Chapter 1- Frustration
“Mum?”
Ginny jumped a little at the sound of a child’s voice; she hadn’t realized anyone else was awake. She smiled a little at being caught off guard and motioned for her son to come closer. “What are you doing up, little man? It’s a little early for you.”
Xavi, undeniably adorable at the age of four, climbed into his mother’s lap and sighed. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Any particular reason?”
There was silence, then… “I miss daddy.”
Ginny bit her lip and blinked against the sudden rush of tears. “Daddy will be back before you know it. He just had some things he needed to do for work.”
“When?”
Draco’s face floated into her mind, his words to her as he said goodbye, and she had to swallow before she could speak normally again. “I don’t know, baby. Soon.” Ginny could tell her son wasn’t satisfied with this answer, so she hurriedly came up with something to take his mind off of his father’s absence. “Tell you what. We’ll start planning a big party for when he comes back, okay? We’ll decide what we’ll eat, and how we’ll decorate the house, and who will be there, everything. How does that sound?”
Xavi lifted her head from Ginny’s chest, suddenly more awake. “Can we have cake?”
Ginny had to smile. “Of course we can. How about you go change out of your pajamas before we start out big plans?”
Xavi nodded and left the room. He was immediately replaced by the butler. “What is it, Kasen?”
“I beg your pardon, Madame, but you Monsieur Malfoy is here to see you.”
Ginny ran a hand down her face in long-suffering but rose to greet her father-in-law. “Show him in.”
Kasen inclined his head slightly and left, returning a moment later with the tall, handsome elder Malfoy in tow. “Ginevra, you’re looking lovely as ever.”
Ginny smiled slightly and accepted the light, polite kiss he dropped onto her cheek. “And you’re a magnificent liar, as always, Lucius.”
“I see you haven’t lost your usual bluntness.” Lucius moved slowly into the room, seating himself without waiting for an invitation.
Ginny rolled her eyes but remained silent; she didn’t much care for formality, but if someone had dared to seat himself in Lucius’s home without first being asked, Lucius would’ve considered it highly improper.
“How are my grandchildren today?”
“Sleeping, as usual.” Ginny sat back down, motioning towards the door to the dining room. “Xavi is awake somewhere, but Laurie and Naima are still asleep.”
“They aren’t kept on much of a schedule, are they?”
“They’re children and this is the weekend, Lucius. I won’t let them sleep until noon, but neither will I insist on them being awake by 8.”
Lucius opened his mouth to speak—no doubt to voice another veiled critique of her parenting skills—but was interrupted by the door opening and a small body walking through it.
“Mum?”
Ginny turned and found Xavi had returned, his green and silver pajamas replaced with black robes. “Come in, Xavi.”
Xavi spotted Lucius as he stepped around the davenport and his back immediately straightened as if his vertebra had suddenly turned to steel. “Hello, Grandfather.”
Lucius nodded formally at his younger grandson and Ginny had to hold back the sigh that immediately tried to escape her lips; Lucius was so intent on her children being raised as prim and proper as Draco had been. “Hello, Alexavier. How are you today?”
“I’m well, Grandfather, and yourself?”
“I’m quite well, thank you. Is your brother up yet?”
Xavier shook his head. “Laurie didn’t sleep until late last night because he was-” The boy stopped suddenly, having just realized that he was ratting out his brother.
“Because he was doing what, Alexavier?” Lucius’s tone was conversational, but Xavi wasn’t fooled.
“Because he was having trouble sleeping. I could hear him tossing and turning.”
Ginny opened her mouth, but Lucius beat her to it. “Are you certain that’s what you were going to say?”
Alexavier shook a little bit, but nodded. “Yes, Grandfather.”
Lucius held the boy’s gaze for a moment, then sighed softly and looked at Ginny, conveying his displeasure.
“Xavi.” Ginny waited for her son looked at her. “Go eat some breakfast and then we’ll get started on our planning, okay?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Ginny gave her son ‘the look’ and he suddenly found he was quite hungry, leaving his mother alone with his grandfather’s criticisms. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Ginevra, that boy is a perpetual liar.”
Ginny sighed. “He’s a boy trying to protect his older brother, Lucius. I don’t condone it, but it’s difficult to blame him for not wanting to tattle on Laurie to you.”
“Draco turned out the way he did because bad behavior was never tolerated.”
Ginny just looked at him. “You had a wife and one son, Lucius. I’m trying to raise three children under the age of ten without a spouse to help. Do you see a slight difference in situations there?”
“Still, the boy will never learn if-”
“Morning, Mum.”
Ginny smiled and silently thanked her oldest child for his impeccable sense of timing; another one of Lucius’s lectures about how badly she was screwing up her children was not the best way to start a morning. “Morning, Laurie. Did you see your grandfather is here?”
Laurie, tall for his age and looking more like his father every day, stepped further into the room. “Good morning, Grandfather. How are you?”
“I’m well, Laurence, thank you. I trust you are well?”
“Quite, thank you.”
“Is that so? Not tired, perhaps?”
Laurie froze for the smallest of moments before replying, “No, Grandfather.”
Lucius raised one eyebrow ever so slightly. “Truly? Because I would’ve thought that staying up until all hours of the night doing Merlin-knows-what would leave you a little sleepy the next day.”
Ginny closed her eyes and let out a rush of breath through her nose. “Laurie, why don’t you go have some breakfast? Xavi is already in the kitchen.”
Laurie had barely left the room before Ginny rounded on her father-in-law. “Lucius, I know we’ve discussed this before, but let’s have a little review, shall we? It is not your place to reprimand, question, or in any other way try to parent my children. Xavi’s lying will be dealt with, as will Laurie’s late nights, but I will be the one to take care of it, not you.”
Lucius opened his mouth to reply, but Ginny was already standing and moving towards the door. “I don’t have the energy or inclination to fight with you right now, Lucius. I trust you can find your way out.”
Ginny didn’t even bother to wait for a reply but headed immediately to Draco’s study. Closing and locking the door behind her, she collapsed into the chair behind her husband’s desk and put a hand to her head. She was so tired of fighting with her in-laws, living this excessively formal life… trying to raise three children on her own. ‘Where are you, Draco? Why aren’t you here?’
Frustrated, Ginny slammed her fist down hard on his desk and froze as she heard movement behind her. Turning slowly, she saw a panel of the aged wood behind her had moved aside, revealing a thick, plain black book. Curious, she took it and opened the front cover; a note in Draco’s handwriting greeted her.
Ginny,
I know that by this time I’ve probably been away much longer than you ever expected I would be. I also know how frustrated and confused you must be, and I wish I was at liberty to tell you everything that is happening. As it is, I have only this: it’s a collection of memories of us, the good, the bad, and everything in between. Look at it and remember me, and don’t give up hope that I’ll return as soon as I can.
I love you.
Draco
A single tear dripped from Ginny’s eye onto the note, and she quickly stemmed the flow before they could smear the ink. Turning the page, she bit her lip to keep from falling apart and let herself get lost in the memories.
“Mum?”
Ginny jumped a little at the sound of a child’s voice; she hadn’t realized anyone else was awake. She smiled a little at being caught off guard and motioned for her son to come closer. “What are you doing up, little man? It’s a little early for you.”
Xavi, undeniably adorable at the age of four, climbed into his mother’s lap and sighed. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Any particular reason?”
There was silence, then… “I miss daddy.”
Ginny bit her lip and blinked against the sudden rush of tears. “Daddy will be back before you know it. He just had some things he needed to do for work.”
“When?”
Draco’s face floated into her mind, his words to her as he said goodbye, and she had to swallow before she could speak normally again. “I don’t know, baby. Soon.” Ginny could tell her son wasn’t satisfied with this answer, so she hurriedly came up with something to take his mind off of his father’s absence. “Tell you what. We’ll start planning a big party for when he comes back, okay? We’ll decide what we’ll eat, and how we’ll decorate the house, and who will be there, everything. How does that sound?”
Xavi lifted her head from Ginny’s chest, suddenly more awake. “Can we have cake?”
Ginny had to smile. “Of course we can. How about you go change out of your pajamas before we start out big plans?”
Xavi nodded and left the room. He was immediately replaced by the butler. “What is it, Kasen?”
“I beg your pardon, Madame, but you Monsieur Malfoy is here to see you.”
Ginny ran a hand down her face in long-suffering but rose to greet her father-in-law. “Show him in.”
Kasen inclined his head slightly and left, returning a moment later with the tall, handsome elder Malfoy in tow. “Ginevra, you’re looking lovely as ever.”
Ginny smiled slightly and accepted the light, polite kiss he dropped onto her cheek. “And you’re a magnificent liar, as always, Lucius.”
“I see you haven’t lost your usual bluntness.” Lucius moved slowly into the room, seating himself without waiting for an invitation.
Ginny rolled her eyes but remained silent; she didn’t much care for formality, but if someone had dared to seat himself in Lucius’s home without first being asked, Lucius would’ve considered it highly improper.
“How are my grandchildren today?”
“Sleeping, as usual.” Ginny sat back down, motioning towards the door to the dining room. “Xavi is awake somewhere, but Laurie and Naima are still asleep.”
“They aren’t kept on much of a schedule, are they?”
“They’re children and this is the weekend, Lucius. I won’t let them sleep until noon, but neither will I insist on them being awake by 8.”
Lucius opened his mouth to speak—no doubt to voice another veiled critique of her parenting skills—but was interrupted by the door opening and a small body walking through it.
“Mum?”
Ginny turned and found Xavi had returned, his green and silver pajamas replaced with black robes. “Come in, Xavi.”
Xavi spotted Lucius as he stepped around the davenport and his back immediately straightened as if his vertebra had suddenly turned to steel. “Hello, Grandfather.”
Lucius nodded formally at his younger grandson and Ginny had to hold back the sigh that immediately tried to escape her lips; Lucius was so intent on her children being raised as prim and proper as Draco had been. “Hello, Alexavier. How are you today?”
“I’m well, Grandfather, and yourself?”
“I’m quite well, thank you. Is your brother up yet?”
Xavier shook his head. “Laurie didn’t sleep until late last night because he was-” The boy stopped suddenly, having just realized that he was ratting out his brother.
“Because he was doing what, Alexavier?” Lucius’s tone was conversational, but Xavi wasn’t fooled.
“Because he was having trouble sleeping. I could hear him tossing and turning.”
Ginny opened her mouth, but Lucius beat her to it. “Are you certain that’s what you were going to say?”
Alexavier shook a little bit, but nodded. “Yes, Grandfather.”
Lucius held the boy’s gaze for a moment, then sighed softly and looked at Ginny, conveying his displeasure.
“Xavi.” Ginny waited for her son looked at her. “Go eat some breakfast and then we’ll get started on our planning, okay?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Ginny gave her son ‘the look’ and he suddenly found he was quite hungry, leaving his mother alone with his grandfather’s criticisms. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Ginevra, that boy is a perpetual liar.”
Ginny sighed. “He’s a boy trying to protect his older brother, Lucius. I don’t condone it, but it’s difficult to blame him for not wanting to tattle on Laurie to you.”
“Draco turned out the way he did because bad behavior was never tolerated.”
Ginny just looked at him. “You had a wife and one son, Lucius. I’m trying to raise three children under the age of ten without a spouse to help. Do you see a slight difference in situations there?”
“Still, the boy will never learn if-”
“Morning, Mum.”
Ginny smiled and silently thanked her oldest child for his impeccable sense of timing; another one of Lucius’s lectures about how badly she was screwing up her children was not the best way to start a morning. “Morning, Laurie. Did you see your grandfather is here?”
Laurie, tall for his age and looking more like his father every day, stepped further into the room. “Good morning, Grandfather. How are you?”
“I’m well, Laurence, thank you. I trust you are well?”
“Quite, thank you.”
“Is that so? Not tired, perhaps?”
Laurie froze for the smallest of moments before replying, “No, Grandfather.”
Lucius raised one eyebrow ever so slightly. “Truly? Because I would’ve thought that staying up until all hours of the night doing Merlin-knows-what would leave you a little sleepy the next day.”
Ginny closed her eyes and let out a rush of breath through her nose. “Laurie, why don’t you go have some breakfast? Xavi is already in the kitchen.”
Laurie had barely left the room before Ginny rounded on her father-in-law. “Lucius, I know we’ve discussed this before, but let’s have a little review, shall we? It is not your place to reprimand, question, or in any other way try to parent my children. Xavi’s lying will be dealt with, as will Laurie’s late nights, but I will be the one to take care of it, not you.”
Lucius opened his mouth to reply, but Ginny was already standing and moving towards the door. “I don’t have the energy or inclination to fight with you right now, Lucius. I trust you can find your way out.”
Ginny didn’t even bother to wait for a reply but headed immediately to Draco’s study. Closing and locking the door behind her, she collapsed into the chair behind her husband’s desk and put a hand to her head. She was so tired of fighting with her in-laws, living this excessively formal life… trying to raise three children on her own. ‘Where are you, Draco? Why aren’t you here?’
Frustrated, Ginny slammed her fist down hard on his desk and froze as she heard movement behind her. Turning slowly, she saw a panel of the aged wood behind her had moved aside, revealing a thick, plain black book. Curious, she took it and opened the front cover; a note in Draco’s handwriting greeted her.
Ginny,
I know that by this time I’ve probably been away much longer than you ever expected I would be. I also know how frustrated and confused you must be, and I wish I was at liberty to tell you everything that is happening. As it is, I have only this: it’s a collection of memories of us, the good, the bad, and everything in between. Look at it and remember me, and don’t give up hope that I’ll return as soon as I can.
I love you.
Draco
A single tear dripped from Ginny’s eye onto the note, and she quickly stemmed the flow before they could smear the ink. Turning the page, she bit her lip to keep from falling apart and let herself get lost in the memories.
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