Chapter Twenty Five

The case for madness

"Well someone had best pay up," Gregory said smugly, holding out his hand. "I win."

"Not yet," Blaise retorted, dropping into his favorite chair, idly swinging his legs. "You don't know what is going on in there."

Daphne laughed so hard that Vincent had to pick her up off the floor, grinning widely. He sat next to Gregory and laughed aloud when she collapsed across their laps, clutching her sides.

"What?" Gregory asked her, a silly grin on his face at their antics.

"Y-you…you were right," she finally sputtered.

"All of us were off, though Blaise's suggestion could still play out. That all depends on Draco's stubbornness," Theo pointed out.

"I truly don't want to know," Snape said, stepping through the main entrance. "Where are they?"

Daphne stopped laughing abruptly, sitting up. "Why?"

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "I merely wanted to ascertain if Miss Weasley…Malfoy…was indeed uninjured."

"You sure sounded pompous and formal," Blaise quipped.

"Zabini," Snape warned. "This isn't the day to harass me. I've had to deal with McGonagall and Dumbledore attempting to remove all blame for the altercation from Weasley, the male one."

"What is his deal? I mean he's the one that manipulated Draco and Ginny from the moment she was conceived. So why now is he balking about it all?" Theo asked, dropping into his chair, next to Blaise's.

Snape shook his head, his irritation clear. "Apparently, they aren't good little pawns. They were, in his words, 'to bring the two families together peacefully, not create more strife'. I think he's a mite upset that Ginny isn't more concerned about her brother."

Blaise chuckled. "He set them up, we all know that now. So what if Draco hates Weasel King? Six years of rivalry secured that, no matter who Draco marries. Did he truly think they'd just set aside years of animosity?"

"Apparently," Vincent said condescendingly. "What an idiot."

Snape shook his head. "No, you have to understand the way that man thinks. He sent Potter to ghastly muggle relatives to protect him. Ancient magic made his maternal aunt's home the only safe place for him. I don't think he understood just how wretched it would be." At their mutinous expressions, he held up a hand to stop their protests. "You have to understand, whether you hate Potter or not, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs until he received his Hogwarts letter. They starved him regularly and treated him a lot like Lucius Malfoy treated his house elves."

"What?" Daphne exclaimed, clearly horrified. "He's a right prat, but no human being deserves that!"

"I know," Snape said softly. "The point of this is that he was thinking the same when he manipulated both the Malfoys and the Weasleys. By insuring that those two wouldn't ever seriously consider anyone but each other…he thought that the families would come together. He seriously underestimated Weasley's hatred and need to control his sister. He also woefully underestimated Malfoy's protective nature. There may have been, before today, an eventual compromise. But, I'm certain you all understand that Weasley ruined any chances of that happening."

Blaise snorted. "Did he ever. I have a feeling that Ginny wouldn't object if we hexed his sorry arse constantly."

Snape sneered, though it was clear that he was amused as well. "I think she made that perfectly clear when she allowed him to thrash her brother. It was obvious, even at the Head table, what they were discussing. That young woman isn't one to cross and Weasley should have known that."

"Right," Vincent drawled. "Weasley has been underestimating Ginny for years. She told us about his, Potter, and Granger's dismissal of the contract. The idiots had the stones to tell her to go back to bed so they could get her out of the latest mess she'd gotten herself into."

Snape's eyes narrowed menacingly. "They did what?"

Theo cringed at the malice in Snape's tone. "Well, when Weasley was listening in to Ginny and her parents…he went 'round the twist about it. Then, he told Potter and Granger about the situation. They decided that Ginny needed rescuing and disregarded her agreement to give it a go."

"Speaking of Potter, Granger, and Weasley; guess what we found out about those three," Blaise said, smiling guilelessly.

Snape blanched, holding up a hand to stop him. "I most certainly don't want to know anything of the sort. I'm not dim, I know what you lot get up to; most especially you, Zabini. I don't want to see, hear, or read anything about whatever those three do when alone. Tell Mr. Malfoy and Miss…Malfoy," he stopped and smiled maliciously. "Tell them to contact me if her ribs need healing."

Theo snickered as Snape passed him muttering, "…have to give her credit…announcing she would be using the Malfoy name…brilliant young woman."

"Now that he's gone," Blaise said when the wall slid closed. "Are we going to seek retribution for this evening's events?"

Vincent shot a wary glance towards the dorm rooms. "Not without Ginny saying it's alright. She is wicked with hexes and already livid. I'll not be the one to land in Pomfrey's care because we overstepped."

"Too true," Daphne said, laughing all over again. "I'll ask her about it in the morning."

"It is getting late," Blaise said, watching Daphne, Gregory, and Vincent closely. He could have sworn they were eyeing one another, but before he could double check, they were up and out of the room…separately.

"They're not kidding anyone," Theo said, getting to his feet and walking out.

Blaise crossed his arms over his chest and laid his head back. So much had happened already, and it was only the end of October. He didn't even want to think what was in store for all of them before the term ended.

-dgdgdgdg-

Draco slid to the side, cradling Ginny in his arms. He'd felt his control slipping and hadn't wanted to push her. Not now, when he had her right where she was meant to be. There was no way he was, intentionally, mucking this up. He couldn't help but smile when she curled up against his chest.

"That was fun," she murmured sleepily, and he realized just how late it must be.

"That it was, we'll have to try that more often."

She sniggered. "Very, very good idea."

He looked down to see the livid bruises on her ribs through her open shirt. "Are you sure you don't at least want a potion for that?"

She groaned. "I've had worse you know."

Draco sighed, reaching over to brush her hair off of her face. "I know, but I'm overprotective if you hadn't noticed yet."

"No really," she said mockingly. "I never would have noticed. Just try not to go overboard or I'll be forced to hex you."

He reached over and pulled the coverlet over them. "Can I stay?"

"I'm not completely daft, thank you very much. Of course you can stay. I have to keep an eye…," she trailed off yawning.

He grinned. "Yea, yea, you've got to make certain I don't revert, at least with you. Just sleep."

The only response he got was an unintelligible mutter.

Draco laid there for quite some time, just watching her sleep. He'd noticed her fifth year, really noticed her; loathing himself for finding her attractive. He'd tried to push aside the attraction, at least until he was informed of the betrothal. His protests were not because he found her unattractive or beneath him…they were as a result of the promises he'd made himself. He had fooled himself, at least for the first little while, that he had no feelings for Ginny. That hadn't lasted long once he'd been around her every day. Her unique outlook, considering all she'd been through, had only endeared her further to him.

Ginny sighed and he shifted slightly so she could settle in comfortably. It wasn't until after he'd done it that Draco realized what had happened. It shocked him, how mindlessly he'd moved to assure her comfort. It was so unlike him that for a split second he thought he'd gone mad.

If this is what it feels like to go mad, then I'm not sure it's a bad thing.