For the next two weeks, Draco divided his attention between the case and the letters for Ginny. On the former, he and Ginny had devised what he thought was an excellent strategy. They had listed all of the known protective spells along with a few others that were commonly used and might have been set by various members of the Black family over the years. Draco hadn't detected anything unusual, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for something to be tripped upon removal of a more obvious spell.
For each curse, they had a chart of counter-spells that could be used. They developed a pattern for removal and the positions in which they wanted the team during each casting. Draco had been back to the house three more times in order to be certain that he had everything down to the last detail. If anything did go wrong, he risked the safety of his team. Fortunately, it turned out that two of the other three Weasleys working at the Ministry had also been secret-keepers, which meant he could count on Ron for back-up if something went awry. He provided the Aurors with details of when they planned to go in on the off chance something blew up in their faces—literally or figuratively.
During the planning stages, he frequently accompanied Potter and Ron—whom Draco had stopped referring to as simply Weasley because it was too damn confusing—for drinks after work. Ginny joined them on occasion, but more often, it was only the three of them. It was an odd state of affairs; if anyone had told Draco he would be enjoying Ron's company, or that Ron would be enjoying his, there was a point in time when he'd have said they were mad. Yet there he was, talking and laughing with them as though they'd all been old school chums. Ron's years with the Aurors had sharpened his wits considerably, though he'd also managed to learn even more colourful language than Potter and Ginny, not to mention the stories he told. It was an altogether enjoyable way to pass the evenings.
In the meantime, Draco continued to send letters to Potter through Ginny. After the first one, Ginny showed Draco the owl she'd received in return. It was affectionate and sweet, and it made Draco's heart ache just a little knowing that Potter intended those words for Ginny. Draco was surprised to discover Potter was definitely the sort who enjoyed poetic courting; perhaps he'd misjudged how romantic Potter was. Should everything work itself out, it would be an interesting relationship dynamic given Ginny's lack of skill and interest where romance was concerned.
My Only—
Ah, a secret admirer. I've had my share of those in the past. You'll forgive me for being wary. I take it you're someone I know, then? I'm sorry I make you timid. I promise I'll do my best to hide my eyes in future. Looking forwards to hearing from you again, though I'm desperately curious to meet you in person. By the way, I loved the haiku you sent me. Will you write another one?
—Harry
Draco was reminded of the way Potter had looked when he invited him out for drinks after work—hesitant, looking anywhere but directly at Draco. It hadn't meant anything, of course, but he couldn't help imagining the way Potter might do the same thing around Ginny. It made his stomach hurt.
"So, can you help me write back to him?" Ginny asked.
He sighed. "Yes, yes. Fine." He pulled out a piece of parchment. "You don't want to string him along too far, though. Mystery is good, but you'll never get anywhere by keeping it up for long." On the parchment, he wrote.
Harry—
Yes, we know one another. On second thought, don't hide your eyes—they're your best feature. Instead, how about you take off your glasses more often? I like you that way. Besides, I think the real problem is you're the famous hero, and there's not much you can do about that. I'll just have to work up my courage. Don't be sad if I'm too shy to say hello sometimes, though.
My heart beats faster
Thinking of your words to me
Reassure my soul
—Your Only
Ginny grinned when she read it. "That's about right. He does have nice eyes, doesn't he?"
Draco had to resist wholeheartedly agreeing with her, especially after having seen them up close and personal numerous times at the Torchlight. "Whatever you say," he replied.
"I'll send it off to him now." She tapped the parchment, and it turned into a paper swan. She flicked her wand, causing it to rise into the air and fly away.
"Now we're done with that, can we get back to work? We have an appointment in an hour with a witch who discovered what she believes to be a cursed necklace in her attic. She thought it was a family heirloom and put it on, but ever since she claims she's been dodging falling objects, and she can't remove the necklace."
"Dodging falling objects?"
"It started off with people dumping things out their windows just as she walked past, so she thought it was merely poor timing on her part. But this morning, she had near misses with two pianos and an oddly-shaped metal thing."
Ginny stifled a giggle. "Oh, poor dear."
"Indeed. Shall we go over the possible curses?"
Potter's reply was swift.
My Only—
No, not much I can do about my fame. I'm sorry. Would it help if we met somewhere I won't be so well-known? Because I very much want to meet you. I can't do much about my glasses, either, I'm afraid. I can't see at all without them, and I wouldn't want to miss out on gazing into your eyes when we finally meet. I suppose I could wear my contact lenses more often, though. Write back soon and tell me when I can finally see you face to face.
—Harry
"Well?" Ginny asked.
"I think you should arrange a date. You've done what you wanted—you got his attention. Now show him the real you."
"I don't know…"
"Trust me on this," he said firmly. "You are an intelligent, interesting woman, Ginny. Did you know you were the first person to work for me who didn't blindly obey me? You're much stronger than you're giving yourself credit for. If you're not afraid of me, then why be afraid of Potter?"
She took a deep breath. "Fine," she said. "Tell him I'll meet him at the Torchlight. But don't let on it's me, all right? Say he'll find out when he gets there."
"All right." Quickly, he wrote the note.
Dear Harry—
Perhaps you're right and it's time for us to meet. What about the Torchlight? There usually aren't more than a few people who might know you in there. Shall we say, seven on Friday?
We greet with a kiss
and nervous words on our tongues.
Love gives us boldness.
—Your Only
Before the day was out, Harry had already replied.
My Only—
That would be perfect. I leave on Saturday for three weeks away doing research, so I'm quite glad to meet you before then.
—Harry
So it was settled. Ginny finally had her date with Potter. Draco hoped—though he knew it was probably useless—that Ginny wouldn't fill him in on Monday. He thought he might stay late at work that night so he wouldn't have to go home alone and wonder what they were doing.
"There you go," Draco told Ginny when he showed her. "He wants to see you. Mission accomplished."
Instead of looking pleased, she looked panicked. "What? So soon? I can't do this!"
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. He was more than a little tired of her constant Potter-themed drama. For a grown woman, she was remarkably immature when it came to this situation. He couldn't for the life of him fathom why they needed to treat the situation as though all of them were badly-behaved adolescents. Not that he was doing much to further his own cause, but he had far better reason to keep his feelings private than Ginny had.
"Ginevra," he said, making sure to pour his annoyance into his tone, "do whatever you like. I have no investment in your personal life beyond that which you've chosen to drag me into. Meet him. Don't meet him. I, however, will be comfortably at home, not involving myself in any more of your angst."
She didn't hesitate when she shot back, "You could come with me."
"What?" He looked up at her. "You're joking. You don't need me."
"But I do!" she insisted. "I'll be so nervous. Please?"
He stared at her, the muscle in his jaw twitching. "No. You've gotten me into this as far as I'm willing to go. If you can't go through with it, then I'm done assisting you. Find someone else."
For a moment, Ginny looked as though she wanted to say something. At last she said, "Fine. I'll work it out on my own whether I should cancel our plans."
"I cannot be arsed with your decision. Do not include me from this point on. Am I making myself clear?"
Ginny swallowed audibly. "Perfectly," she replied.
"Good. Now, go home, hopefully to get ready for the date you are absolutely going to go on—without my help."
Once she'd flounced out of his office, Draco resisted the urge to set down his quill and bang his head repeatedly on his desk. He reasoned it wouldn't help him concentrate on his work if he caused himself a raging headache. He hated to admit how much he'd enjoyed helping her when it had been anonymous. Now she was going to make decisions on her own, and he wasn't to be part of it anymore. He reminded himself it was for the best and returned to completing his work so he could have a relaxing, trouble-free two days away from the Ministry.
In order to keep his mind off the strange situation he'd created, Draco decided to spend time with his own friends after work. He was fond of Ginny, really, but he'd had as much as he could take of her gushing about Harry and their soon-to-be romance. Their upcoming date had him in a melancholy mood, rendering him uninterested in joining Potter and Ron, either. Instead, he met Blaise and Theo after work for a bite to eat and to catch up with each other. Pansy took a rare break during her shift to join them for dinner.
Despite his promise to himself to let his friends distract him, Draco's heart wasn't in it. He was torn between wanting to crawl between his sheets and sleep until the ache in his chest went away and wanting to Incendio every everything in sight. He pushed his food around on his plate, barely listening to the chatter around him.
"Isn't that right, Draco darling?" Pansy was saying.
"Hm?" He looked up at her.
Pansy tsk'd. "I was telling the others you're working on that huge curse-breaking case that's been in the Prophet."
"Oh. Er, yes. We're nearly done, actually."
"The whole thing's been such a mystery. I hope they give us all the juicy details when it's over."
"I hope I have all the details when it's over," Draco grouched. "It's been hell trying to figure out how to break protective charms gone awry when I can't even give the address to my team."
"And you've been working with Ginny Weasley, right?" Blaise asked. "That must be…interesting."
Draco glared at him. "Lay off, will you? I know you've always had a thing for her, but she's taken."
Pansy snickered. "Not by you, though."
He rolled his eyes. "Obviously."
"So who's she seeing?" Blaise pressed.
Draco sighed. "Potter. Of course." He chose not to explain that it wasn't official yet; it hardly mattered.
"Ah, yeah, that's right," Theo put in. "Heard he was back. Teaching at the University, no less!"
Draco shrugged. They meant well, but they didn't always quite understand. There was no real bitterness to Theo's tone; unlike Draco, he'd been able to see what his father was and chose to have no part in it. He'd never engaged in much Potter-bashing even in school, and when he did, it was usually only because Draco was doing it.
Pansy was studying Draco. She'd always been a bit too observant for Draco's liking, especially in recent years. "What?" he snapped at her.
"Don't get yourself all in a twist, Draco. I was just thinking that you look like something's bothering you."
"It's nothing," he said. "Just stress over this case."
She let it drop, and the conversation moved on to other things. Draco did his best to lose himself in useless discussions that didn't quite hold his interest. Eventually, Theo and Blaise begged off and left. Pansy, who had returned to her work as soon as she was through eating, saw Draco was alone and flounced into the seat across from him. She wasted no time before she attacked him full force.
"I know you didn't want to tell Blaise and Theo, but you're going to tell me whatever it is." She sat back in her seat with her arms crossed.
"It's really nothing, Pansy. Leave it alone."
She raised her eyebrows. "This has something to do with Ginny, but I can't quite work it out. You're definitely not interested in her, so…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Ah. You're jealous." She smirked. "You did always obsess over Potter. I suppose it makes sense."
He glared at her. "It's just been too long since I've been with anyone. Ginny could've been with anyone and I'd be feeling the same way."
Pansy shook her head. "You keep telling yourself that, Draco. One of these days, you might even start believing it." She frowned. "It's funny, though," she said.
"What's funny?"
"Well, Potter's been in here regularly since he's been back, but not often with Ginny. When I do see them together, they don't act like they're together." She held her hands up, palms touching. "When he's in here without her, he talks all the time about work and what not, but he absolutely never even mentions her."
Draco sighed. "It's not technically official. She's been trying to get his attention by sending him anonymous letters. They have a date here tomorrow night." He glowered at her. "You will do nothing to sabotage it. She's clearly smitten, and if it will make them happy, I don't want to stand in their way."
Pansy shrugged. "That's fine." She stood up. "I need to get back to work." She leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek and squeezed his hand.
"You really don't need to worry about me," he tried to reassure her.
She made to walk away but turned back. "You know, he never mentions Ginny when he's in here. But he certainly has an awful lot to say about you." She spun around and retreated to the kitchen without waiting for an answer.
Draco sighed and tried not to wish it meant something that Potter talked about him with Pansy. In truth, he was sure it was mostly Pansy-driven and only because Draco had gotten to know her husband. He rose from the table and stalked out of the pub, vowing to put the whole thing out of his mind.