The tea sat untouched for over an hour. All she did was sit on the couch, a blanket draped over her shaking shoulders. That was how she had been when he had taken her home – trembling and unresponsive.
He sat beside her, constantly running a hand through his hair. It frustrated him deeply that he couldn’t help her. He also thought it was kind of funny – they had been part of a horrible war, had seen many dead bodies left in the wake of the Death Eaters and yet –
The sun had set some time ago, leaving the room in darkness. Draco hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights, just used his wand to guide himself and Ginny to the couch.
A hand fell against his shoulder and Draco nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Christ, you’re jumpy.”
“God,” Draco hissed, trying to steady his heart. “Don’t do that! I could have killed you.”
“With what wand?” Pansy asked. “You would think you’d have it pointed at me instead of that poor lamp over there.”
“How did you know that? It’s dark.”
Pansy chuckled.
“I don’t know what to do,” Draco said, sighing. “She’s not talking.”
“What exactly did you two see?”
Draco’s voice was tight. “We saw the body of the missing woman.”
“Jesus,” Pansy whispered. “Maybe you should take Ginny to St. Mungo’s.”
“Not yet,” he said. He reached over toward Ginny to touch her hair. He felt her move.
“There was so much blood,” she whispered. “Draco, did you see it? That poor woman. We need to catch him.”
The lights had come on, courtesy of Pansy, and Draco looked around before his eyes settled back on Ginny; she was staring at him with worry, her lip trembling.
“The Aurors will handle it,” he said, moving to her.
“No.” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “We have to. We have to help the next ones, Draco.”
“Gin, we’re not Aurors. We can’t just go out and track down a killer. And have you forgotten you have red hair?”
“I don’t care,” Ginny said, glaring. She looked at Pansy, who shrugged. “I can go see Ron – he’s an Auror.” Her face seemed to brighten at that idea.
“You haven’t talked to Ron in years,” Draco pointed out. “What makes you think that if he hasn’t contacted you because of this that he wants to help?”
The muscle in Ginny’s jaw twitched and she stared at him, her eyes narrowed into slits. “He is my brother.”
Draco started but bit his tongue. “Alright, we’ll go see him.”
“Thank you,” Ginny said, leaning over to kiss him. “Are you coming, Pansy?”
“Tomorrow? Yeah, sure.” Pansy grinned. “I haven’t seen your brother in a long time. It would be nice to catch up.”
“Not tomorrow,” Ginny said, shaking her head. “We have to go to him tonight. Right now. If we don’t someone else is going to die.”
“It’s late,” Draco said. “He’s probably gone home.”
“You said you wanted to keep me safe,” Ginny said. “This will help.”
“Wait a minute,” Pansy said, holding her hands up. “Draco’s right, Gin. We should go in the morning.”
Ginny, knowing she had been out ruled left the couch with her blanket and went into her room.
“Why does she always do that?” Draco asked.
Pansy looked at the closed door and shrugged. “I think that’s what she did when she was younger; she’s used to getting her way with her family.”
“Some things never change,” Draco said as he stood up. “If you need me, I’ll be giving into her.”
Pansy muttered something that sounded like and I’m sure that’s not all you’ll be doing as he headed down the hall.
He leaned against the door and pressed his ear against it. Hearing nothing was a good sign, he figured. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she was crying. He hated when girls did that, even now. He was never sure how to react.
“Gin?” he mumbled, tapping on the door.
Silence.
He tried the knob. It turned easily in his hand. She had left it unlocked because she knew he would come after her. He pushed the door open wider and slipped inside, shutting it behind him.
“I know that you’re right,” she said through the darkness.
He stopped halfway to the bed at the sound of her voice. It startled him. Not because she had spoken when he thought she was asleep, but it was the way her tone was; she was afraid.
“About what?” he asked softly as he sat down next to her. Before he could reach out to touch her, he felt her slam into him, curling into his chest.
“Ron won’t want to see me,” she whispered. “I was stupid to think he would.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Draco asked as he stroked her hair. “What happened between you two?”
“It’s not just him,” she replied, sniffling. “Why do you think I haven’t heard from my entire family in years?”
“What happened?”
“When I moved out my mum took it the hardest. Her baby and only girl left the nest, so to speak. It’s my fault I haven’t contacted them all this time and I’m ashamed of that. So I let people think they did something to make me want to go.”
“That’s kind of terrible,” Draco said, trying to stifle a laugh. “But it’s not so bad - once I told my father my mother wanted a divorce because I was mad at him.”
Ginny snorted into his chest. “That’s awful. How old were you?”
“Twenty.”
She sniggered.
“Oh, like yours is any better.”
“I guess we’re just horrible people,” Ginny said, grinning at the ceiling. “It’s okay though.”
“How so?” he muttered, his lips against her ear now.
“We’re together, aren’t we?”
“I can see how you’d think that idea is nice,” Draco said as he brushed his lips against hers.
Ginny exhaled lightly, tangling her fingers in his hair as she pulled him closer. Everything would be better once they caught this guy, she was sure of it.
He sat beside her, constantly running a hand through his hair. It frustrated him deeply that he couldn’t help her. He also thought it was kind of funny – they had been part of a horrible war, had seen many dead bodies left in the wake of the Death Eaters and yet –
The sun had set some time ago, leaving the room in darkness. Draco hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights, just used his wand to guide himself and Ginny to the couch.
A hand fell against his shoulder and Draco nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Christ, you’re jumpy.”
“God,” Draco hissed, trying to steady his heart. “Don’t do that! I could have killed you.”
“With what wand?” Pansy asked. “You would think you’d have it pointed at me instead of that poor lamp over there.”
“How did you know that? It’s dark.”
Pansy chuckled.
“I don’t know what to do,” Draco said, sighing. “She’s not talking.”
“What exactly did you two see?”
Draco’s voice was tight. “We saw the body of the missing woman.”
“Jesus,” Pansy whispered. “Maybe you should take Ginny to St. Mungo’s.”
“Not yet,” he said. He reached over toward Ginny to touch her hair. He felt her move.
“There was so much blood,” she whispered. “Draco, did you see it? That poor woman. We need to catch him.”
The lights had come on, courtesy of Pansy, and Draco looked around before his eyes settled back on Ginny; she was staring at him with worry, her lip trembling.
“The Aurors will handle it,” he said, moving to her.
“No.” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “We have to. We have to help the next ones, Draco.”
“Gin, we’re not Aurors. We can’t just go out and track down a killer. And have you forgotten you have red hair?”
“I don’t care,” Ginny said, glaring. She looked at Pansy, who shrugged. “I can go see Ron – he’s an Auror.” Her face seemed to brighten at that idea.
“You haven’t talked to Ron in years,” Draco pointed out. “What makes you think that if he hasn’t contacted you because of this that he wants to help?”
The muscle in Ginny’s jaw twitched and she stared at him, her eyes narrowed into slits. “He is my brother.”
Draco started but bit his tongue. “Alright, we’ll go see him.”
“Thank you,” Ginny said, leaning over to kiss him. “Are you coming, Pansy?”
“Tomorrow? Yeah, sure.” Pansy grinned. “I haven’t seen your brother in a long time. It would be nice to catch up.”
“Not tomorrow,” Ginny said, shaking her head. “We have to go to him tonight. Right now. If we don’t someone else is going to die.”
“It’s late,” Draco said. “He’s probably gone home.”
“You said you wanted to keep me safe,” Ginny said. “This will help.”
“Wait a minute,” Pansy said, holding her hands up. “Draco’s right, Gin. We should go in the morning.”
Ginny, knowing she had been out ruled left the couch with her blanket and went into her room.
“Why does she always do that?” Draco asked.
Pansy looked at the closed door and shrugged. “I think that’s what she did when she was younger; she’s used to getting her way with her family.”
“Some things never change,” Draco said as he stood up. “If you need me, I’ll be giving into her.”
Pansy muttered something that sounded like and I’m sure that’s not all you’ll be doing as he headed down the hall.
He leaned against the door and pressed his ear against it. Hearing nothing was a good sign, he figured. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she was crying. He hated when girls did that, even now. He was never sure how to react.
“Gin?” he mumbled, tapping on the door.
Silence.
He tried the knob. It turned easily in his hand. She had left it unlocked because she knew he would come after her. He pushed the door open wider and slipped inside, shutting it behind him.
“I know that you’re right,” she said through the darkness.
He stopped halfway to the bed at the sound of her voice. It startled him. Not because she had spoken when he thought she was asleep, but it was the way her tone was; she was afraid.
“About what?” he asked softly as he sat down next to her. Before he could reach out to touch her, he felt her slam into him, curling into his chest.
“Ron won’t want to see me,” she whispered. “I was stupid to think he would.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Draco asked as he stroked her hair. “What happened between you two?”
“It’s not just him,” she replied, sniffling. “Why do you think I haven’t heard from my entire family in years?”
“What happened?”
“When I moved out my mum took it the hardest. Her baby and only girl left the nest, so to speak. It’s my fault I haven’t contacted them all this time and I’m ashamed of that. So I let people think they did something to make me want to go.”
“That’s kind of terrible,” Draco said, trying to stifle a laugh. “But it’s not so bad - once I told my father my mother wanted a divorce because I was mad at him.”
Ginny snorted into his chest. “That’s awful. How old were you?”
“Twenty.”
She sniggered.
“Oh, like yours is any better.”
“I guess we’re just horrible people,” Ginny said, grinning at the ceiling. “It’s okay though.”
“How so?” he muttered, his lips against her ear now.
“We’re together, aren’t we?”
“I can see how you’d think that idea is nice,” Draco said as he brushed his lips against hers.
Ginny exhaled lightly, tangling her fingers in his hair as she pulled him closer. Everything would be better once they caught this guy, she was sure of it.
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