A/N: This is the last obscenely short chapter, I promise. It was either this, or an insanely long combo of 12 and 13.
Chapter Twelve
"Draco, go wait in the compartment," Ginny whispered to the puppy in her arms. "I have to go say goodbye to Colin and Romilda." Draco barked and scampered off. Ginny stepped off the Hogwarts Express and back onto the platform. Colin and Romilda were waiting for her, looking forlorn. Ginny sighed and went to Romilda first.
"Bye, Romilda! Keep the quidditch club going for me, all right?" Ginny said with a smile. Romilda smiled back and nodded.
"Absolutely. It won't be the same without you, though," she replied. Ginny hugged her friend tightly, hoping it wouldn't be for the last time. Romilda gave her one last squeeze before retreating several steps to give Ginny and Colin some privacy. Ginny turned to Colin and he swept her into his arms.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Ginny," he whispered.
"I'm going to miss you too, Col. But I'll write to you. I promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
The train whistled loudly.
"I have to go, Colin," Ginny said sadly. Colin hugged her once more and kissed the top of her head.
"This isn't goodbye, Ginny."
"I know it isn't."
"We'll see each other again."
"I'm sure of it."
The train whistled again.
"Bye, Col."
"Bye, Gin." She squeezed his hand and smiled comfortingly at him before getting back onto the train. She stood at the window and waved to both him and Romilda until they were out of sight. Then she sighed and returned the compartment, where Draco was waiting for her. She secured the door so he could turn back into himself.
"Are you all right, love?" Draco asked. "You look upset."
"I'm just afraid that something is going to happen to one of them while I'm gone. And maybe that was the last time I'll get to see them."
"Don't say that, Ginny. You'll see them again."
"I hope so," she sighed. Draco opened his arms to her, and she crawled into his lap and slept for the remainder of the journey.
-
When the train arrived at Kings Cross station, true to his word, Remus was there waiting. He gave Ginny a hug when she stepped off the Hogwarts Express.
"I'm so glad to see you are well," Remus said with a smile. "Both of you," he added upon seeing Draco at Ginny's feet.
"How are Tonks and the baby?" Ginny asked as they left platform nine and three quarters. Remus grinned proudly.
"They're fine. Everyone is fine. I can't wait to have you around, Ginny. Tonks will love the company." Ginny laughed.
"I can't wait either. I suppose Mum told you I'll be staying at the Burrow for a few days before I come live with you."
"Yes, she told me. So, Draco, you'll come with me. Your father should be arriving soon to get you, Ginny." They arrived outside the station in time to see Arthur Weasley stepping from a black taxi.
"Ginny!" He exclaimed.
"Daddy!" Ginny cried, running to his outstretched arms. Arthur picked up his daughter and spun her around.
"I'm so glad to see you!" He said, hugging her tightly. Ginny could not stop smiling even after he put her down and was greeting Remus.
"Remus, good to see you," Arthur said, shaking his hand. "New dog?"
"Oh, yeah," Remus said slowly. "Tonks wanted a companion for the baby." Arthur shrugged.
"To each their own, I suppose. Molly would have a fit if I came home with a dog," Arthur commented. Ginny nodded vigorously in agreement and Remus laughed.
"Well, Ginny, enjoy your time at home. I will see you in about a week," Remus said, giving her another hug.
"Can't wait," she said honestly. Then she knelt down and giggled as Draco leapt into her arms. "I'll see you soon, love," she whispered. "Stay out of trouble." Arthur gave her a funny look as she stood up, but she pretended not to notice it as she climbed into the cab.
Molly Weasley nearly knocked her daughter over when she entered the kitchen. She hugged her tightly and immediately began fussing.
"Are you hungry, Ginny? Do you want something to eat? I'm almost done washing your bed sheets. They'll be ready by the time you go to bed."
"Mum, slow down!" Ginny said with a smile. "I can finish the laundry."
"Nonsense," Molly said shaking her head. "My daughter has come home from school. She doesn't need to be doing laundry."
"Molly, don't spoil her. She's practically a woman now."
"She's only sixteen, dear. We don't have to train her for life on her own yet." Ginny slipped away from her bickering parents and wandered upstairs. It felt so empty. No one was around anymore. Fred and George lived in their flat, and God knows what they were up to. Percy was gone. Had been for awhile now. And Ron had returned to help Harry and Hermione, as Ginny had suggested over Christmas break. Overall, the house was frightfully quiet.
She slowly opened the door to her bedroom and glanced around. It was almost exactly as she had left it in December. It made her feel horribly nostalgic for the old days. When everyone was happy and carefree. It seemed so long ago. Ginny sighed and sat down on her bed, wondering if things could ever return to that lightheartedness when the war was finally over.
--
"Ginny!" Tonks exclaimed, running out the front door to greet her. She looked amazing, considering that she had just given birth a few months ago. Her eyes seemed tired, but everything else looked great.
"Tonks! It's so good to see you!" Ginny replied, hugging her tightly.
"Come on in and meet Teddy!" She said excitedly, dragging Ginny by the arm into the house.
"Oh, Ginny! I thought I recognized that blur rushing past me," Remus said, poking his head into the nursery. Ginny laughed and waved.
"Yes, it's me." By the time Ginny turned around, Tonks was putting Ted into her arms. Ginny gasped as she looked at the tiny baby boy.
"Oh my God, you guys. He's beautiful. He's got your eyes, Remus," she commented, letting Ted wrap his little fingers around her thumb.
"Thank you, Ginny," Remus said with pride. Ginny handed the baby back to Tonks and watched as the mother laid her child back in his crib to nap. She smiled and hoped that someday, she could have the life that Remus and Tonks shared.
"I thought I heard a Weasley," a deep voice said from the doorway. Ginny whirled around and saw Draco Malfoy leaning casually against the door frame. She grinned and rushed to him, collapsing in his embrace.
"It's so good to see you," Ginny whispered, not wanting to let him go. Draco buried his face in her hair, having almost forgotten what it smelled like.
"It's great to see you, love," he agreed.
"Why don't you two take a walk before dinner?" Tonks suggested. "You can catch up." Draco and Ginny took her up on the idea and stepped outside. The countryside surrounding their home was beautiful with rolling hills and endless fields of wild flowers. They set off hand in hand towards a small pond at the base of the hill the house was situated on.
"How has it been living with Remus and Tonks?" Ginny asked. Draco shook his head.
"Amazing," he replied. "I've never been a part of a normally functioning household, and it's just incredible. Remus treats me like a son, and he's like the father I never had."
"That's great, Draco. You deserve it," Ginny said with a smile.
"Was your mum happy to see you?"
"Of course," Ginny replied. "She was reluctant to let me leave again, but she knows I'll be safe with Remus and Tonks."
"Have you heard from your friends at all?"
"Yes, Colin responded to my first letter. Everything is all right at school. Not much DA activity, but I expected that."
"Any word from Potter?"
"What do you think?" Ginny countered with a sigh. "I'm sure he's out there somewhere, saving the world one horcrux at a time."
"You know, between the four of us, I think we could probably riddle out the location of some of the horcruxes. Remus knows which ones Potter has already destroyed. We could try to help," Draco suggested. Ginny nodded.
"At least it'll give us something to do. Has Remus given you another assignment?"
"Not yet. Things are pretty quiet for the moment. Still, I say things are most likely to happen when everything calms down."
"Maybe," Ginny concurred. They sat down in the grass at the edge of the lake and took in the surrounding beauty. "I'd like to have a home in the countryside. It's just so lovely."
"I want to live in a city for a few years before I settle down, you know?" Draco said thoughtfully. "Just to get the experience of it."
"I can see that. You seem like the type of person to live in some big city like Paris or Rome."
"Well, I'd give up that fantasy in a second if it wasn't what you wanted."
"What?"
"If you didn't want to live in the city, then I wouldn't want to either. I'll go wherever you go, Ginny," Draco said with a smile. Ginny sighed and shook her head.
"You're too good to me."
"There's no such thing," Draco insisted.
"Kids! Dinner!" Tonks called from the top of the hill. Draco stood up and helped Ginny to her feet. He leaned forward and kissed her gently.
"I love you, Ginny Weasley." Ginny smiled and let him take her hand, leading her back up to the house for dinner.
-
Ginny sat out on the porch, rocking Ted in her arms. He was the best-behaved baby she had ever seen. He just sat in her lap while she rocked back and forth on the porch swing, cooing happily. She could only hope that her child would be this quiet and obedient. The front door opened and Draco came outside.
"Hey, love," he said, sitting beside her. "Hey there, Teddy." Ginny smiled.
"Do you want to hold him?"
"Oh, uh…" Draco stalled. "I'm not really…I don't, uh…" Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Don't be silly. Here you go," she said, placing Ted in Draco's arms. Draco looked incredibly awkward for the first few minutes, but soon enough, he looked as though he had been cradling babies his whole life. He cooed at Teddy and made faces that made him smile. Ginny watched the pair and felt a warm feeling spread throughout her body. Draco was going to make an excellent father someday. In spite of everything he had been through, there was tenderness in his heart that became readily apparent as he held Ted in his arms.
Suddenly, Remus and Tonks appeared on the front porch, having just apparated home. Tonks caught sight of Ginny, Draco and Ted on the porch swing and smiled widely.
"Aw, don't you all look sweet?" She exclaimed. "Remus, dear. Just look at them." Remus grinned as well, putting his arm around Tonks' shoulders.
"You do look rather picturesque," he agreed.
"How's the Order?" Ginny asked curiously. Remus sighed, sitting down in a wicker chair across from them.
"Confused, as usual," Remus admitted. "Harry only has two horcruxes left. We know that Nagini is one of them. The last horcrux…we don't know where it is hidden, but we do know that You-Know-Who is going to be checking up on it. Harry needs to get there before he does."
"Is that something I can help with?" Draco spoke up. Remus sighed, his forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Perhaps. Would your father know its location?"
"It's very possible. Especially if You-Know-Who is going to be focusing all of his energy on checking it out." Tonks nodded.
"I think you should at least try," she said, looking at Remus for support. Slowly, he nodded in agreement.
"I think so too. When can you be ready to leave?"
"Give me a few minutes," Draco replied.
"I'll take Teddy," Tonks offered, taking her baby from Draco's arms. Draco went inside to prepare, leaving Ginny with a sick feeling in her stomach. Remus noticed the change in her facial expression and he leaned forward to put a hand on her knee.
"He'll be fine, Ginny." Ginny found herself unable to speak, so she just nodded and blinked away tears. Finally, she managed to get to her feet and go inside. She wandered into Draco's room and stood in the doorway.
"I almost started to believe that we wouldn't have to go through this again," she said bitterly. Draco shook his head and touched her cheek.
"This is no different from every other time, Ginny. I'll leave for a little while, and then I'll come back to you. There's no need to worry."
"I wish I had your confidence," Ginny muttered.
"I love you, Ginny," Draco said, pulling her into a hug. Ginny sighed and wished desperately that she didn't have to let him go. But she did.
"I love you too, Draco."
"I'll see you in a few days."
"All right," she said softly. Draco kissed her deeply before disappearing from the room. Ginny couldn't bring herself to watch him vanish before her eyes as he had done so many times in the past several months. Each time he left, Ginny couldn't help thinking that this could be the one time he wouldn't return. That was all it took. Just one time. One time to ruin everything.
Ginny slowly sank onto his bed and buried her face in his pillow. It still smelled like him, and she clung to it desperately until sleep eventually overcame her.