Forbidden Fruit

Neeley sat primly on the couch in front of Draco, an evil gleam over her face. "I'm getting ready to post an owl to your father; shall I say hello?"

"I'm not in the bloody mood, Neeley," he mumbled, looking glumly into the fire. "Go away."

"I was just trying to..."

"You were just trying to annoy me, and it worked, so go away," he cut in.

"All right." Neeley rose to leave, taking her parchment and quill in hand. Just before she walked away, however, she turned back. "Do you think your father will enjoy being called Grandpa or merely Gramps?"

Draco froze, his eyes slowly climbing until they reached her evil, ugly, smirking little face. "What did you just say?"

Neeley knew she'd caught him off guard, and the victory coursed through her veins like wildfire. "I'm sure you heard me."

"I did." He nodded and stood, hovering menacingly over the small first year. He watched her expression intently as his mind whirled. Contrary to popular opinion, Draco Malfoy did think out his every move and sentence, very carefully in fact. Being the Prince of Slytherin didn't come naturally; oh no, it never would. He did have a knack that made it easier for him than most, but it still took forethought. Everything took forethought; that was what made him Slytherin in the first place. The ability to think out and foresee every possible scenario of every possible word and movement of his muscles. Of course, he thought to himself with anguish, there was currently one situation he hadn't fully thought out. He sat back down, curiously ignoring the girl. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The gamble didn't pay off. The hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as he heard the girl laugh on her way up the stairs. There would be hell to pay.

"Wait!" He scrambled up and to the staircase. "Why are you laughing?"

Neeley raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic display. "Nervous?"

"Not at all," Draco drawled. "Curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Draco."

"The cat won't be the only thing if you send that letter."

Neeley stopped; this was the Draco she knew. She thought for a moment - not nearly as composed as he - then smiled. "I don't think I believe you. You wouldn't actually harm me; you'd have to answer to your father and mine."

"I have ways, Neeley. Keep in mind that a few months of safety at home is nothing compared to what you'll get the rest of the year at Hogwarts."

"I remember," came her nonchalant reply as she skipped up the girls' steps. Steps he could not follow her on to continue the conversation. Draco let out a strangled groan and returned to his seat.

~*~

"You've told him?" Hermione asked gently. She needn't have; she could tell by the sticky trail of dried tears on Ginny's cheeks as she sat close to the girl.

"I did."

"What did he say?"

Ginny looked over to her friend, a fresh batch of tears falling. "How could I have been so stupid, Hermione? How could I have betrayed everything I knew for him?"

For once in her life, Hermione was speechless. She had little experience in matters of the heart and even less in the subject at hand. Instead of speaking, she chose to cover Ginny's shaking hand with her own in what she hoped was a comforting nature.

"I knew he wouldn't take it well," Ginny continued. "I wasn't expecting snuggles or comforting words or anything like that. But he didn't have to be so cold!"

Hermione squeezed her hand lovingly. She knew she was the only person Ginny would, or could, confide in. She also knew that Ginny would have been a great friend had the situation been reversed. Not that it would have been. Draco Malfoy! She shuddered; he was barely even human! She still didn't understand that part and probably never would.

But then again, Ginny would probably never understand what made Ron so attractive to her, and he was attractive.

Ginny looked up. "I don't want to tell my family."

"I don't blame you." Hermione smiled sadly. "But you must, and you know it."

Ginny nodded. "I don't know how. I can't simply send them an owl saying, 'I'm having a future Death Eater's baby. How's everything at home?' It wouldn't be right. They deserve better than that. They deserve better than me."

"Don't you dare say that, Ginny Weasley!" Hermione admonished. "Your family loves you and... Even though they'll be shocked, it won't make them love you any less."

"I know, but I can't stand the thought of them all being so disappointed in me. They've always stood behind me, protected me. And now... I don't know, Hermione. I don't think

I could bear seeing them pity me again, like they all did after the Chamber of Secrets.

And not only will they be disappointed in me, they'll be disappointed in themselves for not protecting me from this. They shouldn't do that. They didn't cause this. They would have stopped it had they known."

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "but what's done is done, and the Weasleys stand behind each other until the end. They'll be disappointed, I'm sure. And you'll have to face the wrath of your mother -" She smiled a little as Ginny cringed. "But," she continued, "they'll also realize that this baby is part Weasley. Part of them."

"How can you be so kind to me after what I've done?" Ginny asked in earnest. "I've been absolutely horrible, and you're still here. Anyone else would have left me by now."

"I'm your friend," Hermione said simply. "But now I've got class. You should write to your mum though, and if you want, I'll go with you to tell Ron."

She nodded. "Hermione? I'm still not telling who the father is." Hermione nodded solemnly on her way out the door. Ginny sat for a moment before moving to her desk and picking up the quill.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I've done something really horrible, and I'd rather not tell you by...

She crumpled the parchment into a small ball and tossed it in the bin before starting again.

Mum and Dad,

How are you? Things aren't going well here. They're not going as expected. I need to tell you -

The new parchment met the same fate as the last. Ginny sighed as she tried again.

Mum and Dad,

I love you. I want you to keep that in mind until you finish reading this letter. Are you sitting down? Please do.

This letter is the hardest thing I've ever had to put into words. It's rather like writing in a diary, only I know that when you write back, it'll truly be you. Still, it's scary. I found out something today that I have to tell you. I thought about not telling you, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I don't want you to be disappointed in me, but I'm afraid that isn't an option with the news this letter will bring you. Are you sitting down now?

I reckon there's no point in beating around the bush about this. I've got to get it out sometime in this letter. I wish I could tell you in person, but you deserve to know now and not be the last to find out.

I'm beating around the bush again, aren't I? Well, here goes. I'm going to be bringing a new Weasley into the family in a matter of months. I'm not sure yet how many; I haven't seen a MediWitch about it. Actually, you're the first people I've told, except Hermione, who actually told me.

The baby's father won't be part of our lives. It's a decision I have made and will stick with. I know you're wondering what I'm going to do and how I'm going to raise a baby. To tell you the truth, I don't know yet. I do know that I was brought up better than what I've done, and, with that love and support in my background, I can overcome this.

I'll be waiting for your reply, and I hope I haven't lost your love and faith forever.

Your only daughter,

Ginny

Ginny read over the letter and still didn't like it, but it was all she could come up with. Slowly she folded it and stuck it in her pocket, fresh tears staining her face. It would have to work; she simply didn't have the strength to compose anything better. Not today. And she still had to tell Ron; it wouldn't do for him not to know when the inevitable Howler showed up tomorrow.

Without thought, Ginny walked to the Owlery, taking no time to change her mind. Flitterbloom eagerly met her at the door. The poor thing. Ginny loved that owl, but it rarely got to take a letter anywhere fun. She tied the letter to Flitterbloom's ankle and held out a nibble of her biscuit from breakfast. The young owl was almost smiling at her, which made a small smile appear across Ginny's face as well, if only for a brief moment.

~*~

"Draco! Wake up, boy!"

Draco bolted upright in bed, hitting his head on the headboard. He looked around, but found no one awake to be calling his name. Lazily, he lay back down, confused. It was Sunday, for crying out loud. Wasn't he allowed a lie in?

"Draco Malfoy, get your arse out of bed and get over here."

He looked around again, his eyes wide with horror. He knew that voice, upon hearing it fully awake. He should have known that voice in his sleep; he'd just been too deep in a wonderful, fully erotic dream to listen to it properly. "Father?"

Sleep finally leaving him fully, Draco remembered the small, enchanted, diamond figurine his father had given him to take to school, "to enhance communication should the need arise." He pulled it out of the drawer and sat it on his up-drawn knees, looking into the snake's mouth where his father's stern face stared back. There was absolutely no doubt in Draco's mind where this conversation was leading, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Good evening, Father." His voice sounded smaller than he'd hoped, and he winced. No weakness! his head screamed.

"I've just received a letter from Neeley," Lucius began.

Any hope Draco secretly held that his father might have been contacting him for a different reason fled as his heart plummeted to his stomach. His face, however, kept its carefully trained appearance as he coolly nodded and asked, "What did she say?"

"I think you know full well what she said!" Lucius' voice boomed through the room.

Draco glanced around, making sure his dorm mates hadn't woken. "What did she say?" he asked again, this time more rigidly.

A cruel smile crept across Lucius' lips. It made Draco sick to see it; he'd only seen it a few times, and none of them included appetizing outcomes for the people involved. "I've been informed," Lucius said coldly, "that I'm to have an heir."

"You have an heir, Father. Me."

"All right then." Lucius nodded in agreement, noting with amusement that his son was fidgeting fiercely with the figurine. "I've been informed that you are to have an heir."

Without missing a beat, Draco smirked. "And which of the young ladies of Slytherin would be so lucky as to carry a Malfoy heir?"

"Young ladies?" Lucius almost snorted. "I'd hardly call any of the witches in Slytherin at this time young ladies. Neeley, however, did not inform me of this. I was hoping you would shed some light on the subject."

Draco cocked his head, silently praying thanks to the gods that the girl had been smart enough not to play all her cards... yet. "This is the first I've heard of it. You know how women talk, Father. Neeley probably heard a conversation in the girls' dorm that she wasn't supposed to. But I will find out."

"You do that," Lucius said, from the snake's mouth. "I expect a full report by Monday.

Be careful, boy. Many girls would try any treacherous deceit to become part of the Malfoy line. If this is true, be sure of it."

Draco nodded. It was true, all right. "I'm sure it's only a nasty rumor."

"Let's hope so." Lucius gave a small smile. "Although, a new heir would be most valuable. Insurance that the bloodline will not be fading anytime soon."

Draco gave a small snort of disgust. "Are you saying you'd approve of such a scandal on the Malfoy name?"

"Of course not!" The bit of dreamy cover that had overtaken Lucius' face disappeared as quickly as it had come. "Report back to me." He disappeared.

Draco tossed the diamond snake figurine back in the drawer and slammed it shut. Neeley would pay come morning. He settled down into his pillows, waiting for his heart rate to return to normal, so that he could fall back asleep.

~*~

"Ms. Weasley."

Ginny looked up to see a distraught Professor McGonagall standing in the entry to the common room. Professor McGonagall rarely came into the dormitory, which led Ginny to only one conclusion - her mother had received the letter. "Yes, Professor?"

"Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you, if you don't mind."

She wasn't sure, but Ginny thought she could see disappointment and disgust written over the woman's face. "All right." She nodded and stood, following the woman through the halls.

She wasn't at all surprised to find her mother sobbing once she entered Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Mum..." Ginny's voice caught as her mother's tear-stained face looked up to meet her. Guilt washed over her once again as she stood next to her rigid head of house.

"Miss Weasley." Ginny turned to find Professor Dumbledore addressing her and did her best to give him her full attention. "Have a lemon drop?" he asked, holding a small crystal bowl in front of her. Ginny took the sour candy and popped it into her mouth to ease its sudden bout of dryness. "Please, have a seat."

As Ginny sat, her mother broke into a fresh round of sobs. "Does everyone know?" Ginny asked, her voice much less than a whisper. Embarrassment plagued her as she looked around the room. "Mum? Does everyone know?"

Red faced, the woman looked up once more. "You were bold enough to do it, Ginny. Why wouldn't you want everyone to know?" There was the anger Ginny had been anticipating. "Where's Harry?"

"Harry?" Ginny asked. "Why would Harry need to be here for this?"

"This isn't just your doing, Ginny! You can try to be brave and heroic all you want, but someone else was in on this, and he needs to face it with you. I want to know what you're going to..."

Ginny's eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect "O" as she realized what her mother was saying. "Mum, Harry has no need to be here."

Molly was crying again, worse this time. "You mean to tell me that Harry isn't the baby's father? Ginny Weasley! I want to know right this minute!"

No, she really didn't.

"I'm sorry, Mum; I won't tell you that. The baby's father won't be a part of this."

Molly looked at her youngest born with narrow eyes. "I want to know his name, Ginny."

"You won't know his name, Mother. I'm sorry. I wish I could change things, but that is one decision I won't change."

"Does the boy know about the baby?"

"Yes, he does."

"And what did he have to say?"

Ginny thought for a moment; sometimes the truth was best. "He said that sometimes things are better left unsaid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Molly asked, jumping from her seat and turning wildly from her daughter to Dumbledore to McGonagall. "Sometimes things are better left unsaid? Does that mean he'll take no responsibility for this child?"

"I asked him not to..."

Ginny's whispered words almost got lost in her mother's rant. Molly Weasley cried. She yelled. She turned a brilliant shade of red and went quiet. She hugged her daughter and turned her back on her. Not even Headmaster Dumbledore's gentle coaxing could calm the woman until she was ready to be calmed. But nothing hurt Ginny as much as the quiet after the storm.

"Come here, my Ginny," Molly said softly. With gentle tears falling across her cheeks, she gestured for her daughter and hugged the small image of herself as she pulled her into her lap. "It's not much longer we'll be able to do this."

Ginny let a soft sob escape her. "I'm so lucky to have you, Mum."

"We'll get through this. We've been through worse. At least babies are something I've got experience with." Molly smiled sadly as her daughter gave a small nod. "Tell me though, Ginny; do you love the baby's father?"

"Yes," came the small whisper.

"Then why would you deprive him of the beauty of his child?"

If there was one weakness to Molly Weasley, it was her love of family. Ginny's mother would probably understand the reasoning if she were to admit who the father was, but that would cause far too many complications. "Everyone is better off, Mum."

"Is the baby better off being fatherless? Do you think so little of this boy?"

"No! I don't. Just trust me. Please? I know this is the best way to go."

It saddened Molly to no end that her daughter thought she couldn't confide in her, but she respected the decision which had been made. She nodded gently and held her daughter a few more minutes, stroking her soft hair as she'd done when the girl was a child. She was still a child! Molly fought off the oncoming torrent of tears and stayed strong for her daughter. Ginny would need all the strength and support the Weasley family could muster, and far be it from Molly Weasley not to lead the pack in the right direction. There would be time later to break down; now was not the time.