Come on," Draco said, tugging Ginny by the hand towards the Malfoy Manor.
"Erm, I'm not sure this is such a good idea."
"We're already here, Ginny, we're not putting it off any longer. You managed to make me put it off until after our engagement, now you have to meet my mother!"
His father was in Azkaban. After Draco had gone to Dumbledore, and told him what his father wanted him to do to, Draco and his mother had relocated away from Lucius and lived in the ever growing headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Draco was shaken out of that memory when Ginny stubbornly dug her heels in the snow and leaned backwards. Her eyes were panicky.
He huffed a sigh. "Look, Blaise and Hermione are already there. You'll have Hermione by your side while you talk to my mother." He didn't mention that his mother would most likely want to talk to Ginny by herself. But he had every confidence in his fiery Gryffindor.
She continued to put up a fight all the way to the door, where she attempted to ring the doorbell. Draco laughed at her, and then flung the door open, and broadly announced his presence.
Hermione was the first one out of the room, and the girls hugged each other.
"I'm scared stiff!" Ginny whispered to Hermione, and they both laughed.
Blaise and Draco, however, still slapped hands after all this time. They never forgot their Hogwarts years.
"Come, come," Narcissa called out from the parlor. "I want to see your pretty girl, Draco. Bring her in here."
Ginny threw panicked glances at Hermione and allowed herself to be lead into the parlor.
"Yes, by all means come in, Hermione." Narcissa said. "And do close the door behind you." She mock-glared at Draco. "Leave, Draco, I have things to discuss with Ginevra."
Ginny attempted to regulate her breathing – for a whole lot of good that did.
"So," Narcissa said, putting the tips of her fingers together in a gesture extraordinarily like Draco's – silly, Ginny mentally corrected herself, Draco's gesture is like hers. "You're engaged to my Draco. You will take care of him." She fixated her steely gaze upon Ginny.
"And there's something else about the Malfoy women – one of which you are about to become – you need to pay heed to. The Malfoys have a tradition. One that is generally upholded by the Malfoy women. You will have a child." She said. "There must be a Malfoy heir."
"Yes…" Ginny said, rather nervously. "I plan on having several children. Not too many, although I'm sure Draco could support us, but I plan on multiple children."
"Ah-ha!" Narcissa pointed a red-painted fingernail at Ginny. Ginny jumped, but tried to cover up and pretended she hadn't. "Our tradition is that be the first child a Malfoy heir, there be no more children."
Draco almost snorted, but kept quiet just in time. He knew exactly how Ginny would respond to that.
Ginny completely lost her nervousness at that statement. She was almost completely stunned, but found enough spark inside her to retort.
"Wait. So you're saying that if I have a male child first, I can't have any more children? One male, and that's it?"
Narcissa nodded gravely. "One Malfoy heir will be all their ever is." She proclaimed.
Ginny snorted – not very ladylike, she knew – and then laughed.
Outside the door, Draco grinned. His fiery woman was about to tell Narcissa off.
"I don't think so." Ginny snapped. "This 'tradition' isn't going to be upheld by me. Even if I have a boy my first child, I plan on having multiple children."
Narcissa kept her smile hidden, although her eyes showed the hidden mirth. She bent her finger, motioning for Ginny to come closer, close enough so Narcissa could whisper in her ear. She knew Draco was standing just outside the door – he would never be too far away from his fiancé when she was nervous or worried.
"You are a remarkable woman," she whispered in Ginny's ear. "My Draco loves you far more than Lucius ever loved me.
Go now, and have the strength to do what I did not."
As they were leaving, Draco kissed her under the door, under the mistletoe, and whispered, "Merry Christmas. Our children will never be alone." Then he looked at her. "You're not planning on having seven children, though….are you??"
She laughed, and then stuffed snow down the back of his coat, effectively ending their conversation before a full-out snow war ensued.