"How will I tell my parents?" Ginny murmured into Draco's cheek, where she had rested her face to catch her breath. She felt Draco smile.

"I'll tell them," he offered.

Ginny pulled back to look at him. "Oh, really?"

His smile became a smirk. "Bet I'll do it better than you do."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, but her traitorous mouth smiled. "I'll tell Dad. You can tell my Mum."

Draco shrugged. "I'll tell Severus and Hermione if you tell Ron and Pansy."

Ginny grimaced. "Oh, ok. Hey, how did you know about Ron and Pansy?"

"Severus kept me up to date. He seemed to feel obliged, for some reason. I wonder why," he made an exaggeratedly thoughtful pose.

Ginny poked him in the ribs and he flinched out of his mockery, then laughed. "You'll have to live here with me," she said. Draco scrunched his nose. "Come on, it hasn't been that bad, has it?"

"Your room wasn't next to Severus'. That man keeps odd hours and has no compunctions about brewing in his room."

Ginny shrugged. "We can take the owner's quarters on the ground floor."

"Why aren't you in there now?"

"I like the company. A big bedroom, sitting room and laundry were a bit much on my own. You forget that for most of my life I was squished into a tiny house with eight other people. I like the noise."

Draco nodded. "I'm sure I can fill up three rooms with my huge ego," he joked.

"I'll bet," she replied. As she met his eyes, this time she initiated the kiss.

They were interrupted a few minutes later by Severus and Hermione walking in. Ginny blushed, but Draco seemed unperturbed. "She's accepted the inevitable," he announced, "and decided to play nice. We'll be moving into the owner's quarters on the ground floor. At least, until I can convince her to hand management over to someone else and move to one of the properties," he added with a sly sideways glance at her. Ginny rolled her eyes.

Hermione sat heavily on the chair. Severus stood behind her with an amused look on his face. "We just came to check if you were ok, but it seems you are," Hermione said. "Pansy's invited us to the wedding on Sunday."

Draco nodded. "Good. About time." He turned to Ginny. "See? I can do this. I'm one – no, two – up on you now. Your mother's in the kitchens. I'll be done before the day's out."

Ginny snorted. "I think you're mistaking my mother for yours. Good luck."

Draco gave her a look of supreme confidence. Ginny glanced over at Severus and Hermione in time to catch the end of a look between them and the reassured cast of Severus' face. Obviously, Draco was getting back to himself.

They sat quietly for a moment, before Draco said, "Well? Where will you two be going when you lose residential rights here?"

Hermione blinked. "Well, back to my apartment, I suppose." She looked up at Severus, who gave her a blank look. "You'll have to keep your brewing in the lab. Apart from that, it's nearly habitable. Oh!" she exclaimed, turning back to Draco and Ginny. "Our application to St. Mungo's was accepted! We should be churning out potions for the next few weeks, getting their reserve supplies built up."

"Well done!" Ginny congratulated them.

"When will you get married?" Draco added.

Hermione stared at him. Severus rolled his eyes. "There will be a celebrant present on Sunday. We can get him to do the honours, if your sense of proprietary is offended by the suggestion of 'living in sin'."

Draco gave him a wicked smile. "Oh, far be it from me to suggest anything of the sort," he replied. "In fact, from what I recall, you were the overly conservative one."

Severus snorted. "I probably was," he replied.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If it means that much to you, Severus, you can just tell me and we'll do it properly." He gave her an oddly vulnerable look which she interpreted as a yes. "I'll organise it."

Ginny laughed softly. "Look at us," she said. "Two years ago, I would never have thought this possible."

"Two years ago this wasn't possible," Draco muttered. He was fiddling with her fingernails gently, holding her hand in his own.

She shrugged. "I suppose so."

Hermione began to clear the dishes. "I don't know about possibilities," she said. "But I know that now, I'm as close to happy as I've been in a long time."

Ginny met her eyes. "I know. I am too," she added, glancing down at her hands entwined with Draco's. Her stomach gave a strange twinge and she looked up to beam at Hermione. The other woman returned her smile.

At the doorway, Hermione turned back. "Tomorrow," she said. "At lunch, come and meet us at… Oh, at the apartment. Bring some dessert. And some champagne." She glanced at Severus, then left. Ginny was surprised to see heat rise in the man's face. He glared at the Ginny and Draco, then left as well.

Draco smiled at the door. "Good. Now he won't have that to mope about."

"Sorry?"

"He was my Godfather… No, I suppose he still is my Godfather. He spent hours lecturing me on the proper treatment of women. Specifically, telling me to marry them before I bedded them. Of course, my parents got to me first, but Severus never seemed to understand that I already knew what he was telling me." Draco shrugged. "I eventually figured out that his telling me actually had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with him. I think that he was a product of that sort, and his parents' marriage wasn't of the happiest variety."

Ginny frowned thoughtfully at the doorway. "Well, Hermione won't let him be unhappy."

Draco snorted. "That woman could make the tides stop if she wanted to. I've never met a more determined person. Well…" he looked over at her. "Maybe I have. Once or twice. Tell me… What is your mother like?"

Ginny swatted him. "Are you saying I'm a pushover?"

"Hardly! But…" Ginny didn't let him finish, instead taking it upon herself to discover if he was ticklish.

He was.

Incredibly.

And he sorely regretted teasing her before she finished. He even apologised. But as soon as she stopped, he returned the treatment, his greater size giving him an unfair advantage. When he finished, she was on her back, on the floor, gazing up into his face and trying desperately to catch her breath. She let him kiss her for a couple of minutes, then – determined not to let him win – began the torture once more.