Ginny walked across the Great Hall with three mugs in her hands. Everybody around her was either rejoicing that it was all over or grieving for their loved ones. Ginny herself had lost a brother, Fred, and some friends: Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody. Harry had just told her basically to buzz off; he apparently wanted to be alone. So Ginny found herself bringing hot chocolate to the Malfoy family, who were sitting all alone at the end of the Slytherin table.

“I brought you some hot chocolate,” she said quietly, handing each of them a ceramic mug.

Lucius Malfoy nodded, while Draco looked curiously at her. Narcissa was the only one who replied. Smiling, she said, “Thank you.”

Ginny smiled back. “You’re welcome.” She turned to go, but then stopped as if remembering something. Turning, she said, “Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, for helping Harry.”

“You’re welcome, Ginevra.”

“And thank you, Draco, for saving my life during the battle.”

“That Death Eater was in my way; it wasn’t on purpose,” he said, sneering.

“Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t knock into him like that,” she responded serenely.

Lucius looked like was he was about to say was painful, and maybe for him it was. “I apologize for putting that diary in your trunk.” He grimaced as if the words cut his tongue as they left his mouth.

“All’s well that ends well,” Ginny said, her head cocked to the side, giving her a thoughtful appearance.

“You might as well tell Potter and Weasley ‘thank you’ for saving my life twice,” Draco told her, looking surprised that he was actually saying it.

“I will.” Ginny nodded. She turned and went back to her family, three pairs of silver eyes watching her.

When she reached them, Ron demanded an explanation as to why his baby sister was conversing with the hated Malfoy family.

“I was helping them out,” she replied simply.

“Helping them out? They have oodles of money pouring out of their arses! They have all the help they need!”

“Not after this war, they won’t, Ronald. The Ministry will probably seize all their assets and they’ll have to live like we do. It’s going to be hard on them and I’m going to help them out,” Ginny explained.

“She’s right, Ron. The Malfoy name will never be what it once was,” Hermione agreed.

Ginny smiled softly. “And Draco says, ‘Thank you,’ for saving his life twice.”

Ron sputtered at the new knowledge that maybe Draco Malfoy wasn’t half-bad if he was thanking a Weasley for saving him.

Ginny smiled at him again before taking her own mug of hot chocolate outside to the lake.

Soon she was joined by a silver-eyed boy. “Why?” he asked.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” she answered.

Whether he accepted this answer or not, Draco sat down next to her.

“The night is so peaceful, you can see all of the stars,” Ginny noted, looking at the night sky.

Draco mumbled something non-committal, as if he weren’t really paying attention because he was deep in thought. Ginny smiled softly at him and then left him to think. She instead walked around the Black Lake, nursing her hot chocolate, and did some thinking herself.

* * *
Mr. Lucius Malfoy,

Upon viewing your case file, the Ministry of Magic has decided to freeze your assets, but will not seize Malfoy Manor or imprison you in Azkaban. You and your family will have to enter the workforce and become productive members of society for ten years before your assets are returned to you. You have the mercy of a Miss Ginevra Weasley to thank for her testimony on your behalf.

Sincerely,

Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic

* * *
Draco woke up to an eye-full of red, the sun shining brightly in his eyes. He moaned and rolled over, burying himself into the big pillows that were customary at Malfoy Manor. It had been three years since the end of the war, and Draco was unfortunately part of the adult workforce. He worked his way up to be a major investor in several large companies and had very pointless but important meetings to attend that day.

Draco groaned as he rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor in an attempt to wake himself up. He was not looking forward to today. Besides another round of monotonous meetings, he had one very annoying meeting with a very temperamental redhead. He bolted upright. The redhead. The redhead that he owed big time. Ugh. He flopped back down on the floor.

His alarm went off, shouting, “Time to get up, you lazy arse,” repeatedly.

Draco groaned again and crawled into the shower. He was not a morning person.

By the time he got to work, he had missed a not-so-important meeting that his assistant took care of and was late to a logo-color meeting for a cauldron bottom company. Fun stuff.

Draco glared at his unfortunately male secretary, growled, “Coffee,” and stalked into the conference room.

“Let’s get this over with,” he commanded. “What are the ideas?”

“Green is unoriginal,” a man in a office robes offered up.

“A monkey could have told me that,” Draco snapped.

“How about red?” someone suggested.

“Too peppy or angry,” a witch replied.

“Pink is more subtle,” another witch amended.

“No,” the men in the room responded collectively.

“Real men wear pink,” she defended.

“It’s a cauldron bottom, not a shirt,” a wizard retorted.

It went on like that until orange was chosen, and then the debate on the shade started. An hour of debating between peach and salmon made Draco extremely hungry and so he left the advertisers to their debate. Once in his office, he banged his head against the back of the door.

“Why did I say I wanted to be involved in the decisions these companies make?” he muttered to himself.

“Because you’re extremely nosy and controlling,” a woman’s voice replied knowledgeably from behind his desk.

Draco turned around to see Ginny Weasley lounging in his oversized, leather chair, ankles perched on the corner of his desk. “Merlin, what did I do to deserve a day like this?”

“I know, you’re too lucky for what you deserve,” she responded cockily, dropping her feet to the floor.

“You’re early.”

“I couldn’t stay away from your shining face any longer.” She grinned.

“Bullshit.”

“I know, but you love it when I inflate your ego.”

“You don’t mean it.”

“Maybe I do.” She smiled mischievously.

“What do you want, Ginevra?” Draco asked.

“I’m opening a bookstore. I want an investor.”

“Everyone wants me to invest in their business. Why are you special?”

“I am not everyone.”

“That’s not a real answer.”

“How does ‘You owe me’ work?” she asked, smiling like the cat that caught the mouse.

“How did I know you would bring that up?” he grumbled.

“Because you know that I’m smart enough to know that you have to act like a Slytherin to get a Slytherin to do what you want,” Ginny replied. “And you would do it anyway because you like me!”

“Ginevra,” he said, his tone warning her.

“Draco,” she responded, smiling, but still serious.

“Fine.”

“And you don’t get to stick your silly little head in any of my business concerning the bookstore. But you are more than welcome to stick your lovely head or other body parts in any of my other businesses, Draco darling,” Ginny said, teasing him.

“And what if I were to take you up on your offer, Ginevra dear?” Draco purred, walking closer to her.

Ginny laughed, stepping closer to him. “You would take anything in a skirt up on its offer.”

And she walked out the door.

Draco hated when she waltzed into his office, teasing and flirting with him, and then walked right out like it didn’t even affect her. He was in such a foul mood after his encounter with Ginny that his mood earlier seemed cheery in comparison.

* * *
Ginny pushed her fly-aways out of her face. She huffed and shoved another book onto another shelf. Restocking was the worst. It was also the best because that meant she was selling books. She had a ton left to restock before she left for the day, and it was already 6:00. She huffed and put her hands on her hips, staring at the large box in front of her.

“Need any help?” a distinct male voice asked from behind her.

“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p.’

Draco walked around her and picked up a book.

“Look, you don’t know where anything goes, so you’ll be more of a hindrance than anything. I can do it myself,” she told him, letting her irritation with him show in a sigh.

“It’s in alphabetical order, I think even I can handle that,” he replied.

“It would be a surprise to me since you obviously can’t find your way through a bloody phonebook,” she snapped, grabbing a stack of books that belonged in a different section of the shop just to get away from him.

“Hey, don’t be like that!” he called after her.

“I’m not being like anything!” she shouted back.

“Ginevra!” he responded, exasperated.

“Draco!” she shot back, mocking his tone as she moved farther away from him.

“I came to apologize,” he sighed, turning the corner and running into her.

“Well, I don’t care for your pretty apologies. I want to see some true regret.”

“I’m really, really sorry that I didn’t call you. We agreed that it was a one time thing and I just assumed...” Draco started.

“You know what they say about assuming... it makes an ass out of you and me,” she cut him off cheekily.

“I’m trying to be serious and you’re making jokes?” he asked, angry.

“I’m sorry, continue apologizing for making me feel like some cheap slut.”

“I’m sorry, I just thought that it would be better if I didn’t call so I didn’t get attached to you.”

“So I was right, you do like me.”

“Don’t push it, Ginevra. I apologized for making you feel like a piece of arse, don’t make it into something that it’s not.”

“Too late. You started it.” She smiled.

“What are you, five?”

“What are you, four?”

“I’m not going to lower myself to your immaturity level.”

“I’m not going to lower myself to your immaturity level,” Ginny mocked, feeling good that the status quo was restored.

“Sometimes I am amazed that I can stand to be around you for extended periods of time,” Draco drawled, returning to his superior self who didn’t have to apologize to a Weasley.

“You love me,” Ginny said jokingly, but they both paused at her words.

“Haha, yeah, no,” he laughed awkwardly, to try to get past the moment they would have had.

* * *
“Luna!”

“Yes?” Luna replied airily.

“I need your help,” Ginny announced.

“What’s the matter?”

“I can’t find anything to wear that will knock him off his feet!” Ginny explained, frustrated.

“Let me look,” Luna replied, moving Ginny to sit on her bed while she browsed her closet.

“These are exceedingly normal. Don’t you have anything more eye-catching and unique?” Luna asked, pushing aside hanger after hanger.

“No,” Ginny groaned.

“We are going shopping. It’s a good thing that your stars are alined today because whatever dress you get, is going to be the one your future husband sees you in,” Luna replied, grabbing Ginny in one hand and Ginny’s purse in the other and pulling her out the door.

In Diagon Alley, the girls visited several shops without much success before hitting Muggle London. There, they only had to hit one boutique and Luna’s jaw dropped when Ginny stepped out of the dressing room.

“That one is perfect! He won’t know what to do when he sees you. I’m assuming he’ll be deciding between still taking you to see his parents or naughty things. My vote is the naughty things, but knowing you, you’ll want to meet the parents just to get it over with so you can do the naughty things without stopping to meet them...” Luna prattled.

Ginny interrupted her with a hug. “Thank you so much, Luna!”

“What are you thanking me for? You’re paying for it.” Luna giggled.

Ginny laughed. “You’re such a good friend.”

Later, Ginny was adding the final touches to her attire when the doorbell rang. “Coming!” she called out.

“That’s what she said!” he replied as he opened her door and entered her flat.

“Seamus, really,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes at him as she put her lipstick into her clutch and snapped it shut. “All right, I’m ready.”

The door opened again. “No you’re not,” Draco said from the doorway.

Ginny’s eyes snapped to his face. Blond hair, grey eyes, and sharp angles beautiful as always.

“Why not?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. It should be illegal to be that beautiful. Here she was trying to get over him by being in a committed relationship and then he shows up. Ahgh!

“You know why.”

“Stop being so cryptic and tell me, Draco,” Ginny snapped.

“Maybe Finnigan should leave,” Draco replied, glancing at him.

“What? Why? Ginny, is something going on between the two of you?” Seamus asked.

Ginny laughed out loud and replied, “No,” as Draco replied, “Yes.”

“Wait, what?” Seamus sported a look of confusion on his face.

“Ginny and I could no longer deny the pull toward each other any longer. We’ve been shagging behind your back since a month after you started dating,” Draco explained.

“What? No! Draco, tell him the truth!”

“You’ve been cheating on me?” Seamus asked, horrified. “With him?”

“Yes,” Draco responded as Ginny shouted, “No!”

“Which one is it? Wait, I don’t care, I can’t date a person whom I can’t even trust anymore regardless of if you actually cheated or not.” And with that, Seamus left and Ginny’s relationship of four months went down the drain.

Ginny faced Draco. “Thank you,” she spat and then stomped into her bedroom and slammed the door.

“Ginevra, you don’t even like the ponce,” Draco reasoned with her through the door.

“You don’t know that! I haven’t seen you for four months and you somehow have the right to judge my relationship with the first nice guy in five years?” Ginny yelled.

“He’s not good enough for you.”

“You don’t know him.”

“I know that if he was good enough, he would have listened to you instead of me.”

“Your point?”

“I listen to you,” he muttered.

“What?”

“I said, ‘I listen to you,’” he repeated with more conviction this time.

“Too well,” Ginny grumbled, opening the door.

“I stayed away because you told me to. It killed me, but I did it for you. But I couldn’t handle being selfless anymore, so I came back. I love you and I don’t care how selfish it is,” Draco explained.

She grinned. “You stupid man, that’s all I wanted to hear.” And she pulled his face down by his tie and kissed him. “I guess I love you too.”

“You guess?” He scoffed, “I think you got the better end of the deal. I am a Malfoy after all.”

“Time to shut up,” Ginny ordered, pulling him down for another searing kiss.

* * *
“Draco!” Ginny screeched.

“Yes, dear?” he asked, tentatively poking his head into the library of Malfoy Manor.

Ginny was standing on one of the velvet parlor chairs that was probably one hundred years old and a family heirloom. “What is that?” she screamed, pointing at the couch.

“What?” Draco responding, looking at the couch.

“Something slithered over my feet and under the couch!” Ginny yelled, waving her arms and jumping on the chair and practically crying.

Draco lay down on his stomach to find this illustrious creature. He laughed. “Oh, you mean this little gardner snake?” Draco stuck his hand underneath the couch to catch it.

Ginny let out another ear-piercing scream, shut her eyes, jumped off the chair and out of the room. Draco chuckled, put the snake outside, and took off after his fiancée.

“Ginny, it’s just a snake.”

“Just a snake?! As you could probably tell, I am deathly afraid of snakes! Just get it out and get it out now.”

“The snake is gone,” Draco replied, calmly. “Anyway, you probably scared it more than it scared you with all your shrieking.”

She made a gagging noise. “I doubt it.”

“Well it’s gone now, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“Thank you, love,” she responded, kissing him on the cheek.

* * *
“Blaise? Are you home?” Draco asked, his green-flamed head sticking out of Blaise’s fireplace.

“What’s up, Draco?” Blaise responded, entering his parlor.

“Can I hide out here for a while?” Draco pleaded.

“Sure, you’re always welcome here, but why?”

“I can’t tell you now, she might be listening!” he whispered furiously.

Blaise nodded knowingly. “Ginny driving you up the wall again?”

“She has me out getting her baklava at 3:00 in the morning! And then when I get back and into bed again, she has me get her nutella because that goes well with baklava, didn’t you know?” Draco ranted.

“Come on through mate, you are in desperate need of guy time.”

“I need alcohol, Quidditch, and strippers, man, and make it fast,” Draco said, stepping out of the fire. He looked haggard, his normally perfectly mussed hair actually mussed, and dark circles under his eyes.

“I can do alcohol and Quidditch, but I’m putting my foot down with the strippers,” Blaise replied.

“All right, I wouldn’t do that to Ginny anyway,” Draco conceded.

“I know, you’re just stressed. This is the first time she’s pregnant. It’s all new to you.”

“Yeah, and she’s not being very understanding.”

“All right, stop complaining about your wife because you know you’re going to feel bad about it later. Let’s go play Quidditch, then drink, because I don’t think it would be a good idea to drink and then play Quidditch,” Blaise said.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

Hours later, Draco thanked Blaise and stumbled through the fireplace and into Malfoy Manor.

“Where have you been?” Ginny asked, her voice deathly quiet and scary.

“With Blaise,” Draco responded, deciding it was better to keep his answers short.

“Doing what while your pregnant wife was at home all by herself?”

“Having guy time.”

“Guy time?”

“Yes.”

“What does this guy time entail?”

“Quidditch and alcohol.”

“So you’re drunk?”

“No. I’m buzzed. I wouldn’t come home drunk.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Ginny bit out.

“Ginevra,” Draco started, but was interrupted by a racking sob. Draco crossed over to his wife and took her in his arms. “Gin, shh, what’s the matter?”

“I–I–I didn’t–know where–you were!” she hiccuped between sobs.

“I’m here, it’s okay,” Draco replied, rubbing circles on her back.

“What–what if–you didn’t come back!”

“Ginevra, look at me,” Draco said in a soft command. She lifted her head. “I will always come back.”

“Always?” she sniffed, big brown eyes still rimmed with tears.

“Always and then some,” he vowed.

“I’m sorry, I overreacted.”

“It’s okay, love, I know you’re emotionally imbalanced.”

“I’m sorry that I send you out at least twice in the middle of every night to get my latest craving. I know that it’s driving you crazy and you’re not getting your sleep which makes you even crazier,” Ginny rambled. “And it doesn’t help that I’m being completely crazy right now.”

“Ginevra?”

“Hmm?”

“Time to shut up.” And he kissed her.

* * *

“You have to let her go, love,” Ginny told Draco.

“I don’t think she’s ready. She can wait another year before she goes to Hogwarts, right, honey?” Draco replied.

“No, Daddy, I want to go to Hogwarts,” Amelia Malfoy said.

“But I want you to stay here. You’re my last child, my baby girl,” Draco said, pouting.

“I’m going to be back for hols, Daddy, don’t worry,” Amelia responded. “Xander, Xavier, and Eamon are going to find a carriage without me, I gotta go. Bye! I love you!”

“Boys, hold up for a second,” Draco said, calling them back. “You take good care of your sister now. If anything happens to her, it will fall on your shoulders to fix it before I hear about it. Because if I have to come to Hogwarts, things will not end well.”

“Yes, Father,” they chorused.

“Have a good year at school, darlings! Give your Mum a hug and kiss before you go!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Mum, you’re so embarrassing,” Eamon grumbled.

“Deal, she’s never going to change,” Xander said.

“Plus, you’re going to miss her too. If not for her embarrassing hugs then for her chocolate chip cookies,” Xavier told his younger brother.

“And raspberry pies,” Xander added.

Ginny grinned. “Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, I made a package for you kids to take on The Express.”

“Thanks, Mum!” the three boys cheered.

Ginny handed the large package over to her oldest twin, Xander. “But remember to share with your sister.”

“Course, Mum,” he replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

“What do you think we are? Pigs?” Xavier responded.

“Yes.”

“Mum, you have no faith in us,” Eamon answered.

“All right, all right, you lot have to get on the train, Amelia ran ahead of you so you better find her and make sure she’s making friends,” Draco ordered.

“Dad, she’s not going to be a social reject, she’s a Malfoy,” Xander complained.

“Boys, please help your sister make a good transition,” Ginny amended for her husband.

“Yes, Mum.” And the three boys left.

“I can’t believe we have two sixth years, a third year, and a first year,” Ginny said to Draco, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “We have an empty house now.”

“And I know all of the lovely things we can do,” Draco growled in her ear.

Ginny grinned wolfishly. “You know exactly what takes my mind off things.”

“If I didn’t know by now, I think I would be a terrible excuse for a husband.” Draco nuzzled her neck with his nose before kissing it.

“Hmm. Whatever are we going to do?”

Draco stopped his ministrations on his wife’s neck. “I just had a thought.”

“Do tell.”

“What if Amelia gets sorted into Gryffindor?” Draco asked.

“Then all of our wonderful children will be in the noble house of their wonderful mother,” Ginny exclaimed.

“But what about my house?” Draco whined.

“Don’t worry, darling, I don’t think Amelia is quite Gryffindor material. I’m thinking either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.”

“No child of mine will be in Hufflepuff!” Draco practically shouted.

“Oh Draco, you know you’ll be proud of her whatever the outcome, so stop worrying about it,” Ginny said, putting a calming hand on his arm.

“I know.” Draco kissed Ginny again.

* * *

“Alice Longbottom and Lily Potter?!” Draco yelled. “Really? That’s the best of girls that Hogwarts has to offer?”

“Draco,” Ginny admonished. “The boys didn’t tell you sooner because they knew this is how you’d react. You’d think we were still fighting the war. If we were, we wouldn’t be together, so keep that in mind. These are intelligent, beautiful, and caring girls and we should be lucky that Xander and Xavier are dating them and not some slags off the street. And think about what Neville and Hannah and Harry and Luna are thinking right now. Their only daughters are being corrupted by the dreaded Malfoy twins.”

“My boys would never corrupt anyone,” Draco replied, taking offense.

“The Longbottoms and Potters only see two young men who want to steal their daughters away, they’re not thinking rationally. And if anyone is to be upset, it should be me. They found new women in their lives and they won’t need their old Mum anymore. Xander will be going to Alice’s apartment if he wants a home-cooked dinner and Xavier will be sending and receiving packages from Lily constantly while she finishes up her last year at Hogwarts. We’re becoming less and less important in our oldest children’s lives and if we want to keep what we can, we give them their freedom,” Ginny lectured.

“Gin, Xander and Xavier will always be coming back home. Yes, they may have girlfriends now, but they’re always going to want their Mum and hopefully their Dad too,” Draco responded, hugging the now teary-eyed Ginny.

“I just can’t believe they’re so grown up. Eamon will be graduating this year and Amelia is getting to be that age where she’s going to want to date.”

“Amelia will never date.”

“She’s a beautiful young girl. Of course she’s going to date, Draco.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Oh, Draco, you’ve got to learn to let go.”

“I wish they were all in nappies again,” he said, pouting.

Ginny laughed. “You can change all of those nappies then.”

* * *

The entire Malfoy, Weasley, Longbottom, Potter, and Wood families were seated at a mile’s worth of tables, laughing, eating, and drinking, when Xavier and Xander stood up, clanking their glasses loudly.

“Attention! Hey listen up!” they chorused.

“We thought our dear brother Eamon would never get married. He never had a way with women, he was always too busy pursuing his goals...” Xander began.

“Which is a very admirable quality, E,” Xavier interjected.

“...to notice the poor girls mooning over his ugly arse. But then Amelia got married to that Zabini tosser...”

Eamon and Amelia both let out shouts of protest, but Xander and Xavier ignored them.

“Don’t relax yet, Jace, we’ll still kill you if you hurt our baby sister!” Xavier chimed in merrily.

“...and Mum was getting a little frantic that her youngest boy would never tie the knot.”

“But then the lovely Miranda waltzed into our dear Eamon’s life and he’s been whipped ever since,” Xavier took over.

Xander interrupted, “Which isn’t a bad thing if you’ve got the right woman, which you do. Love you, Alice.”

“So I say cheers to Miranda Wood for having the balls to make Eamon, the ultimate bachelor and most oblivious bloke in England, settle down. You’re good for him, Miranda, let’s hope he’s smart enough to hold onto you,” Xavier concluded.

“So eat cake and be merry for the rest of your lives!” the twins shouted, clapping Eamon and Miranda on the back and then hugging them close. Eamon then shoved a piece of cake each into Xander’s and Xavier’s faces in response to their eloquent best men speech.

Across the table, Draco snapped a picture of his sons and his last daughter-in-law.

“Did you get that one?” Ginny asked excitedly.

“Yes, love,” Draco replied. “I especially like the one where Jace looks like he’s going to swallow his tongue.

“That poor boy.”

“Poor boy! He’s corrupting my baby girl!” Draco exclaimed.

“Darling, they’ve been married for three years, I’m surprised they haven’t announced a pregnancy yet.”

“Their babies will come from storks, Ginevra,” he responded resolutely.

“Of course, dear,” Ginny replied, patting him on the arm. “Now let’s go eat cake with our children.”