My Soul Belongs To You
Chapter Nine
The Emergence of Mrs. Potter
One week later, Draco returned to the Potter home. He came unannounced, wanting to see if Ginny was keeping up her promise. When she answered the door in the early evening, her hair was shining and she even had a little eyeliner on.
“Draco! What are you doing here?” Ginny asked, opening the door and letting the cold air into her warm house. “You were only here last week.”
“I wanted to check on you, and I was hoping we could talk.” She pulled the door closer to her body and stole a look back into the house. “Ginny, is there something you're hiding?”
She looked back at him. “No, it's Lily.”
He smiled at her reassuringly. “Do you trust me?”
“You have to ask?” she retorted, relaxing a little.
“I'll deal with her,” he assured Ginny, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged it off and said, “Draco, she just lost her father.” Her smile evaporated.
“Ginevra, please, can't you just trust me this once?” he asked and watched as she melted before him.
She sighed. “You’re the only person who calls me that,” she commented before opening the door fully and stepping out of the way to allow him in. “We're having a snack in the kitchen.” A click sounded as Ginny closed the front door behind him, locked it, and walked with him in the direction of the kitchen.
Draco smiled at Lily. “Hello, Lily Potter. I'm Scorpius’ father, Draco Malfoy.”
“Hi,” she greeted shyly, looking down at her hands in her lap.
“I hope you don't mind me coming over, but ever since Scorpius left for Hogwarts I have been lonely, and since I went to school with your mother, I thought I would come over and we could all be lonely together,” Draco explained, stepping closer to her before sitting down beside her at the table.
“Uncle Ron doesn't like him,” Lily informed Ginny, looking up at her mother.
Ginny smiled at her daughter. “Once your uncle gets an idea in his head, it's hard for him to change his mind.”
“No Ginny, we should be honest about things,” Draco interrupted. “Lily, your Uncle Ron has good reason to feel the way he does about me. He, Hermione, your father, and I never got along at school, but in my seventh year I met an angel; your mother. We became friends and she helped me in more ways than she will ever know, but when your mother and father got married, we decided it might be better to stay away from each other.”
Lily looked at her mother for some sort of confirmation. “That's right,” Ginny stated.
“You know Lily, I used to know a man who was very much in love with a woman named Lily Potter. He loved her his whole life.”
“You knew my Grandpa?” she asked excitedly.
“No, I knew and was very close with Severus Snape.” Lily's eyes grew big; she had heard about Snape before, but the news that he loved her grandmother was huge. She again looked back at her mother.
“I'll tell you and your brothers the story sometime soon, but it's bedtime now. Upstairs, teeth brushed, face washed, and nightgown on,” Ginny ordered sternly, making sure she got no argument back.
“Yes, Mum.” She slid off her chair and headed for the stairs. Stopping and looking back at Draco, she said, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy.” She then ran up the stairs.
“Would you like something to drink? I'm afraid the strongest thing I have is Butterbeer.”
“I haven't had one of those since Scorpius left, so that would be great. Lily looks just like you did the first time I saw you.”
Ginny nodded, then turned and grabbed the two Butterbeers. “Scorpius is the spitting image of you.”
“How did Harry take the news of the boys getting along so well?”
Ginny bit her bottom lip. “He said it was going to happen sooner or later.” She then raised an eyebrow in realization.
“What?” Draco asked, encouraging her to finish her thought.
“Looking back on things, I now see where he was commenting on you and I that I missed at the time.” Tears were building in her eyes and Draco rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. She promptly pulled back from him. “We can't.”
“We can't what? I can't comfort you?”
“Draco, that’s not it… I know your feelings haven't changed and neither have mine, but Harry only just... I have three children who just lost their father. It's too soon. I have to... we all have to grieve his loss before we can move on.”
He took a very calculated look at her. “Is there hope for our future?”
“Hope, no. However, if you want it, there is a promise.”
“I can live with that, but I need more than what I've had for the last two decades. Can we at least be friends until you’re ready?”
She closed her eyes and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. “I've missed you so much,” she sobbed into his shirt.
“We'll take things slow and give everyone a chance to get used to the idea,” he whispered into her hair. He was a little surprised at how quickly she was changing her mind, but he knew she had every right to be spinning in every direction.
“Mum? Good night!” came Lily's voice from the top of the stairs.
“Friends first?” she requested.
“Ginny, I will try my best, but it has been so long that it may be hard at times,” Draco said as his hands traveled down to hers and held them as he looked into her eyes.
“Let’s sit in the living room and really catch up,” she offered.
When Draco left that night he knew two things; one, he would be returning in a few days' time, and second, despite the years apart he was still totally in love with Ginny. He also understood that she still needed time to get over Harry.
When Draco arrived back at the Manor, he was greeted by Lucius, who along with Narcissa spent most of their time helping with Scorpius. Now that he was back at school, they began to travel a lot more.
“Draco, you're back. Your mother was beginning to worry,” Lucius commented.
“Does she realize I'm thirty-eight, not twelve?” Draco asked, instantly aggravated.
“Will you ever stop worrying about your son?” Lucius answered the question with a rhetorical question.
“I swear I'm going to start living at the penthouse in London.”
“We both know that will never stop her, so to save you some interrogation, just tell me where you've been.” Lucius poured Draco a Firewhiskey and handed it to him.
“I went to see Ginny tonight.”
Lucius got a very serious look on his face. “Draco, I warn you to be careful there,” he cautioned.
“Father, I thought you wanted me to be happy,” Draco stated as he began to pace the room.
“I do. However you told me yourself that she loved her husband. I don't want to see you hurt in the end.” Lucius was lounging in a wing chair.
“She’s not like that; we're taking it slow. Potter knew about us, and from my understanding, he gave her his blessing to be with me. It gave her quite the head trip. She told me she had promised herself that he would never know about us. He told her before he died that he had known for years, and that has left her with a lot of guilt. She needs time to heal, and I plan to give her that, but I'm also going to make sure that no one else tries to work their way in.”
“Still Draco, you both have your children to think about,” Lucius warned.
“I know; I met her daughter Lily this evening. She seems like a good kid, and she looks just like Ginny did that day in the bookstore before my second year. Remember that? Lily seems to have that same spark.”
“Draco, are you sure about this?”
“I've never been more sure of anything.” Draco paused, “I wondered for years how you felt about this. Why do you ask? Are you okay with this?”
“Is my wish for your happiness not enough?” Lucius asked in return.
“Lucius,” This was Draco’s way of saying 'speak to him as an equal', “I have known you long enough to know that there's more to it.”
Lucius swirled the liquid in his glass before replying, “Your mother wasn't my first choice for a wife; there was another. However, she, unlike your Ginny, couldn't look past the differences in our beliefs. She ended up marrying someone who viewed things as she did. I understand she is quite happy.”
“Who was she?”
Lucius grinned slyly at Draco. “A man in entitled to some secrets, Draco.”
“Does Mother know?” Draco asked.
Lucius shook his head. “Understand Draco, it's like when you told me about Ginny. I do love your mother and I would never want to cause her pain, so no, she doesn't know.”
“And you and this other woman?”
“Too much time has passed. I don't think she will ever get over the things I've done. Besides, I haven't spoken to her in almost forty years.”
Later in the week, Draco was getting ready to head over to Ginny's place when an owl flew in his window. After opening the note banded to its' leg, he read:
Draco,
Please don't come here tonight!
Ginny
Draco headed to the Floo to call and find out why. “Ginny, what's going on?” he asked when the connection was complete.
He was relieved to see her smile at him. “It's the press! Lily and I went down to Diagon Alley today and now there has to be at least twenty-five of them out front.”
“Ginny, relax. We're not doing anything wrong,” he tried to reassure her.
“I know that, but between you being you and everything... I can see the stories now. Lily wanted to play out front earlier and was almost blinded by the flashbulbs.”
“Why would they do this to you? I mean, you work or used to work for the Daily Prophet!”
“It's because I'm Harry Potter’s widow. I wish I knew how long this was going to continue.”
“I'm sure it's because it took so long after his passing for you to be seen. It will die down in a couple of days.”
Chapter Nine
The Emergence of Mrs. Potter
One week later, Draco returned to the Potter home. He came unannounced, wanting to see if Ginny was keeping up her promise. When she answered the door in the early evening, her hair was shining and she even had a little eyeliner on.
“Draco! What are you doing here?” Ginny asked, opening the door and letting the cold air into her warm house. “You were only here last week.”
“I wanted to check on you, and I was hoping we could talk.” She pulled the door closer to her body and stole a look back into the house. “Ginny, is there something you're hiding?”
She looked back at him. “No, it's Lily.”
He smiled at her reassuringly. “Do you trust me?”
“You have to ask?” she retorted, relaxing a little.
“I'll deal with her,” he assured Ginny, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged it off and said, “Draco, she just lost her father.” Her smile evaporated.
“Ginevra, please, can't you just trust me this once?” he asked and watched as she melted before him.
She sighed. “You’re the only person who calls me that,” she commented before opening the door fully and stepping out of the way to allow him in. “We're having a snack in the kitchen.” A click sounded as Ginny closed the front door behind him, locked it, and walked with him in the direction of the kitchen.
Draco smiled at Lily. “Hello, Lily Potter. I'm Scorpius’ father, Draco Malfoy.”
“Hi,” she greeted shyly, looking down at her hands in her lap.
“I hope you don't mind me coming over, but ever since Scorpius left for Hogwarts I have been lonely, and since I went to school with your mother, I thought I would come over and we could all be lonely together,” Draco explained, stepping closer to her before sitting down beside her at the table.
“Uncle Ron doesn't like him,” Lily informed Ginny, looking up at her mother.
Ginny smiled at her daughter. “Once your uncle gets an idea in his head, it's hard for him to change his mind.”
“No Ginny, we should be honest about things,” Draco interrupted. “Lily, your Uncle Ron has good reason to feel the way he does about me. He, Hermione, your father, and I never got along at school, but in my seventh year I met an angel; your mother. We became friends and she helped me in more ways than she will ever know, but when your mother and father got married, we decided it might be better to stay away from each other.”
Lily looked at her mother for some sort of confirmation. “That's right,” Ginny stated.
“You know Lily, I used to know a man who was very much in love with a woman named Lily Potter. He loved her his whole life.”
“You knew my Grandpa?” she asked excitedly.
“No, I knew and was very close with Severus Snape.” Lily's eyes grew big; she had heard about Snape before, but the news that he loved her grandmother was huge. She again looked back at her mother.
“I'll tell you and your brothers the story sometime soon, but it's bedtime now. Upstairs, teeth brushed, face washed, and nightgown on,” Ginny ordered sternly, making sure she got no argument back.
“Yes, Mum.” She slid off her chair and headed for the stairs. Stopping and looking back at Draco, she said, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy.” She then ran up the stairs.
“Would you like something to drink? I'm afraid the strongest thing I have is Butterbeer.”
“I haven't had one of those since Scorpius left, so that would be great. Lily looks just like you did the first time I saw you.”
Ginny nodded, then turned and grabbed the two Butterbeers. “Scorpius is the spitting image of you.”
“How did Harry take the news of the boys getting along so well?”
Ginny bit her bottom lip. “He said it was going to happen sooner or later.” She then raised an eyebrow in realization.
“What?” Draco asked, encouraging her to finish her thought.
“Looking back on things, I now see where he was commenting on you and I that I missed at the time.” Tears were building in her eyes and Draco rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. She promptly pulled back from him. “We can't.”
“We can't what? I can't comfort you?”
“Draco, that’s not it… I know your feelings haven't changed and neither have mine, but Harry only just... I have three children who just lost their father. It's too soon. I have to... we all have to grieve his loss before we can move on.”
He took a very calculated look at her. “Is there hope for our future?”
“Hope, no. However, if you want it, there is a promise.”
“I can live with that, but I need more than what I've had for the last two decades. Can we at least be friends until you’re ready?”
She closed her eyes and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. “I've missed you so much,” she sobbed into his shirt.
“We'll take things slow and give everyone a chance to get used to the idea,” he whispered into her hair. He was a little surprised at how quickly she was changing her mind, but he knew she had every right to be spinning in every direction.
“Mum? Good night!” came Lily's voice from the top of the stairs.
“Friends first?” she requested.
“Ginny, I will try my best, but it has been so long that it may be hard at times,” Draco said as his hands traveled down to hers and held them as he looked into her eyes.
“Let’s sit in the living room and really catch up,” she offered.
When Draco left that night he knew two things; one, he would be returning in a few days' time, and second, despite the years apart he was still totally in love with Ginny. He also understood that she still needed time to get over Harry.
When Draco arrived back at the Manor, he was greeted by Lucius, who along with Narcissa spent most of their time helping with Scorpius. Now that he was back at school, they began to travel a lot more.
“Draco, you're back. Your mother was beginning to worry,” Lucius commented.
“Does she realize I'm thirty-eight, not twelve?” Draco asked, instantly aggravated.
“Will you ever stop worrying about your son?” Lucius answered the question with a rhetorical question.
“I swear I'm going to start living at the penthouse in London.”
“We both know that will never stop her, so to save you some interrogation, just tell me where you've been.” Lucius poured Draco a Firewhiskey and handed it to him.
“I went to see Ginny tonight.”
Lucius got a very serious look on his face. “Draco, I warn you to be careful there,” he cautioned.
“Father, I thought you wanted me to be happy,” Draco stated as he began to pace the room.
“I do. However you told me yourself that she loved her husband. I don't want to see you hurt in the end.” Lucius was lounging in a wing chair.
“She’s not like that; we're taking it slow. Potter knew about us, and from my understanding, he gave her his blessing to be with me. It gave her quite the head trip. She told me she had promised herself that he would never know about us. He told her before he died that he had known for years, and that has left her with a lot of guilt. She needs time to heal, and I plan to give her that, but I'm also going to make sure that no one else tries to work their way in.”
“Still Draco, you both have your children to think about,” Lucius warned.
“I know; I met her daughter Lily this evening. She seems like a good kid, and she looks just like Ginny did that day in the bookstore before my second year. Remember that? Lily seems to have that same spark.”
“Draco, are you sure about this?”
“I've never been more sure of anything.” Draco paused, “I wondered for years how you felt about this. Why do you ask? Are you okay with this?”
“Is my wish for your happiness not enough?” Lucius asked in return.
“Lucius,” This was Draco’s way of saying 'speak to him as an equal', “I have known you long enough to know that there's more to it.”
Lucius swirled the liquid in his glass before replying, “Your mother wasn't my first choice for a wife; there was another. However, she, unlike your Ginny, couldn't look past the differences in our beliefs. She ended up marrying someone who viewed things as she did. I understand she is quite happy.”
“Who was she?”
Lucius grinned slyly at Draco. “A man in entitled to some secrets, Draco.”
“Does Mother know?” Draco asked.
Lucius shook his head. “Understand Draco, it's like when you told me about Ginny. I do love your mother and I would never want to cause her pain, so no, she doesn't know.”
“And you and this other woman?”
“Too much time has passed. I don't think she will ever get over the things I've done. Besides, I haven't spoken to her in almost forty years.”
Later in the week, Draco was getting ready to head over to Ginny's place when an owl flew in his window. After opening the note banded to its' leg, he read:
Draco,
Please don't come here tonight!
Ginny
Draco headed to the Floo to call and find out why. “Ginny, what's going on?” he asked when the connection was complete.
He was relieved to see her smile at him. “It's the press! Lily and I went down to Diagon Alley today and now there has to be at least twenty-five of them out front.”
“Ginny, relax. We're not doing anything wrong,” he tried to reassure her.
“I know that, but between you being you and everything... I can see the stories now. Lily wanted to play out front earlier and was almost blinded by the flashbulbs.”
“Why would they do this to you? I mean, you work or used to work for the Daily Prophet!”
“It's because I'm Harry Potter’s widow. I wish I knew how long this was going to continue.”
“I'm sure it's because it took so long after his passing for you to be seen. It will die down in a couple of days.”
Author notes: A/N I would like to thank my betas, Emanuelle, Francesca, and my hubby Mark.
Any guesses on who Lucius could be talking about?
Leave a Review