It had been two weeks since the incident, and Ginny wasn't feeling any safer, especially in Draco's flat. Every time she turned off a light or walked down the hallway to the bedroom alone, she felt eyes on her. She shivered at the thought.
Theo was everywhere.
"He's not here," Draco told her. He was sitting on his bed with a book. He'd stopped reading once she hesitated shutting the door. "It's over."
"You must think I'm completely paranoid," she said, smiling faintly. She slipped onto the bed and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. When he put an arm around her, she relaxed slightly.
"I don't," he answered. "You had something happen. It's okay to be afraid. But maybe you should talk to someone about it. You know, a doctor."
Ginny glanced at him. "You mean a therapist."
He shrugged. "It could help you feel less...wound up, I suppose, if you were able to vent to someone about what's scaring you."
"Why can't I just talk to you?" she asked. "You already know what's going on."
He smiled faintly, brushing his lips against her temple. "I'm not qualified to help you like a therapist would be. They're trained, and from what I hear, very good."
"How do you even know anything about that?" Ginny wondered. "You detest Muggles."
"Granger used to talk about Muggles a lot. I accidentally paid attention once, and it seemed intriguing, so I filed the information away."
Ginny nodded. "Maybe. I'd rather just talk to people that I know, who won't medicate me. I want to still be a fully functional person, you know."
Draco frowned, made his way off the bed and went to the door. He looked back at her. "You, my dear, are sounding entirely too Muggle for my liking, so I'm going to sleep in the living room."
Ginny scowled.
His lips twitched. "Relax, I'm just going to make tea." He edged out of the room, but stopped when he saw her panicked expression. "You'll be fine. You can come with me if you'd like."
She nodded. "Okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't know what else to do. She doesn't even feel safe with me, and she woke up again in the middle of the night, screaming."
Draco had his head tipped back, and he was staring at the ceiling. The smell of freshly cooked food hung in the air, and as pans slammed around him, he realized how hungry he was. Blaise looked up from his spot by the stove. He had been in the process of cooking food for a date that canceled, when Draco showed up.
"Perhaps she should move out temporarily," Blaise suggested. "I'm pretty sure Pansy would love to have her as a roommate."
Draco nodded. "That could work."
"She won't be happy about you asking her to leave, though. But if you think it's best for her to go, then she will. You're trying to help her."
"The Ministry's taken care of him, but she doesn't believe me."
Blaise glanced at him. "Maybe she needs to see that he's not going to come back."
Draco blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Take her to The Ministry. Her father works there, doesn't he? So it won't be so bad."
"He does, but there's a small problem. Her parents, while they know I exist, they don't know I'm part of their daughter's life, and I don't think they'd take too kindly to knowing everything that's been going on."
"Maybe she could move back in with them."
Draco shook his head. "That would require an explanation. I think Ginny moving in with Pansy is our safest option for now."
"Where is she now?" Blaise asked. He turned off the stove. "This is a waste of food. I was planning on sleeping with a beautiful blonde tonight."
"I don't think Ginny would appreciate that."
Blaise eyes narrowed. "You have a sick sense of humor, mate."
Draco grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You don't want me here anymore?"
Draco groaned and ran a hand down his face in frustration. He'd just got back from visiting Blaise, and apparently word spread fast. The redhead was fuming. She placed her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed into slits.
He thought she would be upset – crying, mainly – but this type of upset was lethal. It would damage things more. Draco reminded himself to kick Blaise's ass once he was through here.
"It's not that I don't want you here, I just think you'd be safer away from me for a while, at least until you can calm down again."
Ginny's eyes widened. "Is that what you think? That I need to just calm down and ignore what happened?"
"No." He sighed. "I just think that time apart right now would do us some good. Your life is complicated enough with me in it." He took a deep breath. "If we'd never gotten drunk on Pansy's dare at Hogwarts–"
"Don't do that. It had nothing to do with the wine, you know that."
The next words left his mouth before he could stop them.
"I never would have touched you had I been sober."
It happened so fast: His head snapped to the side as she struck him across the face. She was crying, throwing things at him, and screaming. Then Ginny was gone. He let her go. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You look lonely."
The redhead looked up from her drink. "I'm pissed off, there's a difference."
She was supposed to remember something, but couldn't. He was being nice, and that's what she needed right now. So when he asked her to take a walk with him, she did. Her mind swam, and when he touched her cheek, she leaned into his warm hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He pounded on the door. He knew she'd be here. When Pansy answered, Draco didn't want to be invited in. He stepped past her and turned to face her. He must have looked like hell, because her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open a little.
"Is Ginny here?" he asked softly.
She squinted at him. "You're drunk. Good grief. But, no, she isn't here. I haven't heard from her for a while. But I talked to Blaise, and I think what you're doing is a good thing. She would be safer with me, at least for now."
Draco blinked at her, and his insides quivered.
"I let her go," he said, his voice strained.
The front door opened and Blaise walked in, carrying The Daily Prophet. "I'm glad you're both here. There's something that you need to see."
Draco eyed him. "Ginny's missing," he said. "I think. We had a fight and then she left. I thought she would come here, but Pansy said she hadn't heard from her."
Blaise rubbed his chin, then his eyes narrowed, and he handed over the newspaper.
WIZARD THEODORE NOTT ESCAPES MINISTRY.
AUROR IN CHARGE SPEAKS OUT.
Theo was everywhere.
"He's not here," Draco told her. He was sitting on his bed with a book. He'd stopped reading once she hesitated shutting the door. "It's over."
"You must think I'm completely paranoid," she said, smiling faintly. She slipped onto the bed and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. When he put an arm around her, she relaxed slightly.
"I don't," he answered. "You had something happen. It's okay to be afraid. But maybe you should talk to someone about it. You know, a doctor."
Ginny glanced at him. "You mean a therapist."
He shrugged. "It could help you feel less...wound up, I suppose, if you were able to vent to someone about what's scaring you."
"Why can't I just talk to you?" she asked. "You already know what's going on."
He smiled faintly, brushing his lips against her temple. "I'm not qualified to help you like a therapist would be. They're trained, and from what I hear, very good."
"How do you even know anything about that?" Ginny wondered. "You detest Muggles."
"Granger used to talk about Muggles a lot. I accidentally paid attention once, and it seemed intriguing, so I filed the information away."
Ginny nodded. "Maybe. I'd rather just talk to people that I know, who won't medicate me. I want to still be a fully functional person, you know."
Draco frowned, made his way off the bed and went to the door. He looked back at her. "You, my dear, are sounding entirely too Muggle for my liking, so I'm going to sleep in the living room."
Ginny scowled.
His lips twitched. "Relax, I'm just going to make tea." He edged out of the room, but stopped when he saw her panicked expression. "You'll be fine. You can come with me if you'd like."
She nodded. "Okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't know what else to do. She doesn't even feel safe with me, and she woke up again in the middle of the night, screaming."
Draco had his head tipped back, and he was staring at the ceiling. The smell of freshly cooked food hung in the air, and as pans slammed around him, he realized how hungry he was. Blaise looked up from his spot by the stove. He had been in the process of cooking food for a date that canceled, when Draco showed up.
"Perhaps she should move out temporarily," Blaise suggested. "I'm pretty sure Pansy would love to have her as a roommate."
Draco nodded. "That could work."
"She won't be happy about you asking her to leave, though. But if you think it's best for her to go, then she will. You're trying to help her."
"The Ministry's taken care of him, but she doesn't believe me."
Blaise glanced at him. "Maybe she needs to see that he's not going to come back."
Draco blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Take her to The Ministry. Her father works there, doesn't he? So it won't be so bad."
"He does, but there's a small problem. Her parents, while they know I exist, they don't know I'm part of their daughter's life, and I don't think they'd take too kindly to knowing everything that's been going on."
"Maybe she could move back in with them."
Draco shook his head. "That would require an explanation. I think Ginny moving in with Pansy is our safest option for now."
"Where is she now?" Blaise asked. He turned off the stove. "This is a waste of food. I was planning on sleeping with a beautiful blonde tonight."
"I don't think Ginny would appreciate that."
Blaise eyes narrowed. "You have a sick sense of humor, mate."
Draco grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You don't want me here anymore?"
Draco groaned and ran a hand down his face in frustration. He'd just got back from visiting Blaise, and apparently word spread fast. The redhead was fuming. She placed her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed into slits.
He thought she would be upset – crying, mainly – but this type of upset was lethal. It would damage things more. Draco reminded himself to kick Blaise's ass once he was through here.
"It's not that I don't want you here, I just think you'd be safer away from me for a while, at least until you can calm down again."
Ginny's eyes widened. "Is that what you think? That I need to just calm down and ignore what happened?"
"No." He sighed. "I just think that time apart right now would do us some good. Your life is complicated enough with me in it." He took a deep breath. "If we'd never gotten drunk on Pansy's dare at Hogwarts–"
"Don't do that. It had nothing to do with the wine, you know that."
The next words left his mouth before he could stop them.
"I never would have touched you had I been sober."
It happened so fast: His head snapped to the side as she struck him across the face. She was crying, throwing things at him, and screaming. Then Ginny was gone. He let her go. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You look lonely."
The redhead looked up from her drink. "I'm pissed off, there's a difference."
She was supposed to remember something, but couldn't. He was being nice, and that's what she needed right now. So when he asked her to take a walk with him, she did. Her mind swam, and when he touched her cheek, she leaned into his warm hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He pounded on the door. He knew she'd be here. When Pansy answered, Draco didn't want to be invited in. He stepped past her and turned to face her. He must have looked like hell, because her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open a little.
"Is Ginny here?" he asked softly.
She squinted at him. "You're drunk. Good grief. But, no, she isn't here. I haven't heard from her for a while. But I talked to Blaise, and I think what you're doing is a good thing. She would be safer with me, at least for now."
Draco blinked at her, and his insides quivered.
"I let her go," he said, his voice strained.
The front door opened and Blaise walked in, carrying The Daily Prophet. "I'm glad you're both here. There's something that you need to see."
Draco eyed him. "Ginny's missing," he said. "I think. We had a fight and then she left. I thought she would come here, but Pansy said she hadn't heard from her."
Blaise rubbed his chin, then his eyes narrowed, and he handed over the newspaper.
AUROR IN CHARGE SPEAKS OUT.
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