Disclaimer; THIS IS FAN FICTION RATED AS 'M'.
ADULT THEMES AND SOME MILD ADULT LANGUAGE.

Copyright;
Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of JK Rowling
This story alone, is my creation.

Chapter 14: Goodbyes Before Dawn.

"When men are not regretting that life is so
short, they are doing something to kill time."

Edgar Watson Howe

Appearing on the doorstep Draco rushed to the door with Molly Weasley in hot pursuit. He caring faced looked upon him with mild amusement. How often did a young man forget he had locked a girl in a room?

Running up the stairs, Molly slightly breathless behind him, Draco turned and bounded up the second flight. The carved posts that held the banister flew past as he sprinted towards the passageway.

"Draco, Draco, hold on." Molly called from half way up the main flight. "Draco, I can't see."

"Illumis." Draco called waving his wand erratically as he turned to run down the passageway. The chandelier in the hall and the one's in the passageway burst into flame and then showered sparks down onto the floor, Draco and Molly Weasley.

"Fuck." A spark dropped down the back of Draco's shirt as he ran down the passage to the last room on the right. He thought of the scar the spark would leave. 'Hermione'll kiss it better.' He reached the door, he could hear a soft sound inside the room. Hearing Molly jogging up to him, Draco took the handle.

"Draco... be... more... careful.. with.. the lights in future." Catching her breath, Molly made ready to protect herself against Pansy who, by now, would be very angry. She could see sorrow in Draco's eyes, he felt bad for leaving Pansy in here. His blonde hair was unkempt and he looked less like the son of Lucius Malfoy than he would a son of a beggar. She felt a pang of guilt and pity, he could do with a good meal and a happy house. Making a mental note to invite him for dinner one Sunday she drew her wand and pointed it toward the door. She told Draco not to be armed as this may cause Pansy to go into a fit of hysteria. She watched his hunched shoulder turn the key and then slowly, pushed the door inwards.

"Illumis." Draco waved his wand just inside the door and the lights flamed up, pushing the darkness back. Peering round the door he couldn't see Pansy waiting to swing for him or stood ready to hex him. The room was quite, the soft sound of murmured sobbing drifted through the air from the bed. Draco looked round the rather musty four poster with tattered drapes and raggy pelmet. "Pansy?" His quite voice echoed round the room as he pushed the door open and walked in followed by Molly.

Molly glanced round the room, she had a daughter and knew, all too well, what a young girl would be thinking and where she would be. Turning she looked up at Draco, her eyes soft and a light smile on her lips. "Go and stand outside my boy, I'll be out shortly." Once Draco had left the room Molly walked over to the bed, slowly. Pulling back the drapes she found Pansy curled up on top of the sheets, sat on the pillows with her back against the carved headboard.

Sitting down beside her, Molly stroked Pansy's hair. "Dear, Dear. Oh, you poor thing, come on, lets' get you leaned up."

Pansy looked up at the kind woman, she had never had her hair stroked by her own mother. The last person to do that had been Theodore, poor Theodore. Pansy burst into tears again, burying her head into her knees she sobbed, her body shaking with each wave.

"Oh my poor dear." Molly could do nothing but stroke Pansy's hair and hope this would pass. What had happened to this lovely thing to make her so upset? "What is my darling? What has got you so upset?"

Pansy lifted her head slightly and turned to Molly, the warm face and concerned look was genuine, Pansy couldn't help but let it all out. "He loved me, he did love me, I loved him... I... I loved him and he's gone, he was cut down. Now.. now I'm left with a man... a man who only cares about himself or what he can get out of others." Pansy returned to her sobs, a fresh flow of tears dampening her torn dress. She could feel herself being pulled toward Molly and then she was resting her head against the soft chest of an old witch who only cared about others. Before she thought about it Pansy wrapped her arms round Molly and held her.

"My poor, poor child." Molly turned her head and looked back at Draco, stood in the doorway he head hared it all. She could see his face was white, ashen and he looked so hurt. Molly knew it was Pansy, she had ripped her words from his heart and now he stood, exposed and naked as a new born to the pain of what another truly thought of him. Molly tried to smile but Draco just turned and walked off.

Blaise was sat in the garden, the moonlight reflecting off the birdbath water. Shards of light flickered off his face as he looked into the stars. He could see the birds flying over head on their morning rounds, the sun would soon be reaching into the sky from the east. Pulling his jacket closer to him as a breeze blew through the through the long garden he thought of Sugar and Victoria. He wondered if he were doing the right thing. His large hands cupped his groin and pulled his trousers out to release some space. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. Patterns of light danced under his lids and swirled as he moved his eyeballs.

He thought of tomorrow, of what the night would hold. He knew what he had to do now but how would that affect him tomorrow night? Right now, he was sure of the path he had to walk, sure of the part he had taken in this production he had been drafted into due to lack of cast. He had known his part since the afternoon before.

He wanted to tell her how he felt, hold her close and tell her how much he cared for her but he hadn't been given the chance, his words had been cut from the script as he had opened his mouth. She was still in love with her high flying Griffindork. She would never love him until Oliver was gone. He had asked and Potter had agreed to it, now all he had to do was wait for the curtain call.

Opening his eyes Blaise glanced round the garden. The small pool was still shimmering in the birdbath and the stars were still burning in the black sky. He felt like that star, the one so far away from the others, all alone in the middle of a dark expanse. Gliding his eyes over the garden he wondered how many parties this small patch of land had seen, how many laughs, how many tears. Allowing his eyes to drift toward the back of the house, he followed the crazy paving round the plant pots.

She was stood just outside the back door, on the first step. Her coat pulled round her against the wind and her hair billowing out behind her as she walked slowly toward him down the path. He couldn't take his eyes off her, she looked so sensual walking down that path in the moonlight. She was coming closer, checking over her shoulder that no one had followed before she turned and sat next to him.

Victoria had chosen not to look at him, she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes from what she had done to him yesterday. She felt the metal arm of the wooden bench against her side, the cold seeping through her coat as she tried to keep her distance from him. The wind shifted and a blast of cold air blew up her coat and into her shirt, she could feel her nipple stiffen on impact. She was glad of the thick coat now, she wouldn't look like she was turned on, which she wasn't, she was just bloody cold. She had made up her mind only moments ago, this could be her last chance, tomorrow they could both be laid dead and then their would be no time for regrets.

"Blaise.." She stared low, her voice forcing it's self out of her lungs. "I have to tell you something." She turned to look at him. His dark features almost impossible to read in the faded light of the moon. "I don't want you to say anything, I just want you to know."

Blaise sat there, silent. She was having a hard enough time saying it, she didn't need him interrupting. He had a feeling it was going to be her goodbye speech, the speech where she tells him it was all over. Those words he had never wanted to hear, he had made a drastic mistake, he had broken the promise they had both made, the promise to never fall for one and other. He had not only crossed that line, now he knew his heart, he had run up to the line and kicked it to pieces, right now that line felt like a dot far behind him. He didn't want to hear this, he didn't want her to tell him it was all over, he knew he would crumble, him, Blaise Zabini, the man-whore of Hogwarts had fallen in love and fallen hard.

"Blaise, I know we promised each other we would never allow it to go any further than sex." The words hurt her, the ripped at her heart like a wolfs claws. "I know we always said if we started feeling anything more than list we would push, push one and other away..." Oh, how she had fallen for him, she had fallen so hard her bones felt like they had shattered upon impact. "I have to tell you this Blaise, I have to tell you now or I may never tell you." She caught her breath, this was harder than she had thought it would be. She had been so cold towards him all day and now, now she was talking to him she was going to tell him her secret a secret that would crush him. "Blaise, I don't want you to say anything but... Blaise... I love you."

Blaise sat there, he had just heard the words but he couldn't understand them. It had been like listening to a conversation in English to have it change to German for the last few words. He stared at her, he could do nothing else. His mind reeled on what she had said, she had said it. He had to say something, he had to tell her, it was now or never. He had to tell her he loved her too.

Victoria saw him open his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. She knew what he was going to say, she knew he was going to hurt her, she couldn't allow it, she couldn't take anymore. Throwing herself onto him she kissed him, hard. She held him there, she could hear him trying to speak into her mouth but she wouldn't listen. He wasn't struggling but he wasn't happy about her holding him quiet. She didn't want to hear his rejection, his hateful words of how she had been so stupid so she held on. Finally he stopped trying to speak, finally he eased back and let her kiss him. After a few moments she pulled away, he was about to speak so she spoke first, cutting him off. No matter what, Blaise was a gentleman and would not interrupt her.

"I know I shouldn't have let it happen, but I did. I know you'll hate me... you'll me forever for it but I can live with that... I have to. I know that.. that when the dawn comes we will be fighting for our lives and then... then... then when it's over you'll walk out of my life forever and I'll be alone. I have resigned myself to that. Oliver is gone, I will never see him again and now I am going to loose you as well. I can live with that... I can live with that." She was trying to convince herself more than him. "I will stay away from you on tomorrow, I will go with another team and..."

Blaise cut her off, she was rambling and he had to stop her, he knew what he had to say but she was so sure, so certain that he couldn't. "I'm not coming tomorrow."

"What?" She couldn't believe it, he wasn't coming. Was this because of her? She had spilled her heart out to him so they go into battle with open hearts and the past behind them and now he wasn't going.

"I've spoken to Harry." He stood up and walked toward her. He wanted to scream at her and tell her how he felt but he had made up his mind and he had already made the arrangements. "I'm going to Malfoy manor."

"Why?" She couldn't understand what he was saying, why was he going there? The new death eaters would all be in Scotland, why was he going to Malfoy manor? "Blaise, what? I don't understand?" She was tired and confused, her emotions ran through her like the London to Edinburgh ran through a village. "Blaise?" She couldn't stop the tears, her eyes stung as they ran down her cheeks.

"I've already spoken to Potter and he'd agreed." He could see she was hurt and confused, he hopedhe wasn't making it worse.

"Why? Blaise, why there?" Why had Harry agreed to this? What was at the Malfoy Manor? "Blaise, what's.. why are you..."

Putting a finger to her lips her held her quiet. Looking into her eyes he could see his life stretched out like a well played game of gobstones. All the moves perfect, the players so well defined and even the smaller battles won. It was like watching them walk along the beach in his mind, the golden sands of time stretching out for them to wander along together, with the prints of small feet joining them a little way before the rock pools.

"Victoria, I am doing this for you. I never dreamed you could love me and I never dreamed I could love you..." His voice caught in his throat, they'd been so stupid, if one of them had said something before... "But I do, I love you, Victoria. But now we have to do what is right and not what we want to do. If I could give all this away and just have you, I would walk you through that door without a thought, but this is not about us..." He had to do this, he knew he had to. "I'm going to Malfoy's place to... I'm going to bring Oliver back to you. It's how it should be."

The suns first rays reached up into the sky, the darkness fading into blue. The stars shimmering to nothing in the bright morning sky as the couple held onto each other in the garden of 12 Grimmauld Place, held onto each other tightly, possibly for the last time.

Author's Notes:

Well, I hope that pulled a few heart strings.

Let me know what you thought. R&R people.

To Orbthesela with thanks for the title that I have 'borrowed' from a Blog of yours.