A/N: Okay, fair warning. This is a lengthy chapter, but it simply couldn't be broken up anywhere.

Chapter 6: Wallowing Weasels and Ferocious Ferrets: Round 2

Draco sauntered down the lavishly decorated hallway toward the study. He'd left the rest of the party in the dining room to finish up their desserts, begging off that he needed to freshen up. By the cross look etching its way across her face Draco was fairly certain Millicent didn't believe one word of his excuse.

'And well she shouldn't.' he smirked to himself. 'That girl knows me far too well.'

Truth be told, he'd not been overly impressed with the proceedings throughout dinner. Pansy had been far too enamoured, and that Weasley git far too smug. He began to chuckle to himself though at the memory of Daphne trying to gain the berk's attention. Things had taken a decidedly entertaining turn at that point.

By the time Pansy finally threw one of her infamous hissy fits and the weasel scampered after her, Draco was having a right jolly good time enjoying the show. So much so that he decided he wanted to sneak a peek of the row more than likely in progress in the study. As he stepped through its archway however, the sight that greeted him left him completely stunned. With their backs mostly to him, the couple had no idea that their privacy had just been infringed.

"Pansy…" The other man spoke softly, pleading gently with her.

The git then took a step toward her, effectively eliminating the limited space between them, and lowered his head next to hers. Worse still, she pressed herself back into him and crossing her arms in front of her, reached up to touch the prat's hands. Draco instantly felt his chest constrict painfully as the breath caught in his throat.

This wasn't happening… It just couldn't be. She'd been interested in other men before but she'd never looked so... ensnared. And no man had ever been able to calm her down so quickly other than himself.

He heard the weasel begin to murmur and strained to listen for the words. "…sorry. You've no idea how much. If I could take it back… if I could erase it, I would. You know I love…"

Suddenly, a loud burst of laughter directly behind him made Draco jump and look around. As his friends spilled into the study, he looked back to find Weasley already halfway across the room, situating himself on the settee, and Pansy looking flushed, yet glowing. This definitely was not good.

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His hands… on her arms…

An incredibly delicious current of magic had coursed through her, and then in an instant it was gone… ripped from her. The feeling of withdrawal clawing at her was immediate. To have that energy ruling her again… She trembled at both the power of the connection and the abrupt cessation of it.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder but its magic was shallow and fleeting in comparison. Pansy drew her face up to find Draco eyeing her carefully, his fine features cut deeply with concern.

"Pansy?"

"I… " She stuttered. "I… need a drink."

She grabbed clumsily for the fine crystal decanter containing the warm amber liquid, and shakily poured herself a large shot. Clutching the glass, she knocked back its entire fiery contents in one big gulp.

Draco could only stare on horrified. He knew that look, and he knew it well. He'd felt the force of that kind of magic with someone before. It was overpowering and addictive, and the most wonderful feeling in the world. Matters were far more serious than he had originally anticipated.

Draco took a measured breath, and spoke smooth, calculated words. "Pansy love, you should know better than a Weasley. They're all womanizing gits."

Her eyes shot to him quickly and she pinned him with a dark, challenging glare. "What do you mean?" she growled.

Draco glanced purposefully toward the settee, and smirked at the scene playing out. Pansy followed his gaze to find Percy sitting stiffly on the couch with a very affectionate, very engaging Daphne chatting him up something fierce. Although Percy looked slightly uncomfortable by the attention, he didn't seem altogether displeased by it either. Pansy felt an irrational rage start to boil in her veins.

"How dare she… I can't believe he hasn't…" Pansy muttered viciously when the unthinkable happened to stop and catch her words in her throat.

In a playful turn of the conversation, Daphne giggled loudly and placed her hand on Percy's knee, giving it a not so gentle squeeze. For his part, Percy flushed a deep crimson and laughed nervously, casting his eyes down shyly in response. His fatal mistake, however, was the fact that he did not pull away from her. This was the final straw. If close enough, Pansy could have ripped the little witch's head off with her bare hands, and hexed the man into another dimension all in one go.

Boring her eyes fiercely into Percy's forehead, Pansy let her anger overwhelm her. "Draco," she barked in a loud, clear voice, "I believe I need some fresh air."

At hearing her distinctively shrill voice, Percy's eyes shot up to meet hers.

"Would you care to take a turn in the gardens then, love?" Draco asked, his voice like silk coaxing her to the response he wanted.

"That sounds absolutely lovely. I would like nothing better. It is rather stuffy in here." She gritted out through a tensely locked jaw, keeping her eyes firmly trained on Percy.

With that, Pansy growled loudly and then set off, cutting a vicious path across the room. Percy jumped up but couldn't find the courage to take the necessary steps. He was helpless but to watch her storm from the room.

Reaching the terrace doors, Pansy dramatically grabbed the handles, threw them open, and flounced out without looking back. Draco slowly meandered from the room sending Percy a lazy, yet spiteful grin.

Once the tense silence had seeped out of the atmosphere, Percy collapsed in a huff onto the couch. Daphne, in a bid to console him and revel in her little victory, placed her hand on his and gave him a soft pout. He glanced at her startled, having momentarily forgotten she was even there.

"Mr. Weasley, I'm…" she simpered.

Standing quickly, Percy muttered a quiet "Excuse me" and then departed for the other side of the room, leaving a very surprised and disgruntled Daphne in his wake.

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Pansy stormed across the terrace in a right strop. She hadn't been this royally hacked off with a man in years.

"He was flirting with her…. Flirting right in front of me. He let her touch his knee. Bastard!" she ranted to herself. "He tells me he's sorry one second, and then the very next, he's sidling up to that hussy on the couch. Prat! Wanker! Shithead!"

Suddenly, Pansy came to an abrupt stop. 'What am I doing?' she asked herself, mortified by her reaction at seeing Percy with Daphne.

As Pansy stood on the threshold of the gardens, she marveled at her own behaviour.

What was happening to her? Consciously, she knew Percy was beneath her regard in every possible way. He was not of her class; he did not possess her level of breeding; his position in society was negligible at best; and his vibrant, red hair and ridiculous freckles mixed with that dour expression made his appearance almost comical.

In comparison to Draco and her other past companions, Percy was not a particularly handsome man. Nor was he very charming by any stretch of the imagination, but there was something incredibly potent about the nature of his magic and how it ignited hers. Now that she was away from him, she found herself craving his company.

Draco silently joined her, casting his gaze out over the gardens but Pansy was too caught up in her own inner struggle to notice his arrival. After she'd torn out of the house and across the terrace apparently on the warpath, Draco had leisurely ambled along behind her, taking his time and allowing her to outstrip him.

Turning his head toward her, he let his eyes rove over her troubled features before resuming his eye line out. "A Weasley, Pansy?"

Startled by his voice, she jolted slightly and shifted her gaze to him. As soon as her eyes lit upon him, she was struck by how stunning he was in the moonlight. His fine hair seemed to glow almost white, and his eyes, although not focused on her, shone like shattered glass.

"You've dated some complete wankers in the past, but a Weasley? You've really sunken to a new low, Panse." He looked at her with a glint in his eye as he continued on coldly. "He's certainly a major step down in any respect."

Once the derision of his words had settled completely on her, Pansy's eyes became slits and her jaw worked tensely as she tried to think of a comeback. It didn't take her long.

"I'd hardly call Percy Weasley a step down, Draco. He's one of the Minister's two first deputies as well as head of the regulating body for business development and activity within the magical community, and he's only twenty-nine."

He was eyeing her closely as she spoke when something dawned on him. "Oh, I understand this now." He tittered, trying to subdue the urge to laugh outright at her. "You think he has political aspirations, and you want to go along for the ride."

"I won't lie to you." She spouted at him as she drove her nose further into the air. "I admit that when I first began to pursue him, it was with that in mind."

"You pursued him? I bet he enjoyed that." he goaded.

"Yes, I did… and yes, he did." She smirked. "He was a little surprised at first but thoroughly flattered by my attentions."

"I'm sure he was." He offered a little more quietly, not liking her pride over the fact.

"He's very driven, Draco, and has gotten quite far within the Ministry for a man of his young age."

"Pansy, love," he scoffed, "there's only so far one can get within the Ministry."

"Yes Draco, love." She snarled right back. "However, with the right financial and political support, an individual such as Mr. Weasley need not be confined to the British Ministry. There are other larger forums and circles he could pursue."

He raised his eyebrows at her nonplussed by the depths of her conniving. She'd obviously thought long and hard on this particular attachment.

----------

Percy had been watching them from the study's window for nearly ten minutes, and could not fathom why he found the sight of the two moonlit figures ambling together so irritating. This was what she wanted. Her plan had been extremely effective. Obviously, she knew Malfoy quite well. That thought made an unfamiliar something roll queasily through his stomach. Why was he so irked by the idea of her knowing the ferret intimately? He should be pleased that they'd achieved their goal so quickly and so effortlessly. He should be happy he'd be done with her so soon. That, however, wasn't the case.

Percy's mind was reeling. When he had stepped into her and she had pressed back, some kind of indescribable power had rocked through him like a shockwave. The connection was indescribable... almost electric… as his father would put it. And when he began to speak, the words flowing out of him were his but they seemed to belong in another time to another version of him. Percy shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog. Never before had he been so affected by another person's presence.

It was in the throws of these muddled ruminations that Percy heard a voice trying to break through. Glancing to his left, the unwelcome sight of Blaise Zabini smiling anxiously at him made his chest seize violently.

"Yes? What? What do you want?" he snapped.

Percy had no time or patience for this man. He was not about to pretend to be friendly or polite. The man did not deserve that kind of courtesy after what he'd done. Blaise nervously clasped his hands behind his back, and looking down awkwardly, shifted from one foot to the next.

Choosing to ignore Percy's hostility, Blaise ventured onward. "I… I was just wondering how you and yours are doing. Is everyone well?"

"Mine?" Percy managed tightly, as his lip curled in disgust at the other man's audacity.

"Yes, um… how's the clan? How's your family?"

Percy regarded him for a second. "You really want to know? Well, Dad and Mum are enjoying retirement through lots of travel; Bill's run off his feet with three children, a veela for a wife, and a demanding Gringotts job. Charlie's been in China for a bit now, so I haven't really kept in touch with him; the twins are doing swimmingly with the shop; and Ron's a nervous wreck about the wedding but I don't think I've ever seen him so happy."

Nodding absently throughout Percy's ramble, Blaise seemed only to be listening with half an ear. When the other man failed to say the name he was pining for, Blaise became flustered and antsy.

"Right. Right. And how's your sister? Ginny is it?" he tried to ask offhandedly.

"Ginny?"" Percy gritted out. At the mere mention of her name, his mind flew to a not so distant memory.

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Levitating an overnight bag behind him, Percy pushed his way through the screen door of the Burrow into the moonlit kitchen. He'd taken to spending his weekends there as a kind of escape from his small flat. He would have flooed but his parents were away for the month revisiting their "old haunts", and had it disengaged as a security measure.

It was rather late and he was fairly certain no one was about. Flicking his wand, Percy brought up the lights, then deposited his bag heavily on the kitchen table and dropped his satchel full of paperwork beside it.

Suddenly, a timid "hello?" emitted from the direction of the den. Percy jumped slightly but made his way to the door connecting the two rooms. There on the couch sitting in complete darkness was his baby sister - the sibling he had the least in common with, and the weakest connection. That hadn't always been the case. In their childhood, they had been very close but misguided notions and pompous opinions mainly on his part had laid waste to their relationship.

Percy shifted awkwardly, and mumbled. "Hey Ginny. Don't mind me. Just… just here for the weekend."

A monotone "Oh" was all she offered in response but she seemed to be trembling. After an uncomfortable silence, he moved to light a fire in the grate.

"Please! Please just… just leave it dark." She called desperately to him.

He was instantly set on edge by the unmistakable tremor in her voice. Percy spun on his heels to find her staring out the window avoiding his gaze her eyes shining brightly with unshed tears. Percy was torn. He could pretend he didn't hear the latent emotion or see the pain clearly evident in every line of her sullen face, or he could try to rebuild their broken relationship by being there for her. That was, if she let him.

Taking a deep breath and holding it briefly, Percy decided to take the risk. "Ginny, is everything… all right?"

"Fine. Yes. Thank you." She answered shortly, trying to hold in the tears threatening her.

Percy regarded her for a moment before cautiously making his way to the couch and taking up a seat next to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… fine." She barely managed as her voice began to break.

"Ginny." He'd only just gotten her name out when she began to shake violently. Tentatively, he wrapped his arm about her, and easily pulled her to him for a gentle hug.

After a few minutes of letting her cry out her frustration and sadness, Percy hazarded the question that had been pressing on him since finding her. "What happened?"

She pulled away a little but kept her eyes glued to his chest. "You can't tell Mum or Dad, or any of the others for that matter, all right?"

"Fine." He answered uncertainly.

Drawing her eyes up, she locked him with fierce, watery eyes. "I mean it. You tell no one, Percy. Promise."

This was his opportunity to prove he could be relied upon… that she could trust him. "No one. I promise."

She eyed him, weighing whether she should embrace this precarious, newfound support, before finally relenting. "I wasn't even serious about him at first. It was just meant to be a fling."

And then the story spilled out of her. A dreadful story in which she had a torrid affair and fell madly in love with a man she should in all rights ignore completely only to have him inform her that she wasn't a viable option for him. She was poor, and pathetic, and beneath him. He ended it coldly in true Slytherin fashion by telling her that she had never meant anything to him, and it was time for him to start looking for a real woman to marry.

As the last words fell from her lips, the reality of her misery hit Ginny full force, and she covered her face with her hands. Crumpling into a sobbing mess, she collapsed weakly against his chest.

Percy was bombarded with the overwhelming desire to beat the prick to a bloody, mangled pulp. Instead, he held Ginny quietly, allowing her to scream and sob out her sorrow in the safety and security of his arms.

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"Yes, Ginny. How is she?" Blaise asked impatiently.

Percy came slamming back to the present at the sound of the other man's voice.

"She's fantastic actually." He announced haughtily, finding his loathing for the man climbing dangerously higher.

"Really?" Blaise asked with a certain amount of wariness lacing his voice.

"Yes. She's just been promoted… again. She's the youngest witch or wizard for that matter ever to hold her position at St. Mungo's. Oh, and I think she just started seeing Dean Thomas… again. They were sweethearts at Hogwarts you know. They always did make a good couple. All in all, she has a really promising, happy future ahead of her."

Yes, it was vengeful of him. Yes, Percy knew he was being cruel to the man, but the berk had it coming. Ginny wasn't really seeing Dean in a romantic way. They were spending a lot of time together but only as good friends because they'd both been through horrid break ups recently and needed a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.

Unable to hide his pain, Blaise's posture began to sag and he let his chin drop. "That's… that's… Good for her. Nice girl. Deserves the best." He muttered dejectedly, regret and jealousy playing openly on his handsome face.

Clearing his throat roughly, the poor sod quietly took his leave and fled, leaving Percy to feel slightly guilty for sticking it to him so terribly. It only took the image of Ginny balling uncontrollably in his arms to reinforce Percy's ire and resolve against the git though.

Percy inhaled deeply, and let the breath out in a slow, steady stream. Turning his eyes back to the window, he peered out into the night and was shocked by what he saw. His reaction was instinctive and immediate.

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"What are you proposing to do, Panse? Marry the poor tosser? What then? Do you really think you could be satisfied shackled to a man like him? He's a total bore. I highly doubt he'd know what to do with a naked woman if he ever got one."

Pansy began to protest but Draco stepped into her, and pressed two fingers to her lips to silence her. After a long moment of holding each other's gaze, he reached up, and ran the back of those same two fingers along her porcelain white cheek.

"You are far too passionate to tolerate anything less than fire." He murmured.

Feeling her heart hammer in her chest by his unexpected play at intimacy, Pansy tried to grab the reins on her composure. It had been a very long time since he'd been that familiar with her, and she hadn't realized how severely she had missed it.

"That's where you're mistaken..." she whispered breathlessly. "At first, my interest in him was purely for political and social advancement. But… but as you know, the Weasley's are notoriously fiery and although he seems quite reserved in public, this attribute definitely extends to my Percy."

Dropping his hand unceremoniously, Draco pinned her with a scathingly dark look. "What are you saying exactly?"

"He's quite attentive and affectionate when we are afforded a little privacy."

"Oh, is he now?"

"Yes. Very."

"And how far have these affectionate attentions taken you?"

"That's really none of your business, Draco."

The elusiveness of her answer hit him square in the chest and he leveled her with a look screaming of pure vexation.

"You have just one problem to contend with, Panse old girl." He managed through gritted teeth.

"And what would that be?"

"You're promised to me. What if I refuse to release you?"

"Like you, I can opt to push off the engagement as long as I like. You'll grow frustrated and shove off at some point." She waved her hand dismissively.

"And if I don't?"

"Oh please Draco, you have the attention span of a fleazel. Some little slut will inevitably catch your eye and you'll be off."

She brushed past him making to leave but he grabbed her arm, and spun her back around to face him. Pointing a threatening finger in her face, he growled. "Don't push me, Pansy. You are mine. Remember that."

"You've abused and ignored this possession long enough, Mr. Malfoy." She hissed in return. "Perhaps it is time to let another man, who will actually treasure and care for it, have his turn. Goodnight Draco."

She wrenched her arm away, and turned sharply on her heels. As she made her way back to the house, she couldn't stop the devilish smirk teasing at her lips.

'That could not have gone better.' She mused, thoroughly pleased with herself. Draco was exactly where she wanted him to be: angry, volatile, and jealous.

Pansy pulled the terrace door open and walked smoothly into the study. Glancing about, she was shocked to find the room empty, save for Millicent sitting quietly on the settee with a cup of tea.

Her heart plummeted as she recollected where she'd left her special guest. Her mind instantly flew to the worst conclusion.

"Where is he? Where the devil is he? I'll hex his bits off if he left with that bint."

Millicent calmly placed her teacup and saucer on the table before her, and then leveled her best friend with a stern glare. "You're referring to Mr. Weasley I presume."

"None other. Where is the prat?"

"After you very loudly and publicly announced your intentions of going for a moonlit stroll with your betrothed, Mr. Weasley stayed for perhaps another twenty minutes before he chose to leave… alone."

A growing unease had slowly started to invade Pansy's mind as Millie indirectly reprimanded her.

"What do you mean he left alone? He was on the couch with…"

"Yes, I know Pansy, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he had no interest in her. She wouldn't leave him alone. He was just being polite by not telling her to sod off."

"Oh."

"And then you blustered out of here with Draco hot on your heels. What was the poor man to think? He's obviously smitten with you but you made it quite clear tonight who you prefer."

"What do you mean I made it quite clear?"

"You've been out in the gardens with Draco for upwards of a half an hour Pansy. Except when Blaise went over to pester him about Merlin knows what, he was watching you from that window the entire time. When I noticed him becoming flustered and making to leave, I had to see what had upset him so much. Do you know what I saw?"

"No." Pansy answered meekly.

"I saw you and Draco standing very close together with his hand on your cheek. Looked mighty intimate if you ask me."

For some reason, the thought of Percy witnessing that particular moment had Pansy in a panic.

"He didn't." she gasped out.

"He did, and then he left. Now Pansy love, I know you like Mr. Weasley well enough, but it's clear you've patched things up with Draco." Millicent began to shift awkwardly nervous to ask her next question. "Would you mind terribly if… if I relate to Mr. Weasley my interest in him?"

Pansy reeled at the surprising request from her dearest friend. "Draco and I have done nothing of the kind, and no you shall not relate anything to Mr. Weasley." She seethed.

Millicent regarded her coolly for a moment. "Daphne was right. You are selfish."

"Millie." Pansy pleaded.

"No Pansy. This nonsense between you and Draco is ridiculous. Now, I'm not romantically interested in Percy… I'm not particularly interested in anyone in that regard… but he's the first pureblood wizard I've met in I don't know how long who actually knows how to make his galleons grow rather than make mine disappear. I don't need a man with money. I have my own. And I care very little that he is a Weasley. Percy is an ideal husband for a wealthy pureblood woman such as myself. So if you are not overly attached…"

"I am." Pansy snapped.

Millicent eyed her uncertainly, questioning the veracity of her all too quick response. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine." She finally ceded. "If you happen to fall out of love with him, please let me know. Goodnight, I'm exhausted and off to bed. Feel free to use the floo whenever you want to go home."

With that, Millicent swept out of the room, leaving Pansy to watch the fire as it dwindled down. Although she should have been flying high by all she had achieved that evening, Pansy felt oddly defeated.

A/N: Well, income tax season is almost done. That means you should be getting updates much quicker.

kaededainecalwyn: They definitely need someone in their corner... especially from each other.

namelessxfreak: Oh, but they did! Only the best part though :D

autumnlover: Thank you. It's going to be lengthy, but not frighteningly so :)

stoneofpurity: Thanks :-)

Miss Anthrope: LOL. I promise not to keep you waiting so long next time.

IHeartMCR: Oh honey, you know I'm the evil cliffhanger lady. Can't help myself... lol.

Avanell: Draco doesn't deserve Pansy. But quite often, those are the knobs that get the girl.