An hour later, the four of them were still sitting in The Leaky Cauldron. Draco was talking to Blaise, while Ginny looked outside. Pansy watched her before saying anything.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Looking to see if Daphne's coming back,” Ginny said, glancing at the dark-haired girl. “Are you alright? I know I asked you that already, but I'm just making sure.”
Pansy shrugged. “As alright as can be expected everything.” She swallowed and said, “Look, I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't have written that letter.”
Ginny shrugged. “It was easier to blame anyone than your best friend. I could understand why you did it.”
Draco glanced over. “I think we should have them over for dinner.”
“Who?” asked Ginny.
He sighed. “Blaise and Pansy.”
Blaise looked up. “Oh, sure, why not? I can even bring Daphne and we can have it out in your living room. How's that sound, pet?”
Ginny shook her head. “That would be a bad idea. How about we just put this behind us? It doesn't matter. We know she was the one who wrote the letter.”
“Don't you want to know why?” Pansy asked, pulling her hair into a messy bun. “If it were me--”
“Again, this wasn't about you. I know you'd love for it to be so you can get all the attention, but please stop. It's over and done with and you still have your friend.”
“You're right,” Pansy said. “But I hit her. Would you forgive me if I did that to you?”
“Well,” replied Ginny, “I'd think that I deserved it. That as much as you want to hit people sometimes, you'd never do it unless they did something really horrible to you.”
Pansy nodded and stood up. “Blaise, would you walk me home?”
Blaise snorted. “You think that Potter would want to see me, too? He hates everyone associated with Draco.” He gave Ginny a sideways glance. “I suppose that makes you top of the list, sweetheart.”
“Oh, stop.” Pansy put up a hand. “So, what, are you all afraid of Harry seeing you? What good friends you are.”
As she turned to leave Ginny stood.
“I'll go with you. He can't really say anything that will hurt me, and he isn't going to hit me, so I'm safe.”
She leaned down and brushed her lips across Draco's, then left.
“Do you think we should go after Daphne?” Blaise asked. “You know, just to teach her a lesson.”
“She's still your girlfriend,” Draco pointed out.
“Not really,” he said. “I mean, we were just having sex. It wasn't anything serious. Besides, I have my eye on someone else.”
Draco shook his head. “We've been friends for a long time, but I don't think Ginny would appreciate my switching sides.”
A smirk. “While I would enjoy that immensely, I wasn't talking about you.”
“Then who the--” Realization dawned on his face. “Oh, seriously? You said it yourself that you weren't really friends. Plus, she's dating--”
“I'm perfectly aware of who she's dating, mate.” Blaise sighed. “I know it's fucked up.”
“She'd be better with you,” Draco muttered. “Potter doesn't deserve her. She's brilliant and beautiful and--”
“That's the best thing you've ever said about Pansy. I don't think I quite like the part about how I don't deserve her though.”
Blaise's eyes narrowed as Draco turned his head. Harry was standing a few feet away, drumming his fingers on one of the tables.
“Crap,” Draco mumbled.
**
Ginny lingered on the steps. “You'll be alright?”
Pansy smiled. “I'll be fine. Do you want to come in for some coffee or something? I hate drinking alone.” She made a face. “I didn't mean it that way. Besides, I don't think Harry's home, if that's what you're worried about.”
“Harry doesn't scare me,” Ginny said as she walked up the steps and into the apartment. She was standing in the hallway when she heard Pansy curse from somewhere. “What's wrong?”
“Goddamnit!” Pansy shouted, reappearing with a piece of parchment in her hands. “I told him not to bother, but he didn't listen.” She looked at Ginny. “No time for a drink right now, we're got to get back to The Leaky Cauldron.”
“What's going on?” Ginny asked as Pansy slammed the door. She gripped her arm. “Hey, wait. Talk to me. What's Harry doing?”
Pansy turned, her eyes dark. “He's going after Draco.”
**
Bloodied and bruised, Draco lifted his face. Everything in the pub looked exactly the same as it had before, everything intact. Except him. His body ached. He reached out and pushed against Blaise's shoulder, trying to wake him.
“Bitch,” Blaise mumbled into the floor, coughing. “How the fuck did this happen?”
“I let him hit me,” said Draco, trying to get the energy to get off the floor.
All was quiet. When the fight had broken out, there were no customers, and the owner didn't want to be caught in the crossfire, so he left. He would be back when he realized his business still stood.
“Well I didn't.”
“You shouldn't have talked about Pansy that way.” Draco was finally able to sit up. He helped Blaise as best he could. “Where do you think he went?”
“Hopefully far away,” said Blaise. “Because I will kick his ass if I ever find him. Come on, let's try to stand. Fuck!” He got halfway up and crumbled into the booth.
“I think we deserved this,” Draco said. “I'm kind of impressed.”
“Are you kidding? Mate, he busted your lip and you've got a swollen eye and you're impressed by that?”
“Christ, no, not that.” He was able to get into the booth, but not without wanting to cry out in pain. “It was just him, and he took us both out.”
“You've cracked,” Blaise said, laughing. He touched his face and winced. “What did he do to me? My face hurts.”
“Well, I'll just say you're definitely not date worthy material right now.” He chuckled and even that hurt. “Did we at least get some good shots in? I hope so.”
“We broke a table.”
Draco managed what he hoped was a smile and winced. “That's something then.”
“Holy shit. What happened?”
Pansy was standing beside them, and with her, Ginny. She looked like she was going to cry as she sat beside Draco and touched his face. He bit his tongue.
“We have to get you back home,” she whispered against his cheek. “Come on.”
Ginny slipped his arm around her neck and stood. He was surprised she could even do that, being that he weighed more than she did, but he didn't say anything. Pansy took hold of Blaise and they walked outside.
“What happened?”
“Like you don't know,” Blaise snapped. “He said you knew he was coming.” He glared at Pansy. “Why didn't you warn us?”
“I thought he'd change his mind,” Pansy said softly. “I told him to leave you alone. He was pissed. He said he's had enough.”
“What did we do?” Draco asked bitterly.
“It's Harry,” Ginny said. “He's changed a lot since we've known him, and not for the better recently. He could have killed you.”
“I'd never let myself die at the hands of Potter,” spat Draco. “But I can promise you he'll get what he deserves.”
**
Within a week, Draco's bruises had gone, as well as the swelling of his eye. One morning, he was about to take a shower when there was a knock on the door. Putting a towel around his waist, he walked down the hall and opened the door.
Bill Weasley stood staring at him.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Looking to see if Daphne's coming back,” Ginny said, glancing at the dark-haired girl. “Are you alright? I know I asked you that already, but I'm just making sure.”
Pansy shrugged. “As alright as can be expected everything.” She swallowed and said, “Look, I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't have written that letter.”
Ginny shrugged. “It was easier to blame anyone than your best friend. I could understand why you did it.”
Draco glanced over. “I think we should have them over for dinner.”
“Who?” asked Ginny.
He sighed. “Blaise and Pansy.”
Blaise looked up. “Oh, sure, why not? I can even bring Daphne and we can have it out in your living room. How's that sound, pet?”
Ginny shook her head. “That would be a bad idea. How about we just put this behind us? It doesn't matter. We know she was the one who wrote the letter.”
“Don't you want to know why?” Pansy asked, pulling her hair into a messy bun. “If it were me--”
“Again, this wasn't about you. I know you'd love for it to be so you can get all the attention, but please stop. It's over and done with and you still have your friend.”
“You're right,” Pansy said. “But I hit her. Would you forgive me if I did that to you?”
“Well,” replied Ginny, “I'd think that I deserved it. That as much as you want to hit people sometimes, you'd never do it unless they did something really horrible to you.”
Pansy nodded and stood up. “Blaise, would you walk me home?”
Blaise snorted. “You think that Potter would want to see me, too? He hates everyone associated with Draco.” He gave Ginny a sideways glance. “I suppose that makes you top of the list, sweetheart.”
“Oh, stop.” Pansy put up a hand. “So, what, are you all afraid of Harry seeing you? What good friends you are.”
As she turned to leave Ginny stood.
“I'll go with you. He can't really say anything that will hurt me, and he isn't going to hit me, so I'm safe.”
She leaned down and brushed her lips across Draco's, then left.
“Do you think we should go after Daphne?” Blaise asked. “You know, just to teach her a lesson.”
“She's still your girlfriend,” Draco pointed out.
“Not really,” he said. “I mean, we were just having sex. It wasn't anything serious. Besides, I have my eye on someone else.”
Draco shook his head. “We've been friends for a long time, but I don't think Ginny would appreciate my switching sides.”
A smirk. “While I would enjoy that immensely, I wasn't talking about you.”
“Then who the--” Realization dawned on his face. “Oh, seriously? You said it yourself that you weren't really friends. Plus, she's dating--”
“I'm perfectly aware of who she's dating, mate.” Blaise sighed. “I know it's fucked up.”
“She'd be better with you,” Draco muttered. “Potter doesn't deserve her. She's brilliant and beautiful and--”
“That's the best thing you've ever said about Pansy. I don't think I quite like the part about how I don't deserve her though.”
Blaise's eyes narrowed as Draco turned his head. Harry was standing a few feet away, drumming his fingers on one of the tables.
“Crap,” Draco mumbled.
Ginny lingered on the steps. “You'll be alright?”
Pansy smiled. “I'll be fine. Do you want to come in for some coffee or something? I hate drinking alone.” She made a face. “I didn't mean it that way. Besides, I don't think Harry's home, if that's what you're worried about.”
“Harry doesn't scare me,” Ginny said as she walked up the steps and into the apartment. She was standing in the hallway when she heard Pansy curse from somewhere. “What's wrong?”
“Goddamnit!” Pansy shouted, reappearing with a piece of parchment in her hands. “I told him not to bother, but he didn't listen.” She looked at Ginny. “No time for a drink right now, we're got to get back to The Leaky Cauldron.”
“What's going on?” Ginny asked as Pansy slammed the door. She gripped her arm. “Hey, wait. Talk to me. What's Harry doing?”
Pansy turned, her eyes dark. “He's going after Draco.”
Bloodied and bruised, Draco lifted his face. Everything in the pub looked exactly the same as it had before, everything intact. Except him. His body ached. He reached out and pushed against Blaise's shoulder, trying to wake him.
“Bitch,” Blaise mumbled into the floor, coughing. “How the fuck did this happen?”
“I let him hit me,” said Draco, trying to get the energy to get off the floor.
All was quiet. When the fight had broken out, there were no customers, and the owner didn't want to be caught in the crossfire, so he left. He would be back when he realized his business still stood.
“Well I didn't.”
“You shouldn't have talked about Pansy that way.” Draco was finally able to sit up. He helped Blaise as best he could. “Where do you think he went?”
“Hopefully far away,” said Blaise. “Because I will kick his ass if I ever find him. Come on, let's try to stand. Fuck!” He got halfway up and crumbled into the booth.
“I think we deserved this,” Draco said. “I'm kind of impressed.”
“Are you kidding? Mate, he busted your lip and you've got a swollen eye and you're impressed by that?”
“Christ, no, not that.” He was able to get into the booth, but not without wanting to cry out in pain. “It was just him, and he took us both out.”
“You've cracked,” Blaise said, laughing. He touched his face and winced. “What did he do to me? My face hurts.”
“Well, I'll just say you're definitely not date worthy material right now.” He chuckled and even that hurt. “Did we at least get some good shots in? I hope so.”
“We broke a table.”
Draco managed what he hoped was a smile and winced. “That's something then.”
“Holy shit. What happened?”
Pansy was standing beside them, and with her, Ginny. She looked like she was going to cry as she sat beside Draco and touched his face. He bit his tongue.
“We have to get you back home,” she whispered against his cheek. “Come on.”
Ginny slipped his arm around her neck and stood. He was surprised she could even do that, being that he weighed more than she did, but he didn't say anything. Pansy took hold of Blaise and they walked outside.
“What happened?”
“Like you don't know,” Blaise snapped. “He said you knew he was coming.” He glared at Pansy. “Why didn't you warn us?”
“I thought he'd change his mind,” Pansy said softly. “I told him to leave you alone. He was pissed. He said he's had enough.”
“What did we do?” Draco asked bitterly.
“It's Harry,” Ginny said. “He's changed a lot since we've known him, and not for the better recently. He could have killed you.”
“I'd never let myself die at the hands of Potter,” spat Draco. “But I can promise you he'll get what he deserves.”
Within a week, Draco's bruises had gone, as well as the swelling of his eye. One morning, he was about to take a shower when there was a knock on the door. Putting a towel around his waist, he walked down the hall and opened the door.
Bill Weasley stood staring at him.
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