved you. I was angry with her for awhile, but I saw how happy she seemed to be with you. I saw you look at other girls, but I knew that deep down you loved her. It was hard for me to admit it then. I knew when you were married to her that you had mistresses. Malfoy's can't keep one woman can they? Have to have a stock of them?" He spit the words out and Draco was clearly taken aback. "Are you going to answer or are you just going to stand there and look shocked like I killed your house-elf?" Draco sat down on the bed slowly. He had no idea how Harry knew, but he was going to find out.
"No... it... it wasn't like that at all. Really though Harry, this isn't your business. Yes, I had mistresses but it wasn't because I needed a stock of them as you so well put it. How did you know is the more important question I think." Draco's eyes had narrowed and his breathing had sped up.
"Ginny told me she knew. I hated you even more then when I knew, because I knew that she still loved you. She told me that she didn't want to leave you because she loved you
too much. I told her not to worry about it and I told she could live with me, but she refused. I got angry with and told her to just deal with it if she wasn't going to take my advice. I was hurting and I thought she didn't care." He took a deep breath and lifted his head from his hands and looked at Draco in the eye.
"Later she came back and told me that she was going to leave you and I asked when. The night she told me was only two days before the accident. She said she was going to leave you that night and come and stay with me until you could get a muggle divorce. I blamed you for her accident. I still do, but deep down I have a gnawing feeling that you didn't. I love her so much. I thought that once you got divorced that she could maybe come back to me. Deep down I hope that she won't remember anything about your marriage. I know I'm being self-fish, but you hurt her, and I want to hurt you. We're not friends, never have been and never will, but we're civil and that's enough for me." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair. He opened his eyes to look at Draco and saw that he had his head in his hands and his shoulders were shaking slightly.
"She told you... I never even thought that she suspected anything. I was so stupid! I love her more than life. And she's... she's gone." The last part came out almost silently. He lifted his head and looked Harry in the eye. "You never let on to me that you knew. You were my partner and you knew? You never said a thing to me about any of it!" he had jumped up and was yelling at Harry.
"I didn't think it was any of my business to tell you. I figured that if she wanted to tell you she would." He said quietly. He knew Ron was going to hear them, but he didn't really care.
"You didn't think that it was any of your business, but you thought you had a chance to sleep with my wife? I love her more than you ever could." His voice had become a dangerously low tone and Harry was now standing and was almost toe-to-toe with him.
"I never tried to sleep with her. If you loved her, then why did you sleep with others. I never would have. I'm not as low as you." Their eyes were burning with anger and they were about to curse each other into oblivion, when Ron came back into the room with a look of curiosity on his face. He saw the anger in their eyes and took a deep breath. He knew they had to have been fighting about Ginny, but the question was... what had been said this time.
"Mind telling me what has been going on?" His deep voice rumbling in the silent room with authority. His voice had gotten deeper the older he got and the newest Auror's, the young ones, feared him. They knew he was in charge and his tone of voice was never good. Draco turned from them, he sat down shakily on the bed closed his eyes. His voice was quiet, but it was clear.
"He's right. I'm the lowest thing there is. I don't deserve Ginny at all. It should've been me in the accident not her. But if it was me, I wouldn't have needed to be in the coma, I should've died." Harry and Ron sucked in their breath at his words. Ron looked at Harry whose eyes were filled with guilt and regret. "It would've been better that way. She could be happy and with you."
"No... that's... that's not what I meant. You misunderstood I--" he was sharply cut off by Draco's rising voice.
"Don't lie. Deep down you know it would've been better that way." With that he got up and brushed off his cloak and walked out of the room. Ron looked at Harry and gave him a sympathetic look.
"It's all right mate. He'll get over it sooner or later. He's just... she's the only thing he ever had in his life that loved him and he didn't know how to handle it then. Similar to you." Harry looked at him and he gave him a slight smile.
As they walked back down the stairs they saw Draco waiting by the door with his wand out. They walked over to him and with a pop they were gone.
* * *
When they arrived at the office, Hermione was sitting at Ron's desk and she looked like she was doodling on a piece of parchment. She looked up and her eyes flew to Ron first.
"Ron... can I talk to you outside for a minute?" He nodded and she got up. She was six months pregnant with their fourth child and she was beginning to waddle. They walked outside and closed the door. They talked for awhile, which left Draco and Harry in tension. They didn't want to speak, for fear of another argument. When they came back in, they both let out a breath of relief.
"Well... I better get back to the Department of Mysteries. I need to stay with my fellow "Unspeakables"." She and laughed as Ron kissed her on the lips. She hurried as fast as he stomach would let her, then she was out of sight closing the door.
"Right... first off, we need to visit Remus at St. Mungos, second, we need to go down the lower level and check our paper work and see that it gets to the top floor. And last... we need to round up all of the young Auror's we're training and get them in here for their training today. All clear?" When they nodded he move towards the fire place. They didn't trust their mouths at the moment. He threw the powder in the fire and called out, "St. Mungos!" After Ron went they followed suit.
When they arrived at St. Mungos, they walked up to the desk and noticed Remus waiting for them. He was smiling and looked shocked to see Draco among them.
"Well it's nice to see you around Draco." Draco gave a weak smile and looked up the stairs. He knew where Ginny's room was by memory because of all the time he had slept next to her in the bed, whispering in her ear how sorry he was, and asked for her forgiveness.
"It's good to be back working." He answered truthfully, but he wanted to get out of St. Mungos and fast. He didn't want to have to walk past her room up to Remus's office. He tuned out what he and Ron were talking about. He slowly started to back away and walk up the stairs to her room. When he reached the door, he wanted to barge in but couldn't bring himself to go in. He pressed his forehead against the door. He vaguely heard Harry's voice saying his name next to him. He pulled away and focused on what was going on around him.
"Draco... we've got to get these things done with Remus. Can you focus on that for just a little while? I know you want to be with her, but we're only going to be here for a few minutes. Then she won't be on your mind." Harry's eyes held guilt for what he had said earlier and when he reached to pull Draco away, he jerked out of Harry's reach.
"Fine let's just get it over with." He said gruffly and began to walk briskly down the hall towards Remus's office. When he got there he stopped short when he heard him and Ron talking.
"... been moving more and more lately. It won't be much longer now. I say about two weeks tops. Could be longer. As soon as she wakes up we'll give you a call." He heard Remus tell Ron.
"Just don't tell Draco about this. I don't want him to freak out over it. He's already been through a lot. You remember four years ago when he... well... when he was admitted to St. Mungos himself? Well, it's been hard on him. I don't think he's ever going to get these six years of his life back." He heard more than saw Remus sigh and shift. Harry had heard the whole thing and when they heard them walking toward the door, they sprinted back down the hall. Remus and Ron emerged from the room, and looked to see if they were down there. When they saw them, they started towards them.
"Well... as I thought, the papers won't be here till Monday. My secretary left a note on my desk. Would you like to stop by and see Dr. Longbottom? Neville, he's been working with... well... he's been working with a case, and it's coming along quite well. He's just down the hall. Come on, let's go say hi." As they followed Remus to Neville's office, Draco felt the urge to go into Ginny's room once more, but he squashed the feeling instantly. When they reached Neville's office, Remus knocked on his door, and a few moments later the door opened.
"Hi! Long time no see, eh? Well, com on in. Make your selves at home." As they shuffled into the room, he picked up some files, but Draco saw the name, "Virginia Malfoy", in bold letters on of the files. He licked his lips nervously. Once the files were put into a drawer and we sealed with a spell, he turned back around. He was tall, about Draco's height, and thin. He wasn't the clumsy, forget boy they knew back in Hogwart's, but a successful man. "Ah.... Draco, good to see you. It's been awhile hasn't it? We miss seeing you up here. Everything all right?" He asked with concern in his voice as he leaned against his desk.
"Fine, I'm fine. It-it has been awhile. I've been... I've been quite busy this past year." He said in a quiet tone. Neville nodded and studied him for awhile.
"I don't know if you've heard, but they've switched her doctors. I think you should know that I'm her doctor now. I'm going to be keeping an eye on her from now on. I do hope that that is okay with you?" He sounded as if he was asking for Draco's approval. Draco nodded silently staring at the door, wishing he could be at her side. Neville had obviously seen the longing in his eyes, because of what he said next. "Draco... would you like to see her?" Draco turned his grey eyes on his old doctor with shock. He nodded and Ron, Harry and Remus all stood up and said, no.
Neville looked at them with curiosity before speaking. "Why ever not? She is his wife after all, and he hasn't seen her in almost a year. You all wait here." He opened the door and made to go out when he was stopped by Remus's voice.
"I really think they should get going Neville. They have a lot of things to do. " He gave Neville a look, but Neville ignored it, knowing the meaning fully well. He waved it off and beckoned Draco to come with him. As they walked inside, Draco saw her. She was in the same position she had been in before, but she looked beautiful in his eyes. He rushed over to her and took her small, thin hand in his. He lifted it to lips, and noticed that his hands were shaking. He kissed her knuckles and stroked her hand with his thumb. He lifted his hand to gently caress her cheek and stroked that soft red hair. He felt the stinging tears that threatened to flow, but choked them back. He leaned down and shakily kissed her softly on the lips.
He pulled away, when he felt her lips move, with a jerk. He wasn't expecting her to move at all. He had known that she had been moving, but he hadn't expected it. He looked down at her hand and squeezed it. When she squeezed back, he whispered her name near her ear. She didn't seem to hear him, so he lightly brushed his lips upon hers and left the room, filled with shock and hope.
"You felt her move didn't you?" He looked at Neville and couldn't fine his voice to answer back, so he nodded slowly. "She's been quite the vigorous one. But she hasn't woken up yet. I saw your reaction and I knew you felt her. The reason they gave her case to me, was because I had wanted it from the beginning, and the other doctor had become tired of watching her. It won't be long now Draco, don't worry. I'm sure everything will be just fine. She'll be disoriented, but... but it'll be okay." He put a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed. "Have no fear." When they walked back in the room, they were all waiting anxiously. He could tell they wanted to ask him questions, but from the look on his face they decided against it.
After about seven-thirty, Draco arrived back at the house. He walked into the cellar and got his favourite drink. He took it upstairs and sat in a chair in the kitchen drinking it from the bottle. He couldn't get over how Ginny had moved. It shocked him and he was stunned. But now he was scared, what if she woke up and remember nothing of him? He would be devastated. He took two gulps of the Firewhisky and let the burning of it run down his throat. He sat there at remembered his telling his father about his engagement to her.
He walked up the walkway to Malfoy Manor with Ginny by his side. He was dreading announcing their engagement to his parents. He knew they would be none the less happy. They were angry at the fact that they had gotten together, but this means marriage. His father did not want little half Weasley/Malfoy blood in his house.
As they neared the door, Ginny looked fearfully into his face, and he gave her a smile. "I'll be okay. I promise." He could reassure her, but reassuring himself was another story. He rapped loudly on the door, and the butler answered the door.
"Ah... Mister. Malfoy, your parents are waiting in the lounge. May I take your coats?" Draco waved away the man, and went to the lounge. His palms were sweating and he knew he looked nervous. When they entered, he saw the familiar scene. His mother sitting at the desk, writing letters to her "so called friends" and his father sitting in the chair drinking some expensive wine, while reading the Daily Prophet.
"Hello Mother, father." He said as he walked into the room holding Ginny around the waist. Both his parents looked up, his mother smiled and came to greet them, while his father stood and made to shake hands with them.
"Draco and Virginia, it has been awhile since we've seen you last." His mother said with a tight smile. She didn't dislike Ginny, but she dislikes her features. His father swept his gaze over the both of them, and shook hands.
"We got your owl Draco, what is this "important" business you wish to speak with us about?" Draco lead Ginny over to the couch with his mother and they sat down. Lucius took the hint and sat down too. When they were all quiet Draco stood, not knowing how to say it.
"Father, I know you will disapprove of what I have done, but I believe it is none of your concern." He chose his words carefully, and said them slowly. His father raised an elegant blonde eyebrow.
"Oh? Do tell me what this is all about Draco." His father was wearing a curious look, but his eyes showed that he was none to pleased by the way Draco had spoken to him.
"I have... what I mean is... that we..." He stopped, looking for the right words to say. Ginny was biting her bottom lip and pleading with her eyes to just get it out. He took a deep breath and spoke to Lucius in a voice that he would never have dared spoke to his father before. "I don't care what you have to say on the matter, as I have said before, it is none of your concern. I love Ginny, and I have asked her to marry me. You don't have to approve, but I had just wanted to let you know that you will have a daughter-in-law soon. We will not be having a muggle wedding, because we feel that there is no need. We are having a Wizarding Wedding." He heard his mothers intake of breath and saw she looked at Ginny with pure hatred. His fathers eyes had darkened and so had his features. When he spoke, he spoke quietly and calmly, never showing a good sign.
"You mean to tell me that you are marrying a muggle-loving piece of scum? And a Weasley to top it off? I will not tolerate it and I say no. You will not marry her." He was standing now and he walking up to Draco.
"I told you I am going to even if you don't approve. I love her and she loves me, I'm going to marry--" He was sharply cut off my his fathers hand slapping back-handedly across his face. He fell to the floor with the force and Ginny stood up, trembling with rage. Draco pressed his hand to his lip and touched the cut. He looked at Ginny, but she wasn't looking at him. She was glaring at his father and his father was looking utterly disgusted with his son.
"How-dare-you." Ginny's voice had gone quiet, but you could hear the rage in her voice. Lucius turned to look at her. "How dare you hit your son like that. He has done nothing wrong. He right to say that to you, you... you... ungrateful Death Eater." She spit the words out of her mouth like poison. Lucius did not take well to being called a Death Eater, and he too, was trembling with rage now. "If he wants to marry be, then let him. You may be his father, but he should not be treated so. You call your self his father. I pity you Lucius. You could never be considered a worthy father to anyone." She turned to walk next to Draco when Lucius's arm shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.
"You Weasley's disappoint me. You of all Virginia. You will never be anything. You should be considered a mudblood, by the way you interact with them. You could never live up to be a Malfoy. You should be with those muggles we killed back in the war. In a pile of dirt, where nothing can get you. You are not fit to be a pureblood. You and your entire, low, family should've died back when The Dark Lord was alive. He would've killed you. Like you should've been." He threw her to the floor, and her temper flared to the extent of it. She stood up and slapped Lucius hard across the face. His head turned with the force and when she slapped him, Narcissa shrieked, and came flying to Lucius's side. Narcissa raised her hand to slap Ginny, but Draco had stood up and had pull Ginny away. He looked Lucius in his eye, and saw that he looked murderous.
"You don't have to come to the wedding... but we're getting married." And with that said, they sprinted out the door, hearing his father exploding things on their way out.
That night was imprinted in his mind forever. He had finished off the bottle of Firewhisky and had drained two other bottles of Vodka. His vision was blurring and he rested his head in his hands. What had shocked him was that his parents had actually showed up at the wedding, and had told Draco that he was actually happy for him.
Draco was standing next to Ginny with his arm around her waist and was feeding her a piece of cake, when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see who it was, and when he saw his father, his eyes darkened.
"May I speak with you and Virginia?" Draco nodded, and pulled Ginny with him over to a room and shut the door. His father had his back to him, and he set his cloak on the desk. When he turned around, Draco had never seen his eyes as soft as they were. "I should not have acted that way when you came to tell us of your engagement. I was in the wrong. You mother, insisted that we come today. I didn't want to upset you both by coming, but your mother wanted to see you off Draco." He clasped his hands in front of him and sat down in the chair. Draco and Ginny sat nearest towards the door, and Lucius seemed to know why they didn't want to come near him. He closed his eyes, and opened them again. Draco had never seen his father this way. When he opened them, he looked like he could cry, but didn't. "I am not a good father, but my father wasn't a good father. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after this. I wanted to come to your wedding whether or not you liked it because you are my son." He turned his gaze on Ginny now.
"Virginia, I know what I said was wrong, but I cannot take back what I have said. All I can do is ask for forgiveness. You were right to say what you did. I had not. You had a right to slap me also. I don't want to not know you Virginia. You are my son's wife and I want to see you and get to know you. I know you despise me, and I can understand." He had closed his eyes and had put his head in his hands. Draco was stunned , he had never seen his father like this. His father had never shown him the vulnerable side of him before, and it was quite disturbing. Draco had always known that deep down his father cared about him, but never showed it. But now he was... he was a different man. He had changed, and now he was worried that Draco and Ginny would have nothing to do with him. Ginny stood up and walked over to where Lucius had his head in his hands.
She lifted a hand and ran a hand up and down his back soothingly. She had tears in her eyes, he jumped when she touched him, but made no move to get up. She got down on her knees in front of him and started talking to him. Her voice was to low so Draco couldn't hear, but he knew his father was listening to every word. Draco knew her ways of soothing people and smiled when Lucius looked at her. She kept talking and she pressed a hand to his cheek, and Draco saw a tear escape from her eyes. She had quit talking now and was listening to Lucius. He was talking softly and he was staring intently in her eyes. She had now burst into tears and had thrown herself on to him hugging him tightly. At first he was shocked and didn't know what to do, so he looked up at Draco and saw him smiling at him. He smiled slowly and put his arms around her. Draco knew that they had made peace and was happy. After she had quit crying, she pulled away sniffing.
"I'm sorry I did that Lucius." She said with a smile. He chuckled and waved it off. Draco knew that his father had like being hugged and made a mental note of it. Draco stood up when they did, and walked over to his father. They looked at each other for moment, and then they had a father/son embrace.
When they walked out of the room, Lucius was smiling at them and was talking to them.
Draco will never forget that. His father had changed and was not the same Lucius he had been before. He remembered how upset he had been with Draco when he told him about Ginny being in an accident and why. He father's temper had flared and he had yelled at Draco for sleeping around with other women when he had Ginny, and had kicked Draco out. He told him not to come back until later. Draco last saw his father about a year ago, when he went up to visit Ginny. They had a quick exchange, but Draco hadn't seen him since. Draco knew his father had cared for Ginny like his own, and it had hurt him to see her like that.
Draco heard Hermione's frantic voice calling for him from the living room, and go up to see what the fuss was all about. When he had stumbled into the living room, she had stopped and had stared at him.
"Draco? Where have you been? We've been trying to get into touch with you for almost an hour. Good lord!! Look at you!" She sounded suspiciously like Mrs. Weasley. He waved her off.
"What's all this yelling for?" His words were slightly slurred, but she could understand him. Just then, his father apparated into the living room, and looked shocked to see his son drunk like that. Draco sat down on the couch and watched Hermione. He heard Ron's voice and she was talking to him.
"You have to get to St. Mungos now." She said in a hurry. He looked at her with tired, red-rimmed eyes and asked why. "It's Ginny, Draco. She's awake." He looked at her, and shook his head in disbelief. "Yes... but only... only she thinks that you're still in the war. Draco she's awake."
He sat there in stunned silence and watched the room blur before him and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
"Will one of you please give me a hangover spell?" He gritted out through his clenched teeth. His head was pounding and he was sweating. He heard Harry mutter "Purgo" and felt instantly batter. "Thank God. Now what do you two want?" He sat up and was relieved that the throbbing in his head was gone.
"You've been missing work for two weeks straight. You can't keep missing it. They're going to fire you. They have no sympathy, they did, but not anymore. Moody said that you have to get your arse out there." Harry said, walking into the closet to pull out his clothes for today. They had a special uniform for being Auror's and he needed to get ready. He tossed it onto the bed and Draco began to get dressed.
"They can kiss my Malfoy arse." He was beginning to button up his shirt, when he heard Hermione's voice from the fire in the living room. He could only hear a little bit, but he could tell she was trying to get him to come to work. He chuckled as Ron made his way downstairs. Harry was using the restroom and when he came out he sat in the chair across from where Draco was putting on his cloak, and studied him. Draco glanced at him.
"What?" He asked a little nervously. Harry was prone to studying people, but it always made Draco nervous, the green eyes of Harry Potter would make anyone nervous if he just stared at them. His eyes were dark and mysterious, you could never read what he was thinking, and that was what made people flustered.
"Just thinking. I wonder what Ginny will be like when she wakes up. I wonder if she'll remember being married to you. Or will she think she's still with me." Draco turned towards him and his eyes narrowed. Harry had a look of longing in his eyes as he looked at Draco.
"She'll remember me. I have no doubt. I know you love her Harry, but... but I love her too. I miss her just as much as you do." Harry had closed his eyes and had his head between his hands. His voice came out muffled when he talked.
"I hated you for a long time after you took Ginny. I was angry because I loved her and thought she had loved me. I hated having to see her with my enemy, much less hear her say she loved you. I was angry with her for awhile, but I saw how happy she seemed to be with you. I saw you look at other girls, but I knew that deep down you loved her. It was hard for me to admit it then. I knew when you were married to her that you had mistresses. Malfoy's can't keep one woman can they? Have to have a stock of them?" He spit the words out and Draco was clearly taken aback. "Are you going to answer or are you just going to stand there and look shocked like I killed your house-elf?" Draco sat down on the bed slowly. He had no idea how Harry knew, but he was going to find out.
"No... it... it wasn't like that at all. Really though Harry, this isn't your business. Yes, I had mistresses but it wasn't because I needed a stock of them as you so well put it. How did you know is the more important question I think." Draco's eyes had narrowed and his breathing had sped up.
"Ginny told me she knew. I hated you even more then when I knew, because I knew that she still loved you. She told me that she didn't want to leave you because she loved you
too much. I told her not to worry about it and I told she could live with me, but she refused. I got angry with and told her to just deal with it if she wasn't going to take my advice. I was hurting and I thought she didn't care." He took a deep breath and lifted his head from his hands and looked at Draco in the eye.
"Later she came back and told me that she was going to leave you and I asked when. The night she told me was only two days before the accident. She said she was going to leave you that night and come and stay with me until you could get a muggle divorce. I blamed you for her accident. I still do, but deep down I have a gnawing feeling that you didn't. I love her so much. I thought that once you got divorced that she could maybe come back to me. Deep down I hope that she won't remember anything about your marriage. I know I'm being self-fish, but you hurt her, and I want to hurt you. We're not friends, never have been and never will, but we're civil and that's enough for me." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair. He opened his eyes to look at Draco and saw that he had his head in his hands and his shoulders were shaking slightly.
"She told you... I never even thought that she suspected anything. I was so stupid! I love her more than life. And she's... she's gone." The last part came out almost silently. He lifted his head and looked Harry in the eye. "You never let on to me that you knew. You were my partner and you knew? You never said a thing to me about any of it!" he had jumped up and was yelling at Harry.
"I didn't think it was any of my business to tell you. I figured that if she wanted to tell you she would." He said quietly. He knew Ron was going to hear them, but he didn't really care.
"You didn't think that it was any of your business, but you thought you had a chance to sleep with my wife? I love her more than you ever could." His voice had become a dangerously low tone and Harry was now standing and was almost toe-to-toe with him.
"I never tried to sleep with her. If you loved her, then why did you sleep with others. I never would have. I'm not as low as you." Their eyes were burning with anger and they were about to curse each other into oblivion, when Ron came back into the room with a look of curiosity on his face. He saw the anger in their eyes and took a deep breath. He knew they had to have been fighting about Ginny, but the question was... what had been said this time.
"Mind telling me what has been going on?" His deep voice rumbling in the silent room with authority. His voice had gotten deeper the older he got and the newest Auror's, the young ones, feared him. They knew he was in charge and his tone of voice was never good. Draco turned from them, he sat down shakily on the bed closed his eyes. His voice was quiet, but it was clear.
"He's right. I'm the lowest thing there is. I don't deserve Ginny at all. It should've been me in the accident not her. But if it was me, I wouldn't have needed to be in the coma, I should've died." Harry and Ron sucked in their breath at his words. Ron looked at Harry whose eyes were filled with guilt and regret. "It would've been better that way. She could be happy and with you."
"No... that's... that's not what I meant. You misunderstood I--" he was sharply cut off by Draco's rising voice.
"Don't lie. Deep down you know it would've been better that way." With that he got up and brushed off his cloak and walked out of the room. Ron looked at Harry and gave him a sympathetic look.
"It's all right mate. He'll get over it sooner or later. He's just... she's the only thing he ever had in his life that loved him and he didn't know how to handle it then. Similar to you." Harry looked at him and he gave him a slight smile.
As they walked back down the stairs they saw Draco waiting by the door with his wand out. They walked over to him and with a pop they were gone.
"Ron... can I talk to you outside for a minute?" He nodded and she got up. She was six months pregnant with their fourth child and she was beginning to waddle. They walked outside and closed the door. They talked for awhile, which left Draco and Harry in tension. They didn't want to speak, for fear of another argument. When they came back in, they both let out a breath of relief.
"Well... I better get back to the Department of Mysteries. I need to stay with my fellow "Unspeakables"." She and laughed as Ron kissed her on the lips. She hurried as fast as he stomach would let her, then she was out of sight closing the door.
"Right... first off, we need to visit Remus at St. Mungos, second, we need to go down the lower level and check our paper work and see that it gets to the top floor. And last... we need to round up all of the young Auror's we're training and get them in here for their training today. All clear?" When they nodded he move towards the fire place. They didn't trust their mouths at the moment. He threw the powder in the fire and called out, "St. Mungos!" After Ron went they followed suit.
When they arrived at St. Mungos, they walked up to the desk and noticed Remus waiting for them. He was smiling and looked shocked to see Draco among them.
"Well it's nice to see you around Draco." Draco gave a weak smile and looked up the stairs. He knew where Ginny's room was by memory because of all the time he had slept next to her in the bed, whispering in her ear how sorry he was, and asked for her forgiveness.
"It's good to be back working." He answered truthfully, but he wanted to get out of St. Mungos and fast. He didn't want to have to walk past her room up to Remus's office. He tuned out what he and Ron were talking about. He slowly started to back away and walk up the stairs to her room. When he reached the door, he wanted to barge in but couldn't bring himself to go in. He pressed his forehead against the door. He vaguely heard Harry's voice saying his name next to him. He pulled away and focused on what was going on around him.
"Draco... we've got to get these things done with Remus. Can you focus on that for just a little while? I know you want to be with her, but we're only going to be here for a few minutes. Then she won't be on your mind." Harry's eyes held guilt for what he had said earlier and when he reached to pull Draco away, he jerked out of Harry's reach.
"Fine let's just get it over with." He said gruffly and began to walk briskly down the hall towards Remus's office. When he got there he stopped short when he heard him and Ron talking.
"... been moving more and more lately. It won't be much longer now. I say about two weeks tops. Could be longer. As soon as she wakes up we'll give you a call." He heard Remus tell Ron.
"Just don't tell Draco about this. I don't want him to freak out over it. He's already been through a lot. You remember four years ago when he... well... when he was admitted to St. Mungos himself? Well, it's been hard on him. I don't think he's ever going to get these six years of his life back." He heard more than saw Remus sigh and shift. Harry had heard the whole thing and when they heard them walking toward the door, they sprinted back down the hall. Remus and Ron emerged from the room, and looked to see if they were down there. When they saw them, they started towards them.
"Well... as I thought, the papers won't be here till Monday. My secretary left a note on my desk. Would you like to stop by and see Dr. Longbottom? Neville, he's been working with... well... he's been working with a case, and it's coming along quite well. He's just down the hall. Come on, let's go say hi." As they followed Remus to Neville's office, Draco felt the urge to go into Ginny's room once more, but he squashed the feeling instantly. When they reached Neville's office, Remus knocked on his door, and a few moments later the door opened.
"Hi! Long time no see, eh? Well, com on in. Make your selves at home." As they shuffled into the room, he picked up some files, but Draco saw the name, "Virginia Malfoy", in bold letters on of the files. He licked his lips nervously. Once the files were put into a drawer and we sealed with a spell, he turned back around. He was tall, about Draco's height, and thin. He wasn't the clumsy, forget boy they knew back in Hogwart's, but a successful man. "Ah.... Draco, good to see you. It's been awhile hasn't it? We miss seeing you up here. Everything all right?" He asked with concern in his voice as he leaned against his desk.
"Fine, I'm fine. It-it has been awhile. I've been... I've been quite busy this past year." He said in a quiet tone. Neville nodded and studied him for awhile.
"I don't know if you've heard, but they've switched her doctors. I think you should know that I'm her doctor now. I'm going to be keeping an eye on her from now on. I do hope that that is okay with you?" He sounded as if he was asking for Draco's approval. Draco nodded silently staring at the door, wishing he could be at her side. Neville had obviously seen the longing in his eyes, because of what he said next. "Draco... would you like to see her?" Draco turned his grey eyes on his old doctor with shock. He nodded and Ron, Harry and Remus all stood up and said, no.
Neville looked at them with curiosity before speaking. "Why ever not? She is his wife after all, and he hasn't seen her in almost a year. You all wait here." He opened the door and made to go out when he was stopped by Remus's voice.
"I really think they should get going Neville. They have a lot of things to do. " He gave Neville a look, but Neville ignored it, knowing the meaning fully well. He waved it off and beckoned Draco to come with him. As they walked inside, Draco saw her. She was in the same position she had been in before, but she looked beautiful in his eyes. He rushed over to her and took her small, thin hand in his. He lifted it to lips, and noticed that his hands were shaking. He kissed her knuckles and stroked her hand with his thumb. He lifted his hand to gently caress her cheek and stroked that soft red hair. He felt the stinging tears that threatened to flow, but choked them back. He leaned down and shakily kissed her softly on the lips.
He pulled away, when he felt her lips move, with a jerk. He wasn't expecting her to move at all. He had known that she had been moving, but he hadn't expected it. He looked down at her hand and squeezed it. When she squeezed back, he whispered her name near her ear. She didn't seem to hear him, so he lightly brushed his lips upon hers and left the room, filled with shock and hope.
"You felt her move didn't you?" He looked at Neville and couldn't fine his voice to answer back, so he nodded slowly. "She's been quite the vigorous one. But she hasn't woken up yet. I saw your reaction and I knew you felt her. The reason they gave her case to me, was because I had wanted it from the beginning, and the other doctor had become tired of watching her. It won't be long now Draco, don't worry. I'm sure everything will be just fine. She'll be disoriented, but... but it'll be okay." He put a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed. "Have no fear." When they walked back in the room, they were all waiting anxiously. He could tell they wanted to ask him questions, but from the look on his face they decided against it.
After about seven-thirty, Draco arrived back at the house. He walked into the cellar and got his favourite drink. He took it upstairs and sat in a chair in the kitchen drinking it from the bottle. He couldn't get over how Ginny had moved. It shocked him and he was stunned. But now he was scared, what if she woke up and remember nothing of him? He would be devastated. He took two gulps of the Firewhisky and let the burning of it run down his throat. He sat there at remembered his telling his father about his engagement to her.
He walked up the walkway to Malfoy Manor with Ginny by his side. He was dreading announcing their engagement to his parents. He knew they would be none the less happy. They were angry at the fact that they had gotten together, but this means marriage. His father did not want little half Weasley/Malfoy blood in his house.
As they neared the door, Ginny looked fearfully into his face, and he gave her a smile. "I'll be okay. I promise." He could reassure her, but reassuring himself was another story. He rapped loudly on the door, and the butler answered the door.
"Ah... Mister. Malfoy, your parents are waiting in the lounge. May I take your coats?" Draco waved away the man, and went to the lounge. His palms were sweating and he knew he looked nervous. When they entered, he saw the familiar scene. His mother sitting at the desk, writing letters to her "so called friends" and his father sitting in the chair drinking some expensive wine, while reading the Daily Prophet.
"Hello Mother, father." He said as he walked into the room holding Ginny around the waist. Both his parents looked up, his mother smiled and came to greet them, while his father stood and made to shake hands with them.
"Draco and Virginia, it has been awhile since we've seen you last." His mother said with a tight smile. She didn't dislike Ginny, but she dislikes her features. His father swept his gaze over the both of them, and shook hands.
"We got your owl Draco, what is this "important" business you wish to speak with us about?" Draco lead Ginny over to the couch with his mother and they sat down. Lucius took the hint and sat down too. When they were all quiet Draco stood, not knowing how to say it.
"Father, I know you will disapprove of what I have done, but I believe it is none of your concern." He chose his words carefully, and said them slowly. His father raised an elegant blonde eyebrow.
"Oh? Do tell me what this is all about Draco." His father was wearing a curious look, but his eyes showed that he was none to pleased by the way Draco had spoken to him.
"I have... what I mean is... that we..." He stopped, looking for the right words to say. Ginny was biting her bottom lip and pleading with her eyes to just get it out. He took a deep breath and spoke to Lucius in a voice that he would never have dared spoke to his father before. "I don't care what you have to say on the matter, as I have said before, it is none of your concern. I love Ginny, and I have asked her to marry me. You don't have to approve, but I had just wanted to let you know that you will have a daughter-in-law soon. We will not be having a muggle wedding, because we feel that there is no need. We are having a Wizarding Wedding." He heard his mothers intake of breath and saw she looked at Ginny with pure hatred. His fathers eyes had darkened and so had his features. When he spoke, he spoke quietly and calmly, never showing a good sign.
"You mean to tell me that you are marrying a muggle-loving piece of scum? And a Weasley to top it off? I will not tolerate it and I say no. You will not marry her." He was standing now and he walking up to Draco.
"I told you I am going to even if you don't approve. I love her and she loves me, I'm going to marry--" He was sharply cut off my his fathers hand slapping back-handedly across his face. He fell to the floor with the force and Ginny stood up, trembling with rage. Draco pressed his hand to his lip and touched the cut. He looked at Ginny, but she wasn't looking at him. She was glaring at his father and his father was looking utterly disgusted with his son.
"How-dare-you." Ginny's voice had gone quiet, but you could hear the rage in her voice. Lucius turned to look at her. "How dare you hit your son like that. He has done nothing wrong. He right to say that to you, you... you... ungrateful Death Eater." She spit the words out of her mouth like poison. Lucius did not take well to being called a Death Eater, and he too, was trembling with rage now. "If he wants to marry be, then let him. You may be his father, but he should not be treated so. You call your self his father. I pity you Lucius. You could never be considered a worthy father to anyone." She turned to walk next to Draco when Lucius's arm shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.
"You Weasley's disappoint me. You of all Virginia. You will never be anything. You should be considered a mudblood, by the way you interact with them. You could never live up to be a Malfoy. You should be with those muggles we killed back in the war. In a pile of dirt, where nothing can get you. You are not fit to be a pureblood. You and your entire, low, family should've died back when The Dark Lord was alive. He would've killed you. Like you should've been." He threw her to the floor, and her temper flared to the extent of it. She stood up and slapped Lucius hard across the face. His head turned with the force and when she slapped him, Narcissa shrieked, and came flying to Lucius's side. Narcissa raised her hand to slap Ginny, but Draco had stood up and had pull Ginny away. He looked Lucius in his eye, and saw that he looked murderous.
"You don't have to come to the wedding... but we're getting married." And with that said, they sprinted out the door, hearing his father exploding things on their way out.
That night was imprinted in his mind forever. He had finished off the bottle of Firewhisky and had drained two other bottles of Vodka. His vision was blurring and he rested his head in his hands. What had shocked him was that his parents had actually showed up at the wedding, and had told Draco that he was actually happy for him.
Draco was standing next to Ginny with his arm around her waist and was feeding her a piece of cake, when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see who it was, and when he saw his father, his eyes darkened.
"May I speak with you and Virginia?" Draco nodded, and pulled Ginny with him over to a room and shut the door. His father had his back to him, and he set his cloak on the desk. When he turned around, Draco had never seen his eyes as soft as they were. "I should not have acted that way when you came to tell us of your engagement. I was in the wrong. You mother, insisted that we come today. I didn't want to upset you both by coming, but your mother wanted to see you off Draco." He clasped his hands in front of him and sat down in the chair. Draco and Ginny sat nearest towards the door, and Lucius seemed to know why they didn't want to come near him. He closed his eyes, and opened them again. Draco had never seen his father this way. When he opened them, he looked like he could cry, but didn't. "I am not a good father, but my father wasn't a good father. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after this. I wanted to come to your wedding whether or not you liked it because you are my son." He turned his gaze on Ginny now.
"Virginia, I know what I said was wrong, but I cannot take back what I have said. All I can do is ask for forgiveness. You were right to say what you did. I had not. You had a right to slap me also. I don't want to not know you Virginia. You are my son's wife and I want to see you and get to know you. I know you despise me, and I can understand." He had closed his eyes and had put his head in his hands. Draco was stunned , he had never seen his father like this. His father had never shown him the vulnerable side of him before, and it was quite disturbing. Draco had always known that deep down his father cared about him, but never showed it. But now he was... he was a different man. He had changed, and now he was worried that Draco and Ginny would have nothing to do with him. Ginny stood up and walked over to where Lucius had his head in his hands.
She lifted a hand and ran a hand up and down his back soothingly. She had tears in her eyes, he jumped when she touched him, but made no move to get up. She got down on her knees in front of him and started talking to him. Her voice was to low so Draco couldn't hear, but he knew his father was listening to every word. Draco knew her ways of soothing people and smiled when Lucius looked at her. She kept talking and she pressed a hand to his cheek, and Draco saw a tear escape from her eyes. She had quit talking now and was listening to Lucius. He was talking softly and he was staring intently in her eyes. She had now burst into tears and had thrown herself on to him hugging him tightly. At first he was shocked and didn't know what to do, so he looked up at Draco and saw him smiling at him. He smiled slowly and put his arms around her. Draco knew that they had made peace and was happy. After she had quit crying, she pulled away sniffing.
"I'm sorry I did that Lucius." She said with a smile. He chuckled and waved it off. Draco knew that his father had like being hugged and made a mental note of it. Draco stood up when they did, and walked over to his father. They looked at each other for moment, and then they had a father/son embrace.
When they walked out of the room, Lucius was smiling at them and was talking to them.
Draco will never forget that. His father had changed and was not the same Lucius he had been before. He remembered how upset he had been with Draco when he told him about Ginny being in an accident and why. He father's temper had flared and he had yelled at Draco for sleeping around with other women when he had Ginny, and had kicked Draco out. He told him not to come back until later. Draco last saw his father about a year ago, when he went up to visit Ginny. They had a quick exchange, but Draco hadn't seen him since. Draco knew his father had cared for Ginny like his own, and it had hurt him to see her like that.
Draco heard Hermione's frantic voice calling for him from the living room, and go up to see what the fuss was all about. When he had stumbled into the living room, she had stopped and had stared at him.
"Draco? Where have you been? We've been trying to get into touch with you for almost an hour. Good lord!! Look at you!" She sounded suspiciously like Mrs. Weasley. He waved her off.
"What's all this yelling for?" His words were slightly slurred, but she could understand him. Just then, his father apparated into the living room, and looked shocked to see his son drunk like that. Draco sat down on the couch and watched Hermione. He heard Ron's voice and she was talking to him.
"You have to get to St. Mungos now." She said in a hurry. He looked at her with tired, red-rimmed eyes and asked why. "It's Ginny, Draco. She's awake." He looked at her, and shook his head in disbelief. "Yes... but only... only she thinks that you're still in the war. Draco she's awake."
He sat there in stunned silence and watched the room blur before him and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.