Chapter 5
Ginevra handed the latest flower arrangement, minus one bloom, back to her assistant, “Can you make sure that the flowers are delivered to the Returned Servicemen’s Hospital and the truffles are left for the night security team,” she instructed. Over the last two weeks, Draco had made no attempt to get her alone again, nor had he made any mention of their aborted kiss, preferring instead to send through little mementos and hand written notes. Some people would look at the situation and commend the fact that Draco was giving her space to breathe; she was not ‘some people’. Ginevra had spent eighteen intimate months with one Slytherin and four years with another. She recognised a battle strategy when she saw it. “I saw these and thought of you” was code for, “you’re on my mind and I’m not giving up”. Deliberately choosing gifts that recalled presents from five years ago, was not a lack of inspiration on the part of the giver, but a vivid reminder of what the two of them had shared. Every move was calculated to wear down her resistance and she hated the fact that it was working. Idly running her fingers over the petals in her hand, Ginevra admitted to herself that she was going to have to make a decision soon.
All deep thoughts fled her mind when Blaise burst into her office and dropped to his knees. “Love of my life, best friend in all of the world, please say you’ll take my four o’clock meeting for me,” he implored.
Ginevra burst out laughing at the amateur dramatics. “Get up off the floor you fool, if anyone walks past the door they’ll think you’re proposing marriage.”
Blaise grinned at her. “If you say yes to the meeting, I’ll seriously consider it.”
“What’s so horrible about the meeting?”
Blaise shuddered in mock horror, “It’s the review from the Health and Safety Committee. They’re going to want to discuss anti slippage spells in the lobby and proper wrist support for the people using quills for long periods of time.”
“And you want me to suffer through that?” she asked with a mock frown.
“But you’re a better person than me,” he wheedled. “You’ll smile and nod; they’ll feel justified in their existence and go away for another year. If I go, I’m going to fall asleep and drool on the agenda and the bastards will reschedule the meeting so I’ll end up going through this twice!”
Half way through the explanation, Ginevra gave up all attempts to act annoyed. “Okay, okay get out of my office so I can finish this report and I’ll take your bloody meeting. But when I get home you better have cracked open a bottle of the really, really good wine to thank me.”
Blaise flicked a quick glance at the flower in her hand. “You are a goddess among women; all lesser mortals should bow down and worship you.”
“Get out!”
..oo00oo..
When Blaise caught sight of Ginny's expression that evening he grabbed a second bottle of wine to go with dinner. Sweetness and light were not the first things that sprung to mind as he gauged her mood. Please let this be due to something unrelated to her late afternoon meeting. "Is Malfoy being his usual prat self?" he asked hopefully.
Shrugging off her jacket, Ginny glared at her best friend. "Not this time. In fact my day was perfectly fine until you delegated for me to meet with the Health and Safety Committee."
Blaise did his very best to channel Percy Weasley, "I'm the boss. It's my job to delegate." He kept up the expression of self importance for twenty seconds before relaxing into a grin. "It can't have been that bad. As long as you didn’t fall asleep you did a far better job than I could ever have managed."
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "Have you any idea of the mental trauma you have put me through?" At his unrepentant expression she decided to elaborate. "While you were right that they wanted to discuss measures to prevent slips and falls, it had nothing to do with the spells in the lobby. No, their concern was over the associated trip hazards in the secretary pool. And just in case you were wondering, they weren't talking about quills left lying around. Oh no, I could have coped with that. Instead, they have respectfully requested that Mr Zabini (yes you, you great pillock) refrain from walking through the seventh floor secretarial pool. It seems that you are too damn pretty for your own good. The general populace, or at least the girls on the seventh floor become so blind with lust when you walk through that they tend to be less than cautious when it comes to watching where they are going. I swear to God if you don't stop laughing right now I will hex you.” Ginny grabbed her glass of wine and took a fortifying gulp. “Apparently, your pheromones and/or noble physique can be regarded as a health and safety risk. Now either you can stop the ‘I’m avoiding work’ walk abouts altogether, or you should develop some socially unacceptable growth on your face to prevent everybody’s seemingly instinctive desire to get naked with you. God damn it Blaise, I said to stop laughing!”
..oo00oo..
It had taken several glasses of wine, promises never, ever to do that again, and a foot massage but Ginny at least had stopped glaring at him. As such, Blaise was really tempted not to bring up Draco but the flower on her desk had thrown him somewhat.
He decided to come at it obliquely. “You know, if you keep giving the chocolates to the security staff I’m either going to have to order new uniforms or install exercise equipment in the break room.”
“A few truffles won’t hurt them. They appreciate the treat, and it saves me having to deal with a Molly Weasley shaped conscious yelling at me for throwing good food out.”
“Fair enough.” Blaise shifted position to nestle Ginny closer to his chest. “I noticed you kept one of the flowers today.”
Ginny was silent for several moments. “Yes, I did. I’m still not a hundred per cent why.”
Blaise waited patiently for her to continue. While he would like to jump up and down and remind Ginny of the fucked up things Draco had done in the past, he couldn’t do that without hurting her. Taking the next best course of action, Blaise shut up and let her work through things in her head. If things got completely out of control, there was always plan B to fall back on.
After a while she continued, “I know he is a bastard, I know it hurt for a long time, I know I’d be stupid to make myself that vulnerable but I never did find out why he did what he did. There was no warning Blaise. One day he’s loving and attentive and everything that I knew he could be, and the next he’s breaking it off because he’s asked sodding Pansy Parkinson to marry him.”
Blaise set his teeth and tried to not let his anger at Draco seep through into his voice. “I can’t really help you there. I didn’t give him much chance to explain when I found out. We were too busy dodging curses that we had hurled at each other for any deep and meaningful conversations.”
Ginny twisted so she could kiss him softly on the lips. “And not a day goes by that I don’t thank the stars that you took my side all those years ago.”
Blaise smirked at her. “It was a simple decision really: stick with best friend since childhood who was displaying signs of either major head trauma or possibly the Imperio, or go with the really hot chick.”
“Good choice. God only knows what your life would have been like before now. Drunken debauched parties every night. A different naked girl in your bed every time you turned around,” Ginny teased.
“Oh, the horror!”
We have a good life together, Blaise, a really good life. But I feel that I owe it to who I was then to find out what really happened. If Draco really is the bastard we say he is, then I can cut him out of my life for good.”
Hating himself, Blaise asked, “And if he isn’t?”
Ginny reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers. “I don’t know.”
End Part 5.
Ginevra handed the latest flower arrangement, minus one bloom, back to her assistant, “Can you make sure that the flowers are delivered to the Returned Servicemen’s Hospital and the truffles are left for the night security team,” she instructed. Over the last two weeks, Draco had made no attempt to get her alone again, nor had he made any mention of their aborted kiss, preferring instead to send through little mementos and hand written notes. Some people would look at the situation and commend the fact that Draco was giving her space to breathe; she was not ‘some people’. Ginevra had spent eighteen intimate months with one Slytherin and four years with another. She recognised a battle strategy when she saw it. “I saw these and thought of you” was code for, “you’re on my mind and I’m not giving up”. Deliberately choosing gifts that recalled presents from five years ago, was not a lack of inspiration on the part of the giver, but a vivid reminder of what the two of them had shared. Every move was calculated to wear down her resistance and she hated the fact that it was working. Idly running her fingers over the petals in her hand, Ginevra admitted to herself that she was going to have to make a decision soon.
All deep thoughts fled her mind when Blaise burst into her office and dropped to his knees. “Love of my life, best friend in all of the world, please say you’ll take my four o’clock meeting for me,” he implored.
Ginevra burst out laughing at the amateur dramatics. “Get up off the floor you fool, if anyone walks past the door they’ll think you’re proposing marriage.”
Blaise grinned at her. “If you say yes to the meeting, I’ll seriously consider it.”
“What’s so horrible about the meeting?”
Blaise shuddered in mock horror, “It’s the review from the Health and Safety Committee. They’re going to want to discuss anti slippage spells in the lobby and proper wrist support for the people using quills for long periods of time.”
“And you want me to suffer through that?” she asked with a mock frown.
“But you’re a better person than me,” he wheedled. “You’ll smile and nod; they’ll feel justified in their existence and go away for another year. If I go, I’m going to fall asleep and drool on the agenda and the bastards will reschedule the meeting so I’ll end up going through this twice!”
Half way through the explanation, Ginevra gave up all attempts to act annoyed. “Okay, okay get out of my office so I can finish this report and I’ll take your bloody meeting. But when I get home you better have cracked open a bottle of the really, really good wine to thank me.”
Blaise flicked a quick glance at the flower in her hand. “You are a goddess among women; all lesser mortals should bow down and worship you.”
“Get out!”
..oo00oo..
When Blaise caught sight of Ginny's expression that evening he grabbed a second bottle of wine to go with dinner. Sweetness and light were not the first things that sprung to mind as he gauged her mood. Please let this be due to something unrelated to her late afternoon meeting. "Is Malfoy being his usual prat self?" he asked hopefully.
Shrugging off her jacket, Ginny glared at her best friend. "Not this time. In fact my day was perfectly fine until you delegated for me to meet with the Health and Safety Committee."
Blaise did his very best to channel Percy Weasley, "I'm the boss. It's my job to delegate." He kept up the expression of self importance for twenty seconds before relaxing into a grin. "It can't have been that bad. As long as you didn’t fall asleep you did a far better job than I could ever have managed."
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "Have you any idea of the mental trauma you have put me through?" At his unrepentant expression she decided to elaborate. "While you were right that they wanted to discuss measures to prevent slips and falls, it had nothing to do with the spells in the lobby. No, their concern was over the associated trip hazards in the secretary pool. And just in case you were wondering, they weren't talking about quills left lying around. Oh no, I could have coped with that. Instead, they have respectfully requested that Mr Zabini (yes you, you great pillock) refrain from walking through the seventh floor secretarial pool. It seems that you are too damn pretty for your own good. The general populace, or at least the girls on the seventh floor become so blind with lust when you walk through that they tend to be less than cautious when it comes to watching where they are going. I swear to God if you don't stop laughing right now I will hex you.” Ginny grabbed her glass of wine and took a fortifying gulp. “Apparently, your pheromones and/or noble physique can be regarded as a health and safety risk. Now either you can stop the ‘I’m avoiding work’ walk abouts altogether, or you should develop some socially unacceptable growth on your face to prevent everybody’s seemingly instinctive desire to get naked with you. God damn it Blaise, I said to stop laughing!”
..oo00oo..
It had taken several glasses of wine, promises never, ever to do that again, and a foot massage but Ginny at least had stopped glaring at him. As such, Blaise was really tempted not to bring up Draco but the flower on her desk had thrown him somewhat.
He decided to come at it obliquely. “You know, if you keep giving the chocolates to the security staff I’m either going to have to order new uniforms or install exercise equipment in the break room.”
“A few truffles won’t hurt them. They appreciate the treat, and it saves me having to deal with a Molly Weasley shaped conscious yelling at me for throwing good food out.”
“Fair enough.” Blaise shifted position to nestle Ginny closer to his chest. “I noticed you kept one of the flowers today.”
Ginny was silent for several moments. “Yes, I did. I’m still not a hundred per cent why.”
Blaise waited patiently for her to continue. While he would like to jump up and down and remind Ginny of the fucked up things Draco had done in the past, he couldn’t do that without hurting her. Taking the next best course of action, Blaise shut up and let her work through things in her head. If things got completely out of control, there was always plan B to fall back on.
After a while she continued, “I know he is a bastard, I know it hurt for a long time, I know I’d be stupid to make myself that vulnerable but I never did find out why he did what he did. There was no warning Blaise. One day he’s loving and attentive and everything that I knew he could be, and the next he’s breaking it off because he’s asked sodding Pansy Parkinson to marry him.”
Blaise set his teeth and tried to not let his anger at Draco seep through into his voice. “I can’t really help you there. I didn’t give him much chance to explain when I found out. We were too busy dodging curses that we had hurled at each other for any deep and meaningful conversations.”
Ginny twisted so she could kiss him softly on the lips. “And not a day goes by that I don’t thank the stars that you took my side all those years ago.”
Blaise smirked at her. “It was a simple decision really: stick with best friend since childhood who was displaying signs of either major head trauma or possibly the Imperio, or go with the really hot chick.”
“Good choice. God only knows what your life would have been like before now. Drunken debauched parties every night. A different naked girl in your bed every time you turned around,” Ginny teased.
“Oh, the horror!”
We have a good life together, Blaise, a really good life. But I feel that I owe it to who I was then to find out what really happened. If Draco really is the bastard we say he is, then I can cut him out of my life for good.”
Hating himself, Blaise asked, “And if he isn’t?”
Ginny reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers. “I don’t know.”
End Part 5.
To Be Continued.
Slythhearted is the author of 3 other stories.
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This story is a favorite of 34 members. Members who liked Bed Of Lies also liked 988 other stories.
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