Ch. 45

Draco and Blaise anxiously took one last shot of firewhiskey before they walked out of the Manor and down the pathway. They didn't say a word to each other, each lost in their own thoughts and fears as to what's going to happen.

"So," Blaise said finally as they walked through the front doors. "We're off to the Burrow."

Draco nodded. They had received Hermione's Patronus, an otter, letting them know that they were invited to the Burrow for dinner by Mr. Weasley. Right after that, they both took a shot of firewhiskey.

"Do you think we're overdressed?" Draco asked, looking down. He had decided to make a good impression, knowing these people were practically Hermione's second set of parents and opted for one of his black suits.

Blaise, who had dressed similarly, shrugged. "Maybe a bit, but we are trying to get on their good side."

They walked through the gates and on the other side of the wards. Malfoy Manor had a similar enchantment to Hogwarts, where you couldn't apparate in or out of the grounds, but that enchantment stopped at the gate. After confirming exactly where they were apparating to, there were two pops and the Veelas disappeared from the front gate.

They landed close to each other in the field surrounding the Burrow, nervously adjusting their ties and now muttering to each other about how they were certainly overdressed. But they were able to breathe easier now that they were closer to their mates.

After knocking on the front door and waiting for a few moments, the door opened to reveal Mr. Weasley, who looked between the two boys.

"Boys, welcome!" He greeted warmly, which surprised Draco and Blaise.

He moved to the side and gestured for them to come in, which they did slowly, taking in everything. The house was much larger on the inside than they had expected, and was very brightly lit even with the sun setting. Mr. Weasley led them into his office, shutting the door behind them which made the two boys nervous.

"Firewhiskey?" He offered as he walked between them to the small open case.

"Yes, sir," Blaise answered while Draco nodded.

"Please, no need to call me sir," Mr. Weasley answered as he poured three small glasses.

After holding them out for the two boys to take, he took a small sip and looked at the two of them quietly, taking in their appearances. "I must say, you two certainly are very well put together."

Draco bit his lip and said, "I hope we're not overdressed."

"Not at all," Mr. Weasley said, waving him off. "Now, to business."

He gestured towards the couches that were on the other side of the room, leading the boys to them. He sat on one couch while Draco and Blaise took the other, trying to not seem too uncomfortable with the awkwardness.

"I suppose you know that I brought you in here to have the typical 'you're dating my daughter now' chat," Mr. Weasley started to the two of them. "I also brought you in here to save you from my wife, who is currently displeased with the situation but is slowly coming around to it."

The boys sat in silence, unsure of what to say. They didn't need to say anything though as Mr. Weasley continued, looking between the two of them but addressing Draco first. "I hope you realize that Hermione is practically my daughter as well, especially given the situation with her parents which I'm sure you are aware of."

Draco nodded and Mr. Weasley nodded in return, continuing. "Alright. Now, I know the past is the past. My daughters have been fated to be your mates. Luckily, our family already has some experience with Veelas, as our oldest son is married to a woman who is quarter-Veela."

The boys looked at each other in surprise and Blaise leaned forward slightly, putting his elbows on his knees. "To be honest, Mr. Weasley, we had no idea. I've heard them mention it, but they didn't go in to detail."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "That's because our son and his wife are fairly private, which I've heard is very typical of Veelas."

Draco nodded. "Hermione and Ginny are looking to change that though; they wants to educate the wizarding world and put together a book about all of our experiences."

Mr. Weasley grinned at that. "That sounds like my girls. I hope you both are supportive of this."

"Of course, sir," Blaise said, sitting up straighter. "Our only worry is that once news gets out that Hermione and Ginny carry Veela DNA, any progress they make in their lives and careers will be tainted by that, when Draco and I know they will both only work hard and never use their abilities to their advantage. I know you know how harsh the press can be, so I'd rather this be kept under wraps until after they are set in their careers and it's clear they worked to get there. I understand that both Ginny and Hermione have very high aspirations in life, and neither Draco nor I want to do anything to put their dreams in jeopardy."

Mr. Weasley looked at Blaise thoughtfully for a few moments before smiling at him and Draco. "Do you both love my girls?"

Draco and Blaise nodded. Draco spoke up this time. "Mr. Weasley, we would do anything for them. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, Blaise and I were both willing to be there for the girls even if they had rejected us. I'm sure you know what happens to a Veela when they are rejected."

"I'm aware, yes," Mr. Weasley said.

"We would do anything to make them happy," Draco added.

Mr. Weasley looked between the two of them and then took another sip of his firewhiskey. "So, tell me about the both of you. You mentioned the girls' aspirations, but nothing about your own."

Draco and Blaise looked at each other before Blaise said to him, "Well, Draco and I are planning to go into business after we graduate. We have plans for modernizing the wizarding world, taking ideas from the muggle world. It would also help to end the misunderstandings about muggles within the wizarding community, and hopefully bring the two worlds closer."

Mr. Weasley looked genuinely surprised by this. "That is a very large mountain to conquer, boys."

"Maybe so, but we want to prevent another war of blood purity from happening," Draco said. "We hope that, with our company, there won't be any sort of hatred for muggles and muggleborns."

"A cause close to your heart," Mr. Weasley said with a knowing smile.

Draco smiled in return. "Yes, sir."

"You know," Mr. Weasley started, "Your father is the reason I'm still at the ministry."

Blaise looked at Draco, who was looking at Mr. Weasley in confusion. "My father? Really?"

"Oh yes. With the rebuilding of the ministry, funds had to be sent elsewhere. They were going to shut down my department, until your father stepped in this past summer." Mr. Weasley took another drink and went on. "He offered a substantial amount of money to help us, saying that we were a vital part of the Ministry that should always be there."

Draco stared at him, dumbstruck. Why hadn't his father said anything about it? And his mother would have certainly said something.

"Now," Mr. Weasley started again, "I want to make sure that my girls are taken care of. Money-wise, I'm sure that is not an issue. But if I hear of my girls being unhappy, you both realize that you will have a clan of Weasleys coming after you."