A/N: This is the first time that I've actually wanted to skip over the author's note, because I know what I want to write. Usually I use the author's note as a way to stall briefly. XD

Disclaimer: Give you three guesses…and the first two don't count.

She has nothing to do with me, Blaise informed himself firmly as he watched Ginny rushing down the corridor before him. She has nothing to do with me, he thought again, but this time he felt his heart sink. It was true, she had nothing to do with him now that she had what she wanted – what she had always wanted – and it wasn't him.

She has Draco now, Blaise mused sullenly, she doesn't need me.

It was the most painful realization he'd ever come to, but he quickly stuffed those feelings away and pretended he felt nothing. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to do so. It seemed that every time he saw Ginny or thought about her, the feeling slipped right back out past his guard and stabbed at his heart.

This used to be so easy, Blaise thought. Not caring, and pretending not to hurt. Since when did it become so difficult to do? His eyes strayed to Ginny once more, and he quickly turned round the nearest corner and pretended not to care.

13

Ginny stopped as she rounded a corner and fell against the wall. Pressing her knuckles to her chest, over her beating heart, she closed her eyes and tried to breathe. Why was it so hard for her to see Blaise? She couldn't even walk down the same corridor as him now. She had tried, but the moment she was about to pass him, she broke into a run.

What's wrong with me, she wondered as her heart beat gradually slowed. First I ran from Draco and now from Blaise. They're going to start thinking I have feelings for him.

Ginny's thought process paused as she produced and image of Blaise in her mind. Do I?

She gave the thought a mental shake and replaced the mental image of Blaise with Draco. No, she thought to herself firmly. No, I don't have feelings for Blaise. I like Draco. I want to be with Draco.

Ginny allowed a sigh to escape her lips. I have to fix this, she mused. I have to go to Draco and ask him out on a date or something. I have to let him know that he is absolutely the one I want to be with. I need to stop wavering so much about this.

Ginny paused to gather her bearings and wondered whether it would be best to look from Draco then or wait to try catching him after dinner. After a moment of indecision, she decided not to go now. It was almost dinner as it was, she might as well wait.

13

Draco watched Blaise from the corners of his eyes as he rose from the table and left. Pushing his plate away, he glanced quickly about the table and saw that it was mostly full. Now, he decided, would be the best time to corner Blaise and confront him about his feelings for Ginny.

Whatever they might be.

Draco left the Great Hall discretely, and no one noticed his departure. Not even a certain red haired Gryffindor who'd been glancing at him fervently since the beginning of dinner.

Ginny looked up as she finished her peas to glance at Draco again, but she found his seat empty and quickly jumped up. Rushing from the Great Hall, Ginny skidded to a halt outside in the corridor. Looking left and right quickly, she saw that he was already gone. With a heavy heart, Ginny headed for the Gryffindor Tower.

13

"Blaise."

The aforementioned paused on his way to the dormitory he shared with Draco and a few other Slytherin boys. He turned about to find that it was Draco who had said his name, and froze.

"I need to talk to you," Draco informed him coolly. He glanced about the common room and saw that it was still vacated, so he pressed on. "It's about Ginny. I want to know exactly how you feel about her."

Blaise felt shock roll through him like thunder, but let it rumble about inside him without showing the least bit on his features. His thoughts were flying at a mile a minute trying to recall whether he had said or done anything to indicate that he did, in fact, have feelings for Ginny. He found several, but everything he'd done and said had happened around Ginny, not Draco.

How does he know, Blaise wondered, but as the thought crossed his mind he stopped. He doesn't know. Draco doesn't know anything, he just wants to know, because she and I have spent so much time together. It's natural for him to wonder what our relationship is. If that's even what he's wondering about. Maybe he just wants to know if I approve...

Blaise shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he found him saying. "As long as you like her, I don't real-"

"I don't mean it like that." Blaise froze and Draco continued, "I meant…do you like her?"

Blaise felt his feeling begin to seep out. Pain licked at his nerves like a wild fire and his heart seemed to be working much too hard to beat blood through him.

Blaise felt the urge to lick his suddenly dry lips, but he refrained. Instead, he parted them slowly to say, "Why do you ask?"

Draco watched him for a moment before sighing heavily. He looked at the grounds as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair.

"I knew it."

Blaise felt the words crash into him with a jolt and he immediately spat, "No you don't. You don't know, alright? I…" he took a deep breath, "I don't have any sort of relationship with Ginny, alright? She's all yours. Stop worrying so much. She doesn't even notice me."

Draco gazed at Blaise coolly for a moment before saying, "I notice you didn't say anything about not liking her."

"Well…it...it doesn't matter," Blaise spluttered in a rush.

"Why not?"

"It just doesn't. It doesn't matter."

"Well it does to me."

"Well it shouldn't," Blaise snapped. "It shouldn't matter to you, because it doesn't matter to her! It doesn't matter to anyone!"

"It does matter," Draco sapped back. "It matters to me. If you like her, it matters, and you do. You like Ginny, you're just too much of a git to admit it to yourself! Or at least to her! And at the very least, you could have told me. You like her. Just admit it."

"Fine! I admit it!I like her! I like Ginevera Weasley, but it doesn't bloody fucking matter!" Blaise stopped. He was breathing heavily with the effort of holding everything in as it defied him and tumbled out. He looked away from Draco immediately and glared at the fire the burned to his right. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to look at Draco again and mutter, "It doesn't bloody fucking matter when you're the only person she can think about."

Draco stared at him and neither of them spoke. After a long moment of silent, Blaise looked away again before storming off – leaving a shocked Draco in his wake.

Something was griping at his chest and rising as a lump in his throat. As Blaise entered his dormitory, he felt that same feeling that clutched at his heart so desperately begin to claw its way up to his throat. He wanted to scream. Some thing hot pricked at his eyes and his tried to blink it away furiously.

What, he wondered, was this strange feeling that crashed against him in waves so constantly of late? It seemed he felt it every time he thought about Ginny - thought about how far outside his reach she was.

Oh, he thought somewhat distantly, this is "pain." The lump in his throat rose above the scratching pain and he realized, I want to cry.

Blaise slumped down onto his bed and held his head in his hands. He remembered this feeling, vaguely. He hadn't felt this way in such a long time, but he remembered the last time he had.

It hadn't happened very long after he met Draco that his father became suddenly very reserved - and quick tempered. Blaise had tried his best to regain his fathers attention, but to no avail. Even when he'd turned wild child it was his mother who had punished him. His father had taken no notice.

Finally, Blaise had confronted his father. Bursting into tears, he'd nearly begged his father for attention.

"Oh, grow up, Blaise," Mr. Zabini had snapped. "I don't have time for this. I have work to do."

"You always have work to do," Blaise had reminded him - half grumbling, half sobbing.

"Of course I always have work to do," Mr. Zabini had nearly screamed at him. "I'm a very busy man! A grown man, but you don't see me crying or acting out, do you?! At some point you have to grow up, Blaise! You can't always cry when things don't go your way!"

Blaise merely stared at his father, speechless. Mr. Zabini had given a scoff of annoyance then and stormed out of the room. He'd left Blaise behind shocked, upset, and determined to grow up as fast as possible.

He'd quickly determined that being grown up meant locking up every emotion that could be used against you. You couldn't love anything, because it could be taken away. You couldn't laugh, except in scorn. The only amusement you were allowed to find was in the incompetence of others. Blaise dutifully held to these rule using Draco, Mr. Malfoy and his own father as role models.

He hadn't felt pain or sadness since then - he hadn't allowed himself to.

Until now.

Blaise pressed his knuckles against his forehead.

Since when did he allowed all these feelings to slip out of his grasp and out of control, he wondered. What had possessed him to let these feelings roam freely through his mind and heart?

In his mind's eye he saw a petite red-head, rooted to the spot as he and Draco walked towards her. He had smiled at the look of astonishment and longing on her face. Draco had told him by then that he had noticed the girl watching him quite a bit of late. The idea amused the pair of them, that a blood traitor like Weaslette would fall for such a pure-blood advocate like Draco.

That's when it had all started. That moment, when Blaise first noticed Ginny noticing Draco. She had intrigued him, and he began to watch her more and more.

Then he got to know her.

Blaise felt his heart burst with several emotions. They filled his heart to the brim, then, being so vast, tore it apart. The newly released feelings and emotions rushed through him. He thought about Ginny. He thought about every moment they'd shared, every moment they could share, and every moment they would never share.

Then he fell apart.

A/N: Ugh! Never again am I waiting to reach a scene when I already have it perfectly planned in my head. This whole chapter was so much better when I first imagined it, but I waited too long to write it and this was the end result. Sorry about that.

CHAPTER REVIEWS

pandora-xox: I'm really glad that I decided to continue this story, too. I really do love it, and I'm glad that you enjoy it as much as I do. Yes, I often wish that I had my own pocket Blaise, too...or a pocket Draco...hmmmmm. XD

snowfire81: If I had a nickel for every time someone said that this should be a Ginny/Draco/Blaise...well...I'd have a LOT of nickels. Unfortunately...it is not and I don't get a nickel everytime someone says it should be. XD If you are interested in that, though, you might want to check out my new story, Marked by Dark. It's gonna have a little Blaise/Draco, Draco/Ginny, Harry/Ginny, Harry/Blaise (O.O), maybe even some Ginny/Draco/Blaise, Ginny/Blaise, and - dare I suggest - Harry/Draco/Blaise. It will have it all...maybe. It's still working itself out right now and I have absolutely no idea how it will end. And yes, this was a shameless plug.

ely914: Thank you for adding my story to your favorites!

snakesandemerals: I tell you, these names just get more and more interesting. Aaaaaaanyway, I agree that playful Draco is fun, but the kind of playfulness he was really wasn't Dracoish-playful. He did still get to exhibit some playfulness, though.

Jevanminx: T-T I am so glad you understand my plight. They really do bring it all upon themselves...mostly. The plot has a little to do with it.

xxbellaxx14: Thank you for adding my story to your favorites.

pbk: Yaay! I'm glad that you like it, and thank you for adding my story to your alerts.

Leni Burns: Thank you for adding my story to your favorites! Also for adding me to your alerts!

Icy Dreamers: My thanks go out to you for adding my story to your favorites!

Purple Knife: Thank you for adding my story to your favorites!