Dragon and Angel

CHAPTER THREE

THE BURROW

Ginny and Hermione landed in the fireplace in the front room of the Burrow, each with a child clinging to her waist. Before the dust had even settled Ginny started, "Oh God! Oh Merlin! What am I going to do? He knows and he'll tell Draco and then he'll-- he'll take my babies."

Ginny was very close to losing control. Hermione had never seen her friend like this before. Ron and Percy were the two Weasley's renown for over reacting, a trait inherited from Molly Weasley. Gin was usually more relaxed and in control, unless she was angry then everybody had best watch out. But this was not anger etched into her face -- this was fear. Hermione watched her friend, the unshed tears glistening in her cinnamon eyes worried the young witch, but her thoughts, for now, went to her godchildren, who had never seen their mother in such a state.

"Gin, calm down. You're scaring the kids," Hermione said cautiously as she cast a glance at the twins. They were staring wide-eyed at their mother.

"Ginny, Hermione. I thought I heard voices," Molly Weasley said as she entered the room.

"Grandma." The twins squealed as they ran to the Weasley matriarch.

She scooped both of the children into a huge hug before continuing, "I thought you girls were spending the day in Diagon Alley. Is everything alright?" Molly hadn't missed the expression on her daughter's face, but kept her tone light, for the time being.

Ginny flopped into an overstuffed chair. "Yes. No. I mean-- I don't know!"

"You don't know?" Molly questioned. "Well, why don't we have a spot of tea and see if we can't work it out?"

"Mum, a cup of tea isn't going to fix this."

"Maybe not, but while we drink the tea you can tell me why you've come home in such a state." Molly's tone left little room for argument. She turned to the children. "Your Uncle Ron is de-gnoming the yard. Why don't you two go and help him?"

The twins took off out the door, through the kitchen and into the yard with delighted squeals of, "Uncle Ron, Uncle Ron."

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"Hey there, you two," Ron greeted his niece and nephew with enthusiasm. "Come to give me a hand with the gnomes?"

"Grandma told us to come and help you, because mummy's upset," Angel informed Ron solemnly.

"Your Mum's upset, is she? Do you know why she's upset?" Ron was curious. It wasn't like Gin to get upset, she was usually so strong, but unless the twins knew what had caused the upset, he would have to wait to find out what was going on. He knew his mum would give it to him if he went in now to find out. She'd obviously sent the kids out to him, so they wouldn't hear what was happening.

"Mummy's upset with Drake, he wandered off again and Mummy couldn't find him in the shop, 'cause he wasn't in the shop, he was outside in the street and Mummy got all upset when she got back to Aunty Mione and me at the shop and she said that we had to go now!" Angel informed him without taking a breath.

"I didn't make Mummy upset! It was the man," Drake protested.

"You did so, there wasn't a man," Angel stated with absolute surety; with her hands on her hips she looked like a miniature Molly.

"Yes there was! He sort of looked like that picture of our Father that Mummy showed us, 'cept he looked lots and lots older." Drake nodded to himself.

"Whoa, whoa you two. Drake, was there a man with hair the same colour as yours?" Ron didn't like what he was hearing.

"Yep, but it was long like Uncle Bill's and white like mine." Drake puffed his chest out importantly.

"And this man, he looked older than the photo your mum has of your dad?"

Drake nodded. "Lots older."

Ron stood there for a while, contemplating all the children had told him. He knew of only one wizarding family with hair the same colour as his nephew's - the Malfoys. Now, if this wizard was much older than the photo Gin had of Draco Malfoy, it must have been Lucius Malfoy that had upset her -- but why? Well, he'd just have to find out. Then he'd take care of the prat and Malfoy as well, just for good measure. After all, no one had the right to upset his little sister, except him, of course and maybe Fred and George, sometimes.

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"Come now, what about that cup of tea?" Molly started for the kitchen.

When the three women settled themselves at the kitchen table, with tea and crumpets before them, Molly looked from Ginny to Hermione. "Well girls, who's going to tell me what's going on?"

Ginny sighed, she owed her mother an explanation and knew, full well, that Molly wouldn't give her a minutes peace until she was satisfied that she had all the details, but how to do this without telling her absolutely everything. Ginny had never told anyone the full story of her relationship with her children's father and didn't want to now, particularly, as she had told a few little fibs over the years to protect herself from her family's interference. Merlin, how did things get so messy so quickly, she thought. Everything was fine this morning.

"It's nothing really, Mum, I just over reacted. Now I've had a chance to calm down, I just feel foolish." Ginny's small giggle sounded false, even to her ears.

Molly looked to Hermione, who developed a sudden interest in her hands, which were resting in her lap. Hermione would rather leave this between Molly and Ginny. Besides, she couldn't really tell Molly anything, because Ginny hadn't told her what had happened, yet.

"Ginny, dear, I heard you come in. I heard what you said to Hermione. I want answers now!" Molly's tone suggested she was showing great restraint.

"Okay, Mum. What do you want to know?" Ginny realized there was little hope of getting out of this and perhaps she could just modify her answers, a little, to keep this situation from being blown totally out of proportion.

"Right, you said 'he knows'. Who is he?" Molly asked in the most serious tone Ginny had ever heard her use.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Didn't Draco tell his parents you were pregnant?"

"No, he didn't"

"You're sure of that?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Right, you said 'he will tell Draco'. What will he tell Draco?"

"I guess I meant, he'll tell him that he saw Drake and I. Mum, I don't really know. He tried to talk to me, but I didn't stay to hear him out. I was just a bit rattled for a while, that's all. I mean, maybe he didn't realize who Drake was." Ginny kept her voice deliberately calm, in an effort to convince her mother that it was just an over reaction on her behalf. All the while, knowing that Lucius had realized the relationship between her son and himself.

"Ginny, dear." Molly reached forward to cover her daughter's hand with her own. "Who would want to take your babies? Draco did tell you he didn't want anything to do with them, didn't he?"

"Mum, I told you, I over reacted. In the heat of the moment, I thought that maybe Lucius would want to-- I don't know what I was thinking." Ginny's frustration with herself for not having more self-control was beginning to show. If she'd been able to control her emotions, this would never have happened. As far as she knew, no one had really seen what had happened in Diagon Alley. She could have pretended it hadn't happened at all.

"Alright, we'll leave it there for now, but if anything else happens I want you to let us know right away. Merlin only knows what runs through Lucius Malfoy's brain," Molly said in a much lighter tone, giving her daughter's hand a reassuring squeeze and smiling. "I might just go and make sure Ron hasn't thrown Drake or Angel over the garden wall, instead of a garden gnome."

Ginny smiled at her mother once more before the older woman left the room. She was relieved, for the time being at least, that her mother was happy with her answers. She could only hope that Molly didn't tell any of her brothers, she didn't think they would be as easily placated.

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Ron was watching the children chase garden gnomes near the far wall of the yard as Molly approached.

"Mum, what's up with Gin?" Ron asked his mother quietly so as not to be overheard by Drake or Angel.

"Oh, I don't think it's anything to be concerned with. She ran into Lucius Malfoy in Diagon Alley and panicked. Nothing to worry about," Molly responded, but she didn't sound very convincing. "How's the de-gnoming going?"

"Drake's doing a fantastic job of chasing them all over the place, aren't you mate?"

"Oh you are, are you?" Molly looked to her grandson and tried not to laugh at the not quite innocent expression on his face.

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Hermione, who had kept her silence during Molly's questioning, wasn't surprised to see the relieved expression on her friends face, especially considering what she, herself, had just realized, while listening to Ginny's answers. She hoped her suspicions were wrong, but strongly doubted it. If they were proven, she wondered how much more Ginny had either not told them or had lied about.

"Um, Gin?" Hermione hesitantly started.

"Yeah, Mione."

She had no idea what Hermione had just figured out and was in no way prepared for the question her best friend voiced.

"Gin, you did tell Draco about the twins, didn't you?"

Ginny didn't need to answer her; the expression on her face said it all.

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