The butterflies dispersed as Ginny discussed dinner at the Burrow with Draco. They didn't talk about their argument from this morning as she pulled her head out of the fireplace.
“Is he coming?” Molly asked.
Ginny nodded.
“Marvelous!” her mother exclaimed. “Your father will be home soon. I'll let him know we're having a guest tonight.”
As Molly busied herself in the kitchen, George sidled up beside Ginny.
“Are you worried about dad?”
Ginny glanced at him. “How did you know?”
He smiled. “If I were you, I'd be panicking once dad and Malfoy were in the same room.”
“Would you call him Draco when he's here?” Ginny asked as she walked into the kitchen. “I don't want him to think you hate him when you don't even know him.”
“Oh, but I do know him,” George said.
“Is that so?” said a familiar voice. “So tell me - what is it you think you know?”
Draco appeared behind them, leaning against the door frame. He looked from Ginny to George, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Draco, you remember my brother George, don't you?”
Despite what he walked into, Draco smiled politely and stuck out his hand. “It's nice to see you again.”
George reluctantly returned the gesture as Molly walked in, smiling.
“Draco,” she said, as she hugged him. “How are you?”
“Fine, Mrs. Weasley,” he said, smiling. “Thank you for inviting me over for dinner.”
“It's no problem,” Molly said, shaking her head. “I'm sure Arthur will be excited to see you when he gets home.”
Draco's eyes shifted to Ginny's and he swallowed nervously. As Molly went upstairs, Draco loosened the collar of his shirt.
“That could not have gone better,” George said, smirking. “Oh, I'm positive dad will be surprised when he walks in and sees his enemy's son sitting at our table, touching his only daughter.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Okay, George. You can leave now.” When he was gone she said, “He's kidding. My dad will be okay that you're here.”
“Will he?” Draco asked. He leaned against the counter. “What are you doing?”
“Making a salad,” she replied, using a knife to cut up the lettuce. “Want to help?”
He nodded.
“Chop those,” she said, pointing at the green sticks next to her.
Draco exhaled and held up a piece. “What is this?”
Ginny, who had almost cut her finger because she wasn't paying attention, looked at him incredulously. She put the knife down, turned to him, and folded her arms.
“You're joking, right?”
He shook his head.
“It's celery!” Ginny's voice so high she was sure her mother and brother heard her. But they didn't come running, if they did. “Are you telling me you've never seen it before?”
“No,” Draco said, flushing slightly.
“I don't see how that's possible.” Ginny squinted at him, but brushed it off and continued to work.
Draco took hold of the knife and began to cut the celery. As he did this, he watched Ginny out of the corner of his eye – she had something on her face. He turned his head and she looked at him.
“What?” she said.
“You've got something-” He touched her cheek. “Hold still. God, you'd think I was killing you. Let me get it off.”
Elsewhere, someone cleared their throat and a voice said softly, “Excuse me, young man, but I think you should put down that knife and step away from my child this instance.”
Arthur Weasley was home.
**
Draco sat outside, wondering about his fate. He swore he could hear yelling inside if he listened hard enough. Slowly, he laid back on the grass, staring at the sky. It was twilight now. Ginny would like it.
He'd probably screwed things up with her. He had a feeling that once they talked, once she came to him, she would tell him that she couldn't stay with him anymore. Her father probably thought Draco was a madman, after all.
It seemed like hours before Ginny came outside. She came right to him, knelt down, and kissed him on the lips. Startled, Draco touched her hair, his mouth melting against her own.
“Is that your way of telling me goodbye, Red?” he whispered as she broke away from him.
“More of my way of telling you that you're a patient boyfriend,” she mumbled, joining him on the ground.
“I'm your boyfriend now?” he asked, surprised. “I thought you were figuring things out.”
Ginny stared at him. “Do you have to complain about everything? You're worse than a woman. But if you don't want m-”
Before she finished what she was going to say, he pounced, pinning her underneath his body.
“Will you shut up?” he hissed. “Of course I want you.”
Ginny grinned at him.
He rolled off of her and sat up. “So, what did your dad say? I'm not going to be hunted later, am I?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “He was just quick to jump to conclusions. I explained that you weren't trying to hurt me, that you were getting something off my face.”
“The knife was pointed at you,” said Draco.
Ginny snorted. “If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't use a Muggle weapon. Now, come on and we'll go back inside. He wants to talk to you.”
“Great,” Draco mumbled as she helped him up and led him back in. “If I don't survive this, you can keep my flat.
“That's terribly kind,” Ginny said, giggling. “I'll keep that in mind for the future.”
**
Talking to Ginny's father wasn't as difficult as Draco expected. In fact, despite how they first encountered each other, he thought they were getting along quite nicely. Until the subject of Ginny's living with him came up.
Arthur looked at him sternly over his glasses and sat back in his chair. They were in the living room and everyone else was in the kitchen, preparing food. There were no witnesses.
“I ran into her outside a bar the night she found out about Harry and Pansy. She wasn't in any state to go back to her flat and I wasn't about to let her wander the streets drunk, anything could have happened. So I took her to my flat and she stayed the night.”
“That's very noble of you, Mr. Malfoy,” Mr. Weasley said, nodding. He leaned forward, hands on knees. “But that doesn't explain why my daughter is still residing with you.”
“She asked to stay with me,” Draco explained. “I even went with her to get her things from Harry's. That didn't go too well. Then, at the banquet, well you know what occurred.”
He frowned. “I do, yes.” He stood up and patted Draco's shoulder. “I think we'll have more time to talk about this later. I think dinner's ready.”
Draco nodded and as they headed for the kitchen, the doorbell rang. With everyone busy, he opened the door, expecting the rest of Ginny's brothers.
Instead, Harry stood there.
“Is he coming?” Molly asked.
Ginny nodded.
“Marvelous!” her mother exclaimed. “Your father will be home soon. I'll let him know we're having a guest tonight.”
As Molly busied herself in the kitchen, George sidled up beside Ginny.
“Are you worried about dad?”
Ginny glanced at him. “How did you know?”
He smiled. “If I were you, I'd be panicking once dad and Malfoy were in the same room.”
“Would you call him Draco when he's here?” Ginny asked as she walked into the kitchen. “I don't want him to think you hate him when you don't even know him.”
“Oh, but I do know him,” George said.
“Is that so?” said a familiar voice. “So tell me - what is it you think you know?”
Draco appeared behind them, leaning against the door frame. He looked from Ginny to George, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Draco, you remember my brother George, don't you?”
Despite what he walked into, Draco smiled politely and stuck out his hand. “It's nice to see you again.”
George reluctantly returned the gesture as Molly walked in, smiling.
“Draco,” she said, as she hugged him. “How are you?”
“Fine, Mrs. Weasley,” he said, smiling. “Thank you for inviting me over for dinner.”
“It's no problem,” Molly said, shaking her head. “I'm sure Arthur will be excited to see you when he gets home.”
Draco's eyes shifted to Ginny's and he swallowed nervously. As Molly went upstairs, Draco loosened the collar of his shirt.
“That could not have gone better,” George said, smirking. “Oh, I'm positive dad will be surprised when he walks in and sees his enemy's son sitting at our table, touching his only daughter.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Okay, George. You can leave now.” When he was gone she said, “He's kidding. My dad will be okay that you're here.”
“Will he?” Draco asked. He leaned against the counter. “What are you doing?”
“Making a salad,” she replied, using a knife to cut up the lettuce. “Want to help?”
He nodded.
“Chop those,” she said, pointing at the green sticks next to her.
Draco exhaled and held up a piece. “What is this?”
Ginny, who had almost cut her finger because she wasn't paying attention, looked at him incredulously. She put the knife down, turned to him, and folded her arms.
“You're joking, right?”
He shook his head.
“It's celery!” Ginny's voice so high she was sure her mother and brother heard her. But they didn't come running, if they did. “Are you telling me you've never seen it before?”
“No,” Draco said, flushing slightly.
“I don't see how that's possible.” Ginny squinted at him, but brushed it off and continued to work.
Draco took hold of the knife and began to cut the celery. As he did this, he watched Ginny out of the corner of his eye – she had something on her face. He turned his head and she looked at him.
“What?” she said.
“You've got something-” He touched her cheek. “Hold still. God, you'd think I was killing you. Let me get it off.”
Elsewhere, someone cleared their throat and a voice said softly, “Excuse me, young man, but I think you should put down that knife and step away from my child this instance.”
Arthur Weasley was home.
Draco sat outside, wondering about his fate. He swore he could hear yelling inside if he listened hard enough. Slowly, he laid back on the grass, staring at the sky. It was twilight now. Ginny would like it.
He'd probably screwed things up with her. He had a feeling that once they talked, once she came to him, she would tell him that she couldn't stay with him anymore. Her father probably thought Draco was a madman, after all.
It seemed like hours before Ginny came outside. She came right to him, knelt down, and kissed him on the lips. Startled, Draco touched her hair, his mouth melting against her own.
“Is that your way of telling me goodbye, Red?” he whispered as she broke away from him.
“More of my way of telling you that you're a patient boyfriend,” she mumbled, joining him on the ground.
“I'm your boyfriend now?” he asked, surprised. “I thought you were figuring things out.”
Ginny stared at him. “Do you have to complain about everything? You're worse than a woman. But if you don't want m-”
Before she finished what she was going to say, he pounced, pinning her underneath his body.
“Will you shut up?” he hissed. “Of course I want you.”
Ginny grinned at him.
He rolled off of her and sat up. “So, what did your dad say? I'm not going to be hunted later, am I?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “He was just quick to jump to conclusions. I explained that you weren't trying to hurt me, that you were getting something off my face.”
“The knife was pointed at you,” said Draco.
Ginny snorted. “If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't use a Muggle weapon. Now, come on and we'll go back inside. He wants to talk to you.”
“Great,” Draco mumbled as she helped him up and led him back in. “If I don't survive this, you can keep my flat.
“That's terribly kind,” Ginny said, giggling. “I'll keep that in mind for the future.”
Talking to Ginny's father wasn't as difficult as Draco expected. In fact, despite how they first encountered each other, he thought they were getting along quite nicely. Until the subject of Ginny's living with him came up.
Arthur looked at him sternly over his glasses and sat back in his chair. They were in the living room and everyone else was in the kitchen, preparing food. There were no witnesses.
“I ran into her outside a bar the night she found out about Harry and Pansy. She wasn't in any state to go back to her flat and I wasn't about to let her wander the streets drunk, anything could have happened. So I took her to my flat and she stayed the night.”
“That's very noble of you, Mr. Malfoy,” Mr. Weasley said, nodding. He leaned forward, hands on knees. “But that doesn't explain why my daughter is still residing with you.”
“She asked to stay with me,” Draco explained. “I even went with her to get her things from Harry's. That didn't go too well. Then, at the banquet, well you know what occurred.”
He frowned. “I do, yes.” He stood up and patted Draco's shoulder. “I think we'll have more time to talk about this later. I think dinner's ready.”
Draco nodded and as they headed for the kitchen, the doorbell rang. With everyone busy, he opened the door, expecting the rest of Ginny's brothers.
Instead, Harry stood there.
Leave a Review