He knocked on the door to the study and waited for a response. It came almost instantly, instructing him to enter. He did so, shutting the door behind him. Lucius was standing in front of the window, looking down at a desk pull of papers. There was a chair next to his legs, but he did not feel the need to occupy it.
"Sit," he told his son.
"Could we make this quick?" Draco asked, taking a seat. "I've got to get back."
"I wanted to talk to you about the girl," said Lucius, turning to face him with a hard stare.
"She has a name," said Draco. "It's Ginny, or have you forgotten? You did try to kill her, after all."
"She's not good for you," argued his father. "I thought you'd understand that. She's nothing more than a rodent."
Draco stood so fact that the chair fell to the floor. He narrowed his eyes. "You're such a bastard," he snarled. "Can't you see that I'm happy? I love her."
"Love?" Lucius Malfoy scoffed. "You are a child. You know nothing of the feeling, boy. And I will not be spoken to that way, do you understand me?"
Draco bit the inside of his cheek and said, "We're done here. By the time you leave this room, we'll be gone."
Lucius stopped him by gripping his wrist as he turned to go. "You will not see her anymore, Draco. Do I make myself clear?"
Draco hissed, "You'd better let me go right now, or you're going to be sorry."
A smirk crossed Lucius' features. "Are you threatening me?"
An identical smirk from his son. "Yes, I am. Now get your hands off me."
When Lucius released him, Draco left. He found Ginny and his mother talking in the dining room. He stood still until he was address.
"Is everything alright?" Ginny asked, looking up at him. He seemed worried about something.
"No, actually. It seems we have to go. I'm sorry."
Narcissa frowned. "Oh, dear. What happened?"
Ginny stood and Draco wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked at his mother. "Ask your husband," he said.
Then they vanished with a crack.
**
"Will you talk to me?" Ginny said.
Draco shook his head. "Not now," he replied, going into the bathroom and shutting the door.
It was awhile before she talked to him again. It wasn't for a lack of trying on her part either, but he just refused to acknowledge her.
A light tapping on the bathroom door made him look up from his spot on the floor.
"Can I come in? You've been in here for an hour."
"Is that all?" he asked. "Give me another hour."
"Draco Malfoy!" came her snapped response. "Stop asking like a spoiled child and open the door this instant. Or I'll break it down."
He started to laugh. He laughed all the way to the door and rested his head against it.
"You'll break it down, huh?" he teased. "That's something I want to see, sweetheart."
"Shut up," she muttered. She sighed. "Please," she begged, her voice shaking, "come out, Draco. Whatever happened we'll talk about it."
"Are you crying?" Draco asked.
"No," Ginny said sniffling.
"Yes you are." He chuckled. "What's wrong?"
When he unlocked the door and opened it, she was standing against the wall with her head down, and her shoulders trembling. She looked up at him and launched herself into his arms. She nuzzled his chest.
"What are you getting so worked up over?" Draco murmured, petting her head. "I'm fine. Come on, I'll make you some tea."
Ginny didn't leave his side for the rest of the day. She didn't ask him what happened again, because she knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.
He made her tea, and he read his Muggle book as she drank, her head resting against his shoulder. When she was finished, she curled her legs under herself and closed her eyes.
Draco glanced at her and pulled her close. He let his hand run through her hair until he reached the end, then he twisted the red lock around his finger.
"I love you," he whispered,"and I will always keep you safe."
"I love you too, ferret face," she whispered.
**
A knock on the door woke Draco later. He grumbled and made sure that Ginny was still asleep before he got up. It was dark outside, which meant it was some time during the night.
"Can we ever get some goddamn peace?" he growled to himself as he flung open the door to find Pansy, who looked disheveled and was trembling.
"Pansy?" Draco said, his eyes wide. "What happened? Are you okay?" He looked behind him. "Ginny, wake up. Something's wrong."
Ginny mumbled.
"Hey!" Draco shouted. "Wake up, would you?"
She jerked up. "What are you yelling for? I'm awake." She blinked. "What's Pansy doing here?"
Pansy sat down on the couch, her hands trembling. Draco sat on her opposite side and handed her a cup of tea. He leaned back and waited.
"I got an owl from Daphne tonight," she said. "She told me that she was going away because of me."
Draco glanced at Ginny, then said, "So why are you so upset? You'll get some quiet without her around."
Pansy looked at him, her eyes puffy. "I went to her flat to talk to her, and she didn't answer the door. I had an extra key so I used it. I searched the whole house for her, and I finally found her in the bathroom."
Ginny suddenly felt sick, fearing where this story was going. But she let Pansy get out what she had to. Pansy turned her head and looked at her. She reached out and gripped Ginny's hand, squeezing her fingers.
"Daphne's dead," she whispered, her voice hollow. "She killed herself tonight."
"Sit," he told his son.
"Could we make this quick?" Draco asked, taking a seat. "I've got to get back."
"I wanted to talk to you about the girl," said Lucius, turning to face him with a hard stare.
"She has a name," said Draco. "It's Ginny, or have you forgotten? You did try to kill her, after all."
"She's not good for you," argued his father. "I thought you'd understand that. She's nothing more than a rodent."
Draco stood so fact that the chair fell to the floor. He narrowed his eyes. "You're such a bastard," he snarled. "Can't you see that I'm happy? I love her."
"Love?" Lucius Malfoy scoffed. "You are a child. You know nothing of the feeling, boy. And I will not be spoken to that way, do you understand me?"
Draco bit the inside of his cheek and said, "We're done here. By the time you leave this room, we'll be gone."
Lucius stopped him by gripping his wrist as he turned to go. "You will not see her anymore, Draco. Do I make myself clear?"
Draco hissed, "You'd better let me go right now, or you're going to be sorry."
A smirk crossed Lucius' features. "Are you threatening me?"
An identical smirk from his son. "Yes, I am. Now get your hands off me."
When Lucius released him, Draco left. He found Ginny and his mother talking in the dining room. He stood still until he was address.
"Is everything alright?" Ginny asked, looking up at him. He seemed worried about something.
"No, actually. It seems we have to go. I'm sorry."
Narcissa frowned. "Oh, dear. What happened?"
Ginny stood and Draco wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked at his mother. "Ask your husband," he said.
Then they vanished with a crack.
"Will you talk to me?" Ginny said.
Draco shook his head. "Not now," he replied, going into the bathroom and shutting the door.
It was awhile before she talked to him again. It wasn't for a lack of trying on her part either, but he just refused to acknowledge her.
A light tapping on the bathroom door made him look up from his spot on the floor.
"Can I come in? You've been in here for an hour."
"Is that all?" he asked. "Give me another hour."
"Draco Malfoy!" came her snapped response. "Stop asking like a spoiled child and open the door this instant. Or I'll break it down."
He started to laugh. He laughed all the way to the door and rested his head against it.
"You'll break it down, huh?" he teased. "That's something I want to see, sweetheart."
"Shut up," she muttered. She sighed. "Please," she begged, her voice shaking, "come out, Draco. Whatever happened we'll talk about it."
"Are you crying?" Draco asked.
"No," Ginny said sniffling.
"Yes you are." He chuckled. "What's wrong?"
When he unlocked the door and opened it, she was standing against the wall with her head down, and her shoulders trembling. She looked up at him and launched herself into his arms. She nuzzled his chest.
"What are you getting so worked up over?" Draco murmured, petting her head. "I'm fine. Come on, I'll make you some tea."
Ginny didn't leave his side for the rest of the day. She didn't ask him what happened again, because she knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.
He made her tea, and he read his Muggle book as she drank, her head resting against his shoulder. When she was finished, she curled her legs under herself and closed her eyes.
Draco glanced at her and pulled her close. He let his hand run through her hair until he reached the end, then he twisted the red lock around his finger.
"I love you," he whispered,"and I will always keep you safe."
"I love you too, ferret face," she whispered.
A knock on the door woke Draco later. He grumbled and made sure that Ginny was still asleep before he got up. It was dark outside, which meant it was some time during the night.
"Can we ever get some goddamn peace?" he growled to himself as he flung open the door to find Pansy, who looked disheveled and was trembling.
"Pansy?" Draco said, his eyes wide. "What happened? Are you okay?" He looked behind him. "Ginny, wake up. Something's wrong."
Ginny mumbled.
"Hey!" Draco shouted. "Wake up, would you?"
She jerked up. "What are you yelling for? I'm awake." She blinked. "What's Pansy doing here?"
Pansy sat down on the couch, her hands trembling. Draco sat on her opposite side and handed her a cup of tea. He leaned back and waited.
"I got an owl from Daphne tonight," she said. "She told me that she was going away because of me."
Draco glanced at Ginny, then said, "So why are you so upset? You'll get some quiet without her around."
Pansy looked at him, her eyes puffy. "I went to her flat to talk to her, and she didn't answer the door. I had an extra key so I used it. I searched the whole house for her, and I finally found her in the bathroom."
Ginny suddenly felt sick, fearing where this story was going. But she let Pansy get out what she had to. Pansy turned her head and looked at her. She reached out and gripped Ginny's hand, squeezing her fingers.
"Daphne's dead," she whispered, her voice hollow. "She killed herself tonight."
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