“Don’t go back to him. You deserve better.”
His words echoed in her head as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her red hair was slightly messy and the makeup she wore last night was smudged, making her look like a raccoon.
She frowned at her reflection.
A knock on the door startled her. She turned her head and called out.
“Are you alright?” Draco’s voice dripped with concern. “You’ve been in there awhile.”
“I’m fine.”
She started to run the water. She started to scrub her face. She wanted to scrub it raw, scrub her entire body; anywhere Harry touched her over the last year. When she started to think about the two of them together, she thought of Harry with Pansy, and that made her eyes sting.
Then she became angry. So much so that she picked up the closest thing to her and smashed the mirror with it. She stepped back and watched the glass fall into the sink, sank to her knees and cried.
Draco found her later and had taken her back into the bedroom. He laid her down and shut the door. He wasn’t about to invoke the wrath of a pissed off female, and he knew better than to do that to her, of all people.
When she woke sometime later, it was dark out. She turned over and found the other side of the bed empty. She hadn’t expected him to stay with her, even if this was his bed. She stood up and walked to the door. Opening it, she saw light at the end of the hall. Slowly, she crept out.
“I can make you some tea, if you’d like,” he said to her before she even got to the living room.
“That would be nice,” she replied, looking around.
Draco was sitting in a chair in front of a large fireplace, with a book in his lap. He gazed at her, his eyes questioning.
“I’m okay,” she offered and sat down on the sofa. “I stopped crying awhile ago.”
“You shouldn’t be crying at all,” he told her. He put the book down and sat beside her, leaning back. “A guy who makes you cry isn’t worth your time.”
To Ginny’s surprise, she smiled.
“What are you reading?”
“It’s some Muggle book,” he muttered. “It’s not mine.”
“I wasn’t going to judge.” She pulled her knees to her chest and looked at him. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He blinked at her and shook his head. “I know what it’s like to be cheated on, believe it or not.”
Ginny’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“I know you’re probably surprised, because I seemed to be the one who did the cheating in Hogwarts, right?” He brushed a hand through his hair. “I mean, I thought about it back then, but I never wanted to hurt someone like that.”
Ginny frowned and sucked in a small whimper.
Draco bit his lip. “I’m sorry.” He was quiet for a moment. “Would you like that tea now?”
“Where’s your house elf?” she asked. “Hermione would be pulling you by the ear if she knew you still used one.”
“Millie’s at Malfoy Manor,” Draco explained. “I was just kidding about using her. I can make my own food, Weasley. As for Granger, what has she been up to, still a know-it-all?” He smirked.
“I haven’t heard from her in awhile, actually. Last I knew she was on her honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t know she’d even gotten married.”
“She married Ron,” Ginny said. “I bet if she knew what Harry had done, she’d appear out of thin air and hex him.”
Draco laughed. “I’d like to see that, actually. It’s nice to know that Potter is flawed.”
Ginny shot him a look and said, “If you’ll make my tea, I’ll drink it and go.”
“Go?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you want to do that? It’s probably better if you didn’t go back to your flat now anyway. They might be there.”
“After what I did to Pansy, she might not want to visit anymore.” Ginny smiled thinly.
“What did you do?”
“I pulled some of her hair out,” said Ginny. “The bitch deserved it.”
“Wow,” he whistled and stood up. “I’m never going to get you mad. My hair is my best feature. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to make your tea.”
“Your hair is your best feature?” Ginny shouted as he walked into the kitchen. “I highly doubt that.” She twisted her hair around her finger. “You always were so conceited,” she muttered under her breath, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“What was that?” Draco asked, coming back into the room.
“I just said I doubt your hair—”
“Oh, I heard that.” He grinned. “I meant what you mumbled.”
“It was nothing,” Ginny said quickly. “Where’s my tea?”
“Don’t change the subject,” he replied. “So, what was it, huh?” He sat down next to her and smiled charmingly.
“I just said you were always so conceited.”
He frowned. “That used to be true, I guess. But I’m not like that anymore. And just so you know, your tea will be ready soon.”
“Good,” she said. “And it’s nice to know you’re capable of change.”
“It’s been a long time,” Draco said simply. “I see you’ve changed as well. Not as fiery tempered as you used to be, at least not with me.”
“You didn’t cheat on me,” Ginny told him, frowning. “So I’d have no reason to be mad at you for anything. I mean, you were a git in school, but I held my own. You weren’t so terrible when I didn’t talk to you.”
Draco’s lips curved into a smile and he leaned close, his eyes locked with hers. He pressed his lips to her cheek.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For trusting me and letting me take care of you. I’ll get your tea and then you can go.”
Against her better judgment, Ginny reached out and gripped his wrist. He turned, surprised.
“Can I stay here?”
He nodded slowly.
His words echoed in her head as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her red hair was slightly messy and the makeup she wore last night was smudged, making her look like a raccoon.
She frowned at her reflection.
A knock on the door startled her. She turned her head and called out.
“Are you alright?” Draco’s voice dripped with concern. “You’ve been in there awhile.”
“I’m fine.”
She started to run the water. She started to scrub her face. She wanted to scrub it raw, scrub her entire body; anywhere Harry touched her over the last year. When she started to think about the two of them together, she thought of Harry with Pansy, and that made her eyes sting.
Then she became angry. So much so that she picked up the closest thing to her and smashed the mirror with it. She stepped back and watched the glass fall into the sink, sank to her knees and cried.
Draco found her later and had taken her back into the bedroom. He laid her down and shut the door. He wasn’t about to invoke the wrath of a pissed off female, and he knew better than to do that to her, of all people.
When she woke sometime later, it was dark out. She turned over and found the other side of the bed empty. She hadn’t expected him to stay with her, even if this was his bed. She stood up and walked to the door. Opening it, she saw light at the end of the hall. Slowly, she crept out.
“I can make you some tea, if you’d like,” he said to her before she even got to the living room.
“That would be nice,” she replied, looking around.
Draco was sitting in a chair in front of a large fireplace, with a book in his lap. He gazed at her, his eyes questioning.
“I’m okay,” she offered and sat down on the sofa. “I stopped crying awhile ago.”
“You shouldn’t be crying at all,” he told her. He put the book down and sat beside her, leaning back. “A guy who makes you cry isn’t worth your time.”
To Ginny’s surprise, she smiled.
“What are you reading?”
“It’s some Muggle book,” he muttered. “It’s not mine.”
“I wasn’t going to judge.” She pulled her knees to her chest and looked at him. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He blinked at her and shook his head. “I know what it’s like to be cheated on, believe it or not.”
Ginny’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“I know you’re probably surprised, because I seemed to be the one who did the cheating in Hogwarts, right?” He brushed a hand through his hair. “I mean, I thought about it back then, but I never wanted to hurt someone like that.”
Ginny frowned and sucked in a small whimper.
Draco bit his lip. “I’m sorry.” He was quiet for a moment. “Would you like that tea now?”
“Where’s your house elf?” she asked. “Hermione would be pulling you by the ear if she knew you still used one.”
“Millie’s at Malfoy Manor,” Draco explained. “I was just kidding about using her. I can make my own food, Weasley. As for Granger, what has she been up to, still a know-it-all?” He smirked.
“I haven’t heard from her in awhile, actually. Last I knew she was on her honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t know she’d even gotten married.”
“She married Ron,” Ginny said. “I bet if she knew what Harry had done, she’d appear out of thin air and hex him.”
Draco laughed. “I’d like to see that, actually. It’s nice to know that Potter is flawed.”
Ginny shot him a look and said, “If you’ll make my tea, I’ll drink it and go.”
“Go?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you want to do that? It’s probably better if you didn’t go back to your flat now anyway. They might be there.”
“After what I did to Pansy, she might not want to visit anymore.” Ginny smiled thinly.
“What did you do?”
“I pulled some of her hair out,” said Ginny. “The bitch deserved it.”
“Wow,” he whistled and stood up. “I’m never going to get you mad. My hair is my best feature. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to make your tea.”
“Your hair is your best feature?” Ginny shouted as he walked into the kitchen. “I highly doubt that.” She twisted her hair around her finger. “You always were so conceited,” she muttered under her breath, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“What was that?” Draco asked, coming back into the room.
“I just said I doubt your hair—”
“Oh, I heard that.” He grinned. “I meant what you mumbled.”
“It was nothing,” Ginny said quickly. “Where’s my tea?”
“Don’t change the subject,” he replied. “So, what was it, huh?” He sat down next to her and smiled charmingly.
“I just said you were always so conceited.”
He frowned. “That used to be true, I guess. But I’m not like that anymore. And just so you know, your tea will be ready soon.”
“Good,” she said. “And it’s nice to know you’re capable of change.”
“It’s been a long time,” Draco said simply. “I see you’ve changed as well. Not as fiery tempered as you used to be, at least not with me.”
“You didn’t cheat on me,” Ginny told him, frowning. “So I’d have no reason to be mad at you for anything. I mean, you were a git in school, but I held my own. You weren’t so terrible when I didn’t talk to you.”
Draco’s lips curved into a smile and he leaned close, his eyes locked with hers. He pressed his lips to her cheek.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For trusting me and letting me take care of you. I’ll get your tea and then you can go.”
Against her better judgment, Ginny reached out and gripped his wrist. He turned, surprised.
“Can I stay here?”
He nodded slowly.
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