Chapter 19

It was a foul mood that Ginny Weasley found herself in as she made her way through the halls of the ministry's Auror HQ. The sadness, doubt, and self-loathing that she had gone to bed with were gone with the morning light. Now she was just angry.

She felt used, in more ways than one, and she hated that feeling more than almost anything in the world. Her whole being burned with anger. She was a woman scorned, a woman injured. She huffed quietly to herself as she walked down the hall, ignoring the sounds of doors closing and people skittering out of her way as she passed. People knew that when the redhead was in a temper, they should not get in her way.

She made her way down the hall, sending a salute to Clara as she passed, making the blonde giggle. "Give him hell," Clara whispered to her, and Ginny nodded with a mischievous smile on her face as she boarded the elevator.

She made her way to her office and looked around. Draco wouldn't be in for another hour, leaving her with plenty of time to plan.

The Weasleys were famous for their tempers. Ask anyone. But most people grouped the family members into the same temper category -explosive. Only people who knew the individual members closely knew how differently each Weasley handled his or her temper. Her brothers for instance, all of them were quick to anger, but each of them had a different style, a different flair.

Bill was the one who would stare a person down when he was in a temper. He could make anyone feel small and uncomfortable. Charlie liked to yell and throw things. Percy was hostile in the way he talked, and at a certain point, he would start to scream. A lot. The twins, ever the pranksters, would make you wish you had never been born. Fred enjoyed cruel jokes and George enjoyed blackmail. Ron was volatile, exploding at the drop of a hat, and then sulking until he cooled off.

Ginny was a little bit of everything. Being the youngest, she had experienced and learned from each of her brother's styles and she could pick and choose which styles to use depending on the situation.

What did this situation call for?

A little bit of Bill and a lot of Fred, a special Ginny Weasley recipe, the perfect mixture of temper and revenge.

She gave the room a once over and her eyes stopped on his desk, more specifically an item on his desk. His coffee mug. He came in almost every morning, grabbed the mug, and took it to the break room where he would pour himself a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa.

Ginny felt a smile tug at her lips. She walked over to the mug and pulled a very small round object from her pocket. A Nosebleed Nougat. She unwrapped the small sweet and broke it in half. Shoving one half in her pocket, she placed the effective end in the cup and swished her wand at it, making it invisible.

This was only the beginning, she decided as she sat at her desk, placing an innocent and unassuming look on her face.

A few moments later, Draco entered the office. He looked Ginny over, his nose turned upwards as he asked, "Where were you yesterday?"

She glared up at him under long, sooty lashes. "Not here."

"Obviously," he sneered.

"I was sick," she said, ending the conversation.

Draco stared at her for a few beats. "Fine. I'm going to go get some coffee," he supplied as he grabbed his mug off of his desk.

She suppressed a laugh as he left the room and focused on her paper work. She had some things to catch up on.

Draco reentered and quietly took his seat across from her. Ginny watched him covertly, wanting to make sure he would take a drink. He began to lift the mug to his lips and then placed it down on his desk. "Gerard said that you stopped by two nights ago."

Ginny nodded sharply. "I did."

"Was it important?" He scowled at her. She was acting so strangely. So… cold.

"Mr. Douglas has found Nott," she replied emotionlessly.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he yelled, making her eyes flash dangerously.

"I'm telling you now." Her tone was icy and it chilled him to the bone.

This wasn't like her. She was hurt—he had hurt her. He looked to the side, avoiding her penetrating gaze. 'I'm an asshole.' He felt guilty and the unusual emotion made him uncomfortable. He grasped his mug in his hand and raised it to his lips, taking a long drink of the warm liquid. It tasted… different. He smacked his lips together slightly. What was that flavor? It was tangy and—

Suddenly, his nose twitched and he could feel something wet dribbling down towards his lips. He brought his fingers under his nose, feeling the wetness there, and pulled his hand away, looking at the red blood that coated his fingers.

He felt his nose begin to gush blood in earnest and raised both hands to cover his nose. He looked over his hands at the small woman in front of him. She was pointedly ignoring him, a small smirk hovering upon her lips.

"Weeblee, wut eed oo tu?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," she said, sending him a sideways glance.

The blood was covering his hands now, he couldn't stop it and it was getting everywhere; on his clothes, desk, papers, and the floor. He looked at Ginny disbelievingly and she just smiled at him.

"You might want to go to the hospital ward and get that checked out, Malfoy."

Draco felt as though he had been smacked. She was giving him the cold shoulder, and she had just called him 'Malfoy'. She hadn't called him that in a long time, not in the tone she had just used.

He felt sick.

Leaving one hand covering his nose, he grabbed a quill with his other and began to write upon a sheet of blood soaked paper. When he was done he held the paper out to her and she took it gingerly, trying to hide the disgust she was feeling from showing on her face.

On the paper was written one word: Please

Draco Malfoy never said 'please' and he never said 'Thank you', it was just a part of his coding, a part of who he was. To her knowledge, he had never written the words before, either.

She looked up at him searchingly. He was in pain. Ginny felt her resolve weaken. 'No! Don't give in!' her mind screamed. But seeing him look at her like that… She tore her eyes away from him and dug into her pocket for the cure half of the nougat. Without looking at him, she tossed the nougat on the desk.

Moments later, Ginny heard him chewing on the candy and then a sigh of relief as the morsel did its magic-stopping the bleeding.

"Scourgify" he mumbled and the blood disappeared from his robes and desk.

She brought her brown eyes up to his steely grey ones. She wouldn't say she was sorry. She would not back down. Ginny just stared at him, employing the Bill approach to temper, and focusing all of her attention on making sure that Draco knew she was angry.

Draco had to release her gaze, shame creeping up his spine. The silence was making him nervous and his gaze fell to the newly-clean pile of papers in front of him.

"We need to find Nott."

Ginny watched him a few seconds longer and then gave a short derisive nod of agreement. They needed to talk, but they could do that later. Her anger could wait; they had a job to do.

o..o..o..o..o..o..o..o..o

It took only five hours to track down Theodore Nott. He had been seen trying to leave the country through and inter-continental Apparation point two days ago, and had been stopped by the government because he lacked the proper papers. Knowing that Nott was not the type to give up, they searched all modes of transportation out of the country, Muggle and otherwise. The finally found him, outside a Muggle airport asking strange questions and making rude remarks. They had to Obliviate three Muggles, but in the end—they had their man.

The two Aurors had brought him in. Nott didn't kick and scream like some, nor did he try to bargain, he only walked through the halls calmly, a smirk of superiority on his face. They led the prisoner into the interrogation room, and Draco pressed a hand on Nott's shoulder, forcing him down into the small wooden chair in the middle of the room.

A large man entered the room and pushed Nott's head back. He poured a vial of Veritaserum down the man's throat; made sure he swallowed, and then left the room. Kingsley and Tonks stood against the back wall, wanting to witness the questioning. The case was too important not to.

Draco had begun the questioning by telling Nott that they knew what he had been up to and that he was in deep trouble, trying to make him uncomfortable and hopefully loosen his lips. "It will go better for you if you cooperate," Draco said, making Nott smile widely.

"Of course, Draco. By the way, how is your father?" Nott asked, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

Draco's hands fisted at his sides. He was about to make a witty retort when Ginny cut him off. "I wouldn't worry about Auror Malfoy's father right now, Mr. Nott. I'd worry about yourself," she said, her tone cold.

Draco looked at her for a moment, but she wouldn't even glance in his direction. With a sigh, he turned back to Nott and began his line of questioning. When he would pause, Ginny would jump in, asking her own questions.

A Quick-Quotes Quill worked furiously on a few pieces of parchment in the corner, and Tonks and Kingsley stood stoically against the back wall, interjecting from time to time. The superior smirk never left the man's face as they questioned him about what he knew and what his involvement was in the trade.

They were all getting tired, exhausted with the amount of questions and lack of answers. Nott knew very little. He only knew that the anonymous benefactor that attacked the Muggle houses contacted Mr. X, who contacted them and told them when the drop off would be.

Things they already knew.

Draco wiped a bit of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. What didn't they know? What questions would lead to what they needed?

"Where's Crabbe?" he asked finally, not expecting an answer.

It looked as though Nott were trying to fight the Veritaserum. His long face twitched and he squirmed in his seat. Finally the words exploded from his lips. "He stays at the tomb of Gregory Goyle. That's where he hides."

Draco's eyes shot up to meet Kingsley's and the older man nodded. They knew what their next step would be. They would keep Nott for cross-questioning and tomorrow they would get Crabbe.

o..o..o..o..o..o..o

Ginny walked back into her office, Draco following only a few feet behind her. It had been a long day and she just wanted to get home and sleep. She grabbed her purse and jacket and turned towards the door, only to see that Draco was blocking it, a strange expression on his face as he looked at her. The small office was eerily quiet as they stared at each other, frozen to their spots.

"We need to talk," Draco blurted, breaking the silence.

"There's nothing to talk about," Ginny argued as she walked to the door and attempted to push past him.

Draco grabbed her roughly and moved her back, pushing her farther into the room. He let go and she stumbled, catching her balance just in time to see him shut the door, closing them inside. "There's plenty to talk about, Red." He was seething and she flinched at the tone. "Let's start with the Nosebleed Nougat, shall we? Or maybe why you've been acting so cold lately? I think there's a lot to discuss there."

Ginny glared at him. "Funny, I don't see that there is anything to discuss!" she yelled, throwing her purse and jacket back on top of her desk.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Weasley?"

"ME! What is wrong with me?" She turned to him, he eyes blazing and her flame-colored hair falling around her in waves. "What's wrong with me is that I was used by my partner! Used by an overly arrogant, stubborn, cruel, egotistical, swollen-headed—"

Draco laughed, he actually laughed at her. Ginny could feel her blood boil.

"Used? I used you?" he sputtered in shock.

Ginny looked at him coldly. "Yes, you di-"

"I didn't use you! We were never even together."

He had her there. They had never been together, so why did it hurt so much? It shouldn't hurt like this.

Her emotions must have played on her face, because his face paled slightly and a look of sorrow arrested his features. "That doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you, Ginny," he whispered, stepping closer. He caressed her cheek, cupping her face in his hand and looking at her intently. "If you ask me to, I'll stop seeing Rosa. I want to be with you, Gin."

For a moment, her anger faded. She was entranced and weak; she pressed her cheek into his hand, loving the jolts of electricity that went through her at the simple touch.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open wide and she pulled away, snapping out of it quickly. "How do I know you won't say the same thing to Rosa or someone else when the time comes? When you get sick of me?" she asked, the coldness from moments before creeping back into her voice.

He panicked. He was loosing her, loosing his chance and he knew it. "Ginny, please," he began as she once again gathered her things in her arms. Draco grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. His hand slid under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. He searched her face and leaned in closely. "I want you," he whispered against her lips and she shuddered, the sensations taking control.

He lowered his lips closer, and right as he brushed his lips gently against hers—she turned her head to the side. His kiss landed gently on her cheek.

For a moment nothing happened. It was as if time had stopped. They just stood there like that. Then, in a rush, time sped up again and Ginny could feel her chest constricting. She would not cry. Not in front of him. She needed to get away. She wiggled, trying to get loose from the circle of his arms.

"Gin…" He tried to pull her back to him, but she extended her arms and shoved him away quickly. "Just let me explain…" He pleaded, fear evident in his voice.

"No. You're not worth it," she whispered, her eyes hard as she stepped past him and out of the office.

Draco's heart felt tight as he watched the door close behind her. It was only now that he knew he had lost her, now that she was leaving, that he realized that he always wanted her to stay.

o..o..o..o..o..o

A/N: Finally posted a new chapter! This chapter is dedicated to harrypotterchick4ever who reviewed the last chapter twice! lol, here it is!

I've been having computer problems lately so this chapter is late :( Sorry!

Thanks so much to my wonderful reviewers!

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