Serpent's Bride

Author’s notes: Okay, I’m so sorry to keep everybody waiting ::bows:: gomen, gomen… Here’s Part 11, finally!!! Special thanks to my beta-readers, Alli-chan, Fred and Tuva! Violetjersey, if you’re reading this, why are you not e-mailing me? ^_^ Anyway, this chapter is for Alli-chan. Thank you so much for pulling me out of the dump, Alli! Just what would I do without you!

I don’t know, this chapter is exceptionally longer compared to the other ones and I can’t help but feel I’ve written a 35-page crap here… ^__^ I hope nobody thinks that way.

My thanks to FallenPhoenix for the name suggestion. I’m still deciding though. It was nice talking to you! ^_^ Oh and also to Zuk or something, you know who you are, no? I’m sorry but I can’t seem to remember your name… anyway, it was also nice chatting with you.

]

And last but not the least, to all of you for patiently waiting. Thanks so much!!! Here’s part 11. Enjoy!

Serpent’s Bride XI: Butterbeer and Violet Eyes

The man gave out a very eerie grin. He turned to the woman, his eyes turning cold.

"I’m sorry," the woman said, her voice equally cold. "I know I shouldn’t have done that. I know it wasn’t the right time."

Silence.

Then she smiled as she gave the man a look of irritation. "You know what," she suddenly said, "I take that back! I’m not sorry for what I did with the carriage! I’m just sorry she didn’t die right there on the spot!"

With that, the man smiled. "I know," he simply said.

"You know what?" the woman asked impatiently.

"Change of plans," he replied, his voice low and raspy.

She smiled, showing white, even teeth. "You mean—"

"The right timing."

"Now?"

He turned to her without losing the same, cold smile. He nodded. "Now."

==========

Ginny smiled upon feeling the unusual warmth against her that winter morning. She rolled around and pulled the covers slightly to hide her unclothed body from the cold. Letting out a silly giggle, she tugged the covers again, wrapping it tighter around her. When no one tugged back, she smiled with satisfaction. "Good," she thought. "I’m all alone." Usually, when Draco would decide to stay lazing beside her in the morning, he would often tug all the blankets to keep for himself. Of course, she would tug back, which would often result to a tug of war and would later on end to another luxurious lovemaking session. Her eyes then fluttered open only to see a single red rose resting on top of Draco’s pillow. She sat up and pulled the covers up to her chest, tucking them beneath her arms. She reached for the rose and smiled.

"He never fails," she thought as she brought the fragrant thing to her nose. "Everytime I would wake up all alone." The simple gesture touched her deeply. Perhaps the rose was to remind her that she was his wife, the same woman he would come home to and the same woman he would make love to every night. Perhaps the rose was also a way to show her that she wasn’t just one of his women, women he would ‘do’ at night and leave in the morning, never to come back— she could go on! With that, another silly giggle came out of her lips.

“Just what is this feeling? She found herself asking. She felt happy and terrified at the same time. Everytime she was alone with him, she would feel reluctant but giving, excited but timid. Actually, everything was hard to explain, to understand. "Maybe everything was designed not to be understood," she heard her heart say. She sighed contentedly upon remembering the interesting ‘activity’ they just had the night before.

Ever since that first time, Ginny couldn’t get enough of him. She was sure that Draco felt the same way. For once, Ginny stopped using her own chamber or the other chamber in the east wing and Draco, too, was most unwilling to be left alone at night. Secondly, their passionate need increased so much that they had to make love everytime they were alone, every opportunity they’d get. In his study, in the bathroom, often times in his ‘hidden’ chamber but most of the time in here, in his quarters. But even with all that, Ginny still felt a little uneasy.

Although that stopped the endless and nonsensical bickering and bantering between them, she just couldn’t help but wonder why, every morning, they would just sit there side by side, saying nothing, as if nothing special happened the night before. If they did say something, it would be about shallow things, like the weather or the news and it was always cool and civil. Then he would go out for some business she didn’t even know about, leaving her alone all day. But at night, when he came home to her… she shook her head. At night, in the four corners of this chamber, it would be different. It would be warm, tender. At night, no words were needed, just actions. She just recently discovered that Draco was indeed a very passionate person. She just loved the way he touched her. Slow now, then one moment wild… his lips kissing her everywhere… At that, her face felt suddenly hot.

"That’s it!" Ginny said aloud, bounding out of bed taking the rose with her. "No more thinking about Draco!" She draped her robe about her. "God knows I’m going crazy thinking about him," she muttered as she hastily made her way towards the bathroom to wash herself, her hands busy rubbing her face to cool her heated cheeks. Moments later, she emerged, fully dressed. She sat before her vanity, put the rose in one of her drawers and began brushing her hair while humming a soft, Christmas carol. Then she stopped abruptly. Christmas! Tomorrow’s already Christmas! "I haven’t got him anything yet!" She shook her head.

"Hammilton!" she called out suddenly.

Almost immediately, Draco’s ghost valet floated through the wall. "You called Madam?" it asked, levitating behind her.

"Uh, yes," said Ginny frowning. Until now, she wasn’t used to the idea of being called madam, let alone sitting before a ghost servant whom was eagerly waiting for her orders. When the ghost stood there waiting, Ginny cleared her throat. "Okay, I’m not really sure how to say this but," she paused and turned to him, "do you have any idea as to what— what I should give Draco, you know, for Christmas?" she finally finished awkwardly.

At that, ghost looked at her as if she grew three heads at the same time. Ginny frowned at this. Perhaps Hammilton wasn’t used to being asked for his opinions, she thought. Then after a moment, it decided to speak. "Might I suggest that the young Mistress give Master Draco a book or a painting?"

"Oh, but he has dozens of it already," said Ginny rolling her eyes. "Isn’t there anything else he would like?" she asked.

"Well, from what I see the young Master is very fond of books. Muggle books at that," replied Hammilton. Surprisingly, there was a sure lilt in his usual unemotional voice.

Ginny frowned at him thoughtfully. "You know, that surprised me," she said. "I’ve always thought that the Malfoy’s hated everything that had something to do with Muggles."

"Ah, that’s quite true," said Hammilton in his sorrowful voice. "The late Master Lucius was not very fond of Muggle things as well as the young master. However, Master Draco found Muggle art interesting."

"Did his father know about this interest?" Ginny asked.

"No, mistress," the ghost answered. "The young master knew that his father would not approve. As a result, I would often see him reading Muggle literary pieces in secret."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully. So that’s why Draco had that secret chamber built. Just what sort of man was Lucius Malfoy anyway? She asked herself with disgust. Now she was beginning to see what kind of childhood Draco had. The thought tugged at the strings of her heart, the desire to reach out to him becoming stronger. Then she smiled. She knew now what to give him. "Thanks, Hammilton!" she said brightly turning once again to her mirror.

The ghost nodded in acknowledgement. "Would there be anything else, mistress?" it asked formally.

"No, that would be all," said Ginny.

"Very well," said Hammilton before floating away from her. Once alone, Ginny then pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and bounded cheerfully towards their chamber’s massive door. She was about to open it when a soft mew erupted inside the room. She looked down only to see her cat looking up at her with its blue eyes. Smiling, Ginny bent down and picked it up.

"Hi, sweetling. When did you get here?" she cooed, her hands playfully stroking its fur-covered body. She brought it against her chest, savoring its warmth. The cat, in turn, gave a loud satisfied purr. "Do you want to join me for breakfast?" she asked. When the cat gave out a loud mew, Ginny laughed and opened the door.

Taking the cat with her, she then silently made her way towards the dining hall, her eyes traveling to the cheerful Christmas decorations adorning the walls. She looked sideways as she passed the main sitting room. She smiled and took an impressed gasp when she saw the biggest and the most beautiful Christmas tree standing there with piles and piles of gifts under it. On the fireplace hung big stockings overflowing with candies and chocolates. Honestly, she never expected the Malfoys associating themselves actively with the festive season. She continued walking and soon reached the dining hall only to see her mother-in-law sitting there all alone, reading the Daily Prophet.

Narcissa, upon feeling another presence in the room, looked up from her reading and smiled. "Good morning, dear," she greeted.

"Good morning," said Ginny back. When she felt her cat struggling to get free, she then bent and finally let go. The cat then immediately scampered away from her. "You’re all alone. Where’s grandfather?" she asked, straightening.

"Well, Fields told me that Father’s going to be a little late," said Narcissa as Ginny made her way towards the table. She sat next to Narcissa and deftly placed the table napkin on her lap. Moments later, three servants came in carrying trays and coffee cups. When the food was laid before them, she turned to Narcissa only to see her busily placing the Daily Prophet aside. She cleared her throat.

"He’s not feeling sick, is he? She asked worriedly, remembering about what Draco said about Vladimir dying and everything. She looked straight at Narcissa and waited anxiously.

"No, I don’t think so," the older woman said while shaking her head. "Father has these issues when it comes to mornings," she continued as she took her fork and knife and begun cutting her pancake. "Surely you know what sort of man father is, don’t you?" she finished. She looked at her meaningfully at first before taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Yes," said Ginny thoughtfully. But then she felt a little uneasy. Recently, Ginny noticed Vladimir retiring earlier than expected. Usually, his bedtime would be past midnight or later but now it seemed he would get sleepy at around ten or eleven. She also noticed that he would always complain about feeling so tired. Sometimes he would complain about having dizzy spells. She looked away. Was Draco right? Was Vladimir really dying? And what about Narcissa? Did she know everything?

"It seems Draco left early again," said Narcissa after a moment.

Ginny murmured out a soft yes while busily pouring the syrup on her thick, fluffy pancakes.

"I have to ask you, dear," continued Narcissa. "Just where does he go and at this time of day?" she asked curiously.

At that, Ginny stopped. She looked at Narcissa only to see the older woman looking at her with expectation. Of course, Narcissa was expecting for her to know! She was his wife! With that, embarrassment completely washed over her. Just where was Draco anyway? What was she supposed to say? What would Narcissa think of her if she told her she didn’t know? She swallowed hard. "W—well, Draco’s uh--," she paused to think of something to say.

"Yes—," Narcissa prodded.

Ginny mentally swore at Draco. Ooh… he’s going to pay for everything later! She vowed darkly. "Draco’s uh— out on—some business," she finished a little lamely. Then she forced out a smile. "You know, business, like meetings in the Ministry, Gringgots and everything," she said using that convincing voice of hers.

Narcissa sighed, accepting her vague answer. "Oh well, men. They are all the same," she said tiredly, going back to her breakfast. Then chewing slowly, she looked up. "But Ginny dear, do tell Draco not to work too hard, all right?" she asked after swallowing her food. "I terribly miss him during breakfast. It’s a good thing that you and your grandfather are quite used to this, yes?"

Ginny smiled. "I always do that, mother," she replied with a straight face.

Then they continued their breakfast in silence, with Narcissa finishing her coffee and Ginny finishing her first pancake. She was about to get her second helping when loud, heavy footsteps echoed inside the hall. She looked up to see Vladimir’s huge form entering the dining hall. Immediately, she smiled with relief. Then her smile withered upon seeing a spherical, custard-colored creature against his arms. When a pink tongue slithered across the table, Narcissa’s eyes nearly popped out her head.

"You know," Ginny began as Vladimir took his usual seat at the head of the table while spanking the creature’s tongue. In return, it slithered back into its’ mouth before touching Narcissa’s toasts, muffling out a soft pained cry, "I was about to say ‘good morning’ but I have to ask—," she paused and looked at the creature’s round body. "Why do you have a Puffskein with you?" she asked looking at the older man and pointing at the Puffskein wonderingly.

Vladimir gave a hearty laugh. "Chandler gave this little tyke to me as an early Christmas present!" he boomed merrily as he gave the Puffskein one last pat before letting it on the floor. Narcissa’s silver eyes followed it with subtle disgust. "Good man, Chandler, never forgets to give me presents! I’ve always wanted one, mind you, other than having the complete set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer paperback series," he continued. Ginny found herself laughing upon noting the hinting tone in his voice.

She shook her head. "I’m sorry but I’ve already bought your Christmas present," she said as she lightly buttered her bread. Now that was weird. She thought. Recently, she had just learned that those Muggle paperbacks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer paperbacks in particular, were actually included in Vladimir’s book collection. "How crazy can you get?" she found herself asking. "I wouldn’t be surprised if I find Muggle romance novels there too." The thought made her smile with amusement. "Now world," she said to herself, "this is a concrete example of a rich, funny but eccentric half-vampire. Take a good look!"

"Aw, too bad!" Vladimir said soberly as he started eating his breakfast. "The last volume I read was a damn cliff-hanger!"

"Well, you can always go to Flourish and Blotts," said Narcissa delicately.

"Blasted bookshop I tell yeh!" Vladimir exclaimed. The two women looked at him wonderingly, obviously used to his sudden outbursts. "It would take them forever to have the next volume out!"

"Well that’s because Buffy the Vampire Slayer paperbacks are from the Muggle community," explained Ginny patiently.

"If you want, you can go to a Muggle bookshop and buy all the Buffy stuff they’ve got there," she suggested.

"What? And scare the hell out of those Muggles?" he said with disgust. "I tell yeh those bunch of people are a strange lot," he continued, stirring his coffee while shaking his head in pity, "I remember one time, I went to a Muggle bookshop and people there just stared at me as if I were some kind of— Screwt or Flobberworm or something! Stupid, odd creatures! Though I don’t have anything against their technological ingenuity, mind you," he babbled on while busying himself with his own breakfast.

"Oh I couldn’t agree with you more," said Ginny with total agreement. "Muggles are interesting people. Their technological development is very fast, evolving rapidly to answer to their ever increasing needs," she concluded remembering the many times she had interacted with them.

Narcissa nodded. "Oh very much indeed," she supplied while mildly wiping her mouth. "I even wonder how those people survive without any magic at all. No owls, no wands and spell books whereas I won’t know what to do without any of it! I most probably won’t survive at all!" she exclaimed.

Ginny nodded as she busied herself with putting cream and sugar in her coffee. Vladimir, in turn, grunted and murmured his approval. She was about to drink her coffee when Vladimir’s loud voice suddenly echoed inside the hall.

"Yeah, speaking of Muggles, Virginia," Vladimir suddenly barked. Ginny turned her attentions immediately to him, completely forgetting her coffee. "I must have a chat sometime with your father. I’ve always been interested in their strange and bizarre way of living. He’s an expert when it comes to Muggle studies, is he not?"

"Why, yes. Yes, my father’s quite knowledgeable when it comes to Muggle things, if that’s what you mean," she replied, putting her coffee cup down. "Which reminds me, this is your lucky day. I just received an owl yesterday from my mum inviting us all for a Christmas dinner at the Burrow and—"

"Ah, excellent, excellent," boomed Vladimir while vigorously nodding and rubbing his hands. "Of course we should all go. What did your husband say?"

Ginny blinked upon the mention of Draco’s name. "Oh, uh, he said— that he has nothing against it as long as mother," she paused and turned to Narcissa, "has nothing special planned for the evening," she finally finished.

Vladimir, in turn, looked at Narcissa expectantly.

Narcissa’s eyebrows immediately went up a notch. "Oh, I— don’t have anything special planned out, as a matter of fact," she replied. Then she clapped her hands together once. "Oh, that would be so delightful! I’ll owl Molly right away to tell them we’ll be coming," she added. Then she smiled wistfully. This would be the first Christmas they would have without Lucius. The thought made her somewhat glad. Christmas before was nothing compared to this.

Before, Narcissa wasn’t permitted to decorate the manor or even put up a Christmas tree or anything that had to do with the festive season. Even gift-giving was almost non-existent. Lucius hadn’t given her anything but spending money and to Draco, he would give nothing special but necessities. His broom, hard-bound books about Dark Magic, his own sword. What sort of father would give those things to his son for Christmas?

"My poor Draco," she thought upon seeing Ginny’s smiling face. Unlike Ginny, Draco was ripped off from the childhood he had so deserved, just like any other child. At the very young age of two, Draco was taught not to believe in Santa Claus or in any other childhood fantasy or fairytale. As a result, Draco grew up without a single dreamer’s bone in his body. It made him cold, oftentimes cruel, just as Lucius had wanted. At that, Narcissa hoped that Ginny would be able to pull her son out from the misery his father had deeply buried him into.

"And you my dear," said Vladimir suddenly as Ginny, once again, took hold of her coffee cup, "where are you off to today?" he asked.

"Well, I’ll be out to get something for Draco," replied Ginny. Then she giggled mischievously. "I haven’t got him anything yet. Don’t tell him that, all right?" She was about to bring the cup to her lips to drink the hot liquid when suddenly, a wet, slimy thing coiled around her fingers. Giving out a startled scream, Ginny stood up abruptly and dropped the cup to the floor. It shattered into five pieces, the coffee sloshing everywhere, on her dress, on the white table cloth. The Puffskein, in turn, looked up at them guiltily. But the guilty look immediately disappeared as it smelled the delicious aroma of the coffee against its fur. Its tongue hastily went out, licking the coffee off the floor.

"Bad Puffy!" scolded Vladimir while bending down and spanking the Puffskein whom was too busy to even pay him attention. "Bad, bad Puffy!"

"You named your Puffskein Puffy?" Ginny asked, still having the courage to sound sarcastic. She laughed with amusement. "You might as well name it Buffy! Why change the B to P?"

"Oh the Puffy thing just came out of my lips on impulse," said Vladimir chuckling. "I’m sorry about your coffee, dear, it’s just that—"

"No need to be," said Narcissa suddenly, her eyes wide.

Ginny and Vladimir turned to her only to see her looking at floor, her eyes getting wild. The two then diverted their attentions back at the Puffskein only to see it gagging. Just then, Narcissa cried with surprise and disgust upon seeing ‘Puffy’s’ mouth foaming. Ginny immediately bent down with Vladimir following suit.

"What—what—" Ginny stuttered upon seeing the Puffskein rolling around wildly, its mouth still foaming out a white, creamy substance. Then seconds after, it stopped. It was dead.

Vlad immediately tossed the dead Puffskein aside. Looking at the Puffy-free pool of coffee before him, Vladimir then slowly touched it with his forefinger. He grimly brought the finger to his nose, sniffing lightly. Ginny looked at him frowning with confusion while Narcissa went about the room calling for servants to clean the mess. Just then he swore loudly. Narcissa immediately stopped.

"What?" Ginny asked as Vladimir stood up. She stood up as well. "What? What happened?" she demanded.

Vladimir turned to her, his face grave. "Poison," was all he said before pacing the room back and forth.

"Poison?" Ginny and Narcissa both asked at the same time.

"What do you mean, Grandfather?" Ginny asked.

Vladimir stopped and turned to her. "Your coffee had poison in it," replied Vladimir quietly.

At that, Ginny’s jaw dropped with astonishment, unable to say anything. Upon noting her surprised silence, Vladimir looked away. First it was the carriage, now her coffee… he took a deep breath, his eyes blinking fast. Seems like Virginia’s having a lot of ‘accidents’ lately. He surmised, his suspicions growing stronger.

Snapping out of her trance, Ginny immediately bent down to examine the spilled coffee, sniffing it lightly. "Egg shell of Runespoor, Sea serpent blood and chopped roots of poison ivy," her brain immediately rattled on recognizing the different pungent scents up close. "Xiphias Potion!" her brain suddenly hissed. Just then she stood up aghast. She looked at the dead Puffskein lying on the floor horrifyingly. If not for ‘Puffy’ she would’ve been dead by now! Just who would want her to drink a strong potion used by illegal wizard traders for tranquilizing dangerous marine magical beasts? Vladimir was right. It was poison. To humans and other domesticated creatures, that is. But then, the thought of someone serving her Xiphias potion INTENTIONALLY was really absurd! Maybe everything was just an accident. Maybe it was as simple as that.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked anxiously. When she saw the pensive expression on his face and the thoughtful statements on Ginny’s, she moaned. "Oh, not today please. Not now, it’s Christmas-"

"Eggshell of Runespoor, Sea serpent blood and chopped roots of poison ivy," narrated Ginny while facing Vladimir. "Xiphias," she finally concluded.

"Most likely," said Vladimir. He nodded thoughtfully. Who would want Virginia dead?

Ginny turned away, too preoccupied with her own thoughts. What’s more— who would concoct such a potion? "If I remember correctly, eggshell of Runespoor and Sea Serpent blood could only be purchased in Knockturn Alley," she said to herself. Yes, that’s right. She could still remember Snape’s voice clearly inside her head.

"And what about the Xiphias potion? Weasley!"

"Rare, professor, for the ingredients are not for sale in any common apothecary. Most of the ingredients could be found, however, in any Dark Wizard shops like Knockturn Alley."

"What are the ingredients?"

"Runespoor liver, Sea serpent blood and chopped roots of poison ivy."

"Ten points from Gryffindor! It’s eggshell of Runespoor not liver for your information Ms. Weasley. I swear, you’re becoming like Granger and Weasley more and more everyday. A daft know-it-all and a clever blockhead!"

"You are not to go out today, Virginia," said Vladimir suddenly as two servants immediately went inside the dining hall to clean the mess. "Heaven knows what sort of ‘accident’ is in store again for you and—"

"But Grandfather!" Ginny exclaimed.

"No, Virginia," he said firmly. "You listen to me, girl! I don’t know what is out there right now. We don’t know who wants to get you and I absolutely—"

"Who wants to get me?" Ginny replied back unbelievingly. She shook her head while pacing back and forth before the old man. "This is ridiculous! No one’s out to get me, Grandfather. It’s just pure accident," she continued, tossing her hands up into the air, "For all we know—"

"Two accidents in the same month?" Vladimir said loudly. "Really Virginia—"

"Can’t we just settle this as peacefully as possible?" asked Narcissa softly upon feeling the rising strain in the air. It shocked her to find out how stubborn Ginny could be if she wanted to. But then, Vladimir was equally stubborn too. Put them together and everything would be a losing battle for both parties, really. Then she shook her head. "What is happening? It’s the day before Christmas and bad things are happening!" she lamented. Perhaps she was wrong. This Christmas was no better than the ones they had when Lucius was still alive.

"Nothing is happening, mother," said Ginny firmly. She shot a meaningful look towards Vladimir’s direction. "It was just an accident. Probably one of the house elves uh—unintentionally put the potion in my coffee. They most likely mistook it for the warming potion I requested. Maybe it wasn’t even supposed to be placed in my coffee! Maybe it was just placed before me by chance and I think—"

"Virginia, if I say that—"

"Grandfather please," said Ginny in her soft and imploring voice. "Look, I will just go out and buy something for Draco. It won’t take long, I promise."

"If you want to give him something for Christmas then just go and do something damn different in bed for tonight! Put up an exotic dance or something!" Vladimir exclaimed.

"Father! Really!" Narcissa blurted out, her hand flying to cover her mouth as Ginny’s face went suddenly red. Vladimir looked at Ginny meaningfully.

For a moment there, Ginny thought about the slinky, red lingerie Hermione and the rest of the girls gave her. Then she shook her head. No, the last thing that she wanted to do was wear something like that in front of Draco. She turned to the old man and frowned at him with disapproval but nevertheless blushing while Narcissa’s eyes widened with shock.

Vladimir ignored the reaction of the two women before him and cleared his throat. "I just can’t believe you are going through all this trouble for that boy! Buying him something for Christmas! Why didn’t you buy it sooner?" he barked.

"I— I forgot," replied Ginny lamely. Well, in truth, she did! Everytime Draco was around, there was just no time to think about buying Christmas presents! All it would take for her to forget was just a kiss, then a bit more and before she knew it, it was already too dark to go out, the thought of buying presents already far from her mind! She turned to him, deploying her sweetest, lost-puppy-eyed look that could melt even the coldest of hearts. "Please?"

Vladimir frowned at her, still not sure. With that, Ginny shook her head tiredly.

"I’ll be quick. I’ll apparate. I will just go out and buy something and I’ll go home afterwards. I won’t talk to strangers or— or accept any drinks or coffee from them—"

"I don’t know, Virginia," said Vladimir, shaking his head. "I have a bad feeling about this," he silently thought. "Just what would that boy say to us if he comes home here to find you all bloody, or worse, dead? With your husband away, surely we are responsible for—"

"He’ll be happy?" her brain replied. Ginny sighed and shook her head. "Look, he has a name and it’s Draco and I thank you for worrying about me that much," she said, a soft smile grazing her face. "But I promise I will be careful," she vowed, raising her right arm.

With that, Vladimir’s stern expression lightened a bit. He stared at her for a while before shaking his head in defeat. "Fine, go," he said after a moment. "You’re a stubborn girl, I see. But if anything happens to you, I’ll kill the prat with my bare hands and throttle your husband later!"

She laughed. "Thanks!" Ginny said brightly as she got her wand out and flicked against her dress. Almost immediately, the coffee stain disappeared. "I’ll be back before you know it,"

"Just go before I change my mind," growled Vladimir as he waved his hand as a sign of dismissal. He gruffly turned away from her.

Ginny let out a giggle. Turning to Narcissa’s bothered disposition, she smiled. "Isn’t he a darling?" she asked jovially.

In spite of everything, Narcissa found herself smiling. She just couldn’t believe that Ginny still had the courage to laugh at everything, particularly at Vladimir. Indeed, she was a very different girl. She surmised. She secretly wondered how Draco handled this woman. Their personalities clashed terribly. "Just be careful, dear," was all she could think of saying.

"I will," said Ginny as Fields handed her her coat. She then quickly put it on. "I’ll see you later," she said before swishing her wand and disappearing before their very eyes.

==========

"Do you think that I could get it tonight?" Ginny asked Mr. Archer later that day. She had just finished her transaction, buying everything through owl order. For Draco’s present, she had decided to get him a set of Muggle novels, Jostein Gaarder’s novels to be exact. Judging from Draco’s personality, she thought that he would find novels centering around history and philosophy absolutely worth reading. Besides, those were the only novels she didn’t find in his Muggle book collection. She looked at the storekeeper unsurely, biting her lower lip while standing before the glass counter in a very curious bookshop she frequented in Hogsmeade.

"I guarantee you, Mrs. Malfoy, that you will get everything tonight," the shopkeeper replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "I just sent Albert an owl informing him of your purchases," said Mr. Archer, peering at her through his small square glasses. "He is currently working in a Muggle bookshop somewhere in London and I assure you, you will get everything that you ordered tonight," he supplied.

"Oh all right," said Ginny, finally convinced. Then she granted him a smile. "Thank you very much Mr. Archer," she said politely.

"It ‘s always a pleasure, young Virginia," the old man said fondly. "Do come again soon."

Ginny smiled as she gathered her purse. "I believe I will," she replied amiably. "Merry Christmas!"

The old man chuckled. "A Merry Christmas to you too!" he said.

With that, Ginny gave him one last smile and turned around. She made her way towards the shop’s exit when suddenly someone caught her eye. Frowning, she stopped and looked around only to find a pair of violet eyes staring at her from the bookshelf not far away from the shop’s door. Her heart gave a sudden loud thud, realization hitting her.

When her brown eyes met her violet ones, the woman then hurriedly made her way towards the exit, her black cloak billowing behind her. She hastily threw the doors open and ran outside the shop.

"Wait!" Ginny called out as she ran after the departing woman. "Wait please!"

But the girl continued walking briskly away from her, as if deaf to her voice. Ginny tried her best to catch up to the fleeing woman, desperately fighting her way through the swarm of last minute Christmas shoppers.

"Wait!" Ginny called out loudly, unmindful of the curious stares the people gave her. She ran towards her. "Bianca Fairfax!"

At the mention of the name, the woman finally stopped. She turned to Ginny, her expression unreadable.

Ginny then hurriedly made her way towards her, afraid that she would change her mind, turn around and run away, or worse, disapparate. When she finally reached her, huffing and puffing, her cheeks rosy with the sudden exercise, she looked at her with confusion and shock at the same time. Questions immediately flooded her head. Was this Bianca Anne Fairfax? But she was dead, right? Did she just simply vanish? Just what the hell was she thinking? Chasing a complete stranger halfway through— she was about to apologize, turn and walk away when the woman gave her a humorless smile.

"I see you already know," the woman said suddenly.

Ginny blinked at her in surprise. "Know what?" she asked, heaving a little. "You’re Bianca Fairfax, are you not?" she asked after a moment, noting her long black hair and violet eyes.

Instead of answering, the woman turned around. She was about to walk away from her when she suddenly stopped. Turning to Ginny, she narrowed her eyes. "Would you like to know who I am?" she asked.

At that, Ginny’s head went on a fierce debate on whether to go with the woman or not. She stared at her first, thinking. But curiosity winning, she then reluctantly nodded in agreement, completely forgetting her promise to Vladimir. "To the Three Broomsticks then?" she asked. Well, if they should talk then it would be better to do it somewhere where it’s crowded, right? She thought.

"Very well then," the woman said, turning around and beckoning for her to follow. They walked in silence amidst the noise and snow around them. After several minutes of walking, they reached the famous café’s doors. The woman let Ginny enter first.

"Hi Ginny!" Madam Rosmerta immediately called upon seeing her taking her usual table. Ginny smiled as the owner zigzagged her way towards them. "Your usual?" she asked upon reaching their table. Her eyes traveled to the silent lady behind her. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Ginny.

"Yup!" Ginny answered as the black-haired woman took her seat across from her. "Hot butterbeer for a cold winter day. So how are the kids?" she added. Then she turned to her companion, smiling. Upon seeing the sharp and uninterested expression on her face, Ginny then decided not to introduce her at all. It seemed like Madam Rosmerta too noticed the cold and unfriendly disposition of the woman that she didn’t even bother asking Ginny about her.

"Oh, they are fine!" Madam Rosmerta answered laughing, finally deciding to ignore Ginny’s strange companion. "Dana’s almost four now and Pete two! And she learned one word today!" the woman exclaimed proudly.

Ginny smiled. "Which is?"

"Oh, the usual," Madam Rosmerta said, waving her hand delicately. "Dada."

With that, Ginny laughed while her lady companion gave out a soft impatient snort. Just then, Madam Rosmerta turned serious.

"So how’s married life going?" she asked Ginny after a moment.

"Oh, everything’s great," said Ginny without thinking. Then her smile turned to a slight frown upon noting the amused look the strange woman gave her.

Madam Rosmerta laughed. "So I take it, it won’t be long now till you announce a new addition to the community?" she asked meaningfully. Of course, she had meant children by it.

"W- well, I don’t know," Ginny stammered, forcing out a smile. She looked down upon feeling her face getting warm. "We shall see."

"Very well then," the lady owner said finally, "So, you’ll have one hot butterbeer and—" She turned to Ginny’s companion questioningly.

"Same," the woman answered curtly, without looking at her.

Madam Rosmerta nodded. "Two hot butterbeers then," she declared before walking away from them.

Once alone, Ginny stared at the woman sitting across from her closely. Noting the unusual hue of her eyes, the deep black color of her hair and her peaches and cream complexion, Ginny couldn’t help but admit that the woman had a rare classic beauty that she often saw in her history books. She was wearing a dark blue dress robe that was fitted perfectly to flaunt the delicate but sensual curves of her body to its advantage. It brought out the violet color of her eyes even more, making her look mysterious and intense at the same time. "She is the woman version of Draco," her brain unwillingly said. Subtle envy immediately washed over her. If this was Bianca Fairfax then surely she couldn’t blame Draco for wanting her before!

After a moment, Madam Rosmerta came back with their butterbeers. "Here you go ladies," she said serving them two, steaming mugs of the popular drink. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you," murmured Ginny. Madam Rosmerta nodded in acknowledgement before walking away from them.

Alone at last, Ginny took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the beverage before her. Then she looked at the woman sitting across from her. "Who are you?" Ginny finally asked.

The woman turned to her, her hand closing in on the mug handle. "Don’t worry, I’m not Bianca," she answered callously. She paused and took a tiny sip of her butterbeer.

Ginny frowned at the indirect answer. "If you’re not Bianca then why—why—"

"I’m her twin," the woman said, putting the mug down delicately. "Rebecca Fairfax."

Ginny’s jaw dropped. She stared at her, unable to speak a word. Just then, Rebecca let out a soft heavy laugh, eyeing her sharply. "Go on," she said. "Ask."

At that, Ginny frowned defiantly at her. "What makes you think that I want to ask you something?" she asked, her voice turning cold.

Rebecca shook her head. "I can see right through you, Virginia," she said. Ginny gasped upon hearing her name coming out of her lips. How did she know her? "And besides, you chased me down the street, remember?" she finished with light amusement.

Ginny tried her best to control her temper. She couldn’t believe this woman! She sounded just like Draco! Everything about her was very much like him! She had the same arrogant smirk, the same arrogant tone that never failed to drive her furious! With that, she took a deep, calming breath. "Tell me everything," she finally said.

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. "Why should I?"

"Because I want to know everything."

Rebecca stared at her for a long time, her eyes boring through her. Ginny tried her best to look away but she found herself staring back at the mesmerizing pair of violets piercing right through her. Just then she felt something hot inside her head. Then pain, excruciating pain. She closed her eyes, her hands immediately going to her temples. She heaved as the pain grew worse. It felt like her head was splitting apart with phantom hands delving deeper inside her mind. She forced her eyes open only to feel the intensity of her stare, seeping at her soul. Just then, everything stopped. The pain already gone. Ginny’s lower trembled as she stared at Rebecca.

"What did you to me?" Ginny asked, heaving. She felt her hands warming once again when the pain slowly ebbed away. "What are you?"

Rebecca smirked. "I just played around inside your head," she said mysteriously, disregarding her second question. "You want to know everything, right?"

For a moment there, Ginny wondered why this woman suddenly decided to stop jesting her. Was it true then? Did she really see something inside her head? After all, she felt something unexplainable digging deep inside her, not just her mind but also her soul. It was as if she was reading her. The thought scared her a little. If so, then what kind of woman was she to have such powerful magic? Was it dark magic even? She could’ve easily driven her mad! Ooh, why didn’t she think of Vladimir? At that, she decided to just stare at her silently, waiting but cautious.

When Rebecca realized that no words would be uttered back at her, she cleared her throat. "Draco was a childhood friend," she said finally, sensing the sudden hostility in the air. "We were seven, Bianca and I, when we met him."

"Met him?" Ginny asked frowning.

Rebecca nodded. "My father and his father were business associates," she replied. She paused and took a sip of her butterbeer. Then after a moment, she spoke once again. "Since they were business associates, we would often invite them to dinner or parties—"

"Were you not even aware that Lucius was a Death Eater? That he was in league with Voldemort?" Ginny asked astonished, horrified at the thought that a normal wizarding family would even invite a man like Lucius for dinner.

"My parents were Death Eaters," said Rebecca curtly. When she saw the horrified look Ginny gave her, she smirked. "Does that answer your question?"

"Go on," replied Ginny instead, quite taken aback.

"Well, my parents may have been Death Eaters but my sister and I were not brought up to care about any of it," she continued, her voice somewhat getting misty. "Although it was clear to everyone that Lucius was trying his best to rear up his son for that dark profession, still, Draco was just merely a boy."

"Which is—," Ginny prodded.

"Draco didn’t actually take anything seriously at that time, being a child and all. Obviously, he wasn’t even aware of what was expected of him. He wasn’t aware of just how much importance his future role would have in Voldemort’s circle," answered Rebecca. "I can still clearly remember, he was a sweet boy back then. We used to play all day and not care about anything. Apparently, Draco and Bianca became the closest."

"But Lucius killed your twin, right?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

"Lucius killed her because Bianca, with her sweet spirit, was slowly softening Draco up. He knew that my twin was becoming someone dear to his son. We were not interested in the Dark Arts or Voldemort and Lucius was afraid of what our friendship to Draco might have encouraged him to do. He was afraid of our influence. Apparently, he also did not want Draco to have any weaknesses since they could have been used against him. And if they grew older, it was without a doubt that Bianca would’ve become his weakness," said Rebecca, her eyes turning dark. Ginny didn’t miss the anger in her voice and at that, she felt her heart going out to her. "Unfortunately, with Lucius’ demented but scheming mind, he saw this as an opportunity to gear Draco up. He encouraged the friendship, getting them closer as ever. Then when the friendship deepened, he killed her, in front of his son."

Ginny gasped with horror. It was terrible! "Lucius was the devil himself!" her brain hissed. She shut her eyes momentarily as memories of Bianca’s death whizzed inside her head. Lucius was not cruel. She thought. He was ruthless! He gave Draco a childhood trauma, one that couldn’t be easily forgotten. He was the one who taught Draco to hate! He was the one who taught him to be harsh and cruel! He made what Draco what he was! At that, anger rose within her. Was Vladimir aware about this? She strongly wished that that monster was alive right now so that she could kill him with her bare hands!

"How did you know all this?" Ginny asked horrified. "How did you know of his plans?"

"I saw right through him," the other woman replied shortly. "But nobody listened. After all, I was just eight." She stopped and took a deep breath. "He did not only kill my sister, he killed my whole family. I think it was Voldemort’s order, though I don’t have any idea as to why he would order Lucius to finish my whole family off!" continued Rebecca bitterly. "I was the only who survived. After that, things were never the same again."

"Where did you go after all that?" Ginny suddenly asked.

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. "We were talking about Draco, not me," she replied sharply. "I never saw Draco again. Never made an attempt."

Upon hearing that, Ginny would’ve nodded as a sign of acceptance but her ears perked up when she noted the sentimental tone of her voice. Her suspicions deepened when she saw the subtle sparkle of her eyes. She shook her head slowly. "You love him don’t you?" she asked hoarsely.

Rebecca’s eyes widened with the sudden question. Then afraid that she had said too much, she immediately looked away, putting up her strong emotional barrier once again. "It was my sister that he loved," she said flatly. "He found nothing special in me."

"But— you were only eight! How can you even—"

"That emotion knows no age, Virginia," said Rebecca. Then her face softened a little. "You’re very much like Bianca, I see," she said quietly. "I can’t blame him for choosing you." For a moment there, Ginny saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"You’ve come after him then?" Ginny asked while looking at her sharply. It surprised her to find out that her blood was actually boiling with rage as jealousy and anger flared inside her. Then to Ginny’s astonishment, Rebecca shook her head.

"What good would that do?" she replied enigmatically. Then she stood up without even bothering to finish her butterbeer. She was about to make her way towards the exit when she suddenly turned to Ginny. "You’d better beware Virginia," she said after a moment. "Beware of the people you trust." With that, Rebecca left seven Sickles on the table, took her wand out and disapparated before Ginny could ask her what she had meant.

==========

"Beware of the people you trust."

It was already near to midnight. Ginny stopped and let the brush down. She looked at her reflection thoughtfully, Rebecca’s last words still ringing inside her head. What did she mean by it? She asked herself. Then she remembered her ‘accidents.’ The carriage, the poisoned coffee… So were they all connected then? If so, then who would want her dead? She shook her head. No, they were just accidents, nothing more. She firmly said to herself. The last thing that she wanted to do was to give herself a scare and worry the rest of her family. Just then, the door creaked open. She looked up only to see Draco walking inside, his hands automatically unbuttoning his collar.

Ginny’s thoughts immediately flew to him, remembering the horrid tale Rebecca had told her earlier. Her heart constricted with pain as her eyes followed him, going on about the room. If Bianca had lived, what sort of man would Draco be now? She couldn’t help herself from asking. Of course, if she had lived then she wouldn’t be sitting here, dressed in her nightgown, getting ready for bed while watching her ‘husband’ unbuckling his belt. In spite of everything, she bit her lip upon noting the smooth, fluid grace Draco displayed before her. He was on his way to the bathroom, his shirt all unbuttoned, giving her a glimpse of his lean chest.

"Grandfather will be going back to Malfoy Manor on the 27th," said Draco quite jovially as he entered the bathroom, unmindful of the look Ginny was giving him. He left the door ajar and Ginny could clearly see him taking his shirt off. "Seems like everything was already fixed up," he supplied as he exited the bathroom and made for the bed. He sat down without even bothering to put on something to cover his bare chest. He was currently slipping his shoes off his feet when when he noticed Ginny’s unusual silence. He looked up only to see her looking at him blankly. His eyes narrowed. "I see you’re getting ready for bed?" he asked noting the decent white night gown on her body. When Ginny smiled weakly at him, he frowned. "Come here," he said, patting the space beside him.

Without a word, Ginny stood up and made her way towards the bed. She was about to take a seat beside him when Draco suddenly pulled her to him, settling her on his lap. She didn’t resist and before she could say anything, he immediately shushed her up by covering her lips with his.

Ginny closed her eyes and let her body take control, burying herself in the haven of his kisses. She parted her lips immediately upon hearing him groaning with pleasure and before she could bring her hands to caress his hair, Draco immediately rolled over, settling her on the bed, pinning her beneath him.

He stared at her momentarily. Then he chuckled. "Early Christmas present?" he drawled, looking at her with mirth.

"What?" Ginny asked, confused, her body already feeling all warm.

"With all the buttons and ribbons holding your night gown into place," he paused as his eyes roamed from her face to the rows and rows of buttons of her night clothes all lined up underneath his naked chest, "It would take me forever to take your clothes off you, you know. It would be like unwrapping a present with the giver going Spellotape happy."

Ginny laughed softly. Draco raised his eyebrows. "Ah, you dare laugh at me, Virginia?" he asked mildly.

"I always laugh at you," replied Ginny.

Draco smirked arrogantly with the answer. "Let’s see if you can laugh if I do this," he said as he prepared to kiss her neck. Just then, something inside Ginny snapped. Bracing her hands in front of her, she gently pushed him away. Draco frowned with confusion at the unusual reaction.

"It’s Christmas morning tomorrow and I don’t want to stay up late," said Ginny sweetly.

"Then we’ll do it real quick," said Draco urgently, bringing his lips onto hers again. Ginny laughed and stopped him again with her hands.

"Everybody will be expecting us up early to open the presents," she said breathlessly. Then she looked down shyly. "I don’t want them thinking and suspecting anything." She looked at him meaningfully.

"Let them think or suspect anything. It’s legal. We’re married," he drawled as he made another attempt to kiss her again. "And besides, I’m opening my present now, much earlier than they will," he added as his fingers began fumbling with the buttons of her nightgown.

"Draco," muffled Ginny against his lips. When Draco paid her no heed, she lightly brought her hands to his chest and pushed gently. "I want to talk."

At that, Draco stopped abruptly. He lifted his body and looked at her, confused. Was he hearing right? "You want to talk?" he asked in disbelief.

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I want to talk." Then she smiled sweetly. "Please," she added.

Seeing her smile, Draco rolled his eyes as he found himself giving in. "Fine," he finally said, rolling off her. "Talk."

Ginny smiled, turning sideways to him. Draco turned to her and not long after, an awkward silence settled over them. He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows up at her questioningly.

"So," Ginny began. "How was your day?"

Draco frowned at her but not unkindly. "What?" he asked, surprised at the sudden question.

Ginny took a deep breath. This wasn’t going as she had planned. "I said, how was your day?" she repeated.

"Okay, Virginia," said Draco, shaking his head. "What is this all about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Ginny cried with displeasure. "I was just merely asking you how your day was!"

Draco’s frown deepened. He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, wondering just what cock and bull his wife was up to now. There was something definitely going on. Spending those passionate two weeks with her under his sheets were enough to prove to him that Ginny wasn’t at all up for talk every night just like him. He looked at her and sighed.

"What’s wrong?" he asked gently. "Tell me."

Ginny cast her eyes down to hide her surprise. "How the hell did he know something was wrong?" she asked herself looking at his softening gray eyes. His sensitivity touched her and without her knowing it, she smiled listlessly. Upon seeing that, he heaved another sigh and gently pulled her to him. She gladly obliged and decided to place her head on top of his abdomen. When Draco felt her snuggling closer, he chuckled and let his fingers knead through her silky hair.

"Your mother asked me earlier about you," said Ginny finally. A soft sigh escaped her lips upon feeling the lush movement of his fingers against her red tresses.

Draco nodded slowly. "Okay," he said slowly.

"Well, she— she asked me where you went," she said haltingly. Then she raised her head and looked at him sharply. "And I never felt so stupid all my life!" she exclaimed. She sat up and turned to him, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Draco’s eyes widened with the sudden outburst, completely breaking the sweet and emotional spell between them. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. He reached out for her. "Ginny—"

"Don’t ‘Ginny’ me!" she exclaimed, slapping his hand away. She just knew where that ‘Ginny’ and that tone of his voice would lead to. He never called her Ginny unless-- "She was expecting that I knew your whereabouts! I can’t blame her! I’m your wife, after all, even if this is—"

Draco took a deep exasperated breath.

"I went to the Ministry of Magic and had a very strenuous meeting with the head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement which was your own brother, of course. Apparently, he didn’t want any of my support and was strongly against Dumbledore’s and Fudge’s idea to appoint me as the new head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad since I have spent the last seventeen years of my life surrounded by Dark Magic. Dumbledore and Fudge thought that it would be such a splendid idea to let me handle the department since my knowledge about the Dark Arts and the different Dark Artifacts would be much of help," he paused and grinned at her. "Then I went to Gringgots, of course, taking care of the family’s assets and liabilities. Did you know that my father actually has 2 Million Galleons worth of liabilities that I now have to pay? Though I don’t have any idea where to get the money to pay for that. Then after lunch, I went to my scheduled appointment with your older brother, Percy, the Department of International Magical Cooperation to be exact, to learn more about what sort of trade is lucrative at a time like this. There, I told you everything. Happy now?" he finally asked, looking at her expectantly.

But instead of nodding with satisfaction, Ginny turned away from him, her expression miserable. "Ron gave you a hard time?" she asked softly.

The sudden question surprised Draco. He was actually expecting her not to care about what her brothers did to him, or maybe even feel happy he was being given the cold treatment. But here she was, feeling all sad and bothered. Taking a deep breath, he pulled her back to him but Ginny decided to lie sideways, facing away from him. Draco shook his head tiredly. He was kind of expecting a sweet and willing wife to come home to after a very tiring day. Interrogation was the last thing he needed right now. He was about to say something when Ginny heaved a sigh.

"And you have to take care of your father’s liabilities too?" she asked. It actually surprised her to know that Draco could be so responsible when it came to their family’s finances. It was actually not the Draco she met twelve years ago.

He faced her and kissed her shoulder. "Well, let’s see, um… considering that I’m his only son then yes, I think you’re right," he replied with mild sarcasm. With that, Ginny turned to him, frowning with annoyance. He grinned. "I finally made you look," he said.

Ginny’s frown deepened. "Doesn’t it bother you at all?" she asked noting the confident tone of his voice. It seemed that he wasn’t even troubled about this though it was all clear that the Malfoy’s were currently facing a financial crisis, that it was Vladimir who was currently keeping their heads afloat as of that moment.

"If I think that way then how the hell could I get through this," replied Draco arrogantly. "Worrying won’t be as helpful as really-doing-something-about-the-problem, Virginia."

"Then why don’t you—" she stopped and bit her lip. She was about to suggest that he go to his Grandfather for a loan or something but she was so sure that that suggestion would start a stupid argument between them. She knew how Draco loathed his Grandfather. No way would he ask for his help. She shook her head. No, it wasn’t not a good idea. Then she thought about the 201 Million Galleons that she would be getting.

The thought made her frown.

Actually, it baffled her about Draco's reaction to the changing of the will. He seemed calm and unaffected, and as much as possible, he didn't talk about it. Other than Draco was always going out, making it impossible for her to see and spend a whole day with him, it was just a simple sharp drop-the-subject-look he used to give her everytime they were together. But somehow, she clearly saw that Draco was really displeased with what his grandfather did.

Ginny didn't like Vladimir's sudden decision either. What would she do with all that money without someone special to share it with? What good would it bring to her? She had never been a big fan of money or expensive and luxurious fineries. She wasn't used to lavish things. Growing up being a 'Weasley' taught her that. She vowed to do something about it. She would get her fair share and give the rest to Draco. After all the kindness Vladimir had shown her, she didn't think that it would be fair to rob him off his hard-earned fortune. Of course she had to be careful in order for Vladimir not to know. That man was wise when it came to 'cunning plans'. It would cause her and Draco a great deal of trouble if she were caught. It also made her wonder what Draco was planning to do about that.

"Maybe I could give him some of it?" she thought. But remembering their situation, she was forced to rule that one out. Draco was a stubborn and proud man. It would kill him to have his ‘wife’ helping him out with the financial difficulty. He was brought up with the belief that men did the earning while women did the spending, which she thought was very absurd and disgustingly chauvinistic. "How medieval can you get?" she said to herself. No, offering that would just result to another stupid fight between them. Besides, the very thought of that money made her remember the deal she had with him. And it slightly pained her though she couldn’t fathom why.

"What are you thinking?"

Ginny blinked upon hearing his soft but inquiring voice. She focused her attention back to him and shook her head. "Nothing," she replied softly.

Draco frowned. "I thought you wanted to talk?" he said.

"I do," said Ginny.

"Then why won’t you tell me what you’re thinking?" Draco asked. "Tell me," he coaxed.

Ginny, as her reply, looked down. She saw his right hand and without thinking, she took it with hers, bringing it up a little closer to her face just to stare at it as if it was the normal thing to do. Draco frowned with the sudden gesture. He wasn’t expecting her to do that but nevertheless he didn’t stop her. He looked at her face and was surprised to see her eyebrows wrinkling with mild concentration. The surprise turned to astonishment when he saw her own fingers sliding in between his. Again, the warm feeling swelled inside his chest. He took a deep breath and moved his fingers slowly against hers, feeling the soft texture of her skin and wondering how lovely and dainty they were.

Ginny bit her lip when she felt his fingers move with hers. It was a slow, learning caress just like hers. She had always loved his hands. Other than the fact that they felt good against her body, they were unusually soft and he had these long elegant fingers which were quite uncommon for a man to have. She let her eyes roam around his hand only to see the gold band on his ring finger. Her eyes then went to her own hand and saw the same ring on it. It was a sign that they were married, an evidence that she was his, even for a short period of time. An unknown fear immediately washed over her at the thought. A man like Draco could hurt her deeply. Unless she was careful, he and this temporary arrangement could easily destroy her. Ginny was about to tear her hand away from his when suddenly Draco brought it against his lips, worsening the fear even more.

"So how was it like growing up with six brothers?" he asked in between kissing her fingers, totally unaware of the emotions battling inside her head.

"Well, it— it was fun," she stammered. She was having a hard time concentrating considering that she was currently feeling his smooth lips against her skin, "and lonely at the same time."

Draco’s brows crinkled, his lips finally stopping. "Lonely?" he asked curiously.

Ginny nodded. "Well, I am, after all, the only girl," she replied softly. "It was really hard making friends, at least for me. Ron was too busy saving his skin, just like Harry and Hermione. I hardly knew Bill and Charlie at all since they moved out even before I could say Alohomora while Fred and George were busy pulling pranks on people. And Percy was the coldest of all. Sometimes he would tend to forget that he had brothers, so who would expect him to remember his sister too," she paused and shook her head thoughtfully. "It was lonely because I had a hard time dating when I was still going to Hogwarts. Ron, Fred and George were always there to slug any guy who wanted to ask me out." Then she laughed softly. "But it was fun," she added. "I would never, ever trade them for anything in the world." She turned to Draco. "How about you?" she asked. "How was it living with no brothers or sisters?"

"Well," he paused and decided to pull her to him. Ginny willingly rested her head on his chest, urging herself to forget the thought of him hurting and destroying her. Now that he was opening up a bit, nothing mattered but this moment… well, at least for now. "It was fun and lonely at the same time," he finally finished.

Ginny looked up and frowned. "Are you mocking me?" she asked with light irritation.

"No," said Draco philosophically. Ginny once again settled her head on his chest and listened. "It was really fun because I got to have anything I wanted. I had dozens and dozens of servants waiting at my beck and call and I got to boss people around all the time." He chuckled when he saw Ginny’s eyebrows crinkle with disgust. "Oh and I got to have all the women I wanted," he suddenly added. "Then I— ow!" He frowned as Ginny pinched him hard on his stomach. "That hurt, you know!" he cried.

Ginny just smiled at him pleasantly. Then her face softened. "Why lonely?"

"Need you ask?" Draco answered while rubbing his reddening skin. "I mean, it was obvious, right?"

"Don’t you have any—" Ginny abruptly stopped upon remembering Rebecca and Bianca. She looked at Draco and desperately weighed her question.

"Have any what?" asked Draco.

Ginny stared at him quite stupidly. She couldn’t think of anything good or proper to say! She was terribly afraid of spoiling this moment by bringing up his painful past! As her answer, Ginny raised her head and quickly rested her lips on top of his instead.

Although the sudden decision to kiss him pleased Draco, it confused him too. He mustered up all his willpower to tear his lips away from her eager ones. He looked at her wonderingly. "I thought you wanted to talk?" he asked, chuckling.

Ginny brought her lips on his once again. Well, she did but right now… "I changed my mind," she muffled against his lips, her hands already going down, down…

Draco smiled against her kisses. He hissed with pleasure upon feeling her hands already unbuttoning his trousers. It never did occur to him that she could be aggressive if she wanted to. It pleased him. "Now you’re talking," he drawled as he easily shifted her beneath him and covered her body with his.

==========

"They looked up and saw a star,

shining in the east beyond them far,

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night…"

Molly smiled upon hearing Fred, George and Sylvia singing the beautiful carol that Christmas night. Any moment now, Ginny and Draco, together with his mother and his grandfather, would be coming for dinner. She thought. The idea of seeing her daughter excited her as she quickly arranged the dinner table, laying all the scrumptious food she had prepared. Just then she frowned upon hearing Fred and George belting out the song as Sylvia laughed. She turned to them, her eyebrows set in disapproval.

"Now, George stop changing the lyrics," she scolded.

"Changing the lyrics, mum?" George asked while Fred and Sylvia laughed and giggled. "I haven’t changed anything."

Molly just shook her head and sighed. "Boys!" she thought. "When will they grow up?"

"Aunt Wheezy?" the little girl suddenly asked, looking around. Fred stood and picked Sylvia up as George went on ahead of them to torment Percy.

"Ginny will be here any moment now, Sylvia," he said as they made their way towards the sitting room. He put the girl down. When her little feet touched the floor, Sylvia immediately ran towards the fireplace and eagerly reached for the big stockings hanging from it.

Fred looked around to find the rest of the family before him. Bill, Charlie and his father were busy studying the manual of his newest Muggle purchase, a car. Ron and Hermione were there, just before the fireplace, busy keeping their daughter from getting hold of the candies. Hermione was casting a charm to keep the stockings out of Sylvia’s reach while Ron was busy holding the wriggling and crying girl in his arms. Fred’s eyes turned towards the other corner only to see Bill’s eleven year old son, Robert, waving and swishing his wand before Percy’s two girls, Miranda and Patrice, probably demonstrating his first learned magic. Just beside them were Percy and George. He chuckled when he saw Percy’s disgusted expression and George’s hysterical face.

Apparently, Percy didn’t think the Weasley Christmas Crumbling Crusts funny since he was gagging and spitting out the tiny surprise they had put in it, edible slugs. Jane and Grace, however were busy watching out for Robert incase he did something wrong while Fleur was busy swishing her wand, changing the color of the tinsels of the Christmas tree, her pretty face set in hard concentration. It seemed like she couldn’t decide on what color to use, blue or pink or yellow— Fred shook his head. Hopeless, really. Now, the only missing was their baby sister, Ginny, and Harry, of course. Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Harry.

"You call that thing edible!" Percy exploded as he walked towards the coffee table to help himself with some tea to drown out the bitter aftertaste of the crust.

"It is edible!" exclaimed George, following him.

"Well, it doesn’t taste edible!" Percy shot back. "It tastes horrible! It tastes like slugs!"

"They ARE slugs!" George spat at him. "What else would they taste like, duh!"

"Oh quit your whining, Percy," said Bill, looking up from the car manual. "You always fall for their tricks anyway. Haven’t you gotten used to it by now?"

"Either way, they will kill children by selling that-- that horrible thing!" Percy said, his voice rich with authority. He looked daggers at the tricky Christmas treats sitting quietly on top of the fireplace.

"Hey! Our stuff isn’t horrible!" Fred said. "That feeds and clothes us, you know! That pays for the bills!"

"Yeah!" George seconded. "It’s edible! It won’t kill any kids!"

"Gents, please," intervened Percy’s wife, Jane. She stood up and held out another cup for her husband. "Here, honey, drink this. It’ll take the aftertaste away." Then she looked at the twins and winked. "That’s a good one," she mouthed for Percy not to hear. Fred and George laughed.

Just then, Molly emerged from the kitchen. She looked around and waved her hand in the air. "Boys!" she called out. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron all looked at her direction wonderingly. When Molly was sure she got their attention, she nodded. "Come into the kitchen please, I have something to say." And with that, she turned around and disappeared to the kitchen.

Bill and Charlie looked at each other questioningly, shrugged and reluctantly let go of the manual while Ron let out a soft but irritated ‘what now’ and gave the now sober Sylvia to his wife. He followed his two elder brothers into the kitchen while Fred and George decided to stay and gossip about Percy a little longer.

"Until now, I can’t help but wonder just what did Jane like about Percy?" Fred hissed at George.

"Yeah, she has a great sense of humor," George hissed back. "Totally different from Percy the Prefect."

"I heard that," said Percy as he walked past them. He made his way towards the kitchen. "Come on, mum’s calling for us," he added sternly.

Fred and George both rolled their eyes and made for the kitchen. Once inside, Molly beckoned for them to sit. George sat beside Ron while Fred took the empty seat beside Bill. As a result, all the six grown men were all looking up, facing their mother, just like when they were still children. Molly cleared her throat.

"Now, I want everything clear," Molly began looking at the awaiting expressions of her sons before her. "You all know that Ginny will be, of course, bringing her husband with her, right?" Nods and murmurs of approval rang inside the kitchen except for Ron, who crossed his arms and frowned. Molly cleared her throat softly. "I know some of you were not actually into the idea of your sister marrying Draco Malfoy," she stopped and gave Ron a sharp look. Ron shrugged and looked away while subtly making faces, "but please take note that tonight’s Christmas. Don’t do or say anything to ruin this night especially for your sister, understood?"

"Mum!" Bill lamented. "Now that’s totally insulting for Charlie and me. Since when did we do or say something wrong to Draco or to his family?"

"He’s right. You’re treating us like children," added Charlie. "We’re grown men for goodness sake!"

"Then prove it!" Molly shot back, giving the sulking Ron another sharp look. "Do you all understand?"

Percy was the first one to answer. "Yes, mother," he said clearly.

"Yeah, all right," Fred and George murmured. Just then, Fred stood up and faced their mother. "Can we go now?"

"Ron?" Molly asked, turning to Ron’s direction. Ron merely nodded as his answer. Molly shook her head. "Ronald Weasley!"

"Yes, mother," Ron said sighing tiredly.

At that Molly nodded, finally satisfied. She was about to take her wand out when she suddenly heard Sylvia’s excited shriek. Ginny and Draco had arrived. She quickly took her apron off and made for the kitchen door. She turned around once, her eyes narrowing. "Remember what we talked about, boys," she said warningly. When she heard the tired sighs and murmurs of agreement, she then continued on her way, her sons following close behind.

==========

"Aunt Wheezy!" Sylvia squealed as she ran towards Ginny. Ginny laughed and lifted the little girl up into her arms.

"Hi Sylvia!" she exclaimed while raining the little girl’s face with kisses. Then she turned to Draco. "Say hi to your uncle, dear," she coaxed. Draco’s eyes widened.

"Hello Uncle Wheezy!" Sylvia greeted while giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Ginny laughed while Draco’s eyes nearly went out of their sockets. He just stood there and smiled, not sure of what to say or do. Meanwhile, loud laughter boomed behind them, Sylvia looked past him only to see Vladimir and Narcissa taking their coats off. At the sight of the older man, Sylvia wriggled out of Ginny’s arms and ran towards Vlad. "Malfy and Cissy!" she squealed.

"Malfy?" Ginny frowned.

"Cissy," added Draco looking as confused as Ginny.

"Ha! She called me Malfy!" Vladimir roared with laughter as he tossed the little girl up into the air. Narcissa laughed with her new name as well, her beautiful face shining while watching Sylvia giggling with delight.

"It’s good to see you again, dear." Ginny turned around only to see her mother walking towards them, her arms outstretched. She smiled and accepted the big hug her mother offered her. "Merry Christmas, honey," she added giving Ginny a kiss.

"Merry Christmas to you too, mum," she greeted. Molly then turned to Draco only to see him shaking hands with Arthur. When she caught his eye, Molly smiled kindly at him. "And you too dear," she said.

Draco slightly bowed his head. "Merry Christmas mother," he politely said.

"Molly, it’s nice to see you!" greeted Narcissa while giving Ginny’s mother a hug. "How’s everything?"

"Oh fine," said Molly pleasantly.

"Need any help in the kitchen?" inquired Narcissa. "I’d be willing to help out and learn. Maybe you could show me some of your recipes," Draco’s mother added as she led the other woman to the kitchen.

Ginny shook her head as the two women disappeared into the kitchen. She turned around only to see Arthur shaking hands with Vladimir and Draco shaking hands and greeting her brothers except Ron who disappeared somewhere. Seeing that everybody was busy, she made her way to the ladies.

"Ginny!" Grace exclaimed standing up. "Merry Christmas!"

"Hi! Merry Christmas all!" Ginny greeted as Hermione moved to give space. Ginny then plopped herself down on the couch, next to Hermione.

"So, how’s married life going?" Jane suddenly asked.

"Fine," replied Ginny. She looked at Draco who was now busy conversing with Bill and Charlie. "Great, so far."

"With a ‘usband as good lookin’ as zat?" Fleur exclaimed. She let her eyes roam appreciatively over Draco’s black turtleneck sweater and matching black trousers. Earlier, Fleur noted that he was wearing a long black trench coat instead of a cloak and he never looked so damn sexy. "Of course, everything ‘ould be fine!"

"Oh hush now, Fleur," said Grace. "It’s not like yours is not as good-looking as Ginny’s."

At that, Fleur gave out one of her veela smiles and giggles. "Of course! Bill is ‘andsome!" she said loudly. At the mention of his name, Bill looked at their direction only to meet Fleur’s adoring gaze. He winked and Fleur giggled again. Ginny shook her head. Fleur was still the same veela she knew. Then she looked at Ginny, her eyes widening. "Oh my! Zat is a very pretty necklace, Ginny!" she exclaimed looking at the string of pearls around her neck.

"Oh this!" Ginny said, her fingers settling on the necklace. "Narcissa gave it to me for Christmas."

"That’s so lovely," Jane gushed as she lightly brought her fingers against the smooth surface of the pearls. "It goes well with your earrings."

"I bet it costs a fortune!" Grace added noting the creamy beige-white color of the necklace.

"So what did Draco give you?" Hermione asked curiously. "How many gifts did he give you?"

"Well, he gave me a mini vanity set," replied Ginny thoughtfully. "Of course not counting the early Christmas present he gave me the night before," she thought, her face suddenly getting all warmed up. After giving her vanity set away, Draco replaced it by giving her another set. She could still remember how thrilled she was that Christmas morning. They opened their presents over mugs of hot chocolates and they didn’t give a rat’s ass about scattering all the wrappers messily on the sitting room’s flawless carpet.

From Draco, she received a new vanity set, a string of pearls from Narcissa, tons and tons of Swiss chocolates to last her a lifetime from Vladimir and her mom’s traditional Christmas fudge that Vladimir and Draco ate without asking. She found herself grinning upon remembering how Vladimir nearly jumped for joy when he opened her Christmas gift. Sitting before him was the complete set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer paperbacks that he had so badly wanted. Of course she knew all along even before he hinted about it. Indeed, she never expected to have a wonderful Christmas with Draco and his family.

"Really?" Hermione asked with disbelief. She just couldn’t believe that Draco would give her something so— common as a vanity set. Well, considering how rich Draco was— But then, it wasn’t really her business, right?

Meanwhile, Draco looked behind him only to see Ginny sitting there, laughing with the ladies. When she met his eyes, she raised her eyebrows questioningly, inquiring if he was fine. Surprisingly, the sweet gesture brought another light but warm feeling inside. Draco winked and gave her a reassuring grin. He chuckled upon seeing the light pink tints on her cheeks. He momentarily slid his left hand into his pocket and felt for the cold metal against his fingers.

Earlier, after giving him his Christmas present, Ginny then handed him her rose pin, her second gift. When Draco asked her why she was giving her family heirloom to him, she told him that it was only fitting for him to have it since she had the Malfoys’. Although he thought it absurd, still he couldn’t shake the funny feeling off when his eyes first laid on the brooch. He felt an unexplainable something to hold it, to feel it against his skin. He couldn’t tear himself away from it so he even brought it here with him.

"I see father and your grandfather’s having the time of their life going all through his Muggle things," said Bill suddenly upon noting Arthur leading the nodding Vladimir into his study.

"It seems," was all he said. Then he gave a satisfied sigh when he felt the rose pin safely inside his pocket. Just then, the doorbell rang. Hermione stood up to open the door. She exclaimed. "Harry! Come in, come in! Merry Christmas!"

"Ah finally, we’ll eat," said Bill while going towards the door with Charlie following close behind. Draco frowned, not sure of what to do. Sensing his discomfort, Ginny immediately stood up and placed herself beside him. Looking up at him, she smiled and lightly squeezed his hand.

"Merry Christmas!" Harry greeted as he stepped inside the house with his little son behind. Bill and the rest greeted and shook his hand while the ladies gave him and Nathan a hug. When the choruses of greetings finally subsided, Harry looked up and met Ginny’s eyes. He took a sharp in take of breath upon seeing Draco standing beside her, eyeing him warily. He then made his way towards the couple, letting Nathan run along with Sylvia.

"Merry Christmas, Ginny," he greeted cordially. Ginny nodded as her greeting. She forced out a smile upon feeling the rising strain in the air. Harry turned to Draco and merely nodded in acknowledgement. "Malfoy."

"Potter," said Draco stiffly nodding as well. Obviously, both their families were not aware of the fistfight they had had during the engagement party. It was quite clear that both Draco and Harry wanted to keep everyone in the dark about that since they forced themselves to act all civil and starchy polite to each other.

"All right! Everybody’s complete! Let’s eat!" George hollered. At that, everybody trooped towards the dining hall with the rest of the ladies bringing their sons and daughters with them. Harry turned around and without a word, followed Fred, leaving them alone.

Ginny leaned towards Draco. Sensing her, he bent down slightly. "You all right?" Ginny whispered in his ear before they took their seats beside Grace and Charlie. "Ever since we graduated, Harry now spends Christmas with us."

Draco let out a chuckle. "Of course," he replied but in truth, the sight of Ginny’s large family overwhelmed him. He never expected that a large number of people could fit in so nicely inside their modest dining room "Probably with a little magic," he surmised looking at the happy and laughing faces before him.

They started the Christmas dinner noisily with the children giggling and squabbling and with a number of hands passing each dish here and there. Although it was very clattery, still Draco didn’t miss the merry and warm ambiance around him. It was all around the room that he found it contagious. Conversations were light and pleasant and there was always a laugh at each sentence. A subtle rush of envy rushed inside him. Ginny was lucky to have a happy family.

He looked up and saw his grandfather chatting noisily away with Arthur Weasley about Muggle elevators while his mother was busy talking to Molly about the latest recipes and fashions. He noticed that ever since he married Virginia, Narcissa had been laughing a lot lately. It pleased him. His mother deserved more than that. He thought.

"Could you pass me the sauce, Draco?" Ginny asked suddenly as she put her knife down. Draco blinked and turned to her.

"Of course," he replied as he reached for the sauce and handed it to her, his fingers brushing against hers lightly.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks," she said warmly. She was about to pour the flavoring on her turkey when she caught sight of Draco’s plate. She looked up at him only to see him busily eating his. "It’ll taste good with the sauce," she said after a moment, raining her dinner with the dark brown liquid.

Draco swallowed and shook his head. "I prefer it this way," he replied, lifting his wineglass and taking a tiny sip.

Ginny shook her head and started cutting a small portion of her own turkey. Then without thinking, she held it up before him. "Here, have a taste," she said. Draco eyes slightly widened with the gesture. Ginny laughed. "Come on, I promise you it won’t kill you."

With that, he shook his head, opened his mouth and let Ginny place the piece of meat inside his mouth as if he didn’t have any choice. He chewed slowly, his face lightening. Seeing that, his wife laughed. "Tastes good?" she asked, taking a bite as well.

"Brilliant," he said as he took a spoonful of sauce and scattered it evenly on his dinner. Just then he leaned towards her. "I really don’t like the look Potter’s kid has been giving you," he whispered jokingly.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked after swallowing her food. She looked at Nathan only to see him staring adoringly at her. When her brown eyes met his green ones, he let out a sweet and shy smile.

"Look, he’s coming onto you," teased Draco, nudging her.

Ginny laughed. "Stop it, he’s just a kid," she replied, shaking his head. "He’s a sweet boy and I like him."

"I see I’ve got some tight competition," said Draco lightly. Then he looked around. "Now, I’ve seen the dining room," he paused and turned to her, his silver eyes sparkling with mischief. "Perhaps later on you could show me your bedroom?"

Ginny laughed and shook her head. "No, we’re going to enjoy this night in front of the fire with my whole family," she replied.

"Fine, " murmured Draco. "But don’t think that I’ll let you off the hook that easily later on, Virginia," he quickly added.

At this, Ginny bit back a laugh, shook her head and decided to ignore him. She looked up and noticed Harry staring at them, his expression unreadable, ignoring the lively conversation between Ron and Fred about brooms and Quidditch. He was sitting across from her, beside Ron and Hermione. She bit her lip, her eyes not leaving his green ones only to notice them narrowing behind his round glasses. She looked away. Had he been staring at them? She found herself asking. She suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Not long after, the dinner finally ended. Arthur, Bill, and Vladimir decided to go into the garage to have a close look at the Arthur’s newly purchased car. Hermione and the rest of the ladies went to the sitting room to have coffee and tea, discussing trifle housewife matters while Charlie and Percy talked about the new laws set up by the Ministry for the Protection of Magical Beasts. Ginny was whisked away by the children to have a story telling up in her room with George secretly giving Robert, Sylvia and Nathan a hefty supply of Exploding Snaps should they decide to rouse things up a bit. ("I will not have those exploding inside my room!" Ginny fiercely declared.) while the rest of the men, Harry, Ron, Draco and the twins went on to discuss news and Quidditch over a game of cards.

"Never did expect to see a broom faster than the Firebolt," quipped George suddenly while busy scrutinizing Fred’s cards. Then he turned to Harry. "I’ve heard that the Ballycastle Bats have the newest Firebolt 360."

"Quite unbelievable!" Fred exclaimed as he threw a card at the middle of the table. "They’ve become as unbeatable as ever!" Then he turned to Draco who was busy minding his own cards. "I heard that your family has a vast collection of broomsticks. Is that true?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Well, yes, considering that my whole family is a big fan of Quidditch," he replied as he threw a single card and took another one from the deck. "But I have far more important things to do than to continue that legacy of collecting," he added simply.

"Like what?" Ron asked sharply as his hands busily arranged his cards. "Like going to Knockturn Alley?" he added nastily.

Draco looked up while Fred and George awkwardly cleared their throats upon feeling the rising tension in the air. Harry let out a snort, ignoring Ron’s sharpening tongue.

"Don’t deny it, Malfoy," spat Ron viciously. "Everybody saw you strutting in and out of Knockturn Alley."

Draco took a deep breath, his left hand on his chin while his right holding the cards. "Well, I’m not denying anything," he said calmly, refusing to be provoked. Then he threw a couple of chips in the middle. "I’ll raise you," he said to Fred.

Ron turned to him, expecting for him to elaborate the vague answer. When nothing came out of his lips, Ron gritted his teeth angrily. "What’s the matter, Malfoy?" he asked. "Can’t tell us your dark, evil plans?" he asked meanly while Harry sat there silently, letting Ron do the talking.

Draco let out a charismatic but even smile, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Surely, you’ve been reading too much of your work in the Ministry to even think that I would do something as absurd as that," he answered coolly.

Fred and George eyed each other nervously. Just then Fred let out a loud laugh. "Boy, I’d sure like to see Angelina Johnson!" he said loudly, desperately wanting to change the subject. "I haven’t seen her since she decided to play for Holyhead Harpies!"

"You’re not fooling anyone, Malfoy," said Ron darkly, ignoring Fred’s attempt to keep the game as friendly as possible. "Everybody knows you have a cursed blood flowing inside your veins."

"If that’s what you believe then I can’t do anything about it," replied Draco.

Just then, Harry let out a soft snort. "Like father, like son," he murmured, loud enough for the four men to hear.

With that, Draco’s temper snapped. He turned to Harry, his eyes glowing with unexplained fury. "Don’t you ever, ever say that again," he rasped at Harry dangerously. "Don’t ever compare me with him! I’m far more different from that man!"

Harry smirked. He threw his cards on the table and stood up without even finishing the game. "You want to settle this outside, Malfoy?" he asked, his voice taunting him.

Draco’s eyes narrowed as he threw the rest of his cards on the table. He stood up with Fred immediately holding up his hands to stop them and George busy urging the sneering Ron to stop Harry.

"Didn’t you learn your lesson yet, Potter?" asked Draco acidly, referring to the Engagement Party incident. When Harry eyed him angrily, Draco shook his head. "No, it’s not worth it," he murmured as he turned around. The least thing that he wanted was to start another brawl in front of his grandfather and Ginny’s whole family on Christmas night. He was about to walk away from them when he suddenly felt a loud thud inside his chest. "Ginny!" his brain hissed. He looked up, his eyes frantically landing on Ginny’s door. His heart gave another loud thud. "Ginny!" he suddenly yelled, running towards her room, much to the surprise of everybody. He gritted his teeth as he strode towards the stairs. He felt her! He felt her fear! She was in danger!

"What’s the matter?" Molly called after Draco’s running form. "Draco!" she cried as the rest of the adults stood up and murmured wonderingly. When she saw the frantic look on his face, she ran after him, with Ron and Harry following close behind him.

Just then, screams came from Ginny’s room. Children’s screams. Draco swore out loud and kicked the door open. "Ginny!" he yelled looking around. Instantly, the children stopped and looked at him, terrified. He heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the children all fine.

"Ginny?" he called out, entering her room while Sylvia and the rest of the girls began to cry. Just then, he stopped. Standing before him, against the wall was Ginny, her eyes wide because of the shock with three knives sticking on the wooden partition behind her. For a moment there, he thought that she had been stabbed but when looked at her closely, there were two just beside her ears and one at the head, forming a deadly triangle. Judging from the small distance of the knives from her face, Draco surmised that if Ginny hadn’t moved, it would have surely finished her off. He heaved a sigh of relief as Hermione led the children out.

"Ginny," he said again softly upon seeing her lower lip shaking.

"Draco?" she whispered upon hearing the soft, familiar voice inside her head. "Draco is that you?"

"Yes," he replied. "Come here, everything’s fine now."

At that, Ginny lost the fight and broke into tears, the tension, the fear, and the shock crashing at her all at once. She willingly surrendered herself to his strong embrace and cried.

"Shh, everything will be all right," said Draco soothingly. He kissed her hair and tightened his arms around her upon feeling her body trembling. "Ginny, I’m here."

"They just flew at me— at the same time, out of nowhere--," said Ginny in between her tears, her voice shaking. "The children? Did—did—"

"No, they are all fine," replied Draco. Then he turned around only to meet Molly’s near-to-crazy look. "She’s fine, mother," he said. He then easily lifted her up and placed her on the bed.

Molly finally let out a relieved sigh. "Let her rest first," she said while forcing Ron and Harry out of the room, much to Ron’s displeasure. The last thing that Ginny needed was to have everybody fussing frantically over her. "Call me if you need anything." And with that, she stepped out and gently closed the door behind her.

Once alone, Draco sat beside her small bed. He heaved the blankets up to her chin and held her hand. Ginny didn’t protest, the feel of his hand against hers brought comfort and security within her. She closed her eyes and not long after drifted off to a tired sleep, the harrowing experience wearying to her.

Seeing her already fast asleep, Draco turned his attention back at the knives sticking out of the wall and stared at it thoughtfully. Was Ginny in danger? Who would do such a thing? He shook his head. It was not an accident anymore… Everything was not making any sense at all! The carriage, the poisoned coffee, now this? He looked away grimly, the horrible truth sinking in.

Who would want Virginia dead?

End of Part 11