Too antsy to go back to bed once Evie was settled, Draco headed downstairs. Hunting up what had to be on the verge between being referred to as vinegar that could still be sold with a label spelling whisky, he poured a generous three fingers in a glass. The house was quiet and padding around he poked at pieces of Alternative Draco’s life. There were a lot of books, and by reading the titles he knew they were both his and hers. A large collection of CDs – they really had to have no money, who hadn’t upgraded to digital by now – were squashed in with the books.
Pictures of days he hadn’t been part of hung on the walls. Alternative Draco was smiling in all of them, a stupid grin he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. They appeared to be vacations, family dinners, holidays and the children’s milestones. Stopping in front of one of him with his arm around Liam on the front lawn next to a sadly misshapen snowman he frowned.
“What’s so damn funny, you twit?”
Taking a gulp of whisky he turned away. Across from him were videotapes and he shook his head. Really. CDs and videotapes? Didn’t Alternative Draco work in a store that was stocked with technology later than 1991? Curious to see what on earth was important enough to keep you’d stick to videos he found a collection that seemed to be in code. “D + G, Bmuda, 1999”, “L Bday ‘03”, “Bbcue, family, ‘01” “Chrsms, ’05 Evie + bear”. Clearly Ginny had been left in charge of the sorting. At least “Ginny, Birthday 2000” he could decipher. Popping it into the VCR the TV came to life. A grainy picture with a timestamp in the corner appeared.
Wherever it was it was dark and a “Shhh!” was heard.
“Be quiet, they’ll be here any second.” The camera turned around and the camera light painted an eerie white light over the person holding the camera. With a stab of recognition Draco saw it was Neville Longbottom. He hadn’t seen him since school.
“Here we are, in the backroom of the Fogg, waiting to celebrate Ginny Weasley’s twentieth birthday. Her boyfriend is currently leading her here, letting her believe they’re going to have a quiet dinner and then go home so she can study for her Healer exam. However, he really does have other plans. Don’t ask me how he did it but all the Weasleys are here, as well as friends and colleagues of the both of them. Now we’re just waiting for the signal to jump out and shout “surprise!””
Draco shook his head to himself. He had organized a surprise birthday party. He was really not that person, the kind that made gestures. First of all it was embarrassing and second of all it was…no, that was it, it was just embarrassing.
The video shook to life again, the picture wavy as a loud “surprise” resounded. The video focused and he spotted himself, though with a haircut he had never had and a shirt he would never wear. Despite being dressed like Harry Homemaker he looked…happy. Alternative Draco was smiling, standing next to Ginny. Grinning, actually.
With a feeling like he’d just fallen and landed on his chest, all the air leaving his lungs, he recognized a much younger Ginny. She didn’t look any different than she had the day in the Apparition Terminal. Her eyes were sparkling, her face splitting in a smile. She turned to Alternative Draco but the pub was too noisy for him to hear what they were saying.
Still it was easy enough to lip read,
“You did this? For me?”
His own words were harder but he thought it looked like,
“Who else? Of course I did it for you.” Although it could also possibly be “Wales? Off source I kid lit Anjou.” He was inclined to believe the first one though.
He saw Ginny’s lips moving to form the words “thank you” and then another uncomfortable thump travelled through his chest as she stood on her toes to kiss him. In a move that looked easy, and that he remembered vividly, Alternative Draco pulled her closer, pulling her up so she was plastered against him. Seeing it he could almost feel her body pressed against him, the curve of her waist under his hands, the warmth of her skin and the smell of her hair.
With his hands shaking slightly he paused the video, leaving a grainy, wobbly image of the two of them embracing on the TV. An uncomfortable weight had settled over his heart, like a coating of lead, and absently he rubbed his chest. Shaking his head he tried to clear it. For a moment he had actually seen why Alternative Draco was happy. Happy in house that could fall down around him, with the wardrobe of a senior citizen and surrounded by noise day in and day out. He was happy because he had Ginny. All the rest had somehow faded to Alternative Draco.
For the first time he realized Alternative Draco might not be living it up in his London flat, wishing for the trade back to never happen as he gallivanted around spending more money than he had seen in years. He might actually be wanting to get back. Back to Ginny and their home, the children they had. Sitting down in the armchair he looked back up to the screen, the young couple he had never known who were yet so familiar still embracing. Had they actually gotten the better end of the deal?
o.O.o
The next morning it was the click the alarm clock made before it started playing the radio that woke him and to avoid the relentlessly cheery presenters talking a million miles a minute he turned it off. It was Saturday but in the eternal hell of parenthood the baby had to be fed at the same time, regardless of whether or not it was the weekend. Knowing delaying would only bring Ginny’s wrath he sighed and rolled out of bed.
Having found slightly less disgraceful pyjamas in the shape of sweats and a longsleeved t-shirt with the Falmouth Falcons logo on in he had to concede to the horrendous fleece robe to defeat the morning chill.
Shuffling into the children’s room he found the baby already awake, staring in fascination at the mobile of small dragons that chased each other and breathed fire that hung over her crib.
“Morning, littlest demon.” He walked past Liam who lay half on top of the covers, half under, his limbs splayed over every available inch of mattress. His blond hair was tousled and his round cheeks flushed from sleep and with a strange stab of recognition he saw himself as a child in Liam. Evie turned her head when she heard his voice and gurgled happily.
“That’s right, I’m here. Don’t try and pretend you’re happy to see me - you’re happy to see the possibility of imminent breakfast, isn’t that right?” Clearly he was losing his mind in this place, speaking to a baby who couldn’t reply. Picking her up, the move now ingrained and practiced, as if it was something he’d always known but had had to rediscover, he settled her on his hip.
Continuing to ramble, mainly to distract himself while he changed her diaper, he picked her back up, now powder scented and happy. Making some sort of mysterious raspberry blowing sound to amuse herself he tucked her on his arm again and ventured downstairs.
Settling Evie in the highchair he pressed the button on the coffeemaker in passing and sent a brief thanks to the higher power that had created coffee.
“A drink for me and one for you. I’m afraid your young metabolism can only handle things that look like someone’s already eaten them so no coffee for you.” He found his wand in his robe pocket, pointed it at the bottle he’d taken out to heat it. Checking the temperature he wrinkled his nose in distaste.
“I’m sorry you only get this muck. Once you get teeth I promise I’ll take you to a three star Michelin restaurant, how’s that?” He put the baby’s small, chubby hands on the bottle and watched her attack it, the force of her suckling making centrifugal spirals swirl in the beige liquid.
Ginny suddenly appeared in the doorway, her hair wild and her pyjama top sliding off one shoulder to leave the milky skin bare. An arrow of pure lust shot through him at the sight and quickly he reached into the cupboard for a coffee cup - and to hide her from view. Telling himself sternly to cut it out, he closed it again.
The second he closed it she jumped him, her lips finding his. Surprised he stumbled backwards but managed to regain his balance and shift her weight so she was pressed against him. All thoughts were wiped from his head as she kissed him deeply, her lips warm and her skin smelling of the sheets she’d just woken up in. The counter behind him prevented any thought of escape and giving in to the situation he hoisted her higher, running a hand into her hair. Only the knowledge that the baby was sitting a few feet away kept him from turning them and settling her on the counter and forgetting she was married to someone else.
Pulling apart she squirmed to get down and he had to bite back a groan as her lithe curves pressed into him.
“Wait,” she said and a desperate urge to say no, he’d waited long enough rose inside him. Then she was back in front of him, a large white parcel tied with silver ribbons in her hands. Handing it to him she leaned over it to place a peck on his lips.
“Happy anniversary!”
“Anniversary?” All the blood that had been surging hotly in his system froze.
“I know you have a crazy plan, you always do, but whatever it may be I want you to open my gift first.” She almost bounced in place.
“I...Oh, my plan.” What plan? What could Alternative Draco even have done - all his “special” dates, reserved for the female acquaintances who understood his boundaries were far out of his current price range.
“In a minute - go on, open it!” Slowly he began opening it tidily only to be interrupted by Ginny tearing the paper in the middle and opening the lid of the box inside. On a bed of tissue paper lay the suit he had seen, the discrete Armani logo peeking from the back of the collar.
“My suit.”
“I decided the kids can get student loans, after all.”
Shocked, he looked up and she laughed.
“Don’t worry, I found it at an outlet. It’s the right one, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Gently he touched the fabric. It had been so long since he had actually wanted something and hadn’t been able to get it. So long since a wish of his had been fulfilled by someone else. “It’s...perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. It really will be - I know you’re going to look great in it. Now you’re allowed to start today’s plan, what’s the elaborate deal you’ve organised this year?” She looked around as if he’d hidden a cruise boat to the Bahamas somewhere in the kitchen.
“Ah...the plan. Today’s plan. Our wedding anniversary plan.” Her shoulders sank, a small frown on her forehead.
“I have a plan, since it’s the fifth of January today. Our anniversary.”
Her features fell.
“You forgot.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “You forgot our anniversary.”
“I didn’t I...This year it’s been so busy and I…”
“Never. You’ve never forgotten, Draco. You didn’t forget the year Liam had the measles and we’d been up for three days straight. But this year, you forgot.”
“Ginny, I…” He reached for her, for the first time in over thirteen years.
“No.” She stepped back. “I don’t know who you are or where your head has been lately but I feel like I don’t know you anymore. Who are you, Draco?”
With that she left and a moment later he heard the bedroom door slam upstairs.
“You forgot the anniversary?” Liam lisped from the doorway, his eyes wide.
“I guess I must’ve.” He bent to pick up the bottle Evie had tossed gleefully. “Though if someone had told me it was on the fifth, that would’ve been good,” he muttered to himself. Draco stood again.
“Did you know it was today?”
“I can only tell if it’s three o’clock or nine o’clock.” Liam climbed up on the seat, sitting on his knees to be able to look up over the edge of the table. He looked up above the kitchen door. “It’s not nine o’clock.”
“That’s grand,” Draco said under his breath, “just grand.” Raising his voice to normal he sighed, “I suppose you want your cocoa now?”
“Yes, please. Five spoons.”
Draco arched a brow.
“Five? Is that what your dad lets you have?”
“Yes.”
“Does he think he’s made of money? How is he going to pay all those dentist bills?”
“My daddy says money never made anyone happy.”
“I’m sure he likes to think so considering he has none. You get three spoons, take it or leave it.”
“Four, and a cookie.” Draco couldn’t help chuckling.
“You know, maybe one day you can work for my company. Three, and a yoghurt, if you tell me what your dad usually does for anniversaries.”
Liam considered.
“Mmm’kay. If it’s raspberry.”
“Deal.” Sorting out the kid’s breakfast he pumped him for information. Liam knew that last year Alternative Draco had taken Ginny flying on the national Quidditch pitch and the year before he’d taken her for a picnic.
“A picnic? Really? Like sitting on the ground with the insects while it rains on you?”
“Mummy liked it.”
“Of course she did,” he muttered. “She probably doesn’t know what the inside of a nice restaurant looks like.” Liam spooned some yoghurt up, managing to land most of the pink goo on his snitch adorned pyjamas.
“She said it reminded her of how everything was in the beginning.” He slurped the remaining yoghurt from the spoon. “Or something like that.”
Draco watched him wipe his mouth on his sleeve, the response of,
“Liam, don’t,” automatic out of his mouth.
“You know, I think I have an idea.” He put his coffee down.
“Which one of your myriad of uncles would you like to babysit you and your sister tonight?”
“Uncle Harry!” Draco rolled his eyes.
“Of course you do. Fine. Just promise you’ll break something over at his place, will you?”
Pictures of days he hadn’t been part of hung on the walls. Alternative Draco was smiling in all of them, a stupid grin he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. They appeared to be vacations, family dinners, holidays and the children’s milestones. Stopping in front of one of him with his arm around Liam on the front lawn next to a sadly misshapen snowman he frowned.
“What’s so damn funny, you twit?”
Taking a gulp of whisky he turned away. Across from him were videotapes and he shook his head. Really. CDs and videotapes? Didn’t Alternative Draco work in a store that was stocked with technology later than 1991? Curious to see what on earth was important enough to keep you’d stick to videos he found a collection that seemed to be in code. “D + G, Bmuda, 1999”, “L Bday ‘03”, “Bbcue, family, ‘01” “Chrsms, ’05 Evie + bear”. Clearly Ginny had been left in charge of the sorting. At least “Ginny, Birthday 2000” he could decipher. Popping it into the VCR the TV came to life. A grainy picture with a timestamp in the corner appeared.
Wherever it was it was dark and a “Shhh!” was heard.
“Be quiet, they’ll be here any second.” The camera turned around and the camera light painted an eerie white light over the person holding the camera. With a stab of recognition Draco saw it was Neville Longbottom. He hadn’t seen him since school.
“Here we are, in the backroom of the Fogg, waiting to celebrate Ginny Weasley’s twentieth birthday. Her boyfriend is currently leading her here, letting her believe they’re going to have a quiet dinner and then go home so she can study for her Healer exam. However, he really does have other plans. Don’t ask me how he did it but all the Weasleys are here, as well as friends and colleagues of the both of them. Now we’re just waiting for the signal to jump out and shout “surprise!””
Draco shook his head to himself. He had organized a surprise birthday party. He was really not that person, the kind that made gestures. First of all it was embarrassing and second of all it was…no, that was it, it was just embarrassing.
The video shook to life again, the picture wavy as a loud “surprise” resounded. The video focused and he spotted himself, though with a haircut he had never had and a shirt he would never wear. Despite being dressed like Harry Homemaker he looked…happy. Alternative Draco was smiling, standing next to Ginny. Grinning, actually.
With a feeling like he’d just fallen and landed on his chest, all the air leaving his lungs, he recognized a much younger Ginny. She didn’t look any different than she had the day in the Apparition Terminal. Her eyes were sparkling, her face splitting in a smile. She turned to Alternative Draco but the pub was too noisy for him to hear what they were saying.
Still it was easy enough to lip read,
“You did this? For me?”
His own words were harder but he thought it looked like,
“Who else? Of course I did it for you.” Although it could also possibly be “Wales? Off source I kid lit Anjou.” He was inclined to believe the first one though.
He saw Ginny’s lips moving to form the words “thank you” and then another uncomfortable thump travelled through his chest as she stood on her toes to kiss him. In a move that looked easy, and that he remembered vividly, Alternative Draco pulled her closer, pulling her up so she was plastered against him. Seeing it he could almost feel her body pressed against him, the curve of her waist under his hands, the warmth of her skin and the smell of her hair.
With his hands shaking slightly he paused the video, leaving a grainy, wobbly image of the two of them embracing on the TV. An uncomfortable weight had settled over his heart, like a coating of lead, and absently he rubbed his chest. Shaking his head he tried to clear it. For a moment he had actually seen why Alternative Draco was happy. Happy in house that could fall down around him, with the wardrobe of a senior citizen and surrounded by noise day in and day out. He was happy because he had Ginny. All the rest had somehow faded to Alternative Draco.
For the first time he realized Alternative Draco might not be living it up in his London flat, wishing for the trade back to never happen as he gallivanted around spending more money than he had seen in years. He might actually be wanting to get back. Back to Ginny and their home, the children they had. Sitting down in the armchair he looked back up to the screen, the young couple he had never known who were yet so familiar still embracing. Had they actually gotten the better end of the deal?
o.O.o
The next morning it was the click the alarm clock made before it started playing the radio that woke him and to avoid the relentlessly cheery presenters talking a million miles a minute he turned it off. It was Saturday but in the eternal hell of parenthood the baby had to be fed at the same time, regardless of whether or not it was the weekend. Knowing delaying would only bring Ginny’s wrath he sighed and rolled out of bed.
Having found slightly less disgraceful pyjamas in the shape of sweats and a longsleeved t-shirt with the Falmouth Falcons logo on in he had to concede to the horrendous fleece robe to defeat the morning chill.
Shuffling into the children’s room he found the baby already awake, staring in fascination at the mobile of small dragons that chased each other and breathed fire that hung over her crib.
“Morning, littlest demon.” He walked past Liam who lay half on top of the covers, half under, his limbs splayed over every available inch of mattress. His blond hair was tousled and his round cheeks flushed from sleep and with a strange stab of recognition he saw himself as a child in Liam. Evie turned her head when she heard his voice and gurgled happily.
“That’s right, I’m here. Don’t try and pretend you’re happy to see me - you’re happy to see the possibility of imminent breakfast, isn’t that right?” Clearly he was losing his mind in this place, speaking to a baby who couldn’t reply. Picking her up, the move now ingrained and practiced, as if it was something he’d always known but had had to rediscover, he settled her on his hip.
Continuing to ramble, mainly to distract himself while he changed her diaper, he picked her back up, now powder scented and happy. Making some sort of mysterious raspberry blowing sound to amuse herself he tucked her on his arm again and ventured downstairs.
Settling Evie in the highchair he pressed the button on the coffeemaker in passing and sent a brief thanks to the higher power that had created coffee.
“A drink for me and one for you. I’m afraid your young metabolism can only handle things that look like someone’s already eaten them so no coffee for you.” He found his wand in his robe pocket, pointed it at the bottle he’d taken out to heat it. Checking the temperature he wrinkled his nose in distaste.
“I’m sorry you only get this muck. Once you get teeth I promise I’ll take you to a three star Michelin restaurant, how’s that?” He put the baby’s small, chubby hands on the bottle and watched her attack it, the force of her suckling making centrifugal spirals swirl in the beige liquid.
Ginny suddenly appeared in the doorway, her hair wild and her pyjama top sliding off one shoulder to leave the milky skin bare. An arrow of pure lust shot through him at the sight and quickly he reached into the cupboard for a coffee cup - and to hide her from view. Telling himself sternly to cut it out, he closed it again.
The second he closed it she jumped him, her lips finding his. Surprised he stumbled backwards but managed to regain his balance and shift her weight so she was pressed against him. All thoughts were wiped from his head as she kissed him deeply, her lips warm and her skin smelling of the sheets she’d just woken up in. The counter behind him prevented any thought of escape and giving in to the situation he hoisted her higher, running a hand into her hair. Only the knowledge that the baby was sitting a few feet away kept him from turning them and settling her on the counter and forgetting she was married to someone else.
Pulling apart she squirmed to get down and he had to bite back a groan as her lithe curves pressed into him.
“Wait,” she said and a desperate urge to say no, he’d waited long enough rose inside him. Then she was back in front of him, a large white parcel tied with silver ribbons in her hands. Handing it to him she leaned over it to place a peck on his lips.
“Happy anniversary!”
“Anniversary?” All the blood that had been surging hotly in his system froze.
“I know you have a crazy plan, you always do, but whatever it may be I want you to open my gift first.” She almost bounced in place.
“I...Oh, my plan.” What plan? What could Alternative Draco even have done - all his “special” dates, reserved for the female acquaintances who understood his boundaries were far out of his current price range.
“In a minute - go on, open it!” Slowly he began opening it tidily only to be interrupted by Ginny tearing the paper in the middle and opening the lid of the box inside. On a bed of tissue paper lay the suit he had seen, the discrete Armani logo peeking from the back of the collar.
“My suit.”
“I decided the kids can get student loans, after all.”
Shocked, he looked up and she laughed.
“Don’t worry, I found it at an outlet. It’s the right one, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Gently he touched the fabric. It had been so long since he had actually wanted something and hadn’t been able to get it. So long since a wish of his had been fulfilled by someone else. “It’s...perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. It really will be - I know you’re going to look great in it. Now you’re allowed to start today’s plan, what’s the elaborate deal you’ve organised this year?” She looked around as if he’d hidden a cruise boat to the Bahamas somewhere in the kitchen.
“Ah...the plan. Today’s plan. Our wedding anniversary plan.” Her shoulders sank, a small frown on her forehead.
“I have a plan, since it’s the fifth of January today. Our anniversary.”
Her features fell.
“You forgot.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “You forgot our anniversary.”
“I didn’t I...This year it’s been so busy and I…”
“Never. You’ve never forgotten, Draco. You didn’t forget the year Liam had the measles and we’d been up for three days straight. But this year, you forgot.”
“Ginny, I…” He reached for her, for the first time in over thirteen years.
“No.” She stepped back. “I don’t know who you are or where your head has been lately but I feel like I don’t know you anymore. Who are you, Draco?”
With that she left and a moment later he heard the bedroom door slam upstairs.
“You forgot the anniversary?” Liam lisped from the doorway, his eyes wide.
“I guess I must’ve.” He bent to pick up the bottle Evie had tossed gleefully. “Though if someone had told me it was on the fifth, that would’ve been good,” he muttered to himself. Draco stood again.
“Did you know it was today?”
“I can only tell if it’s three o’clock or nine o’clock.” Liam climbed up on the seat, sitting on his knees to be able to look up over the edge of the table. He looked up above the kitchen door. “It’s not nine o’clock.”
“That’s grand,” Draco said under his breath, “just grand.” Raising his voice to normal he sighed, “I suppose you want your cocoa now?”
“Yes, please. Five spoons.”
Draco arched a brow.
“Five? Is that what your dad lets you have?”
“Yes.”
“Does he think he’s made of money? How is he going to pay all those dentist bills?”
“My daddy says money never made anyone happy.”
“I’m sure he likes to think so considering he has none. You get three spoons, take it or leave it.”
“Four, and a cookie.” Draco couldn’t help chuckling.
“You know, maybe one day you can work for my company. Three, and a yoghurt, if you tell me what your dad usually does for anniversaries.”
Liam considered.
“Mmm’kay. If it’s raspberry.”
“Deal.” Sorting out the kid’s breakfast he pumped him for information. Liam knew that last year Alternative Draco had taken Ginny flying on the national Quidditch pitch and the year before he’d taken her for a picnic.
“A picnic? Really? Like sitting on the ground with the insects while it rains on you?”
“Mummy liked it.”
“Of course she did,” he muttered. “She probably doesn’t know what the inside of a nice restaurant looks like.” Liam spooned some yoghurt up, managing to land most of the pink goo on his snitch adorned pyjamas.
“She said it reminded her of how everything was in the beginning.” He slurped the remaining yoghurt from the spoon. “Or something like that.”
Draco watched him wipe his mouth on his sleeve, the response of,
“Liam, don’t,” automatic out of his mouth.
“You know, I think I have an idea.” He put his coffee down.
“Which one of your myriad of uncles would you like to babysit you and your sister tonight?”
“Uncle Harry!” Draco rolled his eyes.
“Of course you do. Fine. Just promise you’ll break something over at his place, will you?”
Author notes: Double feature tonight! Need to cram in a lot of story before cut off time for submissions on the 22nd...Thanks so much for sticking around!
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