A/N: I so admire y'alls FERVENT desire for Draco and Leolin to UTILIZE THE ADJOINING DOOR. I had no idea the door was going to cause such a fuss. Now, since you each are amazing in your diligent reviews, I'm just going to react of you quickly. Alice, I love the babies, too. So cute! Yes I did change the title, I originally thought the chapter was going in a certain direction but when it changed I decided to change the title. The new one is better, I think. Also, y'all tears keep me young and beautiful. Also, all your wild sex predictions make me laugh. They could all come true. None of them could come true. Who knows? Just kidding, obviously I do. :D Also, I know Gen might SEEM naïve, but don't underestimate her. She's not Draco's fiancée for nothing…Laet67 merci beaucoup, lapin! Swanrage, I live to make you all weep. I cry writing nearly every flashback, which is really your fault because they were your idea in the first place… LarissaHyperion, poor Kelly Troy! He is like the ultimate good guy! If only she could have loved him enough! Also, you can cheat on me. It's okay. We all know that Leolin is Draco's true love. And let's not feel TOO sorry for old Maximus until we meet him…hannahhobnob, I totally agree Gen's got to watch her damn back. On the other hand, y'all are going to get some glimpses into she and Draco that DON'T have to do with Leolin, and I think those will be telling. MASHinsomeroyals, seriously can't wait to hear what y'all think of Max. Is he the next Kelly Troy?
Chapter Six: A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody.
Leolin stood in the opulent receiving hall of Palacio Ducal Gandia in Valencia, waiting for an audience with the great Severina Borgia. It agitated Leolin that she had grown so desperate that she had to turn to The Borgia for help. However, she was that desperate.
She'd been in exile for a little over a year now, and she was wasting away. She'd dropped thirty pounds she hadn't really had to spare in the first place, her hair had deteriorated to a brittle frizz, and her skin was sallow and dull. Even Cristian had begun to grow tired of her, often complaining that she was no longer the beauty he had agreed to come to Florence with. Her breasts had shrunk along with the rest of her, and when he did deigned to fuck her, she simply lay still and took it passively. He had seemed determined at first to screw the fight out of her, but now that he had, he was growing tired of her, and he'd begun whoring around instead, which suited Leolin just fine.
With every day, Leolin felt herself slipping away from who she'd been. She wasn't beautiful anymore. She wasn't vain anymore. She wasn't fiery anymore. She wasn't interesting anymore. She had become a wraith. She had contemplated hanging herself more than once, but both times she tried, an odd apparition of Draco appeared, begging her not to. She woke the morning after her final attempt oddly inspired to live again. She would find a way to make money. She would find a way to bring Cristian to heel. She would find a way to live again.
She spent several weeks contemplating, stewing over what she could do. What was she qualified to do? She was bilingual, but she didn't think it was a good idea to look into any ambassadorial positions, firstly because she had no way to explain the fact that she couldn't travel to France or the UK, and secondly because she was afraid Lucius would catch wind of her and crush her.
So she began to think. What did she love? What would set her world on fire? Then one day she was walking out of the café after a long shift, and she realized she had literally been staring the answer in the face the whole time. Art. She knew art. She loved art. That's what she was good at, and that's where she would make her fortune.
However, she soon came to find the traditional channels were closed to her. She had no credentials because Naomi St. Jacque didn't actually exist, and she couldn't take credit for all the good work Leolin Lefevre had done in The Louvre. However, she picked up what scraps of information she could, carefully filing them away and hoping one would eventually prove useful. It was in this begging that she stumbled among the seedy underworld of legitimate dealing, and she realized the two were not so disparate as she'd believed. Wealthy collectors solicited the auction houses for certain pieces or artists, and if they couldn't find them, the dealers would sometimes go to the black market to search instead. In terms of galleons, it was a much more lucrative transaction for dealers. Once they stepped outside the legal confines of the galleries and auction houses, they were free to charge what they liked, kicking nothing back to their employer.
This was where Leolin discovered where she would fit at last. In recent years, Magical collectors had been clamouring for the works by wizards that had been made for Muggle patrons. In the days of the Old Masters like Leonardo and Michelangelo, wizards lived harmoniously with Muggles, and artists worked for both types of patrons. After the International Statute of Secrecy was passed in 1689, the works were separated by type of patron, and wizards grumbled at the loss of such great works. Any Muggle works, whether in the traditional market or the illegal one, where snapped up at once, and as the craze raged on, the reservoir of works was quickly drying up. Muggle works were selling in minutes of being revealed, and yet no new works were coming in. For that to happen, someone would have to willing to loot the Muggle world of its treasures, and though there were plenty of characters nefarious enough, they were none brave enough.
Leolin recognized this niche at once, and she quickly tallied what she would need: first, a team of thieves. She would do the majority of the work, but it was realistically a three-person job. She would need to establish a way to use the littlest amount of magic necessary. The more things they did the Muggle way, the more they would keep the authorities' gaze away from the Wizarding world. She needed contacts. She had accepted stealing art as an unpleasant necessity, but she wanted to know what collectors were most eager to possess. Those would be the only pieces she would steal. Finally, she needed a way to make said contacts.
She needed someone the dealers, buyers, and auctioneers trusted, someone they liked, to introduce her into the fold. That's why she'd come to Severina Borgia. Severina was the social darling of both Rome and Florence. Every man wanted her and every woman wanted to be her. More importantly, she was a shrewd businesswoman. Leolin knew from Draco's dealings with her that she knew how to be a shark, and Leolin calculated that Severina wasn't above peddling a little of her morality for millions of galleons. And it would be millions. Soon they'd be richer than gods.
She looked down at the exquisite marble mosaic of the world on the world beneath her feet, wrinkling her nose. She hoped bitterly that Severina would be able to set aside the past and see the value of Leolin's proposal.
"¿Senorita?" a willowy servant said stiffly. "Doña Borgia se quisiera saber la razón por su visita.
Interesting. Severina was married, and yet she was still a Borgia. Perhaps she had simply kept her maiden name. On the other hand, Leolin thought she'd heard a rumour Severina had married a Borgia cousin.
"La doña no se acostumbrada a recibiendo visitantes inesperados," the man continued.
Leolin sighed. She only understood about half of what he'd said. Something about unexpected visitors?
"Ah—por favor, le dice que Leolin Lefevre le gustaría verla."
"Vale," the man replied. "Espera."
"Vale," Leolin repeated.
Fine. She'd wait. She hoped her name would be enough to spark Severina's curiosity, and so it was. The man appeared a minute later.
"Ven," the man said to her.
Leolin didn't move. What the fuck did ven mean?"
He looked back when he realized she wasn't following.
"¡Señorita! Por favor, ven conmigo."
Leolin shook her head. "Ah—lo siento, no estoy segura que—"
"Come," the man said exasperated. "You follow me."
She nodded, hurried after him, and a minute later he admitted her to a lavish study, where a glowing Severina sat by the fire. She was about seven months pregnant, and she looked radiant.
"¿Algo más, Señora?" The man asked, admitting Leolin.
"Nada, gracias," Severina replied.
"Leolin," she said in fake enthusiasm. "¡Qué sorpresa! Ven aquí y sientate."
Leolin narrowed her eyes. Severina knew damn well Leolin's Spanish was poor at best.
"Grazie, tesora," Leolin said more confidently. "Che cara sei."
"Sientate," Severina repeated, and Leolin flushed. She wasn't sure what that meant. "Sit," Severina repeated, smirking.
Leolin stepped into the light of the flickering fire and did as she was told. At seeing Leolin's tattered form, Severina's nasty smile faltered, her obsidian eyes no longer quite so unkind.
"I must admit," Severina began. "I only agreed to see you because I have always hated you, and I wanted to delight in your misery. But, now that I see you, I only feel pity."
She gave a pretty frown, and Leolin couldn't decide if Severina was teasing her or being genuine.
"What happened to the beautiful girl I knew?" Severina said in a soft voice.
Leolin bowed her head, fighting not to cry. Severina wasn't making fun of her. She was asking a question no on had cared to ask since the day of the wedding.
"She died," Leolin admitted weakly. "Lucius Malfoy killed her."
"That's too bad," Severina said in a steady voice. "She was a worthy adversary."
"I'm hoping she might make a worthy business partner," Leolin said as steadily as she could.
Severina's eyes were glittering again. She steepled her fingers, and Leolin took in her long pointed nails. That was all the rage these days, though on Severina it looked particularly fierce. She leaned in.
"You really think you're ready to make a deal with the Borgia, regazza?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm all ears."
Leolin sat on her bed and drummed her fingers together, listening. She ought to have been getting ready, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to get up and get going. She could hear Gen in the next room primping, singing to herself as she did so.
Leolin had been right; she had a gorgeous voice. Her timbre was plaintive and sweet, and she'd obviously been professionally trained. Even into her upper register and belt, her vibrato was tight and strong. It only made Leolin feel worse; she hated thinking about all the things Draco probably loved about Gen. This had to be one of them.
Leolin had a gin and tonic beside her as the sat on the floor, and she took a generous sip every minute or so. She was waiting for the liquor to take the edge off before she got up and started getting ready. She knew Gen would find ways to subtly ridicule whatever she wore, and Leolin had to find something that both made her feel like her own self while still not soliciting male attention.
Gen had set the Max Brankovitch trap perfectly, and at this point Leolin had no means of avoiding it. She would simply have to weather it as well as she could, which made the prospect of going that much more daunting. She listened to the door clicking open to admit Draco.
"You sound gorgeous, as always," Draco told her.
"Oh," Gen said, sounding genuinely sheepish. "I didn't know you were—how embarrassing."
"Not at all," Draco replied, as Leolin could imagine him coming behind Gen and kissing her neck. "I could honestly listen to you all day."
Gen laughed, and Leolin heard them kiss.
"Thank you," she breathed.
"Always," he murmured back.
Though Gen's singing had been perfectly audible, their conversation was muffled, and Leolin had to strain to hear what they were saying. She didn't know why she was listening, it only really made her feel worse, but in the end she couldn't resist. She considered a minute more before going to her bag, grabbing an extendable ear, and shoving it under the door.
"What's going on with the Hogwarts Bill?" Gen was asking.
Draco sighed.
"I've been trying to run last minute interference, but honestly, I think my father already has this one in hand."
"What makes you say that?"
Leolin realized that now that Gen was alone with Draco, her drawl was less pronounced. Her accent was still slow and Southern, her tone still musical, but she wasn't hanging on her syllables quite so much. Interesting. So that bit was something of a show.
"I've been tallying votes that I know will go one way or another, and it's damn close. Besides, the few who are outstanding are vulnerable. One has a gambling addiction his wife doesn't know about. One has a teenage daughter who secretly got pregnant. One's having an affair with a very prominent married woman. If they don't take my father's bribe, he could easily apply pressure elsewhere."
"I'm sorry, darling," Gen said sympathetically. "What can I do?"
Leolin heard Draco sigh.
" Just kiss me."
"Of course," Gen said soothingly.
Leolin prepared to retract the ear, but the kiss was brief, so she continued listening instead.
"I love you, Draco," Gen continued. "Do you know that? I have loved you since the very first moment I met you. In my eyes, you're perfect."
"Maybe you need glasses, then," Draco said, laughing. "I'm about as a far from perfect as people get."
"That's not true," Gen purred, and Leolin could imagine her kissing his neck.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked earnestly, and Leolin's heart ached dully, as if someone had squeezed it a little too hard. She screwed her eyes shut and laid her head on the door to dull the pain as she stroked the lock pendant Severina had given her.
"We were always meant to find each other," Gen told him. "That's why fate intervened all those years ago. You weren't meant to marry Leolin; you're meant to marry me."
"Let's not talk about her," Draco said in a husky voice. "That's a part of my past I'd prefer to forget."
"I know, darling," she said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I just—"
"No," Draco said, giving a tight sigh. "Don't apologize. You—you make the pain worth it. If she hadn't run out on me, I wouldn't have found you."
"Is it hard seeing her after all this time?" Gen queried.
"She doesn't change us," Draco said heatedly, side-stepping the question entirely.
Gen didn't seem to notice.
"I was worried you mig—"
"I want you," Draco interrupted. "You and only you. From now until forever."
Leolin heart felt like it was being squeezed it a vice, and it made her breathless and nauseous.
"You love me that much?" Gen purred, kissing Draco. "Why don't you show me, then?"
Leolin listened in agony as they kissed with vigour.
"Get out of those sinful knickers and get on the bed," Draco breathed, and Leolin yanked the extendable ear away at once, standing up and immediately going to the other side of the room. Even without the ear, she could hear Gen's breathy sighs intensifying. It became unbearable when she could hear Draco breathing heavily and groaning as well.
Earlier Leolin had been so ebullient that she felt like she had wings. Now it was as if her legs and arms were filling with lead, and it was difficult to stand at all. She wished she hadn't heard any of that. She was breathless with anxious energy as she paced the room. She couldn't go tonight. She couldn't bear to dress up and smile and stomach whatever overbearing overtures Max Brankovitch was sure to make. She needed to make an excuse and stay home. However, before she could truly wallow in this sensation, the door that joined her room to Draco and Gen's swung open. So much for it always being locked.
"Hey, I—Merlin, Lefevre!" Draco chided, taking her in. She noticed the flush in his cheeks and she forced down a lump in her throat.
"Why aren't you dressed yet?"
"Oh," Leolin fumbled. "I—um—sorry. I was on the floo with a friend from Florence. I guess I lost track of time."
Her hand instinctually went to her throat, cradling the pleasant weight of the lock. He scrutinized her, tilting his head to the side as he studied it.
"That pendant that you wear," he said, gesturing to it with his eyes. "Who gave you that?"
"Oh," Leolin said, surprised. The conversation she'd just overheard had put her in such a tailspin, and she couldn't muster up the cunning to be anything other than her vulnerably real self. "A friend."
He considered this.
"Male or female?"
"Female."
Was that relief she saw sparkling in his eyes? She had such trouble reading him these days.
"Is it supposed to be symbolic?" he asked in a serious voice.
"What, the lock? No, not particularly."
He continued to study her.
"Why are you so interested?" She said, fingering the pendant nervously.
He didn't flinch.
"You know damn well why," he said , quietly eyes glittering. "Why did you leave the one I gave you behind?"
She sighed.
Because your father ripped it off my throat.
"Because I knew it would be too painful to bring it with me."
He gave her another hard look before turning away. He groaned, driving his hands into his pompadour.
"Why are we even talking about this?" he demanded.
She shook her head, dragging her knees a little closer to her chest. She needed to buck up if she was going to gain any ground tonight.
"I'm not sure," she said evenly.
He shook his head.
"I was just sent in here to tell you that Genevieve and Ginevra are ready and waiting for you. The boys and I are going ahead to make sure we have a table. We'll meet you there."
She nodded her understanding.
"Sure, fine, see you in a bit then," she said, looking away from him.
It was too painful to meet his eye. He looked handsome as ever, and she could still hear his amorous groans as he'd driven into Gen earlier.
"Get up and get dressed," he said tightly, seemingly annoyed she was ignoring him.
"On it," she replied, not looking at him as she stood and turned towards her closet. She was dressed only in knickers again, and she could feel him drinking her in."See you there."
She closed the door, leaning on it heavily from the other side. He hadn't left yet, and it felt as if there were something else he wanted to say.
"Alright," he said tightly at last, giving the door a salutatory rap with his knuckles. "I hope you're ready to get fucked up."
Leolin waited until she was sure he was gone before stripping and stepping into a cocktail dress she'd bought in Italy. The fitted bodice was made black silk, and it yielded at the waist to a skirt made entirely of willowy black ostrich feathers. It might have sounded absurd, but Leolin knew it looked good. For one, the bodice clung to her large, shapely breasts, and the hem high mid-thigh, showing off her creamy legs. Still, it wasn't so provocative as to invite attention. That wasn't to say that she wouldn't receive it, she knew she would, but at least this dress didn't say "come hither".
"I'm ready," she called, hurrying down the stairs. "Let's go."
"Let's do a shot first," Gen said, holding up a bottle of tequila. "To start the mood off right."
Leolin knew what Gen was doing. Leolin would be more prone to bad behaviour if she was drunk.
"I didn't peg you as a tequila drinker," Leolin admitted to Gen, who smiled.
"I know I seem boring," she said, smoothing her painfully simply cocktail dress. It was once again cap-sleeved and sheer on top, the soft mesh yielding to a simple black bodice. It was, as always, knee-length. "But I can be fun too, I swear."
"Alright," Leolin said, unwilling to cower. "Let's do it."
"I'm in," Ginny said. "Lai, do yo—are those ostrich feathers? Are you wearing ostrich feathers tonight?"
"I am indeed," Leolin said proudly, smiling at both girls. "Shall we?"
They clinked glasses and tipped the golden liquid down their throats before each sucking a lime.
Leolin fought off a shudder; she hated tequila.
"Leolin," Gen said, smiling warmly. "You look magnificent in that dress. Honestly, you're a vision."
"Thanks," Leolin said meekly, already steeling herself for whatever was coming next.
"I'll do my best to make Max behave," Gen said, giving a pretty laugh. "But I'm going to have a devil of a time."
It was clear she intended to do the exact opposite and sic Max on Leolin like he was an attack dog. Leolin fought bitterly not to roll her eyes or say something smart. She reminded herself that she needed to be above it all.
"Right," Ginny said, obviously growing impatient. "Let's go already."
Okay," Gen said, smiling and grabbing her clutch. "We ready?"
"I already hate this," Ginny muttered to Leolin before Gen wrapped an arm around both of them and apparated them away.
They arrived a second later in front of a swanky-looking club, and Gen only smiled at the bloke at the door before they sauntered in. The interior was decorated like a lavish circus, and everywhere they looked was gold silk and glittering tiles. It was as if the whole place had been dipped in gold.
"What do you think?" Gen asked sinfully, smirking as they received solicitations from almost everyone they passed.
"Let's go find the boys," Ginny simply in response, seemingly ill-at ease.
They spotted Blaise first, and he gave a rare smile.
"Ginevra Weasley," he said in appreciation as he hoisted her off her feet, making her laugh. "Why are you so gorgeous?"
She laughed again, her sour mood forgotten.
"Thank you, darling."
"I love you," he replied, kissing her.
She laughed a third time and playfully pushed him away.
"Merlin, Blaise, you're embarrassing me!"
"I don't care!" he said. "Kiss me again or I'll stand on the bar and make a scene."
"Enough already," Draco said, rolling his eyes as Gen came to his side. "Hello, darling."
"Hello," she cooed, kissing him as well before appraising him. "I love when you wear these," Gen said, indicating his glasses. "There are so hopelessly stylish on you. Don't you think so, Leolin?'
She turned her warm yet ultimately caddy gaze on Leolin.
"Hum?" Leolin said dumbly. She had admittedly stopped listening.
"Don't you think Drake looks gorgeous in his glasses?"
His eyes glittered from behind them as he took in Leolin's fitted dress and glossy hair.
"Umm," she fumbled, trying not to flush. Gen had a wicked nose for blood. "Uh, yeah, I guess?"
"Knock it off, Gen," Ginny said, giving her a stern look.
"Oh, I'm sorry Leolin!" Gen said in a sweet, penitent voice. "You know I wasn't trying to put you on the spot!"
Leolin gave Gen an extremely cool look to indicate she hadn't been fooled. She then gave a charming laugh.
"Enough chit-chat," she said, raising an eyebrow at Ginny and biting her lip in mock wantoness. "Let's get drunk."
"Here here!" Ginny cried, taking Leolin hand as they made their way to the bar.
"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Leolin growled. "I don't want to play a sodding game of tug of war!"
"That was weird," Ginny agreed. "Though now that it's just us, I think we both have to admit that Drake does look fucking fantastic in those frames."
Leolin rolled her eyes so she wasn't forced to either lie or agree.
"Just saying," Ginny said, shrugging.
"Well don't just say or I'll tell Blaise!"
"Tell him!" Ginny laughed, sticking out her tongue. "He's made peace with the fact I think Draco is very attractive."
"Why don't you go play tug of war with Gen then?" Leolin laughed.
Ginny wrinkled her nose.
"I'm not attracted to him!" Ginny said in mock disgust. "Bleh! But it's not like Blaise and I never talk about this sort of thing. He thinks you're beautiful; doesn't mean he wants to shag you."
"Thank Merlin," Leolin said dramatically as they approached the bar.
When the barmen turned around, Leolin's eyes glittered and the smile slipped off her face. She raised an imperious eyebrow.
"Jaime Quinn," she said evenly, eying in the bartender from The Emerald Crocodile. "You slick bastard."
"Well, well, well, " Jaime said, leaning over the bar and smirking sinfully at her. He didn't fail to eye her breasts hungrily even though she wore a high neckline.. "If it isn't my favourite little Slytherin princess."
His eyes flicked to Draco as he sauntered up, Gen tucked underneath his arm.
"And look, she's even brought her erstwhile prince!"
"How are you, Quinn?" Draco said tightly. "It's been an age."
Jaime smiled blithely, reaching over to shake Draco's hand. Draco had never much cared for Jaime, and Jaime bloody well knew it.
"Much better now that's you've brought Leolin Lefevre into my bar. Five years is a long time, Lefevre," Jaime pointed out. "Where's my proper greeting?"
Leolin, already over Jaime's attention, rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, Lefevre!" He goaded, tapping his cheek.
"Merlin, Lai, just do it," Ieuan said. "I need a drink!"
She avoided Draco's gleaming gaze and leaned over the bar as Jaime turned his cheek to receive a kiss. However, he moved at the last minute, catching her off-guard and pressing a hot, open-mouth kiss her lips. She jerked away at once, wiping her lips against the back of her hand.
"Oh fuck you, Quinn," she snapped irritably.
Gen also came to her defense, and for once it seemed somewhat genuine.
"That wasn't very gentlemanly," Gen said reprovingly.
Jaime shrugged, undaunted.
"I saw an opportunity and I took it. Can't say I'm sorry about that."
"I bet you aren't," Blaise drawled, annoyed.
"Once a Slytherin, mate," Jaime said, shrugging again. "Now where were we? Ah yes, I was fixing this enchanting soul a drink."
He winked at Leolin and she responded by turning away, nonplussed.
"Gi—" she began, but he cut her off, already measuring liquor into a shaker.
"Gin martini, right?" he said, eyes glittering. "Good to know you haven't changed entirely, angelfish."
"You know me so well," she said, deadpan.
"I'd like to know you a whole lot better," Jaime purred.
"You know damn well that I'm not that type of girl, Jaime," she sneered.
He stopped for a second to lean forward and give a Cheshire grin.
"And yet I don't see Malfoy's ring on that finger anymore," he said a little more seriously, raising his eyebrows. "From where I'm standing, it's a whole new dawn."
Leolin knew this game well, and she simply sneered and said nothing. It was an old Slytherin trick: Jaime didn't necessarily want anything from Leolin nor did he have any particular reason to antagonize Draco; he was simply goading them in the hopes of stirring up trouble. No one loved trouble like a Slytherin. She turned away to signal she was bored of his tripe.
"Quinn," Ginny said, annoyed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're insufferable?"
"Many times," he smiled, going back to making Leolin a drink. "But insults have always rolled right off my back."
"Probably because you're so fucking oily," Draco said in a dry voice.
"Rubber and glue, Malfoy," Jaime grinned.
"So," Jaime said, handing Leolin her martini. "What brings you lot to Charleston?"
"Can't imagine how that's any of your business," Blaise pointed out.
"But…?" Jaime prompted, clearly dissatisfied with that non-answer.
"We're on holiday," Ginny said, annoyed. "Is that alright with you?"
"Certainly!" Jaime said, grinning. "No need to get defensive, Ginevra my angel."
"I think the better question is why are you here," Ieuan pointed out.
Jaime shrugged.
"I like it here. It suits me. Now, what can I get the rest of you fine ladies and gentlemen?"
"How about those shots you used to make Pansy Parkinson," Blaise said, raising his eyebrows.
"Good choice, Zabini," Jaime said in response, setting out twelve shot glasses and retrieving several bottles of phosphorescent liquor.
"There's only six of us," Bird pointed out, and Gen too looked questioningly up at Draco. He winked devilishly in response.
"Hush now, little Bird," Jaime said, glancing up at him. "Or should I say, Big Bird. Merlin, you got tall."
"Oh my days," Ginny said, her voice a mix between a laugh and a groan. "Is this the fire and ice?"
Fire and Ice was a concoction Jaime had made up when he was tending at The Em. It had become so popular that many of the London bars had began to offer them as well.
"Ten points to Gryffindor," Jaime said delightedly. "I do hope none of you girls are pregnant," he laughed, preparing to set the first glasses alight.
It felt like everyone looked at Leolin for this.
"Why are you all looking at me?" she demanded. "I'm the only single one here."
Jaime wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.
"That's not much of an answer, is it, Malfoy?"
Draco gave Jaime an imperious frown, not even bothering to look at Leolin.
"He's got a point, Lefevre."
She huffed.
"Not that it's any of you lot's bloody business, but no, obviously not."
Gen gave pretty smile, blushing as if the question had actually embarrassed her.
"I'm not," Gen affirmed, glancing shyly up at Draco. "Not yet, anyways."
He gave her a wink. Children were one of his weak spots and she obviously knew it.
"Ginny?" Leolin said pointedly,
Ginny laughed.
"Would I be drinking this poison if I was?"
"Alright, boys and girls," Jaime said, as their glasses caught alight. "Fire first, then the ice. It hits hard and fast, so buckle up."
They each grabbed a glass, tipping the liquid fire down their throats before dousing it with ice. Leolin felt the familiar dichotomy of hot and cold sliding down her throat, and she shuddered a little as it tingled in her fingers and toes.
"Ooooh shit!" Blaise said, laughing a little and shuddering as well. 'That brings back a lot of fond memories."
"Ugh," Ginny said, laughing too. "It reminds me of the night stupid Jaime made us do like six!"
Leolin avoided Draco's gaze. Ginny was talking about the night Leolin and Draco had gotten engaged.
Jaime gave a little bow.
"I was trying to foster true love," Jaime said, gesturing to Ginny and Blaise. "Looks like it worked. Well, half worked, I suppose."
He glanced at Draco and winked. Draco, for his part, looked ready to throttle him.
"Sorry mate," Jaime continued, a devious smile twinkling in his eyes. "I'm a wizard, not a miracle worker. Maybe they'll bring you better luck for your next wedding."
"For Slytherin's sake," Blaise groaned. "Knock it off already, Quinn."
"My apologies ladies," he said to Leolin and Gen.
They both huffed.
"What in the actual hell is in these?" Ieuan asked.
Jaime laughed. "Better not to ask, Big Bird."
"My scalp is tingling!" Gen said in a breathy half-laugh. "Is that normal?"
"Totally," Draco said, smirking. "That's how you know it's working."
"Can I get you lot something else?" Jaime asked, clearing the glasses and already easing a vodka martini into Ginny's hand.
As shitty of a person as he was, he was an equally excellent bartender.
Leolin took a sip of her own martini. The fire and ice was starting to hit, and it made her feel bold. She ought to slow down; gin had the ability to turn boldness to recklessness rather quickly.
Finally, Jaime turned to Gen.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Jaime Quinn."
He extended a hand. She eyed it for a moment before slipping her hand into his.
"Genevieve Beauchene," she said somewhat tersely, probably for Draco's benefit.
"Genevieve," Jaime said in a wicked voice. "What a gorgeous name. What can I get you, Genevieve my dove?"
"A gin martini as well," Gen said.
"Both gin drinkers," Jaime said, raising his eyebrows at Draco. "Very interesting."
He slid Gen's drink to her, and she took a sip.
"It's good," she said, giving a small laugh. "Strong."
"I believe that's their charm. Ask Draco about what my gin martinis can do to a girl. You know better than most, don't you, Malfoy?"
Draco only smiled nastily at Jaime, looping an arm around Gen's waist. "I don't have to tell her," Draco said. "I'll just show her later."
"I'll drink to that," Jaime said, rising a glass to Leolin.
Now that she was tipsy, it was harder for her to not outwardly react. However, she knew Jaime would be waiting for that, and she simply touched her martini to his, making the crystal sing.
"Here's to gin-drinkers."
"Quite," he replied, still watching her intently.
"I'm already feeling it," Ginny admitted, a flush in her cheeks. "Let's go sit down!"
"Agreed," Gen said, looking lovingly at Draco. Leolin could tell she was feeling extremely smug right now. "Nice to meet you, James."
"Genevieve," Jaime purred. "The pleasure was all mine." He turned to Leolin. "Lefevre, good to know that some things just get better with age."
Leolin gave him her best Slytherin smile in response.
"Have a good night, Quinn," Draco said pointedly, jerking his head at Leolin as if to ensure she didn't stay and talk to Jaime.
"I don't need a babysitter, Malfoy," Leolin pointed out, glancing back at Jaime as if she were actually interested.
"I'm not babysitting," he amended. "I'm making sure that you don't embarrass yourself. Or worse, me."
The rest of the group was ten or so feet ahead of them now, and Leolin tried to ignore the gazes of the men she passed, all of whom were looking for an excuse to talk to her. One bloke was quicker than the rest, and he was sliding in front of her immediately, blocking her path.
"You have the most incredible brown eyes I've ever seen," he charmed.
"My eyes are blue," Leolin pointed out, though she still smiled at the bloke.
Three, two, one…
"Shove off, mate, she's not interested," Draco snapped, inserting himself between them.
"Who are you? Her boyfriend?"
"I'm her brother. Now shove off."
"You don't look like siblings."
Draco didn't miss a beat.
"She's adopted."
"I just wanted—"
"I will gauge out your eyes if I catch you looking at her again. Understood?"
The man shrugged irritably and turned away, and Leolin scowled at Draco.
"What did you do that for?" she snapped, despite the fact she had zero interest in pursuing a conversation with the bloke. "I can bloody well take care of myself!"
"I'm not going to listen to you fuck like a bunny all night," he said evenly.
"You and I both know I'm not that type of girl," she sneered. "And I could to say the same to you."
"I don't know what type of girl you are these days," Draco said. "And to be perfectly honest with you, I don't really care."
"Oh fuck off," she snapped.
They'd reached their friends now, and they split in different directions, sitting as far as possible from one another. Leolin ended up next to an empty seat, and she bit her lip in veiled annoyance. She had a sneaking suspicion Gen had orchestrated it like that.
"What was in that drink?" Gen demanded, laughing.
"Nobody really knows," Draco said, sinking on the low couch and pulling her into his lap. "I think that's sort of their charm."
"I can't decide if that's exciting or disturbing," she mused.
"We've been drinking them for years and no one's died yet," Blaise mused.
"Yet," Ieaun laughed.
"There is a reason I haven't had one of those in years," Leolin said, still shuddering a little.
"Yes," Draco said in a clipped tone. "It's because you hadn't been to London in half a decade."
"They don't have these in…" Gen began. "Where was it you went, Leolin? Geneva?"
Leolin could tell Gen was annoyed Draco brought up Leolin's absence, and she wanted to remind him that Leolin had ran off to Switzerland with another bloke.
"I was in Florence and Rome," Leolin said evenly, trying to be diplomatic. "And no, they didn't."
"Let's talk about something else," Ginny said, smiling. "This conversation is boring."
"What is it that you want to talk about then, my love?" Blaise asked, kissing her neck.
He was already buzzed, Leolin could tell.
"I don't know," Ginny laughed. "Let's talk about hippogryffs!"
"What about them?" Draco said, smirking.
"I don't know," Ginny said, laughing again. "They're weird!"
"Are sphinxes real?" Ieuan cut in. "I've always wondered that."
"Yeah, they are!" Leolin said. "Harry had to face one in the TriWizard Tournament!"
"What are they like?" Gen pressed, interested.
"Nothing you'd want to tangle with, I'm sure."
"Please," Draco said. "All they want to do is tell riddles. Not exactly the stuff of nightmares."
"Yeah," Ginny said. "Unless you get one wrong and they tear you to bits and eat you raw."
"That's easy, then," Draco said. "Just don't get any wrong."
"Fine, if you think you're so slick, answer a riddle right now," Blaise challenged.
Draco shrugged and adjusted his glasses self-importantly. He looked expectantly at Blaise.
"I don't have any!"
"I do," Ieuan said excitedly. "A leathery snake with a stinging bite. I stay coiled up. Unless I must fight."
"A whip," Draco said almost instantly. "Next."
"That was too easy, Birdie!" Ginny chided.
"You have a better one?" he said in challenge.
"As a matter of fact," she said, turning to Draco. "You hear it speak, for it has a hard tongue. But it cannot breathe, for it has not a lung."
He narrowed his eyes are her. She raised her eyebrows in return.
"It has a hard tongue," Draco said aloud to himself. "And it makes noise. What inanimate thing has a tongue besides shoes?" He considered then laughed. "A bell."
"Damnit!" Ginny said.
"That was admittedly a good one," he said.
"It still only took you about a minute," Gen pointed out.
"Well I'm just that good, darling," he said, tilting his head up so she could kiss him.
"Our children are going to be geniuses."
His smirk grew and Leolin had to fight not to sneer. He raised his eyebrows sinfully.
"I know."
"I have one," Leolin interrupted, unable to bear Gen and Draco any longer.
"Go on then," Draco said, eyes sliding from Gen to Leolin.
"Today I'll trip you up and I'll torture you tomorrow, yet I'm also there to ease the pain when you're lost in grief and sorrow."
Draco's eyes glittered as they danced across her lovely face. She was a match for his intellect and he knew it.
"You think you're pretty clever, don't you, Lefevre?"
There was no malice in his voice. In fact, those who knew him well enough would be able to detect the admiration. Leolin glanced at Gen. Clearly she didn't know him as well as she thought because she was smiling.
"About as clever as you think you are, I'd imagine," she shrugged. "So yeah, pretty fucking clever."
Ieuan laughed.
"You have no fucking clue, do you Drake?"
"He doesn't!" Ginny laughed. "He totally doesn't!"
Leolin raised her eyebrows and smiled at the group before casually taking a sip of her drink. She had to admit that she was somewhat surprised he hadn't at least made a guess. The answer was in no way beyond his intellectual grasp.
However, when she looked at him she understood why, and she no longer felt like grinning. His face remained insouciant, but he couldn't quite keep the pain out of his eyes.
For Draco, that answer to the riddle could easily have been Leolin herself. Her return had tripped him up and would likely continue to torture him with every passing day. Still, she had always been the ultimate balm for his grief and sorrow, and Leolin knew he would never in a million years be able to forget just how good that solace felt. She certainly hadn't.
"Good thing Leolin isn't a sphinx, darling," Gen laughed raking her nails through his hair. "She would be tearing you to bits right now!"
She must have been a little tipsy, too. She wouldn't normally have teased Draco about his pride.
"At least give him a hint, Lai," Blaise said.
"Alright," Leolin said, taking another sip. "This is something Draco of all people should know about."
Draco's eyes hardened. Fuck, she hadn't thought about the way that was going to come out. It only made it worse, and she felt cruel. She hoped Draco didn't think she was doing it on purpose, though she was sure he probably did.
"That was actually two clues," Leolin said, smiling. "In fact, the answer is literally staring you lot in the face!"
"I have no clue," Ginny said before taking a swallow of vodka.
"It's alcohol," Leolin laughed. "Merlin, you lot are already tripped up!"
"Clever," Draco said, having regained some control. "Very, very clever."
His eyes were still drinking her in, and she thought he might have been remembering how she'd taken care of him when Cormac McLaggen had almost killed him. Clearly eager to stop reliving the past, Draco turned back to Gen.
"You know what else are kids are going to be?" he said, and Leolin knew he was only bringing it up again to hurt her.
"What?" Gen giggled.
"Gorgeous," he said sinfully.
"Gag," Ginny said. "Stop talking about children. It's freaking me out."
"We'll just talk about it when you're not around, then," Draco said, kissing Gen's neck.
"Watch your hands, Malfoy."
"Ashley!"
Gen jumped up, hugging her cousin while Ginny and Leolin frowned at her uncharacteristic shriek.
"How excited can she really be?" Ginny demanded. "I mean, she saw the guy less than eight hours ago!"
"Let's play a game tonight and see how many things Gen overdramatizes," Leolin said, clinking glasses with Ginny.
"Ooh! Yeah, that's fun!" Ginny said. "You have to drink every time she blows something out of proportion!"
"We are going to be legless," Leolin said, and they both laughed.
Leolin looked up at Gen's maternal cousin Ashley Benton, who Ginny had told her was from money as old as the South itself. Of course, that was nothing to people like Leolin, who could trace her Welsh lineage back to a Roman conqueror who first settled in Britannia 1000 years before the Age of Merlin. However, Leolin supposed by America Standards, Benton's "old" money made him a big deal.
For cousins, Gen and Ashley looked nothing alike, both though they were both willowy and blonde. However, his eyes were a chilly blue, and unlike Gen, he was clearly a natural blonde. He was wearing a light gray suit with loafers and no socks, and the shirt underneath is light pink.
" Is it wrong that I hate him already?" Leolin whispered to Ginny.
"Why does everything they wear have to be in a pastel?" Ginny replied.
"This is my cousin Ashley," Gen announced, looking lovingly up at him. "Ashley, you know my Draco of course, and this is his best man Blaise and Blaise's fiancée Ginevra That's Leolin beside her, and—"
She turned to Bird.
"—Ieuan," he finished for her. "It's Welsh for John."
Gen laughed.
"You never told me that! I could have just been calling you John this whole time!"
Leolin and Ieuan, who were both Welsh, shared an annoyed look.
"You could just call me Bird," Ieuan pointed out.
"Whatever for?" Gen said.
Again, he looked at her expectantly.
"It's my last name?"
Gen laughed again.
"Oh," Gen said dolefully, as if she'd accidentally kicked Ieuan's dog. "I didn't know that."
She looked with Draco with pleading eyes for support.
"I don't know I ever mentioned it," he supplied easily, taking a sip of his drink.
Leolin rolled her eyes internally. That was a bullshite cop-out. There was no way Draco hadn't told Gen; he barely ever called Ieuan anything else. In fact, they'd been calling him Bird all night.
"My," Gen said. "I'm sorry, I must be drunk already."
"Charmed, y'all," Ashley said in an accent just like Gen's.
"Ashley,darling, come sit down," Gen urged. "Where's Brank?"
Just then a brawny, dark-haired man appeared, clapping Ashley on the back and grinning at Gen.
"Maximus!" Gen squealed.
"Drink," Leolin and Ginny muttered in unison, each taking a huge swallow of their martinis.
"Hey sweethahrt," Max Brankovitch said, folding Gen under his arm. "Long time, no see!"
Max was clearly not from the South, though Leolin had no idea where he was from instead. He had a somewhat heavy regional accent, and his "a" sound came out as harsh "ahs"
He was as tall as Ieuan, probably approaching six foot five, though he was a great deal more muscular. His outfit was cartoonishly American in Leolin's opinion, though he wore it with such an air of confidence that it actually looked quite good. He was wearing a basic chambray button-up with a jean jacket over it and a blazer over that. His thick dark hair was pushed away from his face, and he had deep blue eyes not too different from Leolin's. Now he could pass for her brother.
"Max," Gen cooed. "I assume you know the boys already?"
"Of course. How are you, gentleman?" He said to Draco and Blaise, nodding and smiling. "Hey Birdie."
He ruffled Ieuan's hair, who sitting closest to him.
"This is Ginevra," she said, gesturing to Ginny.
"I know Weasley," Max said, smiling. "How are you?"
She smiled.
"Fine, thanks."
His eyes flicked to Leolin, and she could tell by the way he was sizing her up that he thought she was going to be easy prey. This annoyed her endlessly. She took a sip of her martini to signal that his appearance meant less than nothing to her.
"Unfortunately," he said, eying her with appreciation before smiling broadly. "The only person I don't know here is you, sweethaht. Who ahre you?"
Leolin gave him a small but decidedly unenthusiastic smile.
"Leolin," she said.
"Leolin?" he repeated, his eyes flicking from her to Gen to Draco and back. "As in, 'Draco's' Leolin'?"
She hazarded a look at Gen, who wore a blithe yet threatening smile.
"Don't be silly, Max," Gen protested, winking at Leolin. "That's ancient history and you know it."
"Glad to here it," Max admitted bluntly, and Gen gave an overly-exuberant laugh, at which point Leolin and Ginny simply clinked glasses and took a drink without even looking at each other. "In that case," he said, sinking into the coincidentally empty seat next to her. "I have to know everything about you."
She placed her empty glass on the low table in from of her in an effort to escape his surrounding embrace.
"Not much to know, I'm afraid," she said blandly.
"Oh," Max said, giving her a wildly blatant up-down before biting his lip. "I don't believe that for a second."
"Gen," Ashley said, sitting as well. "Beau's also coming later. Keep an eye out for him, will you?"
Gen looked mildly alarmed. "You invited Beau," she snapped. "Why?"
Interesting, Leolin mused. Who was Beau? An ex-boyfriend, perhaps?
Ashley only laughed in response.
"He asked us what we were doing. Was I supposed to lie to the poor man?"
"Taylor's coming?" Brankovitch said, forgetting Leolin for the first time. "Good, I've been meeting to talk to him."
"He's a busy man these days," Ashley said cryptically.
"Don't I know it," Max replied.
"I though he was down in Atlanta," Gen said.
"He got back this morning. Was I wrong to invite him?" Ashley pressed Gen.
Gen's eyes flicked casually to Blaise before she looked back at Ashley and smiled.
"Of course not," she said genially. "The more the merrier. "So, Maximus," she said, seemingly eager to change the subject. "When did you get to town? It's been an age since I've seen you."
"You should come to Bahston more often then, Genny."
She gave a laugh.
"You know I don't like Boston," she said, leaning into Draco again. "I don't do well up North. Those Yankee girls can be so harsh."
"You're all Yanks to us," Ginny said dismissively, and Gen smiled to hide her obvious annoyance.
"Not in this part of the country," Gen kindly explained as if Ginny was stupid. "This is the Old Confederacy."
"In that case, long live the past," Ginny said in veiled irritation.
Leolin didn't know enough about American history to know what the Confederacy was or what it stood for, but something about what Gen had said was seriously agitating Ginny.
"I assume you're in town for the tournament?" Ginny asked.
"What tournament?" Leolin asked, and Max smiled.
"It's a three-day quidditch tournament between six teams of the best British players, amateur and professional, and six American ones," Max explained, eager to have her attention. "I think it's technically about charity, but we all know what it's really about."
"Of course," Ieuan said in a falsely self-important tone. "It's about proving that lanky Welshmen make the best seekers."
"Is that so?" Max said, smiling. "How's Portree treating you, Birdie?"
"It's a rebuilding year," Ieuan replied.
"You have some of the best players in the world," Max said. "You should have been better last season."
Max turned back to Leolin.
"I'm surprised you didn't know about the tournament. The four of us are all playing in it."
He meant the boys.
"Tons of other professional and amateur players, too."
"I find it profoundly annoying that out of the two of us," Ginny said, gesturing to her and Blaise. "I am the only one that has played professional quidditch, and yet he gets to play in my place because I don't have a nob!"
"Well this is South Carolina," Gen said to Leolin. "So of the tournament is Boys' Club, but it's tons of fun," she assured her. "Ladies wear big hats and everyone dresses in black and white. It's like a three-day garden party. You'll love it."
"You're going, aren't you, Leolin?" Max asked too eagerly. "I bet you look sinful in white."
Leolin could imagine Draco clenching his jaw even though he was behind her. That had always been his contention about Leolin in white as well.
"It would be awfully ironic if I did," she pointed out, and Max laughed.
"I love irony," he said, his powerful quad touching hers. She shifted her legs again to indicate she didn't appreciate him invading her personal space.
"But maybe I won't go on moral grounds," Leolin said, knowing that would annoy Gen. "Ginny's right; it's not fair she shouldn't be allowed to play just because she's a woman. She's an amazing chaser!"
"Speaking of which," Max said. "I meant to tell you Weasley, you were fantastic against Ireland in the World Cup last year. You really gave them a run for their money."
"If only if weren't for Kelly Troy!" she said, laughing. "We would have had them."
Max shrugged, smiling. "Kelly's one of the best players to ever fly," he said. "There's no shame in losing to him. Speaking of, have you boys seen him yet? I'm sure he's down here already."
"He got here yesterday," Ieuan said. "I flooed him earlier and told him and Cara to come out for a drink. I doubt he will, though. He's not really much for America."
"Should have told him Lefevre was with us," Blaise said, his drinking loosening his tongue. "Then he definitely would have come."
"What makes you say that?"
Max looked at Blaise keenly, and Blaise bubbled his lips.
"He fell madly in love with her one summer," Ginny said, drunk as well. "And he was still in love with her three years later."
"He was not in love with me," Leolin amended hastily. "And that was eight years ago."
Nothing set Draco off faster than Kelly Troy, and she didn't want to go down that road. From the sound of it, Kelly was married now, and she wanted to be happy from him at a safe distance. Kelly had, like Draco, always occupied a special place in her heart, and in another world, she was his.
"Oh my Merlin! Yes he was!" Blaise said. "He used to give you these ridiculous googly eyes. Honestly, it was enough to make you sick."
"You only saw us together once the whole summer we dated," Leolin snapped. "And that was the night I practically ruined Kelly's life because I'm horrid and he's amazing. I never deserved him, and I don't want to talk about it."
"Ooh, there a story there," Max said, eyebrows raised.
"Yes," Draco sneered. "And it's also none of your goddamn business."
"Relax, Malfoy," Max laughed. "I was fucking kidding."
"No, I think I have to agree with Z here," Ieuan said, changing the subject. "Kelly still asks about you sometimes, Lai, and he seemed happy to hear you were back."
"I thought he was married!" Ginny said, and Ieuan shrugged.
"Listen, darling, just because there's a keeper—"
"No!" Leolin said hurriedly. "The Kelly chapter of my life was lovely, but it's also finished. I'm only writing new chapters now."
She glanced at Max then looked away when his smile widened. Ugh, why were men so damn easy to manipulate?
Draco had been ostensibly silent during this conversation, though he took the opportunity to change the subject when it arose.
"Should we do another shot?" he said kissing Gen's neck, and nudging her off his lap.
"Absolutely," Max said, and Draco conjured eight shot glasses and filled them with the vodka that had been chilling on the table.
"What should we drink to?" Ashley said.
"Let's drink to new chapters," Max said pointedly, and Leolin flushed.
"I say we keep it simple," Blaise replied. "to getting fucked up."
"Here, here!" Ginny said, and they all threw their heads back before slamming the glasses down.
Just then, one of the floos lying on the table began to emitting a violet smoke, signaling there was an incoming call. Not knowing whose it was, Leolin simply picked it up and answered it.
"What the fuck, Lefevre?" Draco said without malice. He'd obviously relaxed considerably with the booze. "That's mine."
"Shh! I'm on the floo!" she said a little drunkenly, making Ginny laugh. "Hello?"
Leolin listened for a moment before smiling broadly.
"Ah! Comment allez-vous? It's good to hear your voice, too."
"Who is it?" Draco hissed, as they all fought not to laugh.
Leolin covered the flame so she could loudly whisper, "It's your mum."
"Give me the floo, woman!"
Leolin batted his hand away.
"Non," she said, speaking to Narcissa again. "Il est là. voulez-vous lui parler? Draco," she said finally, making Ginny and Blaise laugh outright. "She's asking for you."
Draco rolled his eyes, snatching the floo away and smiling in spite of himself as he stood.
"I'll be right back," he whispered to Gen, kissing her before straightening. "Oui, maman? qu'est-ce que vous avez besoin?"
Gen turned her eyes to Leolin, smiling politely.
"You have to teach me to do that," Gen said. "Clearly she loves you."
"I assure you she doesn't," Leolin said mildly.
"I'm going to get another bottle," Blaise said, standing as well. "I will be right back."
He disappeared into the throng, and no sooner had he left than Ashley was standing and waving someone over.
A lithe man in tight jeans and cowboy boots appeared, and Gen grudgingly rose to greet him when he arrived, her eyes flitting nervously to Ginny before she gave the newcomer a sparkling smile. This must be Beau, Leolin surmised.
"Hello angel," he said, hugging her. "You look beautiful as ever. Where's the fiancée?"
"Beau, as always, you're too much" she said diplomatically, carefully peeling his arms away from her sides. Definitely an ex-boyfriend. "And he's on the floo. Don't worry, he'll be right back. "
"Brank," Beau grinned, clapping his friend on the back as they embraced. "Long time, no see. How's the North, General?"
Beau had an even heavier accent that Gen, and all his "oh" sounds came out as "ah".
It was oddly similar to the way Max sounded, though Beau spoke much slower, making his vowels languid where Max's were staccato.
"Good to see you, Beau!" Max said, smiling and shaking the newcomer's hand. "I've been meaning to floo you."
Beau nodded, and they shared a solemn gaze.
"Of course, General. We'll talk later."
What was that about? Leolin wondered. It seems a trifle more serious than a mere social call.
"Beau," Gen said, clearly aware of what Beau and Max were talking about but not wanting to draw attention to it. "These are my friends Leolin and Ginevra," she finished.
Beau's eyes swept over Leolin in boredom before settling on Ginny. They glittered as they drank her in, and he immediately sank into the spot Blaise had been occupying.
"Lovely to meet you Ginevra," he said intently, extending a hand and silently requesting permission to kiss hers.
He ignored Leolin outright.
Despite the fact that he was sitting to her right, Ginny extended her left to him instead, her resplendent canary diamond flashing almost as brightly as her eyes.
"Charmed," she said flippantly, but he wasn't to be deterred.
His brush a soft kiss on her knuckles right next to her ring, and she softly jerked her hand away, her patience waning.
"So," he said. "Ginevra. Where is your fiancée? If I had a girl as pretty as you, I'd never leave her side."
"He just stepped out," Ginny said in a curt tone. "He'll be back in a minute."
"Leave her alone," Gen said sweetly, touching Beau's arm in an effort to divert his unwanted attention. "She's not interested."
"That's a damn shame," Beau said candidly, smiling at Ginny as if they were old friends sharing a joke.
Just then, Blaise reappeared, holding the bottle and frowning a little. Gen seemed to tense, and Beau drew out three American galleons and extended them to Blaise.
"Thanks, boy."
Blaise frowned.
"Why are you offering me that?"
Beau shrugged and pocketed the money before smiling at Ginny again and looking up at Blaise.
"You can just put that down and run along now."
"Excuse me?"
Blaise looked at Ginny, who was scowling at Beau as she came to stand next to Blaise, accepting the bottle from him and kissing him softly on the mouth. However, he was distracted by Beau, who was now scrutinizing the couple with a smirk on his face.
"So you're Ginevra's fiancée?" He said, his smile condescending. "Fascinating."
"Does that surprise you?" Blaise demanded coolly as his grip on Ginny tightened.
"Well, yes, I suppose it does," Beau said, still smiling. "Forgive me for saying so, but you two make an…odd couple."
"Not forgiven," Leolin spat, glaring at Gen.
So this was why she hadn't wanted Beau to come. Draco wouldn't be pleased.
"I don't see why," Blaise countered, growing agitated.
Beau gave a soft laugh, standing as well.
"C'mon boy," Beau said. "You and I both know why."
"Don't you dare call me that," Blaise snapped. "And are you really going to stand here and imply I shouldn't be with her because colour of my skin?"
Blaise's jade eyes glittered hatefully, though no more so than Beau's, whose Southern charm had begun to fade into something a little more sinister.
"I mean no disrespect, of course, but in this corner of the world, that's not how we do things."
"I wouldn't know," Blaise spat. "I come from a corner that's much older and more powerful."
"Gentleman please," Ashley said in a mild voice. "Let's not spoil things by fighting."
"Stay out of this," Blaise snapped dangerously before pointing an accusatory finger at Beau. "I would have happily killed you for the way you were looking at Ginny," he sneered, drawing his wand. "But now I'm going to peel the skin from your flesh and barbecue you at a low heat."
"I'd love to see you try, you nig—"
"What the fuck is going on here?"
Draco had just appeared, instinctually grabbing a lunging Blaise and hauling him roughly back as Ashley and Max moved to separate the two. Beau was strong, but Max was stronger, and the muscles in Beau's arms flexed as Max held him back.
Blaise struggled as Draco restrained him.
"What the Hell happened?" Draco demanded, grabbing Blaise by the collar.
"Get the fuck off me!" Blaise sneered, shoving Draco back several steps. "Ask your damn fiancée and her racist little friend."
"Blaise!" Ginny cried, rushing to his side and grabbing his wrist.
"Let go," he said in a soft voice, slipping out of her grip.
"Darling—" she began, but as soon as he was free of her touch he disappeared with a loud crack.
Ginny turned back to the rest of the group, tears of anger in her eyes.
"Fuck you," she snapped at Beau. "And thanks a lot." That was to Gen.
She headed towards the door, and immediately Leolin was on her feet to follow. Max grabbed her wrist before she could get to far.
"Wait! Will I see you again?"
"Not now!" she seethed, annoyed as she wrenched her wrist away.
She followed Ginny out onto the sprawling patio, where Ginny sat near the pool, smoking a cigarette and crying a little.
Leolin sat down next to her, taking a cigarette as well and igniting it with her floo. Ironically, it could still function as a lighter.
"Want to talk about it?" She asked after a drag, blowing the smoke skyward.
"I'm sorry," Ginny said, wiping her eyes. "I have no right to cry about this."
Leolin considered her sympathetically, touching her back.
"Is this why you didn't want to come to South Carolina?" Leolin asked, and Ginny nodded.
"I know that it's a gross generalization that all American Southerners are racist, and I know Blaise can take care of himself, but I—I can't stand the fact that someone would treat him that way over something so trivial! And it kills me that someday my children might have to go through something like that."
"I'm sorry," Leolin said soothingly. "That was hideous of him."
"No wonder Gen didn't want him to come," Ginny said, wiping at more tears. "She didn't want Draco to find out that Ashley's friends are racist."
She began to cry a little harder, and Leolin rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry," Ginny sobbed. "I'm being so selfish right now!"
"No, you aren't," Leolin assured her. "Go ahead and cry."
Ginny tipped her head onto the soft pillow of Ostrich feathers that made up Leolin's skirt, crying for several minutes. Finally, Draco appeared at the far end of the sprawling deck, his eyes finding them at once.
"Tell him to go away," Ginny said savagely. "He's the last fucking person I want to see right now."
Leolin eased Ginny's head down and stood, her tall heels clicking against the concrete as she met Draco in the middle.
"Let me talk to her," he demanded at once, and Leolin shook her head.
"She doesn't want to see you right now. Just give her a minute."
"Sod that," he said, skirting around him, but she grabbed his wrist.
It was the first time she'd touched him since the party at the Manor, and despite everything that was going on it still made her heart quicken.
"Drake," she said seriously. "I mean it. Leave her be. She'll talk to you when she's ready."
Draco seemed affected by Leolin's touch as well, and she could feel his heart rate elevating as her fingers held his pulse-point. Neither moved for a second.
"See you at home, then," he said, gingerly easing his wrist from her grasp. His fingers curled against hers for a millisecond before he let go, and her heart thundered in her chest"
"I—" she said, looking up at him. He gaze was keen as he waited for her to say something. "Yeah—," she said at last, turning back to look at Ginny. She was drunk. Best she didn't say something she would regret tomorrow. "See you there."
He nodded, turning on his heel and disappearing. Leolin and Ginny sat for a long in silence, both simply happy to be in the other's company. Finally, Leolin wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders.
"Should we go home?" Leolin said, smoothing some of Ginny's fire-kissed hair back and kissing her temple.
"Yeah," Ginny said miserably as she wiped her eyes again.
They stood.
"Ginevra."
Gin whipped around to see Blaise standing at the far side of the pool. She ran to him at once, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him fiercely. When she let go, he grabbed her cheeks, kissing her softly on the lips.
"I love you," he whispered, and she nodded. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" he murmured, pushing her curls back so he could kiss her again.
She nodded again, looking back to Leolin to ensure it was alright.
"It's fine," Leolin said, picking up Ginny's shoes and purse. "'I'll see you both at home."
With that, she disappeared, reappearing several seconds later in the living room of the beach house. The doors to the pool were open, letting in the crescendo of what Leolin surmised to be a rather nasty fight between Draco and Gen. They were both screaming at each other, and Gen continually stamped her foot like a small child.
"I told you already," Gen cried in frustration. "I had no idea Beau was coming until we were already there!"
"No!" Draco sneered. "That's not fucking good enough! You shouldn't even be friends with him, Genevieve. He's fucking hideous."
"He's not," Gen defended in her musical voice. He's just—he grew up in a different world. But I've known him all my life. I can't just cut him out because some of his views make you a little uncomfortable."
"Goddamnit, Genevieve, do not push me on this. I said get rid of him, so get rid of him, or I will."
"This is the South," she said solidly. "Not everyone is going to be as obliging about these sorts of things."
"Obliging?" Draco repeated incredulously. "This is a question basic human decency. It's the goddamn twenty-first century. Besides, Blaise is my best friend. I'm not going to stand by and let some snot you used to fuck disrespect him!"
"I think you're judging Beau too harshly," Gen defended. "He has good qualities, too. I know he's not perfect, but he's a good person deep down. I've known him since I was a child."
"Are you making excuses for him on the basis of his poor upbringing?" He said nastily. "Huh? BZZT! Try again, that answer doesn't work for me."
"He wasn't raised poorly," she snapped, her sweet charm beginning to fade. "His mother and father are lovely."
"No one is born with prejudices. It's a learned behaviour."
"I don't think Beau was trying to be racist. He was just jealous about—"
Draco was on her now, and he had her by the arm instantly, dragging her up so they were nose to nose.
"How dare you defend him against Blaise," Draco hissed. "I can barely stand to look at you right now."
She wrenched free of his grasp.
"I will tell him not to do it again," Gen said sullenly.
"No," Draco said. "I told you. I don't want you to see him. He insulted Blaise, and I know you were still sleeping with him when we first started dating.
"What I did before you is none of your concern!" She snapped.
He had her by the arm again.
"The hell it isn't. You're going to be my wife. Everything you've done concerns me."
She gave him a pretty little pout.
"Why should I give up friends when your slutty little past is sleeping in the next room?" Gen sniped savagely.
Draco relinquished his grip, shaking his head in disgust.
"You begged me to get Ginny here. Leolin was part of the compromise. Get over it."
"You didn't have to bring her along! You did it because you still can't get enough of her. Admit it."
"I'm not going to admit to something that isn't true," Draco pointed out. "And you're dead wrong about Leolin; I don't give a damn about her. In fact, I hate her. You of all people should know that."
This stung so badly that Leolin's knees felt weak and her mouth watered. She worried for a moment she might get physically ill.
"I'm sick of having to relive y'all's past," Gen cried. "That's all we've done since she showed back up."
"What you do want me to say?" Draco cried. "If I could change the past and erase Leolin from our lives, I would. But I can't, so stop being so paranoid and learn to accept her!"
"I shouldn't have to!" Gen said, in tears now. "Send her away!"
Draco growled in frustration.
"I can't do that!"
"Why not?" Gen begged. "How is this any different than me and Beau?"
"It is and you know it," Draco said fiercely. "If I ran Leolin off, Ginny and Ariadne would never forgive me. They're family to me, Genevieve! Can you said the same about that sodding twat Taylor?"
Gen stomped a heeled foot. "I'm not going to stop talking to Beau!" Gen cried petulantly. "Not until you get rid of Leolin once and for all."
"Genevieve, goddamnit—" Draco seethed, but she cut him off.
"And I'm spending the night at Ashley's."
"Don't you dare leave," Draco grit out quietly. "I am warning you."
"Why don't you go cry to your precious Leolin about it!"
"Genevieve—!"
crack!
She was gone.
"Goddamnit!" Draco screamed in frustration. He picked up a bottle of vodka and levitated it into the air. When he released the charm and it began to plummet, he obliterated it mid-air, showering powdered glass into the pool.
Leolin, who had absolutely zero desire to interact with Draco when he acted like this, moved to sneak upstairs. However, Draco sensed her presence and whipped around, his diamond eyes finding her form even in the semi-darkness.
"Don't just sneak off," he sneered. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Only the very end."
He said nothing and she thought she was off the hook, but his booming voice echoed back and ensnared her.
"Tonight is your fault, you know."
She stepped out onto the patio, crossing her arms.
"And how do you figure?" she snapped, hurt.
She could still feel the tingle of his fingers against hers.
"Gen only brought Beau to punish me for having you there."
"She didn't even know he was coming. I was there when Ashley told her. Besides, I didn't ask to come here. In fact, I would have been more than happy to stay home with my family. You are the one that dragged me into this, so excuse me if, for once, I bow out of playing the villainess!"
"Why?" he sneered caustically. "It was a role you were born to play."
She shook her head sadly.
"You and Gen just want it both ways, don't you?" she snapped, her hurt and anger boiling over. "You want to rub things in my face when they're good and blame me when they're not. I'm sick of it. Tonight had nothing to do with me, and deep down you know that."
"Everything has to do with you! That's the problem! We can't go two second without seeing Jaime Quinn slaver all over you or hearing about how much Kelly Troy loved you!"
"That's not my fault!" Leolin cried. "I had no idea we were going to see Jaime tonight, and I didn't ask him to air any of our history to Gen! As for Kelly, I wish for his sake he'd never met me, because thanks to you, I ripped his heart out!"
"That was all my fault, was it?" Draco sneered.
Leolin felt a fury towards Draco bubbling up that she hadn't experienced in a long time.
"You know it was," she sneered. "You orchestrated that whole encounter at the gala with the sole purpose of getting me to cheat on Kelly. You abused my feelings for you just so you could hurt me. You're lucky I even wanted to marry you after that!"
"Well, you obviously didn't want to marry me that much, or you wouldn't have run off with some bloke to Geneva!"
"That's not what happened!" She roared. "Not at all! And you can't keep holding this over me! It's not fair!"
"You ruined me," he seethed. "You don't get to be bitter now that I've moved on."
"You ruined me first," she spit back. "When you treated me like a whore out a jealousy and pride. I still forgave you."
"That was different," he growled, though she could see in his eyes he knew it wasn't.
She'd touched a nerve. She knew that he was wracked with guilt for what he'd done to her, and rightly so.
She shook her head again in disgust.
"I'm leaving. I hope you and Genevieve can find something to fight about in my absence."
"The Hell you are!" he snapped. "Get back here!"
"What for?" she said bitterly. "So you can punish me again? No, thank you. I'm done being tortured by you. Have a great fucking life."
"What?" He goaded, a cruel smile in his voice. "So you're just going to leave Ginny here all alone?"
Damnit. She'd forgotten about Ginny. She couldn't leave her; not after what happened tonight.
"Checkmate," he said grimly. "You're staying."
She turned back, coming toe-to-toe and glaring up at him, her expression equal parts anguish and fury. His eyes flashed dangerously as they drank her in, and his gaze once again dropped to her lips for a second before moving back to meet hers. It made her stomach clench to know sex was the only thing he still wanted from her.
"I really hate you sometimes," she admitted. "I hope you know that."
With that she turned to the stairs, leaving a seething Draco standing on the patio alone.
TRANSLATIONS
Doña Borgia se quisiera saber la razón por su visita-Mrs Borgia would like to know the reason for your visit.
Ah—por favor, dile que Leolin Lefevre le gustaría verla—Please tell Leolin Lefevre would like to see her."
Por favor, ven conmigo—Please come with me.
Lo siento, no estoy segura que—Sorry, I'm not sure what
Qué sorpresa! Ven aquí y siéntate—What a surprise! Come here and sit.