Cliched

There was a knock on the door. "It's us, Gin, let us in! Hey that rhymed..."

"What's the password?" Ginny yelled from the breakfast nook.

"We can Apparate in?" Ron asked from behind her. Ginny laughed sarcastically. "Hey Gin, c'mon now, gimme a hug."

"Fine, I guess I'll have to..." she said sarcastically. Ginny stood up and hugged her brother. "Hey Ferret."

"Hey Weasel," he said, friend-like as he hugged Ginny.

Draco and his mother were never really on Voldemort's side. They had been spies for Dumbledore, which wasn't to Lucius' knowledge, who had died while he had been in Azkaban. Draco, and several other Slytherin spies, fought beside Dumbledore's Army in the Great War. That is why Pansy and Ginny were such good friends; Ginny had known Pansy was a spy for Dumbledore. He and Ron had gotten quite close, as they fought together as brothers in arms during the War. Who would have thunk it, the Weasleys and Malfoy together, like friends. How unrealistic...

"Hey, who is this, Ferret?" asked Ginny, looking about the little boy hiding behind Draco's legs.

"He's my son," he explained. "Don't be shy, say hello." The little boy came out from behind Draco and stoutly stuck out his right hand.

"Hello, my name is Tristan Malfoy, and I'm three years old," he said boldly while sticking up three fingers on his left hand. Ginny gasped inwardly. This boy was adorable, what, with his little sweater vest and button-up shirt combo with khaki shorts, curly brown hair and pale grey eyes, just like his father's.

"Why, hello Tristan Malfoy, my name is Ginny Weasley and I'm twen-" Ron cleared his throat-"thirty-three years old," she finished, glaring daggers at her brother. Draco smirked. "Well," Ginny sniffed, "you know where everything is, we'll be back later tonight. Bye."

But Ron stopped her before she could reach the door. "Gin," he said in a low voice, "are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Later," she whispered back.

"Come, Ginny, let us proceed to the lands of relaxation," said Pansy in a Charlton Hesston-like voice.

"Okay, bye!" Ginny grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

"When did Ferret have a son, he's so adorable!" said Ginny.

"I know!"

"Who is his mother?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Oh...Draco's wife, you never knew, did you?" Ginny shook her head. "Tristan's mother's name was Anne, she...died. From cancer. She was always very sickly."

"Oh..." Ginny replied, because she didn't know anything else sympathetic to say, she never did.

They started walking around Diamond District, a more, expensive, high-maintenance version of Diagon Alley. "What first Ginny, on your day? Lunch at a fancy restaurant? Spa?" Pansy offered.

"Um, I'm kind of hungry, so I'll go with lunch," Ginny decided.

"Okay," said Pansy, while linking arms with Ginny. "Where would you like to go? How about that new Chinese place? Um, what is it called, ah, yes, P.F. Changs?"

"Nah, don't feel like Chinese," said Ginny as she wrinkled her nose in dislike and shaking her head.

"What about that cute little Italian place?"

"Oh! That cute little romantic place with-with the fountains?" Ginny said, her face alight.

"Yeah!"

"NO!" Ginny yelled, close to tears. Pansy looked confused. "Pansy, Bucca di Beppo is our place. Mine and Harry's!" She choked back an over-dramatic sob.

"Oh, jeez, Gin," said Pansy, slinging her arm around her sobbing friend. "Maybe you need to eat here to get over him."

"What?"

"You need to take this as a, a step forward," Pansy said, trying to remember all of those stupid, tacky things people said on those soap operas. "Maybe, you should eat here, not as a symbol of your former love, but as a way to say, 'this is over, I don't need him.' For self-renewal."

"Yes," Ginny said, looking up. "For self renewal." Pansy sighed in relief. "Pansy, that has to be the stupidest thing you've ever said, what was that from, Witchy Love Triangle?"

"No," said Pansy, all traces of relief gone, "Love Potions."

"Oh, close."

"Ginny, please, just eat here, it couldn't do any harm, it is just a restaurant," Pansy pleaded. Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," said Ginny. "They do have good food here, anyway." A small smile crept to her face.

"Atta girl!" Pansy slung her arm around Ginny's, as they walked the way to Bucca di Beppo with goofy smiles on their faces. But the smiles stopped when they came to the restaurant.

"Harry..." Pansy whispered worriedly. He was found nuzzling a young, attractive blonde's neck outside of the restaurant on a patio table. "Harry... and Candy," she whispered again.

"In public," Ginny said in disgust. "Pansy..." she said shakily. "Let's...let's go home, I don't wanna be here right row." O Lord, Pansy thought, she's going to cry again. But Pansy put on a friendly face and Apparated Ginny home.

"You guys are back soon," said Draco in the kitchen when they Apparated into the dining room.

"We...didn't feel liking eating out," Pansy lied.

"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked, noticing that Draco and Tristan were the only ones in the house.

"Sabrina got sick at the camp Hermione sent them to, Ron had to pick up her and Nathan," he explained. "I hope you don't mind," he added quickly.

"No, not at all."

"I think I'm going to leave," Pansy said, as she snuck away to the door. After the door closed, there was an awkward silence between Ginny and Draco.

"So, since you're here, I might as well leave," Draco spoke up.

"Oh no, that's okay, you can stay," said Ginny wearily, as she sat down on the sofa. Draco walked up to her.

"Are you okay, Weasel?" Draco asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just tired." Draco looked at her quizzically.

"Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"No," said Ginny, trying to keep her voice level. Unfortunately, she failed. Joining Dumbledore officially and befriending the Gryffindors must have side effects and this was one of them. Kindness. Draco felt sorry for Ginny and felt it was his duty as the only other adult there to be kind and cheer her up.

"No," Draco said softly. "No, you're not okay, tell me what happened." Ginny looked at him intently. She wanted to tell him, she really did. But, from what she knew, she still thought he still the Slytherin jerk who sauntered around Hogwarts with a smirk on his face and put himself on his own pedestal above all others. What she saw, he was a man who actually wanted to know what was bothering her so he could make her feel better. It was something Ginny wasn't used to. She let out a long breath.

"Okay, I'll tell you what happened with me and Harry," she said finally.

"You and Potter? What's Potter got to do with this?" Draco said as if it was a vile liquid spilling out of his lips.

"Ron didn't tell you?" asked Ginny, confused. "Harry left me."

"What?!" said Draco sharply. He didn't actually think Weaslette was going to tell him. He only wanted to appear nice and sincere. As good of an actor as he was, he could never think of anything sympathetic to say in times like these. It simply wasn't in his nature to be soothing and reassuring. But this was Ron's baby sister and he was his friend now, so he had to play nice. "Um, uh, okay, tell me," said Draco awkwardly. "Tell me what happened between you and Pot-Harry."

"Well, he left me for another woman who he had been seeing behind my back." Ginny was breathing harshly, unevenly almost. But Draco, who still didn't know what to say, just sat next to Ginny and lightly stroked her back. "Her, her name is Candy which is short for..." She laughed lightly. "Candida." Draco snorted. "And she's- she's-" She was hiccupping, just about ready to cry. Draco was still quiet, but he cooed and whispered things like, "Sh, sh, it's okay, let it out."

"She's what?" Draco softly asked.

Ginny sniffled loudly. "Nineteen!" she yelled. It was as if a dam finally cracked. Tears flooded down Ginny's face once again. She noticed she let herself go again and laughed at herself. "Pretty pathetic, huh? Well, anyways, he says that, they're...in love and, oh, I don't know, we saw them today, practically making out in PUBLIC!" Ginny laughed again, but more uncontrolled and maniacally.

"Mum?" asked Gabrielle, peeking out of the doorway. "Mum, are you okay?" Ginny didn't answer. Draco answered for her.

"Uh, yeah, Gabby? Why don't you take Tristan and your brother down to the Quidditch Park for a couple hours, okay?" he said.

"Yeah, okay," she replied, looking at Ginny curiously. After the three kids left, Draco turned to Ginny, who was still teary-eyed.

"Do you want me to stay for a couple hours or something?" he asked her. "Or are you fine on your own?" Yes, I want you to stay, Pansy left already, and I need someone to talk to, but I don't want to say it out loud and look pathetic, Ginny thought, besides, you might not want to stay with me, a big load of emotional baggage. I might be interrupting some 'man time' you need, or something and you might not want to talk, anyway... Ginny realized she had been thinking to herself over on silly question for ten minutes straight after Draco poked her on the shoulder and asked again. "Weaslette, do you?"

"Uh-um..." she said awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'll stay," decided Draco, who actually did want to stay. Hey, he was a single man deciding if he wanted to stay with a gorgeous redhead, whose husband just left her. Besides, what else is there to do on a Wednesday night?