nineteen. truth.
Ginny breathed in relief, finally being able to take a break from the dance floor. She wasn't sure how many people she had danced with, but her feet had stopped throbbing three dances ago, a likely sign that they were numb. Delicately wiping her glistening brow with a napkin, she nipped a champagne flute off of a tray floating by. She walked over to her parents, smiling as she saw them deep in conversation with Ms. Bonham. Her father was speaking animatedly about the wonders of Muggle modern medicine while her mother interjected with a hilarious instance in which Arthur miserably failed at figuring out the function of a vacuum.
Just as she was ready to return to the dance floor, Lena appeared, looking panicked and infuriated. She practically ran towards Ginny, her face scrunched and flushed in anger. It looked almost comical with her feather gown flouncing around her.
"Come on!" Lena shouted when she was close enough to her, reaching out to grab Ginny by the arm.
"Where, Lena?!" Ginny asked, quite unsure of what was happening. She struggled to slip her arm out of Lena's grasp.
"I said, come on, Gin!"
"Before I blindly go with you, at least tell me what's going on!" Ginny cried impatiently as Lena let her go in the confusion. If they were going to go on some mission, she didn't want to walk into a situation without knowing what was happening. "Did Blaise do something? I'll kill that prat."
"Blaise?" Lena looked at her, bewildered. "Oh, no. He's good in my books now that he told Draco what happened."
"Draco?" It was Ginny's turn to look confused.
"We need to find Maxwell," Lena huffed, her rapid breathing beginning to slow down.
"What? Why?" Ginny looked at her friend with concern. "Is everything okay? What does Draco have to do with anything? Is Max alright?"
"Dear Merlin, I hope not," Lena muttered before practically shouting, "I hope he's the least alright person ever!"
"Kindly please explain in words that make proper sense, Lena Shafiq, or I won't hesitate to hit you with a Calming Spell," Ginny said, looking at her friend strangely. She had never seen Lena act like this. She didn't even know she could be this angry at someone or something. What caused Lena's mood to change so drastically? What had happened in the hour that Ginny had been gliding across the dance floor?
"Maxwell isn't who you think he is. You thought Draco was an arsehole? Well, Maxwell is the sick bastard," Lena prefaced, before launching into the long tale Blaise had told her a short while ago. Ginny's eyes widened as Lena wildly gesticulated during the sordid tale. She could feel her cheeks heating up, and there was no doubt that her own face was becoming redder and redder as Lena's voice was rising.
"…Don't you see, Ginny? Draco really isn't all that bad. It's Max! Now do you see why we need to get going?" Lena pleaded, trying to persuade the redhead to confront him.
"What do you expect me to do once we find Max?" Ginny finally said, surprised that her voice was steady. Somehow, even with this revelation, she had managed to find the one positive thing in all this: Draco. He wasn't really the manipulative bastard she thought he was. And that was enough to keep her blood from boiling at that moment.
"Hex him, punch him in the face, kick him where the sun doesn't shine," Lena exclaimed, "I don't care, but you have to do something!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow at Lena's outburst. "Aren't you always about rising above it all and being a better person?"
"Even I'm not that much of a saint," Lena grumbled. "He deserves it for being a slimy rat."
"That's true," Ginny said slowly, the heat rising in her belly once again as she thought of what Lena had just revealed to her. She still hadn't decided what was worse, being used maliciously for a bet, or the fact that Maxwell had played her like a fiddle all along. When had she become so naïve? She should've recognized a con from a mile away after growing up in a house of tricky siblings her whole life. Ginny wanted to slap herself from being so blind. All of the unnecessary drama with Draco had clouded her judgement.
Her face froze in anger the more she thought about it. Setting down the champagne glass she was drinking earlier, Ginny grabbed Lena's hand.
"Let's go find the bastard."
Lena yelped but dutifully followed her friend, though Ginny was basically leading her. Only, the redhead wasn't exactly sure where to go. She turned in several directions, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maxwell in the wavering sea of dancing people. He was nowhere in sight.
Laughter tinkled from behind. Ginny spun around and her lips formed a mischievous grin. It was Max's little accomplice, Daphne. The women tore off in her direction, dresses dragging carelessly across the floor.
"Oi, Greengrass!" Ginny hollered, not caring that she was likely acting uncouth.
"What?" Daphne snapped, whirling around.
"Where's Fawley?" Lena demanded, before Ginny could ask. "We have a bone to pick with him."
"You really aren't good at this, are you," Ginny murmured to Lena. Lena sheepishly shrugged but let her friend get on with the interrogation.
"What she said," Ginny agreed, nodding her head in Lena's direction.
"Shouldn't you know?" Daphne asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the both of them. "After all, he is your partner."
"Cut the crap, Daphne," Ginny snapped. "I know Maxwell has been playing me all along. I need to find his sorry arse and settle this once and for all."
To her surprise, Daphne's demeanor changed dramatically. Rather than the suspicious and on guard Daphne Ginny usually encountered, she suddenly became welcoming. Daphne's narrowed eyes crinkled in delight and a friendly smile graced her face. Almost too friendly.
"Well, in that case, Weasley, I will be more than happy to lead in the right direction," Daphne proclaimed, now completely abandoning her dance partner, much to his chagrin.
"Since when do you want to help me?" Ginny asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"I may have helped Fawley, but that doesn't mean I'm on his team. I fly solo. If the situation benefits me, then I am more than happy to participate," Daphne explained, nonchalantly dusting off non-existent dust from her dress. "Besides, if you're going to go kick his arse, I don't want to miss this."
Ginny didn't have time to question the other girl further. She wanted to get this over with and end this ridiculous charade once and for all. No one made a fool of Ginny Weasley. Not with her knowledge, anyway.
"Fine, fine," Ginny waved her off. "You Slytherins are so damn dramatic."
"I'm pretty sure I saw Maxwell and a few of the other blokes walk out onto the balcony," Daphne said, gathering her gown and began to walk in that direction.
Without another word, Ginny and Lena followed suit. As they weaved through the numerous guests on the dance floor, an uncomfortable knot settled at the bottom of her stomach. That day where she had slapped Draco ran through her mind. How could she have trusted Maxwell so fully? After everything she and Draco had gone through to build trust with one another. Ginny was so quick to think the worst of him, even after all that time. Draco's words echoed through her mind. He had even been trying to tell her something. Why had she never given him the opportunity to say something? The bridge must have been more fragile than she thought.
Something else hit her. When she had discovered Draco's betrayal, Ginny felt crushed. It felt like something had been shattered, something irreparable. But when she learned of Maxwell's wrongdoing, her reaction was nowhere as severe. Sure, she felt angry and embarrassed, but Ginny was angry at herself for falling for Max's cheap tricks. What made this situation any different?
The knot only continued to grow, twisting this way and that inside of her uncomfortably as they reached the door of the balcony. Ginny gripped her wand, already feeling it humming in her hands in anticipation.
Lena threw open the door and they spilled out onto the balcony. It looked like they wasn't the only ones that wanted a word with Maxwell. They saw Draco standing inches away from a disgruntled Maxwell, with Blaise and Theo standing behind Draco. Blazing grey eyes darted to and fro, boring into Maxwell's stubborn ones. His blond hair looked disheveled, as if he had run his hands through it a few times. His tuxedo jacket had been thrown aside and bowtie undone.
"You didn't think you could get away with it, did you, Fawley?" Draco asked menacingly.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Maxwell snapped, though he was slurring his words.
"I know exactly what you're trying to do with Ginny, and it isn't going to happen," Draco grit out. "If you had any ounce of dignity left, you would get the hell out of here."
"Dignity?" Maxwell laughed hollowly. "I've spent the past several years trying to earn it back. Do you know what it means to fight your way back to your rightful place?"
Blaise snorted beside Draco, though he looked just as threatening as Draco. "What kind of idiotic question is that? I think Draco of all people would understand that, you know with all that Dark Lord business."
"You really are thick, aren't you, Max?" Draco rolled his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, no one has had a problem with your family for years. Until now, that is."
"Do you really think Ginny is going to suddenly come crawling back to you?" Max asked with a wicked smile. "She's never going to be able to trust you again. And by tomorrow morning, lying in bed next to me, she'll be thinking 'Draco Malfoy who'?"
Several things happened at once. The wand in Ginny's hand shot off red, electric sparks, causing Lena and Daphne to cry out and jump back. Both Blaise and Theo saw the lividity in Draco's already angry face, and reached over to try to pull him back. They were a second too late, however, as Draco lunged at Maxwell and punched him squarely in the jaw. Maxwell fell back from the unexpected blow, howling in pain.
Ginny blinked in confusion. What in the world had just happened? Did Draco Malfoy actually just punch someone? For what? For her?
"I didn't think you would sink down to his level, Malfoy," Ginny called out from where she had been silently watching from, causing Draco to whirl around in surprise. "I would've thought behaving like a Muggle would be considered vulgar to a Malfoy or some rot."
"Oh no, this is still a level above wherever the hell Fawley stooped to," Draco huffed, slightly out of breath from his adrenaline rush.
Ginny walked up to the men, looking down at Max with utter disdain. She could already see ugly splotches of red and purple blooming on his skin, the early signs of a bruise appearing. It would no doubt disfigure his face for several days, much to her pleasure.
"Ginny, can you believe what Malfoy just did?" Max cried out, though it was muffled as he reached to clutch the left side of his face. "He's gone absolutely mental. You have to believe me!"
"Are you still crying wolf, Fawley? I know all about your disgusting plan to use me against Draco. I can't believe I actually fell for it," Ginny said, crossing her arms. "Did you actually think you were going to seduce me?" She laughed. "You better thank Merlin that Draco got it on the first try so I didn't have to do it. And don't even think about asking me to heal your face."
Gripping her wand, she pointed it at the fallen man, her voice wavered in anger. "Now get the hell out of my sight before I decide to do something much worse to you."
Maxwell stammered in disbelief, unsure of what to do. He fumbled for a bit on the ground in search of his wand. When his hands finally wrapped around the piece of wood, he quickly Disapparated without another thought.
She turned, expecting to see Draco, but found that he had wondered away. She saw his tuxedo jacket fallen on the ground, and reached down to retrieve it. Gathering her skirts and the jacket, she turned to walk down the steps from the balcony when she saw a familiar flash of blond. Ginny carefully walked onto the grass and strode to the bench, standing a couple of feet away from Draco. She observed him fumbling with his wand, trying to think of spells to fix the fist that had come into contact with Maxwell's face only minutes ago. He quickly gave up, trying to nurse the right hand with his left.
"You forgot this," Ginny asked quietly.
Startled, Draco looked up in surprise.
She moved to sit next to him, and a careful smile formed on her face. She reached for his injured hand and he hissed in pain.
"I could've done taken care of myself, you know."
"Believe me, I would know of all people," Draco said with a rueful smile.
The tip of her wand began to graze his skin, tracing intricate patterns over both sides of his injured hand. After murmuring a few spells, Ginny spoke. "You know, you hit him pretty hard," she sounded mildly impressed. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Why the hell not?" Draco huffed, looking down at his hand, wiggling and flexing his fingers. She knew the pain was wearing off and it was returning to normal. "Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I can't throw a punch."
"It must have been some uncontrolled magic," Ginny commented in a teasing manner.
They sat in silence a few more moments, unsure of what to say. She had no idea where they were supposed to go from here. A week ago she had slapped him in the tower and refused to even look at him. They had come so far in the past several weeks only to go back to square one. Ginny didn't even know if he would want to talk to her again after the mess that had been made.
It was then that Ginny noticed that he hadn't bothered to remove his hand out of hers. The pace of her heart quickened. She looked up to see Draco's eyes searching hers. She could sense the uncertainty within them, perhaps even a glimmer of hope. It was then that she realized that Draco had been trying for days to get her to speak to him, but to little avail. How foolish she now felt, rebuffing him each time. If she had just given him the chance to speak earlier, perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation.
Ginny flipped her hand so it was now clasping Draco's. She opened her mouth a couple of times, but promptly closed it, unsure of what to say. She was feeling so many things at once. The need to apologize to him for being the forever obstinate girl that she was. She wanted to thank him for clocking Maxwell once and for all. She also wanted to reprimand him for getting into this idiotic bet in the first place and putting her in this unfortunate position. And a small part just wanted to throw in the towel and kiss him, hoping he would simply understand all of the things racing through her mind at that moment.
She seriously considered that last option for a moment when she took a glance at his face. Ginny gulped. She knew she had to say something. She felt that she owed it to him. "Listen, Malfoy… Draco… I-I… I don't know how to say this, so bear with me, alright? I… just wanted to say-"
"Weasley?" A familiar voice called out. Both Ginny and Draco turned to see Kendra walking towards them, in her own formal black gown. Even at the Ball she had a clipboard in hand. "Finally, Weasley, I've been looking all over for you! I've already gotten all of the other girls. We just need you."
"Damnit, Kendra, can't it wait?" Draco growled angrily. Ginny had to agree, the woman had impeccably horrible timing.
"No, Mr. Malfoy," Kendra retorted, "it cannot. We only have the photographer for so long, and we need a photo of all of the girls in the class. The faster you come with me, the more quickly we can get it done."
"Can't you just take the picture later? It can't be hard to push a button on the camera," Draco snapped.
"You go on and tell your mother that then," Kendra barked, her eyes narrowing.
Ginny sighed, looking torn. They finally had a moment of peace and quiet, away from the rest of the craziness inside. She was just beginning to find the words that she wanted to say to Draco. She shifted between Kendra's impatient face and Draco's pleading and rarely earnest one. But she had to honor her duty as a Ball participant. And a promise that she had made to herself to see this through long before any of this happened.
"Fine," Ginny sighed, reluctantly letting go of Draco's hand. He looked at her, stunned into silence. "Let's get this over with."
Kendra practically squealed in happiness as Ginny rose to follow her. As the two women walked back towards the building, Ginny couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Draco didn't protest. He didn't move to stop her from going inside. Maybe she had been reading everything wrong, just as she always had.
A/N: WOW, okay. It's been awhile! I didn't realize how big of an adjustment being a sort of adult would be. It's been hard trying to work on this chapter, so I apologize that it's short, but I really wanted to put something up! I did not intend to take that long of a break in between for the chapters, and I sincerely apologize for its quality (and errors!) and its length, but we're only a couple of chapters to the end! And I've already started on two long fics, so I will most definitely be active next year too. (: Can't get rid of me that fast. As always, thank you so much for reviewing, following, and favoriting. It really means the world to me! Please, please leave a review on your way out – they totally make my day when I take a break to check my email. Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate!