~ His Love
“It’s only been five months,” Ginny frowned. “That’s not enough time to get serious.”
Malfoy tilted his head. “You’re joking, right? It took you all of a week to fall in love with Scarhead, but you’ve been with this bloke for five months and it’s not yet serious?”
Ginny tossed the sandwich wrapper onto Malfoy’s intricately designed footrest and bit eagerly into the delicacy. His skeptic gaze froze her heart. She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “You’ll meet him eventually. It’s just not the right time yet. Since when do you want to meet my boyfriends anyway?”
He finished off his wine glass, setting it onto the tabletop casually. “Since you refuse to actually introduce us for over three months. Honestly, Weasley, either you’re single and want to hide it, or you really don’t want me to meet this man.”
Ginny shifted in her seat, munching on her sandwich, as she mulled over her response. “I just want to make sure this is serious, before I go about making a dedication to him.”
He reached to wipe her cheek with a napkin distastefully. “I’d say that five months of dating is a pretty heavy dedication, Weasley. At least explain to me why this particular case is so serious to you.”
Shrugging silently, Ginny finished off her wine with large gulps. It was going to be a long night. She had to get out of there.
Taking their trash into the kitchen, Ginny quickly washed their dishes under Draco’s careful watch. He’d long since stopped trying to convince her that his house elves could take care of such menial tasks; Ginny found them a bit relaxing. Once done, Ginny turned slowly and met his eyes. “I should be getting home. I think he’s coming by early tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to oversleep.” She was surprised at how well the lie flew off her lips. Draco’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded.
“I expect to be introduced to him by the new year, Weasley. You can’t hold out on it for six months; it’s just not done.”
Ginny grinned quickly, ignoring the pain that overtook her cheeks at the movement, and walked stiffly to the dining hall. Thank Merlin for glamour charms. Draco’s hands stilled hers as she pulled her thick cloak over herself. “I’m serious, Weasley. Your deliberate vagueness on this subject is beginning to worry me.” He corrected her collar quickly and stepped back.
Ginny waved him off playfully, “Of course you’ll meet him, silly. I can’t hide him from you forever, even the most stealthy of minds couldn’t keep a secret from you for long, and you and I both know how I lack in the intellectual department.”
He scowled. “I never did and never will say anything of the sort, Ginny.”
On a more serious note, she turned to him as she gathered her purse and work papers. “Draco, it’s already been two weeks. You need to decide on a funeral ceremony soon, because stretching it won’t make it go away. You – “
“Fine,” he snapped. “Deal: If you leave me alone, I won’t ask you about him for the next month.”
Ginny smiled at him slyly, “That’s all I ask.” Just as she threw the floo into the flames, Ginny met his gaze. “I’m serious, though. Your mother deserves to be remembered.”
~
The cold air stabbed her skin like knives, but she trudged on, pulling her cloak tighter about herself. Draco was strolling more elegantly beside her, his charcoal robes swishing behind him smoothly.
Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, Ginny smiled at him gently, and a soft ache developed in her chest when her eyes met his. Neither found the need to look away.
The funeral procession had not taken long; not even fifteen had attended. Draco had not had a word to say, but Ginny found no problem with taking over, speaking the words that she knew were long since engraved in his mind.
His white hair fell into his eyes as he gazed at her, and Ginny thought for a second that she had never seen a thing more striking than a beautiful man in pain.
~
The Hog’s Head was loud and raucous this time of the year, when the festivities were all scheduled to begin. The merriness of the atmosphere caused a nauseating churning in Ginny’s stomach, and she glared at the other patrons of the pub darkly. “I just don’t understand why we had to meet in this hole. I can practically feel the germs and diseases that burgeon here crawling all over me.”
Luna blinked her large eyes slowly and smiled oddly, “Smell the air, Ginny. Can’t you sense the happiness of these people?”
Ginny’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “No, Luna. I really can’t.”
Malfoy waved their conversation away dismissively and glared at Ginny half-heartedly. “It was close by, and if I remember correctly, you were the one who needed to utilize their services?”
Ginny blushed, remembering all too well the scarring experience she’d had in the pub’s loo. She should have waited until they reached Madame Puddifoot’s or something. Even if she would have come out smelling like candy in a meadow.
Scrunching her face as a whiff of sweat and beer reached her nose, Ginny shook her head. “No, look, I can’t, I have to leave. This is torture.”
Zabini chuckled slightly as they followed her out, and Ginny shivered as the cold air hit her, cutting through her skin. Malfoy pulled her back to cover her with a warming charm and rolled his eyes contemptuously. “A wise woman would have done that before she stepped into the snow.”
Ginny pranced away, gathering a snowball in her hands. “A wise woman wouldn’t be friends with you.” Her snowball missed its mark. Malfoy’s reflexes were, at the height of the Quidditch season, sharper than ever.
Blaise and Luna walked together beside them, hands clasped, and otherwise the streets were silent. Only Ginny’s shrieking laughter broke the tranquil every so often as cold clumps of snow hit her back sharply. Everything froze, however, when Jaret emerged from the dark, his friendly face on for appearances.
Ginny’s smile all but vanished, and she could feel everyone, especially Malfoy, watching her. She offered a small hello and stepped back toward her group of friends, waiting for him to speak.
He cleared his throat and looked at the others. “I’m Jaret Martin, a friend of Ginny’s.”
Ginny’s eyes darted to Draco, who towered over the other man. No, she thought, that you are not. She cleared her throat regardless, murmuring, “Erm, yes, this is the Jaret I’ve told you about.”
He turned wary eyes on her, almost vicious. “You’ve told them about me?”
Shaking her head quickly, she fought with her words, “Well, I’ve mentioned you and such. I just wanted to wait for the right time to, er, introduce you. What are you doing out here?”
Jaret challenged her, “I could ask the same of you.”
Draco and Blaise exchanged dark glances, though Luna stood by obliviously. Stepping forward, Draco put a comforting arm around Ginny and nodded at the darker wizard. “Draco Malfoy, pleased to meet you.”
Blaise and Luna stepped up to Ginny’s other side, and the other Slytherin clearly intoned, “Blaise Zabini.”
Ginny leaned slightly into Malfoy’s side and waited for it to be over. Jaret smiled at the men and nodded quickly. “Right, well, I’ll be on my way now. I suppose I’ll see you later, Ginny?”
Filthy, lying bastard. Like you really care what I’ll say.
As soon as the man was gone, Draco let go of her and raised an eyebrow. “What was all that about?”
Ginny shied away from him and shivered despite the deliciously warm magic that flowed over her skin. Shrugging slightly, she muttered, “I wasn’t expecting him here.”
He nodded slowly and began to walk on beside her. Oblivious to his careful vigilance, Ginny scowled as she thought about what this would mean. Surely Jaret had seen Malfoy’s arm around her. He would punish her, then. But she hadn’t done anything wrong, she’d been polite and brief, and it wasn’t her fault.
Someday soon, she would be strong enough to stop him. She would be determined, and she would quit shaking in her shoes when she heard him flooing in early in the morning. Why hadn’t she done it yet?
~
“You don’t understand, Malfoy,” Ginny sighed patiently, setting her glass onto the lavishly decorated table. All around them people were buzzing with conversation, and numerous couples emerged onto the sparkling floor, dancing to the rhythm of the classical music. It was all very repulsive.
“Please explain to me, Weasley, why you would abstain for so long, then. Sex is meant to be had, not escaped from.”
Ginny smiled, shaking her head, “It may have no meaning for you, Malfoy, and you may only do it for the pleasure, but I think that such an intimate act has to have a background. It isn’t always meant for convenient office tables and dark corners of a nearby pub.”
He raised a smooth eyebrow, “Don’t judge me, Weasley. I’ll have you know that the sex I had with those women was mind-blowing.”
Ginny choked on her juice, her laughter tinkling through the cluttered air. “I don’t doubt that, Malfoy; I’ve heard the rumours.”
He grinned at her, intrigued despite the blank face he put on, “Are you interested?”
Shaking her head, Ginny smiled, “You’d break me, Malfoy. I’m not a masochist, and I know that loving you would only break me. I still wonder why women do that to themselves, just to have a meaningless night with you.”
His expression was serious as he stood and extended a hand toward her. Ginny took it slowly, standing with a slight wince, and allowed him to lead her to the middle of the ballroom. As his hands descended upon her hips, he lowered his lips to her ear. “I haven’t loved any of them. None of them have loved me.”
Ginny blinked, pulling away from him, and met his gaze in puzzlement. “I know that. If you’d only given them a chance, maybe a week, then I’m sure they – “
“Why on earth would I do that? What I’m getting at, Weasley, is that I haven’t broken anyone. With them, there was nothing to break.”
Swallowing, Ginny felt a cry develop deep in her throat as his hands on her waist tightened. Jaret sure did do the job right. Raising her eyes slowly, Ginny met his as the floor quieted. Couples were exiting the ballroom casually for a breath of air before the dessert was served.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from him slightly. “And what I’m trying to get at, Malfoy, is that if you’d only give them a chance, love might develop. That woman you caught a few minutes ago, what was that – your third one tonight? You have no scruples.”
Malfoy smirked, playing with her hair lightly. “Dearest Weasley, she was the sixth, and, you should know, she wasn’t the last.”
“Yes, yes, I have faith in you. Then tell me, Malfoy: what’s the point? Why sleep with woman after woman every night, if it all means nothing to you?”
His jaw set, and he looked away. Ginny knew he wouldn’t answer. Irritated that he was such a child, Ginny pinched his arm. “Come on, you baby. I know that there’s a reason. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it, would you? Being noble and all that.”
Malfoy opened his mouth to retort, but caught her eyes and stopped. He shook his head slightly and looked away again. The second song ended, and he walked her off the floor back to the table. Just before he sauntered off to chat with a few colleagues, he muttered, almost inaudibly, “Ridiculously, love already broke me.”
~
“Oh!” Ginny exclaimed as some of her water spilled onto Malfoy’s lush carpet. She grabbed a towel quickly, drying the spot within seconds, and stood with obvious rush. Her apologetic eyes met his over the table, wide and frightened.
He turned to her in amusement and shrugged, “It’s water, Weasley.”
Ginny blushed suddenly, cursing herself for how weak she’d become, and nodded, tossing the towel into the sink. Just as she turned to sit, Malfoy grasped her wrist, and she cried out in pain.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he let go, as though burned, while Ginny bit her lip in agony. The night previous had been particularly cruel. Scurrying back from him, Ginny didn’t notice his startled eyes as they followed her out of the room.
The two other guests occupying the table hadn’t seemed to realize anything was amiss, and Draco severely wanted to bash his foot into their skulls. Returning to his chair, he took a sip of his firewhisky and murmured, “I wonder where she went.”
Luna blinked in her offhanded way and smiled at him. “She’s probably just embarrassed. Her mum used to hound her over making a mess at the Burrow. Old habits die hard.”
Zabini caught Malfoy’s eye seriously and shook his head. “Go find her, mate.”
At those words, Draco practically sprinted from the room, using his wand to quickly track her. The bathroom was silent when he came in, and Ginny had just barely managed to hide the wand as she swiveled in place.
Advancing on her slowly, he growled, “What the hell is he doing to you, Ginny? What the fuck has he done?”
She shook her head, “N-Nothing. Whom are you talking about?”
His eyes narrowed into charcoal slits, and he bared his teeth. “I’m sick of the lies, Weasley. Was this the real reason you so direly hid him from me? Has he been hurting you for this long?”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Ginny shook her head, turning back to the mirror quickly.
Draco closed the distance between them. “I saw you that evening, Ginny, and you were cowering before him. Why the hell haven’t you left him yet?”
Sobbing now, Ginny collapsed onto the sink, dropping her wand in the process. As he leaned down to get it, Malfoy caught a bitter, strong smell of blood. Jerking up without so much as an explanation, he ripped her shirt off and stared at the scars.
Ginny heard the buttons scattering over the floor and covered herself quickly with her arms, her purple and green arms. Malfoy’s gaze never lingered, traveling over every plane of her skin that was exposed. “Holy, fucking hell, Weasley. Bloody, fucking hell.”
Ginny’s skin, if possible, turned even darker as her blush spread, and Draco shook his head wordlessly as he slid a gentle hand over her bruised arm, pulling her to him slowly. Lowering her head onto his smooth chest, Ginny spilled hot tears onto his silky new oxford and wrapped cold hands around his back as his own fisted in her hair.
~
“Look, it’s not that he doesn’t deserve a good and proper beating, Zabini, but I think there’s a way to go around this without committing murder and being placed in Azkaban.”
Ginny frowned, pulling the wine glass out of Draco’s hand, and took a sip of it as she snuggled further under the warm coverlet. Turning worried eyes on him, she took another sip and her frown worsened. He turned to her, amused, and watched as she set the glass down away from him.
Luna nodded in agreement with his words. “Violence, especially in light of what has happened, is not the answer here. If there’s a way to put him behind bars without ever having to deal with him personally, it would be the best way to heal.”
Blaise shrugged, “I just thought you might like to deal with the bastard yourself. If you did murder him, I’m sure you could pay off the Wizengamot anyway.”
Ron cleared his throat. “That’s all well and good, but we need to figure out the next course of action, here.”
Hermione sighed quietly and glanced out of the small lounge window. The Burrow was toasty and warm despite the snow falling all around it. At that moment, Molly rushed into the room, arms full of papers and fabrics, and Draco, amused, stood to help her.
Ron scowled as he watched the interaction, but Molly smiled at the blond affectionately and patted his cheek as he took the products into the kitchen. She then scrambled to the divan, putting a gentle hand on Ginny’s forehead, and sighed, “It will all be fine soon, dear. Remus and Arthur have already brought him down to the Ministry. Things are going to be fine.”
Nodding slightly, Ginny glanced at the doorway, waiting for Draco’s tall form to appear. When it didn’t, she quickly excused herself and stumbled up to her room. As she closed the door, she heard the unmistakable crash of glass on tile and Draco’s frustrated snarl.
“It’s only been five months,” Ginny frowned. “That’s not enough time to get serious.”
Malfoy tilted his head. “You’re joking, right? It took you all of a week to fall in love with Scarhead, but you’ve been with this bloke for five months and it’s not yet serious?”
Ginny tossed the sandwich wrapper onto Malfoy’s intricately designed footrest and bit eagerly into the delicacy. His skeptic gaze froze her heart. She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “You’ll meet him eventually. It’s just not the right time yet. Since when do you want to meet my boyfriends anyway?”
He finished off his wine glass, setting it onto the tabletop casually. “Since you refuse to actually introduce us for over three months. Honestly, Weasley, either you’re single and want to hide it, or you really don’t want me to meet this man.”
Ginny shifted in her seat, munching on her sandwich, as she mulled over her response. “I just want to make sure this is serious, before I go about making a dedication to him.”
He reached to wipe her cheek with a napkin distastefully. “I’d say that five months of dating is a pretty heavy dedication, Weasley. At least explain to me why this particular case is so serious to you.”
Shrugging silently, Ginny finished off her wine with large gulps. It was going to be a long night. She had to get out of there.
Taking their trash into the kitchen, Ginny quickly washed their dishes under Draco’s careful watch. He’d long since stopped trying to convince her that his house elves could take care of such menial tasks; Ginny found them a bit relaxing. Once done, Ginny turned slowly and met his eyes. “I should be getting home. I think he’s coming by early tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to oversleep.” She was surprised at how well the lie flew off her lips. Draco’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded.
“I expect to be introduced to him by the new year, Weasley. You can’t hold out on it for six months; it’s just not done.”
Ginny grinned quickly, ignoring the pain that overtook her cheeks at the movement, and walked stiffly to the dining hall. Thank Merlin for glamour charms. Draco’s hands stilled hers as she pulled her thick cloak over herself. “I’m serious, Weasley. Your deliberate vagueness on this subject is beginning to worry me.” He corrected her collar quickly and stepped back.
Ginny waved him off playfully, “Of course you’ll meet him, silly. I can’t hide him from you forever, even the most stealthy of minds couldn’t keep a secret from you for long, and you and I both know how I lack in the intellectual department.”
He scowled. “I never did and never will say anything of the sort, Ginny.”
On a more serious note, she turned to him as she gathered her purse and work papers. “Draco, it’s already been two weeks. You need to decide on a funeral ceremony soon, because stretching it won’t make it go away. You – “
“Fine,” he snapped. “Deal: If you leave me alone, I won’t ask you about him for the next month.”
Ginny smiled at him slyly, “That’s all I ask.” Just as she threw the floo into the flames, Ginny met his gaze. “I’m serious, though. Your mother deserves to be remembered.”
~
The cold air stabbed her skin like knives, but she trudged on, pulling her cloak tighter about herself. Draco was strolling more elegantly beside her, his charcoal robes swishing behind him smoothly.
Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, Ginny smiled at him gently, and a soft ache developed in her chest when her eyes met his. Neither found the need to look away.
The funeral procession had not taken long; not even fifteen had attended. Draco had not had a word to say, but Ginny found no problem with taking over, speaking the words that she knew were long since engraved in his mind.
His white hair fell into his eyes as he gazed at her, and Ginny thought for a second that she had never seen a thing more striking than a beautiful man in pain.
~
The Hog’s Head was loud and raucous this time of the year, when the festivities were all scheduled to begin. The merriness of the atmosphere caused a nauseating churning in Ginny’s stomach, and she glared at the other patrons of the pub darkly. “I just don’t understand why we had to meet in this hole. I can practically feel the germs and diseases that burgeon here crawling all over me.”
Luna blinked her large eyes slowly and smiled oddly, “Smell the air, Ginny. Can’t you sense the happiness of these people?”
Ginny’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “No, Luna. I really can’t.”
Malfoy waved their conversation away dismissively and glared at Ginny half-heartedly. “It was close by, and if I remember correctly, you were the one who needed to utilize their services?”
Ginny blushed, remembering all too well the scarring experience she’d had in the pub’s loo. She should have waited until they reached Madame Puddifoot’s or something. Even if she would have come out smelling like candy in a meadow.
Scrunching her face as a whiff of sweat and beer reached her nose, Ginny shook her head. “No, look, I can’t, I have to leave. This is torture.”
Zabini chuckled slightly as they followed her out, and Ginny shivered as the cold air hit her, cutting through her skin. Malfoy pulled her back to cover her with a warming charm and rolled his eyes contemptuously. “A wise woman would have done that before she stepped into the snow.”
Ginny pranced away, gathering a snowball in her hands. “A wise woman wouldn’t be friends with you.” Her snowball missed its mark. Malfoy’s reflexes were, at the height of the Quidditch season, sharper than ever.
Blaise and Luna walked together beside them, hands clasped, and otherwise the streets were silent. Only Ginny’s shrieking laughter broke the tranquil every so often as cold clumps of snow hit her back sharply. Everything froze, however, when Jaret emerged from the dark, his friendly face on for appearances.
Ginny’s smile all but vanished, and she could feel everyone, especially Malfoy, watching her. She offered a small hello and stepped back toward her group of friends, waiting for him to speak.
He cleared his throat and looked at the others. “I’m Jaret Martin, a friend of Ginny’s.”
Ginny’s eyes darted to Draco, who towered over the other man. No, she thought, that you are not. She cleared her throat regardless, murmuring, “Erm, yes, this is the Jaret I’ve told you about.”
He turned wary eyes on her, almost vicious. “You’ve told them about me?”
Shaking her head quickly, she fought with her words, “Well, I’ve mentioned you and such. I just wanted to wait for the right time to, er, introduce you. What are you doing out here?”
Jaret challenged her, “I could ask the same of you.”
Draco and Blaise exchanged dark glances, though Luna stood by obliviously. Stepping forward, Draco put a comforting arm around Ginny and nodded at the darker wizard. “Draco Malfoy, pleased to meet you.”
Blaise and Luna stepped up to Ginny’s other side, and the other Slytherin clearly intoned, “Blaise Zabini.”
Ginny leaned slightly into Malfoy’s side and waited for it to be over. Jaret smiled at the men and nodded quickly. “Right, well, I’ll be on my way now. I suppose I’ll see you later, Ginny?”
Filthy, lying bastard. Like you really care what I’ll say.
As soon as the man was gone, Draco let go of her and raised an eyebrow. “What was all that about?”
Ginny shied away from him and shivered despite the deliciously warm magic that flowed over her skin. Shrugging slightly, she muttered, “I wasn’t expecting him here.”
He nodded slowly and began to walk on beside her. Oblivious to his careful vigilance, Ginny scowled as she thought about what this would mean. Surely Jaret had seen Malfoy’s arm around her. He would punish her, then. But she hadn’t done anything wrong, she’d been polite and brief, and it wasn’t her fault.
Someday soon, she would be strong enough to stop him. She would be determined, and she would quit shaking in her shoes when she heard him flooing in early in the morning. Why hadn’t she done it yet?
~
“You don’t understand, Malfoy,” Ginny sighed patiently, setting her glass onto the lavishly decorated table. All around them people were buzzing with conversation, and numerous couples emerged onto the sparkling floor, dancing to the rhythm of the classical music. It was all very repulsive.
“Please explain to me, Weasley, why you would abstain for so long, then. Sex is meant to be had, not escaped from.”
Ginny smiled, shaking her head, “It may have no meaning for you, Malfoy, and you may only do it for the pleasure, but I think that such an intimate act has to have a background. It isn’t always meant for convenient office tables and dark corners of a nearby pub.”
He raised a smooth eyebrow, “Don’t judge me, Weasley. I’ll have you know that the sex I had with those women was mind-blowing.”
Ginny choked on her juice, her laughter tinkling through the cluttered air. “I don’t doubt that, Malfoy; I’ve heard the rumours.”
He grinned at her, intrigued despite the blank face he put on, “Are you interested?”
Shaking her head, Ginny smiled, “You’d break me, Malfoy. I’m not a masochist, and I know that loving you would only break me. I still wonder why women do that to themselves, just to have a meaningless night with you.”
His expression was serious as he stood and extended a hand toward her. Ginny took it slowly, standing with a slight wince, and allowed him to lead her to the middle of the ballroom. As his hands descended upon her hips, he lowered his lips to her ear. “I haven’t loved any of them. None of them have loved me.”
Ginny blinked, pulling away from him, and met his gaze in puzzlement. “I know that. If you’d only given them a chance, maybe a week, then I’m sure they – “
“Why on earth would I do that? What I’m getting at, Weasley, is that I haven’t broken anyone. With them, there was nothing to break.”
Swallowing, Ginny felt a cry develop deep in her throat as his hands on her waist tightened. Jaret sure did do the job right. Raising her eyes slowly, Ginny met his as the floor quieted. Couples were exiting the ballroom casually for a breath of air before the dessert was served.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from him slightly. “And what I’m trying to get at, Malfoy, is that if you’d only give them a chance, love might develop. That woman you caught a few minutes ago, what was that – your third one tonight? You have no scruples.”
Malfoy smirked, playing with her hair lightly. “Dearest Weasley, she was the sixth, and, you should know, she wasn’t the last.”
“Yes, yes, I have faith in you. Then tell me, Malfoy: what’s the point? Why sleep with woman after woman every night, if it all means nothing to you?”
His jaw set, and he looked away. Ginny knew he wouldn’t answer. Irritated that he was such a child, Ginny pinched his arm. “Come on, you baby. I know that there’s a reason. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it, would you? Being noble and all that.”
Malfoy opened his mouth to retort, but caught her eyes and stopped. He shook his head slightly and looked away again. The second song ended, and he walked her off the floor back to the table. Just before he sauntered off to chat with a few colleagues, he muttered, almost inaudibly, “Ridiculously, love already broke me.”
~
“Oh!” Ginny exclaimed as some of her water spilled onto Malfoy’s lush carpet. She grabbed a towel quickly, drying the spot within seconds, and stood with obvious rush. Her apologetic eyes met his over the table, wide and frightened.
He turned to her in amusement and shrugged, “It’s water, Weasley.”
Ginny blushed suddenly, cursing herself for how weak she’d become, and nodded, tossing the towel into the sink. Just as she turned to sit, Malfoy grasped her wrist, and she cried out in pain.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he let go, as though burned, while Ginny bit her lip in agony. The night previous had been particularly cruel. Scurrying back from him, Ginny didn’t notice his startled eyes as they followed her out of the room.
The two other guests occupying the table hadn’t seemed to realize anything was amiss, and Draco severely wanted to bash his foot into their skulls. Returning to his chair, he took a sip of his firewhisky and murmured, “I wonder where she went.”
Luna blinked in her offhanded way and smiled at him. “She’s probably just embarrassed. Her mum used to hound her over making a mess at the Burrow. Old habits die hard.”
Zabini caught Malfoy’s eye seriously and shook his head. “Go find her, mate.”
At those words, Draco practically sprinted from the room, using his wand to quickly track her. The bathroom was silent when he came in, and Ginny had just barely managed to hide the wand as she swiveled in place.
Advancing on her slowly, he growled, “What the hell is he doing to you, Ginny? What the fuck has he done?”
She shook her head, “N-Nothing. Whom are you talking about?”
His eyes narrowed into charcoal slits, and he bared his teeth. “I’m sick of the lies, Weasley. Was this the real reason you so direly hid him from me? Has he been hurting you for this long?”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Ginny shook her head, turning back to the mirror quickly.
Draco closed the distance between them. “I saw you that evening, Ginny, and you were cowering before him. Why the hell haven’t you left him yet?”
Sobbing now, Ginny collapsed onto the sink, dropping her wand in the process. As he leaned down to get it, Malfoy caught a bitter, strong smell of blood. Jerking up without so much as an explanation, he ripped her shirt off and stared at the scars.
Ginny heard the buttons scattering over the floor and covered herself quickly with her arms, her purple and green arms. Malfoy’s gaze never lingered, traveling over every plane of her skin that was exposed. “Holy, fucking hell, Weasley. Bloody, fucking hell.”
Ginny’s skin, if possible, turned even darker as her blush spread, and Draco shook his head wordlessly as he slid a gentle hand over her bruised arm, pulling her to him slowly. Lowering her head onto his smooth chest, Ginny spilled hot tears onto his silky new oxford and wrapped cold hands around his back as his own fisted in her hair.
~
“Look, it’s not that he doesn’t deserve a good and proper beating, Zabini, but I think there’s a way to go around this without committing murder and being placed in Azkaban.”
Ginny frowned, pulling the wine glass out of Draco’s hand, and took a sip of it as she snuggled further under the warm coverlet. Turning worried eyes on him, she took another sip and her frown worsened. He turned to her, amused, and watched as she set the glass down away from him.
Luna nodded in agreement with his words. “Violence, especially in light of what has happened, is not the answer here. If there’s a way to put him behind bars without ever having to deal with him personally, it would be the best way to heal.”
Blaise shrugged, “I just thought you might like to deal with the bastard yourself. If you did murder him, I’m sure you could pay off the Wizengamot anyway.”
Ron cleared his throat. “That’s all well and good, but we need to figure out the next course of action, here.”
Hermione sighed quietly and glanced out of the small lounge window. The Burrow was toasty and warm despite the snow falling all around it. At that moment, Molly rushed into the room, arms full of papers and fabrics, and Draco, amused, stood to help her.
Ron scowled as he watched the interaction, but Molly smiled at the blond affectionately and patted his cheek as he took the products into the kitchen. She then scrambled to the divan, putting a gentle hand on Ginny’s forehead, and sighed, “It will all be fine soon, dear. Remus and Arthur have already brought him down to the Ministry. Things are going to be fine.”
Nodding slightly, Ginny glanced at the doorway, waiting for Draco’s tall form to appear. When it didn’t, she quickly excused herself and stumbled up to her room. As she closed the door, she heard the unmistakable crash of glass on tile and Draco’s frustrated snarl.
Author notes: Thanks to everyone and please review!
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