DM
"You're the person that's known Ash the longest, spill," Blaise says when the girls are long out of earshot.
"There is only so much that I can tell you, before she takes my head off and makes it watch my body die," I answer.
Fred and George look at Draco, "Seriously never going to piss her off," they mutter under their breath.
"There has to be something," Blaise presses.
"She never liked her father, she was very close to her mother, until she died that is," Draco begins, "she's always known what she was. I don't think that there was a time when she didn't have that knowledge in the back of her mind. Death, it's an abstract concept to us, but to her, it's a reality. A reality that she was forced to accept."
We wander through the streets of Diagon Alley, the twins stopping in at their joke shop, making sure that everything was running smoothly before stepping out to walk with us again.
I could feel the stares of those around us, wondering why two Weasley's were walking with a Malfoy and a Zabini, but I couldn't really bring myself to care. Slowly my family was being built around me, stronger than the one that I had in my home. It all came back to Ash.
Ash was the first person who befriended him for neither social status nor money. Those things never mattered to her, despite the fact she's sitting on a fortune that made the Malfoy's look like paupers. She was the one who had told him of his place, and how he was destined to end the rule of the Dark Lord. And now, she's building a family around all of them, tying them close with bonds that he could feel would last a lifetime.
"Mate, no matter how long you glare at the stores, they aren't going to catch fire. That's Gin's job," Blaise mutters under his breath.
The twins cackle softly under their breath at Blaise's comment.
"Is there anything in particular that anyone wants?" I say, settling the Malfoy smirk on my face again.
"Other than the death of the Trio. Preferably horribly gruesome and bloody?" George asks lightly.
There was a silence then, as I fight the stunned look on my face that accompanies a Weasley making a comment like that.
"Well, I could use this time to find a costume for the dance. And you should do the same, Draco," Blaise says finally.
"Don't need to look for one. Ash is going to make one for me. If you ask her nicely enough, she might make one for you as well," I tell him.
"Do you really think she would?" He asks, a slightly hopeful gleam in his eye.
"Why wouldn't she? It's one of the few things that she enjoys to do. And she might not make you pay for it either," I comment.
"Do you think I could charm her out of not charging me, if she was going to?" he comments, posing slightly.
I stare at him, and see the twins doing the same out of the corner of my eye.
"Didn't think so," he says finally.
"Let's drop in the Quidditch store, I want to see if they have any new brooms out," I say finally, starting to walk in that direction.
AT
Gin and I walk out of my lawyer's office, everything sorted out and in order. He had already notified Gringott's of the change of vaults, and was the officiator of the ceremony to bring Ginerva permanently into my family.
"So, how does it feel to have more money than Malfoy?" I ask her.
"I didn't know that numbers could go up that high," she says, her voice still shocked.
"Welcome to the upper crust of the upper crust."
"Shall we find the others?"
"If I know Draco, he's probably in the Quidditch store, looking at the new broom models."
"What I wouldn't do for a new broom. I'd rather not try out for the Slytherin team with my antique."
I roll my eyes at her statement.
"Well, the sooner we get there, the sooner you get a new broom," I say decisively.
"No, you don't have to get me a new broom," she says quickly.
I stop walking and look her in the face, "Gin, you saw how much money I have. A new broom is nothing, and I should get you something, a welcome to the family gift."
I ignore her half-hearted protests and continue walking up the street, her following a half step behind. I caught sight of Draco through the window of the store, looking over the quidditch gear.
"And don't be shy to get anything else you might need," I tell her, "this is my treat."
Her jaw drops open at the prospect of new gear and a new broom. I open the door to her, and she walks in, her face excited. I can't help but laugh. Draco turns and looks at us as we walk in, his eyebrow arched.
"That didn't take long," he comments.
"I just told him to summarize it. And then asked him what happened to the body,' I comment, watching Ginerva go over to the brooms.
"What did happen to it?" Blaise asks, coming up on my other side.
"Since it was 'unsure' whether or not I would be able to leave Hogwarts, his 'friends' took care of it, they had him cremated since they couldn't get into the family mausoleum, nor could they get onto the grounds to take what they felt was theirs," I tell them.
"They give you the remains to inter," Draco comments.
"But of course, who else could they give it to?" I quip.
I watch with a small glare as the store clerk tries to maneuver Ginerva away from the Firebolt brooms to the section of cheaper ones. She shakes him off, and stares at him. She flips her wrist up, showing him the inside of her wrist, where the mark resides. The man jumps as if he was burnt, and let her choose her own broom, not making any comment when she chose the most expensive one in the store.
"Are you really going to place him in the family mausoleum?" Draco asks.
"It's too good for him, I'll find something to do with his ashes," I answer.
Gin walks up to us, "well, I've got everything that I need. All we need to do now is pay for it," she says.
"That's my cue," I say as I walk up to the counter.
The man hands me the bill that he had drawn up, and I look over her purchases, signing the bottom of it with a flourish. He hands me the packages, and I shrink them and tuck them into one of my pockets. Walking back to the others, I realize that two were missing.
"What happened to the twins?" I ask finally.
"They had to go back to the store. One of their assistants ran up to them saying that there was someone demanding to see them in the store," Draco says, "so they said that they'd meet up with us later, when whoever it is has left."
We walk out of the store, and start wandering down the street.
GT
As we walk along Diagon Alley, Ash pauses in front of the pet shop. A small kitten wandered up to the window and put its paw up. Ash puts a finger where the paw is, and the kitten puts her nose on it. I sneak a look at Ash's face, and she had a small goofy smile. That was all the answer that I needed.
I walk into the store, unnoticed by the others and walk up to the counter.
"See that kitten standing in front of that girl?" I ask quietly.
"Yea," he says, cocking his head to the side, "she's never done that before."
"How much?"
He looks at me critically for a second, then back at the kitten, "Three Galleons."
"Sold."
He walks up to the window, pulling on large gloves. I snicker quietly to myself at the gloves. He grabs the kitten firmly around the middle, and I could hear the animal growling and hissing at him. It stops when he hands it to me. I give him the money and slip out of the shop, pressing it into Ash's arms. She holds it close and it starts purring.
"You got me something, now I've gotten you something. Even?" I ask.
"Thank you," she says, rubbing her cheek against the small animal.
We continue walking down the street. I pause for a second in front of the Wheezes and I notice the familiar hair of Molly. I keep up with the others.
I ignore the sound of the door being thrown open.
:Guys, Molly just came out of the twins shop,: I broadcast to them, :shall we ignore her? Humiliate her? What?:
"Ginerva Molly Weasley! Explain yourself!" She screeches.