Harry Potter 1. Prologue

**A/N: Just an idea I had. I've never actually watched How I Met Your Mother, but obviously that's what the title is inspired by. I just like the ring of it xD. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The young, fiery red head sat down on the couch, her small frame practically sinking in to it. She was sixteen years old, but due to her stature she was often mistaken for closer to eleven or twelve. She had wide, dark chocolate brown eyes that were constantly looking around. "You look just like your mother, you know that Daphne?"

Daphne looked up as the man set the tray of tea on the coffee table. "I know Uncle Ron, you always tell me that." She offered him a bright smile.

"Yeah, I do don't I?" He chuckled as well and poured the tea before sitting down beside Daphne. "Aunt Hermione will be back tomorrow. She said something about you two going school shopping."

"Great! I already have a list made."

"Of course you do." Ron laughed and ran a hand through his hair, a sad look passing over his eyes for a moment. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their tea when Daphne finally spoke up again.

"Can you tell me about Mom and Dad?"

Ron looked over, mildly surprised. She hadn't asked about them in a few years, but maybe that should have surprised them more. He turned to face her and smiled gently. "Of course I can sweetheart."

He sighed inwardly as he looked her over a moment. Daphne was the spitting image of Ginny, but she had gotten Draco's rather calm demeanor…and a combination of both their tempers. She was beautiful and it made him sad that his sister and his brother in law would never get the chance to watch her grow up.

It had been fifteen years since Ginny and Draco were taken. The authorities said it was an accident, but Ron didn't believe it because the details just didn't make sense with an accident. Still, Ron only knew so much. Harry and Hermione both worked for the Ministry but neither of them could find anything useful. It was like the higher ups had just buried all the details of their deaths to make it near impossible to track.

Ron still remembered the day it happened. Ginny had called him, asking if he and Hermione could watch Daphne. It would only be for a few days- a week at the most. She had a look about her that was…well not the usual Ginny, but it seemed important so Ron agreed to it. He wanted to get more details but knowing his sister, if she didn't provide them up front then he wouldn't get them so easily.

Draco and Ginny showed up the next day with enough stuff to last a month at least, which wasn't too suspicious. After all they were new parents and Daphne was only one year old, so they wanted to make sure Ron and Hermione had everything they would need.

Then two days later Harry showed up at the door in his Ministry uniform with a rather somber look on his face. He had just received word that Ginny and Draco were dead. It was classified as an accident but he had caught a glimpse of the pictures and it didn't look like an accident.

Ron cleared his throat and shook his head, taking a sip of tea. Then he started the story like he always started the story, "Well, you father was a real piece of work when we were in school…."


	2. Denial

**A/N: Quick Note. When it says 4****th**** Year it's referring to Draco's year. So in this chapter Draco is in 4****th**** year and Ginny is in 3****rd**** year.**

* * *

**4****th**** Year**

"Come on Draco! Give it back!" Ginny Weasley was jumping up, her arm outstretched as far as it could go, trying to get her diary out of Draco Malfoy's hand-which was, unfortunately, just a few inches too tall for her.

"But there's so much information to learn here Weasel." Draco laughed as he moved now and then to keep the diary from Ginny. His laugh was more of a mischievous chuckle. Ginny couldn't understand why he always bugged her…then again he _was_ Draco Malfoy.

Ginny gave a frustrated groan and then let her arm fall back to her side and took a step back. Draco had a smug grin that said 'I Win' as he slowly brought his arm back down as well. Then it was Ginny's turn to smirk as she suddenly charged forward, tackling him.

Draco yelped as they both tumbled to the ground, the diary flying out of his hand and landing a couple feet away in the grass. "What the hell Weasel!?"

"You shouldn't have taken my diary from me!" Ginny retorted in a matter-of-fact tone as she began to move off of Draco.

"What the hell Ginny!" Ron's voice suddenly bellowed, scaring both of them. It was late afternoon, the last few days of Spring Break. Normally they would still be at home but everyone was get a bit restless and they decided in the end to return to school early. Unfortunately, Draco had stayed at the school so they had him to deal with, or more so – Ginny had to deal with him.

Ginny scrambled to her feet and quickly grabbed her diary. "He stole my diary and wouldn't give it back!" Ginny protested as Ron grabbed her by the arm.

"Come on, you don't need to be anywhere near this slime." Ron growled, practically dragging and flailing and protesting Ginny away.

* * *

A full month had gone by since Spring Break ended and Ginny thought maybe Draco had finally put someone else on the top of his list. He hadn't bothered her at all since that fiasco with her diary…maybe Ron and Harry beat some sense in to him, but she doubted it. If they had they would have surely gotten detention and neither of them had said a word about detention yet.

Ginny was relieved that she did have to deal with his constant teasing and badgering…and then she walked right in to him. She took a startled step back and Draco blinked a bit, putting his hands up. "Don't tackle me again Weasel, you're the one who isn't paying attention."

Ginny had to pause a moment, that didn't sound like something Draco would say, well the second part at least. Then she narrowed her eyes. "My. Name. Is. GINNY!" She shouted, causing the other students to stop and stare for the briefest of moments before carrying on. Ginny scowled, turning a shade of scarlet before turning on her heels and quickly walking away while Draco just watched her leave, wide-eyed and a little puzzled looking.

"A sorry would have been just fine!" He called after her, but when she turned around he was already gone.

* * *

"I just don't understand 'Mione. What's his problem?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's Malfoy, Ginny. He's a jerk and he doesn't make any sense. He just likes to harass us."

"It's getting on my nerves though. I wish he would just find someone else to bother."

The two girls were walking down near the lake, it was just after dinner so there was still some light. Hearing voices up ahead, they didn't pay too much attention until Hermione put out a hand to stop Ginny, spotting Draco and someone who she was fairly sure was Blaze.

They shared another look before moving quietly in to the shadows of a nearby tree so they could listen.

"Hang on just one second," Blaze was saying, "Are you tellin' me that you have a thing for the Weasley girl?!"

"What?! No! I didn't say that." Draco quickly protested.

"Draco. You just said "She's not so bad, maybe I should stop harassing her so much.' "

"That doesn't mean I have a…a thing for the muggle loving brat!"

* * *

**Present Day**

Daphne dissolved in to giggles as Ron attempted impressions of all the different voices. No matter how many times he told the story, she always giggled. It amazed her that he remembered so much about, well, everything. "How come Daddy was is denial?"

"Well," Ron stood up and stretched, gathering their empty tea cups and putting them on the tray. "Your father came from a very pure blooded family. One that looked down on normal people and thought that anyone who associated with them willingly were as low on the chain as they were."

"But he loved Mom enough to go against all that?"

"Eventually he came around, or else you wouldn't be here." He smiled at her and picked up the tray. "Now get ready for bed. I'll tell you more after you and Aunt Hermione get back from your shopping tomorrow."


	3. Midnight Swim

**Present Day**

The front door of the flat opened, Hermione and Daphne-both giggling- walking in. "We're back Ron!" Hermione called out as they brought the shopping bags to Daphne's room. She now had all her supplies ready for when school started up again and what Ron would probably consider an overkill of new outfits.

When they went back out to the small hallway, Ron was coming out of his office. He worked from home and did various jobs for people around the neighborhood. Hermione didn't know how he managed to keep it all straight. "Welcome back you two, what're you giggling over?" He asked curiously, giving them both a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh Daphne had told me about you telling her a bit about Ginny and Draco last night. I told her the story of the Masquerade Ball in our Sixth Year." Hermione smiled.

Ron laughed. "I remember that, I was so angry." He shook his head.

After dinner the three of them sat in the living room so Ron could continue _his_ story.

* * *

**4****th**** Year**

It was the final month of school before Summer vacation started and the dead of night. Ginny had gotten in to a row with Harry because he was eyeing Cho Chang at dinner. Even though they weren't actually dating, Ginny couldn't help it. She _thought_ she liked him at least. So she felt jealous that he wouldn't give her that kind of attention.

Sighing inwardly, Ginny dove under the water again. If you went too deep the lake would get dangerous, heck maybe it was even dangerous right here- shallow enough to touch the bottom, but deep enough to be able to properly swim. It didn't matter to Ginny though, she had been doing this ever since her first year. She loved swimming and she wasn't going to let any lake monsters scare her off.

As she came back up to the surface she heard…crying? Turning to face the shore, she tilted her head slightly and began to move closer. Obviously whoever was sitting there wasn't paying any attention at all to their surroundings. "…Malfoy?"

Draco jumped suddenly, quickly wiping at his tear-stained face. "What the hell are you doing Weasley?" He snapped, his voice waivered, but he made no move to get up. Maybe he just felt too drained.

Ginny couldn't ever remember seeing Draco look so…vulnerable. Honestly, she didn't think he was capable of any emotions other than hate and smugness and, well, nothing like this. She walked up on to the shore, the cool air making her shiver before she sat down next to him. Not too close though. "What's wrong?"

"What do you care?" They both kept their focus on the lake in front of them.

"I don't. I was just trying to be nice."

"Why would you be nice to me?"

That was a good question. He was nothing but a jerk to her all the time, though he had seemed to focus more on everyone else lately instead. Ginny sighed softly. "Because I'm not like you."

Draco turned his head to look at her. She was right of course, she was nothing like him. "My mother is dead." He said finally, though now his voice was just deadpan as he looked back to the water.

"I…" Ginny paused. She had never met his mother, though she had seen his father a handful of times in passing. Maybe his mother was nicer? Though Ginny couldn't really picture it. "I'm sorry Draco." She turned and offered a brief smile. "Losing people is hard." She stood up and offered her hand.

Draco looked at it, but stood up on his own and Ginny let her arm fall back to her side. "Yes, yes it is." There were tears in his eyes as he turned to walk back towards the school. Ginny sighed again and lingered a little longer before she started to head back as well.


	4. Summer Shopping

**Present Day**

"So that was really the first time mom ever saw dad cry?" Daphne asked, almost like she couldn't really believe it- even though in reality she knew that she had no idea.

"It was the first time any of us had heard of him being anything other than a p-"Hermione gave Ron a look and he quickly adjusted his wording. "Than a jerk." He finished. "It's getting late, time for you to be off to bed."

Daphne looked like she was going to protest but decided against it. "Oh alright, but you'll tell me more in the morning won't you?"

"Of course I will." Ron promised and a few minutes later Daphne retreated upstairs to her room.

Hermonie sighed and moved so she was sitting beside Ron now. "She's so much like Ginny. They would both be very proud of her."

Ron smiled a bit and wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "They would. She is one of the few that give Slytherin's a good name."

* * *

Daphne laid in bed with her lamp still on, looking at one of the pictures of her parents. It made her smile, seeing how happy they were holding on to each other and laughing about something. It was their wedding day and her mother looked beautiful. Daphne felt tearing prickling at the corners of her eyes – she wished that she could have gotten to really know them.

It hadn't come as too much of a surprise when Daphne had been sorted in to Slytherin. The Sorting Hat struggled for only a moment between them and Gryffindor before finally deciding. Daphne was perfectly happy there, and made sure that she was nice with everyone. She had friends in all the houses but only a couple really close friends. She was looking forward to school starting again but until then she was looking forward to tomorrow morning and more stories of the past from Uncle Ron.

* * *

**Summer **

Ginny's 3rd year had ended uneventfully for the most part, though in the back of her mind she couldn't help but think of Draco. She never in a million years believed it was possible to feel pity for someone like him but she did. Ginny could not even imagine losing a parent and it must be awful for him.

Right now Ginny was shopping for a few new outfits as there were some family events that she was going to be dragged to. It was exciting since she was only with Hermione and it was rare she went anywhere without her mother tagging along. "Hermione what about this-" Ginny started to say as she pulled a green dress of the rack and turned around to where she _thought_ Hermione was.

Instead she came face to face with Draco Malfoy. What was he even doing in a dress store? Draco looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "I believe your friend went in to a dressing room. That green would look nice on you." He said before starting to walk past her.

Wait…what? Ginny turned to watch him. "Malfoy, wait a second."

"What Weasley?" He turned again to look at her.

"I…um…what are you doing in a store like this?"

"Accompanying my Aunt. Not that it is any of your business."

"Oh. How are you doing?"

"...I am fine." Then he continued to walk away just as Hermione came up behind her.

"Was that Malfoy?"

Ginny jumped, startled. "What? Oh. Yeah." She shrugged. "What about this dress?"

* * *

The sun was beginning to set and the two girls were walking back towards the bus stop when the sound of an argument began to arise.

"I don't give a damn about any of this so why should I have to?"

"I am your father and you _will_ obey me. Your mother can't stop anything now."

"How dare you bring her in to this! She did everything for you and look where it got her! Six feet in the ground! I refuse to follow suit!"

The sound of a hand connecting with skin was heard and then silence. The girls exchanged a glance, there was no denying that one of the voices had been Draco and by logic the other had to have been his father.

* * *

**Present Day**

"What happened then?" Daphne asked as Hermione began clearing the breakfast plates.

"It's a story for another time dear. You have to get to packing your trunk, the departure day will be here before you know it."

"But Aunt 'Mione…"

"Mind your Aunt, Daphne." Ron cut in as he stood up. "We'll tell you more tonight." He assured the young girl.

Daphne groaned and nodded. "Fine. I'll go start packing."

As she disappeared back towards her room, Hermione and Ron shared a look. "You know we'll have to tell her eventually." Ron said.

"I know, I know. I just don't understand why. He was such a horrid man, and he still is. I wouldn't be surprised if everything that happened was his fault."


End file.

Harry Potter, Romance