AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here it is: the very end. The end of all ends. The last epilogue. It's really long and hopelessly fluffy, but I hope you ejoy. This is, by far, my favorite piece of work. So, without further ado...here you go. P.S.: If I get more than 150 reviews, I'll do a small sequel. Maybe.

DISCLAIMER: Not mine if it belongs to J. K. Rowling

Mistaken Liaisons

Chapter Seventeen: Abstinence is Overrated

or

The Chess Game to Beat All Chess Games

or

Epilogue Final

"Owww, www, www."

"Oh, stop being such a bloody baby," Ginny chided, turning the key and opening the door to the apartment. A towering bundle of blankets, coats, and other assorted cloths stumbled through the doorway and collapsed on the couch.

Ginny turned and waited for Draco to cross the threshold. He stood out in the hallway, silent and yet lacking the malicious sneer on his face prevalent in his younger days. "Are you coming in?" Ginny asked, already knowing the answer. Draco smirked. "With you and Blaise madly in love and his unmentionables in need of warming? Hell, no. I've seen some horrible things in my life, but I just don't think I could handle that. One thing, though; give him a good punch for me. I had to see him stand bare-arsed in the snow. That could have easily killed me." He gave a mock shudder and Ginny laughed.

"You're a fine bloke, Draco. Now that you've finally decided to grow up." She flashed him a brief smirk. "Where are you going to stay?" she asked, toying with her keys. Draco shrugged. "Your friend with the crazy art place…she was hiring when we went in there last. Maybe I'll bone up and get a job. Employment had better be a hell of a lot better than all I've heard it's cracked up to be." He muttered.

"It isn't." Ginny stated truthfully, thinking of her own position that she would undertake in less than a day. Draco scowled. "Brilliant. Well, I've got to give it a shot anyhow. I'll let you know how I like things. Take care of yourself."

With a jaunty wave, he Disapparated.

Ginny sighed and closed the door, turning the bolt.

"Mmmph wwmph fmmft mmph mmmnt?" the tower of cloth questioned, wriggling slightly and nearly falling off the couch. Ginny tossed her keys on the table and landed a heavy punch dead-centre on one of Hermione's old tea cosies. The bundle quaked and let out a muffled groan.

Blaise's head, ruffled and disgruntled, popped out of Ron's baby blanket. "What was that for?" he growled.

"From Draco with love." Ginny smirked, settling down on the couch next to him, giggling slightly. "Oh, if only you knew just what Ron did on that baby blanket…" she mused. Blaise's eyes went wide and he immediately ripped himself from the assortment of cloth.

Realizing he was once again in the buff, he covered himself with a large comforter. "What was that all about?" he asked seriously, gesturing toward the door. Ginny shrugged. "Draco's going to try and get a job. He's going to give us some time to ourselves." For some reason she felt her cheeks go warm and she had the uncomfortable feeling that she might actually be blushing.

Blaise noticed. "Time to do what?" he asked, his voice sounding somewhat strained. Ginny looked over at him. "I love you, Blaise." She said suddenly, on the most stupid whim she'd ever followed. Blaise closed his eyes and at that moment, Ginny knew for once she hadn't fucked things up. Perhaps her stupid whims weren't so stupid…

Stretching across the sofa, Blaise caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, staring into her eyes as if determined to burn her from the inside. Ginny swallowed, deciding he was doing a very good job of it indeed.

"I'm an idiot." He said softly, staring at her as if he wasn't sure whether to cradle her like glass or throw her on the floor and shag the living daylights out of her.

Ginny would have laughed but there seemed to be something stuck in her throat. "I know." She breathed as his face got closer to hers. She desperately wanted him to do something. She usually took the initiative but she wasn't really sure what to do with him. He was so much more than just another shag. She wasn't sure if she knew how to make love.

But she sure as hell was up to trying.

"Blaise." She whispered, closing her eyes as his mouth landed on her cheekbone. "Hmm?" he asked, running kisses up her nose and over her eyelids and down to her mouth, hovering at the opening. His breath was heavy on her lips and Ginny felt her own heartbeat speeding.

"Make love to me?" she asked, her voice coming out a little high and in short pants as she licked her lips, both in anxiety and anticipation.

Blaise laughed. "Yes, thank you."

Stars exploded into super novas of cosmic dimensions. Entire worlds fell and imploded and the dust lit up even more fires. It spread fast and in a rage, sweeping out as far as it could reach. Galaxies burst and were reborn in flames.

"Bloody hell," Ginny breathed weakly, her lips tingling. Blaise pulled his mouth from her collarbone, surprised to see a mark rising there. "That was…" she breathed somewhat heavily, trying to regain her speech. "I've never kissed like that before." Blaise supplied, resting his head on her chest and listening to the steady hammer of her heart in his ear as her chest rose and fell with her erratic breathing.

"Neither have I." Ginny said, just beginning to notice the hardness along her thigh which had been there for a while, since before they had kissed and ruined the balance of the universe.

"Um, Blaise?" he looked up at her. "I know. Not yet, though. This is the most comfortable I've been in a long time." He whispered, gently rubbing his thumb over her hipbone, protruding from under her shirt.

Ginny sighed contentedly. "I haven't been this comfortable since I left the womb." She responded.

Silence filled the room, but it wasn't the awkward kind. On the contrary, Ginny had never felt so at ease with anyone else. And there was something about the way Blaise was laying on top of her that made all the difference. Things felt right.

Including the hand running up the inside of her thigh.

"I thought you were too comfortable for that kind of- oh dear Merlin!" she screamed, biting hard on her lower lip and clutching at the pillow behind her head at the sudden contact. She couldn't quite open her eyes just yet, but she knew Blaise was smirking.

"See? And you said learning to play the piano was useless." Blaise joked, reaching up with his other, non-preoccupied hand to cup her face. Ginny slowly opened her eyes, writhing about restlessly. "It was use-oh, gods- useless." She muttered, biting on the inside of her cheek. "You never play." She insisted, trying not to bite her tongue off.

She sighed in frustration and relief as Blaise gave up his onslaught. She stared him in the eye as he smirked, just as she knew he would.

"Talented, agile fingers are good for more than just piano keys." He said, hand slipping inside her pyjama pants once more.

Ginny had to agree.

……………………..

Ginny groaned in frustration.

"Blaise, I love you so much and it's really going to hurt me if I have to kill you for being a giant git. What are you doing in there!"

The door to Blaise's room stayed shut and for the fifteenth time that night, Ginny wondered if Blaise had fallen asleep. If he had, she really would kill him, fanatic love or no. She was practically vibrating with need and he had probably gone and done something stupid like wanked himself to death. Celibacy was far too overrated.

Her feet were aching as she flopped onto the couch. The rhythmic patter of snow on the window was lulling her into either a soft sleep or a heavy coma and it didn't help that Blaise had partially exhausted her with his…attentions. She tried to peel her eyelids open, but discovered she couldn't as she was already asleep.

……………………

Blaise let out a satisfied sigh.

"Perfect." He muttered, opening the door. "Ginny, I'm read-y." he ended as Ginny was not waiting impatiently outside his door to murder him with a cuckoo clock or the plunger from the loo as she had been threatening.

"Oh, fuck no!" Blaise exclaimed, seeing Ginny snoring lightly on the couch. He hurried over to her side. "Please, please, please wake up." He begged, rubbing her shoulders. Her head lolled about a bit.

"Damnit, Ginevra, you did not just fall asleep!"

"Actually, I had. But someone has a fat mouth. What on earth were you doing?" she yawned, rolling over and facing him.

In reply he covered her eyes and picked her up off the sofa.

"Blaise? Um, not to sound ungrateful that I don't have to look at your sorry face anymore, but what's with the whole blind game?" she asked, putting her hands out in front of her just in case Blaise tried walking her into a wall.

"Shut up, Sparky and you'll find out soon enough."

Ginny felt him bring her to a stop and reaching out, her fingers brushed Blaise's door.

"What now?" she asked.

In response, Blaise walked her forward into the room and uncovered her eyes. Ginny's jaw dropped. "I-you-what-how-" she said, turning to take in the whole room at once. Blaise chuckled, her reaction pleasing him.

Ginny finally turned back to him. "Since when do you have an erotic side?" she asked mischievously. Blaise didn't answer; his feet were steering him closer and closer to her and Ginny found that for all her experience, her heart was pounding at a million miles an hour and her knees were on the same level of consistency as banana pudding with whip cream.

Soft hands contrasted with harsh planes as Ginny was immediately lost in the sensation that was Blaise. His hands melded into her skin and her body seemed to fit against his perfectly. There was no telling where his mouth began and hers ended except for when he pulled away from her lips to let her breathe.

With his lips gently whispering over her shoulder blade, Ginny finally realized that they were both fully clothed. She turned, catching his face in her hands as she did so. She covered his mouth with hers in a brief, fierce kiss that staged a new level in the evening. Sliding her hands reverently down his chest, she let her fingers slide to the fastening on the robes he had thrown on at some point.

Her eyes lifted to meet his and the connection that formed was so dazzling that Ginny started to pull his cloak off without looking down, unable to tear her gaze away. The robes puddle on the floor, Ginny reached and pulled his shirt up and over his head. Blaise closed his eyes and bit his lip as Ginny leaned forward and trailed kisses down the centre of his chest until she was on her knees, toying with his belt.

Her mouth was open and she looked as if she wanted to say something. Blaise cut her off with a silencing kiss that made her forget any insecurities she may have had. Her hands moved away from his belt to tangle in his hair as his own hands slithered up to grasp handfuls of fabric from her shirt.

Pulling off her shirt, Blaise took pains to slowly smooth her hair back in place, running his fingers through it and marvelling at her while he had the chance. He knew he wouldn't have long, though. If she was feeling half the need he was, she would kill him long before he was done looking at her.

Granted, he could probably look at her forever, but definitely not while she was decidedly randy as she was now.

Ginny pushed her pants off her hipbones and stood before him clad only in her knickers.

Blaise let out a laugh that caused her to launch herself at him, tackling him backward onto his bed, which happened to be covered in red and green and black silk sheets and rose petals. Soft chandeliers lit up the canopy bed he'd magicked out of nowhere and exotic iron ornamental candle-holders surrounded the bed.

Straddling him, Ginny deftly socked him in the stomach a few times and she didn't hold back just because she was madly in love with him. "Rule number one: when a girl takes off her clothes, don't laugh!" she said, pounding his abdomen. Catching her wrists Blaise reversed their positions in a flash and Ginny was suddenly all too aware of just how much Blaise wanted her.

Not that she minded.

Blaise grinned. "I'm sorry. But Rule Number Two does say 'if you're going to seduce someone, try not to wear cotton knickers with 'I Heart Snape' on them'." He smirked as Ginny tried not to laugh. "And I'm not entirely sure Snape's name should be there, either," Blaise said, giving her side a soft caress.

"Gag gift. Fred and George. Christmas. Need I say more?"

Blaise laughed and Ginny rolled them over, dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

"You should have seen what they got Hermione."

"No actually, I'd rather not. And don't mention your brother's wife while we're half naked and wrestling in my bed. It disturbs the mood."

"Well, if the mood's ruined, then I guess I'd better be getting back to my own bed then, right? G'night Blaise, see you in the morning." Ginny said, swinging her leg back over Blaise's waist and shuffling to the door, grinning inanely.

She'd gotten maybe two steps when Blaise tackled her and backed her up against the door, pinning her arms above her head and attacking her mouth and neck ardently enough to make her eyes roll in the back of her head.

"Jesus, Blaise, I was just kidding." She said breathlessly as he wrapped her legs around his waist. She was glad; she couldn't stand on her own.

"I can't feel my kneecaps." She said, breathing heavily as she tilted her neck to the side. Blaise slid his hands up her thighs. "Nevermind." She squeaked, eyes closing dreamily. "Oh my gods…" Ginny opened her eyes as Blaise stopped, sounding astonished. He was staring at her as if she'd grown a second head "…are you blushing?" he asked, thoroughly stunned. Ginny felt her cheeks heat up even more. "No."

"You are!"

"Shut up, Blaise!"

He didn't look like he was going to, so Ginny effectively accomplished the task herself, silencing him with a kiss. This time Ginny could feel Blaise go weak at the knees and that made her deliriously happy for reasons unaccounted for.

Blaise's hands on her thighs were grasping and shaking all at once and one or the other of them were going to just go mad and rip the other's clothes off soon when all of a sudden there was a rather large pop from the living room.

Ginny and Blaise froze, their position ridiculously promiscuous, even as Ginny removed her legs from his waist and he took the hands from inside her knickers. Turning into the door, Ginny cracked it open and peeped through it. Almost as immediately, she shut it, her eyes going wide.

"Shit, it's Ron!"

……………………………….

"Ginny! Where the bloody hell are you? I need to talk to you so wake up and get your arse out here!"

Ginny was leaning against Blaise's door as Ron continued hollering at her door across the hall, oblivious to the fact that his baby sister was not fully clothed and asleep in her room, but almost fully unclothed and trying to sleep with someone in their room.

Blaise was staring at her oddly. "Uh…Ginny…your brother seems to be here." He stated the obvious. Ginny glared up at him. "No, really? I couldn't hear him all the way over here." She said sarcastically before leaning against the door again.

Blaise arched an eyebrow. "So, don't you think you ought to go and say hello before he breaks your door down? I don't know how many times it can take it." Ginny rolled her eyes. "How's it going to look if I come out of your room at this time of night, looking like shite and smelling like sex?"

Blaise's eyes were darting back and forth and he looked a trifle confused. "Erm…I may be stating the obvious, but…we are engaged, you know." Ginny snorted before grinning up at him sheepishly. "Erm…Ron's not exactly going to be thrilled about us fooling around before we're married?" she said a little hesitantly.

Blaise really couldn't help it; he let out a snort of laughter. "I'm sorry Gin, but is the boy really that oblivious? I mean, you aren't exactly Miss Celibacy here." Fierce glare. "And anyway, I know for a fact your brother and Granger weren't quite abstinent before they got married…hell they were at it in Hogwarts. I'm surprised you never heard them."

Ginny looked vaguely homicidal as she glanced backward at the door. "Oh, really?" she asked, hauling on her robes. "I think it's time my brother and I had a little heart-to-heart."

She left the room and Blaise began praying for her brother as verbal onslaughts began in the living room. He didn't necessarily like the silly sod, but no one should ever be subjected to what she was capable of when she was pissed off. He only hoped in the case of emergency, that the robes he'd rented for his wedding could work as funeral robes as well.

……………………..

Blaise had fallen asleep eventually; the last thing he clearly remembered was hearing Ron jump up and down on the kitchen table singing 'God Save the Queen', soprano style. Blaise remembered that curse of hers quite well…that had been the worst birthday party ever and he was too drunk the next morning to remember the worst of it.

He was surprised to see the sun up in outside his only window and even more surprised to hear that the two siblings were still going at it. It appeared the youngest Weasley's numerous bed-hopping exploits had been discovered and it appeared she was now paying heavily for it.

He heard angry stomping following a pop from the living room and immediately hid under his covers. His door opened and slammed and when he peeked out from under his sheets, Ginny was leaning heavily against the wall, clutching her stomach and looking deadly tired.

Blaise got up and pulled her over to the bed, settling her down in front of him as he began to massage and work through the tension in her back and neck. Her head lolled back and she let out a long sigh. "The manky bastard put an Abstinence Charm on me!" she growled, sounding very much like she'd like to shove Ron's head down the loo and flush.

Blaise's fingers flickered from their task for only a moment before resuming it. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "No a bloody lot! Not until I'm married at least. Let's face it; my days as a single, carefree witch are over. Either I succumb to marriage or live the rest of my life in sexless abandon." She paused for a moment. "Fuck that. Blaise, when can we get married?" she asked. Blaise's fingers spazzed out on her shoulder and Ginny had the feeling she'd have a bruise there.

"Married?" Blaise asked, the reality of the situation looming up in front of him. "Erm…well, I don't…I suppose…I mean, these things usually take a couple of months in planning and whatnot, don't they?" he said somewhat stupidly. Ginny sighed, standing and stretching.

"Yes, I suppose. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait, then." Blaise was astonished at how dejected she sounded; he'd had her pegged as one of those gamophobes like Draco. Before he could tell her he'd marry her that morning if she wanted to get married in dirty robes, she had mumbled a brief farewell and left the room to go finish packing; she was catching a Portkey to Genoa on the seaside and it activated at noon.

…………………………..

Blaise glanced up at the clock in the kitchen.

12:01.

She was gone.

Officially, wholly, and really. She was gone. What had seemed only a temporarily vacated apartment a minute ago now seemed a dank and deserted catacomb that had not seen the light of day in a thousand years, condemned to never see it again for that matter.

Blaise felt dejected.

He'd tried talking to Ginny, but he couldn't get the words out and she seemed so impatient to get on her way. There was nothing he could think to say that would make any difference. He knew he couldn't ask her to give up the job she'd fought tooth and nail over, but he nonetheless wanted to tie her up in the apartment and never let her out of his sight again.

He stirred his tea morosely.

He felt so strongly; why didn't it come across that way? He knew what he wanted, so why didn't he get it? He knew what he wanted to tell her; that she was amazing and incredible and perfect and an entire dictionary of words that hadn't been invented yet. She was everything and anything to him and he wanted her with him. So why couldn't he tell her that?

What if he lost her because he was too hesitant to say anything wrong?

……………………………………………….

Ginny sighed as she landed firmly on her rear, shooting a spike of pain through her back. She rolled off her suitcase and got painfully to her feet, feeling her bones creak and ache in retaliation for the pain they'd just gone through.

A thin, reedy voice accompanied by its tall, golden-skinned owner, a woman in her forties, was waiting for her to stand. "I take it you are Signora Weesley?" the woman asked, her voice halting in English and slightly droopy. Ginny nodded. "I'm sorry I don't speak Italian; I'm a fast learner though." She said, wishing she sounded more intelligent. This was not the first impression she wanted to make.

The woman smiled. "Ah, bellissima, there is no need for apologies. We are friends, now, you see. Andiamo, we go now to your villa; your new home, si?"

"Not my new home…just a temporary one."

………………………………………………….

"Aspetta, aspetta, bellissima." Ginny stopped tugging at her luggage to turn towards Signora Alotta, the woman Ginny was to be working for in the years to come. The woman tossed her long braid of wavy hair over her shoulder. "No, no…your bed goes there. You put clothes in other room, with cabinet, si?" Ginny smiled sheepishly. "Yes. Of course." She said, and stopped trying to shove her suitcase under her small bed.

The villa was lovely. Right by the shore, it was a small, whitewashed place with two floors, both like small apartments in a soft, Mediterranean tone. Blaise would have loved it; he'd always talked about going back to live at his family's old home in the Italian countryside. She knew it was somewhere at the foothills of the Apennines where they grew grapes and made wine for income. One day she would visit it; to feel close to him.

She was already beating herself up for being so stubborn and not giving him a proper farewell when she didn't really know when she'd see him again.

She looked up to notice Alotta smiling knowingly at her. "You think about your amour, eh bellissima?" Ginny stared openly at the other woman. She smiled, amber eyes betraying shrewd wisdom behind warm lines. "Alotta knows, bellissima. Alotta knows the ways of a young girl's heart. You come here to escape, no? Get away? Ah, ma there is no way to escape from love, bellissima. It comes sooner or later with no invitation."

…………………………….

Ginny sighed.

Alotta was gone for the night; the woman was different than what Ginny had expected, but she figured her to be a lovely woman she wouldn't mind working with. It wasn't exactly writing, but at least it was work. And when you're blacklisted as she was, any work is better than no work.

Ginny smiled as she swept her fingers through her hair. Alotta hadn't approved; girls should have nice, long hair or else they look like boys. And girls should also not wear men's pants and shirts to sleep in.

For the first night in her adult life, Ginny actually felt like a woman. Alotta had given her a light white cottony dress that floated around her ankles and kept sliding off one shoulder. Ginny's hair was down and almost touched her shoulders, longer than it had been in a while.

Curled up on the window seat, she stared out over the dark cobble streets below and made a wish on a streetlamp. Streetlamps were common and yet different. Ginny had been making wishes on stars her whole life and they never seemed to get her anywhere.

She wished she could just be with Blaise.

Little did she know that the key factor in making that wish come true was shuffling his feet nervously outside her door.

…………………

Ginny jumped at the knock at the door before rising to answer it. Alotta had probably forgotten something else she needed to tell her. Ginny swung the door open and nearly fainted dead away.

Blaise was standing in her doorway in the same clothes he'd been wearing when she left him. The look on his face was so lost and yet so certain and yet so unsure all at the same time that Ginny didn't need to hear what he would try to tell her; she knew from the odd look in his eyes.

Ginny flew at him and pressed her mouth to his almost greedily.

Blaise responded in turn, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her body as close to his as humanly possible while at the same time trying to cover her entire body with kisses.

Somehow thy managed to both get inside the room and Blaise kicked the door shut, grabbing handfuls of fabric in dangerous desperation. "Christ, Sparky, what the hell are you wearing?" he growled into her neck, trying to find a hem to the endless skirt bunched around her knees.

Ginny was trying valiantly not to whimper. She hated girls that whimpered. It was pathetic. But Blaise's mouth was doing something really interesting to her earlobe. She didn't realize she'd been asked a question until he nipped at her neck and repeated his query.

"Oh…Alotta made me wear it." She mumbled incoherently, tangling her hands in his hair and pulling his mouth to his. Blaise's hands were still fumbling around as they played out an awkward kind of dance across the room. He pulled his mouth away finally to glance down at where his hands were.

"Damnit…of all times for you to dress like a woman…" he grumbled, pulling up the voluminous skirts separating him from her…he had to just be as close to her as possible. "What, are you better at taking off men's clothes?" Ginny laughed, feeling his frustration washing over her.

Ginny pulled herself away and backed up until she was standing at the edge of the bed. She leaned down and pulled the dress off with only a little less difficulty than Blaise had. Blaise watched, mesmerized, as she clumsily tore the long dress off.

Somehow he managed to de-robe himself in a matter of seconds and in even less time, had her trembling with the power and intensity of his kisses. Ginny's hands had at some point pulled away from his neck and were clenching and unclenching to either side of her, her arms stretched across the mattress. Blaise pulled away from her as she started to dig her nails into the mattress.

He sat there for a full minute, breathing heavily, just staring down at her. Her pale skin was flushed and somewhat blotchy. Her skin was clammy and on the verge of breaking out in sweat, due to some rather skilled tongue exercises at strategic places all over her body. Her chest, encased in a horrible orange bra that made her skin look livid, was heaving in an intriguingly seductive way.

Blaise had never thought she looked more beautiful.

Ginny finally opened her eyes. "The Abstinence Charm," she whispered almost painfully, finally remembering. Blaise shook his head, an expression of rapt adoration on his face as he brushed her hair out of her face. "That's not important." Ginny was ready to protest when Blaise's hand found the elastic on her knickers. "But there are other ways to get around the Charm." Ginny's face contorted in jagged bliss. "I love you," was the first thing out of her mouth. Blaise smiled down at her, thanked every deity he knew of, and proceeded to remove their remaining clothes.

"I love you too."

………………………

It would take Ginny several months for her to make up to Alotta, who'd nearly had a heart attack when she entered Ginny's room the next morning, but for Ginny (and Blaise) it was well worth it.

Ginny had cringed as the woman had flown from the room, slamming the door shut and shouting in Italian. Blaise pulled his head out from under the covers and grinned recklessly. "I don't know about you, but this brings back memories from my Hogwarts days." He grinned, settling himself across Ginny's stomach and burying his face in her neck.

Ginny grinned. "Get caught by Filch doing the naughty with some Slytherin chit?" she asked. Blaise smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and sighing heavily, exuding contentment. "If only I'd had half a brain in those days…it might have been us Filch caught rolling around on Moaning Myrtle's bathroom floor."

Ginny flinched. "Eew. I didn't need to hear that and if you ever tell me who you did that with, I swear to god, I won't marry you." Blaise glanced up from where he'd been making interesting designs on her neck in raised purple spots.

"You wouldn't do that…I can't live without you." Blaise dodged the hand that rose to smack him. "Gods, you pansy…you are such a sap. Really…did you write trashy romance novels in a past life?" Blaise smirked in response. "Maybe. These corny lines….are they working?" he asked cockily. Ginny tried not to smile. "Maybe." She admitted, leaning down to kiss him again.

………………………………

Ginny and Blaise were married a year later, of course finding Ron and torturing him until he removed the Charm. In that year, Ginny knew that marriage would only be the legal bit of it…they were forever already without the ceremony.

The wedding was tasteful, mostly thanks to Molly Weasley's attention since neither Blaise nor Ginny were interested in anything much but themselves.

Ginny had thought about disregarding the traditional wedding and had even gone to visit Rythmi for ideas. She rapidly decided to go traditional when she found her odd friend doing something naughty on the bar with a very familiar blonde Slytherin.

The wedding took place at the Zabini country estate, which Blaise had visited and decided to take over. The winery began to release the best of Zabini wines again and profits were rolling in. Meanwhile, Ginny had said farewell to Signora Alotta, who had been only too happy to see Ginny and Blaise leave, and instead took up writing a novel that would later become one of the best in wizardry history and would aid her into a long career in journalism, eventually replacing none other than Lei Chang.

Living in a gorgeous apartment along the beach and just at the foot of the mountains where Blaise's winery resided, Ginny and Blaise could hardly wait to get married.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful under the apple arbours on the south end of Zabini estate. It was immediately concluded with the bride and groom Disapparating in the middle of their heated, urgent kiss, coming back two hours later for Ginny to attack her brother in retaliation for his interference.

Molly Weasley was very interested in this Abstinence Charm business, and Ron was later walloped with a wooden spoon that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but in actuality, had been Mrs. Weasley's wedding gift to Ginny, reminding her that men sometimes needed to be put in their place. After cleaning up her maid of honour (a particularly evil punishment for her youngest brother, and a title that neither Fred nor George would ever let him forget), the happy couple were toasted and Ginny tried to kill Blaise with cake for splashing her with champagne.

Molly and Arthur Weasley were dancing slowly under the warm Italian sun, watching their youngest daughter chasing her husband around, her wedding dress hitched up to her knees and a glob of cake in her hand. The smile on the young Italian's face was a shimmer of truth and joy and Molly found tears in her eyes.

"They're really happy, aren't they?" she asked her husband as he twirled her.

Arthur glanced up. Draco Malfoy was doing an outlandish dance with a woman dressed like a banana with hair like a plum and enough earrings to hang herself with. Ron was getting sympathetic attention from Hermione, who was kissing him and holding her slightly swollen stomach, his hand over hers. Harry was drinking champagne and laughing with none other than Pansy Parkinson, who was looking modest and surprisingly demure as she sipped her water.

He finally turned to his daughter, now straddling Blaise on the grass and shoving cake down his throat triumphantly. He watched as she leaned down and kissed him softly as his hands wrapped around her waist, holding her reverently and pulling her dress neck back, a chunk of cake poised to fall down her back.

Arthur smiled as his daughter leapt up, laughing and kissing Blaise as he picked her up and spun her around.

"You know, I really think they are."