A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! I know, I know. I'm a terrible, terrible person for making you all wait such a looooooooong time for my next chapter and for that I apologize. I promised to be a good author and update regularly, and I broke that promise. For that, I apologize. I will try to be a better author from here on out, but I can make no promises. I'll update you all on what's going on in my life in the second author's note. As for now, on to the…
Disclaimer: All I really own are my poor updating habits, everything in my room, a cake pan, a strainer, and a bathroom trashcan. See? Not that much. :)
Blaise had hesitated for only a short time after speaking with Draco. He wasn't quite sure at first where he should go to look for Ginny. He couldn't exactly show up at the Gryffindor Tower asking for her.
Then again…
He briefly allowed himself the pleasure of imagining such a scenario. It was hard to decide which would make for a more amusing incident – if Weasley answered his beckoning, or if Potter did.
It didn't really matter, as Blaise had no idea where the Gryffindor Tower was located, and he could hardly imagine any of the Gryffindors willingly showing him. Anyway, he didn't feel like putting that much effort to it. If worse came to worse, Draco would simply have to wait until the morrow when Blaise could pull her aside after dinner.
That's when it hit Blaise; the library. Ginny was almost as bad as Granger, the amount of time she spent in that area of the school. Still, it was his best bet, and it wasn't that far off, so Blaise dutifully headed to the Library.
He found her walking very slowly in the corridor just before the Library. She was obviously thinking very deeply about something, and Blaise wondered what it might be. Hoping to possibly figure out how her mind worked, Blaise slowed his pace as well and watched her thinking. Really, when her face was all scrunched up like that, she looked pretty cute. Maybe…he could convince her to study with him and he could see her looking like that more often…
His thoughts were interrupted by Ginny's assertion of, "It doesn't matter."
"What doesn't matter?" The questions left his lips before he'd even really managed to consider it. He was surprised by it as much as Ginny was. He didn't jump, though, or whip around to find out who had spoken.
Blaise watched Ginny stare at him for a long moment. Was she thinking about what to say, he wondered, or was she simply wondering why he was speaking to her? Obviously that would be the case, if he was just a means to an end.
Which was true, he realized. The only reason Ginny had ever spoken to him was because she wanted to get to Draco. That was the only reason they had spent as much time together as they had.
Blaise felt almost deflated upon making this realization and muttered, "Never mind."
It doesn't matter, Blaise continued to himself, No matter what I feel. It doesn't matter, because you just don't see me. Not really.
Suddenly, all Blaise wanted to do was be alone. He didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to hear her voice. He didn't want anything to do with her, it just hurt to much.
But he had come here for a reason. He had something to do, and he'd be damned if he didn't do it. It was what she wanted. What they both wanted – her and Draco.
"I just wanted to let you know," Blaise began slowly, each word a traitor on his tongue, "that Draco will be waiting for you in the Room of Requirements tonight at ten."
It seemed to take all his resolve to force that sentence out. So, feeling completely empty, Blaise turned to leave Ginny to her happiness. He could do this, he told himself. He just needed time to close everything up again. To not care, and he would be able to manage this.
"Blaise, wait!"
He stopped short. He didn't dare hope. He didn't dare turn around and face her, but he had to. So he carefully locked everything up. He shut everything off, and slowly he turned to face her – an empty, emotionless shell.
"Thank you." Her words were like a knife, stabbing right into his heart. "For everything." The knife twisted, making a gaping wound and he felt everything he'd been holding back rush out. The pain, the hope, the loss. Everything.
He whipped around, hoping to hide it from her; he couldn't let her see. His mind too full to care what happened next, Blaise hurried off down the nearest corridor.
Why? He felt his throat constricting and the urge to scream overtook him.
Why? Something was burning in his eyes.
WHY?! His mind was screaming. Blaise was running. He found himself on the seventh floor and began pacing. A door appeared beside him and he wrenched it open. He went in, slamming the door behind him.
And found himself in a dance studio.
The dance studio.
Their dance studio.
He couldn't hold it in any longer. He didn't really want to.
Blaise screamed.
He fell to his knees, and slammed his fists against the ground. It didn't alleviate any of the pain, as he had hoped. It only added to it. Weakly, as if in retaliation, Blaise raised his right fist again and let it slam down once more.
"Why is she doing this to me?"
He wasn't sure who he was asking. No one answered.
Doesn't she have any idea how I feel, he continued mentally. Doesn't she? She can't. If she did, she wouldn't have thanked me. If she did…if she did she would tell me she doesn't care about me. She'd tell me that I was just a means to an end. She'd tell me to get over it. She do that rather than thank me. It wouldn't hurt as much if she'd just hate me.
If Blaise wasn't who he was, if he was a weaker person - or, perhaps, a stronger one - he might have broken down in tears at that moment. But Blaise was who he was, so he did not cry.
11
Draco felt...edgy.
He was agitated and impatient waiting for Blaise, who had been gone for close to two hours now. Others might have been worried or anxious knowing this, but not Draco. Others weren't Draco, and Draco Malfoy certainly wasn't like others. He didn't feel worried or anxious.
But he did feel edgy. Too edgy to focus on the homework he'd gotten out to distract himself with.
It wasn't as if Draco needed to be concerned for Blaise. He didn't think anything bad could have happened to him between the Slytherin common room and finding Ginny.
He should have been back by now, though, Draco thought to himself.
After all, there was really only one place Blaise would find her at this time of night. It was after dinner, nearly nine in fact. No one went out on the grounds after sunset, so she wouldn't be outside. It wasn't as if she'd be in class. After dinner, most students hung out in the common room so, really there were only two places Ginny could be. Draco knew Blaise wouldn't try the Gryffindor Tower, it wasn't like this was an urgent matter. Draco had waited this long to do anything already, he could wait another day.
Which left the one place Blaise was likely to look, and where Ginny was likely to be - the Library.
It doesn't take this long to get to the library and back, Draco thought in frustration. Even if Ginny was there.
It was at that moment Blaise returned. He looked around the common room quickly, spotting Draco easily and moving toward him brusquely. Blaise dropped down into the armchair beside Draco, but said nothing.
Draco turned to Blaise as he sat. "Well?"
Blaise didn't so much as glance at Draco. He stared into the flames trying to decide which of Draco's simultaneously spoken questions to answer. He settled with the more obvious one, "It's all set."
Draco nodded his approval and watched Blaise for another moment before asking, "Did the library grow since the last time I was there?"
Blaise said nothing for a moment. Draco might have wondered if Blaise had heard him, if he didn't know Blaise better.
"Got distracted," he said finally. "Books. You know."
Draco was about to tell him that he did know, as it so happens, and what he did know was that Blaise wasn't telling him everything. Or, at least, something along those lines.
He didn't get the chance, however, as Blaise chose that moment to stand up. "Night," he said before heading up to their dormitory. Draco watched him retreating and wondered what he was trying to get away from.
What's he hiding?
A/N: This...isn't exactly the chapter I wanted to write.... It just goes to show you how little sway over a story an author really has. Aaaaaaaaaaanyway. I thought I'd tell you what's happened recently with me. I moved. Half way across the country from Michigan to Colorado. I was busy for a time looking for a job and for a while after that settling in. Which explains some of my slowness with updating, but doesn't really excuse it. I just thought I'd let you all know. And nooooow...
REVIEW RESPONSES
Nightingale Angel: I'm sorry the wait was so long .
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Sympathetic Me: Yeah, I've been getting that comment a lot recently. "I want her to be with both." Alas, this is not that sort of story - although they are mucho fun.
springawakening1894: He is a sweetie, isn't he? I can't wait either. Neither of them seem to want to speak to one another...or me. Which may be part of why that was delayed a chapter... .
FrozenTeardrop: Thanks for adding my story to your alerts and favorites. You name reminds me of another, sillier, HP fanfic I did. It involved a muggle parenting class in which a more excentric version of Blaise named his (chicken) egg "Single-lingering-tear-drop-on-the-tip-of-an-eye-lash." Or "Single" for short, in case anyone's eggs are looking. I wrote that to help alleviate writers block...
Jevanminx: Thanks for adding my story to your alerts! Yaaay! I'm glad! To be honest, sometimes even I don't know which way the story with go. Despite appearances, the characters are the ones running this show.
DemonChildKyra: Eeeps! No compy, I don't know what I'd do! As for her ending up with both...please deffer to the response I left Sympathetic Me. I ended up going by attainability. You have to be pretty good to catch Draco's eye, but you have to be really good to seduce the pure /snort/ Harry Potter. Here is the more you asked for with more to come soon, I promise. And I am making progress on the picture. It's slow, as I have no pencils! So I am doing it all by ink by layering and...ugh. It's just a lengthy process, soon, though! I promise! ALSO! Now that I have been a good little authorette, I will allow myself to go catch up with your story...as well as some others. :)
Natalie: Well...you just get right to the point. Here you are! And here's a cookie for your enthusiasm. /Hands over cookie./ . Thanks!
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Aries the Pessimist: You name frightens me...pessimism is no bueeeeeeeno. Although, I'm not really one to talk as my name literally tranlastes to "without love." Thanks for adding my story to your favs!
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Yay for empty inboxes! I always feel so accomplished when I can delete the reviews from my email. For those of you who don't know, I leave them in there until I finish a chapter. They help remind me to keep going! Thanks to all of you for all your support and appreciation! I couldn't do it without you! Seriously! I just don't have that kind of self motivation. XD