The confidant swagger Draco felt from his successful meeting evaporated at the moment he apparated to the Weasley homw, where he had picked up Lorcan only a week before.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself, before he knocked on the door. It was opened by the former Beauxbaton student who had been in the Triwizard Tournament, who regarded Draco with uncertain curiosity, but didn't speak.

"Fleur, who is ... " a female voice began, then stopped abruptly when the elder Mrs. Weasley pushed around her son and laid eyes on the visitor. "Mr. Malfoy." She drew herself upright. "Oh my, won't you come in?" She quickly replaced her frown with a welcoming smile.

"I came to see Luna." Draco managed to choke out hoarsely.

"Oh, yes." Molly nodded. "She's in here. Everyone's in here."

She led him into the sitting room, filled with more ginger haired people than Draco had ever seen in one place before.

"Daddy!" Lorcan shouted, running across the room to fling himself at Draco's legs.

Draco swooped him up into a hug.

Lorcan balanced on Draco's hip and looked behind them. "Where's Storie?" he asked, tilting his head.

"She's not here." Draco told him. "She is getting ready to go back to school. You were right. She didn't want to marry me. She doesn't want to marry anyone right now. She wants to go to healer school. I think she'll be good at it. She's rather sad that she won't get to be your stepmother. She said she wants to be declared Honorary Aunt Storie."

Lorcan's eyes went impossibly wide. "You came to marry us?" he squeaked.

"Well, I can't marry you, but I can marry your mummy and bring you both home with me." Draco told him.

"Yes! Mummy!" Lorcan shrieked, jumping down to run back to her side. "Did you hear? Daddy wants to keep us!"

"But the marriage contract ..." Luna said with a frown.

"I renegotiated the contract." He shrugged with a devious grin. "There are all sorts of feudal era laws still on the books if one just cares to look into them. I had the betrothal contract changed to a courtesan contract. In exchange for an additional sum of money and a seat on the board of Malfoy Industries, Robert Greengrass has given me Astoria as a courtesan, and I have assumed guardianship of her dowager sister."

There was low murmuring among those seated at the table.

"You purchased Astoria for a mistress?" Ginny Weasley shouted, rising from her seat. "And her sister?"

"Actually, the word courtesan did not originally mean what people associate it with now." Draco studied his fingernails as if her were bored before glaring at the young woman. "They were male or female attendants to the lord, in whatever capacity he required. Some were political or economic advisers, some were the liaisons with the serfs, some were poets or minstrels or artists. Many of them were given into respectable marriages when the lord no longer required their services or to strengthen political alliances. The contract states that the capacity in which the Greengrass sisters are to serve me is at my discretion. That means I can send Astoria to healer school and instruct Daphne to continue the treatments her healers prescribe, and their father can't do anything to stop it. I would be within my rights to marry off one or both of them later to a suitor I deem acceptable."

"You mean for us to believe that you did this just out of the kindness of your heart?" Hermione Granger demanded from her place next to Ron. "That you liberated Daphne and Astoria Greengrass from their father and will support them, without getting anything in return?"

"Quite frankly, Granger, I don't care why you believe I did it." Draco said coolly. "Suffice it to say I know a bit about overbearing and self-absorbed fathers. However, I did get something in return. I am no longer obligated to marry Astoria."

"Isn't all this a bit sudden?" Molly Weasley asked.

"We can wait as long as Luna wants, but I don't foresee that much will change." Draco said.

"But what about the cabin?" Luna asked.

"What about it?" Draco shrugged again. "It sat empty before. We can use it as a vacation home if you'd like. I'm the sole heir of the Malfoy and Black estates. I have plenty of houses that Daphne and Astoria can live in and more than enough galleons to support them."

"Draco," Luna shook her head. "I know how much you love Lorcan. I'll never try to keep him from you. But you can't throw your life away ... "

"I am not throwing my life away." He answered, looking at her as if an entire gaggle of Weasleys was not watching with rapt attention. "I'm giving it to you."

"Draco, you can't give up your life with Astoria and marry me because you love Lorcan." She protested.

"I'm not doing it because I love Lorcan." He told her. "Although I do love him, more than I would have thought I could love someone. I'm a right heartless bastard after all, right Granger?" He looked over at Hermione, who didn't answer, before turning back to Luna. "I'm doing it because I love you. I don't love you because of Lorcan. I don't love you in spite of Lorcan. I don't even know why I love you." He shook his head. "But I do. And if that's not good enough, I just don't know what else to say."

They stared at each other for a long moment, until an elderly woman with streaks of ginger in her gray hair nudged Luna.

"Dear, if you don't go over there and kiss that young man, I'm going to."

Aunt Tessie didn't have to.

A/N - yes, I finally got my muse back and finished it. I'm working on the rest of The Vow and The Prisoner too, but don't know how soon I will be able to post more of those.