Draco apparated to his good friend Blaise Zabini's house. He knocked and Blaise's current girlfriend opened the door. She saw Draco and measured him up, appraising him silently. She was about Ginny's height with brown hair that came to her shoulders. She had blue eyes and she had hoops in her ears. She was wearing some eye shadow, lipstick and light blush. Her lips were full and cherry looking. She had a t-shirt on that showed her navel when she reached out to shake his hand. Her jeans came to her hips and she was wearing tennis shoes. Her chest was full and she looked to be about twenty if a day.
"Hi, I'm Michele. I'm Blaise's girlfriend. I don't believe we've met before." He shook her hand and smiled. She wasn't British, he had picked up an American. Oh Blaise, you are a wild one. He thought as he stepped in and she closed the door behind him. He felt her eyes on him as he took off his cloak and hung it on the coat rack.
"I'm Draco Malfoy by the way. Is Blaise at home?" He looked into the living room and saw that neither of Blaise's briefcase's were there. He turned to look at her, because she still hadn't answered him and she blushed, because he had caught her watching him, with a very pleased smile.
"Um... no he's not actually. He should be home in an hour if you would like to wait. He had a meeting to go to at the Department. Would you like a glass of water? Something to eat?" He smiled at her and shook his head. He felt uncomfortable being in the same room with her, and he didn't know why. He had been around women all his life, even after being married. But it had been a long time since he was intimate with a women, and the girl made him feel uneasy.
"No, I'm fine thank you." She shrugged and walked into the living room. She picked up a rubber band, which Ginny used to use for her hair, and tied her hair up in a neat ponytail. She picked up a rag and sprayed some white fizzing stuff on it and began to wipe down the coffee table. He wondered if she were a muggle since that was the way muggle's cleaned, yet, Ginny used to clean like that too.
"You can sit down if you want. Do you like music?" She turned and looked at him. He shrugged and sat down.
"Depends on what kind. What do you listen to? My wife used to listen to different kinds. She preferred mu- um... rock music. I guess you could call it that." She grinned and turned to the radio. She turned the dial and put the volume on low. It was so low that you could barely hear it if you talked.
"It's okay if you call it muggle music. I'm sure I confused you, cleaning like this. Blaise thought I was a muggle when we first met, but he later found out that I'm half-blooded. I didn't know he was a wizard until he found out about me too. I like rock, in the states that's very popular. So you're married?" She had turned back to her work and Draco admired her figure.
"I was married. We recently got divorced. Not a big deal really. So, how long have you and Blaise been together?" She picked up her glass of water and drank it. He watched as her shirt raised up and showed her stomach, as she finished the water. He looked away when she looked at him, and fought the blush that threatened to produce on his cheeks.
"Um... quite awhile. I'd probably say about nine months. He's a nice guy. Just recently we got an invitation to go to Pansy Parkinson's wedding. I can't stand her. She gets on my nerves. Do you know the Weasley's?" His head shot up and he nodded. She sat down on the chair opposite him and nodded. "Yeah, she talks about them all the time. I have actually met Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. One time, Blaise took me up there to meet you actually, and he introduced me to them. I like Ron. He was very nice and funny too. His poor sister. I feel so bad for him. It's sad when something like that happens and Pansy makes fun of it. Ginny was her name. She's very pretty." He looked down at his hands and nodded. He didn't look back at her but talked to his hands.
"Yes, he is very nice. Ginny well, she is very pretty. I uh... I miss her." He didn't look at her, for fear she might guess that he was her late husband.
"You were married to her. Weren't you? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I heard from Blaise that she was awake. He wants me to meet her, but I'm not so sure now." He looked at her and gave a small smile. He shook his head.
"Now probably wouldn't be a good time. It's not your fault." They sat in silence for a few moments. She couldn't think of anything to say. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad. He was trying to think of something to say, when a dog came bounding in the room. He jumped on the couch and began sniffing Draco curiously.
"I'm sorry! Oh dear. Oh Sev!! Get off him." She began to pull on the dog's collar, and Draco laughed petting the dog. The dog began to sniff and try to lick at Draco's face, but he just moved his face out of the way, petting the dogs head.
"It's okay. I love dogs. Give me a dog any day, it's cats I don't like. Dogs and owls are my favourite." He said smiling as the dog laid down next to him, his head in Draco's lap, and was looking at him with sweet happy eyes, while his tail wagged vigorously. The dog looked as if he came to Draco's hips and was a light bronze colour. "Haven't seen you in a while boy." Draco said as he leaned down to talk to the dog in a baby voice.
"So you're acquainted with Severus already? I swear... that dog is such a big baby. Blaise loves him. At first I wasn't so keen on having a dog, but Blaise said, "Either me and the dog, or no me." I said fine. I didn't really like dogs, and now I love them. To me now, it's like a sin not to love a dog. They're so sweet." Severus turned his eyes on her and listened to her. She was saying, "Yes you are... you're a good puppy, yes you are. You're a sweet baby, yes you are. Come on Sev... are you a sweet puppy? Yes you are." He got off of Draco, just barely missing his male anatomy and jumped off the couch running over to her. He laid his head in her lap as she petted him. He turned around and put his back in her face, wanting a back scratch. She scratched his back and when she was finished, he ran to the door barking. Both she and Draco stood, but she told Draco to make it a surprise so she pushed him to a corner. Draco stood in the living room listen to Blaise come in and greet his dog then Michele.
"Hey there boy! Have you been a good dog? Hey sweets." Draco heard them kiss and watched as Blaise entered the living room without seeing him. He went to hang up his cloak and saw Draco's. He turned to look at Michele, and she was walking down the hall to give the dog a treat. "Honey, is someone here?" She poked her head out and look at him.
"No... why?" Blaise's face turned to confusion, then to a slight bit of anger. She came back and kissed him on the lips. When Blaise kissed back, and slid his arms around her waist she motioned for Draco to come out.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything? That is just too discouraging. Please Blaise, get a room." Blaise pulled back and looked at him with shock. He smiled and embraced Draco in a brotherly hug.
"Hey there, how are you? Been a long time hasn't it?" They pulled back and walked into the kitchen. "Can I get you anything? Some alcohol? Here, eat some of these, you look like hell." He pulled out a container of something, which Draco didn't know what it was. But Blaise urged him to so he decided to eat whatever Blaise had obviously cooked. He was tall, about Draco's height, with black hair. His eyes shown out a brighter blue, because of his long dark eyelashes. He was more broad shouldered than Draco was, but it looked good on him. He was wearing black slacks with a white button up. He left the last three buttons undone, showing off some of his chest. He didn't' believe in wearing ties, since he had to where them all his years at Hogwarts. Michele called to them letting them know she was going to the store.
"It has been awhile. So, I see you've a new girl. How old is she?" Draco hid the smile by putting some of that food in his mouth. Blaise glared at him.
"Yes, I do have a new girlfriend. She's old enough, she's not a child if you must know. We're not exactly old you know? We are twenty-seven. Not quite thirty yet. If you must know, she is twenty-one." He added after Draco rolled his eyes and waved him on as to say, "Just tell me her age already." Draco's eyebrows rose.
"Twenty-one? Don't you think that six years is a bit much?" Blaise sat down excitedly, and sipped on his Firewhisky.
"Not really. See, I've been with her for a long time. About nine months, and I love her. I do. Yeah she's young, but... I don't know. I am in love with her. You know it must be true if I've been with her for nine months. Come on, that's almost a year. I have never stayed with a women for more than two months. I'm gonna ask her to marry me, this weekend." He was smiling this goofy smile and Draco chuckled. He remembered when he was this happy when he told Blaise that he wanted to marry Ginny. Blaise had said, "About time."
"Well, I'm happy for you." He said it sincerely and finished up what Blaise had given him. Blaise looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry about Ginny. I know you loved her a lot. I'm sure that what I'm saying is depressing you." He looked him in the eye and seemed to know what Draco was thinking. "You can't change, because you think it's better. It has been a long time since you were at Hogwarts and I don't believe that you can be the same person you were back then." Draco looked at him in disbelief and looked at him like a bludger had just hit him in the stomach and winded him.
"I can. Both you and Weasley have said the same thing. I can move on. I don't need her. I don't want to waste the rest of my life dwelling over her. You know that. I can't believe that you said what you said. I thought that you of all people would support me in doing this. I hadn't even told you yet, and here you are jumping down my throat, saying that I can't be that same person, because I haven't been in Hogwarts for nine years." He stood up angrily, and threw his dish I the sink. He turned and walked out of the kitchen. Blaise stood up and followed him.
"I never once said that you couldn't, I just that that I don't believe you can. There's a difference. If you want to fine, whatever flies your broom." He watched helplessly as Draco grabbed his cloak and shoved it on angrily. "I don't want to leave angry like you did last time. Please Draco. Stay and let's talk about this." Draco looked at him through narrowed eyes.
"What is to talk about? I am going to do what I want. I don't want to love her anymore." His voice was so low, that you could declare it as whisper. Blaise let his shoulders drop as he looked at Draco in sympathy. Draco didn't want to love her anymore. Blaise felt his pain. He knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. Blaise had dated Ginny in the towards the end of her fourth year.
After her, he had never wanted to be in love again. It had taken quite some time to get used to seeing her with Harry and then Draco. Draco had been his best friend and he had never told him that he had dated Ginny before, and he wanted to tell Draco then, but it would have been against Ginny's wishes. After Ginny had broken up with him he hadn't known why until later. Over the years he had fallen in love with her without her knowing and one day she told him she knew and she didn't, no, couldn't feel that way about him. He had never dated a women for more than two months for fear that he might get hurt that same way. He had been happy when Draco had asked her to marry him, but he was still hurt inside. He loved her still, but he now had moved on and was in love with someone else. Along with Ginny.
"Draco, I understand how you feel. I know you don't want to hang onto the love that you have for her, knowing that she'll probably never love you again. But in doing this, if you think it's right, it's not the best idea. But since you are my best friend, I'll stand by you as you do this. We'll be the Slytherin's we were in Hogwarts." He smiled and rested a heavy hand on his shoulder. Draco gave him a small smile and nodded. He grabbed his cloak and rested it on his arm.
"I have to go Blaise, but... I will come by to see you later. Hopefully tomorrow. Is that okay?" He nodded as Draco took out his wand. "Until tomorrow." And with that he apparated with a "pop!"
Ginny sat in the kitchen on a barstool drinking some of Harry's butterbeer. She was still thinking about the "dream" she'd had, and couldn't get an explanation. She heard the door open and close and stood up.
"Hello? Harry?" She walked into the living room to find her brother standing there with a key in his right hand. He was looking around the room when he spotted Ginny and he smiled. He set his Auror jacket that had his name "Ronald Weasley" printed in bold letters, over the right breast, on the couch.
"Hi Gin, how are you?" He was smiling, but it wasn't reaching his eyes like it used to. His eyes only held concern. "Are you tired? What have you been up to today?" She leads him into the kitchen and gave him a glass of butterbeer.
"I'm fine, and no I'm not tired. Actually, I have been sitting here trying to figure out this weird dream I had and I have no idea what it means." He looked at her with curiosity, and took a swig of his butterbeer.
"A dream? Hm... what was it about?" He looked at her and noticed that she looked like she had not aged. She still looked the same age she had when she went into the coma. Her hair was a dark red, like wine, and her skin as smooth looking as a babies bottom. Her voice broke through his thoughts and he focused on what she was saying.
"It was like being in someone's memories. Except that I was watching myself with Malfoy. Like I was with him, yet I was dating Harry. Do you know what that means?" He choked on his drink and looked at her. She was watching him suspiciously, and he tries to look innocent.
"No I don't. Maybe you should talk to 'Mione. She might know something about it. Well, I've got to get back to work. Obviously Harry isn't home." He stood up to leave when he felt her hand on his arm.
"What do you mean, Harry isn't at work?" He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her what happened to make Harry leave.
"Well, he left after Dr- er... Malfoy came to see us and tell us he was requesting new partners. Harry was upset about the argument that we'd had with him and just disapparated. I had thought that he would have come home, but obviously he is somewhere else." He drained his drink and walked into the living room, his sister following behind him.
"What was the argument about? Why are you partners with Malfoy anyway?" He shook his head at her.
"Nothing important. They, we, just had a disagreement about a few things. It was your idea Ginny. You were the one who wanted us to partner with him." With that he disapparated, leaving her wondering about why she had told them to be partners.
Draco opened the door to his house and was only fairly surprised to see the Slytherin colours. He still had not gotten used to them. He set his keys on the counter by the place he hung up his coat, and walked slowly into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and got out a bottle of Firewhisky. He opened the cork and sat down on a stool near the bar. He took a swig and let the burning liquid go down his throat and relished in the sensation.
He set the bottle down on the counter and rested his head on his arms, which were crossed on the top of the table. He let his fingers wander over his chest until he found the pendant that Ginny had given him as a birthday present. It was a silver dragon with a leather strap, and on the back, it read:
For my dear Dragon. For we will always be together.
She had given it to him for his nineteenth birthday, and he had always worn it. He hadn't worn it when he was with other women and now he knew why. He had taken it off, because he had felt guilty. He knew it was wrong to be with the other women and he couldn't wear it with them.
He was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder and visibly jumped. He sat up and turned around to see who the intruder was. He was shocked to see Blaise standing there.
"Bloody hell! Don't do that to me again Zabini." He ran a hand through his hair and touched the pendant. Blaise was doubled over in laughter and he was silently shaking in mirth. Draco glared at him and turned to take a swig of his Firewhisky when it was whisked away from his grasp. "Why do people always insist on taking my drink away from me?" He growled as Blaise walked over to the sink and poured it out.
"Because, my dear friend, people know about your old drinking habit. I have also been informed by two people to not let you drink. I am going to help you be the Slytherin you want to be, but you may not drink. Get it, got it, good." He threw the bottle into the trash and sat down next to Draco. "You need a girl mate." He watched Draco stiffen and felt a pang of guilt stab at his stomach.
"I don't want to have one of the girls you know Blaise. I can find my own, thank you." He looked down at his hands and waited for Blaise to comment.
"I am sure you can." He felt like laughing at the seriousness in Draco's voice but thought better of not laughing.
"Besides, there is this one pretty lady who is in the same side of the Ministry that I work in. I have been thinking about asking her to go on a date with me. Her name is Jeanie, and she is quite nice. I feel like a large git. I sound so stupid! I have never felt uncomfortable around women. Now I talk about her like she... I don't know. It has been six years since I was with a women, but still. I shouldn't feel like this." He sighed and looked at Blaise. He knew he looked and sounded stupid, but didn't give it much thought.
"Yes, that is really stupid, but, all you have to do is turn on the Malfoy charm, and she'll be at your feet. Anyway, we both have to get back to work so you can ask her now." He grabbed his cloak and his briefcase and together the apparated to work.
They were halfway down the hall to Draco's office when Draco stopped and said, "That's her." Blaise was quite shocked to see the girl he had taken an interest in. She wasn't gorgeous, not really pretty, but the word used to describe her would be cute. She had dark auburn hair that came to he middle of her back, and light brown eyes. She was short, shorter than Ginny and she was about five-six. This girl looked to be about five-two, maybe five-three, which was quite short compared to Draco's six-two height. He walked up to her and Blaise had to stifle a laugh.
"Um... Jeanie?" She looked up and a blush appeared on her cheeks. Hm... Blaise thought when he saw her reaction to Draco. She had a small nose and pouting lips. She was wearing a light blue skirt with a matching top and he could see that her chest wasn't at as plentiful as Michele's or Ginny's. Jeanie, as her name was, was among the smaller chest girls. She had said something to Draco and he looked nervous, Blaise could tell, but she couldn't see that, with the way he was smiling at her.
"I was just wondering if you were busy tonight. We could have dinner together if you'd like." She was shocked and she was biting her bottom lip.
"Sure, I'd love that. I get of work and five o'clock." Ah... pull the 'ole, "Pick me up at my house" trick. Blaise thought with a hint of amusement. Draco nodded and smiled. He reached up to tuck a hair behind her ear.
"Is seven o'clock all right with you? I was thinking that maybe we could go eat in Muggle London and then see a movie. Would that meet your fancy?" His voice was silky and he knew she would say yes. He could tell she was a little wobbly in the knees since he hadn't moved his hand from the side of her face.
"That would be wonderful. I like the Muggle London and such. So seven it is. I can't wait to see you." He nodded and leaned down, which was a ways, and brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and she kissed him back. When he pulled away, she looked disappointed, but didn't complain.
"I think I have your address. I will have to check." He was about to turn away when she grabbed his arm and told him to hold on. She grabbed a quill and a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. He took it and read it.
"Thank you. I'll see you at seven Jeanie." She nodded and walked off down the hall in the other direction. When Draco walked up with Blaise, they were about to enter his office when he turned his head slightly and saw three people walking towards them. He turned and Blaise looked to see what had caught his attention, and he too turned. When they reached them they stopped and looked at Draco.
"Well, if it isn't the Dream Team. United again." His tone was bored and he looked like he might as well have been buffing his nails. Hermione looked at him with pleading eyes. He caught her gaze and shuttered his eyes as he had done so many years ago. Harry looked at him and his green eyes were alert and bright. He couldn't see anything but pent-up hatred in Draco's eyes when he looked at him and he grimaced. If he could change what has happened, he would. Maybe. Ron's eyes were ablaze with anger from this morning and was about to speak.
"Draco, can we go into your office?" He nodded and opened the door. They walked in and sat down in the chairs. He was stiff and was leaning against his desk. He was waiting to see what they had to say, really he didn't care anymore. Blaise was looking back and forth between all of them and decided it was time to go. He had a meeting anyway.
"Um... I'll see you later Draco. I'll be 'round tomorrow. Hope things go well." He stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do whatever your fancy takes you. I'll be by your side." He whispered as he left, before he left, he turned and glared at them before leaving.
"We know why you are doing this. We understand, we kn-" Hermione was sharply cut off by Draco. His anger had been boiling under his skin for awhile and now he was going to let it lash out and whip. He cold voice could have frozen the sun and it cracked like a whip when he spoke.
"You understand? You know about the way I'm feeling do you? Do you know what it is like to see the women you love not love you and not remember you? You have know idea the way I'm feeling. Any of you. At least Potter knows what love is like when lost. But he doesn't know what it is like when she doesn't remember you. She remembers me for what I was. I was a Slytherin. I was with the Dark Lord. I was Draco Malfoy, King of Slytherin who worships the ground Lord Voldemort walked on. That is the person she remembers. She doesn't remember the man who fell in love with her. She doesn't remember loving me. She hates me. God forbid I go five feet in front of her. I am glad she doesn't remember the marriage. I was horrible to her. Potter knows. After all, he was sleeping with her while we were married." Hermione sucked in a breath and Ron looked, well... Ron didn't really look like anything. He just sat there and slid his eyes over to Harry, whose face was a mask of anger.
"I never slept with her. I respected the marriage you had even if I didn't like it. Yes, I knew you were sleeping around, but I would never sleep with Ginny. Plus, she wouldn't let me. I'll tell you the truth, we came close to having sex a couple of times, but never completed what we had finished. She would stop and say I can't do this, this is wrong. I love Draco. I don't know why she loved you, but she did. She loved a bastard who cared nothing for her, until he thought she was going to die. I bet you had a great time with those women, huh Malfoy? Knowing that you could come back home and get some from Ginny? Knowing that she would sleep with you, because she loved you? You loved it. You relished in the fact that-" He was cut off by Draco's hand connecting with his cheek. He had back-handed slapped him with his Malfoy ring and it hurt like hell. Harry had been knocked off of his seat and he stood up shakily. Hermione stood up and Ron put his arms around her.
"Let them work this out by themselves." He whispered in her ear. "They need to do this alone." She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. They sat down together and watched the fight take place before them.
Harry watched Draco's chest heave with anger. He had seen the fire in his eyes and wanted him to hit him. He wanted Draco to lose his temper and get it all out. He wanted to tire him. His cheek stung and he tried not to smile. This was the Draco he knew. The Draco he had hated and liked at the same time. This was the true Draco Malfoy.
The Dragon.
A/N: I am so sorry this one took so long. The next one will be awhile too. So... do you like it? The next chapter will be much longer than this one. I have a really good idea for the next. Thank you to all my reviews. I have a one-shot Ron/Hermione story. It's okay. It's jsut one of those things you think of and have to write down. It's called Letter.
"Hi, I'm Michele. I'm Blaise's girlfriend. I don't believe we've met before." He shook her hand and smiled. She wasn't British, he had picked up an American. Oh Blaise, you are a wild one. He thought as he stepped in and she closed the door behind him. He felt her eyes on him as he took off his cloak and hung it on the coat rack.
"I'm Draco Malfoy by the way. Is Blaise at home?" He looked into the living room and saw that neither of Blaise's briefcase's were there. He turned to look at her, because she still hadn't answered him and she blushed, because he had caught her watching him, with a very pleased smile.
"Um... no he's not actually. He should be home in an hour if you would like to wait. He had a meeting to go to at the Department. Would you like a glass of water? Something to eat?" He smiled at her and shook his head. He felt uncomfortable being in the same room with her, and he didn't know why. He had been around women all his life, even after being married. But it had been a long time since he was intimate with a women, and the girl made him feel uneasy.
"No, I'm fine thank you." She shrugged and walked into the living room. She picked up a rubber band, which Ginny used to use for her hair, and tied her hair up in a neat ponytail. She picked up a rag and sprayed some white fizzing stuff on it and began to wipe down the coffee table. He wondered if she were a muggle since that was the way muggle's cleaned, yet, Ginny used to clean like that too.
"You can sit down if you want. Do you like music?" She turned and looked at him. He shrugged and sat down.
"Depends on what kind. What do you listen to? My wife used to listen to different kinds. She preferred mu- um... rock music. I guess you could call it that." She grinned and turned to the radio. She turned the dial and put the volume on low. It was so low that you could barely hear it if you talked.
"It's okay if you call it muggle music. I'm sure I confused you, cleaning like this. Blaise thought I was a muggle when we first met, but he later found out that I'm half-blooded. I didn't know he was a wizard until he found out about me too. I like rock, in the states that's very popular. So you're married?" She had turned back to her work and Draco admired her figure.
"I was married. We recently got divorced. Not a big deal really. So, how long have you and Blaise been together?" She picked up her glass of water and drank it. He watched as her shirt raised up and showed her stomach, as she finished the water. He looked away when she looked at him, and fought the blush that threatened to produce on his cheeks.
"Um... quite awhile. I'd probably say about nine months. He's a nice guy. Just recently we got an invitation to go to Pansy Parkinson's wedding. I can't stand her. She gets on my nerves. Do you know the Weasley's?" His head shot up and he nodded. She sat down on the chair opposite him and nodded. "Yeah, she talks about them all the time. I have actually met Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. One time, Blaise took me up there to meet you actually, and he introduced me to them. I like Ron. He was very nice and funny too. His poor sister. I feel so bad for him. It's sad when something like that happens and Pansy makes fun of it. Ginny was her name. She's very pretty." He looked down at his hands and nodded. He didn't look back at her but talked to his hands.
"Yes, he is very nice. Ginny well, she is very pretty. I uh... I miss her." He didn't look at her, for fear she might guess that he was her late husband.
"You were married to her. Weren't you? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I heard from Blaise that she was awake. He wants me to meet her, but I'm not so sure now." He looked at her and gave a small smile. He shook his head.
"Now probably wouldn't be a good time. It's not your fault." They sat in silence for a few moments. She couldn't think of anything to say. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad. He was trying to think of something to say, when a dog came bounding in the room. He jumped on the couch and began sniffing Draco curiously.
"I'm sorry! Oh dear. Oh Sev!! Get off him." She began to pull on the dog's collar, and Draco laughed petting the dog. The dog began to sniff and try to lick at Draco's face, but he just moved his face out of the way, petting the dogs head.
"It's okay. I love dogs. Give me a dog any day, it's cats I don't like. Dogs and owls are my favourite." He said smiling as the dog laid down next to him, his head in Draco's lap, and was looking at him with sweet happy eyes, while his tail wagged vigorously. The dog looked as if he came to Draco's hips and was a light bronze colour. "Haven't seen you in a while boy." Draco said as he leaned down to talk to the dog in a baby voice.
"So you're acquainted with Severus already? I swear... that dog is such a big baby. Blaise loves him. At first I wasn't so keen on having a dog, but Blaise said, "Either me and the dog, or no me." I said fine. I didn't really like dogs, and now I love them. To me now, it's like a sin not to love a dog. They're so sweet." Severus turned his eyes on her and listened to her. She was saying, "Yes you are... you're a good puppy, yes you are. You're a sweet baby, yes you are. Come on Sev... are you a sweet puppy? Yes you are." He got off of Draco, just barely missing his male anatomy and jumped off the couch running over to her. He laid his head in her lap as she petted him. He turned around and put his back in her face, wanting a back scratch. She scratched his back and when she was finished, he ran to the door barking. Both she and Draco stood, but she told Draco to make it a surprise so she pushed him to a corner. Draco stood in the living room listen to Blaise come in and greet his dog then Michele.
"Hey there boy! Have you been a good dog? Hey sweets." Draco heard them kiss and watched as Blaise entered the living room without seeing him. He went to hang up his cloak and saw Draco's. He turned to look at Michele, and she was walking down the hall to give the dog a treat. "Honey, is someone here?" She poked her head out and look at him.
"No... why?" Blaise's face turned to confusion, then to a slight bit of anger. She came back and kissed him on the lips. When Blaise kissed back, and slid his arms around her waist she motioned for Draco to come out.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything? That is just too discouraging. Please Blaise, get a room." Blaise pulled back and looked at him with shock. He smiled and embraced Draco in a brotherly hug.
"Hey there, how are you? Been a long time hasn't it?" They pulled back and walked into the kitchen. "Can I get you anything? Some alcohol? Here, eat some of these, you look like hell." He pulled out a container of something, which Draco didn't know what it was. But Blaise urged him to so he decided to eat whatever Blaise had obviously cooked. He was tall, about Draco's height, with black hair. His eyes shown out a brighter blue, because of his long dark eyelashes. He was more broad shouldered than Draco was, but it looked good on him. He was wearing black slacks with a white button up. He left the last three buttons undone, showing off some of his chest. He didn't' believe in wearing ties, since he had to where them all his years at Hogwarts. Michele called to them letting them know she was going to the store.
"It has been awhile. So, I see you've a new girl. How old is she?" Draco hid the smile by putting some of that food in his mouth. Blaise glared at him.
"Yes, I do have a new girlfriend. She's old enough, she's not a child if you must know. We're not exactly old you know? We are twenty-seven. Not quite thirty yet. If you must know, she is twenty-one." He added after Draco rolled his eyes and waved him on as to say, "Just tell me her age already." Draco's eyebrows rose.
"Twenty-one? Don't you think that six years is a bit much?" Blaise sat down excitedly, and sipped on his Firewhisky.
"Not really. See, I've been with her for a long time. About nine months, and I love her. I do. Yeah she's young, but... I don't know. I am in love with her. You know it must be true if I've been with her for nine months. Come on, that's almost a year. I have never stayed with a women for more than two months. I'm gonna ask her to marry me, this weekend." He was smiling this goofy smile and Draco chuckled. He remembered when he was this happy when he told Blaise that he wanted to marry Ginny. Blaise had said, "About time."
"Well, I'm happy for you." He said it sincerely and finished up what Blaise had given him. Blaise looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry about Ginny. I know you loved her a lot. I'm sure that what I'm saying is depressing you." He looked him in the eye and seemed to know what Draco was thinking. "You can't change, because you think it's better. It has been a long time since you were at Hogwarts and I don't believe that you can be the same person you were back then." Draco looked at him in disbelief and looked at him like a bludger had just hit him in the stomach and winded him.
"I can. Both you and Weasley have said the same thing. I can move on. I don't need her. I don't want to waste the rest of my life dwelling over her. You know that. I can't believe that you said what you said. I thought that you of all people would support me in doing this. I hadn't even told you yet, and here you are jumping down my throat, saying that I can't be that same person, because I haven't been in Hogwarts for nine years." He stood up angrily, and threw his dish I the sink. He turned and walked out of the kitchen. Blaise stood up and followed him.
"I never once said that you couldn't, I just that that I don't believe you can. There's a difference. If you want to fine, whatever flies your broom." He watched helplessly as Draco grabbed his cloak and shoved it on angrily. "I don't want to leave angry like you did last time. Please Draco. Stay and let's talk about this." Draco looked at him through narrowed eyes.
"What is to talk about? I am going to do what I want. I don't want to love her anymore." His voice was so low, that you could declare it as whisper. Blaise let his shoulders drop as he looked at Draco in sympathy. Draco didn't want to love her anymore. Blaise felt his pain. He knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. Blaise had dated Ginny in the towards the end of her fourth year.
After her, he had never wanted to be in love again. It had taken quite some time to get used to seeing her with Harry and then Draco. Draco had been his best friend and he had never told him that he had dated Ginny before, and he wanted to tell Draco then, but it would have been against Ginny's wishes. After Ginny had broken up with him he hadn't known why until later. Over the years he had fallen in love with her without her knowing and one day she told him she knew and she didn't, no, couldn't feel that way about him. He had never dated a women for more than two months for fear that he might get hurt that same way. He had been happy when Draco had asked her to marry him, but he was still hurt inside. He loved her still, but he now had moved on and was in love with someone else. Along with Ginny.
"Draco, I understand how you feel. I know you don't want to hang onto the love that you have for her, knowing that she'll probably never love you again. But in doing this, if you think it's right, it's not the best idea. But since you are my best friend, I'll stand by you as you do this. We'll be the Slytherin's we were in Hogwarts." He smiled and rested a heavy hand on his shoulder. Draco gave him a small smile and nodded. He grabbed his cloak and rested it on his arm.
"I have to go Blaise, but... I will come by to see you later. Hopefully tomorrow. Is that okay?" He nodded as Draco took out his wand. "Until tomorrow." And with that he apparated with a "pop!"
"Hello? Harry?" She walked into the living room to find her brother standing there with a key in his right hand. He was looking around the room when he spotted Ginny and he smiled. He set his Auror jacket that had his name "Ronald Weasley" printed in bold letters, over the right breast, on the couch.
"Hi Gin, how are you?" He was smiling, but it wasn't reaching his eyes like it used to. His eyes only held concern. "Are you tired? What have you been up to today?" She leads him into the kitchen and gave him a glass of butterbeer.
"I'm fine, and no I'm not tired. Actually, I have been sitting here trying to figure out this weird dream I had and I have no idea what it means." He looked at her with curiosity, and took a swig of his butterbeer.
"A dream? Hm... what was it about?" He looked at her and noticed that she looked like she had not aged. She still looked the same age she had when she went into the coma. Her hair was a dark red, like wine, and her skin as smooth looking as a babies bottom. Her voice broke through his thoughts and he focused on what she was saying.
"It was like being in someone's memories. Except that I was watching myself with Malfoy. Like I was with him, yet I was dating Harry. Do you know what that means?" He choked on his drink and looked at her. She was watching him suspiciously, and he tries to look innocent.
"No I don't. Maybe you should talk to 'Mione. She might know something about it. Well, I've got to get back to work. Obviously Harry isn't home." He stood up to leave when he felt her hand on his arm.
"What do you mean, Harry isn't at work?" He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her what happened to make Harry leave.
"Well, he left after Dr- er... Malfoy came to see us and tell us he was requesting new partners. Harry was upset about the argument that we'd had with him and just disapparated. I had thought that he would have come home, but obviously he is somewhere else." He drained his drink and walked into the living room, his sister following behind him.
"What was the argument about? Why are you partners with Malfoy anyway?" He shook his head at her.
"Nothing important. They, we, just had a disagreement about a few things. It was your idea Ginny. You were the one who wanted us to partner with him." With that he disapparated, leaving her wondering about why she had told them to be partners.
He set the bottle down on the counter and rested his head on his arms, which were crossed on the top of the table. He let his fingers wander over his chest until he found the pendant that Ginny had given him as a birthday present. It was a silver dragon with a leather strap, and on the back, it read:
For my dear Dragon. For we will always be together.
She had given it to him for his nineteenth birthday, and he had always worn it. He hadn't worn it when he was with other women and now he knew why. He had taken it off, because he had felt guilty. He knew it was wrong to be with the other women and he couldn't wear it with them.
He was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder and visibly jumped. He sat up and turned around to see who the intruder was. He was shocked to see Blaise standing there.
"Bloody hell! Don't do that to me again Zabini." He ran a hand through his hair and touched the pendant. Blaise was doubled over in laughter and he was silently shaking in mirth. Draco glared at him and turned to take a swig of his Firewhisky when it was whisked away from his grasp. "Why do people always insist on taking my drink away from me?" He growled as Blaise walked over to the sink and poured it out.
"Because, my dear friend, people know about your old drinking habit. I have also been informed by two people to not let you drink. I am going to help you be the Slytherin you want to be, but you may not drink. Get it, got it, good." He threw the bottle into the trash and sat down next to Draco. "You need a girl mate." He watched Draco stiffen and felt a pang of guilt stab at his stomach.
"I don't want to have one of the girls you know Blaise. I can find my own, thank you." He looked down at his hands and waited for Blaise to comment.
"I am sure you can." He felt like laughing at the seriousness in Draco's voice but thought better of not laughing.
"Besides, there is this one pretty lady who is in the same side of the Ministry that I work in. I have been thinking about asking her to go on a date with me. Her name is Jeanie, and she is quite nice. I feel like a large git. I sound so stupid! I have never felt uncomfortable around women. Now I talk about her like she... I don't know. It has been six years since I was with a women, but still. I shouldn't feel like this." He sighed and looked at Blaise. He knew he looked and sounded stupid, but didn't give it much thought.
"Yes, that is really stupid, but, all you have to do is turn on the Malfoy charm, and she'll be at your feet. Anyway, we both have to get back to work so you can ask her now." He grabbed his cloak and his briefcase and together the apparated to work.
"Um... Jeanie?" She looked up and a blush appeared on her cheeks. Hm... Blaise thought when he saw her reaction to Draco. She had a small nose and pouting lips. She was wearing a light blue skirt with a matching top and he could see that her chest wasn't at as plentiful as Michele's or Ginny's. Jeanie, as her name was, was among the smaller chest girls. She had said something to Draco and he looked nervous, Blaise could tell, but she couldn't see that, with the way he was smiling at her.
"I was just wondering if you were busy tonight. We could have dinner together if you'd like." She was shocked and she was biting her bottom lip.
"Sure, I'd love that. I get of work and five o'clock." Ah... pull the 'ole, "Pick me up at my house" trick. Blaise thought with a hint of amusement. Draco nodded and smiled. He reached up to tuck a hair behind her ear.
"Is seven o'clock all right with you? I was thinking that maybe we could go eat in Muggle London and then see a movie. Would that meet your fancy?" His voice was silky and he knew she would say yes. He could tell she was a little wobbly in the knees since he hadn't moved his hand from the side of her face.
"That would be wonderful. I like the Muggle London and such. So seven it is. I can't wait to see you." He nodded and leaned down, which was a ways, and brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and she kissed him back. When he pulled away, she looked disappointed, but didn't complain.
"I think I have your address. I will have to check." He was about to turn away when she grabbed his arm and told him to hold on. She grabbed a quill and a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. He took it and read it.
"Thank you. I'll see you at seven Jeanie." She nodded and walked off down the hall in the other direction. When Draco walked up with Blaise, they were about to enter his office when he turned his head slightly and saw three people walking towards them. He turned and Blaise looked to see what had caught his attention, and he too turned. When they reached them they stopped and looked at Draco.
"Well, if it isn't the Dream Team. United again." His tone was bored and he looked like he might as well have been buffing his nails. Hermione looked at him with pleading eyes. He caught her gaze and shuttered his eyes as he had done so many years ago. Harry looked at him and his green eyes were alert and bright. He couldn't see anything but pent-up hatred in Draco's eyes when he looked at him and he grimaced. If he could change what has happened, he would. Maybe. Ron's eyes were ablaze with anger from this morning and was about to speak.
"Draco, can we go into your office?" He nodded and opened the door. They walked in and sat down in the chairs. He was stiff and was leaning against his desk. He was waiting to see what they had to say, really he didn't care anymore. Blaise was looking back and forth between all of them and decided it was time to go. He had a meeting anyway.
"Um... I'll see you later Draco. I'll be 'round tomorrow. Hope things go well." He stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do whatever your fancy takes you. I'll be by your side." He whispered as he left, before he left, he turned and glared at them before leaving.
"We know why you are doing this. We understand, we kn-" Hermione was sharply cut off by Draco. His anger had been boiling under his skin for awhile and now he was going to let it lash out and whip. He cold voice could have frozen the sun and it cracked like a whip when he spoke.
"You understand? You know about the way I'm feeling do you? Do you know what it is like to see the women you love not love you and not remember you? You have know idea the way I'm feeling. Any of you. At least Potter knows what love is like when lost. But he doesn't know what it is like when she doesn't remember you. She remembers me for what I was. I was a Slytherin. I was with the Dark Lord. I was Draco Malfoy, King of Slytherin who worships the ground Lord Voldemort walked on. That is the person she remembers. She doesn't remember the man who fell in love with her. She doesn't remember loving me. She hates me. God forbid I go five feet in front of her. I am glad she doesn't remember the marriage. I was horrible to her. Potter knows. After all, he was sleeping with her while we were married." Hermione sucked in a breath and Ron looked, well... Ron didn't really look like anything. He just sat there and slid his eyes over to Harry, whose face was a mask of anger.
"I never slept with her. I respected the marriage you had even if I didn't like it. Yes, I knew you were sleeping around, but I would never sleep with Ginny. Plus, she wouldn't let me. I'll tell you the truth, we came close to having sex a couple of times, but never completed what we had finished. She would stop and say I can't do this, this is wrong. I love Draco. I don't know why she loved you, but she did. She loved a bastard who cared nothing for her, until he thought she was going to die. I bet you had a great time with those women, huh Malfoy? Knowing that you could come back home and get some from Ginny? Knowing that she would sleep with you, because she loved you? You loved it. You relished in the fact that-" He was cut off by Draco's hand connecting with his cheek. He had back-handed slapped him with his Malfoy ring and it hurt like hell. Harry had been knocked off of his seat and he stood up shakily. Hermione stood up and Ron put his arms around her.
"Let them work this out by themselves." He whispered in her ear. "They need to do this alone." She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. They sat down together and watched the fight take place before them.
Harry watched Draco's chest heave with anger. He had seen the fire in his eyes and wanted him to hit him. He wanted Draco to lose his temper and get it all out. He wanted to tire him. His cheek stung and he tried not to smile. This was the Draco he knew. The Draco he had hated and liked at the same time. This was the true Draco Malfoy.
The Dragon.
A/N: I am so sorry this one took so long. The next one will be awhile too. So... do you like it? The next chapter will be much longer than this one. I have a really good idea for the next. Thank you to all my reviews. I have a one-shot Ron/Hermione story. It's okay. It's jsut one of those things you think of and have to write down. It's called Letter.