Ginny hadn’t expected those words from him so soon, but here they were, as clear as day, sweeping back and forth in her mind. His voice tight and uncertain, as he put his heart on the line. She heard him exhale sharply, and she jumped, afraid he might decide to get up and leave the room, or worse, tell her to get out.
“Are you going to say something?”
She noticed his voice was shaky. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
He glanced at her, rushed a hand through his hair, and stood up slowly. He walked over to the table and started to clean the dishes and bowls. He kept his back to her as he worked, and she wondered if she should just go back to the Burrow before things got really bad. Abruptly, a slamming noise made her look up.
Draco was staring at her with a plate in his hand. “You don’t know what to say? Oh, that’s brilliant, Ginny. Why don’t you just leave? You’re doing no good to me right now.”
She blinked at him, her temper flaring, but she didn’t say a word.
He narrowed his eyes. “Well?” he said harshly. “Aren’t you going to leave?”
She stared at him, her fingers trembling against her lap, and she replied, “I’m not going to let you hurt me, Draco.”
His face twitched and he dropped the plate he was holding, letting it shatter on the wooden floor of his flat before he took a few steps forward and stared down at her, his lip curling nastily. “If you think, for a second, I would ever want to cause you any pain, then you don’t know me as well as I thought, Ginevra.”
“You called me-”
“Yes, I did,” he said roughly. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing more to me than you were at school. Now get out.”
Ginny stared into his cruel, heartless eyes, and she felt the prickle of tears starting behind her own. She blinked them away and, with one long gaze at him, Disapparated, the faint sound of smashing china still ringing in her head as she left his flat.
Molly had been picking up around the house when she heard a loud bang from upstairs. Mildly worried that her daughter had done something foolish in her rage at Harry, she proceeded to the second level of the Burrow. The hallway was very quiet as Molly crept up the stairs, but as she approached Ginny’s room the sound of smashing reached her ears and she stopped.
“Ginny?” Mrs. Weasley called softly as she grasped the doorknob and began to pull. The door slammed shut and the lock slipped into place. “Please, dear, if this is about Harry-”
“It’s not,” came a raspy voice.
It took Molly several moments to recognize it as her daughter’s. “What is it then?”
“What’s going on?” muttered Fred as he came up the stairs. “Mum, why are you standing outside Ginny’s door?”
“Oh, Fred.” Molly sighed. “Ginny’s gone and locked herself in her room and she won’t come out. Ginny, please, tell me what’s wrong. I can help.”
“No, you can’t,” the voice sounded scared.
“Ginny,” Fred said quietly. “Whatever’s going on between you and the Malfoy bloke-”
The door opened with such force that it almost seemed to have been ripped from its hinges. She stepped into the light, ghostly white and puffy-eyed. She was shaking and clutching a box of tissues. After only two steps into the hall, Ginny collapsed against her brother, holding him tightly.
“I was only kidding,” Fred said earnestly, patting her back. “Gin – what happened?”
She sniffled and shook her head.
Molly had reappeared with Harry beside her. Ginny glanced at him and drew away from Fred, and back into the confines of her room. She was about to slam the door when someone’s foot stopped it.
“You didn’t listen,” Harry said.
“F-fuck you,” Ginny whispered. “You don’t…that wasn’t…he said he…”
“He used you, didn’t he?” Harry asked as he advanced into the room, grabbing her wrist. “I told you, didn’t I? I told you to stay away from him or he would hurt you.”
“He didn’t-” She gasped as his fingers closed around her. “He didn’t. You don’t understand!” she nearly screamed as she pushed him back. “He’s in love with me, damn it!”
Harry stared at her as Ron and George came to stand behind the others.
Ginny suddenly felt her lungs tighten and she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she vanished with a crack, unable to handle the questions that would be asked if she stayed.
Tears filled her eyes as she clutched the glass in front of her and took another drink. The liquid burned her throat, but soothed her broken heart all the same. She hiccupped and swayed on the stool before climbing clumsily off it and wandering off to sit by herself at a table.
However, when she went back the table she was seated at an hour ago, she found someone had occupied one of the chairs already. They pushed the second one toward her, urging her to sit. Her body bent to sit and she crumbled to the floor, missing the seat completely. She giggled as the stranger came over and helped her up.
“You should be more careful,” the table-thief said.
“Yeah,” Ginny said quietly, taking in the boy sitting across from her. “I think I should too, Zabini.”
Blaise gave her a weary smile and nodded. “You’re far too lovely to be getting piss-drunk alone. Where is Draco?” he asked, tilting his head at her. At his words, Ginny burst into tears again and took another swig from the glass. “He doesn’t deserve you if he’s going to throw you away like this, to reduce you to such a…vulnerable state.” Blaise’s eyes gleamed slightly as he moved closer to her.
Ginny coughed and stared at him, and when his hand touched her cheek. “What are you doing?”
Something rippled through her body as she felt his lips brush against hers as he muttered, “Helping an old friend feel better.” He wrapped his arms around her, and they vanished.
Her back felt cold as it touched something freezing and hard. Cracking one eye open, Ginny noticed they were outside the pub, and he was holding her firmly against the wall, kissing her neck now. Blaise grinned and gripped her thigh, letting his fingers stroke the skin there. Ginny’s body trembled and in the back of her mind she knew she was supposed to remember something about him, but couldn’t.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and bucked her hips against his as he came back up to her face and kissed her mouth roughly. His hands were hot as they slid down her curvy body and started to undo the buttons on her blouse. Suddenly, a greedy smile tugged at Blaise’s lips and he glared at Ginny.
He fisted his hand in her hair and she felt her stomach twist. His breath was like fire against her ear as he whispered, “Traitorous whore.”
Before Ginny could utter a noise, blackness came barreling down around her and she passed out.
Leave a Review