Fight and Defend
"I can be tough, I can be strong
But with you, it's not like that at all"
Avril Lavigne- Wish You Were Here
As soon as the last Slytherin student had disappeared out of sight almost everybody, students and teachers, started moving again and most of them seemed to be heading towards the doors leading into the Entrance Hall. Ginny saw how Harry disappeared in the midst of people and furrowed as she noticed that Luna was following him. Finding it impossible to ignore her curiosity Ginny tried to catch up with them, barely noticing Madison and Neville right behind her.
It took some time, but she managed to grab ahold of Harry's arm right as they'd all reached the Entrance Hall. The look on his face when he acknowledged her was... confusing. He seemed surprised and yet tired, as if this was something he'd expected to have to deal with all along.
"Where are you two going?" Ginny blurted out, meeting Luna's gaze right as a Hufflepuff in his third year almost bumped right into her on his way out of the Great Hall. "Something I should know about?"
Something about that lost diadem? Something about why you haven't contacted me all year and now behave as if I have no right to ask any questions?
Harry sighed slightly and the act alone made her furious.
"Ginny, this is not a good time to..."
"OH REALLY?" As she raised her voice some people turned their heads and stared, but she didn't care. "BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT NOW IS A GREAT TIME!"
Ginny didn't say anything else but continued to glare at Harry, breathing heavily. He should realize how worried she'd been. How much she'd thought about him, Ron and Hermione. How she was sick of being left out. Now, she wanted the truth. All of it.
"You owe me that, Harry" Her voice was so low he might not even have heard her. "You know you do"
Luna looked at Harry, obviously waiting for his reaction. Madison and Neville stood closely behind Ginny, watching the whole scene, careful not to interfere. Harry himself remained silent, staring back at Ginny who refused to look away. Then, after having taken a quick look around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping he muttered:
"Luna is going to help me find the Grey Lady that Zabini was talking about. She's a Ravenclaw so she might know where that ghost is..."
"But why would you want that stupid diadem?!" Ginny exclaimed, causing Harry to hush her. "I thought the whole point of you coming back here was to defeat You-know-who, not look for some ancient crown!"
"Well, that's the thing, Ginny" Hermione told her.
She'd turned up out of nowhere, Ron by her side and with a troubled look on her face.
"That diadem is sort of one of the keys to... kill You-know-who"
"Why?" Neville asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "What's so special about it?"
It was obvious that he didn't want to be left out anymore than Ginny did but she could see how Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick glance, as if they weren't sure whether they should just keep this to themselves. But then, Harry sighed again.
"It's a horcrux. One of seven, actually"
He cast a quick glance at the stairs leading to the second floor and he looked stressed, as if he wanted to finish this story as soon as possible. Before Ginny had time to say anything he continued:
"Remember how a piece of Voldemort's soul was in that diary you found back in your first year? How he could use it to communicate?"
Ginny nodded slowly. Even in times like these, when the risk of facing Voldemort himself was bigger than ever before, the bare thought of the power Tom Riddle had once had over her was frightening.
"How could I forget?" she asked quietly and Madison put a comforting hand on her arm.
Harry nodded slightly.
"That diary was also a horcrux. When I stabbed it with the basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets I destroyed it, and that's what we've been off doing this whole year. We have been trying to find the other horcruxes because if we can find them, and destroy them..."
"You can destroy Voldemort"
Ginny's words came out as nothing but a mere whisper, but since Harry nodded she guessed that he'd heard her all right. It was too much, all this information at once. So that's what they'd been up to? Hunting horcruxes, whatever that really was... It was all overwhelming, to say the least.
"And did you find any others?"
"Dumbledore destroyed a ring, that's why his hand was all black last year" Ron explained, speaking up for the first time. "And we also destroyed a locket and we have a goblet that we found in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts..."
"So that's why you broke in!" Neville said, realization dawning upon his face. "We thought you'd gone mad!"
Hermione nodded slowly.
"It would be madness not trying to destroy these horcruxes" Harry said. "They're all pieces of Voldemort's soul, our only chance to destroy him! And now we only have one hour to find the Grey Lady and make her tell us where..."
"Hang on!" Ginny interrupted him, grabbing his arm again to stop him from taking off with Luna.
She was silent for a moment, making a quick count in her head.
"The diary, the ring, the locket, the goblet and the diadem... That's only five"
Another nod.
"I thought you said there were seven"
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged another glance. They all looked quite gloomy.
"I did" Harry mumbled. "We don't know where the other two are. Or what they are, for that matter"
They all fell silent. Ginny stared at her brother and his two best friends, suddenly finding a strong urge to laugh.
"So you're saying we have one hour to destroy four horcruxes and two of those could be practically anywhere, perhaps not even here at Hogwarts?"
Harry opened his mouth but closed it again and so Ron reached him to it:
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"But that's mental!" Neville exclaimed. "There's no way we'll find all of them in time and even if we did, how are we going to destroy them?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
It was Harry who raised his voice this time and Neville looked a bit taken aback.
"I don't know, okay? We had a sword but it... it disappeared"
"Yeah, thanks to our very reliable friend Griphook" Ron muttered darkly and Ginny furrowed.
What did Griphook ever do to him? She had so many questions and yet it was obvious to anyone that this was not the right time to ask any of them...
Then, Luna looked up at Harry again and said with her dreamy voice:
"Harry, I think we should go now..."
Harry nodded determinedly and gave them all one last glance. It was as if he, too, had so much that he wanted to say. But there was no time.
"I'll see you later. And keep your eyes open, will you?"
And then, before Ginny had time to say or do anything, he and Luna had disappeared up the stairs.
"Keep our eyes open for what exactly?" Madison asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "I didn't understand half of what he was saying, I've never heard of horcruxes before... Ginny, where are you going?"
Ginny had only walked a few steps away from her group of friends when Madison posed her question and now they all stared at her expectantly, waiting for her answer. Considering the fact that the truth had already sort of gotten out in the Room of Requirement earlier, it wouldn't hurt to tell them what she hadn't been able to stop thinking about ever since the slytherins were taken away to the dungeons.
Ginny opened her mouth to respond but surprisingly enough, Madison was quicker:
"You have to wait until Filch has left, you know"
How did she know? Ginny hadn't said a word... She shook her head fiercely.
"I can't wait that long"
"Well, you'll have to" Madison replied simply, and yet she sounded determined. "I won't let you leave now, since it'll only get you in trouble"
Ginny cursed under her breath. She had already grabbed her wand, ready to attack Filch if it meant that she'd be able to let Blaise out. But she also knew, somewhere inside, that her friend was right. The last thing they needed was for Filch to lock her up, too...
"Off to save Zabini, are you?"
It was Ron who posed the question and as Ginny met his gaze she could see the skepticism and hatred in his eyes. His voice was cold and she didn't recognize it. In fact, it almost scared her. Luckily, Hermione saved her from having to answer when grabbing his arm:
"Ron, I have a plan. I know where we can find something to destroy the goblet with... Come on Ron!"
After having glared at Ginny for what seemed like an eternity Ron finally gave in to Hermione's wishes and teared his gaze away from his sister. Then, he started walking in the opposite direction without another word. Hermione sent Ginny, Neville and Madison an apologetic look.
"Ginny, I know everything must be really confusing right now but I promise we'll explain it all to you later"
And then, she hurried after Ron. Ginny, once again feeling abandoned and left behind, stared after them for a few seconds before Neville asked:
"So... What do we do now?"
"Oh there you are, Longbottom!"
Neither Ginny nor Madison had time to answer Neville's question before Mc Gonagall suddenly showed up, putting a hand on his shoulder. Ginny could see that the tired and defeated look on her professor's face had now been replaced with a determined and almost hopeful looking one. It was, no doubt, because Harry was back. He'd brought faith with him.
Mc Gonagall cast a quick glance at Ginny and Madison before continuing:
"There's something I want the three of you to take care of..."
But she was interrupted as someone screamed, so loud her life might have depended on it:
"GINNY!"
And then, before Ginny knew it, she had her mother's arms wrapped around her. Within seconds, the rest of the Order had joined them and it took Ginny a while to great them all.
"I've missed you!" she told her mum, feeling tears erupt in her eyes. "What are you all doing here?"
Mrs Weasley gave her daughter another bone-breaking hug.
"Your father and I couldn't just sit at home and wait for things to happen! And when Remus sent his Patronus to tell us that Ron and the others had returned..."
"Yeah, when did you all get here?" Neville asked, giving Remus an almost accusing look. "We've had DA meetings for weeks, you could have joined us!"
"We got here only yesterday, and we've been trying not to draw attention to ourselves ever since"
It was Tonks who responded to his question and she looked tired. Ginny gasped.
"But... Teddy... Who's taking care of him?"
She hadn't had the chance to meet the newest Lupin yet and considering the fact that he was only a few weeks old he probably missed his parents already...
"He's at my mother's place. But Remus and I, we both belong here tonight" Tonks said.
She grabbed her husband's hand and Ginny bit her lip, hoping it didn't show on her face how worried she was. If something happened tonight, if Remus and Tonks got hurt or worse, Teddy's childhood would change forever...
But what her mother said next made her forget everything about the Lupins and their safety:
"Ginny, dad and I have discussed this and... We think you should head back to aunt Muriel's, only for tonight..."
"WHAT?!"
Ginny stared at her parents. She couldn't believe it. Of course, her mother had always worried a lot but this? And since when had her father become just as paranoid?
"Mr Weasley, we need Ginny here..." Madison started, and he gave her a small smile before turning to face his daughter again.
"Ginny, this is not to be mean and you know that. But your mother and I both think that..."
"Do you actually believe that I'll just sit and rot over at aunt Muriel's while all of you are here, trying to save the wizarding world?"
Her father fell silent at her words and Ginny was so upset she had ringing in her ears. There was so much she wanted to tell them. She wanted them to know, and actually feel, what she'd had to go through all year.
And now, once and for all, she'd had enough. There was no way she'd follow their orders now. Her life was here. Her friends and everybody else that she cared deeply for was here. Blaise was, and she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he was still locked up in the dungeons, thanks to Pansy's stupid comment earlier...
"You are not out of age..." Mrs Weasley said but Ginny interrupted her, shaking her head slowly.
"No offense mum..." she started, grabbing Neville's arm to indicate that it was time for him, herself, Madison and Mc Gonagall to leave the scene. "... But I really don't care. Come on Neville"
Before they all left and followed Mc Gonagall through the Entrance Hall Ginny could have sworn she saw Charlie trying his best to hide a smile at his mother's shocked face expression.
It wasn't until now that Ginny got a proper chance to look around and the sight was everything but pretty. Students, teachers and even paintings all seemed to be running amok and the youngest students were disapparating with their parents who had come to get them.
"EVERYBODY WHO IS TOO YOUNG OR FEELS LIKE THEY ARE NOT READY TO FIGHT SHOULD GET OUT OF HERE IMMEDIATELY!" Mc Gonagall bellowed, loud enough to gain at least some students' attention. "IF YOU CAN'T FIND SOMEONE TO DISAPPARATE WITH, HIDE IN YOUR COMMON ROOM!"
"Look at them..." Madison whispered to Ginny, nodding towards a couple of first year girls standing close together in a corner, looking absolutely terrified. "I feel so sorry for them and yet there's nothing we can do! They must be so scared and they haven't even learned enough magic to defend themselves properly..."
"Which is why they should all get out of here as soon as possible. Telling them that is all I can do at the moment" Mc Gonagall said shortly, turning around to face Ginny, Neville and Madison again once they'd all exited through the front oak doors.
How do you make a time line haha
"Let me get this straight professor..." Neville said, looking at Mc Gonagall as if she'd gone completely mad. "You're actually giving us permission to do this?"
"That's right Longbottom" Mc Gonagall replied shortly.
She seemed determined and the four of them were still standing just outside the school entrance, discussing the final details in the plan.
"Just blow it up? Boom?"
"BOOM!"
Ginny and Madison exchanged a worried glance and the latter mouthed "She's gone mad". Ginny agreed with her friend, but didn't dare to question her Transfiguration teacher's orders. After all, she needed something to distract her mind with while waiting for Filch to leave the dungeons, or else she'd go mad...
She looked around the grounds nervously, feeling her heart beat like crazy while searching for Blaise. Was there a chance that someone else might have let them out? But who would that be? Most of the slytherins had more enemies than friends...
"What are you looking for, Weasley?" Mc Gonagall asked sharply, interrupting her thoughts.
Ginny cleared her throat uncomfortably as the three of them stared at her curiously.
"Nothing" she muttered and luckily enough, that answer seemed to be enough at the moment.
"Very well..." Mc Gonagall said, putting her hand on Neville's shoulder. "You know what to do"
Neville nodded and from the look on his face one might almost think that he was enjoying all this. He looked determined, excited and Ginny knew that the time had finally come for them all to prove themselves. This was DA's true purpose. This was real.
"We have to go find Seamus. He's always been the expert at blowing up things" Neville told her and Madison, and before Ginny knew it they'd taken off again.
They were heading back towards the castle but Ginny hesitated for a moment. She watched, amazed as Mc Gonagall cast some remarkable spell that caused all the armors to come alive and move.
"HOGWARTS IS THREATENED!"
And then the other teachers, and the Order, joined the deputy headmaster and aimed their wands at the sky.
"PROTEGO MAXIMA!"
The protection spells eventually created what looked like a shield, covering the sky and making it impossible for things from the outside to break through. Despite what it was for, Ginny couldn't help thinking that it looked almost beautiful...
"GINNY COME ON!" Neville screamed and Ginny tore her gaze away from the sky and hurried after her friends back into the castle.
"What are we doing again?" Madison asked, panting as they'd been running for another couple of minutes.
"I didn't catch all of it, but I guess we're blowing up something" Ginny replied.
Truth to be told, she'd been too busy worrying about Blaise to listen to everything Mc Gonagall and Neville had discussed. Right as they turned around a corner on the third floor Neville informed them:
"The tunnel, you know the one leading into the castle from the grounds? We're blowing it up"
"But that's..." Madison started and Neville filled in:
"Mental, I know. Just following Mc Gonagall's orders"
"Well, at least no death eaters will be able to use it to get here" Ginny pointed out.
They ran around the castle for what felt like an eternity, but there was no sight of Dean or Seamus anywhere. It wasn't until they were back outside, and had almost reached the tunnel that Mc Gonagall had asked them to blow up, that they ran into the two gryffindors.
Meanwhile, the shield seemed to have grown even bigger and stronger, different colors witnessing of many sorts of advanced magic.
"It's impressive, isn't it?" Madison asked and Ginny could only bring herself to nod.
This was all happening. Right now. It was still hard to understand.
"Ginny, what were you doing with Zabini earlier?" Dean exclaimed.
Thankfully, Neville turned to look at his friend and yelled:
"There's no time, Dean! You'll have to argue about that one later!"
Dean glared back at him for a moment but then seemed to realize that his friend was right and did nothing but mutter something about the slytherins under his breath. Ginny rolled her eyes.
They continued running and, when finally reaching the tunnel, all stopped abruptly and stared. The sight was not pretty. Standing only meters away from the opposite entrance entrance of the tunnel were people. Lots of people. Death eaters, even though Voldemort himself was nowhere to be seen. And when they were trying to run towards Ginny and her friends, the shield stopped them and they were thrown backwards.
"Oh my god..." Seamus muttered but Neville took once glance up at the shield and then walked further into the tunnel, screaming:
"YEAH? YOU AND WHOSE ARMY?"
Ginny shook her head in disbelief, watching her friend from behind. Where did he get his courage from?
"Neville, this is not good..." she started but drifted off as she saw Madison shaking.
She still hadn't taken her eyes off the death eaters and it was obvious that she and Ginny were both thinking the same thing:
How long would that shield last?
"We'll be fine"
Ginny wasn't sure she meant it, but as she grabbed her friend's hand she knew that she didn't have a choice. She had to believe that they'd be fine. That Harry would somehow find and destroy all the horcruxes and that things would be okay.
That this wouldn't be the end.
Suddenly, one of the death eaters roared back, his finger pointing right at Neville:
"WE'LL GET IN SOON ENOUGH! AND THEN YOU'RE ALL DEAD"
Without even realizing what she was doing, Ginny let go of Madison's hand. She was shivering and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the thoughts from entering and controlling her mind this time. All she could see, all she could think about, was Blaise. That death eater was not joking, they could be here any minute..."
"Ginny, go"
It was Madison who spoke but Neville, Dean and Seamus all stared at her, too. She shook her head slowly, her voice trembling as she started:
"I can't, you need me..."
"So does he. Go"
Ginny met Neville's gaze and he looked doubtful for a moment, but then forced himself to give her a small smile.
"We'll be fine. I'll see you soon"
She wanted to hug him. Tell him how much it meant that he was actually okay with this. That he was not trying to stop her. But there was no time now. Ginny could only bring herself to nod and then took off towards the castle again, running as fast as she could.
Blaise's point of view
Never before had Blaise's favorite armchair in the Slytherin common room felt so uncomfortable. He used to enjoy sitting there, sometimes for hours, just staring into the crackling fire and thinking about nothing in particular.
But not today. Not now.
He stood up, for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, and started pacing again. He ignored the somewhat curious stares he received from some of the younger students who hadn't yet given up hope of being let out and returned to their dormitories.
"You know, you standing up and walking around the room before sitting down again won't make Filch disappear and it sure as hell won't let us out of here" Draco pointed out.
However, he seemed to almost forget about Blaise as Pansy's roar cut through the gloomy silence filling the dungeons:
"LET US OUT YOU FILTHY SQUIB!"
Blaise felt like telling her to shut up, jump out the window or just go back to her dormitory. Anything so he wouldn't have to hear, see or feel her presence. For even though he'd never actually do it, he felt like slapping her in the face.
This was all her fault. It was because of Pansy he had absolutely no idea what Ginny was doing at the moment, or where she was. He had no clue whether she was safe.
"That's not going to help, Pansy" Tracey said through gritted teeth.
Even she seemed to have some trouble not telling Pansy whose fault all this really was. The latter groaned and covered her face in her hands as Filch ignored her. She went to stand next to Daphne, crossing her arms in a defiant sort of way.
"This is all Potter's fault" she muttered under her breath. "Potter and all his stupid Gryffindor friends..."
If the situation hadn't been so serious, and if Blaise himself hadn't been so desperate to find a way out of here, he might have laughed. After everything, she still tried to put the blame on somebody else. It was typical Pansy behavior, and yet he couldn't believe it.
"Well, I don't think we'd all agree on that"
The fake sweetness in Daphne's voice brought Blaise back to reality and he, Draco, Tracey and Theo all stared at her in disbelief. Was she actually willing to blame her best friend for all this?
But only a second later it was obvious that Daphne was not referring to Pansy. Instead, she slowly made her way over to where Blaise was standing and gave him a scornful look.
"Isn't that right, Blaise?"
They glared at each other for a moment, his dark eyes burning into her blue ones, and Blaise refused to look away. He was done with being controlled. He was done with her controlling him.
"What are you talking about?" Theo asked tiredly and Blaise filled in:
"Yeah please enlighten us, Daphne. Is this another one of your little games?"
She backed a few steps, as if to get a better look at him, and then asked:
"Oh so I'm the one playing games now, am I?"
"Well, if your best friend had only bothered to shut up earlier..."
"And why would I do that?" Pansy interrupted Blaise, her voice shrilling. "Do you feel sorry for poor Potter, Blaise? Are you on his side now?"
This comment was all it took for every single student in the Slytherin common room to stare at Blaise, but for some inexplicable reason he just didn't care. It all just seemed... pathetic. Like it belonged in a different time. A time where he actually cared about what people like Pansy and Daphne thought about him.
"I don't want Voldemort to take over the entire wizarding world" he finally said, voice low and yet clear. "If that's what "on Potter's side" means to you, then fine. I'm sick of all this shit"
"And it's a shame we can't all be like you, Blaise" Daphne's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Suddenly all good and caring. What's your next move, switching houses to Gryffindor? Shouldn't be that hard considering the fact that you already seem to have joined that pathetic club of theirs..."
"What is she talking about?"
Blaise had almost forgotten that Draco, Tracey and Theo were still in the room and as Tracey posed her question, looking right at him, her face fell into confusion. Blaise shook his head slowly.
"I have no idea..."
"I know you're under the impression we're all stupid but do you think we're blind, too?" Daphne asked icily. "You were holding hands with Weasley in the Entrance Hall earlier, I bet you already knew back then that Potter was back!"
All eyes on him again. But this time, it was harder for Blaise to just shake it off. Because this time, Daphne actually had a point. And he hated her for it. Draco's eyes narrowed.
"Did you?" he spat. "Did you know all along that Potter was in the castle?"
Blaise sighed, looking back at his best friend.
"I was going to tell you..."
But Daphne knew that she had won and with Pansy by her side, looking like she'd just won the lottery, she laughed loudly. The sound alone sent shivers down Blaise's spine.
"Oh I swear Draco, he was not going to tell you a thing. Suddenly, all he cares about is the well-being of his precious little bloodtraitor... Let go of me!"
She sounded slightly scared, but mostly angry, as Blaise refused to remove his grip around her arm. When looking into her eyes he felt nothing but pure hatred. The rage was like nothing he'd ever experienced before and he wouldn't have been able to explain it even if he tried to. Thinking that he'd touched her, kissed her and even slept with her made him feel sick.
"Don't call her that" he hissed and after what felt like an eternity and a split second at the same time he let go of Daphne, thinking that her silence was the closest he'd get to an agreement.
She immediately backed a few steps, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You have really changed, Blaise. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one in here who feels like I don't even know who you are anymore..."
"WELL, PERHAPS YOU NEVER KNEW WHO I WAS SINCE YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO FIND OUT!"
Blaise was pretty sure he'd never screamed at anyone the way he'd just screamed at Daphne. For once, she looked utterly shocked and seemed to be at a loss for words. And judging from his classmates' face expressions they felt the same way.
But he'd meant every word. Daphne never did care, and neither did Pansy. Just like so many other people he'd wasted time on during the past couple of years. Daphne had never bothered to get to know him because all she'd ever wanted, all she'd ever craved, was his attention. That had always been enough.
And then there was Ginny. The only one who saw him for what he really was. The only one who made him look at himself in a different way. The only one he'd ever let in.
And now she was out there. Without him. It was all extremely annoying.
"This won't get us out of here, Blaise" Tracey said quietly and Theo agreed.
He looked around the room, ignoring Filch who still eyed them all suspiciously, and then muttered:
"There has to be a way..."
"STUPEFY!"
There was a loud bang and before Blaise and the others knew it Filch was on the ground, obviously unconscious. Pansy gasped.
"I don't believe it..." she hissed.
Only a second later Blaise realized why she sounded so angry. For the person who'd come at Filch from behind, the person who was here to save them, was Ginny. She hadn't just left him. And for a moment, despite everything else that was going on around him, all Blaise saw was her eyes as she searched for him in the crowd. Their gazes locked. She smiled slightly, and then raised her wand again.
"BOMBARDA!"
There was another bang, louder than the last one, and the slytherins were free to leave. Blaise remained motionless for a second but heard Theo say, as he passed him by:
"Tell Weasley I said thank you"
Then, before he knew it, Ginny was in his arms. She didn't seem to care about the fact that most of his friends were still there and he soon followed her lead, wrapping his arms around her and breathing in the wonderful scent that was just... her.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered and he could hear her voice breaking at the end of her sentence. "I wanted to come earlier but Filch and Neville and..."
"It's fine" Blaise said, and he really meant it.
None of this was her fault. He pulled a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear and smiled.
"You're here now, that's all that matters"
The incredible moment ended as Draco suddenly made a move to stand up and grabbed ahold of Crabbe and Goyle. The latter furrowed.
"Where are we going, Draco?" he asked, reminding Blaise of a gorilla when obviously trying to figure out the answer on his own.
Draco's voice was nothing but a mere hiss, and he sounded truthfully furious when he replied:
"I'm getting my wand back"
Once the three of them had disappeared, Blaise and Ginny remained immobile for a second. Then, Blaise muttered:
"This can't be good"
Ginny shook her head slowly.
"No... He'll go after Harry and we all know how friendly those two tend to be..."
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Suddenly, Tracey spoke up and thereby reminded both Blaise and Ginny that she was still in the room.
"What am I going to do?" she whispered and it was the fear in her eyes that made Blaise make up his mind.
"Go with Daphne and Pansy" he said, and when noticing his friend's surprised face expression he added:
"That way you'll be safe, they're cowards"
Well, Daphne surely had her brave moments but she was not likely to want to fight against death eaters out in the open. And Pansy always followed her orders, like a lost puppy.
As soon as Tracey had left Blaise and Ginny took off again, leaving the now almost deserted Slytherin common room. Blaise had no idea where they were going but he trusted Ginny with his life and despite what the rest of the world might think, he felt completely safe and sure with his hand in hers.
Author's note: I don't like this chapter at all, for some reason. Anyway, I feel like I have no idea how to improve it so I'll post it anyway. Reviews make me happy.