Sunshine woke Ginny the next morning. She rolled over and slipped an arm around his waist, snuggling closer to him. His fingers traced invisible circles along her back, and she sighed into his neck.
"I'm glad you decided to come back with me," Draco said softly. "Does your head hurt?"
"No," she said. She looked outside. "It's beautiful today. Why don't we go somewhere? You know, just the two of us, no interruptions."
"Blaise and Pansy want to talk to me in an hour," Draco replied, glancing at his watch. "I can meet you back here when I'm done, if you want."
Ginny sighed. "Alright, but hurry back."
He knew she was still upset, and he didn't blame her. He'd been a complete bastard to her, and he hoped that she never found out what he had been considering. It would break her heart to know that part of him didn't want her anymore, if only briefly.
"I will," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
**
Draco entered Blaise's flat. He sat on the couch and waited for his friend. Pansy shut the door and slipped onto the kitchen counter top, crossing her legs.
Blaise walked in from the bedroom and smirked. "You didn't do it," he said, nodding. "I knew you wouldn't."
"How do you know?" Draco asked. "I could have."
"Please," Pansy said, walking over and sitting next to him. "You could barely function right even when you were just thinking about ending it. Had you actually done it, you'd be a zombie right now and we'd never hear from you."
Draco frowned. "I didn't do it, so relax."
Blaise smiled. "Nope, you just kissed her in a crowded bar after she drained your scotch, then you took her home."
"Of course you were spying on me," Draco said, scowling. "I just want to forget everything that I was thinking about. We're together, so that's what matters."
"Will you ever tell her?" Pansy asked. "I mean, if Blaise was thinking about breaking up with me, I'd want to know."
"But it worked out that I decided not to," said Draco. "I couldn't do that to her, not after everything she's done for me."
"You've done more for her than you even realize," Blaise said. "You know that, don't you? She could never repay you for anything. So, if you left her, she would hate you and you'd never be able to get her back."
Draco hesitated, waiting for more. When it didn't come, he said, "Yes, I know. I love her too much to let her go now, especially after she helped me get through my father's death."
"Did you ever find out what happened?" Pansy asked softly, handing him a glass of water.
He sighed. "No, and it's frustrating. I want to know if my mother found out and hid it from me. Maybe it was too gruesome."
"Narcissa wouldn't do that," Blaise said, sitting on his other side. "You're her son. Have you seen her since you visited after it happened?"
"A few times," Draco answered. "She's looked at little better each time, but I know she isn't fully there right now. She may never be. He was her husband, after all, no matter what he did."
Pansy nodded. "It's hard to even fathom that Lucius died. You'd think people would be all over that, trying to figure it out. Someone must have come up with something."
"He wasn't well liked," Blaise muttered. "We all know that. Maybe everyone's secretly glad he's gone, you know?"
Draco stiffened at his friends words. Then he said quietly, "I was."
**
Ginny was reading when she heard the crack. Draco appeared beside her. He stared down at her, his grey eyes glassy. He looked tired, worn. His mouth curled into a smirk as he dropped down next to her on the couch.
"You're late," she murmured. "And you're drunk. That's wonderful."
"I'm fine," he said. "I just went out with Blaise after we talked. I had a few drinks, but I'm not drunk."
Silence.
"I was happy when I found out he died."
He heard her intake of breath, then she turned her eyes on him. They were wide, disbelieving. She was looking at him like she had never seen him before.
"How? He was your father." Her cheeks reddened and she shook her head. "How could you be that type of person, Draco?"
He flinched. "I wasn't ever like this before, Gin. When people in my family died, I cared. I cared so much that it hurt. But this, knowing the great Lucius Malfoy was mortal, that made me feel a sense of relief."
"God," Ginny said, as she stood. "What changed in you?"
He narrowed his eyes and got up. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," she said softly. "You've changed. You seem to not care about anything anymore. Even when we're together you're...different. You're so far away from me that I can't get to you. Don't you see it?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied, sneering. "I guess I'll just bring my father back so you can feel like I'm normal again. Stop trying to fix this, Ginny. It isn't going to work. My father's dead and it's better for everyone that he is."
"Why are you so glad he's gone?" she asked, staring at him. "You never actually told me. I just can't see you being happy about that."
Draco tilted his head slightly. "Didn't you ever wonder why I barely visited my childhood home anymore, Ginny?"
She didn't say anything.
"Because my father drank. One night he drank so much that he hit me. But he never touched my mother. This was a few years ago, and since I was able to defend myself, I threatened him. Our relationship has always been strained, but that action solidified it. It was never the same again after that."
She fell into his chest then, wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry that happened to you."
Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door. Ginny answered it to find two man standing there. They had their wands out, both looking behind her.
"Draco Malfoy?" one of them asked.
"Yes?" he answered, his tone flat.
The man who spoke stepped into the flat. He eyed Draco with a narrowed gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line. He pointed his wand at the young wizard.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Lucius Malfoy."
"I'm glad you decided to come back with me," Draco said softly. "Does your head hurt?"
"No," she said. She looked outside. "It's beautiful today. Why don't we go somewhere? You know, just the two of us, no interruptions."
"Blaise and Pansy want to talk to me in an hour," Draco replied, glancing at his watch. "I can meet you back here when I'm done, if you want."
Ginny sighed. "Alright, but hurry back."
He knew she was still upset, and he didn't blame her. He'd been a complete bastard to her, and he hoped that she never found out what he had been considering. It would break her heart to know that part of him didn't want her anymore, if only briefly.
"I will," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
Draco entered Blaise's flat. He sat on the couch and waited for his friend. Pansy shut the door and slipped onto the kitchen counter top, crossing her legs.
Blaise walked in from the bedroom and smirked. "You didn't do it," he said, nodding. "I knew you wouldn't."
"How do you know?" Draco asked. "I could have."
"Please," Pansy said, walking over and sitting next to him. "You could barely function right even when you were just thinking about ending it. Had you actually done it, you'd be a zombie right now and we'd never hear from you."
Draco frowned. "I didn't do it, so relax."
Blaise smiled. "Nope, you just kissed her in a crowded bar after she drained your scotch, then you took her home."
"Of course you were spying on me," Draco said, scowling. "I just want to forget everything that I was thinking about. We're together, so that's what matters."
"Will you ever tell her?" Pansy asked. "I mean, if Blaise was thinking about breaking up with me, I'd want to know."
"But it worked out that I decided not to," said Draco. "I couldn't do that to her, not after everything she's done for me."
"You've done more for her than you even realize," Blaise said. "You know that, don't you? She could never repay you for anything. So, if you left her, she would hate you and you'd never be able to get her back."
Draco hesitated, waiting for more. When it didn't come, he said, "Yes, I know. I love her too much to let her go now, especially after she helped me get through my father's death."
"Did you ever find out what happened?" Pansy asked softly, handing him a glass of water.
He sighed. "No, and it's frustrating. I want to know if my mother found out and hid it from me. Maybe it was too gruesome."
"Narcissa wouldn't do that," Blaise said, sitting on his other side. "You're her son. Have you seen her since you visited after it happened?"
"A few times," Draco answered. "She's looked at little better each time, but I know she isn't fully there right now. She may never be. He was her husband, after all, no matter what he did."
Pansy nodded. "It's hard to even fathom that Lucius died. You'd think people would be all over that, trying to figure it out. Someone must have come up with something."
"He wasn't well liked," Blaise muttered. "We all know that. Maybe everyone's secretly glad he's gone, you know?"
Draco stiffened at his friends words. Then he said quietly, "I was."
Ginny was reading when she heard the crack. Draco appeared beside her. He stared down at her, his grey eyes glassy. He looked tired, worn. His mouth curled into a smirk as he dropped down next to her on the couch.
"You're late," she murmured. "And you're drunk. That's wonderful."
"I'm fine," he said. "I just went out with Blaise after we talked. I had a few drinks, but I'm not drunk."
Silence.
"I was happy when I found out he died."
He heard her intake of breath, then she turned her eyes on him. They were wide, disbelieving. She was looking at him like she had never seen him before.
"How? He was your father." Her cheeks reddened and she shook her head. "How could you be that type of person, Draco?"
He flinched. "I wasn't ever like this before, Gin. When people in my family died, I cared. I cared so much that it hurt. But this, knowing the great Lucius Malfoy was mortal, that made me feel a sense of relief."
"God," Ginny said, as she stood. "What changed in you?"
He narrowed his eyes and got up. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," she said softly. "You've changed. You seem to not care about anything anymore. Even when we're together you're...different. You're so far away from me that I can't get to you. Don't you see it?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied, sneering. "I guess I'll just bring my father back so you can feel like I'm normal again. Stop trying to fix this, Ginny. It isn't going to work. My father's dead and it's better for everyone that he is."
"Why are you so glad he's gone?" she asked, staring at him. "You never actually told me. I just can't see you being happy about that."
Draco tilted his head slightly. "Didn't you ever wonder why I barely visited my childhood home anymore, Ginny?"
She didn't say anything.
"Because my father drank. One night he drank so much that he hit me. But he never touched my mother. This was a few years ago, and since I was able to defend myself, I threatened him. Our relationship has always been strained, but that action solidified it. It was never the same again after that."
She fell into his chest then, wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry that happened to you."
Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door. Ginny answered it to find two man standing there. They had their wands out, both looking behind her.
"Draco Malfoy?" one of them asked.
"Yes?" he answered, his tone flat.
The man who spoke stepped into the flat. He eyed Draco with a narrowed gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line. He pointed his wand at the young wizard.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Lucius Malfoy."
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