It was bad enough that he had had his heart broken in a thousand pieces, but it was even worse to see her with him all the time. They were always together, arm in arm as they walked through the castle together. Watching him kiss her was sickening, but Draco was a glutton for punishment. He couldn’t keep his angry eyes off her. He had done nothing wrong, had actually tried to be thoughtful and nice, and he had got burned as a result. That would be the last time, Draco decided. That would be the last time he’d ever take a chance on a girl.
The blond sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast. He had got there early so that he didn’t have to talk to anyone. He had even made sure that there were at least three seats between himself and the closest housemates. Talking to other people was not something he wanted to do, and it seemed that the other Slytherins had taken his hint. No one had bothered him, and his attempt at isolating himself from everyone so that he could brood in peace was a success.
Apparently, this obvious attempt at isolation was lost on Blaise, however.
“Morning, mate!” the darker boy chirped gaily as he sat directly to Draco’s left. He had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He was being purposely annoying.
Slowly, Draco turned his head to his friend, eyeing him with unabashed irritation. “What do you want, Zabini?” he asked coldly before returning to his eggs and toast.
Blaise shrugged. “Not much,” he answered simply. “I want to finish school, start a career as a solicitor, have lots and lots of girls to shag that I’ll never have to commit to, and I want my best friend to quit bloody moping around all the time.” He looked at Draco pointedly. “Look, I know she’s important to you, but you have got to move on. There’s plenty of other birds in the sky.”
Draco made noncommittal gesture. “That’s not the point, Blaise,” he said after a moment.
“Bollocks. Just get over it.”
After taking one more bite of his eggs and grabbing a piece of toast, Draco stood. “You know what? I’m done talking about this.” He left without further argument.
Once Draco had gone, Blaise took a long glance across the Great Hall. Ginny was practically sitting in Harry Potter’s lap, flaunting their rekindled relationship to everyone in the school. There was no shame in her public display. She giggled as the Gryffindor boy pulled her in close, kissing her forehead, and tickling her sides. She looked happy, and so did Harry, but Draco’s heart was breaking.
It was time for Blaise to be a friend.
For the next few days, the dark Slytherin boy followed the Gryffindor girl around, stalking her in the shadows. He watched as her boyfriend would walk her to class, and he kept an eye on her while she was in Potions. There was barely a moment that went by that Blaise did not have an eye on her – his own revision was put on the backburner. He needed to get her alone – to talk to her and ask what had happened. It was obvious, to Blaise anyway, that something had happened between Draco and Ginny, but his conclusions were solely based on his own observations. Until recently, he would have dismissed Draco’s brooding and sulking, but Blaise got the distinct impression that Ginny had developed an interest in Draco, as well. He had seen it in the way she looked at Draco.
Days went by before Blaise had caught Ginny walking alone between classes. She had a spare period that hour, but she generally spent time with her boyfriend as he attempted to grope her in the hallways. But not that day. Ginny was alone and seemed to be wandering about the halls of the castle aimlessly. What was most peculiar about it, however, was the fact that she was walking toward the dungeons. After deciding that a fast approach would be ill-advised, Blaise formed a plan to pull her aside before she could protest.
Stealthily, Blaise crept up behind her and put a hand over her mouth. He felt her jump beneath his grasp, and he whispered, “I’m not going to hurt you, Weasley.” She calmed, and he pulled her into a small alcove.
As soon as Blaise backed away and released her, she slapped him in the shoulder. “What in the hell?” she said irritably. “You didn’t have to be all creepy, Blaise. I would have just come with you if you had come and tapped me on the shoulder, you know.” She sighed. “Slytherins.”
The Slytherin boy looked her up and down. “I don’t get it,” he said with a small shrug.
“Get what?”
“You’re too pretty for that bloody tosser,” Blaise replied shortly.
Ginny cocked her head to the side. “What are you on about now?” she asked, getting more heated. She had had things to do and people to talk to. She did not need Blaise to irritate her with his annoyingly cryptic messages.
“Potter,” he said. “You’re too pretty for him.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then snapped it closed a few moments later. After taking a deep breath, she said, “Thank you so much for your unnecessary and unwanted opinion, Blaise. May I please go now?” She took a step away from the wall, but Blaise pressed a hand to her shoulder to gently push her back. “I don’t have time for this!” she snapped.
“I’m doing this for my friend, Weaselette. You’ve hurt him, and you’re bloody well going to tell me why.”
“Am I?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I don’t owe anything to anybody, least of all you.”
Blaise smirked. “No, you don’t owe me anything,” he said, resolved. “But, here’s the deal. I’ve got this good friend who is bloody head over arse about you. You’re all he ever thinks about, and it seemed to me that the two of you had started to get pretty close for a little while.” He tilted his head to the side. “Then, after you go on and on about Potter trying to get into you knickers, you try to get Draco to pry apart your dimple knees. Only, he refuses. Not because he doesn’t want you, but because he knows you don’t really.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the swell recount of my relationships. Is that all?”
“Not even close, love,” he chided. “Why did you do it, Weasley? Why did you go back to Potter?”
“Oh, please, Blaise,” she said, fed up from his out of line questioning. “Anyone with half a brain knows that I love Harry -- that I always have. If your friend didn’t know that, then it really is not my problem.”
He slammed his hand against the wall beside her head. “He was good to you, Ginny.”
“He left me alone, hung over in the Room of Requirement,” she said with a raising voice. “Did he mention that part?”
“Get over it!” His face was merely inches away from Ginny’s as he gave the same advice he had previously given to Draco. “What would you rather have? A boy who wants to shag you and is going to try at every possible opportunity, even though he knows you don’t want it, or a boy who is going to stop you when you throw yourself at him because he knows you’ll regret it and hate him for it?” He backed away with a twitch of his eyebrows. “Think about it like that, love, and decide for yourself who is better for you. Then, when you realize you’re not going to find someone better than Draco, start finding a way to apologize to him, because you’ve shattered him.”
The redhead bit her lip. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she said quietly.
Blaise nodded sympathetically. “I believe that, but it still doesn’t change that you did hurt him.” He stared at Ginny for an long moment, a pregnant pause growing between them as he studied her intently. “Where were you heading, anyway?”
She was taken aback. “Oh. I was going to the library, and I –”
“Somehow got lost in the midst of the Hogwarts dungeons?” His expression turned into one of amusement. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
“Fine,” she said, lowering her voice. “I was going to find Draco.”
The Slytherin boy actually looked a bit disappointed. “You mean, my speech didn’t mean anything to you?” he asked pathetically.
“Not really, no.”
The blond sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast. He had got there early so that he didn’t have to talk to anyone. He had even made sure that there were at least three seats between himself and the closest housemates. Talking to other people was not something he wanted to do, and it seemed that the other Slytherins had taken his hint. No one had bothered him, and his attempt at isolating himself from everyone so that he could brood in peace was a success.
Apparently, this obvious attempt at isolation was lost on Blaise, however.
“Morning, mate!” the darker boy chirped gaily as he sat directly to Draco’s left. He had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He was being purposely annoying.
Slowly, Draco turned his head to his friend, eyeing him with unabashed irritation. “What do you want, Zabini?” he asked coldly before returning to his eggs and toast.
Blaise shrugged. “Not much,” he answered simply. “I want to finish school, start a career as a solicitor, have lots and lots of girls to shag that I’ll never have to commit to, and I want my best friend to quit bloody moping around all the time.” He looked at Draco pointedly. “Look, I know she’s important to you, but you have got to move on. There’s plenty of other birds in the sky.”
Draco made noncommittal gesture. “That’s not the point, Blaise,” he said after a moment.
“Bollocks. Just get over it.”
After taking one more bite of his eggs and grabbing a piece of toast, Draco stood. “You know what? I’m done talking about this.” He left without further argument.
Once Draco had gone, Blaise took a long glance across the Great Hall. Ginny was practically sitting in Harry Potter’s lap, flaunting their rekindled relationship to everyone in the school. There was no shame in her public display. She giggled as the Gryffindor boy pulled her in close, kissing her forehead, and tickling her sides. She looked happy, and so did Harry, but Draco’s heart was breaking.
It was time for Blaise to be a friend.
For the next few days, the dark Slytherin boy followed the Gryffindor girl around, stalking her in the shadows. He watched as her boyfriend would walk her to class, and he kept an eye on her while she was in Potions. There was barely a moment that went by that Blaise did not have an eye on her – his own revision was put on the backburner. He needed to get her alone – to talk to her and ask what had happened. It was obvious, to Blaise anyway, that something had happened between Draco and Ginny, but his conclusions were solely based on his own observations. Until recently, he would have dismissed Draco’s brooding and sulking, but Blaise got the distinct impression that Ginny had developed an interest in Draco, as well. He had seen it in the way she looked at Draco.
Days went by before Blaise had caught Ginny walking alone between classes. She had a spare period that hour, but she generally spent time with her boyfriend as he attempted to grope her in the hallways. But not that day. Ginny was alone and seemed to be wandering about the halls of the castle aimlessly. What was most peculiar about it, however, was the fact that she was walking toward the dungeons. After deciding that a fast approach would be ill-advised, Blaise formed a plan to pull her aside before she could protest.
Stealthily, Blaise crept up behind her and put a hand over her mouth. He felt her jump beneath his grasp, and he whispered, “I’m not going to hurt you, Weasley.” She calmed, and he pulled her into a small alcove.
As soon as Blaise backed away and released her, she slapped him in the shoulder. “What in the hell?” she said irritably. “You didn’t have to be all creepy, Blaise. I would have just come with you if you had come and tapped me on the shoulder, you know.” She sighed. “Slytherins.”
The Slytherin boy looked her up and down. “I don’t get it,” he said with a small shrug.
“Get what?”
“You’re too pretty for that bloody tosser,” Blaise replied shortly.
Ginny cocked her head to the side. “What are you on about now?” she asked, getting more heated. She had had things to do and people to talk to. She did not need Blaise to irritate her with his annoyingly cryptic messages.
“Potter,” he said. “You’re too pretty for him.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then snapped it closed a few moments later. After taking a deep breath, she said, “Thank you so much for your unnecessary and unwanted opinion, Blaise. May I please go now?” She took a step away from the wall, but Blaise pressed a hand to her shoulder to gently push her back. “I don’t have time for this!” she snapped.
“I’m doing this for my friend, Weaselette. You’ve hurt him, and you’re bloody well going to tell me why.”
“Am I?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I don’t owe anything to anybody, least of all you.”
Blaise smirked. “No, you don’t owe me anything,” he said, resolved. “But, here’s the deal. I’ve got this good friend who is bloody head over arse about you. You’re all he ever thinks about, and it seemed to me that the two of you had started to get pretty close for a little while.” He tilted his head to the side. “Then, after you go on and on about Potter trying to get into you knickers, you try to get Draco to pry apart your dimple knees. Only, he refuses. Not because he doesn’t want you, but because he knows you don’t really.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the swell recount of my relationships. Is that all?”
“Not even close, love,” he chided. “Why did you do it, Weasley? Why did you go back to Potter?”
“Oh, please, Blaise,” she said, fed up from his out of line questioning. “Anyone with half a brain knows that I love Harry -- that I always have. If your friend didn’t know that, then it really is not my problem.”
He slammed his hand against the wall beside her head. “He was good to you, Ginny.”
“He left me alone, hung over in the Room of Requirement,” she said with a raising voice. “Did he mention that part?”
“Get over it!” His face was merely inches away from Ginny’s as he gave the same advice he had previously given to Draco. “What would you rather have? A boy who wants to shag you and is going to try at every possible opportunity, even though he knows you don’t want it, or a boy who is going to stop you when you throw yourself at him because he knows you’ll regret it and hate him for it?” He backed away with a twitch of his eyebrows. “Think about it like that, love, and decide for yourself who is better for you. Then, when you realize you’re not going to find someone better than Draco, start finding a way to apologize to him, because you’ve shattered him.”
The redhead bit her lip. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she said quietly.
Blaise nodded sympathetically. “I believe that, but it still doesn’t change that you did hurt him.” He stared at Ginny for an long moment, a pregnant pause growing between them as he studied her intently. “Where were you heading, anyway?”
She was taken aback. “Oh. I was going to the library, and I –”
“Somehow got lost in the midst of the Hogwarts dungeons?” His expression turned into one of amusement. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
“Fine,” she said, lowering her voice. “I was going to find Draco.”
The Slytherin boy actually looked a bit disappointed. “You mean, my speech didn’t mean anything to you?” he asked pathetically.
“Not really, no.”
Author notes: Hope you enjoy! One more to go. :)
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