Chapter 4- Ain’t It Funny?
Natasha watched Ginny sit at the Gryffindor table and once again pick at her food instead of eating. She had hoped that singing yesterday morning would’ve flushed the ‘Draco-depression’ out of her friend’s system, but apparently it hadn’t worked that way. As a matter of fact, Natasha thought slowly, eyes darkening slightly, Ginny looked more upset than she had before she left; there was something very wrong with that.
With little thought, Natasha’s gaze went to the staff table. Her eyes found Draco quickly, that bleach blond hair making him easy to spot, but it was Blaise that she was interested in. He sat on the other side of Patrick rather than beside Draco, something that a certain cousin of his found very suspicious. They were best friends; why had they suddenly switched up their seating?
Natasha narrowed her eyes at Blaise, tipping her head sideways, considering. He looked very ill at ease, an unusual thing in itself for him. She glanced at Ginny again, then back up at her cousin. Actually, come to think of it, they were sporting the same uncomfortable expression, almost one of… guilt?
“No…” she said to herself, whispering. “They couldn’t have… they wouldn’t.”
Though, try as she might, Natasha found it impossible to convince herself of her own words’ truth. She had to talk to Blaise now.
Natasha pushed open the door of the practice room and was hit full-on by Blaise’s voice. Moving quietly so as not to alert him to her presence, she walked silently into the room, watching his back as he made his way through All I Ask of You. He’d said last year that had always been his favorite song of all the ones he sang in the show.
“Blaise.”
“Hey, cuz!”
Natasha grimaced. She could tell that Blaise was making a valiant effort at being his usual jovial self, but he was failing miserably. Noting that he was having a hard time covering whatever was bothering him, she decided to try the direct approach.
“I was watching you at lunch today.”
“I noticed.”
“What’s the matter?”
Blaise looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I’d rather you don’t know.”
“Somehow, I don’t think Ginny would want me to know either.”
Blaise’s head snapped up. “What did she tell you?”
“Relax, nothing. But I could tell that something was bothering her, too, and you were wearing identical guilty expressions. Is there a reason for that?”
“No!” Blaise spoke just a little too fast, and his voice was just a little too panicked.
“Blaise.” Natasha spoke softly, and her cousin’s dark eyes were drawn to her own. “What have you done?”
Blaise looked torn with indecision. “I… we… we… oh, Merlin, I can’t even tell you.”
“Blaise, tell me.” Her voice was more commanding this time, the ‘I'm a pureblood, hear me roar’ attitude coming out just a bit.
Blaise sighed. “Ginny and I, we…”
Natasha didn’t even need him to finish. “Oh, Blaise… how could you, Blaise? How could you?!”
“I don’t know! We were just singing along, and then all of a sudden it just… happened.”
“Blaise-”
“You were the one who told me to go after her!”
Natasha’s eyes flashed angrily. “Oh, no you don’t; don’t you dare pin this on me! You were supposed to go comfort her, not kiss her!”
“Well, can you really blame me?”
“Yes! Yes, I bloody well can! You imbecile, how could you?!”
“It wasn’t exactly all me, Natasha! It takes two to snog, you know!”
“I’m well aware of the number of people it takes to snog, Blaise! And don’t worry, a certain little redhead will be getting an earful from me, too, and you’ll both be lucky if I don’t go to Draco right now!”
It was late that night before Blaise could get Ginny alone, and even then it was by accident. He opened the door of the practice room to silence and walked in, thinking that it was empty. The moment he was inside, he spotted her squatting beside the piano, fishing through the crate of sheet music. She didn’t look up at the noise he made, so Blaise spoke.
“Hey.”
Ginny’s head snapped up as though burned, and her voice was breathless and nervous when she spoke. “Hey.”
“We need to talk.”
Ginny straightened, brushing stray hair out of her eyes. “Yes, we do.”
“Judging by the deer-in-the-headlights look you got on your face when I came in, Natasha got to you, too.”
“I convinced her not to go to Draco, but only by telling her I’d tell him myself later.” Ginny bit her lip. “She’s right, you know.”
“About what?”
“Everything- that we’re stupid, we were wrong, and that Draco has to know. She’s just terribly right.”
Blaise gave a very faint sigh of relief. “I thought so, too, though I’m more than a little worried about that last part.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Blaise shook his head. “We should both tell him.”
Ginny shook her head right back at him. “If we go to him together and tell him something like that, it’ll look like we’re… a couple or something. That’s just the way it always looks.”
“Then I’ll tell him; I’ve been his best friend for our whole lives.”
Ginny shook her head more slowly this time, but the motion was still made. “I should be the one to tell him. I don’t know when, but I will.”
Blaise acquiesced on this point, more than a little relieved. “Ginny… what happened yesterday… it can’t happen again.”
“I know.” Ginny met his gaze steadily. “It won’t happen again.”
“I think we should put some limitations on how much we’re alone together, just to be sure.”
Ginny shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”
“How do you figure?”
“Yesterday was just… the result of a lot of squirrelly emotions, intensified friendship, and music-heightened passion. There weren’t romantic feelings involved.”
Blaise was silent, and Ginny felt bile rising in her throat.
“Blaise? Were there?”
Blaise hesitated a long time before speaking. “Yes and no. I’m not going to lie, Ginny; I’ve thought you were beautiful for a few years now, and I’ve felt a certain amount of attraction to you since we became close last year. I know that you love Draco, so I’ve held back a lot of things I’ve wanted to say or do. I’m not going to tempt you to do things you’ll regret again, but you need to know that there were feelings involved for me.”
Ginny was stunned. “Blaise, I-”
“Don’t worry about it. You just needed to know. Okay?”
“O-okay.”
Blaise stood and walked from the room without a backward glance, and Ginny couldn’t help but smile slightly as she watched him go.
“Ain’t it funny how some feelings you just can’t deny
And you can’t move on even though you try
Ain’t it strange the way you’re feeling things you shouldn’t feel
Oh, I wish this could be real
Ain’t funny how a moment could just change your life
And you don’t want to face what’s wrong or right
Ain’t it strange how fate can play a part
In the story of your heart”
Natasha watched Ginny sit at the Gryffindor table and once again pick at her food instead of eating. She had hoped that singing yesterday morning would’ve flushed the ‘Draco-depression’ out of her friend’s system, but apparently it hadn’t worked that way. As a matter of fact, Natasha thought slowly, eyes darkening slightly, Ginny looked more upset than she had before she left; there was something very wrong with that.
With little thought, Natasha’s gaze went to the staff table. Her eyes found Draco quickly, that bleach blond hair making him easy to spot, but it was Blaise that she was interested in. He sat on the other side of Patrick rather than beside Draco, something that a certain cousin of his found very suspicious. They were best friends; why had they suddenly switched up their seating?
Natasha narrowed her eyes at Blaise, tipping her head sideways, considering. He looked very ill at ease, an unusual thing in itself for him. She glanced at Ginny again, then back up at her cousin. Actually, come to think of it, they were sporting the same uncomfortable expression, almost one of… guilt?
“No…” she said to herself, whispering. “They couldn’t have… they wouldn’t.”
Though, try as she might, Natasha found it impossible to convince herself of her own words’ truth. She had to talk to Blaise now.
Natasha pushed open the door of the practice room and was hit full-on by Blaise’s voice. Moving quietly so as not to alert him to her presence, she walked silently into the room, watching his back as he made his way through All I Ask of You. He’d said last year that had always been his favorite song of all the ones he sang in the show.
“Blaise.”
“Hey, cuz!”
Natasha grimaced. She could tell that Blaise was making a valiant effort at being his usual jovial self, but he was failing miserably. Noting that he was having a hard time covering whatever was bothering him, she decided to try the direct approach.
“I was watching you at lunch today.”
“I noticed.”
“What’s the matter?”
Blaise looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I’d rather you don’t know.”
“Somehow, I don’t think Ginny would want me to know either.”
Blaise’s head snapped up. “What did she tell you?”
“Relax, nothing. But I could tell that something was bothering her, too, and you were wearing identical guilty expressions. Is there a reason for that?”
“No!” Blaise spoke just a little too fast, and his voice was just a little too panicked.
“Blaise.” Natasha spoke softly, and her cousin’s dark eyes were drawn to her own. “What have you done?”
Blaise looked torn with indecision. “I… we… we… oh, Merlin, I can’t even tell you.”
“Blaise, tell me.” Her voice was more commanding this time, the ‘I'm a pureblood, hear me roar’ attitude coming out just a bit.
Blaise sighed. “Ginny and I, we…”
Natasha didn’t even need him to finish. “Oh, Blaise… how could you, Blaise? How could you?!”
“I don’t know! We were just singing along, and then all of a sudden it just… happened.”
“Blaise-”
“You were the one who told me to go after her!”
Natasha’s eyes flashed angrily. “Oh, no you don’t; don’t you dare pin this on me! You were supposed to go comfort her, not kiss her!”
“Well, can you really blame me?”
“Yes! Yes, I bloody well can! You imbecile, how could you?!”
“It wasn’t exactly all me, Natasha! It takes two to snog, you know!”
“I’m well aware of the number of people it takes to snog, Blaise! And don’t worry, a certain little redhead will be getting an earful from me, too, and you’ll both be lucky if I don’t go to Draco right now!”
It was late that night before Blaise could get Ginny alone, and even then it was by accident. He opened the door of the practice room to silence and walked in, thinking that it was empty. The moment he was inside, he spotted her squatting beside the piano, fishing through the crate of sheet music. She didn’t look up at the noise he made, so Blaise spoke.
“Hey.”
Ginny’s head snapped up as though burned, and her voice was breathless and nervous when she spoke. “Hey.”
“We need to talk.”
Ginny straightened, brushing stray hair out of her eyes. “Yes, we do.”
“Judging by the deer-in-the-headlights look you got on your face when I came in, Natasha got to you, too.”
“I convinced her not to go to Draco, but only by telling her I’d tell him myself later.” Ginny bit her lip. “She’s right, you know.”
“About what?”
“Everything- that we’re stupid, we were wrong, and that Draco has to know. She’s just terribly right.”
Blaise gave a very faint sigh of relief. “I thought so, too, though I’m more than a little worried about that last part.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Blaise shook his head. “We should both tell him.”
Ginny shook her head right back at him. “If we go to him together and tell him something like that, it’ll look like we’re… a couple or something. That’s just the way it always looks.”
“Then I’ll tell him; I’ve been his best friend for our whole lives.”
Ginny shook her head more slowly this time, but the motion was still made. “I should be the one to tell him. I don’t know when, but I will.”
Blaise acquiesced on this point, more than a little relieved. “Ginny… what happened yesterday… it can’t happen again.”
“I know.” Ginny met his gaze steadily. “It won’t happen again.”
“I think we should put some limitations on how much we’re alone together, just to be sure.”
Ginny shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”
“How do you figure?”
“Yesterday was just… the result of a lot of squirrelly emotions, intensified friendship, and music-heightened passion. There weren’t romantic feelings involved.”
Blaise was silent, and Ginny felt bile rising in her throat.
“Blaise? Were there?”
Blaise hesitated a long time before speaking. “Yes and no. I’m not going to lie, Ginny; I’ve thought you were beautiful for a few years now, and I’ve felt a certain amount of attraction to you since we became close last year. I know that you love Draco, so I’ve held back a lot of things I’ve wanted to say or do. I’m not going to tempt you to do things you’ll regret again, but you need to know that there were feelings involved for me.”
Ginny was stunned. “Blaise, I-”
“Don’t worry about it. You just needed to know. Okay?”
“O-okay.”
Blaise stood and walked from the room without a backward glance, and Ginny couldn’t help but smile slightly as she watched him go.
“Ain’t it funny how some feelings you just can’t deny
And you can’t move on even though you try
Ain’t it strange the way you’re feeling things you shouldn’t feel
Oh, I wish this could be real
Ain’t funny how a moment could just change your life
And you don’t want to face what’s wrong or right
Ain’t it strange how fate can play a part
In the story of your heart”
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