CHAPTER 12 CONFIRMATIONS AND CONFRONTATIONS

DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine; all this fantastic universe and characters belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling

Ginny took Draco's arm without hesitation; she could see him smiling, actually smiling at her for the first time in a very long time, and was surprised to see that infrequent gesture in his handsome face, Draco Malfoy didn't smile very often and certainly not without a good reason to do so. She didn't want to know why he was smiling and spoil the moment so she smiled back, a small, shy smile averting his gaze, not wanting to watch when reality took over and his eyes turned cold again.

They left the dining room in silence Ginny's arm in Draco's, no one wanting to speak first, maybe because there was nothing to say at all. Draco lead her to the Manor's front door, his intention of showing her all the mansion evident and Ginny let herself be lead finding that she enjoyed this quiet Draco better than the Draco who she found in her room earlier that morning. She knew they still have to talk, but in some way right then the idea wasn't as alluring as it was before. After all, what was she supposed to tell Draco? What was the point in trying to explain to him what she couldn't explain herself? It was clear that all her previous attempts ended in a disastrous way, it was also evident that Draco didn't have any interest in hearing her explanations, so there was no explanation useful enough to help her improve her relationship with Draco. And as for the talk regarding their marriage… well, maybe it would be better to wait and see how things would be, rather than attempt to discuss the situation, only to end in another big fight.

They were at the front door of the Manor and Draco opened it revealing the huge garden of Malfoy Manor, and Ginny realized that what she saw from her room's balcony was just a very little piece of it. Its beauty was astounding, Ginny was certain that all the kind of flowers existing in the world were cultivated in that garden and the sight was simply spectacular. She took a step forward, getting out of the mansion and forgetting about Draco's presence for a moment, just to admire the perfection of the sight. She tried to find a fence that signalled the end of the property, but all she was able to see was an impressive forest that seemed to never end and her brain had some trouble processing the fact that Draco owned all that land and when they were married she would technically own that land as well. If she could be able to walk through those gorgeous gardens once a day for the rest of her life, she could forget all her problems easily; she discovered that she could contemplate those flowers all day long, but Draco interrupted her thoughts.

"They are impressive, aren't they?" his voice lacked his quarrelsome tone, but it wasn't kind either. "My mother likes to spend a lot of her free time here, watching the sun set" he was not looking at her and Ginny was not sure if he was talking to her. "Feel free to come whenever you want, but avoid the forest." It was clear that he was not thinking aloud, but still he didn't look at her. Ginny was about to ask why, when Draco looked right into her eyes. "There are some things there that would eat you without blinking, at least until you become a Malfoy… and even then I'm not sure, so never go to the forest alone." Anyone would think that Draco was his usual cool and collected self, but Ginny knowing him deeply, noticed that his eyes were steel grey, meaning that something was bothering him, but there was no way for Ginny to know what it was. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she didn't want to end fighting again with him, neither did she want to question his prohibition of going into the forest alone, so she simply nodded.

Draco sighed almost imperceptibly in a jaded way, but made no comment. "I promised to show you the Manor and I think that the principal door is a good beginning, so pay attention little one as I don't intend to repeat myself and this is important, maybe then you will understand the weight of being a Malfoy" his tone was once again slightly contemptuous but Ginny decided to make no comment and ignored him, still looking at the garden.

She felt Draco's hand on her arm, forcing her gently to face him. "I told you to pay attention Ginevra, and when I talk to you I expect to be acknowledged at least, I don't like to be ignored" his voice was dangerously calmed.

"I heard you Draco, but if you want me to pay attention to you, don't be so bloody condescending with me and don't manhandle me" her voice was quiet and calmed and before Draco could retort, she put her free hand in front of her in a placating gesture. "I don't want another fight with you, and I really want you to show me the Manor, can you do it? I promise I'll pay attention." Draco said nothing. "Please?"

Draco let her go but he had to have the last world. "Don't ever ignore me again" Ginny nodded and inwardly rolled her eyes, he could be such a child sometimes. Without a warning he began talking. "Malfoy Manor was built by one of my ancestors, Wolfgang Malfoy, a German pure blooded wizard who came to England to know part of his inheritance in the 16th century. Of course my bloodline can be traced before that, in Germany naturally, but you will learn about that later. He was the Malfoy Lord and as far as he knew, this land belonged to his family for centuries, but nobody cared about it. He was looking for a place where he could start new business to enlarge the Malfoy fortune and England was the perfect place, so he decided to build a Manor where he could live comfortably along with his family."

Ginny was listening carefully to Draco's story and she couldn't stop herself thinking that The Burrow's origins could be traced only to her parent's marriage and although she was sure she could trace her bloodline, she was certain that doing so would require an enormous amount of patience and research and was amazed that someone could remember facts that happened 5 centuries ago, but she shouldn't be that surprised, after all Draco Malfoy belonged to the aristocracy and he was supposed to know his origins and be proud of them. As if reading her mind, Draco interrupted her again. "I know that maybe this sounds more like a history lecture than a real tour, but I want you to understand how ancient this Manor is and how many generations of Malfoys have lived here. Probably we will die and this Manor will continue sheltering generation after generation of Malfoy's heirs" Draco said almost reverently without noticing Ginny's face of horror.

"Hold on a second Malfoy" he looked at her with certain curiosity, maybe she realized… "For this Manor to continue sheltering Malfoy's heirs, there are needed, well… heirs"

"Your brilliance amazes me Ginevra!"

She ignored him again. "And as you are the last Malfoy heir, you will need children to continue carrying the name and producing more heirs, and I will be your wife…" she stopped in mid sentence not daring to look at him terrified of what she would find in his eyes.

"As I said before, your brilliance amazes me Weasley and also your deductive powers." He said smirking. "Yes, I will need an heir and you will be his mother" he made a pause, allowing Ginny to process his words. When she was going to speak he cut her. "What? Did you expect me to let the Malfoy blood die just because I'm going to marry you? Well, I'm not going to do such a thing, I have obligations to fulfil but I don't want to discuss them Ginevra, right now we have a lot to do and it's not the time to worry about children and heirs, so, can I start showing you the Manor without interruptions? I have business to attend."

"I don't think I want a baby right now" Ginny said pouting and Draco couldn't stop himself from laughing at her unpredicted remark, it was a short laugh but sincere and unguarded, a rich sound that was not very common and surprised a lot of people when heard.

"Well, what do you think if we leave this topic for later and we focus our attention to simple facts, like showing you the Manor?" he sounded amused and the tension seemed to fade, even if just for a moment.

"I think it's fine with me. Continue please" Ginny said in a small voice.

"Well, I will be brief. As I was saying, Wolfgang Malfoy built the Manor, but the decorations have changed since then, we still have a lot of valuable antiques that belonged to him, but every occupant has made a contribution to what Malfoy Manor is right now. The land is huge, I will show you its limits later but let me tell you that a village is in our land and its inhabitants are under our protection, I'm their Lord now that my father is officially dead and you will be his Lady. This bond generates a great duty because we are responsible of the villager's well being, we must protect them and provide them with houses and jobs, and believe me, that's not an easy task" Draco made a movement indicating Ginny to get inside, he let her pass first trough the door, always the gentleman.

"The Manor has 50 rooms in total, much more than we really need, but it's useful as we both will be occupying the left wing, leaving my mother the right one." They were in the parlour from where you could see the imposing white marble stairs. The room itself was made of white marble and was soberly decorated. "I will not even try to show you all the rooms, the Manor is huge, but if someday you get lost, all you have to do is clap your hands and a house-elf will show the way" Draco began walking and Ginny quickly followed him. "We have at least 20 house-elves to our disposition, later I'll assign you one, devoted only to your needs, so it won't be a problem if you need something, anything at all."

"I'll show the library, as I'm sure you'll spend a lot of time there" They continued walking and Ginny was paying attention in order to remember the path, she didn't want to get lost later. They stopped in front of a big oak door that opened itself when Draco approached it. "I'll have to reset the wards to include you, but I'm afraid that will have to wait until we are married as it's ancient magic and only works when there's a bond. The Manor has strong wards that prevent uninvited guests from actually entering into our land, besides it's invisible and unplottable, so practically is impossible for someone to find it on its own." He motioned for Ginny to pass first and she found herself in the same room that she was when they arrived from Hogwarts, the only difference was that right now she was paying attention to her surroundings. The room was huge and there were books all over the walls, more books together than Ginny had ever seen. The library was probably as large as the one in Hogwarts and she simply adored it, it was love at first sight, well second sight in fact. She stopped listening to Draco and she wasn't even sure if he continued talking, she was mesmerized with so many books. Almost reverently she started passing a finger trough the covers of those books closer to her, browsing the titles.

Draco had to hide a smile as he watched Ginny so fascinated with the library, he knew that she was going to be delighted and so he decided to show her the library first. She was like a child in Honey Dukes and he was glad that she approved of the library's vast collection of books. A sensation that he hadn't felt in a long time, started to travel trough his body: he wanted to see Ginny happy if only for a moment. Draco was shocked to realize what he was thinking, feeling and doing and instinctively he took a step back. He wanted to make a nasty remark just to assure himself that he still despised the littlest Weasley but he couldn't. Looking at Ginny he decided that it wouldn't be fair to spoil that little moment of happiness she got. He could be a bloody bastard without much effort, but he didn't want to hurt her more, even if she didn't deserve his kindness.

A sudden pop took him out of his trance and he saw a house-elf standing close to the door, mildly shaking. He made a move with his hand to indicate the elf that he was allowed to speak.

"Delven is sorry to interrupt Master, but someone wants to see Master" he said in a squeaky voice that attracted Ginny's attention.

"Who wants to see me Delven?"

"Master Zabini, Master"

Draco was silent for a moment. "Tell him I will see him in my study" The house-elf nodded and disappeared quickly, relieved to have been dismissed so easily.

"I'm sorry little one, I really need to see what Blaise wants. Is it okay if I leave you here?" it was more a rhetorical question, but Ginny nodded all the same. She expected that Draco's friends, at least the ones that remained neutral during the war, would start visiting him as soon as they read the Prophet, as their photo and the article of their engagement was on the first page. It seemed that Draco was expecting to answer their questions as well, and who'd be better to start asking questions than Draco's best friend?

"I don't expect to see you until the night, I'm sure I'll be busy with Blaise and as soon as I finish with him, I'll have to check through my father's business, everything must be in order as soon as possible, so don't wait for me. I'll make sure that mother comes looking for you in order to schedule your lessons and surely you will have dinner with her, so enjoy your day. If you need anything you know what to do" And with a small courtesy, Draco disappeared through the door, leaving Ginny alone with the books she adored without giving her the opportunity to answer him.

As Draco entered his private study, he saw Blaise holding the Prophet in his hand and immediately he knew what to expect.

"Do you want to explain me what's the meaning of this?" Blaise said in a controlled voice that couldn't completely hide his surprise.

"Hi Blaise, I'm glad you dropped by to show me how happy you are to see me unharmed" Draco answered with irony. He was pleased to see his best friend, but he was not looking forward to give any kind of explanation to anyone, and specially not to him. Blaise just continued glaring at him, blatantly ignoring his comment. Draco sighed and indicated Blaise to take a seat, doing so himself.

"What do you want me to explain?" Draco said in a monotone voice, he knew that Blaise was almost as stubborn as himself so there was not going to be any way out of that situation.

"What? I want you to explain what this paper says. Are you really marrying Weasley?" Blaise answered with a palpable disbelief in his voice. "Explain to me how is it possible after… after what happened".

Draco rose from his chair "I don't have to explain you a damn thing" this was intended to sound harsh but it only became as a defeated statement. Blaise rose from his chair as well and looked at his friend, his gaze softening a little.

"Don't do that Draco"

"Do what?"

"That!" Blaise exclaimed annoyed. "Don't act as if I were a mere stranger" Draco kept silent and averted Blaise's gaze. Blaise took a step forward closing the distance between he and Draco. "We are best friends and we both know it, even if you try to deny it at every opportunity, I know you very well and I simply can't believe that you are going to marry Weasley because you forgave her and suddenly realized that you still love her. It's a pathetic lie that Potter was pretending to be her boyfriend in an attempt of covering you both. I know what happened and I want to know why you are marrying her now, I want to know what's happening now, I want to know what's…"

"Stop Blaise." Draco interrupted his friend's rambling and Blaise shut up and was looking at him expectantly, so Draco felt obliged to elaborate "I really can't explain what happened!"

"The hell you can't!" Blaise roared. "You can and you will!" Draco took a step towards Blaise trying to intimidate him, but it was useless, Blaise knew Draco since they were children and he was certain that Draco was not a threat to him. They spent the next seconds glaring at each other before Draco sighed resigned and averted Blaise's turquoise eyes. But Blaise wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"I'm waiting Draco"

"You're exasperating you know that, don't you?" a small smile was tugging at Draco's mouth. He walked towards the window and prepared himself to answer Blaise's questions, knowing that his friend wouldn't leave until he was satisfied with Draco's answers. "You know that yesterday the Dark Lord was defeated…"

"That's pretty obvious, all the bloody Wizarding World knows it!"

"If you want explanations you'll have to let me finish what I have to say."

Blaise mumbled something that sounded very much like a 'sorry' and had the good taste to look a bit sheepish. Draco continued talking without looking at Blaise.

Draco began retelling the same story that he told Narcissa and when he ended, Blaise was speechless just staring at him, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What are you going to do now?

"Marry her of course. Don't worry Blaise, you will be my best man at the wedding" Draco sounded bitter and turned to glare at Blaise.

Blaise just growled. "Bloody hell! You're in a fine trouble!"

Draco barked "I know that, thank you very much!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Are you that dense? I've already told you, I'm going to keep my word and I'm going to marry her" Draco said irritated "What else can I do?"

Blaise looked as if he wanted to say something else and in fact opened his mouth to speak, but he shut it again not uttering a single word. Draco sneered and turned to look at the window. For some minutes they stood there in silence.

"Why did you agree to convince people that you both are madly in love?"

Draco didn't answer, it was just a matter of time before Blaise guessed by himself what he got in return for agreeing to be in that stupid press conference, and Draco was just counting the seconds before Blaise would speak again, and he was not disappointed.

"Your father is still alive isn't it?" it was more a statement than a question. Draco kept silent and Blaise chuckled clearly amazed. "I can't believe you blackmailed Dumbledore in order to save your father! I would've liked to see his face when he agreed! It was brilliant Draco, your silence in exchange of Lucius! Bloody brilliant!"

"Who says I blackmailed Dumbledore" Draco's tone was amused. "I just persuaded him of the convenience of our little arrange specially in this time when it's of utter importance to rebuild the wizarding community, and when the people need to believe in fairy tales to make them think that all their effort was worthy"

"I would have loved to see Dumbledore!" Blaise was laughing, but Draco's appearance darkened visibly.

"The old fool had the nerve to ask me if I didn't believe that my father should pay for all his crimes. The hypocrite! I told him that I had paid enough for the both of us. I have sacrificed enough to his war."

"You mean Ginny?"

Draco's expression didn't show any emotion. "I mean my freedom." They felt silent again and the atmosphere was edgy. Blaise knew Draco enough to recognize that he was ready to go on a nervous breakdown, a temporary crisis of insanity as Blaise liked to call it, and definitely this was not the better time and certainly not the moment to have an insane Draco, so the situation called for desperate measures and Blaise had the perfect plan to help Draco to relax.

"What are you planning to do today Draco?" Blaise asked with a certain degree of amusement in his voice. Draco turned to look at him suspiciously.

"I have to take up the family business, why? Although I'm not sure if I want to know"

"Let's get out today, lets celebrate! What do you say?" Blaise's mood was almost contagious… almost.

"I don't have anything to celebrate Blaise"

"Are you sure?" Blaise's voice was mocking but Draco ignored it.

"Positive."

"Well, I happen to think that you must celebrate the defeat of the Dark Lord, your father's escape and your freedom. Haven't you realized that you won't have the pressure to go against your own father any more? You're free Draco to do with your life what you please"

"Are you forgetting the little and insignificant detail that I'm going to get married in two weeks? Meaning that I'm not going to be free for a very long time"

"You're so pessimistic" It was evident that Draco decided to play hard to get, but Blaise could be really stubborn and he was not going to give up that easily. "Anyway, we are going to go celebrating and I don't care what you have to do or if you'd prefer to stay in the Manor to brood at will"

"Malfoys don't brood Blaise!" Draco cried indignant.

"Whatever, the point is we're going out, like it or not, so better get used to the idea." Blaise smirked.

"Right now?" Draco was alarmed. "It's too early to start drinking, besides I got to…"

"I said I don't care what you have to do, and really Draco, it's not that early! Also, all the bloody wizarding world is celebrating and drinking even as we speak!" Blaise retorted rolling his eyes "Besides, you will have the perfect excuse to avoid Pansy, whom I'm sure will come as soon as she knows that you're going to marry Gin after all, and I'm sure she will make a nasty scene" Blaise said smirking at the same time that he proceeded to drag Draco out of the studio.

"I don't want to go anywhere Blaise" Draco said menacingly, but Blaise was unimpressed.

"Stop whining, you need to release some stress and I'm going to help you. And please don't tell me that Malfoys don't whine, I know you better than that!"

Draco gave up, Blaise was a stubborn bastard and nothing that he said could stop him when his mind was set on something.

"Okay I'll go, but I have to speak to my mother first, I told Ginevra that today she was going to start her lessons"

"So, you're trying to make her a lady?" Blaise was mocking him again.

"If she's going to be my wife, she's got to be a proper lady and who could teach her better than my mother?" Draco decided to ignore Blaise's irony but the thoughtful look that his fried was giving him was not a good omen.

"Actually, as a Malfoy bride I think she must be informed of where is her fiancée, you know, as a sign of respect of her new status" Draco grimaced and Blaise smirked. "But as we are in a hurry and you must inform your mother and arrange her schedule with your radiant bride, would you let me speak to your bride myself?"

Draco was actually hesitant of letting Blaise go alone to talk to Ginny, but he also knew that Blaise needed answers that Draco was not going to give him. What Blaise needed was to speak to Ginny and Draco was sure that their chat was not going to be exactly pleasant, brief maybe but never pleasant, specially since Blaise was still angry for what she did to Draco. Anyway Blaise needed to close that circle and Ginny deserved a nasty Blaise, so he let him go not without warning him.

"Okay, talk to Ginny she's in the library, but if you hurt her in any way I'll kill you, best friend or not."

Blaise only nodded with a knowing look in his face and Draco went in search of Narcissa asking himself why he threatened Blaise. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea going out with him after all, he was starting to act like a completely crazy man and he could use a break.

Meanwhile Blaise went searching for Ginny, and he found her exactly where Draco told him she would be. She was seated in a comfortable sofa, reading a thick volume that Blaise didn't remember reading himself, her red curls making a deep contrast against the deep green of the sofa's tapestry. She was deeply concentrated in her reading and she didn't hear Blaise open the door so she jumped slightly when she heard his voice.

"Hello Gin dear, it's been a long time without seeing each other"

There were only two people who would call her 'Gin' and one of them was an arrogant blond who didn't call her that anymore. The other one was the raven haired man in front of her: Blaise Zabini. Blaise Zabini with his outstanding beauty, his mocking smile and his predatory glance. Blaise Zabini who was fiercely protective of Draco and who surely would be very, very angry with her. Instinctively she began looking for Draco, hoping to see him appear behind Blaise, but when she saw him close the door, her hopes vanished and she closed the book, determined to be as controlled as she could be.

"Hello Blaise dear, it has been an eternity" she matched his cold tone and Blaise was impressed of how well Draco taught her to mask her feelings to anyone else except Draco himself. "If you're looking for Draco, I'm afraid he's not here." Her dismissal was clear but Blaise refused to play her game.

"No, I am not looking for Draco Gin, I know where he is. In fact I came looking for you, I hope we can have a little chat."

"What can I do for you Blaise?" she made a gesture to Blaise to indicate that he could take a seat as if she were the owner of the room, and he thought that in some way she was. She was used to these little Slytherin's games and she knew how to play them, in fact she had the two best teachers: Draco and himself; so she was very good. Blaise knew that if he wanted to get some answers from her, he should throw her off balance, and the best way to do it was being direct.

"I came for an explanation Gin, so lets not play games. I want to know why you did what you did to Draco."

As Blaise had anticipated, Ginny was baffled at Blaise's direct remark, she would have never expected Blaise to be that unambiguous, anyway she decided to keep playing her game, so she answered nastily.

"That's not of your business Blaise"

"Oh, but it is my dear. Draco's well being is, and will be always my business, so why don't you answer me Gin; I don't have a lot of time."

Ginny rose and put the book in the shelf before answering or even acknowledging Blaise's arrogant remark. When the book was in its place she turned to face Blaise and her eyes showed her anger.

"And why don't you come when you have enough time Blaise, and then maybe we could have a nice little chat about my reasons for betraying your dear, dear friend." Her voice was cold and emotionless and she attempted to leave but Blaise blocked her exit.

"Don't play these games with me Gin, lets talk like grown-ups. Why don't you tell me why you left him, why don't you give me the explanation that he doesn't want to hear?" his voce was soft and dangerous and being emotionally overwhelmed for the recent events, Ginny felt her anger building up but tried to control it.

"I've already told you that's not of you business, what happened between me and Draco only concerns the both of us and as you so plainly said yourself, he's not interested in hearing any kind of explanation from me" she started breathing deeply in an attempt to regain control of her emotions and Blaise noticed.

"That's where you're wrong. No matter how much you want to believe that what happened between you and Draco only involves the both of you, you're wrong. I was there for him when you left, I was the one who tried to help him continue his life without you, I was the one who listened everything he had to say and I tried to help him regain some sense in his life. So don't tell me that it's not my business!" Blaise's voice was calmed and controlled but Ginny knew that he was angry and with that knowledge her own anger finally exploded.

"Fine, do you really want to know what happened?" Ginny was half yelling and Blaise didn't even nod "I left him because I'm the stupidest woman on earth, I believed all the nonsense that my family, friends and all the bloody Order of the Phoenix kept repeating about Harry's needs, and how his well being was essential for the Wizarding World. I could tell you Blaise, that I left Draco because everyone was pressuring me, but the truth is I was very scared of what my family and friends would think if I refused Harry's attentions, so I decided to leave Draco. I, I was the only responsible of leaving him, and you know what? I regretted my decision the very moment I made it, and I know that he has all the right to despise me because I'm a pathetic witch who betrayed his confidence because she was scared. This is the explanation that Draco doesn't want to hear and that you feel you have the right to hear, so here it is and think what you want" by the end of her speech Ginny was openly yelling but she refused to cry in front of Blaise, it was enough to show him how much the situation affected her. She tried to reach the exit, but again Blaise blocked it, holding her arms delicately.

"You should tell him what you have told me darling girl" Blaise's voice was soft, almost a caress that broke through Ginny's barriers.

"What difference would it make" she was not yelling anymore, but her voice sounded defeated.

"Maybe more than you think, maybe nothing, with Draco you never know. But at least you would let him know what you think, he would know that you're not a little girl who can't take the responsibility of her acts, and believe me, Draco respects that, I respect that. I was very angry with you for what you did to Draco, but I was even angrier because you avoided me. Why Gin girl?"

"Because I was so disgusted with myself, that I only assumed that you would despise me as well, after all I know how much you care for Draco. It was cowardice Blaise"

"I would have tried to help you Gin. I must confess that I feel a little bit guilty for not being there for you while Draco was away, I mean I knew that your family didn't like Draco very much but I never thought that they would try to make you break up with him. I should have been there instead of being in France."

"Do you hate me?"

"Don't be absurd Gin girl, I don't hate you. I never hated you, I just didn't like you very much for what you did, but we're all humans and we all make mistakes, some bigger than others, but in the end nobody's perfect."

"Do you forgive me Blaise?"

Blaise didn't even hesitate he embraced Ginny. "There's nothing I have to forgive you for Gin, we're fine."

Ginny knew that she was not going to get anything else from Blaise, but she was happy with what she got and smiled affectionately.

"As I told you Gin, I don't have much time, I'm going out with Draco, he's so stressed that I think that going out will help him relax and process his situation, and you have to rest also, you don't mind don't you?" Blaise asked playfully.

"Of course I don't Blaise, just take care of him"

"I still think that you need to make him listen to you, you're going to get married, you're going to be bonded for life and you can't spend the rest of your life like that. I think that he still loves you" he said half grinning.

Ginny rolled her eyes "Everybody keeps telling me that, but I don't think that Draco still loves me right now. He can be such a mule…"

"Who's a mule Ginevra?" Draco's voice sounded at the same time that the door was opening by itself and Ginny couldn't stop blushing furiously, she was going to answer something, anything but Blaise decided to help her.

"Believe me, you don't want to know mate"

Draco eyed them suspiciously "Everything alright?" his voice was neutral.

"Just peachy. If you have already spoke with Narcissa, why don't we leave?" Blaise said at the same time that he took Ginny's hand in his and kissed it. "I'll see you soon Gin. Owl me if I can help you with something, anything at all. See you later." He left the library only turning to call for Draco "Lets go Draco"

Draco was still looking at Ginny with an unreadable expression but finally he took Ginny's hand to imitate Blaise's gesture. He was surprised t find out that he and Ginny were friends again when he half expected half hoped to find them having a big argument instead of practically joking. He kissed Ginny's hand.

"Be good little one"

"Have fun Draco" she answered startled by his gesture although she assumed that it was just the polite thing to do. He nodded once and disappeared through the door without glancing back.

I'm so sorry for the terrible delay, I know I'm a horrible person for not updating before, but in my defense I had a serious case of life interfering with writing that I'll try not to happen again. Thanks a lot to my reviewers and of course to my fantastic beta VAB for her patience and support.