Hello, my wonderful readers! I hope you're all doing well! :)
Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long but life sort of got in the way. Writing had to take a back seat but I'm back now. I cannot promise you all a chapter a week like before though. But know that I intend to finish this story, I am writing and I'll keep on posting chapters as soon as they're done.
On that note, I bring you the next installment of Wilfully. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The Wizarding World belongs to J.K Rowling. This fanfic is mine.
WILFULLY: CHAPTER 29
The heart was a turbulent thing, Ginny Weasley realised.
Sometimes it was so strong that it could withstand the mightiest of blows. And other times, a mere breeze could leave it quaking. A stupid organ, filled with stupid emotions. And yet, everyone was a slave to it.
xx
There was excitement in the air and it was so intoxicating that Ginny couldn't keep a grin from spreading across her face. She glanced sideways at Draco as they walked down the narrow walkway that led to the VIP box of the Yorkshire Moors Quidditch Stadium and saw that he, too, seemed thrilled at the prospect of watching his favourite team play, even though the small smile on his lips did not reach his eyes at all. Witnessing the death of a Wizengamot member and sort of being a part of the group that had caused it weighed quite heavily on his conscience, which was why Ginny had insisted that he use the tickets she had gifted to him on Christmas and come to the match. It was a poor attempt at distracting him, she knew, but it was worth a try.
"You indeterminable scrotum sniffer!"
It was not the voice of Blaise Zabini that surprised her, but the rather colourful insult. She turned around to see the dark-skinned man storming towards them, his eyes fixed on Draco.
"I don't hear from you for a month, and then you entice me with VIP tickets to a Quidditch match that you knew I would not be able to resist," Blaise accused.
"And a good day to you too," Draco retorted coolly.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Busy."
Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes, wondering why her boyfriend felt it was necessary to act like a dramatic bastard all the bloody time. The cold greetings were not at all alarming, though; she knew how frustrated Blaise had been with Draco's absence in the past few weeks. That is why she had suggested to Draco that he use the extra ticket she had gifted him to invite his best mate instead of her. She didn't really need a ticket for herself, considering that she was given a pass to attend the match by the Holyhead Harpies management.
Blaise studied Draco with narrow eyes. "You look like shit."
Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Ginevra tells me you had something you wished to speak with me."
"That was when I thought you were my friend. You can go fuck off now."
"Merlin!" Ginny breathed exasperatedly. It was imperative that she intervened, for this pointless argument seemed like it would go on for a while. "Do you two have to act like such morons? Just pull the stick out of your arses and talk to each other!"
Blaise opened his mouth to say something scathing, but then a look of giddiness flashed across his face. It seemed that the chance to speak to his best mate had overtaken his irritation at him, and he stepped closer to Draco. "It's a girl! Daph and I are having a girl!"
"Ah," Draco's lips twitched, and he looked adequately pleased in a very proper, unemotional sort of way that seemed to come naturally to these aristocratic Slytherins. "Congratulations."
"Fuck off. You disappear for weeks and now you want to congratulate me?" Blaise shot back, once again reverting back to his earlier irritation now that he had shared his happy news. "We want you to be the godfather."
That caught Draco off-guard. "Me?"
"Daphne wants her bitch of a sister to be godmother, which is why I am counting on you to fight tooth and nail to gain a superior, firmer control over my child should she ever be orphaned."
"Why would she be orphaned?" Ginny could not help but ask, bewildered.
"She won't be, but it doesn't hurt to prepare for the possibility. The Death Eaters are back, and their violent actions is slowly turning the remaining wizarding community against the pureblood community."
The smile that was playing on Ginny's lips slowly faded away into nothing. It was a sobering thought that Blaise and Daphne, who were both decent human beings and very respectable members of the wizarding community, were preparing for such outcomes out of fear. It made her realise that this happy Quidditch match was nothing but an illusion; things in the wizarding world were rather murky, what with a new rank of Death Eaters threatening muggles and muggle-borns and the survivors of the war eyeing all the purebloods with great suspicion and contempt. If things continued this way, there would be another civil war on their hands in the coming months.
"I will not let anything happen to you or your family," Draco promised his best mate in a low, solemn voice.
"Careful, Drake. You're starting to sound like Saint Potter," Blaise tried to shrug off his concerns with a poorly made joke, then nodded somewhere behind them. "Speak of the devil."
Ginny turned her head to see Harry walking in their direction, though he only seemed to realise that when he looked up from the paper he was reading. He stiffened when his green eyes met hers and she knew instantly that words would be exchanged between them; she only hoped that it would not happen here, in a rather public place that was undoubtedly filled with members of the press.
"By Salazar, I'm thinking of moving to Tibet just to lower the probability of running into Scarhead wherever I bloody go," Draco muttered. "Come on. Let's get to our seats."
He sauntered through the door of the VIP box, followed closely by Zabini. Ginny, however, stayed put and just as she had expected, Harry made his way over to her.
"You and Draco are back together," he stated in lieu of a greeting and his voice was laced with something that sounded a lot like an accusation.
"We are."
"You've made a fool out of me, Gin."
"Have I?" She frowned, finding his words to be rather unfair. "You asked me out."
"Because you said you were done with him!"
"I said I was pissed at him," she corrected him. "I never said Draco and I were over."
Harry ran a hand through his forever messy hair. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm exhausted."
"I'm sure you are, what with all these security measures you have to oversee on top of investigating Death Eater leads." She gestured vaguely at their surroundings, for she had noticed a number of Aurors stationed across the Quidditch stadium when she had entered the place. In response, his lips twitched, as if to say that that is not exactly what he had meant. And so, she dropped this useless pretense. "I am not trying to be hurtful, Harry."
"I know," he said slowly, then stood up straighter with a shake of his head. "In any case, I'm done. I-I love you to bits, Gin. I always will. But I won't chase you anymore."
For months now, Ginny had been hoping to hear something like this from Harry but now that he had said the words, they seemed to knock the breath out of her– and not necessarily in a good way. But through that unexpected ache, she also detected specks of relief swirling in her heart. She had loathed being a source of pain for Harry and perhaps now, there would be a chance for him to move on and find his own happiness. "This is for the best," she murmured softly.
"If you say so." He gave her a tight smile. "I have to work."
"Alright."
There were no promises of seeing each other again, though they undoubtedly would. Nudging this bittersweet feeling away, Ginny watched Harry walk away and then decided to go find her seat.
The match itself turned out to be… well, something. As a fan of the sport, Ginny was quite happy to see some impressive Quidditch. As a player for the Holyhead Harpies, she was part jealous and part disappointed at not being able to play herself. As a girlfriend, she was utterly amused.
Though she always tried to be humble, it could not be denied that she had played an important part in leading the Harpies to its victories over the last couple of years. Her loss was clearly felt by the team, considering how their offence was failing while Puddlemere United had scored three times already, fifteen minutes into the start of the match. An hour later, Puddlemere were leading 140-30, and naturally, Puddlemere fans were overjoyed.
What Ginny found to be utterly adorable was the fact that though Draco shared that joy, he was trying his best to keep his excitement in check for the sake of her. It was a visible struggle, for he would shift as if he was about to stand up and cheer, then quickly compose himself and clap politely. This went on for a while but when Puddlemere scored their eighteenth goal, she turned to him with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "You can celebrate," she said. "I will not mind."
"No, no. I find the Harpies to be quite impressive," Draco managed to sputter, which was the true impressive feat. She knew for a fact that he would rather eat dung than compliment any Quidditch team other than Puddlemere United.
"Harpies are shit today, Draco!" It bruised her ego to admit it, but it was the truth.
He blew out a breath of relief. "They are, aren't they? They really ought to kick the useless team out of the League based off their performance today."
Alright, that was taking it a bit too far. She shot him a cool glare, then said, "Just bloody enjoy your stupid team's victory while it lasts."
"The cup is ours, love," he stated smugly as turned his focus back on the match.
Huh. She had expected a nice 'thank you' snog or at least a peck on the cheek instead of this blatant snub, but the reason behind it became clear to her: now that Draco had her blessing to openly support his team without hurting her feelings, he did not want to miss out on even a single second of the play. And as interested as she was in the match herself (even though her team was losing terribly), she could not stop staring at him in wonder.
He was as composed as ever, a picture of bloody elegance that he was trained to be since he was little, but his lips were curved into a genuine smile and his eyes were bright with joy and wonder and… a hunger. It was a hunger that was very easy to decipher: he wanted to be there, playing. He yearned for it. And it could never happen because Voldemort's Curse would not allow him to ride a broom for more than an hour or so, much less practice complex manoeuvres that professional Quidditch demanded.
All of a sudden, Ginny found her heart heavy with sadness for him. He had had such a difficult life, and the one dream – the one real dream that he had – could not be fulfilled. It was heart-breaking.
"Yes!" Draco high-fived Blaise all too happily just as half the stadium roared. Their stupid team had scored again.
Snapped out of her train of thought and unable to do anything for her beloved team or her boyfriend's tragedy, she decided to sit there and enjoy the sport that they both loved. And when the Harpies caught the snitch and managed to save some face by losing 180-230, she was quite bummed but she also accepted it with grace; after all, she was a sportswoman and knew very well that victory and loss were both part of the game. There would be next year for the Harpies, but for now, it was the Puddlemere United that had qualified for the semi-finals.
Draco was ecstatic and his joy was enough to put a smile on her face. Had she known that it would be the last time she would be seeing him genuinely happy for a long while, she would have made more effort to memorise its details.
xx
"You're avoiding me," Ginny accused as she marched into Draco's closet, where he was in the middle of undressing. Startled, he turned to face her and the sight of him gave her an unexpected pause. If it were just the dark circles beneath his eyes, she would have assumed that he had had a long day at work, but his usually bright eyes were haunted by unseen demons and his body seemed so frail that his ribs were starting to protrude at his sides. It would seem that Yugo's complaints that the 'Master Sir' was skipping far too many meals were more than justified.
"Never," Draco said as he resumed taking off his clothes and then reaching out for a pair of fresh pajamas and a t-shirt.
"Then why haven't I heard from you in two weeks?" she demanded, torn between shouting at him for disappearing since that Quidditch match and force feeding him some food just to give him some semblance of health.
"Being a businessman and a spy is not as easy a life as one would think."
Huh. She had not expected him to admit that so openly; the Draco she had come to know would have either insisted that everything was in his control or resorted to insults to steer the topic away to something else. That he was not doing so right now spoke volumes about his mental state.
Ever since they had reconciled, he had not really spoken about what exactly it was that he was doing with and for the Death Eaters. And she had not asked, which she now realised was a mistake. In her distraction of her own healing and because of her disapproval of their plan, she had let him wallow in darkness alone, and as a result he had become more and more secluded in his mind, which was a dangerous place to be. "H-How are things with Dolohov?" she asked slowly.
"Fucked up," Draco replied shortly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I want to sleep." He made his way over to his bed and slipped under the covers with a tired sigh. Then, probably realising that he was acting like a mean git, he decided to elaborate. "I just returned from Potter's place after a tedious discussion of some gut-wrenching facts. I would very much prefer not to speak of them unless I absolutely have to."
Ginny nodded slowly. "I had an appointment with Blaise today." Her arm was still in a sling and though she could not move it at all, she had recovered the complete use of her fingers and thumb. She demonstrated it with a curl of her fingers, and could not help but beam when her wrist twitched upon her command. "He says we will be moving onto arm movements by the end of this month if the treatment continues to work this effectively."
"That's good," Draco said. "I am glad you are getting better."
"You were right when you told me not to lose hope. And you were right about Blaise. He is a gifted Healer."
"He is."
"And a good friend," she added. "Which is why I don't understand why you're avoiding him too."
"Ginevra," he warned with a tired sigh.
"Draco," she said calmly, not giving him an inch.
He stared at her for a long moment, probably wondering how to get out of this conversation, then shook his head in defeat. "Blaise knows me too well. If I see him, he will know that something is wrong. I can't tell him about Dolohov."
"Maybe you should," she suggested. "I'm sure Harry will understand once you convince him that Blaise can be trusted."
"It's better this way."
Bloody hell. The man was being stubborn for absolutely no reason at all, and she shoved away the sudden desire to punch him. "You don't have to alienate yourself, Draco. There are people in your life who love you and want to be there for you. Let them."
"You don't understand–"
"I understand that you were an idiot to shut yourself away when you were sixteen. You have admitted it yourself. So, learn from that mistake."
Ginny did not know if he took her advice enough to reach out to his best friend; she supposed Blaise would tell her during her next healer's appointment– but Draco did listen to her somewhat. Instead of keeping away as he had did for the two weeks after the Quidditch match, he wrote to her and asked her out on a date that weekend.
It was a start.
xx
Ginny went to the headquarters of the Malfoy Corporation, where they had agreed to meet, and found Draco in the main lobby, deep in conversation with Jeremy Chaucer, the poor teenager from France whose family had been murdered by a group of muggles. They turned to her as she approached, causing her to say, "I hope I'm not disturbing."
"Not at all," Draco placed a hand on her back. "You remember Mr. Chaucer? He has joined the Malfoy Corporation as an intern."
"Miss Weasley," Chaucer greeted her with a polite bow of his head.
Ginny smiled at the boy. "Welcome to England, Mr. Chaucer."
"I forgot my wallet upstairs," Draco said to her, cutting their introductions abruptly. "Will you wait for me here?"
"What other choice do I have?" she asked with a dramatic sigh. Normally, she would offer to pay but Draco would never have it. Masochist, gentlemanly git that he was.
He smirked, placed a quick kiss on her cheek and hurried off towards the lifts.
Ginny shook her head with a smile and returned her attention on Jeremy Chaucer, who had been staring at her. "What is it?"
The boy shifted on his feet, his cheeks turning a deep shade of pink. "Tu es très belle, mademoiselle."
"I'm sorry, I do not speak French."
"Oh. Uh, you are very beautiful."
She bit her lip to keep from laughing. For some reason, she found the teenager's awkwardness to be quite adorable. "Thank you, Mr. Chaucer," she said. "So, are you excited to be here?"
"Oui!" Chaucer bounced on the balls of his feet, his eyes twinkling as he gestured at their surroundings. "I will be working at ze potioneering wing of ze Malfoy Corporation. I am very excited to be 'ere."
Ginny smiled. His excitement was palpable. "Will you be living in London, then?"
"Oui. Ze company has given me a studio apartment in Greenwich, and I will work 'ere in ze labs on tenth floor. Mrs. Greta told me Monsieur Malfoy often comes to work zere too." Chaucer's cheeks tinged pink once again as he leaned closer to her. "Monsieur Malfoy is one of ze best minds in ze potions field. To work for 'im is a dream come true, mademoiselle."
It would seem that her boyfriend had a little fanboy. And this fanboy had a dream mentor. Perhaps this internship arrangement would provide both of them with some much-needed distraction from their personal worries. "I am sure you'll be a great addition to Draco's team."
Their small talk came to a halt as Draco returned. "Shall we?" he asked her, tapping his watch to indicate that they had reservations. As if it was her fault that they were running late; she had been on time, he was the one who had forgotten his wallet. Git.
"Sure, love," she said, then turned to Chaucer. "It was nice meeting you. Oh, and come find me if your new boss gives you any trouble. I'll set him straight."
"My girlfriend is delusional," Draco said to the boy, who simply grinned. "See you later, Jeremy."
Chaucer waved at them, then quickly lowered his arm awkwardly as if he was not sure if it was the proper way to say goodbye. In the end, he settled for saying, "Au revoir, Monsieur Malfoy, Mademoiselle."
"He's sweet," Ginny commented as the two of them exited the building and made their way to the nearest apparition point. "You did the right thing by arranging this internship for him."
Draco shrugged. "It was either that or let Dolohov get to him."
She faltered. "What?"
"As far as I know, the Death Eaters have not approached him. Maybe they're not even interested."
"Then why would you–"
"Because I know from experience that a boy his age who has suffered losses is impressionable. It is for the best that he puts his talents into a field that will do him good."
An emotion swelled up inside of Ginny and she threw her arms around Draco, who clearly seemed startled. "I am so proud of you," she whispered in his ear.
"Whatever for?" He hugged her back, though he sounded bewildered.
"You are saving him."
Draco sucked in a breath, then pulled her away. Though his eyes reflected some sort of gratitude, he simple shot her a reprimanding look. "We're going to be late, Ginevra. I made reservations."
Her lips twitched with amusement, but she allowed him to steer the topic of conversation away from more emotion related things to practical ones. "Alright, then. Where are we going?"
He took her to The Nymph's Cellar, which was one of the poshest restaurants in Wizarding Britain. Of course he would, Ginny mused as she walked alongside Draco down the port of Wizarding Whitby, which was located in the usual Whitby but was kept hidden by muggles with the use of countless concealment charms.
Despite the spring months, the air was chilly and she clutched her cloak tighter as she looked around with thinly veiled fascination. Some of the parked boats on the dock had been converted into quaint little shops– one selling rather beautiful robes, another selling books. One appeared to be a travel agency with large posters of exclusive Portkey packages to the Bahamas flashing from above the entrance.
At the far end of the dock, there was a wooden welcome podium placed underneath an arch of glittering fairy lights. A man with a monocle greeted them as they approached.
"Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself. "I have a reservation."
The man checked a large leather logbook resting on his podium. "Ah yes, of course. Bubble two." He smiled at them and his smile only widened when he saw Ginny. "Why, Miss Weasley! It seems we here at The Nymph's Cellar are lucky enough to host more than one celebrity this night." He rang a little golden bell and a witch in an elegant suit apparated before them with a pop. "Freya will be your hostess this evening. Please follow her, and have a lovely evening."
Freya led them to a literal bubble floating at the edge of the dock. It was the size of a tiny room. Inside was a table laden with expensive tableware and candles. Two plush wooden chairs awaited them, and an enchanted harp stood a few feet away, playing soft melodious tunes. Ginny's eyes widened at the peculiar sight and was only distracted by the menu that had suddenly been handed to her.
"What will you have?" Draco asked her casually, as if it were completely normal for him to be dining in actual bubbles floating a few feet above the sea. "Their Cantonese Steamed Sole is particularly good."
"Sure, I'll have that." Ginny handing the menu back to their hostess without even glancing at it and took a hesitant step closer to the bubble. Its walls, ceiling and floor were transparent and looked surprisingly thin as if it were made of water, just like a regular bubble. But surely it can't be. Curious, she reached out to touch it and then nearly jumped back reflexively when she realised that it was indeed water. Merlin.
She heard Draco place the rest of the order and then step up next to her. "Shall we?" he asked.
Surely he did not mean what she thought he meant?!
Apparently he did, for they handed their cloaks to Freya and then stepped inside the bubble. Ginny held her breath as she did so, ready to fall into the water should it burst, but it did not. The entryway to the bubble sealed magically, leaving them trapped inside. It was only the slight pressure of Draco's hand on the small of her back that guided her forward and into the chair.
"Don't tell me that you are impressed already," he stated as he took his seat across from her.
"Should I not be?" she asked.
"You have seen nothing yet, my dear."
As if on cue, the bubble that they were in started to descend into the water. Down and down it went, faster as the seconds trickled by, until land seemed as distant as the sky, neither to be seen. It came to a sudden halt, causing Ginny to let out a rather embarrassing squeal, and she watched with eyes as big as saucers as the walls of the bubble turned luminescent, illuminating a breathtakingly beautiful coral reef not far away. A school of tiny, orange fish swam out from it and she followed their path until she could see them no more. With a jolt, she noticed a number of similar glowing bubbles floating aimlessly around them, with people inside eating their meals without a care in the world.
"I take it you are blown away," Draco stated, and she turned to see him observing her with a raised eyebrow.
Her mouth worked for a few moments, partly because she was indeed blown away and mostly because she did not wish to admit it. "What if it pops?"
"It won't."
With a dubious grimace, she raised her feet slightly off the floor. Merlin, all she could see underneath them was the deep sea. "I should not have worn heels."
"The bubble is enchanted, Ginevra. It will not pop, even if a shark attacks us."
"That can happen?" She asked, alarmed. He did not look like he was joking. Sweet Merlin, what had she gotten herself into?
"Don't tell me you are scared. Where is that courage that you Gryffindors boast about all the bloody time?"
She sat up straight, refusing to look like a coward anymore. Still, the idea of dining in a water bubble deep underwater was too bizarre to take lightly. "Who came up with this idea?"
"A genius," Draco replied as he reached for the bottle of wine that had appeared at their table. He filled their glasses, his a bit more than hers. Maybe he did not want her to get drunk. "I'm surprised you've never been here before."
"Yes well, it's a bit too expensive for my tastes." The only time she had heard of The Nymph's Cellar was when Gwenog (who celebrated her wedding anniversary here earlier that year) had sang praises of how unique it was. 'Unique' didn't even begin to describe it, Ginny mused as she took a sip of her wine. Merlin, it was good wine! Which it ought to be; judging by the brand on the label, it must have cost more than her monthly salary.
"Of course, I had forgotten what a penurious bunch you Weasleys once were."
She shot him a dark look. "Unlike some, we Weasleys don't need materialistic luxuries to feel fulfilled. Give me a simple cheesy pizza at home and I am content."
Draco scoffed. "I could never be," he stated needlessly, then nodded to the side where a sea turtle with a patchy green shell and a dusky yellow body swam past them. "Besides, the high prices are worth the view. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I would," she found herself saying. And it was true. It was the most impressive thing she had ever seen. She turned her attention back to her boyfriend, lips quirking playfully. "You were lying about the sharks, though?"
A bell chimed and food appeared on their table. Unperturbed by the sudden appearance of his vegetarian quinoa, Draco reached for his fork and said, "A baby shark did sort of bump into the bubble I was dining in once. I was much more surprised by my companion's screams than the fish itself, though."
Something about his choice of words caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Companion?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Ex."
"Ah." Ginny paused a moment to relish in the taste of her own meal. By Merlin, it was so delicious that she wanted to swim all the way to wherever their kitchens were and kiss the chef's hands. "I see that Parkinson has had the honour of being your date here first."
"Not her. She was not the only girlfriend I had before you," Draco said and, upon noting the expression on her face, hastened to add, "Though had I known what a gem you were going to turn out to be, I'd have skipped all of them and come straight to snog you, my love."
"I'd have hexed you into oblivion if you had," she said matter-of-factly.
"I'm sure," he conceded. "So perhaps it is good that I dated other women before finding you."
Well played, Malfoy. She narrowed her eyes in mock anger, amused by the turn their conversation had taken and also quite happy to see that Draco did seem genuinely relaxed. "I wouldn't say that you found me. We just met and ended up having sex."
"Thank Merlin for that." He finished his wine and refilled his glass, while his food remained untouched.
"Are you going to eat any of that?" she asked lightly.
"Sure," he stabbed a single grain of corn and plopped it into his mouth as if to make a statement.
She rolled her eyes fondly at him, but continued to note that while his fork moved between his mouth and his plate regularly, the amount of food that had disappeared only amounted to a couple of bites. He wanted to look like he was eating. "How is your meal?" she asked, interrupting his tale of a memo disaster that he had faced in his office earlier that week.
"Delicious," Draco replied as he casually took a bigger bite under her watchful gaze. It was only for show, though; she could tell that he would go back to playing with his food the moment her focus shifted away from it. The slow, deliberate way he was chewing alone indicated that the prospect of eating made him nauseous. He must have understood what she was observing, for he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, all of a sudden very much interested in taking in their watery surroundings. Something caught his attention and he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Huh. So that is what maitre d' meant when he said he's hosting more than one celebrity tonight."
Bewildered, Ginny turned her head and saw another bubble floating by theirs. Inside it, seated at a small table similar to theirs was Harry Potter, deep in conversation with a woman. It was clearly a date; she knew him enough to know how he dressed and behaved when he was trying to be himself and charming at the same time.
The sight gave Ginny pause. A simple pause– there was no other way to describe it. Thoughts swirled in her head and she deciphered none of them, so they quieted down eventually, leaving her to just… see. Harry was speaking, telling a funny story no doubt, judging by the way he waved his knife and fork animatedly. Across from him, the woman laughed. She was beautiful, with fair skin and wavy golden hair that fell to her shoulders. Ginny got the feeling that she had seen the woman before, but could not remember where or when.
"Salazar, that's Turpin!" Draco exclaimed suddenly, causing her to look at him inquiringly. "She was in my year at Hogwarts."
Ah. That would explain why she seemed familiar. "You know her?"
"Yeah. She was a Ravenclaw. We used to have Herbology together," he replied. "She's an artist now, and a pretty good one from what I've heard. Nott bought a few paintings of hers for his club."
"Oh," Ginny watched as Harry's bubble floated away, out of her sight, but the pause that she had felt upon seeing them seemed to linger. "Well, what's she like?"
"How would I know? I haven't spoken to her since Hogwarts."
"Yes, but still," she took a sip of her wine and smiled at her boyfriend. "Tell me."
His brows furrowed for a moment, then he cleared his throat and said, "From what I remember, Turpin was intelligent and witty. Very witty. Didn't think Potter would ever go for that type of a girl."
"Are you saying I'm not witty?"
"What?"
"Well, Harry did go for me for a long time. So, are you trying to say that I'm not funny enough?"
"No, of course not!" Draco eyed her as if she had grown a second head. When he spoke, his words were slow, careful. "I just meant that Turpin had a unique, upbeat sense of humour back at school, which meant that any conversation with her involved a lot of wordplay–"
"Which you enjoyed," Ginny guessed.
"I like wordplay," he admitted with an unapologetic shrug. "I just don't think Potter has enough brain cells to understand it, let alone keep up."
"Well, maybe it will end badly then." She returned her attention back on her food, waiting for him to say something– to agree with her, because Draco Malfoy would be the first person to wish Harry ill, right? But he didn't. He remained silent, which made her uncomfortable. So, she added, "Besides, Harry's love life is not our concern."
"No, it isn't," he agreed, his voice low.
She looked up at him and smiled. "So, what did you order for dessert?"
xx
They returned to the Manor afterwards, stumbling into Draco's bedroom in a tangle of arms and butterfly kisses. Ginny let him take the lead and simply held on as he pulled her flush against him and ran his lips along her jaw. It was the first time since she had gotten herself involved with Dracon that she felt her mind wandering away from him and the touch of his hot mouth.
Harry.
She found herself thinking of Harry. It had been so odd to see him on a date with someone when he had been claiming to be in love with her until only a few weeks ago. So, was this act of moving on some sort of revenge on her? If it was, then he was using that Turpin woman just to make a statement– and he was a bloody twat for it. But no, Ginny knew Harry. She knew that he would never, ever play with someone else's feelings just to make a point. He was too honourable to do that.
"Ginevra?"
"Huh?" She blinked at the sound of her name, and found Draco's face coming into focus before her. He seemed to be waiting for an answer, but she had not heard the question. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked if you wish to stay the night."
"Why wouldn't I?" The words rushed out of her mouth and even to herself, she sounded defensive. She had no reason to be defensive.
Draco's eyes bore into hers with such intensity that it almost made her fidget. It was as if he was reading parts of her that she herself was not aware of. "I think I will take a shower," he said finally. "Care to join me?"
"Sure," Ginny replied, and her mind wandered away once more. If it was not some twisted revenge or show-off, then it had been a real date. She had no idea that Harry was ready to step back into the dating field. But then again, did she truly know Harry anymore? Once upon a time, she had been able to know what he was thinking by merely looking at him. Now, he was harder to read. Whatever she knew about him was what he had confessed to her– and he had only confessed to his love for her and his heartbreak over their breakup.
"How hot do you want the water? Draco's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she realised that he had wandered off into his bathroom.
"Whatever you like," she mumbled absently. Harry was lonely and she was partly responsible for that. She had been the one to demand a breakup after not telling him that it was his continued absence due to his dedication to his work and her fear of losing him to the dangers of the Auror life that was the cause of it. She knew him; he would have offered to quit his job for her, and then he would have been miserable because of it. Their relationship had been a dream, but it had also been doomed. Was it so wrong, then, that Harry was looking at other options and going out on dates now?
Arms wrapped around her middle, once again pulling her away from the swirling tornado of thoughts in her head. A soft kiss landed on the nape of her neck, followed by Draco's hushed whisper. "I hope you are not planning on leaving me alone in there, darling." The sound of the shower running reached her ears and she glanced over her shoulder at him to realise that he had already stripped down and wrapped himself in a towel robe.
"You hop in. I'll… I'll come in a bit." Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say, for she felt him stiffen and then pull away from her.
"I thought I had made it clear that I had no interest in competing with Potter and yet here I am, being forced to do just that."
It was the steel in his voice that made her look at him. He stood straight, his stormy eyes fixed on her in a glare and his lips pressed together in distaste. "What?" she asked incredulously.
"Do not insult my intelligence by feigning innocence, Ginevra. You saw Potter on a date and now you're upset."
"It's not like that."
"Then what's it like?"
She opened her mouth and then closed it. How could she explain something to him that she did not quite understand herself? A spasm of guilt ignited in her belly as she realised that he was right to an extent: she had been occupied unnecessarily by thoughts of Harry ever since she had seen him at The Nymph's Cellar. But at the same time, Draco was being unfair. Was the fact that she was a bit preoccupied enough to ignite a 'competition' between him and Harry, especially when she had told him countless times that no such contest existed in her heart. That irritation was easier to latch on to, so she did: "Merlin! I have told you so many times that Harry and I are over. What do I have to do to make you believe that?"
"You could try not looking so fucking broken at the idea of him dating someone else," Draco retorted.
"I'm not broken over him!" she all but shouted. "You're overreacting."
That ticked him off a lot more than she had anticipated. "Overreacting?" he demanded, his voice filled with an icy fury that she had come to associate strictly with him. "Pardon me, then. I thought I was trying to be a good boyfriend when I shoved my shit aside for this wretched date night."
"Your shit?" she asked, torn between bewilderment and anger. This was about Harry, yes, but it also seemed to be about something else. And sure enough, when he started shouting, she realised that it was.
"I have been pretending to be happy this entire evening for the sake of you!" Draco roared. "You didn't even notice how I was struggling throughout. No, you were too fucking busy thinking of how good you had it when you were with bloody Potter!"
"How dare you?!" She stepped up to him. "I don't think of how good I had it with Harry."
His eyes widened incredulously. "You're fucking unbelievable!"
"You're infuriating!" she shot back.
For a moment he looked like he wanted to punch something, but then he turned away from her and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Go find Potter, then. I am not going to deal with you tonight, Ginevra," he said as he stormed back towards the bathroom.
"I don't want to go to Harry, you twat!" she hurled her purse at him. Her anger had clearly had an adverse effect on her aim, and it hit the wall a couple of feet away from his head and landed on the dark wooden floor with a dull thud. "Running away from a conversation is very mature, by the way. Coward!"
Neither the threat of an object almost hitting him nor the fighting words made Draco pause, and he disappeared through the closet, into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
"I'll leave," she threatened, her voice loud enough that it would carry into his bathroom. "And don't you come running back to me with apologies and false promises, you bastard."
Nothing. No response at all.
Trembling with fury, Ginny thought of kicking the coffee table but decided against it; it was made of solid wood and would only cause her more pain. So, she settled for letting out a loud, agitated scream– And her anger vanished just as quickly as it had come. Feeling drained all of a sudden, she sank onto the edge of the bed and blew out a shaky breath.
Draco had acted like the absolute arsehole he was, again, but the reason behind his behaviour had been just. She had been distracted, detached even, and the cause of it was Harry. It was futile to deny it. It was folly to lie to herself. Seeing Harry on a date had bothered her. But why? She was not jealous, of that she was certain. After all, she had been the one to turn Harry down a number of times in the past few months alone. He had expressed his love for her, and she had told him that it would not, could not work. She had asked him to move on so that she could be with Draco– and she truly wanted that; she had even felt relief when he had told her that he was no longer going to pursue her. Why, then, did she feel so hollow right now?
"I am sorry."
Ginny looked up to find Draco standing in the doorway of the closet. His hair was dripping onto his robe and the sound of running water had ceased. He had taken a shower to calm himself and it must have worked, for his eyes bore into hers earnestly. He did not say anything, though, and neither did he repeat his apology. He did not need to. She was no longer angry with him, and she let him know that by blinking in acceptance.
His shoulders visibly relaxed at that, but the silence continued to linger in between them. It was as if he was giving her the space she needed to sort out her thoughts. But he was not leaving her presence as well. He just stood there, like a statue, watching her in silence.
"I don't love Harry like that anymore. I don't," Ginny assured him. "But seeing him tonight made me feel– I don't know, I just, I–"
"Nostalgia," he supplied gently. "What you are feeling is nostalgia."
She did not even need to ponder over his words, for they had already rescued her from her turmoil. "Yes," she breathed. That was exactly what she was feeling.
"I felt it too," he admitted. "When I found out that Pansy was getting married."
"You did?"
Draco nodded as he walked over to sit by her. "I had imagined a life with her once. And even though I was the one who had pushed her away in the first place, when I found out that she was choosing to pursue those dreams with someone else, I felt sad for all those possibilities that would never come to be."
Usually, the mention of the love he had once harboured for Pansy filled Ginny with pangs of jealousy. Now though, she felt only relief because what he had just described was exactly what she had been feeling in regards to Harry. He was, after all, the boy she had been absolutely smitten with since she was ten years old. They had dated for over five years - five years of eating, sleeping, talking, planning and feelings did not vanish away in an instant, and even if it did, it was bound to leave some sort of a residue. The residue would fade away for both of them, but that would never erase what they had shared together for so long.
"I don't love Harry," she felt the need to reiterate. "You're my everything now, Draco."
"I know," he murmured as he reached out to clasp her hand. His touch acted like a balm for her, assuring her that he did understand the turmoil that was raging in her heart. "It's alright, Ginevra."
"Do you hate me for how I acted tonight?"
His lips curved into a tender smile. "I don't think there exists a power in this world that can make me hate you."
Merlin. This man had a tendency to turn her insides into mush with mere words. Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. It ended quickly, for she just remembered another very important thing that she felt needed to be addressed: "Were you really pretending to be happy for me?"
He ran a hand through his hair with a tired sigh. Even as she watched, the mask he had put on slipped away, revealing a Draco who was haunted once again. "Maybe," he answered. "I don't know how to describe it. All the things that once elicited emotions in me, good or bad, no longer do. I feel numb and exhausted all the time."
"You need help," she could not help but say.
He chuckled bitterly. "What I need is for Dolohov and his damned followers to die soon, so that I don't have to be plunged in their darkness." His fingers caressed her cheek, his eyes boring into hers. "But you are my light in all this, Ginevra. I will be fine so long as I cling to you."
"You will be fine," she promised. "I will make sure of it."
"Of course you will, my brave Ginevra."
She leaned towards him with a smile and their lips met once again. The touch lasted longer this time, and when they parted, she offered, "I can stay here tonight if you want."
He shook his head, but his refusal was not out of anger or distress. "It's alright," he assured her. A look of hesitation crossed her face, as if he was debating something in his head. "I will be taking the 9'o clock Portkey from Devon to Orléans tomorrow."
"I didn't know you had a work trip coming up."
"It's not a work trip," Draco replied. "I believe that there are a few threads in France that might give me some insight into Dolohov's network, or rather the part of it that he has been trying to conceal from me. He is glad to have me in his ranks, but he is a wary bastard. I'd be impressed with his caution if it didn't prove to be such a hindrance to my own mission." He shook his head lightly, his eyes glinting dangerously. "In any case, I will speak to Potter first thing in the morning and leave afterwards."
Every mention of his ties to Dolohov's network tugged at her heartstrings uncomfortably. "How long will you be gone?"
"A few days."
"Maybe I should come with you." He started to shake his head so she quickly added, "A little vacation with your girlfriend will provide you with a good cover."
"I have relatives in France and my business is spread all across Europe. I have enough cover to be there, my love."
Ginny did not try to argue. She knew it would lead nowhere. So instead she opted for asking the once question that troubled her: "You will be safe?"
"You know me, my safety is always my topmost priority."
She summoned her purse with a wordless flick of her wand and stood up. Before she left, though, she paused to stare at him. "I will hold you to that, Draco Malfoy."
xx
The heart was a turbulent thing, Ginny Weasley realised.
It had a habit of going off on a tangent of its own. That the idea of Harry going on a date would impact her so was something she could never have foreseen. But at the same time, she was stupid to not expect it. There was too much history there.
What had helped was the fact that Draco had been so understanding, after his initial snobbish behaviour of course. He had felt it too once, so it must be natural for her to feel this way. And now that she knew what she was feeling, she was no longer unsettled by it.
No. In fact, the more she reflected on it, the more her heart came to terms with the fact that Harry was going to move on eventually. And she wanted that for him. He deserved to find happiness. Just as she had found hers in Draco.
Now, only if this situation with Dolohov would solve itself, then she could spend the rest of her days engaged in smart banter with the arrogant but lovable blond git.
There you go.
Not gonna lie, I'm not very happy with this chapter. It feels like a bit of a filler, but I suppose I can justify that by saying that I needed to give Draco and Ginny some time to communicate and get comfortable with each other after getting back together in the last chapter.
I've tried editing this chapter to make it more interesting, but I really can't! It has been a bit difficult to get back into writing after such a long hiatus. I'll try to do better in the following chapters.
But my opinion does not matter, of course. Yours does. So, please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Until next time! :)