A/N: hey guys! a bit late, I know! im sorry.. but now that my classes have ended for the holidays i will update more frequently. i promise!
And i would like to thank all those of you who reviewed and added my story to alerts. but please i need more reviews! and btw, i'm thinkin of starting a carlisle/bella story.. wat do you guys think? lemme know yea?
so enough with the blabber, here you go.. fresh new chapter.. with the WEASLEYS!
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"I saw her in the market Draco! That does not equal to knowing her whereabouts!" Blaise Zabini gave an exasperated sigh. He was seriously regretting coming along with his friend.
Draco huffed with anger and resumed his pacing. They had been in Birmingham for more than half a day now! Over twelve hours had passed and his men still hadn't found Ginevra or his son. They were all incompetent fools, he decided.
"Seriously Draco! Will you please stop the pacing? You are waking me dizzy! I've always known that patience isn't one of your qualities, but this is too much. Anyways, you're wearing down the carpet, oh for Merlin! Sit down!"
Deciding against dignifying Blaise's taunting exclamations with a response, Draco obliged. Making himself comfortable on the recliner -well, as comfortable as he could, given the circumstances anyway – Draco's thoughts strayed to the events of the past week. Even though he had had to forcefully restrain himself from rushing off to find his son on more than one occasion, the past week's events had been essential not to mention amusing.
At times, he added mentally, recalling Charlie Weasley's face, red and contorted with rage. That had not been pleasant.
HIs conversation with his mother had been easy and had gone as smoothly as he'd let his imagination risk it, thanks to his stepfather who had forewarned his mother of the situation.
Although she was rather displeased that Draco hadn't thought to inform her of his relationship with Ginevra, the idea of a grandson mollified her quickly enough. To Draco's surprise and great pleasure, she had warmed up to the idea of the youngest Weasley almost immediately, muttering about her being "just what he needed". Narcissa couldn't wait to have her grandson in her arms, to spoil him thoroughly as only a grandmother could, and demanded that Draco leave for Birmingham at once.
And Draco would have obliged all too happily had it not been for the uncomfortable nagging feeling in his stomach, the thought that he needed to do this just right. Severus had rather delightfully declared it to be his conscious. A preposterous suggestion, as if a Malfoy even had such a thing! But then, this particular Malfoy had a son with a Weasley, so that wasn't too unthinkable a possibility.
Anyway, thanks to this feeling, whatever it was, Draco soon found himself at the doorstep of the house quite aptly named The Burrow. After waiting there for almost ten minutes in a failed attempt to calm his nerves, Draco rapped sharply on the door. He almost turned and fled in the little while that it took for the Weasley matriarch to open the door, but he firmly stood his ground. He was a Malfoy after all, and Malfoy's weren't cowards!
"Oh Draco dear! So nice of you to come visit. Do come in." Molly Weasley beamed up at the young man, ushering him inside.
"You know, you picked just the right evening for a visit, everyone's home today. Even Charlie is home from Romania."
Draco gulped audibly at this little bit of information. All of the Weasleys at once? Although he had formed cordial friendships with all of them while fighting by their side during the war, he doubted that they would react pleasantly to the news that he had knocked up their baby sister six years ago. Not to mention that this fact was the reason that their precious Gin-Gin had stayed away from them for all this time.
'I'm sooo dead' he thought morosely as Molly dragged him into the living room where the entire clan was assembled. Seven redheaded men and one raven haired one, plus their respective wives looked up as he entered, all wearing pleasantly surprised expressions. He gave them all a grimace of a smile in return.
"Ah! Draco my boy! It's been so long, come sit." Arthur Weasley patted the armchair next to his.
"Hello everyone, where's the brat brigade?"
"Today's visit to the zoo tired them all. They went to bed early." Hermione Weasley answered among chuckles at his affectionate nickname for all the Weasley grandchildren. She smiled at him from her place on her husband Fred's lap. ( Hey! I like that pairing ok. Sue me!)
"So what brought you here Draco? I was under the impression that you tended to avoid these gatherings as much as possible." Cho Chang-Potter remarked, no doubt referring to his absence from her son's birthday party two days ago. Draco gave her a sheepish smile.
'I'm sorry Cho, I forgot. I had a lot on my mind. That's kind of what I needed to talk to you all about. I promise I'll be there with double the gifts next time."
"What is it Malfoy? Need the big guys to kill the monsters under your bed for you?" it was Ron who spoke this time. (obviously)
"Oh no Weasley. That sort of drama I leave for you, don't worry." Draco retorted with a smile. The verbal sparring between them, lethal as they were during Hogwarts, had now receded to a friendly banter.
"What is it son?" Arthur questioned gently.
Taking this as the cue to start talking, Draco sat up and cleared his throat, facing a roomful of expectant faces. Here goes nothing, he thought, suddenly wishing he had compiled his will before coming here.
"Actually Mr. Weasley, its just that… I wanted to tell you that…umm"
"Yes.." Harry prodded, obviously enjoying seeing Draco so uncomfortable.
"It's Ginny! She's in Birmingham, and she has a son. My son!" Draco blurted out and immediately regretted it when he saw the reddening faces of all the Weasley males, including Potter of course. Draco cursed himself for coming alone, gulping nervously at the feeling of inevitable doom in the air. So he was quite surprised when, instead of the onslaught he expected, Percy asked in a dangerously calm voice.
"And how old would this boy be Draco?"
"Umm.. six!"
Then, came the onslaught!
In the chaos that ensued, Draco thanked Merlin profusely for his finely honed Quidditch reflexes as seven fully grown men lunged at him.
So when Fleur Weasley stepped in front of him and raised a hand to stop the redheaded mob from tearing him apart, limb from limb, his gratefulness knew no bounds.
"Stop! That eez enouf! Now before you keel him, let me ask him something." (so many years of staying in England is bound to have improved her English right?)
"Draco, deed you know where Ginny was all zees time? Deed you know of your son?" Fleur asked calmly.
"No.. I just found out two days back actually.." Draco thought he sounded far calmer than he felt.
"So you're telling me that Ginny never told you that she was pregnant?" George Weasley asked him from between clenched teeth.
Draco nodded mutely, aware that one wrong word would trigger a very Weasley explosion.
"I don't care what he says! He may not have known it, but he is the reason that our Ginbug has stayed away from us for almost seven years!" Ron growled, taking a step toward him.
"No Ron! It wasn't exactly his fault!" Lavender pleaded with her husband.
"Not his fault? How is it not his fault? He knocked up our baby sister! And out of wedlock no less. I say we kill him!" Charlie roared, face red with fury, looking remarkably like one of the dragons he worked with.
Draco winced and waited for the next outburst. However it was Harry Potter who spoke then, his voice calm.
"You would have killed him if you knew he was seeing Ginny anyway. And it was during the war Charlie, everybody made rash decisions. I think that the fact that Draco came and told us speaks volumes of his high regards of Ginny as well as this family. A lesser man would have preferred to keep us in the dark rather than face our wrath." Harry tried to make his adoptive family see a color other than red.
In the awkward silence that followed Molly Weasley asked quietly.
"Do you love her?"
"Yes, yes I do Molly. More than anything. I want to bring her home along with our son. And I intend to make her my wife. Arthur I lost her once, I won't lose her again."
It was the first and only time that Draco has voiced his affections for Ginevra out loud, and his declaration seemed to have a calming effect on all of the Weasleys. All of them relaxed and Bill even cracked a smile.
"Then, in that case, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that you have our blessing."
…
Draco smiled wistfully as he thought of that afternoon. Ginny's brothers, he decided, could very well make facing Voldemort look like a walk in the park.
Now if only he could find her and take her home. But he had an idea that Ginevra would prove to be quite difficult to persuade. She was quite the spitfire after all.
"Finally!" Blaise's exclamation brought Draco back to the present. He looked up to see Blaise untying a letter from the leg of an eagle owl.
"Hey Draco. You can stop moping around now. Here's the address!" Blaise waved the parchment in front of his face. Draco snatched the parchment from his friend's hands and read the address.
Slowly, the infamous Malfoy smirk spread across his face. The same one that used to give his professors back at Hogwarts nightmares that even Voldemort could never induce.
"Come on Blaise. Time to pay my family a long overdue visit!".
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A/N: next chapter; ginny and draco meet! bam! will post soon. already half written!
please please review! love to all!
NightShade94.