“This is bad.”
“Yeah, but did they listen when you said that?”
“Of course not. They think they're right.”
“Men.” Pansy sighed. “They're very frustrating. I don't know why we even keep them around. Wait, yes I do. Scratch that. What are we going to do?”
“Probably nothing,” said Ginny, sipping her mug of coffee. “Why are they so stupid?”
“It's in our nature,” Draco replied, kissing her cheek. “You know we can hear you, right? You're just a few feet away. While I agree with you, I think something has to be done.”
“If you agree, then why are you going to do it? Why not just talk to him?”
“Potter doesn't want to talk,” he said, stealing some coffee. “All he wants to do is punch me in the face, and Blaise if he gets in the way.”
“Talking is the one thing you haven't tried,” Pansy pointed out. “Do you think he'd respond well to that?”
“Doubtful,” Blaise muttered, interrupting them. “All he really wants is to beat the shit out of Draco until he can't get up.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, eying Ginny. “Actually, I think I might have an idea.”
**
Her fingers tightened around his as they walked through Diagon Alley. She was nervous, and with good reason. Because Blaise had an idea – he wanted Ginny to talk to Harry. It seemed laughable. He wouldn't do that. He'd rather insult her than speak two words to her. And if Draco was seen, Harry would definitely go straight for his throat. Ginny sighed and rubbed her temple.
“Are you alright?” Draco asked.
“Headache,” she mumbled. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
“You're just going to talk with him.” He dropped her hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “I'm going to be close by with Blaise, in case Potter tries anything. You'll be okay. There's nothing to worry about.”
“Okay,” she said softly. She scanned the people walking by, and when she found Harry, she stopped short. “He's over there.”
Harry saw her, and as Draco seemed to disappear into thin air, she set her jaw and walked over to him. She was close enough to him that it made her skin crawl, and she almost turned around. Everything she had been through recently was because of him.
“I'm surprised you wanted to meet me,” he said as she sat down. “I thought you'd never want to see me again after what I did to your boyfriend.”
“I just want to talk,” said Ginny calmly, even though all she wanted to do was hit him. “I want to know what you're so mad about. If you remember correctly, I wasn't the one who cheated on you and ruined things.”
Harry smiled slightly at her choice of words. “I couldn't have ruined things too much if you just moved in with someone else right away.”
Ginny narrowed her eyes. “It wasn't like that, and you have no right to be mad at me for something you did. You left me. You pushed me to do something stupid.”
“So living with Malfoy was stupid?” Harry asked.
Ginny shook her head. “No, that's not what I meant. It was an irrational move. It wasn't me, but I don't regret it.”
Harry frowned and pressed his hands into his eyes. “I don't care whether you live with Malfoy or live with your parents. This isn't about you anyway.”
“So it's about Draco?” Ginny asked. “God, can't you just get over it? I moved on and I'm friends with Pansy now, so maybe you can get your head out of your ass and start being nicer to my boyfriend.”
He laughed. “I don't see that happening. Now you can tell them to come out, because I don't like being spied on.”
Ginny lowered her gaze. “They're not spying on you. They're looking out for me.”
“You?” he asked. “What do they need to do that for? You can take care of yourself.”
“They want to make sure you don't hurt me,” she said quietly.
“Why would I?” he asked. “I'm not a monster.”
Someone laughed. Then a voice said, “As touching as this honesty is, I think we should talk.” Draco emerged and sat down. “It saddens me to know that I wasn't as stealthy as I'd hoped. Now, I'm not entirely sure about what Ginny's suggested, and I know you're not either.”
“It wouldn't solve anything,” said Harry dismissively. Then he stood. “You wasted your time coming here. We're never going to get along, so you might as well stop trying to push us together.”
Ginny frowned.
“It's okay,” Draco told her. “I think it's better that this happened. We all knew it wouldn't work, so maybe now he'll just stay away.”
“I hope so,” she mumbled.
**
They were arguing.
Ginny sipped more of the red wine from her glass. Crossing her legs, she shook her head. “They've been going at it since we've been back.”
“They're acting like a couple,” Pansy said, collapsing onto the couch beside the redhead. “Hey, have you figured anything else out about Lucius's death yet?”
Ginny shrugged. “I collected some things, but nothing that would really help. Actually, we were going to ask you and Blaise to help us out when all of the stuff with Harry happened.” She sighed and glanced at the bedroom door. “What are they even yelling about anyway?”
“I stopped listening,” Pansy admitted. “More wine?”
“Please.”
“You know this is your flat, right?” Pansy said while pouring for herself. “You're supposed to be the one getting the alcohol.”
Ginny laughed. “Probably. But you're welcome to do it any time. You drink the wine more than I do. Maybe I should just let you take it home.”
“That would be a bad idea, pet.” Blaise appeared at her side, frowning. “She gets too much of that stuff into her system and she wants to shag all night. Maybe you should drink half the bottle and see what you and Draco end up doing.”
Ginny smirked. “Did you and your boyfriend have a bad fight?”
“Sweetheart, all we've had our whole friendship are bad fights. But we get over them. Now, I was told I needed to assist you with something important.”
“Yes,” Ginny said, nodding. “I don't know if this is going to work well, but we need help finding out what happened to Draco's father.” She showed him all the papers she had, and his eyes narrowed.
Blaise looked over what she handed him, then turned his eyes on Pansy. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
“I think we need to try. Draco should have closure.”
“Did you ask them yet?” Draco wondered as he walked into view.
Ginny nodded.
Draco smiled, took the papers, and spread them on the carpet. He looked at his friends and girlfriend. “Well, let's get started then.”
“Yeah, but did they listen when you said that?”
“Of course not. They think they're right.”
“Men.” Pansy sighed. “They're very frustrating. I don't know why we even keep them around. Wait, yes I do. Scratch that. What are we going to do?”
“Probably nothing,” said Ginny, sipping her mug of coffee. “Why are they so stupid?”
“It's in our nature,” Draco replied, kissing her cheek. “You know we can hear you, right? You're just a few feet away. While I agree with you, I think something has to be done.”
“If you agree, then why are you going to do it? Why not just talk to him?”
“Potter doesn't want to talk,” he said, stealing some coffee. “All he wants to do is punch me in the face, and Blaise if he gets in the way.”
“Talking is the one thing you haven't tried,” Pansy pointed out. “Do you think he'd respond well to that?”
“Doubtful,” Blaise muttered, interrupting them. “All he really wants is to beat the shit out of Draco until he can't get up.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, eying Ginny. “Actually, I think I might have an idea.”
Her fingers tightened around his as they walked through Diagon Alley. She was nervous, and with good reason. Because Blaise had an idea – he wanted Ginny to talk to Harry. It seemed laughable. He wouldn't do that. He'd rather insult her than speak two words to her. And if Draco was seen, Harry would definitely go straight for his throat. Ginny sighed and rubbed her temple.
“Are you alright?” Draco asked.
“Headache,” she mumbled. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
“You're just going to talk with him.” He dropped her hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “I'm going to be close by with Blaise, in case Potter tries anything. You'll be okay. There's nothing to worry about.”
“Okay,” she said softly. She scanned the people walking by, and when she found Harry, she stopped short. “He's over there.”
Harry saw her, and as Draco seemed to disappear into thin air, she set her jaw and walked over to him. She was close enough to him that it made her skin crawl, and she almost turned around. Everything she had been through recently was because of him.
“I'm surprised you wanted to meet me,” he said as she sat down. “I thought you'd never want to see me again after what I did to your boyfriend.”
“I just want to talk,” said Ginny calmly, even though all she wanted to do was hit him. “I want to know what you're so mad about. If you remember correctly, I wasn't the one who cheated on you and ruined things.”
Harry smiled slightly at her choice of words. “I couldn't have ruined things too much if you just moved in with someone else right away.”
Ginny narrowed her eyes. “It wasn't like that, and you have no right to be mad at me for something you did. You left me. You pushed me to do something stupid.”
“So living with Malfoy was stupid?” Harry asked.
Ginny shook her head. “No, that's not what I meant. It was an irrational move. It wasn't me, but I don't regret it.”
Harry frowned and pressed his hands into his eyes. “I don't care whether you live with Malfoy or live with your parents. This isn't about you anyway.”
“So it's about Draco?” Ginny asked. “God, can't you just get over it? I moved on and I'm friends with Pansy now, so maybe you can get your head out of your ass and start being nicer to my boyfriend.”
He laughed. “I don't see that happening. Now you can tell them to come out, because I don't like being spied on.”
Ginny lowered her gaze. “They're not spying on you. They're looking out for me.”
“You?” he asked. “What do they need to do that for? You can take care of yourself.”
“They want to make sure you don't hurt me,” she said quietly.
“Why would I?” he asked. “I'm not a monster.”
Someone laughed. Then a voice said, “As touching as this honesty is, I think we should talk.” Draco emerged and sat down. “It saddens me to know that I wasn't as stealthy as I'd hoped. Now, I'm not entirely sure about what Ginny's suggested, and I know you're not either.”
“It wouldn't solve anything,” said Harry dismissively. Then he stood. “You wasted your time coming here. We're never going to get along, so you might as well stop trying to push us together.”
Ginny frowned.
“It's okay,” Draco told her. “I think it's better that this happened. We all knew it wouldn't work, so maybe now he'll just stay away.”
“I hope so,” she mumbled.
They were arguing.
Ginny sipped more of the red wine from her glass. Crossing her legs, she shook her head. “They've been going at it since we've been back.”
“They're acting like a couple,” Pansy said, collapsing onto the couch beside the redhead. “Hey, have you figured anything else out about Lucius's death yet?”
Ginny shrugged. “I collected some things, but nothing that would really help. Actually, we were going to ask you and Blaise to help us out when all of the stuff with Harry happened.” She sighed and glanced at the bedroom door. “What are they even yelling about anyway?”
“I stopped listening,” Pansy admitted. “More wine?”
“Please.”
“You know this is your flat, right?” Pansy said while pouring for herself. “You're supposed to be the one getting the alcohol.”
Ginny laughed. “Probably. But you're welcome to do it any time. You drink the wine more than I do. Maybe I should just let you take it home.”
“That would be a bad idea, pet.” Blaise appeared at her side, frowning. “She gets too much of that stuff into her system and she wants to shag all night. Maybe you should drink half the bottle and see what you and Draco end up doing.”
Ginny smirked. “Did you and your boyfriend have a bad fight?”
“Sweetheart, all we've had our whole friendship are bad fights. But we get over them. Now, I was told I needed to assist you with something important.”
“Yes,” Ginny said, nodding. “I don't know if this is going to work well, but we need help finding out what happened to Draco's father.” She showed him all the papers she had, and his eyes narrowed.
Blaise looked over what she handed him, then turned his eyes on Pansy. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
“I think we need to try. Draco should have closure.”
“Did you ask them yet?” Draco wondered as he walked into view.
Ginny nodded.
Draco smiled, took the papers, and spread them on the carpet. He looked at his friends and girlfriend. “Well, let's get started then.”
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