tiptoes in ...hi guys. ILOVEYOUIREALLYREALLYDO! I'm SO sorry this took so long, but things have been nuts. Yeah yeah, you've heard it all. THANKYOU to those of you who continued to poke me, it really did kick my butt into gear, lol
Chapter Fourteen, Whatever it Takes
"This time, I'll be sailing...
No more bailing boats for me,
I'll be out here on the sea,
Just my confidence and me." -'Little Victories', Matt Nathanson
Before he got up to face the day, Draco just listened. He hadn't heard complete silence in almost two weeks. It was entirely calming, completely serene. He was home. Wherever 'home' was, he was there.
He quickly got up and took a short shower, making his way down to the kitchen only to find they had no ingredients for anything that could even remotely resemble waffles. And he had no idea where the store was.
"Whatcha lookin for?" A tired voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw Ginny, which immediately brought a smile to his face. e'd never seen anything so beautiful...well, he'd seen her before, but she'd never looked so beautiful then she did right then, with her tired eyes and messy hair.
"Something for waffles." He responded. "Where's the store? We don't have any eggs or flour or anything - what have you been eating?"
"Honestly?" She asked with a smirk. "Cold cereal." Draco was appalled - he left for a week, one week, and they were already reduced to cold cereal?
"Don't sneer like that, somebody might think you have something against cereal." She giggled as she moved closer to him.
"It's fine if you want to live like a peasant," he muttered under his breath. She laughed at him heartily, but he didn't find it too funny. They didn't have to live like that anymore.
"Anyway, there's no need to make your own celebratory breakfast, the kids like cereal." She added with a yawn. Draco could've hit himself - he'd forgotten to tell her, he'd been so tired.
"Alex requested waffles for his birthday breafast," he said slowly. Ginny's eyes widened as he'd expected them to,
"Oh Merlin...that isn't today is it? That's today?" She said, gaping at him. He took a deep breath,
"Actually...yesterday was July 15." He saw Ginny's hand grip the countertop as if she were about to fall over, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You know, having your husband in jail on charges of murder, then being released does count as a damn good reason," he added quickly. She just shook her head. He knew that if she were able to speak she'd be going on in a high-pitched rant right about now, but she couldn't, so for the moment his ears were safe.
"Look," he continued, "It's fine, we talked, everything's...going to be fine." She still couldn't say anything. She was obviously trying to say something, but he wasn't about to let her start, so he put up his hands. "You know what? I'll find the store on my own, it's fine. Just go get dressed, maybe some decorations. I'll see you soon." He grabbed his jacket and walked out before she had the chance to start...anything.
Draco walked outside and decided to go right. He was glad no one was around here, the peace of the morning was nice. He'd expected at least one reporter to stalk him, but for once in his life he was completely alone. He walked around the corner, where he'd seen a little store the day they'd gotten there and he waltzed right in.
He picked up the things he needed, paid, and walked out as inconspicuously as he could. Apparently he hadn't been fast enough.
"Draco Malfoy! How does it feel?" He saw Rita Skeeter look around as she approached him with her hideously green quill in hand. Draco merely ignored her and lengthened his stride - he didn't have time for this. Especiall not today.
"So what's it like? Has anyone said anything to you yet? Have you heard from your father? Where is your father, Draco? Has he tried to contact you over the years?" She rambeled on, but Draco was making a mental list of things that needed to get done in the next few days - including actually move into their house. Boxes were still everywhere, it was just as he'd left it. He was surprised Ginny hadn't taken care of any of it, he'd almost expected her to.
He finally reached their property, but she followed him onto it. He whipped around and faced her.
"I do believe you're trespassing." He hissed viciously. She was stunned at his tone, but took the few steps backward. He waltzed into his house to find an incredibly distraught Ginny and a stunned Mia sitting at the kitchen table.
"What's going on? Why aren't you two helping?" He snapped. They just stared at him. He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. He just wanted to lay it all out on the table.
"Alright look, it happened, alright? We forgot his birthday - all of us. And now we have to deal with it. Red - you're on decorations, use your wand, for Merlin's sake! You can do that now! Mia, you take care of waking up your lazy arse of a son and getting him to help you get the kids ready for breakfast. Is that clear enough?" He ranted. Ginny put her head in her hands and Mia just continued to gape at him.
After another moment of Draco staring at them menacingly, Mia got up and left and Ginny pulled out her wand. After a few moments decorations were up and waffles were being made. Damon and Emma trudged into the kitchen wearily, looking confusedly at the decorations.
"Today's Alex's birthday?" Emma asked. Damon pushed her arm.
"Emma!" he chided.
"What? I forgot. So did you."
"Knock it off," Draco warned. He was in no mood to deal with them this morning. They looked at him, startled, but sat down at the table.
Alex was greeted with smiles, cheers and birthday wishes - not to mention hundreds of apologies. His face was redder than Draco had ever seen it. He really was a Weasley. Draco smirked and shook his head, turning his attention to the window, where he expected to see a post owl, but he found nothing.
"I wonder where the Daily Prophet is," he thought aloud.
"That paper is a load of rubbish." Ginny declared indignantly. Draco couldn't believe it - it was like she hadn't heard a word he'd said.
"You mean you didn't order it?" He asked in disbelief.
"No, I didn't." She stated.
"Red, that's ridiculous. It may be rubbish but I do need to know what they're saying about me." He said angrily. They glared at each other for a moment before Draco turned back to the waffle iron and they continued to work in silence.
After a tense breakfast (noticed by everyone but Izzy and Julia) Draco decided to take the kids out to Hogsmeade.
When they got there, Draco noticed how uncomfortable Ginny was. When they entered the Three Broomsticks he pulled her aside.
"What's wrong?" He asked flatly.
"I just don't think it's right to put these kids through this kind of publicity. Everyone's staring!" She exclaimed.
"That's how it goes in this world, Red, you know that." He urged.
"Yes, but they've never had to deal with that before! They don't understand."
"They're perfectly fine," he said, shaking his head. "They'll deal with it. And the press is nothing to worry about. Just so long as we keep an eye on them." Ginny pursed her lips in thought, obviously still unsure Draco was making the right decision. "This is what we left when we left," he said with a smirk, "don't you remember?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. She sighed then, and went back to their table.
The afternoon went by uneventfully - after the incident that morning, no reporter dared approach Draco with his family. But that's not to say they didn't want to - he saw them everywhere. They were trying to blend in to the others around them, but he knew who they were.
After dinner Alex got a few presents from Mia and Mike, because his parents had bought him a few nice things in Hogsmeade. They had a cake Draco had bought, as opposed to making one themselves like they usually did.
As the evening was winding down Draco heard a knock on the door. As he made his way out to the foyer he was, of course, passed by two or three kids.
"It's time to get ready for bed," he repeated to the littler ones for what felt like the millionth time.
"Can I open it?" Izzy asked.
"I said bed." He repeated. She just stood there until he gently ushered her towards the stairs where she met Mia who had to practically drag her the rest of the way. Mia took Julia up with them and Alex stood at the door patiently.
"Can I?" He asked. Draco sighed and smiled,
"Sure." So Alex opened the door and what Draco saw made him draw his wand.
"Oh hi! My dad's home this time." Alex said to Lucius Malfoy with an innocence Draco had never expected. Wand drawn, Draco stepped forward and ushered the small boy behind him.
"This time?" He asked his son quietly.
"Yeah, he was here last night, too. But you weren't home." Alex explained. Draco wanted to continue the talk with his son - beginning with a tirade about not talking to strangers - but he knew his father wouldn't wait for long.
"We will talk about this later," he said in a stern voice. "Go get ready for bed."
"But Dad --"
"No. I said go." Draco said with force. Alex looked stunned, but proceeded up the steps to his room.
Draco looked back up at his father and proceeded outside to join him on the front porch.
"Aren't you going to invite me inside?" Lucius asked with a hint of amusement. Draco put his wand away and looked at him seriously.
"No." He said flatly. Lucius smirked and inclined his head. "What are you doing here?" Draco pressed warningly.
"I thought I would come see my son," Lucius said, almost mockingly.
"See your son? Your son? I think you let me off that hook when you turned in my name." Draco scoffed with a bitter smile.
"Draco, you know how things were. We all thought you were dead." He said matter-of-factly.
"Ah, now that just makes it all better." Draco said sarcastically.
"Don't you take that tone with me." Lucius hissed. Just then the door behind Draco opened.
"Draco, Alex said someone --" Ginny froze as soon as she saw Lucius Malfoy. Draco couldn't blame her, he had been...unkind to her in the past.
"Red, go back inside." He commanded.
"But...what?" She was speechless and looking horrified.
"I'll take care of this, go back inside."
"Draco, we need to talk," she said in a panicky voice.
"Not right now." He said shortly. "I will be in in a moment, now go back inside." He finished forcefully. She stood there in terror. Finally Mia came up behind her curiously and saw the older man.
"Hello," she said with a polite smile. "And you are?"
"Mia," Draco said exasperatedly, "would you just take her inside? Right now." He was getting very frustrated. Mia looked stunned at the commanding tone of his voice, but ushered Ginny inside anyway. Draco turned back to his father.
"I think you should leave now." He said angrily.
"Married a Weasley," Lucius said in disgust.
"Leave," Draco repeated.
"I thought I raised you better than that." He sneered. Draco advanced on him just enough to seem intimidating.
"My mother raised me to protect that which I cared about, and I will do just that. Now get off my property." Draco said in a dangerously low voice. Lucius seemed almost surprised by Draco's response - although he didn't show it, Draco knew him well enough to be able to tell.
After a tense moment that consisted mostly of glaring, Lucius turned on his heel and walked down the steps again. As he walked away, Draco added one last comment.
"Oh, and Stefanie found me her obituary. Don't think I don't know what happened." He said viciously. Lucius looked up at Draco with an indifferent look that made Draco's blood boil. And then he smirked,
"I never thought she would come to your defense," Lucius admitted, amused.
"I always was her favorite cousin." Draco stated matter-of-factly with a smirk of his own. Lucius inclined his head, and then he left. Draco watched him walk down the street and out of sight.
It wasn't until then that he turned around to see the window to the living room cracked open. It angered him, but he knew it was just Mia's curiosity getting the best of her. He took another deep breath before venturing back inside.
He found Ginny sitting on the couch in the living room, shocked to silence and white as a sheet, while Mia was sitting at an armchair that just happened to be positioned right by the window.
"Before you say anything," Draco said shortly, but it was in vain.
"What was he doing here?" Ginny said angrily, standing up.
"Calm down," he said seriously, looking at her.
"Calm down?" She cried, "Calm down? How can you say that?" She advanced, panicking and waving her arms.
"Red," he said warningly, not willing to deal with too much commotion at the moment. He knew that he had things under control, but at the moment he didn't feel like explaining himself. Seeing his father had been enough for one night, and he just wanted to get past it and move on.
"Alright, back to your corners," Mia said, coming between them. "I can't stay here and yell at you guys forever. So siddown, and somebody start talkin." Ginny glared at Draco for a moment longer before sitting back down on the couch in a huff.
"You too," Mia gestured to the chair.
"I'd rather stand." Draco said shortly. Mia looked at him in confusion.
"What is up with you?" She asked with a roll of her eyes. "Ever since you got home you've been short, and rude and just plain mean and I don't get it." She said angrily, sitting down in the armchair.
"He's acting like he's seventeen again!" Ginny yelled. Draco was surprised at her sudden outburst. "Just like a stupid, arrogant, ignorant Malfoy." She said with a sneer he'd never seen.
"I am trying to keep this family together." He hissed at her.
"Alright!" Mia cried. "Chill! Both of you! Jeez, alright." Mia cried, standing up again. "Let's try something else. Who was that guy out there?" Draco sighed exasperatedly and made to leave the room.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny snapped. "It was your father, you tell her about him." Mia's eyes widened as she put all the pieces of the very obvious puzzle together. "He better not be coming back!" Ginny called out after him as Draco just left the room and went up to his bed.
He was exhausted and he wasn't about to deal with any overdramatics. Mia would calm Ginny down and everything would be fine in the morning.
He knew that he had a long way to go to rebuild his reputation, but he also knew he had to do it. He would go to Gringott's in the morning and take out some money in order to find himself a job - buy a store or something. He didn't know. He'd figure it out, though, he always did.
He knew he'd see his father again, that he'd have to face him, but he didn't care. He'd deal with that time when it came - and it wouldn't come soon. He needed to gain back his old air of arrogance, and it almost came to him naturally. Whatever it took.