Draco had never been more nervous in all of his life.
Meetings with an angry father? Nothing compared with this. One on one's with Voldemort himself? Easy. Finding his own footing among the Death Eaters? Please. But this...? Walking into the home of what should have been his enemies, walking into the home full of people Voldemort had so directly affected... He couldn't begin to describe the fear mounting inside of him. But, Ginny was smiling his way, and just like before he felt all those fears fading away. It was as if he could believe that everything was going to be alright.
Together they had made their way from the Malfoy's summer home to an empty street, Apparating there thanks to Ginny. She had put a finger to her lips as they began the walk towards a stone wall, one which Ginny came to stand in front of. Draco had watched her pull out her wand and tap the stones in a very direct order (the whole thing felt very remniscent of Diagon Alley) before they began to separate, giving them a small space to slip through. Ginny had sent a coded message earlier that night, using her Patronus of course, to Remus Lupin, who was the Order's current Secret Keeper. Only he could take down the many protective charms, giving them the ability to arrive at the Burrow at all. They had a very small window of opportunity to slip through and they had made it just in time.
The house that they approached was the strangest one he had ever seen- but even so, it felt welcoming and cheery. Several lights were on inside despite the late hour and Draco wasn't surprised to see a door fling open almost immediately. Light was cast out into the yard and the first thing Draco saw was a pair of gnomes rushing past from one bush to another and he felt a chuckle bubbling on his lips. A man stood in the door way and at once Draco recognized him as the one time Professor Remus Lupin- he ushered them inside and he shut the door behind him as he escaped into the yard, presumably to put the protective charms back up.
Draco found himself standing inside a messy, yet clean sort of kitchen- a table stood in the center, empty aside from a pitcher full of flowers. On the western wall was a clock with nine hands, each one bearing the face of one of the Weasley family (he also noted that each hand was pointing directly at 'mortal peril'). On the other wall was a sink full of dishes, though a sponge was magically washing a plate in the air above it.
Behind them, the door opened and in strode Lupin, his features grim as he came to stand before them. "What was the first piece of advice I ever gave to you?" He barked at the redheaded girl beside him, who swiveled on the spot to face her one time teacher.
"To let go," she said softly, tilting her head to the side, her red hair a waterfall over a shoulder as a smile bloomed on her features. "Remus." She greeted as the man enveloped her into a hug. "Where is everyone?" She asked as she stepped back, looking around at the empty kitchen, clearly surprised by the lack of a greeting from any of her family.
"I told them to wait, just in case..." Remus' tired features broke with a smile of his own before he called out, knowing quite well that Molly Weasley was nearly beside herself with worry for her daughter. "Molly! Arthur! It's them!" He turned to Draco then, studying the young man for a long moment before extending a hand for him to shake. "Draco," he said with warmth, not surprised at how long it took Draco to react. He had always wondered what the fate of this boy would be- something had always told him that Draco was never meant to be a part of Voldemort's plans.
Draco reached out, shaking Lupin's hand, feeling as if a weight was lifitng off his shoulders. The older man did not look upon him as if he were a monster, nor an enemy, but rather like he was accepting him without explanation. Draco could hardly believe it. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as a shrill voice came from another door way; a woman came through what he assumed to be a parlor door, nearly knocking Ginny over in her zeal to embrace her. At once Draco recognized her to be Molly, the Weasley family matriarch- Ginny's mother.
"Mum! Mum, I can't breathe!" Ginny struggled against her mother's bear hug until she was released enough to stand at arm's length from her. "Mum, I'm fine... Please, don't cry." Already tears were coursing down Molly's cheeks as she reached out a hand, tenderly touching the cut upon her daughter's cheek. "Really, Mum." Ginny murmured softly, reaching up to take her mother's hand in her own. "Where's dad?" She asked, realizing then she'd yet to see her father, nor any of her brothers. "And the others? Ron..? Hermione? Harry...?" Fear suddenly gripped her heart as she looked from her mother to Remus and the back to her mother. "Don't tell me..."
"Harry and the others have gone into hiding," Remus said quickly, offering her a comforting sort of smile. "Or, well... They've gone off to do whatever it is they need to do." Ginny felt relief rush through her, knowing her brother and friends were at least safe. "Your father is with Kingsley, on a mission. I must let him know you've come home, I promised him I would." And then, he was gone from the room.
"Come, you two must be starving." Molly gestured for them to sit at the table and at once was to work pulling things from a refridgerator beside the sink. Draco turned to Ginny, his surprise must have been evident because she had a giggle at his expense and took a seat at the table like her mother had suggested. "Go on now Draco. Would you like some tea?" Molly asked as she turned around to see him still standing in the center of the kitchen. Draco gave a mute nod and fell into a chair beside Ginny, who looked as if she truly was enjoying his discomfort.
But ten minutes later, Molly had left them both with warmed up plates of pork chops and potatoes, saying she was going upstairs to make up a bed for him. Draco couldn't help but to stare up after the woman as she disappeared up the stairs, his mind hardly daring to believe he'd been so easily accepted into this family. "Draco... Are you alright?" Ginny's voice broke into his thoughts and he jumped, turning his eyes instead to her. Her brown eyes met his and Draco realized in that instant how intense her gaze truly could be. "Do you not like the food? We have other stuff if you want-"
"No, it's not that..." He cut her off without meaning to in his haste to let her know there was no problem with the food. "It's just that I..." He trailed off, turning away from her, unsure how to word the thoughts swirling in his mind. "I never thought..." Draco kept his eyes trained on the plate of food before him, his hand curled into a fist atop the table. In just a few minutes, he felt more welcomed in a stranger's home than he had ever felt within his own. A moment later, he felt Ginny's small, but warm hand close around his, and he lifted his eyes to find hers yet again.
"Welcome home." She said with a grin, hoping these words were enough to give him what he needed. It must have been, because he was smiling back at her then, and she knew another of his many walls had come tumbling down.
[ x x x ]
"You can sleep in here, it was the twin's old room," Molly explained as she led Draco and Ginny up a few flights of stairs. "Remus and Tonks are staying as well, they're in Bill's old room." Molly flipped on the light in the bedroom, which had two beds, one on either wall, as well as a well-worn desk and a dresser. The window was covered with dark red curtains, curtains that were singed at the bottom like they'd once caught fire. "Arthur should be back in the morning. Tonks is at her parent's house tonight, she'll be back tomorrow sometime too." Molly gestured towards the beds with a smile. "You can have either one, dear."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Draco said with an awkward sort of smile, feeling bashful before the kind woman's gaze. Molly lingered for a moment, as if torn between saying something, but silence won out and she instead offered him a smile.
"Don't stay up too late," she admonished, as if they were children and not full grown adults, and she paused only a moment to touch her daughter's cheek as she'd done earlier that night. "Get some sleep, both of you." She was gone then, closing the door behind her as she went, leaving he and Ginny alone in the bedroom.
"You'd think I was a kid," Ginny scoffed, but Draco could see the glimmer of a smile on her face as she looked to the spot where her mother had once stood. "She is right though." Ginny went on, revolving on the spot to instead face him. "I'm sure there's something in here you can sleep in." She moved past him, digging through the dresser drawers until she pulled out a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. "These should fit." Draco was tall and slim, much like Percy had been, both of who the clothes belonged to. He took them without a word and Ginny made her way across the room, standing before the door as if she meant to leave, but thought better on it. "Everything is going to work out in the end, you'll see." She told him with a grin and to her surprise, he smiled back at her. "Good night, Draco."
"Good night, Ginny." He said with a grin, watching as she turned to go, her floral scent trailing in her wake. Already it was familiar to him, much as her presence in general had become. He could hear her footsteps as she made her way back down the hall and down the stairs to her own room- just like that, silence descended, and Draco felt at home. Changing his clothes, he climbed into one of the beds, and pulled the covers over himself. Suddenly, sleep was clawing at him and he lay back, closing his eyes, surprised by how all he could picture was Ginny's bright brown eyes.
[ x x x ]
"Do you trust him?"
The words fell between her and the others like a bomb- Molly and Remus across from her, she on her own side. "You saw what he did, Remus. I'm alive because of what he did." Ginny said quietly, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face, so they could both see the bruises, the cuts. She drew her sleeves up, so they could see the bruises there as well, so they could see the extent of her injuries caused by the Death Eaters. "I should have died back there," she paused when her mother gave a little squeak. "Dad will tell you, he saw what Draco did for me."
Ginny would never begin to be able to explain how she knew the truth of Draco- she understood why Remus and her mother was questioning her now. She knew it would take more time for true trust to be built... But she alone knew the truth. Draco had spoken the words of his heart to her back at the cottage and she just knew... He was telling the truth. This was not some elaborate plot to get Harry or to get information on the Order. This was Draco Malfoy, ready to take control of his own life, and become who he was always meant to be.
"I trust you, Ginny, and thus I trust him." Remus said after several more moments of silence. "I always thought him to be quite unlike all the others, especially Lucius." Remus could remember Draco as a third year student, smug and spoiled, not yet tainted by his father's evil ways. Then as a sixth year student, who's hand had trembled as he pointed it at Dumbledore. Draco was never meant to be evil, to be a Death Eater. Remus was glad he'd finally found his own footing in this world. But, now he would have a price tag on his head- he wouldn't be safe, not even here, not for long anyways. "What are you two going to do after this?"
In all honesty, Ginny hadn't thought that far ahead. Their options were slim- they couldn't remain behind at the Burrow for too long. Draco wasn't safe and him being there put her own family at risk as well. They could go on the run, take up disguises and fight on the front lines. They could run missions for the Order. They could do so much, but it had to be done away from here, away from the Burrow and her family. "Anything that helps," she finally said, looking from her mother to Lupin. "Whatever you think we need to do, we'll do it." Lupin gave a single, silent nod, proud to hear the young woman's words.
"You need some sleep, first." Molly said, ending the conversation there. "You can discuss all of this tomorrow. Right now, you need sleep just as much as he does. Now, go." Ginny rose up from her place at the table and smiled upon them, before she was gone from the room, her footsteps fading up the stairs. Molly let out the breath she'd been holding, sinking low in her chair, fear filling her up. She was never going to get used to her children being old enough to fight in the war- especially Ginny. Her youngest child and her only daughter... It was hard to let her go. But, there would be no stopping her, that was for certain. Molly had learned that a long time ago.
Upstairs in the comfort of her own bedroom, Ginny stripped from all of her clothing, leaving them in a trail across her floor. Pulling on a t-shirt she'd stolen from one of the twins, she climbed into her bed, pulling the covers over herself. She lay there for way felt like hours- long enough until she saw the splashes of pink along the horizon. Her mind was racing with thoughts- so many she could hardly keep track. It was as the sun came up over the hill that she had the plan formulated, that she knew exactly what they would do to help end the war.
Closing her eyes, Ginny felt sleep finally begin to claw at her, drawing her in... Her last waking thoughts that of Draco, upstairs in her brother's old room, and hoping he found the bed comfortable.