Chapter 9


Saturday February 14th, 1998
Versailles, France
Château de Versailles
The Ground Floor – North–West side
Outside Ginny's Former Rooms
2:31 p.m.

"Hello William," Louise greeted as she and André approached the rooms that had previously been Ginny's.

"My Queen," he nodded, "Did you receive word of my mother?" he asked as she stopped next to him.

"Yes, Fleur is seeing her and your father settled, your brothers, save for Ronald, have also been sent for."

"Oh?" Bill asked surprised.

"I do not trust Voldemort to not go after them in an attempt to get Ginny's attention," she explained with a sad smile, "Ronald and young Hermione would be safe at Hogwarts, but the rest of your brothers... However, I am going to insist that everyone wait until Ginny is ready to see them."

"Of course," he nodded. "Thank you, my Queen, for thinking of that. Honestly it had never crossed my mind..."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't entirely for you," she countered softly before André reached past them to knock on the door and it opened a second later to reveal Madam de Barbarac who nodded, then stepped back so Louise could move past her into the room as André moved to stand next to Bill.

"Bonjour Gin," Louise smiled when she saw Ginny who sat in a chair in the private salon.

"My Lady," Ginny said as she rose from her chair and curtseyed.

"I must throw a pillow at you later for that," Louise rolled her eyes, "Ginny, you never curtsy to me in private," she continued softly as she crossed the room to Ginny's side, "Would you object to a hug? Though I should warn you, it would be an awkward one compared to those in the past thanks to my lack of a figure."

"I would love a hug, if that's alright," Ginny admitted. "I've only had Lucius for company for I don't know how long now. The days seemed to blend into one another."

Louise smiled sadly before reaching out and pulling Ginny as close as she could, holding her close for a few minutes before finally releasing her, "Come, let's sit down and talk while Madam de Barbarac finishes her work. We'll both make her happy; heaven knows she's been on my case for weeks."

"Your blood pressure is too high," Madam de Barbarac interjected. "Too much stress, too much work, not good for you or the babe," she continued with a sigh before focusing back on Ginny, "We will simply do spells now, alright?"

"Alright," Ginny nodded.

"Do you want to know anything? Such as how long it's been?" Louise asked as Madam de Barbarac went back to her work.

"The last I remember was going with Hermione into Hogsmeade to pick up our dresses for the Winter Ball," Ginny said.

"There was an attack in Hogsmeade, I don't know all the details yet but William left you in Lucius Malfoy's care to go check on your brother Ronald and your friends Hermione and Harry. You and Lucius disappeared that afternoon..."

"I woke up in the bathroom of the Master Suite at Malfoy Manor…" Ginny trailed off, turning her face away from Louise.

"It's alright dearest," Louise spoke softly, "I don't care what happened there, all I care is that you are here, safe, alive..."

"Alive because he wanted an heir…" Ginny said quietly.

Louise sighed softly, "I'm sorry Ginny that this happened. I wish I could undo it, to take away the pain you have."

"Thankfully I never had to go that far, for some reason he never came for me," Ginny shrugged, subconsciously playing with the golden 'B' on her necklace.

"My Queen, Your Grace," Madam de Barbarac interrupted softly as she looked at a scroll that had appeared as a result of her spells. "Your Grace," she continued softly, focused solely on Ginny. "You are with child," she whispered, "Two months according to my calculations."

Louise remained quiet as she reached over and took Ginny's free hand in her own, squeezing it softly.

"Oh God," Ginny groaned as she dropped her head into her hand, realization dawning on her. "The potion…"

Louise noticed Madam de Barbarac's obvious interest when she heard the word 'potion', "If there's anything else needed for the exam, might I suggest you continue it later," she spoke softly.

The woman looked at her a moment before nodding, "I'll return in a few hours, Your Grace," she spoke before leaving the room.

"Ginny?" Louise asked softly as she turned to focus once more on her friend.

"Eight weeks…It makes sense…It could only be the potion…I mean, why else would they practically force it down my throat like that…""

"What can I do for you dearest?"

"I need to see Draco…and then I need to see Lucius…"

"Of course," she nodded. "Draco will be in the appartements belonging to the two of you, he doesn't know that we were coming to rescue you, I didn't want to tell him and get his hopes up in case something went wrong..." she explained as she carefully rose. "Also, just to let you know Gin, your parents are here, as are your brothers save for Ronald, I thought it best to have all of them brought here for safety reasons. But I've given instructions to everyone to let you come to them when you are ready, they all have their own rooms in the guest area," she explained as she offered her hand to Ginny.

"I'll speak with Draco and Lucius first, and then I'm sure I'll need to see my mother and father after that," Ginny said as she took Louise's hand.

"Fair enough," she smiled. "Come on, I'll walk with you," she continued as they moved to the door, not letting go of Ginny's hand. "I want you to know something Gin, no matter what happened these two months, I do not care alright? If you need anything, even to talk to someone who knows what you're going through once the morning sickness begins or something, I'm here all right? Even if it's to talk to someone who knows what it is like to carry a child that is not the child of the man you are married to," she continued softly.

"Thank you," Ginny said quietly.

"You're welcome dearest," she smiled gently. "William and André are outside," she continued as they stopped next to the door. "Are you ready?"

"If I don't do this now, I may never do it and in a few months I won't have a choice," Ginny said.

"I know love," she smiled gently, squeezing her hand quickly; she reached forward and opened the door, both men turning to look at them. "We're going to the Duchesse's appartement," she explained softly.

"Of course," André nodded. "The Duc is out riding at the moment, but he should return shortly," he explained as they moved out into the hallway, both men falling into step a step behind the two.

"Would you rather have someone go and get him sooner?" Louise asked as she looked back at Ginny.

"I would rather wait for him to return," Ginny said as they made their way down the hall. "Bill, I don't want him to see you when he returns. I don't want him to know I'm there until he comes in."

"Of course," Bill agreed.

The remainder of the walk was in silence, the three letting Ginny set the pace of conversation, though it was obvious she was occupied with her own thoughts. When they at last reached the appartements belonging to Draco and Ginny, they stopped outside a door, "There is the guardroom that you two share," Louise explained before André opened the door. "To the right is the door to your salon, to the left would be the door to his. He'll have to come through here to enter his rooms. William will remain out here, but Drac will not see him. If you need me, even during this conversation to come with Drac, do not hesitate to call for William and he'll get word to André, or he will be able to find out where I am at any time, alright?"

"Alright, thank you," replied Ginny.

"You're welcome," Louise answered, reaching forward to give her a quick hug before stepping back and moving away so Ginny could enter the room, "Good luck Ginny," she smiled reassuringly before she and André turned and slowly made their way back down the hall as Bill smiled towards Ginny before closing the door and casting the invisibility spells over himself.


Saturday February 14th, 1998
Versailles, France
Château de Versailles
The South Wing - The Appartement du Duc d'Orléans
3:07 p.m.

Draco had grown tired of being locked up within the Château's walls so he'd decided to go for a ride earlier that day, unaware of the events taking place both with the Châteauitself and across the ocean in his family's home. He'd enjoyed his ride in the fresh air; he'd always enjoyed riding although it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the rides he'd shared during the summer with Ginny when he'd been teaching her how to ride. That's probably why he thought he was seeing her standing before him when he entered his rooms, because she'd been on his mind so much recently.

"Hello Draco," Ginny greeted quietly as she rose from the couch she'd been sitting on waiting for him to come back.

"Ginny?" Draco asked his voice full of uncertainty. When Ginny nodded, Draco walked over to her, clearing the distance in about three strides and enveloped her in his arms, holding her tightly. "God I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Ginny said quietly. "I love you so much," she admitted into his neck, knowing it was something she couldn't say looking into his eyes at the moment.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that," Draco said pulling back and taking a hold of Ginny's head in his hands. "I love you too. I love you more than life itself. I have no intention of ever leaving you for anyone, I swear," he said, kissing her squarely on the lips.

"Draco I'm sorry," Ginny said stepping back and breaking the kiss, tears running down her cheeks.

"Ginny what is it? What's wrong?" asked Draco in concern, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs and wiping away her tears

"I'm pregnant…"

"What?"

"I'm so sorry Draco," she said stepping back so she was out of his reach. "I understand completely. Really I do. I mean I don't blame you, how can I. Why would you want to stay with a woman who's carrying your father's child? I'm sorry…" she apologized again before making her way around Draco, keeping far enough away so he couldn't reach out and grab her, of course he was too stunned to react fast enough to stop her, and ran from the room, closing the door behind her before she took a few minutes to quickly wipe away her tears before turning and making her way down the hall, Bill falling into step behind her.


Saturday February 14th, 1998
Versailles, France
Château de Versailles
The South Wing - The Ground Floor
Lucius Malfoy's current rooms
3:20 p.m.

"Ginevra?" Lucius asked in surprise when he opened the door to the rooms he was currently occupying, while his wife was occupying their usual quarters.

"May I speak with you?" asked Ginny. "Privately?"

"Of course," Lucius said stepping back to allow her to enter the room, closing the door behind her, knowing Bill, along with his own musketeer, a temporary replacement while his usual guard was recuperating, took up position outside the door. He stood and watched, as Ginny seemed to wander around the sitting room for a few minutes, seeming to fight with herself over what exactly it was that she wanted to say to him. "Spit it out Ginevra," he snapped in frustration after watching her for over ten minutes try to get the words out. While he may admit to the fact that he thought Ginevra was a wonderful young woman and a good match for his son, having had to spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with her for the past eight weeks, not to mention be more than just her father-in-law, his patience with her was more than a little thin at this point and being alone with her in a room like this was the last thing he wanted.

"I'm pregnant," Ginny blurted, spinning to face Lucius.

"And what exactly would you like me to do about it?" questioned Lucius, raising a sardonic eyebrow.

"You're the father," countered Ginny.

"Am I really? Are you sure about that? I could have sworn you were married to my son Draco," Lucius mused.

"Lucius, you know you're the father. You know what happened between us…"

"What happened between us was nothing more than my following the Dark Lord's orders. I did as instructed. I sired an heir upon you as he demanded I do," he said as he stalked towards Ginny, ignoring all protocols required of their positions by taking a hold of her arm and forcefully escorting her to the door. "If you want a father for your brat, I suggest you speak to your husband," he said pulling the door open and shoving Ginny out the door before slamming the door in her face.

"Your Grace?" Bill asked softly as he looked between her and the door. "Is everything alright?" he continued, glancing at the other Musketeer who's eyes said the same thing he was thinking, that they needed to go in there and do something to Lucius Malfoy for his brazen behaviour.

"I…uh…Where are Mum and Dad?" asked Ginny, trying to hold back the tears that were trying to break free.

"In the Trianon de Marbre, the Queen established them, along with Charlie, Perc, Fred and George, there. She thought they might be more comfortable there, and you could then stay there with them away from Court until you are ready," he explained softly. "Do you want me to get the Queen too? Or would you rather just go to the Trianon de Marbre?"

"I want to see Mum and Dad, Bill…I just…I need Mum, Bill," Ginny said lifting her tear filled gaze, not to her Musketeer guard but to her older brother, the one who had always been there for her no matter what she'd gotten herself into.

"Then we'll go," he nodded. "Jean," he nodded towards the other Musketeer who merely inclined his head and took up watch over Lucius as Bill took Ginny's hand and quietly led her through the emptier halls for the time of day, then apparated the two of them to the grounds of the Trianon de Marbre once they were outside the château walls.

Fleur was waiting for them at the doors of the Trianon, and she merely gave Ginny a quick hug before leading them to a salon in the guest area, opening the door to reveal Molly Weasley as she paced across the floor with Arthur looking on.

"Mom!" Ginny called when she saw her mother pacing, breaking away from Bill.

"Ginny," Molly spun around and opened her arms just in time to wrap them around her daughter. "Oh baby," she whispered as she held Ginny close.


Saturday February 14th, 1998Versailles, France
Château de Versailles
The Appartement du Duc d'Orléans
3:21 p.m.

"Bonjour Drac," Louise greeted quietly as she approached where the blonde sat, flipping his wedding band back and forth between his fingers, André had heard through his sources that Ginny had gone to see Lucius, so she came to check on her 'cousin' before continuing on to speak with Lucius and then check in with Ginny, much to Madam de Barbarac's annoyance that she couldn't get Louise to just stop, sit down, and relax.

"I'm not really up to talking Dora," his voice low as he spoke, eyes never leaving the gold band.

"Well, then you get to listen," she countered as she sat down next to him.

"Trust me, there's nothing you could say right now that would hold my attention."

"Oh, I doubt that," she chuckled lightly. "You never knew, most people don't, but I fell in love when I was fifteen." She knew she had his attention when his eyes shot up to hers, and for a moment in time, his fingers stilled.

"Then why didn't you marry him long before now? Or was he not a noble…" he trailed off.

"He was a noble," she agreed quickly.

"Then why are you not married to him now, instead of Alek?"

"No," she answered his unspoken question, "Sasha is not the man I love. I care for him deeply, as a friend, but I do not love him. Nor do I think he loves me."

"What happened?"

"We could not be married. I love him still, I always will. Sadly, I am the first, and hopefully the last, of our family line that can relate to our ancestors, Queen Anne and D'Artagnan."

"You aren't alone," he sighed.

"No Draco," she countered, "There's a difference between you and I, yes we both have found love and the person we love, loves us as well. No," she interrupted when he opened his mouth to protest. "Ginny does love you Draco, but there is where our similarities end. Because you can have your happy ending with the person you love, regardless of the hurdles that lie in your way. Don't give that up. Fight for it, fight for your love. One of us deserves to have true happiness."

"Perhaps," he agreed.

"I'll leave you be then. If you want someone to talk to," she purposely left off as she rose and moved towards the door.

"What happened to him, the one who stole your heart…"

Glancing back at him she smiled sadly, "He became my brother-in-law." Turning, she continued from the room, leaving her cousin to his thoughts while she mentally catalogued the things she needed to deal with. The last thing she expected though was the familiar tingling in her stomach and at the back of her neck to sweep over her. Glancing up to her right, she watched as Nikolay fell into step with her.

"Isadora," he greeted, his voice low, though to be honest his voice had always been low in pitch, and had the ability to make the most ridiculous of statements sound amazingly sexy.

"Nikolay," she nodded slightly. "How are you?"

"Well," he answered simply. "All things considered… And you?"

"As well as I can be," she agreed.

"Drac?"

"He's dealing as can be expected…"

"And the babe?"

"She is fine."

"Good," he nodded. "Does…"

"No," she answered quickly, looking up at him then back at André. Glancing around to ensure the halls were empty, she looked back at André who gave a quick nod. Catching Nikolay's hand, she pulled him towards one of the hidden passages and they quickly made their way to the door that opened to her private rooms. Together they slipped into the Salon de l'Oeil–de–Bœuf, otherwise known as the Bull's Eye Room that in the time of the Sun King had been used as a place for the Courtiers to await each morning when they were allowed in to watch the King dress, but today and in years past since the last Queen of Wizarding France and Navarre ruled it had been used as a private sitting room for the monarch. André followed them, and then continued on to slip out the door of the salon and stand guard even as she pulled her wand from the hiding place sewn into her clothing. Quickly she cast the necessary spells to seal the room from anyone save André.

"You were saying…" Nikolay prompted after she returned her wand to its spot.

"No, Alek doesn't know, at least to my knowledge," she admitted.

"So, you have…" he trailed off, looking away as he finally asked the one question they had avoided talking about.

"Yes," she answered honestly, "He's my husband, we have to," she continued simply, "Just as you and I both know, someday you will have to take your wife to your bed, so must I take my husband to mine… except we use his," she shrugged slightly.

"Good," he spoke quietly, "that you use his."

"I wouldn't take him to the bed we have shared," Louise pointed out, "That is ours alone."

"Good," he repeated as he moved towards where she stood.

"Nikolay…" she began to protest, until his hands framed her face and his lips stopped anything else she might have said. When he finally pulled away, and raised his lips to press a gentle kiss against her forehead, it took a few moments for her to remember what was so wrong about them, why fate said they could not be.

When she felt his hand against the bump at her abdomen, her eyes lowered to look at it, before rising back to his. "I still can not believe…" he whispered.

"Believe it," she countered with a soft smile, before sighing and pulling herself away from him as she crossed to sit on the end of her bed.

"You lied, you're not doing well," he sighed as he moved to sit next to her. "Is there anything I can do, my love?"

"I'm afraid not. I want so very much to hurt Voldemort, not just for what he did all those years ago, but what he has now done to Ginny and Drac. They love each other so much, and I fear what that man has done will hang over their heads forever…" she sighed. "I never wanted any of my girls to live the life that I do now."

"What life is that?" he asked his voice low.

"Don't be hurt Nikolay," she shot him a dark look, "I meant, I didn't want any of my girls to live a life where they are married, and carrying a child that is not their husband's. And I am swearing that knowledge to the same place you carry our love."

"I won't breath a word to anyone Isidora, you know that," he rolled his eyes before sighing. "I wish things were different, for us, for her and Drac… But it seems Voldemort can be blamed for all of our problems. Had he not attacked your family, you might not have been the only heir."

"Believe me, that is something I've considered many times in my life," she sighed before holding her hand out, "Help me up, your daughter is attempting to be a gymnast."

"She gets that from Anastasie," he chuckled as he stood and helped her up. "You're off somewhere?"

"I need to speak with Lucius, find out his story, and then I want to go check on Ginny and finally speak with Molly and Arthur Weasley."

"I'll be back later tonight, I suspect after everything that has happened today, your nightmares will return, and I will not leave you to them alone. Especially since I know you don't seek Aleksander when you have one."

"Sasha has his mistress, I will not interrupt them," she shrugged as she moved towards the door. "Until later my love. You should return to Russia though, they will wonder where you have gone to," she smiled at him before turning and making her way quickly off to speak with Lucius and then to the Trianon as André followed.


Saturday February 21st, 1998
Versailles, France
The Trianon de Marbre
3:06 p.m.

It had been a week since she'd been rescued from Malfoy Manor and she had spent that week at the Trianon with her family. As much as she loved the lot of them, she'd forgotten what it was like to have all of them, well all save her youngest brother Ron, under the same roof, even if that roof was as big as the Trianon's. Essentially the past week had been nothing but chaos with the twins deciding it was their God-given right to make sure their baby sister was happy in any way they possibly could, much to the annoyance of not only herself but to every Musketeer stationed there. And so she had taken refuge outside, much to Bill's annoyance at having to escort her around the frozen grounds during one of the colder weeks they'd had so far this winter.

While she loved having her mother there, loved knowing that she could turn to her for support, there was one thing she just couldn't bear to bring herself to tell her. She knew how disappointed her mother had been in her when she'd learned the truth about her marriage to Draco, how could she possibly tell her the truth about what had transpired at the Manor? She hadn't heard from Draco since she'd told him and Lucius had made it quite clear how he'd felt about the situation and she knew there was no way she could possibly give up or hurt the innocent child she carried, which left her no choice but to do this on her own, which meant having to face her mother and tell her the truth. The question then was, when to do it and how.

Ginny was pulled from her thoughts when she caught sight of something out of corner of her eye. "Bill? Do you see that?" she asked, pointing towards the two distant figures that seemed to be approaching them.

"It looks like riders," Bill said as he watched them get closer.

"Riders? Who would be riding in this weather?" asked Ginny.

"Perhaps not the smartest of people," he shrugged before looking closer, "I think that's Étienne..." he frowned slightly.

"If that's Étienne, then that means that that's…" Ginny trailed off as she started walking towards the riders who were now definitely making their way towards them, pulling their horses up only feet from where Ginny now stood and quickly dismounting. "Hello," she greeted quietly.

"Ginny can we talk? Privately?" asked Draco, stepping towards Ginny. He wanted desperately to take her into his arms but holding himself back for fear of her rejection.

"Look Draco, I understand. Really I do and I don't blame you. I mean, who can blame you. You don't have to worry all right. I'll go quietly and I won't ask for anything for me or the baby. I won't press you to acknowledge it as yours so you'll be clear to marry again without having to worry about that. I don't expect you to support me or this child. I'll find a way to do it on my own. I am a Weasley after all, right? We always seem to find a way," Ginny said before turning and starting to walk away.

"Ginny wait…please," Draco said, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Ginny's arm. "That's not what I came here to talk about. I have no intention of leaving you or our baby."

"Our baby?" asked Ginny in confusion turning back to face Draco. "Did you just say…"

"Yes Ginny. Our baby. Now can we please go somewhere private to talk about this?" asked Draco.

"Uh…" Ginny trailed off trying to think of a place where her family wouldn't be and they could be alone and uninterrupted. "My whole family is here save Ron, it's next to impossible to find a place alone, even when I'm in my rooms, my mother has a tendency to walk in even when Bill tries to stop her."

"She wouldn't go into the Queen's salon," Bill spoke up. "I'm sure she would not object to you using it."

"Can we get there without anyone seeing us?" asked Ginny. "The last thing we need is someone in the family asking us a million questions right now."

"We'll go the back way," he nodded before turning to start towards a side entrance to the Trianon that only a select few Musketeers knew about, fortunately both he and Étienne were part of that group.

"I'll care for the horses then join you, Your Grace," Étienne spoke up quickly.

"Thank you Étienne," Draco said as he led Ginny into the building behind Bill.

Quickly Bill led them through the silent halls to the Queen's private salon, before opening the door so they could enter. "I'll wait out here..."

"Thank you Bill," Draco said as he led Ginny into the room, allowing Bill to close the door behind them. "I see you know," he commented when Ginny laid her cloak across the back of one of the chairs. "About your family history, I mean," he continued at her confused look. "You're wearing your great Aunt Anne's necklace after all."

"Oh…right…" Ginny trailed off as she began playing with the golden 'B'. "A gift from the Dark Lord. He gave it to me after he'd spent hours torturing me. He called me 'his little Boleyn Girl'. It was your father that explained the significance of it to me. He told me you already knew about it though. That you'd told him about it."

"I did. I needed a way to prove to my parents that you were worthy of being a Malfoy, not just because I loved you," Draco said.

"Draco about your father…"

"What happened Ginny?" Draco asked, taking a hold of Ginny's hands and guiding her over to one of the couches before encouraging her to sit down opposite him.

"Your father told me that the Dark Lord had intended to take over France and Navarre by having you take the Dark Mark before you claimed the Duchy but you thwarted that by marrying me and claiming the Duchy early. The Dark Lord wasn't happy so he came up with another plan."

"Another plan?"

"You were to be his heir to the French throne. With you no longer available to him, he needed a new heir…"

"And with you as my wife…Oh Ginny, I'm so sorry. But how does my father fit into all of this?"

"Through me the Dark Lord planned to put not only an heir on the throne of France and Navarre but he planned to go after Westminster and Buckingham as well. I was so afraid that he wanted me in his bed and since we'd never…I asked your father if he…if he would…"

"It's okay, Ginny," Draco soothed as he pulled her towards him so her head was against his chest. "I understand."

"I only wanted something to hold onto to get me through the nightmare I saw before me that was the Dark Lord's bed," Ginny said through her tears.

"What happened next?" asked Draco curiously.

"The next morning a group of Death Eaters broke into the room, they dragged your father from the bed and forced a potion down my throat. Your father was brought back a couple hours later. I never saw the Dark Lord again but your father…he would be taken every week or so and whenever they brought him back it was obvious they'd tortured him or something cause he was always in pain.

"How many times were you with him?"

"Draco…" Ginny began as she sat up, trying to pull away, only to have Draco stop her and turn her back to him.

"Gin please, I need to know."

"It was only a couple of times. There was the first night that I woke up in the Master Suite when I thought the Dark Lord would come for me the next day then a couple of times after that. But except for the first time, it was like he didn't really want to be doing it, like he was being made to do it, and judging by what he said to me last week…that's exactly what he was doing."

"What did he say Gin?" asked Draco in concern. "What did my father say to you?"

"I went to see him after I left you. When I told him I was pregnant he asked me what I wanted him to do about it. I told him he was the father but he then acted as if that was the silliest thing he'd heard because I'm married to you. When I tried to bring up what had happened between us, he said he only did that because he was following orders. That he'd 'sired an heir upon me as was demanded of him' and if I 'wanted a father for my brat I should speak to my husband'. He then proceeded to physically force me from the room," Ginny finished quietly, her gaze on her hands.

"I'll kill him," Draco growled. "How dare he lay a hand on you like that…and I don't mean while you were being held, that I can forgive, but not this…"

"Draco…"

"I'm sorry Gin," he apologized, quickly cupping her cheek and rubbing it tenderly with his thumb. "That's what you meant earlier when you said if I turned you and this child away you wouldn't ask for anything, that you would find a way to do it on your own."

"Yes," Ginny said. "Without you Draco, this child has no father but I won't pressure you to claim a child that isn't yours. I know that what Gabrielle said isn't true. Deep down I've always know it but I've been too afraid to approach you after the way I walked away from you and I love you so much and it hurt terribly to walk away like I did but I was afraid of being hurt like that again so I stayed away and now with this baby…

"Our baby…"

"Draco…"

"No Ginny. Listen to me. The Dark Lord intended to pass my father's child off as mine right?" When Ginny nodded he continued, "Well then, why can't we do the same? Who's to say the child you carry isn't mine? I'm not going to love it or you any less because of what that madman forced you to do. Besides, there's a spell, similar to the one you and Louise performed when you arrived in France this past summer, which will make this child mine in every sense of the word."

"You would do that? A blood spell to claim this child as yours?"

"If it meant holding onto the two of you for the rest of our lives then I would do it twenty times over," Draco said. "What do you say? Will you let me claim this child as mine and stand by my side for the rest of our lives?"

"Oh God Draco…Yes…Yes Draco, yes…" Ginny said as she fell into his arms.


Saturday February 21st, 1998
Versailles, France
The Trianon de Marbre
3:10 p.m.

A week had passed since Ginny and Lucius were rescued, during which Louise had divided her time between the business of running two kingdoms, protecting those she cared about, dealing with all sorts of pregnancy related issues, and tried on more than one occasion to talk with Molly Weasley.

All of which the insufferable woman had managed to avoid by claiming Ginny needed her.

Which yes, Louise had understood, but she also had the distinct feeling the woman was purposely avoiding her, and since she had made herself a promise to not retire to the Trianon for any period of time until she had at least talked with the Weasley matriarch... she was getting quite annoyed that she couldn't escape to her favourite retreat. So, it had been with more than a little bit of happiness, that Louise had watched as Draco and Étienne rode off in the direction of the Trianon, and she had waited until André received word that Draco and Ginny were together from Étienne before apparating to the Trianon and heading straight for the salon that belonged to Molly and Arthur Weasley, having no doubt she would find the woman there since according to the servants who stayed at the Trianon year round, she was typically found there during the day.

Once they stood outside the door of the salon, she looked up at André and rolled her eyes at his look that said 'you're out of your mind', before shaking her head and knocking firmly on the wood.

"May I help you?" asked Arthur as he opened the door.

"Bonjour Monsieur Weasley, is your wife by chance avaliable?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course, of course, come in," Arthur said stepping back and opening the door.

"Thank you," she nodded as she moved into the room, André remaining behind to take up his place near the door. "It's a pleasure to finally see you in person, Monsieur Weasley, I have heard a great deal about you. And you as well Madam Weasley," she continued as she looked towards where Molly sat near the fire knitting.

"You have? Really? From who?" asked Arthur curiously.

"Your children and your daughter-in-law," she explained as she moved towards the couches by the fire, "May I?" she gestured towards the couch.

"Of course, of course," he said.

"Thank you," she smiled before carefully sitting down. "How are you, Madam Weasley?" she asked, focusing on Molly.

"I'd be better if I knew my daughter wasn't out freezing to death in this bitter weather," Molly grumbled as she turned to look out the window to see if she could see her daughter anywhere outside.

"Well, if it helps, I happen to know she's not," Louise smiled.

"Well that's good. Wait, how would you know that?" asked Molly, as she finally turned to look at the woman that had joined them and taking in her appearance.

"I was notified that her husband had arrived a few minutes ago and the two of them went to speak to each other in private here in the Trianon, so I thought it might give the two of us a chance to speak finally," she explained simply.

"I'm not sure I like her being alone with Draco after everything that's happened," Molly said, concern evident in her voice. She knew there was something her daughter wasn't telling her and she knew it somehow involved the young man that she claimed was her husband.

"Drac would never hurt her," Louise countered gently. "He does indeed love her a great deal, as hard as that could be to believe given your history with him and his family, and what you have seen since her marriage, all of which is completely understandable of course. But the truth is, he does love her, everything that happened with Gabrielle Delacour was entirely fabricated in Gabrielle's mind and her way of trying to win what would never be her's, Drac's heart and the place as his Duchesse."

"And yet he has hurt her, by pulling her into this world of his. He broke my baby's heart and I had to try to help her pick up the pieces. And it's because of him and his family that she was taken by You-Know-Who and made to do God only knows what by him and his Death Eaters. It must have been something horrible since she refuses to speak of what happened to her during her imprisonment," Molly continued.

"She'll talk to you when she's ready to, I think that she most likely fears that when you learn of what has happened, you will hate her for it," she countered softly. "It is also my belief, that Voldemort did not merely take Ginny because of her connection to Drac and to France and Navarre. After all, this is not the first time he has gone after her, yes?"

"It is not something we like to think about, much less discuss," Molly admitted.

"Perhaps that is something that should be talked about at least once. You never know, she may have wanted to talk about it before now, but didn't because she knew you wouldn't."

"She was given every opportunity to speak to a healer about what happened but she refused," Arthur said quietly. "We did everything we could for our daughter but we had limited means."

"Would you want to talk to a total stranger about something that happened to you?" Louise asked as she looked at Arthur. "Or would you rather talk to someone you know and love, who you know loves you?"

"We were at a loss as to how to help her," Arthur admitted. "She'd fallen under You-Know-Who's spell as an eleven year old. Albus thought it best if she spoke to someone trained in helping…"

"Perhaps Albus Dumbledore isn't as wise as people like to believe he is," she sighed softly.

"How dare you speak against Albus Dumbledore in that fashion…" Molly began.

"I don't believe this is getting us anywhere," Arthur interrupted before Molly could get rolling, hoping to rein in his wife's temper before it got them into too much trouble.

"True, true," Louise agreed. "Although I think it might be best if Madam Weasley does get whatever anger she likely has towards me out of her system now, so we can move past our differences for Ginny's sake."

"If you don't mind my asking, why would my wife have anger towards you?" asked Arthur curiously. "And why would you be so interested in our daughter anyway?"

"It was you?" Molly flared as she jumped to her feet. "You're the one that cast the blood spell on my daughter?"

"Yes, it was me," she answered simply. "Ginny was betrothed to Drac by that time, and none of us were stupid enough to imagine you would simply give your blessing, understandable yes, but it was what it was. And so I performed the blood spell, and she became one of my Ladies."

"You had no right to take my daughter without my permission," snapped Molly.

"Would you have given it," she countered.

"Of course I wouldn't have given it," snarled Molly angrily.

"Which is precisely why I didn't tell you Mum," came a quiet comment from the doorway.

"Ginny," Louise breathed as she looked towards the door quickly, smiling when she saw Ginny with Draco.

"Ginny?" Molly too looked over towards them

"Hello Dora," Ginny said, returning her smile before turning to her parents. "Mum, Dad."

"Dora," Draco greeted as well. "Mrs Weasley, Mr. Weasley."

"Ginny, Drac," Louise nodded towards them. "Perhaps it would be best if we all sat down..."

"What's going on?" Molly asked as she looked between Ginny and Draco.

Draco took Ginny by the hand and lead her over to one of the vacant couches, wrapping his arm around her shoulders when they were finally sitting down, enjoying the feeling of having his wife nestled against his side for first time in a long while.

"You've worked something out then?" Molly asked as she sat down, looking back and forth between her daughter and Draco.

"We have," admitted Ginny, looking up at Draco, who bent down and kissed her forehead. "I realized that I over-reacted, that Draco has no intention of ever leaving me for Gabrielle or any other woman," she said turning back to face her mother.

"I see," Molly responded slowly. "How do we know he won't hurt you again down the road? Some other misunderstanding?"

"Because I made a promise to Ginny," replied Draco.

"Forgive a mother for doubting your word," she countered evenly.

"You're not the one that I have to be concerned with now, am I," countered Draco.

"I've been to hell and back Mum. Draco has promised to stand by me despite the outcome of what I've been through when he had every right to walk away. Hell, I even tried to push him away and he refused to go. Doesn't that say anything to you about the type of man he is? Trust me when I say he is a far better man than his father is," countered Ginny angrily.

"Try to stay calm Gin," Draco soothed as he rubbed Ginny's arms, feeling her start to relax back into him once more.

"What is this about Lucius Malfoy?" Molly asked as she looked at Arthur.

"My father is the one responsible for Ginny's kidnapping from Hogsmeade," Draco supplied, not sure how much Ginny wanted her parents to know at this point.

"What?" Molly breathed in shock.

"But I thought Lucius had rescued you from the attack in London?" Arthur frowned.

"Lucius' actions were not entirely his own in Hogsmeade," Louise spoke up, "And any punishment that is due him has already been dealt with..." she continued softly, though she knew that was something she would have to discuss with Draco further in depth later if the fire in his eyes was any indication. She had no doubt he now knew of what Lucius had done when Ginny told him of her pregnancy.

"Yes, well if I never see Lucius again it will be too soon," comment Ginny quietly.

"That can be arranged," Louise nodded, ignoring the dumbfounded expressions on Molly and Arthur's faces for the moment. No doubt the two had no idea what to think, for a man they had thought was evil did a good thing and was supposedly good, and now he seemed to be a bad guy again... She could understand completely why they would be in shock.

"But wouldn't Draco have something to say about that?" asked Arthur. "I mean it is his father we're discussing here."

"Believe me Mr. Weasley; I'm completely in agreement with my wife on this one. I'm the last person my father wants to run into at this point in time. He's disrespected my wife, both her person and her position as the Duchesse d'Orléans. For that alone, I could have him killed…"

"And that is something you do not need on your soul, mon cousin," Louise countered quietly. "For now, we shall use Lucius to our advantage, and when his usefulness is done, then I will quite happily deny his ability to enter France and Navarre until all of us agree he can return, even if that means he never can. But his blood need not be on any of your hands."

"Besides if you kill him, you're no better than he is Draco," Ginny pointed out. "And you're better than him in every way."

"I think we've imposed on your parents long enough, love," Draco said standing up and helping Ginny up from the couch.

"Perhaps we as well should continue our conversation later," Louise suggested as she looked at Molly and Arthur.

"Ginny dear, I really think we need to talk about this," Molly said as she stood up, intent on stopping her daughter from leaving.

"Mum please, I'm fine. I want to be with my husband," Ginny said.

"Let her go Molly," Arthur said standing up next to his wife.

Louise sat and watched as Draco quickly led Ginny from the room, André coming in after they had passed and crossing to help her up from the couch as she turned her attention to the couple before her. "I'll go as well Madam Weasley, Monsieur Weasley," she spoke softly. "We can talk more later, clear the air I believe is the term... Whenever you want, ask Héloïse to contact me and we can talk more when you're ready. Unless I am in the middle of a state affair, I'll try to come immediately."

"Of course, thank you," Arthur said.

She merely nodded before making her way from the room, André falling into step with her. "That went well," she muttered once they were far enough from the room to avoid being overheard.

"Sarcasm has never been your strong point my Queen," André smirked before wincing, "On the other hand, you have one hell of a punch," he grumbled as he rubbed at his stomach.

"Thank you," she grinned as they continued towards the kitchens so she could speak with Héloïse before returning to the château.