BOOK 2

Author's Note: I initially wrote "Saving Grace" as a complete story, knowing that I wanted the story to end with the last battle. I thought it would only be 15 chapters and follow the events of the Deathly Hallows, with a G/D twist obviously. I kept having more ideas for what would happen next though, and couldn't leave it alone. So I began to write a sequel, and thus, the story continues.

Chapter 1: The Morning After

"What do you mean she's not there?" Hermione shrugged her shoulders helplessly at the Weasleys as she descended the stairs to the girl's dormitories. She felt awful. The last thing she wanted to do was make them worried. They were all still so grief stricken after Fred. For a moment, all her focus was on the Weasleys speaking to each other, and then she spotted Harry. She squinted her eyes suspiciously as she realized Harry was staring at the Weasleys guiltily.

Going over to him, she stood right next to him and whispered harshly. "Harry, if she's in your room, go get her." Harry's body jerked, and then his face flushed. Hermione glanced over at him, and sighed. "Harry, we just won a war. I'm sure they'll forgive you for having their daughter in your bed."

It was nearly noon now, and families had been quietly departing all morning. Neville had left with his gran an hour ago. She had met Seamus' mum as well, when she showed up at five in the morning to rush him home. Even the families of those who had fallen had been coming and going for hours now. And now the Weasleys were going. Mrs. Weasley had immediately offered for her and Harry to come with them, and Hermione really didn't have it in her to say no. She missed her own parents desperately, but she knew tracking them down in Australia would take planning and research that she just couldn't manage right then.

But now Ginny was missing. "I'm not the one they need to worry about 'Mione. If she's not here, she's probably with him." Him? Harry had all but spit the pronoun out, leaving no doubt as to the animosity and resentment he had for this mystery figure. What in the world was Harry talking about? Harry had been Ginny's world for years.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Harry's eyes narrowed and his mouth remained firmly shut, completely ignoring her question. Frustrated, Hermione tried to keep her voice from rising. "Harry, if you know something you have to tell them. They are worried sick." Harry stayed silent for a minute, but then spoke in a loud voice, directing his speech to the Weasleys instead of her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Did Ginny by chance have a boyfriend this year?" Hermione fully expected an immediate denial from the family, wondering what could have possibly come over Harry. Instead, she watched Mr. Weasley frown and Mrs. Weasley sputter. "Oh Harry! No, I mean nothing serious. Nothing for you to worry over dear!"

And yet in the same moment, Mr. Weasley was already heading out the door, looking very much like he knew exactly where to go. Ginny did have a boyfriend? Shocked herself, she looked over to see that Ron looked pole axed, and rushed to his side. "Boyfriend? But…but we were in the middle of a war! Who the hell did she start dating now!"

George, still looking rather lifeless, looked over with a scowl. "Oh sod off! Who cares anymore? If she wants to snog a sack of shite, then let her. Let's just go home. She can find her own way back." Hermione was sure everyone felt the same as her in that moment; utterly helpless and so very sad. George had never been mean or biting. It was as if everything that had made him; his humor, his wit, his carefree attitude, had drained out of him, leaving only a bitter husk.

"Percy, take your brother home. Ron, Harry, Hermione, feel free to go as well. I need to find your father." And then she was gone as well, apparently knowing exactly where she would find her husband. Hermione's mind raced. Obviously whoever Ginny was dating was not a Gryffindor, and their relationship had been serious enough for both of Ginny's parents to know about it. Poor Harry. Feeling uncomfortable and uneasy, Hermione was about to do just as Mrs. Weasley had suggested, when Ron yanked on her wrist and Harry's. "No, wait. Let's go see who he is." Harry ripped his wrist out of Ron's grip and glared. "No. If I see that wanker right now I'm not going to be able to keep from cursing him. Let's just go."

Ron looked at her with his mouth open, but Hermione could only shrug. She didn't know either. So with Harry's decision made, the three of them began heading out of the castle, towards the bridge, eventually apparating home to the Burrow.

Ginny woke up still rather tired, and then snuggled more tightly into Draco's chest, fully intending to go back to sleep. But his body was unnaturally stiff, and glancing up, she saw he was looking over her head, somewhat terrified. Frowning, she went to move to see what he was looking at, when a voice made her freeze.

"Please Miss. Weasley, don't let me interrupt your sleep. You are so obviously comfortable, right at home some would say, in bed with my son." Ginny felt her face flush, and the only thing she could think of was how glad she was that they had been too tired to do anything but sleep. Mercifully, they were still fully clothed.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you have ten seconds to get out of that bed and explain yourself." If she had been mortified to hear Lucius Malfoy's voice, it was nothing compared to the panic that overtook her hearing her father's voice. She spun so quickly, scrambling to get out of the bed, that the blankets came with her and she ended up in a tangle on the floor. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

It did nothing to lessen her panic when she realized that between the two men, her dad was the one more obviously angry. His face was red and was obviously embarrassed. Lucius Malfoy on the other hand, looked almost amused. "Looking for you, Miss. Weasley. Imagine our surprise when our interview with a half dozen aurors was interrupted by your frantic parents, informing us that they needed to get into the Slytherin common room to retrieve their daughter."

The knot in Ginny's stomach tightened. "Mum's here too?" Her dad nodded and looked towards the door. "Downstairs. But you will be answering to us first. Truthfully, young lady. Is this the first time you two have shared a bed?" Ginny thought she might be sick.

"No sir." Ginny's head whipped around as she stared incredulously at Draco, but he was avoiding her gaze, focused instead on her dad. Was he really going to tell their parents the truth?

Draco's heart was racing as he realized what to do. The war was over. Ginny was going to be at Hogwarts all of next year while he wasn't. If everything went wrong, he might even be in Azkaban. He didn't know how they would ever be able to be together. But he didn't want to lose her. He didn't want Potter to come running in and sweep her off her feet while he was locked up. He didn't want some snot nosed Hogwarts kid to catch her eye while he wasn't there. And if they told the truth, the whole truth, there was a chance he could keep her. He knew his parents, and he was beginning to realize hers might be the same. If they knew everything, their parents would be upset and angry, but they would also be insistent that he make an honest woman out of her. She would be his, for better or for worse.

"To be perfectly honest sir, your daughter and I have done much more than just share a bed." Ginny shot to her feet at that, and interrupted him before he said something even worse. "Isn't it time we head home? I'm sure mum's quite worried, waiting so long down there."

What happened next was so completely unexpected that Ginny was half convinced she must be dreaming. Lucius gave a snort of laughter and then nodded at her. "You do lack subtlety, don't you? Well, I suppose it might be nice to have a daughter-in-law that's so readily transparent." Daughter-in-law! Ginny's eyes desperately sought out her father's, but his expression mirrored her own, full of silent panic.

He got his voice back relatively quickly, although his face was now more pale than red. "Now Lucius I'm sure your son didn't mean…" Lucius only smirked. "Well then feel free to confirm it. I for one, think that is exactly what Draco meant."

More than anything, Ginny hoped the ground would swallow her up. She knew now that Draco was going to tell the truth. That if she remained silent, he would fill in the answer. But she also knew her father wanted to hear it from her, and that Draco knew it too. "Gin?" Ginny took a deep breath and nodded weakly at her dad. "Um, yeah…I mean…that is what Draco meant."

She watched her father's face go nearly purple, and then he shouted. "Molly! Get up here right now and deal with your daughter!" Ginny wanted to shrivel under his look. "I have never been so disappointed in you. This is not how we raised you to act. You are grounded. You will be doing chores from sun up to sun down and if you so much as raise one complaint you can expect a lash. Do I make myself clear?" Ginny just stared at her father in fright, relieved to hear the door open and see her mum come in.

Her mum only had to look at her to know something terrible had happened. In an instant, her mum was at her side, patting her hair, and asking what the matter was. It was her dad that answered in a cold, angry voice. "Tell her Ginevra."

Ginny sniffed and looked up into her mother's worried eyes, realizing that much to her surprise, she was actually more comfortable telling her mum than she had been when telling her dad. "I've been sleeping with Draco." Her mum looked at her confusedly, and Ginny forced herself to repeat it. "Sleeping mum, you know, shagging." The last word was said very quietly, but her mum had no problem hearing it. Instead of yelling though, her mum had tensed, and was now looking up past Ginny's shoulder. Ginny turned her head and saw that Draco was still sitting on the bed, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered as his mother seemed to be lecturing him.

And then her mum was talking to her hurriedly. "Don't panic. We'll sort this out. We won't tell your brothers. We'll come up with some other excuse for your punishment. No one ever needs to know." Ginny could only stay there stunned. This was not at all what she had expected. Did she even know her parents?

"Well, now that we are all caught up with events, I suppose we ought to schedule a meeting to discuss the nuptials?" Ginny watched as her mum drew herself up, and looked Lucius right in the face. "There is no need to discuss anything. Our children made a grave mistake, and while I do not support what they did, we all know that war time can encourage brash and hasty decisions. I already lost a child last night, and I have no intention of losing my daughter to your son. We will all forget any of this happened, and no one need ever know."

Ginny saw Draco's mother grip his shoulder tightly, speaking next. "I agree. We just got our son back safe and sound. He hasn't had a chance to be carefree for two years and-"

"Narcissia." Lucius' voice cut her off, and the room was thrown into an awkward silence. "Like I said, we will schedule a meeting. There are funeral arrangements that need to come first of course, so how would you feel about five days from now? Three o'clock at the Manor? I fear we may be constrained by house arrest by then."

Everything was moving so fast. It was not lost on Ginny that a month ago she was daydreaming about marrying Draco. Now though, it seemed crazy. They didn't have to retreat to the countryside anymore. She could attend Hogwarts next year with no fear of death eaters. She would never have to face Draco on a battlefield. He wouldn't have to fight for the Dark Lord. They no longer needed to save each other. She could be a normal teenager. They could have a normal relationship.

Her mum was talking again. "No, we will not be meeting. Your son will keep his mouth closed and if there is ever so much as a rumour that our daughter's virtue has been compromised, you will see just who has the power under the new Ministry." As much as Ginny wanted to stand back and admire her mum, she knew this wasn't fair. Especially to Draco. But she didn't know what to say until she heard what her mum said next. "He will stay far away from our daughter and both of them will-" Ginny felt a shot of panic shoot through her, and abruptly cut her off. "You can't just expect this to disappear mum!" Her mum stopped mid-rant and stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Ginny looked at Draco and realized how wrong this felt. Their parents had somehow managed to separate them and take over the entire situation. Her mum was orchestrating their break up for Merlin's sake! Shouldn't she and Draco be the ones doing the talking? It was their relationship after all. Understanding the pleading look she was giving him, Draco got up off the bed and walked over to hold her hand. Instantly, Ginny felt stronger and more sure of herself as they faced their parents together.

"What Draco and I have been doing isn't just some secret that you can bury." He squeezed her hand, and then picked up where she left off. "We've been together for months Mrs. Weasley. The whole school knows."

Her mum pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Yes. However knowing that you decided to date, is much different than everyone knowing how far you've gone. This is still perfectly salvageable."

Ginny felt anger whip through her. She spoke without thinking, and felt Draco tense next to her. "Actually, it isn't. When we said we weren't keeping it a secret, we meant the sex! People already know mum!" She could see the shock overcome her mum. It was Draco's mum who spoke though. "And exactly how many people know this?"

"The whole school." All four of their parents looked flabbergasted at this bit of news, and Ginny decided she might as well keep going. Make it perfectly clear that their relationship wasn't something that could be neatly tucked away and hidden. She didn't want to have to forget and move on, which is exactly what her mum obviously wanted for her. No doubt her mum was already trying to figure out how she could still end up with Harry. The thought was infuriating enough to keep Ginny talking. "Even the Professors knew. Once Professor Sprout heard, she gave me a birth control potion which was rather nice, wouldn't you say?" And it had been, now that she could think back on it. Her dad began coughing on air, and her mum looked as if she might tip over. Ginny grinned. There, ignore that piece of news.

Draco yanked her hand hard, and Ginny looked over in shock. He was glaring at her. What in Merlin's name? Why the hell was he mad at her? "We'll be right back." And then before she realized what was happening, Draco had dragged her onto the landing, shut the bedroom door behind them, and was hissing at her. His face was a centimeter from hers, his hand gripping her wrist tightly, making sure she couldn't recoil from him. "You are going back in there and apologizing to your mother immediately."

Ginny could only stare. What? "Are you insane? Did you not hear what she was saying? She was trying to control our lives."

Draco's expression didn't falter. "She is your mother and that demands respect. If a child of ours ever spoke to us in the tone you've been using, I would blister their backside."

Ginny frowned and tried to yank her wrist away to no avail. And then she pouted. Even as she did it, she knew it was immature. But she couldn't help it. "You don't get it! You don't have a sister. If you did, you'd know that all daughters and mothers fight."

He was completely unmoved, and Ginny felt her cheeks begin to redden. Maybe she had been a bit rude. A bit difficult. Maybe it hadn't been completely necessary to gleefully throw it in her mother's face that she had completely destroyed her reputation and there was nothing her mother could do about it. "Fine! You win. I'll apologize." She had said it mulishly, completely unenthused about the prospect. But then she saw Draco smile slightly, and her heart melted a little.

Her lips quirked up, and she leaned in for a quick kiss. "No matter what my mother says though, know that if you agree to leave me alone, I will hunt you down and hex you within an inch of your life. I just got you back you bloody arse."

He smirked and snaked his arms around her waist. "Just listen to that disrespect. I have half a mind to flip you over my lap right now and teach you some manners." She knew he was teasing. That it was just a joke. But at his words, a surge had gone through her that left her feeling flushed and wishing they could have some time alone. Ridiculous. Was she really so needy? That after a month of no sex, one comment had been enough to ignite her lust? Ginny gave him a weak smile, and then went to open the door. An apology to her mum was suddenly much more tempting than standing there, trying to keep Draco from realizing how much power he had over her.

As soon as the door opened, conversation between her dad and Lucius stopped, and all four parents stared at them. Ginny gulped. She felt Draco's hand on the small of her back, and braced herself. "Er, so I was perhaps a bit rude earlier. Sorry mum. I guess I didn't need to say it quite like that." Both of her mum and dad looked as if a feather could knock them down. And then her mum blinked.

"Well yes, thank you. I, well I might have been a bit overbearing as well. It's been a very long day." Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw her dad smile slightly, and couldn't help but wonder if her mum had just been talked to as well. It was a strange feeling.

Her father spoke next. "We can talk more about this at home. The Malfoys need to return to the Aurors for now, and they'll send us an owl when they know more about their schedule. We…we'll head downstairs and let you two say goodbye. Quickly, mind you."

As their parents shuffled off, Draco got no more than a smirk from his father, and a worried glance from his mother. It hardly seemed fair. Why, out of all of their parents, did it have to be Lucius who seemed happiest about their relationship? He was a detestable human being. She didn't want him as an ally in anything.

Left alone, neither of them said anything for a second. And then they were hugging tightly, Ginny's head pressed into his shoulder. Reality seemed to crash over them, leaving both feeling scared and weak. "You'll come to Fred's funeral?" He buried his face in her hair and sighed. "If I can. If you don't…if you don't hear from me, remember to check the paper."

Ginny looked up at him in alarm. "They can't arrest you! You were underage. You haven't done anything this year." He didn't say anything, and Ginny felt a weight settle into her stomach. Would he be arrested? The thought made her ill. "Why don't you run then? Leave now, and go to Russia or Paraguay or something?"

His brow furrowed. "And leave everything behind? Our lands are here, our history is here. We'll endure. They won't put me away for life." Ginny could only look at him with wide eyes. She didn't know what to think, much less say. He sighed, and then kissed her. "Stop. Whatever happens, will happen. We can't hide out here forever. Ready?"

She nodded dispassionately, and let him lead her by the hand, out the room, down the stairs, and to their parents.

The long walk with her parents from the Slytherin common room to the bridge outside the castle was silent. Her dad wrapped her into a hug in order to side apparate her home, and they all stared for a moment. The Burrow. Half of her hadn't really believed it would still look the same. Not after the death eaters had searched it from top to bottom to try and find clues for their whereabouts.

The yard had gone a bit wild. She could already see three gnomes racing across the yard, chasing chickens that had been freed from their coops. Garden beds were clogged with weeds and her dad's shed looked like it had spewed all of its contents out into the yard, but overall, it looked lovely.

Going into the house was a whole other story. Anything that had been in a cabinet, drawer, or trunk had been taken out and left as heaps on the floor. Furniture had been blasted apart, wall décor had been torn down; there was even a hole blown into the staircase. "Hello?" Noise suddenly came from upstairs, and Ron clattered down in a panic.

"Mum! The ghoul completely destroyed my room! It stinks in there! Hermione's tried everything!" And with that, they all launched into operation clean the house.

As it turned out, the house having been ravaged was a blessing in disguise. Whenever there was a spare moment, the Weasleys were to be found cleaning, repairing, gardening, or sorting through belongings. No one touched George's room, the loss of Fred far too raw. But every other inch of the house and yard became an ongoing project.

Harry and Hermione stayed on to help, as did Charlie who showed up hours after Ginny and her parents, and Bill and Fleur who were spending every afternoon helping before flooing back to Shell Cottage. Any one of them was prone to start sobbing whilst working, and there was an oppressive atmosphere hanging over everyone. Yet the work at least gave them something to focus on other than the long list of funerals that were looming ahead.