Unaffected

"Mister Draco!" Lily screamed happily, running towards Draco at breakneck speed. He squatted down and held his arms out to her as she ran. She launched herself on him, wrapping him in a gigantic hug, and he laughed. Ginny bit her lip; her daughter was definitely besotted with the man almost as much as she was.

"Lils!" he breathed, hugging her back tightly. He swung her around in a circle, and she giggled. Ginny brushed the soot off of herself and went to join her mother in the kitchen.

"What on earth is going on out there?" Molly asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Ginny blushed slightly.

"I brought Draco with me, and Lily pounced on him. Literally." Molly hid her smile and went back to working on lunch. "Need any help?"

"No, of course I don't," she said, motioning her daughter away. "You go into the other room and entertain our guest, before Fred does something stupid." Ginny laughed and went back into the family room, where Lily was sitting on Draco's lap on the sofa.

"Lily, are you going to let Draco breathe any time soon?" she asked, laughing. Lily shot her a bright smile, and Draco chuckled.

"Mister Draco missed me, Mum! He told me so!" her eyes were sparkling. Ginny nodded as she sat down on the sofa next to them.

"Well, it's hard not to miss you, poppet." Lily laid her head on Draco's chest and smiled at her mother. Draco met her eyes over Lily's head and winked at her.

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "I told her I missed her, but she didn't say she missed me. I guess that means she didn't," he said, sniffing sadly. Lily turned serious eyes to him.

"I did miss you. I wanted you to come back and you didn't. Mister Remus brought me my lunch instead." A smile tugged at the corners of Draco's mouth, and he had to fight to keep from smiling at her.

"I'm sorry, Lils. I won't break another promise to you, ever again," he said, making a crossing motion over his chest with his forefinger. She nodded.

"Alright, but if you do, you'll get in trouble. Mummy spanks me sometimes when I'm naughty. She might spank you, too." Ginny covered her red face with her hands as Draco snickered.

"I think Draco's Mum would do that for him, darling," she mumbled through her fingers.

"Malfoy, old chum," Fred announced, walking through the door. Ginny looked up suspiciously. Blaise and Ron were close behind Fred, and both of their faces were pink. Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise but said nothing. Fred flopped down into a chair across from him. "Explain to my pillock of a brother exactly why he is not supposed to open his mouth in front of women." A smile was playing at his lips. Draco gave Ginny a sideways glance and saw that she was fighting a smile as well.

"To women in general, or to Blaise?" he asked. Blaise snorted and shook her head, then left the room to find Molly. Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that she ought to follow suit, but her morbid curiosity held her in her place. Lily wasn't about to let up on the vise grip she had on Draco, and she wanted to spend time with her daughter, as well.

"Gin, do you mind?" Ron asked, his ears scarlet.

"I don't mind at all," she purred, snuggling close to Draco. She slipped her arms around his and hugged it, not seeing the look of surprise that flashed across his face. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Fine, don't leave then."

"I hadn't planned on it." Ron gave Draco a desperate look.

"Can't you control your woman, Malfoy?" he pleaded. Draco didn't know whether to be insulted or to burst out laughing, although he was pleased to note that Ginny had not contradicted her brother for calling her his woman.

"Ginny might be able to help you, you sod," Fred grinned.

"Fine!" Ron said, throwing his hands in the air.

"What happened?" Draco asked finally.

"Ron and Blaise were going over some details of the wedding. While Ron is going on about how small he wants the wedding to be, she just keeps nodding, so he thinks she's agreeing with him."

"If someone was nodding at you, wouldn't you think it meant that they agreed?" Ron asked angrily.

"Well, after he finishes his speech, she proceeds to disagree with everything he's said and tells him what she wants." Fred was shaking with silent laughter as he finished, and Ron shot him an Avada Kedavra look.

"Ron," Ginny said, disentangling herself from Draco. He felt oddly bereft when she moved away, and noticed that the tone of her voice went from teasing to soothing and neutral - her professional voice. "Just because she was nodding does not mean that she was agreeing with you."

"Obviously," he snapped.

"Shut up, prat," she said, annoyed. Draco bit his lip, and Lily giggled. Fred winked at her, which made her giggle more. "Women communicate differently than men. Blaise was nodding as a way of letting you know that she was listening to what you were saying, and not just standing around, staring into space."

"I don't nod when I listen," he protested.

"That's because men generally don't move at all," she explained. "Look, women are generally more emotional and more open with their feelings, right?"

"Unfortunately."

"Well, doesn't it make sense to you that while you would listen without showing emotion that she might listen and nod to encourage you to continue talking?" she asked reasonably. Ron sighed.

"This is why your marriage is going to work, Ronniekins," Fred teased. "Because your sister is a therapist, and she will save you from disaster every time." Ginny's face turned pink under her brother's praise.

"That's not a realistic thing to expect from me," she said.

"Why not?" Draco asked interestedly. She turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"That would imply that I have no life of my own and would be able to come running at his beck and call, and that's not fair because I have Lily to take care of. Besides, he's got to learn how to communicate with her, or they'll fight all the time. Things can get mucked up when you pull a third person into a relationship."

"But you offered to see me and Tosh, and help us," he said. Fred and Ron exchanged surprised glances.

"Since when do you do couples therapy?" Ron blurted. Fred kicked his shin savagely, then shot a grin at Draco, whose eyes were wide.

"Oh, sod it all," she said with a loud sigh. "I usually don't, but I have been known to make exceptions. I have done it before, you know," she said, aiming a pointed look at Fred. Ron's mouth dropped open.

"You gave couples therapy to Fred and Katie?"

"You moronic git," Fred said, shaking his head. "Our sister must have gotten all the tact in the family, seeing as how you haven't got any."

"What?" Ron looked nonplussed.

"Ron, I was trying to be polite and not give names out, since she and Fred are no longer together. You really shouldn't speak before you think."

"She's right," Draco said, suppressing a grin. "That's what allowed me to insult you for so long. You were too easily incensed. Gave me too much of a reaction." Ron looked totally surprised by this confession.

"Forget insulting me and pointing out everything I do wrong, and just tell me how to fix this," Ron sighed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"What else is there to fix? All you have to do is say you're sorry." Ron fidgeted, and Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Ron? What else did you do?"

"Called her a bint, is what he did," Fred interjected cheerfully. Ginny's mouth dropped open, and Ron turned a nasty shade of violet.

"Ronald Weasley!" she gasped. "You did not!"

"Oi, he did." Fred winked cheekily at Lily, who was slowly falling asleep cuddled against Draco's chest. His arms wrapped tighter around her.

"It was a total accident," Ron mumbled, looking down at his feet. "I just - I get so comfortable talking to her, like I used to with Harry and Hermione, and it just sort of slipped out. I didn't really mean it."

"This is what I meant by thinking before you speak, Ron, not afterwards!" Ginny was giving him a disapproving look.

"Harry used to call you a bint all the time," Ron protested. Draco went very still, not wanting to interrupt any longer. He'd been wanting to ask Ginny details of her marriage to Harry, but had been unable to screw up enough bravado to do it. He didn't want to do anything that might risk their budding relationship.

"And I hated it," she said, her eyes blazing. "I asked him to stop. I begged, I pleaded, I ordered. I even froze him out of the bed for a week, but nothing worked. Women do not like to be called those sorts of names!" Draco didn't know who was more surprised at her outburst; Ron or himself. Fred didn't seem surprised at all. "Just because Harry did something doesn't mean that it was alright! How many times have you gotten into trouble or into a dangerous situation because of one of his bloody ignorant ideas?" she fumed.

"Harry was not ignorant!" Ron shouted angrily. Ginny stood and poked her finger in the front of his chest.

"I know he wasn't, you twit," she hissed. "But a lot of his schemes were. Just because I was in love with him doesn't mean that I never saw any of his faults, Ron! He wasn't perfect! No one is!" With that, she turned and stomped from the room. Ron sat down heavily on a chair and covered his face with his hands.

"Bugger," he whispered. Fred gave a low whistle.

"She's got it bad," he said, nodding wisely. Draco blinked at him.

"Got what? What's she got?"

"She's got it bad for you," he shrugged. "She must, or else she wouldn't have taken Harry off of the pedestal she's had him on since the moment she met him."

"What?" Draco asked, feeling pleased and panicked at the same time. He didn't want her to do anything that might result in his alienation from these people; they were already starting to feel like a family to him.

"It's not bad," Fred reassured him. "If you know Gin, then you know her well enough to realize that she's never going to forget about Harry or stop loving him. Harry's a part of her. But now it looks like she's trying to make some room to accommodate you, too, and that's going to be confusing as all hell for her."

"You're right," he said softly, raising a hand to stroke Lily's hair. "I never thought about any of that." And it was the truth. He hadn't considered how it might affect Ginny to care about him, he'd only considered how it would affect him to care about her. He thought about how accepting she'd been, and how she'd been so kind to him, even considering their past together. She had befriended him while knowing that he'd been one of her husband's most bitter enemies, and she hadn't thought twice about it.

In that instant, he knew he didn't deserve her.

All that realization did was make him more determined to have her.

He turned and looked at Fred, who was watching him curiously. He stood and handed a now napping Lily to him, then went in the direction that Ginny had gone in. He went through the kitchen, where Molly and Blaise were speaking in hushed tones. When they saw him, they stopped, and he got the impression that they had been talking about him. Molly smiled warmly at him, and Blaise raised her eyebrows.

"Your prat of a fiancé is in there agonizing over fighting with you, and he's really sorry. Ginny tore him a new one. Where did she go?"

"She went into the garden, dear," Molly said. Draco blinked. Was Molly Weasley accepting him so easily? He didn't know why it should come as a surprise, albeit it was a pleasant one.

"Ginny laid into Ron?" Blaise asked, sounding impressed. Draco nodded and headed towards the door, but she reached out and caught his arm. He turned to look at her. "Can I talk to you for a second, Draco?" he nodded, and Molly went back to retrieving dishes for lunch from the cabinets. Blaise led him just outside the door an his eyes instantly began scanning the garden for Ginny.

"What's up?" he asked distractedly. His eyes fell on copper hair poking out from behind a large tree.

"What's going on between the two of you?" she asked bluntly. He grinned.

"I'm not really sure, but I'm hoping..." his voice trailed off. He wasn't quite sure how to finish his thought. She nodded knowingly.

"I know you're attracted to her; that much was obvious at my engagement party," she said quietly. His eyes widened in surprise. How could she have known that? He wasn't even sure of it then. "And I could tell she was attracted to you, as well."

"Why in the bloody hell didn't you mention that to me then?" he asked, his voice heavy with amusement. She shrugged and gave him a small smile.

"It's more fun to let people figure things out for themselves, sometimes. Are the two of you sleeping together?"

"Can you be any more direct?" he laughed.

"You haven't?" she asked, surprised.

"What makes you say that?"

"You'd be bragging about it if you had," she pointed out. "Or smirking at me in that annoying little way that you normally do, at the very least."

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, we're not sleeping together." She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment.

"You're in love with her," she said simply.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"How can you make that observation with only the information that I haven't slept with her?"

"You do love her, or you would have referred to it as shagging. I think it's cute. Maybe we'll be in-laws one day."

"You're already rushing me into marriage?" he laughed again.

"It's the natural progression of things, Draco. I fell in love with Ron quite by accident, too."

"How did that happen, by the way?"

"We ran into each other in Hogsmeade one afternoon," she said softly. "We both had gotten a craving for some chocolate frogs. He apologized to me for knocking me down- shut up, you pillock- and we wound up going for coffee. A week after that, I owled him and asked him out. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"Of course he would wind up meeting a woman by knocking her over," he sniggered. She rolled her eyes.

"What about you, then? How did you manage to become besotted with Harry Potter's widow?"

"She has an identity apart from her late husband, you know," he said, an edge to his voice. "She was my mother's therapist. I visited her office not knowing who in the bloody hell she was, and with every intention of terrorizing her, as a good Slytherin would."

"You are far too pretentious for your own good, do you know that?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, she wouldn't see me about my mother, so I made an appointment with her myself." Blaise's eyes widened.

"You went to her for therapy? Isn't there some kind of rule that healers aren't supposed to fall for their patients?"

"No, but I didn't say she fell for me, either."

"Please tell me you didn't talk about Natasha," she begged. Bright spots of pink appeared on his cheeks, and she sighed. "Men."

"She was my therapist, and I didn't know what else to talk about," he said defensively.

"So how did you fall in love with her?"

"She's the first person since - well, since the war, I suppose - who hasn't looked at me as though I were a monster of some sort. She listened to me, really listened. And she was helpful. And accepting. It didn't happen on purpose."

"It never does."

"And it didn't help things that I met Lily and became totally enchanted with her."

"Draco Malfoy, a kid person. I never would have imagined." A smile was tugging at her mouth.

"Me, neither. That little girl is amazing. She is so smart! It's not even like talking to a kid. She listens to me, too."

"Draco," she said softly, her eyes traveling to where Ginny was stretching out on the grass. "Do you realize that you are within reach of everything you've ever wanted?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Love. Family. Belonging. The Weasleys are an amazing family, they really are. They knew who I was and how horrible I was in school, and they accepted me with open arms because I was who Ron chose. I can already see Molly doing it with you, too. Don't screw this up, Draco. You'll regret it if you do. You'd better grab on to that woman and hang on for all you're worth."

"Since when are you the sentimental type?"

"Since I fell in love and got everything I ever wanted."

"You're cracked," he teased affectionately. She smiled and gave him a gentle shove in Ginny's direction.

"Go. Go and get your woman, snog her senseless, get married, and populate the world with baby Malfoys." His cheeks flushed and she went back in the house, her laughter filling his ears. He made his way to where Ginny was lying on her back, staring at the sky.

"You all right?" he asked softly, sitting down beside her. She gave him a smile so sweet that it made his heart ache. No one before her had ever smiled at him like that.

"I'm fine," she said, sighing. "I'm usually pretty good at keeping myself in check, but when Ron pulls that kind of stuff on me- well, it's a little hard to stomach, you know? Sometimes I wonder if he has any common sense whatsoever." Draco moved so that he was lying on his back next to her, his left arm touching her right.

"Wow, this is a nice view," he murmured. The brilliant backdrop of cerulean accentuated the stark white of the cottony clouds. They stared in silence for a few moments before she broke the silence.

"Thank you," she whispered. He turned to look at her.

"For what?"

"For coming to check on me. It was a nice thing to do."

"I was worried about you," he said truthfully. A lop-sided grin appeared on her face.

"I know I should be used to it by now, but sometimes it still feels strange to hear you say things like that." He grinned back at her.

"It feels strange to say them sometimes - except when I'm talking to you." She bit her bottom lip, and he saw the blush rise on her cheeks.

"Really?" She suppressed the girlish giggle that threatened to rise in her throat. Why was it that he made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl with her first crush when he said things like that?

"Really," he said quietly. His watched her as his hand sought hers out between them, and their fingers wove together. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, which he returned. "I -" he paused uncertainly, then thought of Blaise's advice. "I really care about you, Gin."

"I care about you, too," she said breathlessly. His heart felt as though it might burst from all of the emotion it held. He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off as Molly called for them to come in and eat. He stood and helped her up, watching as she brushed herself off. When she was finished, he held out his hand. She smiled in pleasant surprise and slipped hers inside of it, and they headed back to the house with their fingers entwined.

When they entered the dining room, Blaise saw their connected hands and arched an eyebrow. She turned and planted a soft kiss on Ron's cheek, and Draco surmised that they had made up in his and Ginny's absence. Lily was nowhere to be seen, and he was about to ask after her when Ginny beat him to it.

"Where's Lily?"

"Napping on the couch," Molly said, not missing the fact that her daughter hadn't let go of Draco's hand yet. She hid her smile and sat down. "We didn't think you'd want us to wake her, since she has such a difficult time getting to sleep in the afternoons." Ginny let go of Draco's hand and sat down, and he lowered himself into the chair next to her.

"She didn't seem to have a difficult go of it in Draco's lap," Fred observed, grinning. Blaise laughed.

"Perhaps Draco should put her down for her nap every day," she suggested. His eyes shot daggers at her, which only made her laugh more. Ginny blushed but smiled as she reached for the pitcher of juice.

Lunch was full of animated conversation and food of which Draco had rarely seen the likes. The only time he'd eaten food nearly this savory had been at Hogwarts. He wondered now why all of the Weasleys were so thin, with this kind of cooking at home. He would have eaten until he stuffed himself, and he was sure he would have gotten as fat as a pig. The image of his white-blonde hair on a pudgy pink sausage of a body made him chuckle to himself.

"What are you laughing at?" Ginny whispered. Fred was in the middle of a very funny, but very embarrassing, story about Ron, and she was trying not to interrupt him. "He hasn't even told the best part yet."

"Sorry, I was laughing at myself," he whispered back. She rolled her eyes playfully, and he winked at her. Sometime during their meal, he had draped a possessive arm around the back of Ginny's chair without realizing it, although the gesture was not lost on anyone else present, including Ginny. Just knowing his arm was there was enough to make her feel wanted, and it was wreaking havoc on her senses. He was so close, she could smell him, and it made her feel heady.

"So," Fred said, still laughing. "Now that I've embarrassed Ron, what can I do to embarrass you, Sister dearest?"

"I appreciate your attempt not to play favorites, but nothing comes to mind."

"There's something, I'm sure. Just let me think."

"Oh, no - don't do that! You might spontaneously combust." Molly tried to give her a stern look, but couldn't quite manage it. Draco snorted and Ron grinned.

"That's what you get for ragging on me," he said righteously.

"Well, we'll let your boyfriend choose your demise, then, shall we?" Fred asked, emphasizing the word 'boyfriend.' Draco waited for her to protest the term, but she didn't. The wave of affection that washed over him was so strong that it brought a proud smile to his face. "Right then, Draco. Ask us something about Gin. Anything."

"Fred!" she shrieked.

"All's fair in love and war, Gin," he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Really, now," Molly clucked. "It's the poor boy's first time over here, and you're going to scare him away!" Draco laughed.

"I really don't think that there's anything about me that he wants to know that he doesn't already," she said apprehensively.

"Au contraire, mon petit amie," he drawled. She blushed. Blaise arched an eyebrow. Ron just looked confused.

"Well? Ask away."

"Has she always had such a quick temper?" he asked, shooting her a wink. She knew what he was referring to, and she burst into giggles.

"Ginny? Temper? The hell you say!" Fred feigned shock.

"What is the most embarrassing thing she's ever done over a boy?" he asked. She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her by using the arm that was resting on the chair behind her - his hand snaked around and covered her mouth. Fred laughed. "And that valentine to Potter her first year doesn't count."

"Hmm," Ron was tapping his chin with his forefinger as he thought. His face lit up. "There was that one time that she dated Colin to try and make Harry jealous." Fred's laughter turned into guffaws.

"Remember how she tried to tell him that it was only a joke, and he kept following her around anyway?"

"And then Harry got so mad that he transfigured Colin's camera into a snake?" Ron was clutching his sides, gasping for air. Ginny moved Draco's hand away from her mouth, valiantly trying to ignore his laughter.

"You should talk, Ron!" she said, her eyes glittering. "Remember when you and Hermione tried to date, and she kissed you outside of the Charms classroom?" Ron stopped laughing, which made Fred laugh harder. He fell out of his chair. Blaise started laughing at Ron.

"You kissed Hermione Granger?" she laughed. Ron's ears turned purple. The attention turned to him, and Ginny realized that when she had moved Draco's hand, he hadn't resumed his previous position. His arm was no longer on the back of the chair; now it was wrapped around her shoulders. She turned to look at him, and found that he was watching her with an odd expression. He smiled gently and stroked her shoulder with his thumb. She shivered, then smiled back, wondering with a twinge of excitement what the rest of the day alone with him might bring.