Secrets

CHAPTER 17

Draco's eyes grew hard and Ginny whirled around.

"Were you going to tell me?" Harry asked, standing just on the other side of the rack. Ron and Hermione stood on either side of him.

"I don't recall receiving any owls from you," she informed him snidely, wondering what they were all three doing in Diagon Alley.

Harry's eyes darkened. "Where is she?"

"With the nanny," Draco spat.

"You love this don't you?" Harry growled. "You just love pretending like you're raising my child, don't you?"

"I'm not pretending," Draco smirked, his pale hair falling across his forehead. "I'm doing it."

"Ginny," Hermione interrupted softly, "your parents are here. They'd love to see you."

Suddenly she remembered that school started soon. They were probably shopping for their books and such. She couldn't believe that she had grown so accustomed to being a Malfoy that she hadn't even thought once about getting her school books; she had assumed the house elves would do it. She felt a strange hollowness in her stomach. She used to love the day they came to London to do their school shopping, and now she was so spoiled, she had completely forgotten about it. Shopping in London now was a weekly, sometimes daily experience, not a once a year treat. Ginny chose her words carefully. "And to think, all this time I was only an owl away."

Harry's lips tightened and his nostrils flared, but he turned away from Draco and asked Ginny, "What's her name?"

"Andromeda," she answered.

"Another star name," Ron said disdainfully, speaking up for the first time. "I should have known. All the Malfoy's are named after constellations, aren't they?"

"It's actually a galaxy," Ginny said dryly. "And Tonk's mother had the same name."

"So were the Black's," Draco interjected. "Like Sirius."

"Don't talk about him," Harry hissed, lunging forward.

Quickly Ginny inserted herself between them and held up her hands. "Stop it!"

Harry's gaze caught on her hand and slowly he took hold of it and stared at the huge, two carat diamond that graced her finger. Mechanically, his eyes made their way to Draco's finger, and focus on the matching band encircling his finger. "You married him?"

Draco was shaking with silent laughter.

"Obviously," Ginny told him.

"One day," Harry shook his head, "all of this is going to be over, and I'm going to come back for my child."

"Not unless you tell my parents," she retorted.

"And only if the Dark Lord doesn't get you first," Draco couldn't resist saying.

"He already told them!" Ron snapped. "You're such a selfish cow you would have never even known. They sent you owls!"

"What?" she asked slowly, feeling Draco tense beside her.

"Why don't you ask him where the owls went?" Ron snapped.

"Ron, stop," Hermione interrupted them.

"Please tell me," Draco said coldly, "that you had enough sense to inform them that it was important my parents not find out about Potter."

"Of course," Hermione said quickly. "They just want-"

"No," Ginny interrupted. "No. They couldn't forgive me when they thought it was Draco, but now they can? No. It should have been about forgiving me, not the father."

"You are talking about your mum and dad," Ron's voice was disbelieving.

"I don't think so. They haven't been my parents in a long time."

Harry shook his head. "I don't even know who you are."

"Maybe you never did," Draco spat. "Let's go pay." He turned and headed for the cashier, but Ginny stayed still.

"It was never my intention to hurt you," she said quietly.

Harry snorted and turned to go, Ron at his side and Hermione staring at Ginny with red eyes, biting her lip.

"It wasn't! I didn't expect Draco to come into my life. I didn't expect you to, either. You have other things to take care of first. Like yourself."

"Whatever," he muttered, staring angrily at her. "I can give my daughter everything he can!"

"You don't love me. I was selfish. I wanted someone to love me. I know you don't, not the way I wanted to be loved. We already decided that. We said, 'Let's not make a big deal out of this, it was a one time thing'!"

"Ready?" Draco's voice echoed in her ear. He put his arm around her waist and his lips brushed against her ear. "Let's go."

She glanced over her shoulder once and wondered what school was going to be like, what life was going to be like. He doesn't love me. I did the right thing.