Real Love

Chapter 15: You've Got A Friend

Disclaimer:Not mine

A/N:Sorry this is such a long time coming. I was hoping to have it out TWO fridays ago, primarily because I was going on vaction. Add that to struggling quite a bit with this one, you get a bad delay. However, I'm getting to work on 16 as soon as a post this. I put the evening aside just for it. Hopefully I won't spend as many hours just staring at my computer on this one. I think part of the problem was I didn't have an inspiration song for this chapter. I just finally went with the title I did when I was done. If anyone has a better fit please let me know, because I'm still unsure of this one. Anyway. I hope you like it. Thank you soooo much for my reviews. I read them over and over, believe me. -Bella

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend

When people can be so cold

They'll hurt you, and desert you

And take your soul if you let them

Oh, but don't you let them

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fal

lAll you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend

-Carole King, You've Got a Friend

"What do you mean you're not trying out?"

"I mean I'm not trying out," Ginny insisted to Olivia as the made their way to McGonagall's classroom for the first prefects meeting of the year.

"But you're the best chance they have. And it's your last year!" She threw her arms wildly.

"Exactly. Why take up the spot on the team when it could be an extra year of experience for whoever will replace me next year. I've had my adventures in Quidditch. Why do you care anyway? Ravenclaw is sure to take it this year with so many rookies in all of the other houses."

Olivia sighed. "It's the season's no fun if it's a given."

"Well sorry to ruin another season for you Liv. You'll have to wait for news from the outside about your brother. Have you heard from Seamus lately?" Ginny hoped the subject change would work so that she wouldn't have to admit that she hadn't been on a broomstick since her fall. Blaise had tried to coax her onto one all summer with no success.

"Everyday," Olivia blushed a little at the confession. Ginny smiled and wondered silently what it might be like to be in a normal relationship. Besides a few boyfriends she had had when she was younger, Blaise was the closest she had ever come, but even their relationship had been slightly overloaded from the beginning. Ginny had often found herself thinking of Draco whenever Blaise did something so unbelievably Slytherin that she couldn't stand it. And though she had always blamed it on her shattered heart and not lingering feelings, she always blamed Draco for her inability to give herself to Blaise.

"You two have the most comfortable relationship. I've never even managed that," Ginny sighed.

"Olli's still single you know…"

"No. Being attached to a celebrity is never comfortable."

Olivia laughed. "The prophet practically calls you Harry's widow."

"We never even went on a date."

"Really?" She seemed surprised. "Do you ever wonder if maybe he was the one?" she asked with a hint of sadness.

Ginny didn't even need to think before answering, "No."

There was only one person Ginny ever fretted over being the one, but fortunately her conversation with Olivia didn't continue as they reached the classroom and entered the room full of prefects.

"Hey Ginny!" Adam greeted her as she took her seat. "Ready to start?"

The meeting was short and sweet, as the would all be that year. Patrolling partners were selected, new rules were gone over, and the sixth year projects were brought up. Reluctantly Ginny had agreed to allow one girl to plan another benefit ball, under the strict condition that she would have very limited involvement in it. After all, she already had a party to plan.

She wasn't sure how it had happened. It seemed as thought it'd just been assumed by everyone but her. It had been Colin who finally asked her when she was going to hold a meeting about planning the bash.

That meeting was next, and after all of the prefects filed out Ginny hurried off to her room where she had invited all of her fellow Gryffindor seventh years to meet her. Not surprisingly her old roommates were there waiting out side the door when she arrived.

"Can't you just imagine?"

"This is were he slept."

"And this is where he wrote essays."

"And changed clothes," they all three squealed when they entered the room.

"No to mention where he…"

'Where he fucked me senseless,' the voice in her head snapped at the girls. That would surely shut them up. Thankfully the boys arrived before they could do anymore gushing and Ginny lost her temper.

"What secrecy pact will we use?" The question came up after important aspects like obtaining liquor and décor.

"I've got it covered," was all Ginny said. She in fact did not plan to use a secrecy plan, but the potion from the previous year's party, diluted. Blaise had sent her the recipe. He'd agreed that diluting it should make the memories fuzzy, but more solid than any anyone had from the year before.

As for secret keeping, lately she couldn't help but think that maybe it wasn't so important.

She had come to the decision late one night while she lie awake considering that her life might not have been so confusing if she had been able to talk about her first night with Draco Malfoy. Or what if she could have discussed with Harry the night she told him she loved him? Either way, what fun was a little drunken scandal if no one was allowed to talk about it? And while she didn't plan on being a part of anymore drama during her final year in Hogwarts, who was she to deny some unsuspecting sixth year the pleasure?

Sixth years were Ginny's other big change. They would all be invited. There were plenty she wanted to invite, and she could never personally cut people out like that, so they would all be welcomed. Her old roommates had pouted at the knowledge that the younger group wouldn't have to suffer as they had, but the boys had been eager towards the idea; though they insisted that it was not due to the significantly larger population of girls in the year below them.

When the meeting was over Ginny felt confident that everything would go off without a hitch and she quickly escorted her friends out before anyone could start talking about her rooms previous occupant again.

The next couple of weeks seemed to crawl by. Snape was gone again and her potions work was once again a joke. Defense against the dark arts had become a joke too most without the looming threat of Lord Voldemort. And while Ginny tried to take it seriously, it was hard to learn in a classroom full of students who didn't care.

The infirmary wing she had worked so hard for was officially closed, and just three weeks into school, Ginny found herself counting down the days until graduation. The only relieve from her utter boredom was the night of the bash.

She watched the door from her seat near the fire place, anxiously hoping that he had made it alright. She'd given him instructions and the password, but had expected him nearly forty minutes prior. Ginny sipped her drink, while beside her Olivia downed another.

"Gin! Liv! Smile!" A tipsy photographer appeared in front of them. Ginny leaned in to the blond as Colin snapped a photo. His bright flash blinded her for just a moment, so that she didn't see the portrait swing open.

"Oh my god!" Olivia whispered beside her. "Seamus!" The girl was out of her seat and flying towards the older boy, who opened his arms wide for her. She began to smile at the reunion, but her jaw dropped instead when several feet behind the ex-Gryffindor was an ex-Slytherin.

"Blaise?" she exclaimed, before she too ran out of her seat and wrapped her arms around the awaiting boy. "What are you doing here?"

" Finnegan invited me," he shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"I'm glad you came," Ginny told him sincerely.

"I'd never miss a chance to party with you Weasley. Where's the booze?"

They found the booze, but this year, Ginny paced herself, and hours later found herself simply tucked in a corner by the fire, having a quiet conversation with Blaise.

"What made you come to your senses and beg me for forgiveness anyway Weasley?" The orange light of the fire lit up the cocky grin on his face. "Did the halls of the school fill you with longing for your lost love?"

"You could say that," Ginny rolled her eyes. Blaise silently prompted her to explain further. So she nodded towards the door. "Why don't we get out of here? Go back to my room."

"What kind of boy do you think I am Weasley?"

"Oh I know what kind of boy your are Zabini. Bring the wine."

When they got to Adam's door Blaise looked at her strangely as she kept walking.

"Uh Weasley?" he gestured to the door.

"Not my room," she came to a stop in front of her own door. Blaise took a moment to see if she was serious before he started laughing. She unlocked the door and he followed her inside.

"Oh this is good. Only you Weasley."

"And this is how I realized you were right. I'm still not past it all." Ginny smiled sadly as she plopped down on the fluffy bed. Blaise flopped down beside her.

He frowned slightly and Ginny noticed his hand fiddling under her pillow. From beneath it he pulled the silver ring. She reached out the snap it away but he held it at a distance as he examined it.

"I thought you got rid of this," he turned to her.

"I lost it."

"Where was it?"

Ginny was hesitant to tell him the truth. "Right where you just found it."

"He had it?" Blaise raised an eyebrow and tossed it to her.

"I'm sure I just left it there." She tried to brush it off.

"I found it in three seconds, and he didn't notice it for three months?"

Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but was unable to refute the boy's logic.

"Well either way, he left it here didn't he?"

It was Blaise's turn to remain silent.

"Do you really think I shouldn't give up on him Blaise?" she asked after a few moments of mustering the courage.

"I don't know Ginny. All I know is I'm not ready to give up on him. I've known him forever and nothing that he's done in the past six months makes any sense. He never had any interest in becoming a death eater, let alone leading them."

"You said yourself he killed that poor girl!" Ginny exclaimed.

"He took mercy on her, at his own risk." Blaise defended sharply causing Ginny to pull back from him a bit.

"He murdered an innocent person," she insisted, disgusted.

"He saved a girl from rape and torment, and its haunted him since." Blaise ran his hands through his hair. She recognized the face he made when he was wrestling with how honest to be with her. Gently she placed her hand on his arm and he sighed. "Ginny do you remember when I told you about my initiation day and how I couldn't go through with it?"

Ginny nodded, remembering the day quite well.

"Well do you know what happened to that girl? The one I was supposed to kill that night?"

Ginny shook her head uncertainly. She had been so focused on what Draco had done in the same situation when Blaise had told her the story that she hadn't even thought of the girl from his induction. "Did they save her for the next one?" she predicted.

Blaise let out a bitter laugh. "And pass up a night with a perfectly good whore? She stayed right where I left her Ginny. I left her alive and alone in a room full of the foulest men in England who raped and tortured her until she was too weak to beg for death any longer. And then they killed her."

Ginny heart ached as Blaise spoke so candidly. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "So who did the wrong thing? Me or Malfoy?"

Ginny didn't have an answer and felt helplessly confused about it all, and couldn't imagine how Blaise must have felt. Silent, in thought, the two snuggled into the covers and prepared for sleep. It was only as her eyelids grew heavy that Ginny finally said. "I don't think there was a right thing to do."

"Sure there was." Blaise said quietly. "You would have done the right thing Weasley. Whatever it was. And that's what makes you so annoyingly Gryffindor."

"I'm not annoying," Ginny yawned and rolled over facing away from Blaise.

"You're right. I'm sorry Ginny. You're wonderful. Beautiful. Sweet. Amazing." Blaise purred into her ear as he snuggled up behind her, spooning her body as tightly as he could. She shifted a little so she could turn her head to look at him.

His eyes remained shut and his body remained close, but quickly he said, "There's a ditch on that side of the bed."

Ginny smiled affectionately, and snuggled into her friends arms. She glanced down at the ring on her finger, and for one night at least, didn't feel guilty about wearing it.

The holiday decoration were still garnishing the walls and all the tables were glimmering with gold. Gold linens, gold plates, gold flatware.

Draco raised his hand and stopped the server from replenishing his champagne. The man nodded and moved on to his mother who accepted the offer as demurely as her previous four glasses allowed her.

The wedding was the biggest atrocity Draco had seen in his entire life, and the absolute worst way Tommy Nott could have chosen to blow his recently received inheritance. The Nott's father had finally been sentenced to the kiss two months earlier. Not five days after Nott Sr. had received it, Eloise had been at Draco's door telling him he'd lost his chance with her, a paperweight on her hand to prove it.

Tommy had taken her back.

Draco had been sure to tell his old friend of Eloise's behavior, and as he expected Tommy had called him a liar. But a few weeks later when Blaise had gone to Tommy with a similar story, he'd had no choice but to believe what they boys had told him. That night Elli had shown up at his door, ready to move in, and Draco had promptly sent her away. She'd spent everyday since trying to convince him to change his mind.

Even sitting beside her new husband, she was peering over at him, daring him to step in, admit his error, and steal her away.

Tommy deserved the misery she would bring him if he was stupid enough to take her back. Draco fully expected a divorce within the year.

The invitation to the wedding hadn't been a surprise, even given the circumstances Elli wanted the best of everything at her wedding, and that included guests. Malfoy's were among the best of the best. Not to mention most of their social circle had some suspicion or knowledge of his involvement in gathering the remaining loyal death eaters. And while most would not dare admit it in the post war world, they were all eager for any clue to what was going on behind the walls of Malfoy Manor. Eyes and whispered had been directed towards he and his mother all night and she, as she always had with his father, had gracefully pretended to be unaware.

One set of eyes, however, he had been fighting to ignore all night. A task that became much harder as the hand belonging to those eyes grabbed his mother's to place a gentlemanly kiss.

"Mrs. Malfoy, you look beautiful as always."

"Blaise, I tell you every time I see you to call me Narcissa."

Blaise gave a forced chuckle. "It's been so long I must have forgotten. Malfoy! Come have a drink with me mate! Can you spare him for a moment Narcissa?"

"Anything for you dear. You are my favorite you know."

"I better be." Blaise was much kinder than many would be to a drunken, aging, widow, behaving the way his mother was.

"I'll be back mother," Draco rose from the table.

He scowled as Blaise ordered them each a scotch. He despised scotch, as Blaise was well aware. The darker haired man led him outside to the vacant balcony where they silently leaned over the railing, sipping their drinks. "How have you been?" Draco broke the unnerving silence.

"Well. And you?" Blaise replied back politely.

"I've been better," Drano told him honestly.

"You must he pretty disappointed huh?" Blaise nodded inside, indicating the wedding.

"In Tommy," he replied, causing Blaise to laugh a moment before the boy caught himself. "Though I hear Tommy's not the only one I'm losing women to." Draco attempted to sound as indifferent as possible. Elli had looked like a little girl on Christmas morning the day she had shown up on his door step to tell him Blaise and Ginny were dating. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Who? Weasley?" That ended months ago. I played Romeo for her all summer and she ended up being the worst lay of my life. What a lousy fuck Malfoy. You could have warned me."

Draco's hand seared with pain as it collided with Blaise's face.

Blaise cursed and sank to the ground and Draco quickly whirled around to be sure that no one had seen the encounter.

"I knew you weren't over her you stupid prat."

Draco froze. He looked down and saw Blaise shaking his head, a hint of familiar mischief in his eye.

"I never slept with her." Blaise ensured, and Draco felt some tension leave his body. "So are you going to tell me what's really going on?"

Draco slid down the stone railing and sat beside his friend. "Where do you want to start?"

"How about cheating on her with Elli?"

"I never slept with Elli."

"Come on mate…"

"I didn't. She was in my room in her knickers after the game. I asked her to leave. Instead she greeted Ginny at the door."

"Sounds like our blushing bride," Blaise snorted.

"You really never slept with Ginny?" Draco eyed his friend.

Blaise shook his head. "She's still too in love with you."

Draco felt his heart lift a bit. She still loved him. That stupid girl still loved him.

"You have to make her stop," he suddenly told his friend.

"Look if you haven't managed," Blaise tried to joke in return.

"Look Blaise," he spoke lowly. "I don't know how long any of this is going to take, or if I even be around when its all said and done." Draco swallowed hard as he said the words. It was the first time he had truly accepted the danger he was in everyday. "I don't want her to miss out on anything."

"She's missing out on you."

"She spent her whole last year worrying about people. I won't put her through that again?"

"You think she's not worried about you?" Blaise shot him down again.

"And what if someone finds out we're still involved? You think she'd be safe? You think she wouldn't come after me if she though I was in danger?"

"What kind of danger are you in anyway?" Blaise eyes him.

"The working for the Order sort."

"Ahh. That kind of danger."

"You can't tell her." Draco said firmly.

"I won't." Blaise paused before adding, "On one condition. I want to help you."

"No way Zabini. This isn't some community service project to clear your soul of past misdeeds."

"Then why are you doing it?"

And once again, his friend had him.