October 27, 2024
Author's Note: Extensive notes and gratitude will follow at the end of the chapter.

Epilogue: A Parisian Triumph

Three years later…

A chill wind burned Ginny's exposed cheeks as Draco dragged her down a street in bustling Paris. He was trying his best to suppress an excited smile and failing. Ginny made no such attempt.

They had not been in the city a full day yet and she was exhausted and glad to be so. They'd spent the morning browsing the Louvre, admiring the artwork and laughing when they encountered the names of famous magical painters and sculptors they recognized.

Lunch had been a divine haze of cheap wine and jambon-beurre consumed on the green of the Jardin des Champs-Élysées. Ginny had loved their lunch together because it had been casual, and even in the sunshine, she and Draco had had to huddle together for warmth, making the simple meal something intimate. Three years ago, Ginny never would have been able to picture Draco Malfoy sitting on a blanket in a park, drinking wine that cost approximately a Galleon. Not only did he do so now, he smiled like it was the best meal of his life.

The rest of the afternoon had been spent strolling through the park and down the avenues surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, soaking in the spirit of the city. They popped into shops for a little bit of warmth and souvenir shopping for their friends and family.

As the sun began to set, Ginny was starving again. She'd let Draco make dinner reservations for one night of the trip, preferring more casual dining options for the rest of their meals to feel more like a native Parisian and less like a highbrow tourist. He wouldn't tell her where they were eating, but he must have been famished, too, because he was hurrying her along as if he couldn't wait to arrive at the restaurant.

She began to suspect their destination when they entered an intersection and all of a sudden, in the distance but larger than life still, the Eiffel Tower greeted them on the other side of the Seine. The sight of it took her breath away. The last time she'd been in Paris, she had not had an opportunity to sightsee between attending a conference and dodging Jason Junker. Ginny and Draco walked across a bridge, the tower a beacon that they were clearly following. They turned a corner and there it was at the end of the street, the sunset a colorful backdrop of a stunning view.

Ginny had gotten the feeling several times throughout this magical day that Draco was trying to make up for her last visit to Paris by blowing the memory of that trip out of the water. She'd enjoyed their day so far, but she hoped he understood that this trip was already better than the last one just because he was there.

She might have changed her mind when the sun finally set and warm spotlights illuminated the tower as they approached the base.

"Wait for it," Draco said in her ear. He was standing behind her now, arms draped over her shoulders in a hug, squeezing in excitement while Ginny trembled with overwhelming emotion. They waited, though Ginny wasn't sure what for, until the tower began to sparkle, looking like what she imagined Muggles thought magic looked like. The sparkles were lights, not magic, bright white against the yellow-y spotlights illuminating the whole structure.

A gasp fell out of her mouth, and tears pricked her eyes. The sparkling lasted a full five minutes and she watched every second of it. When the light show ended, Draco opened one of his hands to reveal a velvet box sitting on his palm right under her nose. She took it from him and turned around, facing him with burning eyes and an overflowing heart.

"Ginny Weasley," he said, and all it took was her name on his lips to coax her tears into falling. He kissed one of the wet trails on her cheek before continuing. "For the last three years, watching you take on the world and bend it to your will has been one of the most inspiring acts I've ever witnessed. When the Ministry tried to silence you, when the press tried to slander you, you stood above it all because you knew the work you were doing was not only good but right. I'm so proud of you, and I can't wait to see the results of this long and arduous road."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Ginny said. "I didn't walk that road alone. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

Draco touched his forehead to hers, his voice lowering so his words would only live between their bodies. "It might have taken a little longer, but I believe you could have. You would have convinced some other bloke to fall in love with you and follow you to the end of the earth."

Ginny emitted a wet laugh. After three years of the most difficult work, the most painful ridicule, the strongest doubts, did Draco really not understand that she would follow him to the end of the earth, too?

She lifted what she suspected was a ring and said, "Tell me about this box."

Draco flipped the lid open to reveal a stunning gold band with a round cut sapphire. Delicate metalwork and smaller diamonds flowed around the setting creating an impression of wings framing the gemstone. Despite the ornate work that had gone into shaping the gold around the gems, it wasn't an ostentatious or overly-ambitious piece.

"From my mother's collection," Draco said. It was difficult to pull her gaze away from the ring sitting in its pillowy box, but she glanced up at him when he mentioned his mother. Their relationship was on better terms now than it had been three years ago, but Draco still preferred not to ask too much of Narcissa Malfoy. "She offered it. I didn't ask," he admitted.

Ginny's relationship with his mother was cordial, but not loving. Maybe there was more respect on Narcissa's end than Ginny had realized.

She was seconds away from blubbering. This trip—which had only just started but had already exceeded all of her expectations of what Paris could be—this night, the food, the atmosphere, the Eiffel Tower, the lights, Draco smiling at her, a ring—Narcissa's ring—

"Ginny Weasley," Draco repeated, his voice a near-whisper. "When people tore you down for loving me, you defended me. When I doubted myself, you never did. Supporting you and being known as yours has been the privilege of my life. I want to be yours forever. I want you to be mine."

"Are you proposing?"

Draco smirked. "Have patience and marry me, you silly witch."

"I'll see if I can fit it into my busy schedule," Ginny replied. "I just started a new job recently, you know. My calendar is pretty full for the next six months."

His eyes softened, and a finger wrapped around a strand of her hair, gently tugging on it to emphasize his next point. "I've waited for you this long; I'll wait as long as it takes. Just tell me you want me."

"I do," she said as she slid the hand holding the ring box over his shoulder, crushing the velvet against the back of his neck.

At the same time, Draco grasped her face tenderly, holding her in place as their mouths met and they kissed in the city of love, oblivious to anyone who might disapprove of their public display.

Their dating charade had officially come to an end.

From the Office of the Minister of Magic:

Effective January 1st, 2005, all new Ministry of Magic personnel will be required to undergo sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training conducted by the new Department of Equal Employment Opportunity. New employees must complete the required trainings within a fortnight of their employment start date. Current employees whose employment was initiated prior to January 1st, 2005 will receive training within their respective departments. All departments must complete the required training no later than April 30th. No exceptions will be entertained.

Please find attached the new harassment policy. All managers are required by law to provide a copy of this policy to new and current employees. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action initiated by the Department of Equal Employment Opportunity.

Any questions or concerns about the scheduling or content of the trainings shall be directed to Equal Employment Opportunity Director Ginevra Weasley on Level Two.

Thank you,

Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic

The End

Author's Note:

Well this is the end. I was beginning to suspect this day would never come, but it did! I started writing TDC for The DG Forum's 2015 Winter Fic Exchange. The document I wrote the original version of the story in was created on November 19th, 2014. I am finishing this story just shy of the 10 year anniversary of starting it.

The OG version for the fic exchange was complete in seven chapters. I rushed the ending and I didn't feel like I had said everything I wanted to say, so after the exchange ended, I decided to expand the story. My main motivation for an expansion was writing Virgin!Draco and Ginny with a magical Snitch tattoo, haha. I never ever thought this story would expand into a 22-chapter, 120K-word project that would take me a decade to finish. I did not anticipate real life imitating the fiction I was writing with a toxic male supervisor who made my work life miserable for multiple years (don't worry, I don't work for him anymore!). I also didn't expect the #MeToo movement to make the topic of my story so relevant. Looking back at the last ten years, at how the world has changed and how I have changed, is wild.

I want to thank everyone who had a part in beta-ing or helping me brainstorm any part of this story: rowan_greenleaf, my RL best friend D, haniqua, Wordmover, keeperofthemoon, and my friends in The DG Forum and the Draco x Ginny discord.

I never would have written this story if it wasn't for SunnyStorms's prompt, so immense gratitude to her for submitting a prompt that kept me inspired for ten whole years.

Y'all. Please check out my Tumblr/Twitter/AO3 to see some some artwork for this chapter. Thank you SO MUCH to artist aqvarelles/macneiceisms for making art for me! Years and years ago, I dreamed of having artwork made to celebrate TDC ending. It's one of the things that motivated me to finish. And Mar's piece exceeded all of my expectations. I love it so so much.

But the biggest thanks go to you, the readers. I couldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for everyone who read this story and commented on it, even when there were months (or years) in between updates. I've said over and over again that I have the best readers because you have all been so patient and so gracious about my inconsistent updates. Thank you so much for hanging on throughout this journey. Thank you to the new readers who have joined the party more recently, and thank you to the readers who have dropped off along the way for whatever reason. I couldn't have made it to the finish line without all of your interest and support and kindness at some point over the last ten years.

I hope you enjoyed the story. For the last time, thank you for reading! 💜