He stayed longer than either of them anticipated.
While he was looking around the flat, Draco pulled Ginny aside and hissed, "He's overstaying his welcome."
She frowned. "I'm surprised you're acting this way. I thought you'd want your best friend to stick around."
Draco shrugged, watching him. "He's only doing it because he doesn't want to go back to Daphne. What if she comes looking for him?"
"Then we'll ask her why she wrote the letter," suggested Ginny.
"What good would that do you, Weaslette?" Blaise called from the bedroom. "Don't think I can't hear anything you're saying. You're not that far away."
"He has a point," Draco said, nodding. "It wouldn't do any good for her to come here. I don't want her here. You certainly don't want her here, do you?"
Ginny shook her head. "I don't, but I'd like to know why she wants to get me into trouble with Pansy. I didn't even do anything to her." She started to shake with anger.
Draco put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright," he said softly. "We'll go see her and fix this. And we'll pick up Pansy on the way, so she can see what kind of friend she has."
Blaise returned, his eyes cool. "I didn't think Daphne was capable of something like this. Sure, she's a bitch, but she's usually nice."
"She's only nice to you because she wants you," Ginny said roughly, her eyes narrowed. "Most women are very pleasant to the men they want in their bed."
Draco stared at her, his lip twitching slightly. Instead of replying to her comment, he turned around. "Do you think if we go see Daphne, to see why she did this that she'll blast us to pieces?"
Blaise smirked. "She might blast Ginny's ass off, not yours. She doesn't like her much." He winked at the redhead. "But I don't know who wouldn't like this curvy spitfire."
Draco balled his hands into fists, remembered that this man was his friend, and that if he knocked Blaise's head off his shoulders he'd have to go looking for someone to replace him. That just wasn't going to happen – it would take too long. So he mentally cooled down.
Ginny nudged him. "What's up? You're like a million miles away."
He smiled slightly. "It's nothing. Come on." He reached for her hand, laced their fingers together, and left with Blaise.
**
Pansy answered her door wearing a black dress, wavy hair, and a sour smile. She looked around at her friend, plus Ginny, and shook her head.
"What do you want?"
Not knowing which of them the question was directed toward, Blaise cleared his throat. "Look, we've come to get you. We have something we need to take care of, and you're going to help us. Of course, if you're too busy, we can come back."
Pansy shook her head. "I was on my way out. I was meeting Daphne. What do you need?"
Draco and Ginny exchanged glances. They waited for Blaise to explain further, but he just stared at them. Oh, right. It was their turn now.
"Why do you look so pissed off?" Pansy asked Draco. Then she blinked. "Oh, I get it. What you said about the letter. Well, I asked Daphne. She didn't write it. I can't believe you think she would. She's mad, as she should be, and she doesn't want to see you – any of you. Not that she ever wanted to see you." She glared at Ginny. "So I suppose you can get out of my way."
Pansy jammed her shoulder into Ginny's, but before she could shove her, a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see Draco, but instead she saw Blaise. He frowned.
"Stop it," he said softly. "This has gone on long enough. You only don't like Ginny because you think she did something that she didn't."
"But she—"
"Didn't do anything," Blaise said, shaking his head. "You know exactly who wrote that letter. I know you want to believe so much that Daphne—"
"She didn't fucking do that!" Pansy shrieked. "She wouldn't do that to me. She's my best friend."
"But she did," Draco interrupted. "And we need to find out why she is out to ruin our relationships. Yes, I said relationships. That includes yours as well, Parkinson."
Pansy stared at him. "What would she want to do anything to me?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Blaise said smugly, "maybe because you had sex with everyone she ever liked."
Pansy's lips twitched. "What's the problem then? It was back at school. Why should it matter now?"
"Because you hurt her," Ginny said, coming up beside Blaise. "You've hurt a lot of people, Pansy. It's no wonder it's hard for anyone to let go."
Pansy regarded her coldly. "Are you talking about Daphne or yourself?"
Ginny narrowed her eyes. "This isn't about me."
"It's really not," Draco said, scowling. "Now, are you going to get your head out of your ass and help us? I don't think I'd mind skipping out on this friendship. Would you, Blaise?"
Blaise shrugged. "We're not really friends now, are we, darling?"
Pansy glanced at him. She didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Draco and sighed. "What makes you think I won't go and tell her you need to accost her?"
"Accost her?" Blaise chuckled. "We're just going to talk to her. That's no harm in that, right?"
Pansy sighed. "Alright, alright."
Draco didn't say anything, just wrapped his arm around Ginny and pulled her close. As the four of them went out into the street, Blaise had a thought.
"What if she gets violent?" he asked.
Draco smirked. "Is she naturally that way with you?"
Blaise shook his head. "Where were you meeting?"
Pansy looked at him. "The Leaky Cauldron."
Draco nodded. "Do you think she'll actually tell the truth about the letter?" He wasn't really asking anyone in particular, just voicing a question.
"I hope so, otherwise Pansy will still think it was me." Ginny smiled softly, glancing over at the dark-haired witch.
**
The Leaky Cauldron was crowded, as it always was, but Pansy had spotted Daphne right away. She was sitting in the corner table looking over a menu. When she saw Pansy, she grinned. But her grin faded when Blaise, Draco and Ginny appeared.
"What's going on?" Daphne growled. "What are they doing here?"
"Calm down," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "We just want to talk to you."
Daphne snapped at him, then glared daggers at Ginny. "What the fuck is she doing here, then? Is she confessing to the letter she wrote?"
"I didn't—" Ginny started, but someone cut her off.
"She's right. She didn't write that letter. You did."
No one had ever seen Pansy Parkinson look so angry, so confused, and so hurt all at once. She took a step forward and slapped Daphne across the face. The betryal on each girl's face was equal, and before anyone else could say anything, Daphne rushed out of the pub, small sobs escaping her.
While he was looking around the flat, Draco pulled Ginny aside and hissed, "He's overstaying his welcome."
She frowned. "I'm surprised you're acting this way. I thought you'd want your best friend to stick around."
Draco shrugged, watching him. "He's only doing it because he doesn't want to go back to Daphne. What if she comes looking for him?"
"Then we'll ask her why she wrote the letter," suggested Ginny.
"What good would that do you, Weaslette?" Blaise called from the bedroom. "Don't think I can't hear anything you're saying. You're not that far away."
"He has a point," Draco said, nodding. "It wouldn't do any good for her to come here. I don't want her here. You certainly don't want her here, do you?"
Ginny shook her head. "I don't, but I'd like to know why she wants to get me into trouble with Pansy. I didn't even do anything to her." She started to shake with anger.
Draco put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright," he said softly. "We'll go see her and fix this. And we'll pick up Pansy on the way, so she can see what kind of friend she has."
Blaise returned, his eyes cool. "I didn't think Daphne was capable of something like this. Sure, she's a bitch, but she's usually nice."
"She's only nice to you because she wants you," Ginny said roughly, her eyes narrowed. "Most women are very pleasant to the men they want in their bed."
Draco stared at her, his lip twitching slightly. Instead of replying to her comment, he turned around. "Do you think if we go see Daphne, to see why she did this that she'll blast us to pieces?"
Blaise smirked. "She might blast Ginny's ass off, not yours. She doesn't like her much." He winked at the redhead. "But I don't know who wouldn't like this curvy spitfire."
Draco balled his hands into fists, remembered that this man was his friend, and that if he knocked Blaise's head off his shoulders he'd have to go looking for someone to replace him. That just wasn't going to happen – it would take too long. So he mentally cooled down.
Ginny nudged him. "What's up? You're like a million miles away."
He smiled slightly. "It's nothing. Come on." He reached for her hand, laced their fingers together, and left with Blaise.
Pansy answered her door wearing a black dress, wavy hair, and a sour smile. She looked around at her friend, plus Ginny, and shook her head.
"What do you want?"
Not knowing which of them the question was directed toward, Blaise cleared his throat. "Look, we've come to get you. We have something we need to take care of, and you're going to help us. Of course, if you're too busy, we can come back."
Pansy shook her head. "I was on my way out. I was meeting Daphne. What do you need?"
Draco and Ginny exchanged glances. They waited for Blaise to explain further, but he just stared at them. Oh, right. It was their turn now.
"Why do you look so pissed off?" Pansy asked Draco. Then she blinked. "Oh, I get it. What you said about the letter. Well, I asked Daphne. She didn't write it. I can't believe you think she would. She's mad, as she should be, and she doesn't want to see you – any of you. Not that she ever wanted to see you." She glared at Ginny. "So I suppose you can get out of my way."
Pansy jammed her shoulder into Ginny's, but before she could shove her, a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see Draco, but instead she saw Blaise. He frowned.
"Stop it," he said softly. "This has gone on long enough. You only don't like Ginny because you think she did something that she didn't."
"But she—"
"Didn't do anything," Blaise said, shaking his head. "You know exactly who wrote that letter. I know you want to believe so much that Daphne—"
"She didn't fucking do that!" Pansy shrieked. "She wouldn't do that to me. She's my best friend."
"But she did," Draco interrupted. "And we need to find out why she is out to ruin our relationships. Yes, I said relationships. That includes yours as well, Parkinson."
Pansy stared at him. "What would she want to do anything to me?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Blaise said smugly, "maybe because you had sex with everyone she ever liked."
Pansy's lips twitched. "What's the problem then? It was back at school. Why should it matter now?"
"Because you hurt her," Ginny said, coming up beside Blaise. "You've hurt a lot of people, Pansy. It's no wonder it's hard for anyone to let go."
Pansy regarded her coldly. "Are you talking about Daphne or yourself?"
Ginny narrowed her eyes. "This isn't about me."
"It's really not," Draco said, scowling. "Now, are you going to get your head out of your ass and help us? I don't think I'd mind skipping out on this friendship. Would you, Blaise?"
Blaise shrugged. "We're not really friends now, are we, darling?"
Pansy glanced at him. She didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Draco and sighed. "What makes you think I won't go and tell her you need to accost her?"
"Accost her?" Blaise chuckled. "We're just going to talk to her. That's no harm in that, right?"
Pansy sighed. "Alright, alright."
Draco didn't say anything, just wrapped his arm around Ginny and pulled her close. As the four of them went out into the street, Blaise had a thought.
"What if she gets violent?" he asked.
Draco smirked. "Is she naturally that way with you?"
Blaise shook his head. "Where were you meeting?"
Pansy looked at him. "The Leaky Cauldron."
Draco nodded. "Do you think she'll actually tell the truth about the letter?" He wasn't really asking anyone in particular, just voicing a question.
"I hope so, otherwise Pansy will still think it was me." Ginny smiled softly, glancing over at the dark-haired witch.
The Leaky Cauldron was crowded, as it always was, but Pansy had spotted Daphne right away. She was sitting in the corner table looking over a menu. When she saw Pansy, she grinned. But her grin faded when Blaise, Draco and Ginny appeared.
"What's going on?" Daphne growled. "What are they doing here?"
"Calm down," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "We just want to talk to you."
Daphne snapped at him, then glared daggers at Ginny. "What the fuck is she doing here, then? Is she confessing to the letter she wrote?"
"I didn't—" Ginny started, but someone cut her off.
"She's right. She didn't write that letter. You did."
No one had ever seen Pansy Parkinson look so angry, so confused, and so hurt all at once. She took a step forward and slapped Daphne across the face. The betryal on each girl's face was equal, and before anyone else could say anything, Daphne rushed out of the pub, small sobs escaping her.
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