Chapter 4
They reached the Burrow in silence and Ginny pushed open the front door to find a dark and silent home. Muttering a soft "lumunos" Ginny walked through the living room to the kitchen with a quiet Draco in tow. Draco was immediately aware that Ginny hadn't been carrying her wand and wondered at her wandless ability.
"Mom left something on the stove for me…I have no idea what it is, but it shouldn't be too bad." Ginny moved to the stove and pulled the lid off the pot of steaming food.
Draco was immediately comforted by the smoothing smells of beef stew and fresh baked bread. It smelled and felt like what a home should be. It smelled like love and caring. Despite the rough appearance and worn exterior the Burrow was everything Draco had always wanted as a boy and now as a man. This place was filled with family that provided safety and support regardless of what others might think. It was what he had briefly experienced in Italy and desperately wanted to create here in England.
Ginny turned asking him if the stew would be okay, and noticed a tender expression on the pale face of the man before her.
"Draco, are you okay?" Ginny asked, wondering what had caused the shift.
Clearing his throat he cleared all emotion from his face and straightened his shoulders, "I'm fine, sorry, the stew smells wonderful."
"Yeah, my dad is really good at a couple of dishes. This is one of my favorites."
"Your dad cooked this?" Draco smiled, amused that a man would be cooking for his family.
"Yeah, he likes to make stew, chili…basically anything with meat that you cook long and low." Ginny knew her father would be curious to see how Draco liked he stew. The only thing Arthur Weasley liked better than muggle artifacts was compliments on his cooking.
Draco and Ginny took their deep, steaming bowls of stew and the basket of warm bread to the long wooden kitchen table. Countless meals had been served at this table, and hosts of people had sat before it. Ginny pondered how now quiet it seemed with everybody gone. A wave of sadness passed over her as she reflected on her fractured family and the stark difference it was to the family she had in her memories.
Draco eyed the contemplative woman across from him and waited for her to say something. He had become quite accustomed to silence but was surprised that Ginny didn't feel the need to eradicate the quite. The sounds of metal spoons against the clay bowls were all that could be heard in the Weasley kitchen.
Ginny lifted her eyes up from her bowl and found Draco studying her. "What?" she inquired.
"Nothing, I uh…just…you were quiet." Draco stumbled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had trouble speaking to a girl. But something was pulling at him. It was like the door to his pent-up emotions was starting to swin open, and it was all he could do to keep it in check.
Logically this made no sense to Draco. They hadn't spoken much since leaving the pond, and there was nothing remarkable about the way they were interacting. It just didn't make sense that he was letting her get to him. Draco felt himself wanting to linger as long as possible tonight, and was already coming up with excuses to see her again soon. Deep down he didn't want to let go of whatever this feeling was.
Ginny watched the faintest color spread into Draco's cheeks as he tried to regain his composure. Ginny's compassion and curiosity flared and she wondered what it must feel like to be sitting in the one house you had always been taught to detest. Just by looking at him she could tell there was no judgment there, only longing and regret.
"Draco, I'm really glad I ran into you today. I can't explain why, but I think we're going to be friends." Ginny said lightly as she smiled and dunked a piece of bread into her stew. She could feel any suspicion or anger over the past evaporate with illogical speed. Draco had changed and when he told her about his aunt and uncle she found she had lost the ability to hate him.
Smiling she went on, "I would pay to see what Harry, Hermione and Ron would do if they were to walk in right now." Laughing at the very thought, Ginny shook her head and got up to clear her dishes.
Draco didn't smile, but instead looked with nervous suspicion at the nearest door. "They aren't coming home soon are they? Not that I wouldn't relish getting hexed into oblivion, but I just ate and I would hate to think of the mess I could make."
Ginny laughed out loud, startling both she and Draco. It had been far too long since anybody had made her laugh.
"No, they are scattered all over the globe…there is no chance you'll be seeing them anytime soon." Ginny reassured him.
"What is the Golden Trio up to these day? I'm guessing they are involved in some high level project for the Ministry." Draco rolled his eyes just thinking of the annoying Gryffindors.
"Well, Ron is studying advanced Charms in London. Hermione is somewhere in the States doing some academic, muggle, fellowship thingy. And Harry…who the fuck knows?" Ginny said the last bit with a slight edge causing Draco's eyebrow to raise once more.
"Do I detect a note of anger there young Weasley?" Draco goaded.
"Please, I gave up caring what those three were doing the minute they left me here the summer before 7th." Ginny finished the remark realizing she had revealed more than she'd intended.
"What about the rest of the Weasley clan?" Draco sincerely wanted to know, seeing that Ginny obviously had some pent up rage about the whole situation.
Ginny narrowed her eyes at Draco, looking for any signs of malice or ill intent. Finding none she gave an emotionless recap.
"Bill is in France with his wife. He left because my other brother Charlie died and he couldn't stand to be around here anymore. Percy is a vegetable at St. Mungo's, Fred and George are running their store in Hodsmeade and will open another one in Diagon Alley sometime this year. They've been too busy to stop by for any real length of time. As I've said Ron is studying in London, and that leaves me with my parents." Ginny said with a shrug.
"Don't you want to be here?" Draco asked somewhat confused.
"Not even remotely. If I had any option other than this I would have taken it." Ginny said is a low voice.
"But your parents can't be that bad. I mean they make you dinner and leave you alone for the most part right?"
Ginny shrugged again. "I guess, but it's not about them being horrible people. I just feel trapped. I have to be the one to hug them and comfort them when they mourn for the rest of my brothers. I'm here alone to watch them suffer. Even if I did have somewhere else to live, I'm not even sure I could go. I mean they are still so fragile and I would feel like I was abandoning them."
Ginny walked back from the sink and moved to take Draco's dishes. Before she could grab them, he swept them up and followed the same path Ginny had taken earlier. Leaving the dished lying in the sink, Draco turned and leaned against the counter.
"Why are you responsible for taking care of them? I didn't think they were the kinds of people to manipulate their kids like that." Draco eyed Ginny carefully. He didn't want to offend her, but this situation didn't make sense.
Stinging a bit from Draco's comment Ginny answered, "But they're not! I mean they wouldn't keep me here against my will. I'd just feel guilty leaving them. Being the only girl, the last one in the line-up of siblings, and the only one not having some sort of crisis I'm just expected to clean up the mess. I think because I wasn't allowed to fight in most of the battles everyone thinks I'm better off then any of my other brothers."
Suddenly wanting the conversation to stop Ginny moved from leaning against the table and walked to the door leading to the back gardens. She felt slightly uncomfortable with this situation. Not that Draco would hurt her in anyway, but maybe that he would ask a question she would be too embarrassed to answer.
"You should get back to your car, I'll walk with you if you'd like." Ginny wanted to get him out of there as quickly as possible.
Draco didn't move and instead moved back towards the living room they entered into. "Give me a tour first Weasley. I still haven't see the rest of the house." He had noticed the shift in her posture, attitude and demeanor. The very quality of her voice had changed. He wasn't sure what had caused the tension, but he wasn't quite ready to be run out of the house.
Ginny's jaw dropped as Draco's back disappeared around the corner. She followed him quickly, disbelieving his audacity, and saw him looking at all the pictures on the wall. She said nothing but stood beside him as he observed the era transitions of the Weasley clan.
Draco moved along the walls looking at long dead and distant relatives of the Weasley's and most likely the Malfoy's as well. He started to notice familiar faces and as he made he way along the longest wall in the room, and soon found himself staring into the eyes of Ginny's older brothers. The magical photos on the wall eyed him suspiciously and then went on as if they didn't notice him. There were baby photos of all the boys and Ginny, as well as many family portraits. Mrs. Weasley thought it only proper to have one taken every few years. To be honest, Ginny hated having the pictures taken, but loved being able to look back at them...especially now.
At the end of the wall, Draco stopped and looked at Ginny. She was looking at the family portraits with tears of pain threatening to emerge. Draco felt a pang of sorrow for the girl, who at this moment looked so small and lost. She seemed out of place in the dark, empty house. Life hadn't been fair to this family.
Taking a deep breathy Ginny turned and ordered Draco to follow her.
"That was the living room, you've seen the kitchen, back there is my dad's study, but you don't get to see that. Up those stairs are the bedrooms and the ghost in the attic won't let you in there either." Ginny had her arms folded protectively against her chest as she once again made her way toward the back door.
Draco didn't follow her but started up the stairs. With a sigh of frustration Ginny once again followed after him. He paused at the first door and looked at Ginny with questioning eyes.
"That's Bill's room." She said without more explanation.
Draco moved down the hall, pausing again. "That's Charlie's room." Again nothing more accompanied the simple identification.
With a grunt of frustration, Ginny pushed past Draco and sped the tour up. Moving up to the next level Ginny called out, "On your left is Ron's room, that is where the twin stay, and at the end of the hall is the guest room."
Draco had his hands clasped behind his back as he silently nodded and followed Ginny through the halls. They climbed the last set of stairs and Draco saw doors on either side of the landing, and a door directly between them.
"My room, my parents room, and the bathroom." Ginny said sweeping her arm left and right as she barked out who lived where. Ginny knew she was caught in her own annoyance, but couldn't seem to shake it. All the compassion she had mustered up for the blond earlier that night seemed to fade. Now she just wanted him to go.
"Let's see it then." Draco demanded with a smirk on his porcelain face. He knew he was pushing the envelope but couldn't help himself. In some perverse way he relished the look of shock and fury that crossed the redheads features.
"Malfoy..." Ginny began, but was immediately interrupted as he moved past her down the hall toward her door.
"So I've been relegated back to Malfoy." Draco grinned with that notorious eyebrow raised.
With an exasperated sigh, Ginny once again pushed passed him and stood between the door to her bedroom and the overconfident Slytherin. With her back literally up against the door, she flashed him her most annoyed and dangerous glare.
With that one withering look Draco knew he was lost forever. The anger emanating from the young woman had brought out the color in her cheeks. Her eyes were flashing with frustration, highlighting the gold flecks against the chocolate brown background. With her hands on her hips and her shoulders squared, the gentle curves of her body seemed all the more feminine and appealing.
Draco could help but gape at the vision in the doorway. Ginny on the other hand was blind to any of Draco's charms or qualities at the moment. She could feel the rage boiling just below her skin ready to erupt at the least provocation. Draco took a step back, his grin fading, afraid maybe he had pushed too far. He could almost physically feel the heat of her anger.
Ginny took notice of the minor retreat and her anger abated a degree. She was breathing heavily and her heart was pounding. They stood there staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.
"Weasley…Ginny…I'm sorry, I didn't want to freak you out. We can go back downstairs. I'll leave. I didn't know you…" Draco wasn't sure how to finish the comment.
Ginny stood very still, eyes locked on Draco's every moment. She could feel the rage settling down and became aware of the look of shame and alarm on Draco's face. Taking a deep breath she blinked a couple of times and relaxed her stance.
Draco waited for her to speak first or make the first move. Flicking his eyes around, he noticed the pictures hung in the hallway had all shifted from where they had been resting a moment before. For the second time that night Draco wondered at the power this witch possessed.
Ginny turned and opened her door. Walking to the middle of the room she glanced over her shoulder with an annoyed look of expectation. "Well, are you coming?"