Another Guest

Author's note: Quite pointless chapter but necessary for the plot, I think.

As soon as Ginny had closed the door behind her, she let out a sigh of relief. For some really stupid, not to mention annoying, reason she couldn't fully concentrate whenever he was in the same room. At least this door created some sort of distance...

Wasn't it ironic? She'd come to Bill and Fleur's place, hoping to get a chance to clear her thoughts of Blaise Zabini.

And then he turns up. Of all places, he comes here after having been attacked by his own stepfather.

I wouldn't have come here if I had a choice.

Ginny pressed her lips together hard, forcing her whole body, soul and mind to ignore how much his words still hurt.

Why did he do this to her? Ever since their first conversation in Hogsmeade he'd always been around in some way or another and no matter how hard she tried to, she just couldn't hate him.

She couldn't see him for the self-absorbed, selfish and arrogant slytherin she knew he'd, at least in some ways, been for the past six years. Could three months of decent, maybe even good, behaviour excuse how he'd been acting for six long years? Hardly.

And the problem was that everybody but Ginny herself seemed to realize that. She covered her face in her hands, groaning slightly as she thought of what Hermione would have to say in a situation like this.

"Ginny, you know he's not good for you. Those slytherins... You'll only end up getting hurt!"

Ginny missed one of her best friends terribly, and what she imagined that Hermione would say if she knew about Blaise also happened to be true. She was hurt right now. He had a way of using words that cut right through her, made her feel as if she wanted to disappear. But what if there was a reason behind all of it?

She thought of his face expression when he'd arrived at Shell Cottage the night before. She thought of the look in his eyes when he told her what his stepfather had actually done. How hard it was for him.

If this was what he'd had to live with ever since his real father died six years ago, was it really that strange if he'd acted out and treated other students at Hogwarts like scum?

Listen to yourself. You're actually defending his bullying of you and your friends. Think of Neville, think of everything he's had to put up with. Is he acting like Zabini?

No, Ginny told herself firmly. I'm not saying that what he's been through is an excuse for his former behavior. But it might be a reason.

She desperately hoped that she was right.

And at least he'd talked to her, right? He'd trusted her enough to let her in and tell her about his family problems.

I wouldn't have come here if I had a choice.

Really?

Ginny sighed, slowly making her way away from Blaise's bedroom door and through the small corridor taking her to the stairs. She grimaced to herself. She knew very well that her brother and Fleur were down there, having breakfast in the kitchen, and she also knew that she owed them an explanation.

With one last look at the Blaise's door, she started to make her way downstairs.

She had to do this sooner or later, and as far as she was concerned it might as well be now.

How do you make a time line haha

Ginny cleared her throat slightly when entering the kitchen, as if to tell Bill and Fleur that she had arrived. Fleur, who sat with her back facing her sister-in-law, turned around quickly in her seat. Ginny couldn't help noticing that she looked slightly relieved at the sight of her.

Had she expected Blaise to be by her side? The bare thought of him sitting here, having breakfast with the rest of them, was laughable. But then again, so was him spending the night at Shell Cottage...

Ginny made her way over to the stove and grabbed the tea pot, avoiding Bill and Fleur's curious gazes while doing so. While pouring some of the hot liquid into a cup she desperately tried to come up with something good to say. But it was hopeless.

How could she possibly explain any of this?

"How is he?"

Ginny slowly turned around and, still standing by the stove, she told Bill:

"Uhm... better, I think. I guess that antidote potion really did its job"

With the way the two of them looked at her, Ginny felt as if she was being interrogated by the Minister for Magic himself. She swallowed. She should say something, but what? Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Bill reached her to it:

"I think you have some explaining to do"

She sighed heavily, warming her hands on the cup filled with steaming hot tea.

"What do you want me to say?"

Bill raised his eyebrows, snorting in disbelief.

"Well, how do you know the bloke for a start?"

He nodded towards the stairs leading upstairs. To the room with the bed that Blaise currently occupied. Ginny silently wondered what he was doing right now. Could he hear them? Was he asleep?

"He... We... I don't know, really"

She hated how weak her voice sounded. And judging from his face expression, that answer was not good enough to please her brother.

"You don't know?"

"No"

Bill sighed heavily, exchanging a glance with Fleur before exclaiming:

"What do you mean you don't know?! Ginny, last time I checked you hated slytherins just as much as the rest of us..."

"Oh, so the fact that he's a slytherin is enough reason to hate him?" Ginny retorted, feeling how her pulse quickened. "What are you, eleven?"

Her fists were clenched and without being able to explain why, she felt almost angry. What did Bill know, really?

"No, but... I mean, do you really think it's good befriending people like him these days? There's a war going on and we all need to decide where we stand..."

"People like him?" Ginny repeated, looking at both her brother and Fleur as if she'd never properly seen them before. "You don't even know him..."

"His name is Blaise Zabini, isn't it?" Bill interrupted her and Ginny was caught so off guard that she didn't know what to say at first. "It took me a while, but then I recognized him..."

"Recognized him from where?" Ginny asked. "You'd graduated from Hogwarts when he started..."

"The Zabini family isn't exactly strangers to the media" her brother explained darkly. "Everybody has heard the stories of his mother and her large number of husbands..."

"And you're willing to blame him for what his mother has done?"

Once again, Ginny's gaze wandered from Bill to Fleur. But the latter determinedly looked down and seemed unwilling to participate in the discussion. Maybe that was a good thing, though. Maybe, if Fleur spoke up, she'd accidentally let slip what Ginny had told her a couple of days earlier...

Ginny sighed, moving slightly closer to her brother to be able to look into his eyes properly.

"Look, Bill... We're not getting anywhere by fighting over this" she said quietly. "So please just trust me when I say that he's all right. And you... you don't know what he's been through..."

"And you do?"

Bill's gaze was still hard, suspicious. He looked at her expectantly, obviously waiting for an honest answer that made sense. Was this what it'd always be like? Would the rest of her family react the same way if they found out that she'd befriended a slytherin?

No. Ron, Fred and George would be a thousand times worse.

But she couldn't back out now. She glared back at him.

"Yes, I do"

She and Bill stood like that for a short while, gazes locked, before he looked away. He sat down opposite his wife again and mumbled, without looking at Ginny:

"Just tell me one thing... He's friends with Draco Malfoy, isn't he?"

Ginny pressed her lips together. She knew she couldn't lie even if she'd wanted to.

"Yes"

"The same Draco Malfoy who's called Hermione 'mudblood' ever since they started Hogwarts? Draco Malfoy whose father made sure you ended up in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Bill"

Ginny was so surprised to hear Fleur speak for the first time since she'd entered the kitchen, that she momentarily forgot what Bill had just said. Fleur looked at her husband, shaking her head slowly. It was as if she wanted to say: Don't even go there. And Ginny couldn't agree more.

Don't even go there.

"Last time I checked there was only one Draco Malfoy, so yes" she replied cooly. "But Bl... Zabini is not him"

She felt like it'd make Bill slightly calmer if she at least referred to him by his last name. But it felt wrong already. Her brother had turned to look at her again.

"How do you know this is not something the two of them have come up with to frame us? What if he's here to spy on the Order..."

"You can put a memory charm on him as soon as he leaves here to make him forget the place, if that'll make you feel better" Ginny said quickly. "But I know there's no need to. You saw that blood yourself, the curse was real"

A silence settled between the two of them, but it wasn't comfortable. Ginny decided to break it only seconds later:

"Please, Bill... He has nowhere else to go, we can't just throw him out. Let him stay here, at least until he gets better. I promise you there's nothing to worry about"

"We cannot just throw 'im out, 'oney" Fleur pointed out to her husband and Ginny sent her a grateful look. "'e iz only a child..."

It felt weird, not to mention wrong, to hear someone refer to Blaise Zabini as a child. But right now, Ginny didn't mind the slightest.

"He's seventeen" Bill interrupted her firmly. "He's a grown-up wizard according to the law"

Ginny held her breath. She knew that Bill had the last word in this, and if he said no...

"But you've never given me a reason not to trust you before, Ginny" he added and she let out a sigh of relief. "I guess we'll have to let him stay... at least for now"

Ginny couldn't help it; she smiled wider than she had in months.

"Thank you" she said, barely realizing that her words came out almost as a whisper. "Both of you"

Blaise's point of view

The red light soared towards him at full speed. He only had time to meet his mother's gaze for a split second before it hit him. He felt pain. As if someone had cut up his side with a really sharp knife...

Blaise awoke by the sound of his own, sharp intake of breath and sat up in bed. His surroundings confirmed that his nightmare hadn't just been a dream, but a memory of what had actually happened.

It was true. He was, still, at Shell Cottage. The house owned by Ginny Weasley's brother and his French wife. Suddenly, he heard Tracey's accusing voice clearly in his head:

Have you lost your mind?!

Maybe he had. But what did it matter?

He couldn't help wondering if his mother cared to find out, or even wondered, where he was. If she still refused to accept the fact that her new, rich fiancée was a man with no boundaries. That he could hurt her, too...

Blaise closed his eyes, silently begging for his headache to go away. While making himself comfortable in bed again he remembered one late night in the Slytherin common room back in their fifth year, when Draco had told him, sounding slightly annoyed:

You know what your problem is, Blaise? You worry far too much.

Blaise knew that he'd snorted and looked at his best friend with raised eyebrows before pointing out:

And your problem is that you don't worry at all.

That was, indeed, one of Draco's many problems. But right now, Blaise wouldn't mind switching places with him. He wouldn't mind not having to worry about his mother and what he was going to tell his friends when they'd ask why he'd come back to school before the Easter holidays were over (he couldn't possibly stay here all week).

He also worried that he'd never learn when to shut up and not just say the things that popped into his mind.

I wouldn't have come here if I had a choice.

Thinking about the look on Ginny's face at his words made him feel sick. Why did he say that? Why did she make him question everything he'd ever believed in? She'd saved his life. And, judging from the fact that he was still here, she'd also convinced her brother and his wife to let him stay.

Why would she even do that? It was not like he deserved it...

It wasn't until then, while absentmindedly staring out the window, that Blaise noticed that it was dark outside. The deep blue sky was clear and from where he was lying he could see several stars, all shining bright.

What time was it?

He turned his head and, luckily, spotted an alarm clock standing on the bedside table. Almost seven o' clock. Had he really slept through the entire day?

Blaise sat up again, grimacing slightly as he got out of bed to look for his shirt. However, it was nowhere to be seen and he cursed silently to himself. Great. Did they honestly expect him to leave this room, go downstairs and face Ginny, without something to wear on the upper part of his body?

No way in hell.

He was just about to head straight back to bed, and stay there until someone came upstairs so he could ask them where his shirt was, when he spotted something white lying on the chair standing next to the window. As he made his way over there and unfolded it he noticed that it was, indeed, his shirt. But the blood was gone.

"What...?" he muttered quietly to himself.

Had they washed it? Judging from the smell, that was the case. For some stupid reason, Blaise suddenly found himself feeling... moved.

Why would these people, who knew he'd called them bloodtraitors and other horrible things in the past, do this for him? Brew him an antidote potion to heal his wound, give him a place to stay and wash his clothes? It was all just... incredibly nice and he suddenly felt a strong urge to thank them.

Blaise had hardly ever thanked anyone in his entire life, since that meant swallowing his pride and accept the fact that he'd actually needed help from another human being. And doing that was everything but common amongst Slytherin students. Draco would laugh his ass off if he knew his friend even considered it...

Once he'd buttoned up his shirt, avoiding looking at the long cut on his side while doing so, Blaise sat down on the bed again. He sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn't stay in here all day. They'd probably consider him mental if he did (not that he cared), and he wanted to find Ginny.

He had to find her.

In the middle of all this mess and chaos, she was the closest thing to security he had at the moment. And without really knowing why, he felt a desperate need to just talk to her.

How do you make a time line haha

Blaise took a deep breath, feeling annoyed with himself for having to do so, before he made his way down the stairs. He really hoped that Ginny would be the only one in the kitchen and that her brother and his wife had both mysteriously disappeared. Because what would he say to them? And what would they say to him?

After another few seconds, when he'd reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized that he'd have to come up with an answer to his own question sooner rather than later. Because Ginny's brother was the only person in sight and he'd now turned around to face Blaise, looking at him as if expecting him to attack at any second.

For a moment they both just stood there, staring at each other. Blaise felt the thoughts spinning through his head, but even though there were so many things he wanted to say he had no idea where to start.

Before yesterday, he'd never even met this person.

"Ginny's outside, in case you're wondering" Bill suddenly said, never dropping Blaise's gaze while doing so. "Though I suggest the first thing you do when she comes back is thanking her. She's the only reason why we're letting you stay here"

It took Blaise a moment to regain his ability to speak, but he nodded shortly.

Merlin, this was awkward...

"I will" he said.

Ginny's brother's words didn't surprise him the slightest; these days it was only natural for him to distrust a stranger who showed up out of nowhere, bleeding like there was no tomorrow...

"Now, I'm not going to ask how you two know each other in the first place because I'm pretty sure you won't give me an explanation any more reasonable than the one I got from her"

The one he got from her? What had she said? What had she left out? Blaise felt his heart pounding really fast inside his chest. Did her brother know about his and Ginny's first meeting at the Hog's Head? That they'd run into each other at Godric's Hollow? That he'd held her in his arms to comfort her when Lovegood had disappeared? That he'd danced with her?

"But I want you to keep in mind that you're here because she trusts you, not because anybody else does. And I really hope that you won't give my sister a reason to regret her decision"

"I won't"

What did he think, that he was a death eater? Here to spy or something? Curse him in his sleep?

"Good. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes"

Blaise was sure he'd heard Bill wrong at first. He stared at him, unable to speak, and the older of the two wizards raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Something wrong?"

Why would you give me food? Why would I be allowed to sit down and eat with you and your family? Why don't you lot just treat me the way I deserve to be treated? The way I'd most likely treat you if you'd stayed at my place?

"No, nothing"

Bill nodded slowly, still looking suspicious. He made his way over to the cupboards and took out some plates and glasses, obviously to lay the table with.

"Oh, and one more thing Zabini. When you leave here, whenever that happens, we'll put a memory charm on you to make you forget where this place is located. Don't take it personal, but it's important for our safety"

Blaise nodded slightly. He was still too shocked by the whole dinner-thing to fully understand what he was told.

"That's fine" he mumbled.

Suddenly, the front door leading into the house burst open and Ginny came inside. And at that moment Blaise knew that he'd never been happier to see her.

"I'm back!" she called and her eyes widened slightly as she looked around the room and spotted him.

Then, to his great relief, she smiled.

"Good morning" she said. "Or maybe 'good night' is a more suitable phrase, considering the time"

She took off her shoes and her cloak before walking into the kitchen, closely followed by Fleur who kissed her husband on the cheek.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear, and Bill nodded whilst Ginny rolled her eyes at Blaise.

That act alone confirmed his suspicions: they did consider him dangerous. But he also got the feeling that Ginny couldn't agree less, which felt good. Better than good, actually.

"I'm fine. Ginny, why don't you show your guest around the house?"

Her brother gave her what Blaise recognized as a meaningful look and silently hoped that Ginny wouldn't object. He felt like he was in the way already, having entered a world where he really didn't belong...

"Would you like that?"

Ginny looked at him expectantly and Blaise nodded quickly.

"Yeah, that'll be fine" he said and she gave him another smile before leading him out of the kitchen.

"Let's go then"

Ginny's point of view

"This is where I sleep"

Ginny nodded towards the closed door located next to Blaise's before continuing down the corridor.

"And this is Bill and Fleur's bedroom"

Blaise nodded slightly, to show her that he got it all right. Ginny closed the door leading into her brother's and sister-in-law's bedroom and then turned around to face him, sighing slightly.

"So I guess that's it. Any questions?"

She smiled at him, desperately wishing to ease the tension and make him understand that he had absolutely nothing to fear. He was welcome here (well, at least Bill had let him stay) and nothing similar to what had happened to him at home could ever happen here.

At least she hoped so. But his serious looking face expression told her otherwise. Ginny cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"I guess dinner'll be ready by now. You must be starving..."

"Not really"

His answer didn't surprise her the slightest. Who could possibly feel hungry when hiding in a house full of gryffindors and "bloodtraitors" after having been minutes from death?

Suddenly, an image of Ron popped into her mind. What would he say if he were to come here and found his sister, brother and sister-in-law having dinner with Draco Malfoy's best friend?

He was most likely not going to say anything at all, since he'd be too busy staring and gaping like an idiot...

"You have to eat, though" Ginny told Blaise quietly, and actually grabbed enough courage to place her hand on his arm.

He glanced down, but he didn't pull away. At least that was a good sign.

How do you make a time line haha

Ginny had known the second she'd said goodnight to Blaise, Bill and Fleur that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep no matter how tired she was. And of course, she'd been absolutely right. She'd been lying in bed for over an hour now, staring up at the ceiling as if expecting it to change, feeling widely awake.

Not to mention confused.

She was pretty sure that she hadn't yet fully taken in yesterday's and today's events, because if she had she'd most likely still be in shock. But Ginny wasn't shocked. On the contrary, she felt strangely... calm. Confused, yes. But still calm. So why couldn't she sleep?

Because you know that it's all wrong. You shouldn't feel comfortable with having Blaise Zabini in your house and you shouldn't be okay with the fact that he's sleeping less than ten meters away from you right now! You should be just as suspicious of him as Bill and Fleur are.

But she wasn't.

Ginny wasn't afraid of him, at all. Whatever he'd done in the past, whatever he'd called her and her friends and everybody else that she knew, she'd never expect him to hurt her physically. All she had to do was close her eyes and the image from the night before came back to her.

His face expression. The pain in his eyes. The blood.

It was all real and no act on his part, that was for sure. And maybe she was feeling so calm, because at least now she could keep an eye on him? At least now no psycho soon-to-be stepfather of his could curse him...

But you shouldn't care about that, either.

No, she shouldn't. Which led her to her next question: who could she tell? Because she wanted to tell someone, desperately. This was all far too big not to.

What would Madison say if she knew? Ginny suddenly imagined her friend squealing in delight and jumping up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. She could hear her voice inside her head:

"I told you he liked you, didn't I?! Oh, this is so exciting! When are you going to see him again?"

No, definitely not.

Ginny couldn't stand that reaction and she couldn't stand having to tell Madison that she was all wrong. Blaise wasn't here because he wanted to and they wouldn't decide when to see each other again even if she considered him her friend. And he definitely didn't like her...

What about Neville? His round, nervous looking face entered Ginny's mind.

"But he... he's Malfoy's friend Ginny! Why would you let him stay with you? He could have hurt you real bad!"

She couldn't stand that, either. And her mother? She'd react just like Fleur...

Ginny sighed heavily, turning around in bed for the hundredth time that night. The only person whose reaction she didn't fear, and who might actually understand without judging, was Luna. But just like Hermione she was out of reach, and Ginny missed her more than ever.

Where was she and what was she doing right now? And what was Blaise doing, in the room next to hers? Was he asleep?

Blaise's point of view

It was funny how it always seemed impossible to fall asleep, whenever one really wanted to. At least in his sleep, Blaise wouldn't have to think about everything that was going on. But then again, he couldn't escape the nightmares...

He had to get out of here. And the sooner the better.

But where would he go? Draco had his house full of death eaters, Theodore Nott and Tracey were both abroad and Daphne or Pansy was not even an option, considering he trusted them about as much as he trusted Crabbe and Goyle and those two were the biggest idiots Blaise had ever met.

So you choose to trust her instead? Ginny Weasley and her family full of bloodtraitors?

For some silly and incredibly annoying reason, it was Daphne's accusing and high-pitched voice that he heard inside his head. And he couldn't ignore it no matter how much he wanted to. The voice, whether it belonged to Daphne or not, was right. It was foolish of him to come here in the first place, considering everything that had happened between him and Ginny.

What he should do was leave here as soon as possible. Leave her and this house, return to Hogwarts and then ignore everything that had to do with Ginny Weasley for the rest of his life.

She was funny. She was smart. He could actually talk to her. Hell, she even made him laugh. But they could never be real friends.

And yet she and her family had been nothing but kind. Too kind. Besides, he wasn't nearly strong enough to apparate yet even though the cut on his side seemed to be healing slowly. He had to wait, at least for a couple of days.

And at that very moment, as he was lying in bed facing the white painted ceiling, "a couple of days" had never seemed longer.

How could he possibly manage this for a couple of days? Dinner this evening had been awkward enough... How would he be able to hide his fear, angst, anger and frustration with his family and Ginny but also with the whole wizarding world?

Blaise hated admitting it, but what he really needed was for someone to tell him that everything was going to be all right. That this war and his mother's foolish cravings for new husbands would soon end.

And most of all, he needed someone to tell him how to hide his true self from Ginny Weasley.