Draco's hands shook as he looked at the paper. His mind was spinning a million miles a minute at the thought of where Nott was. But he didn't have to think, because he knew.
"He's going to her," he told them.
"Are you sure?" Pansy asked.
Draco nodded. "Of course I am. Ginny's who he wants. This is a game to him, and she's the prize. We have to find her before he does." He headed for the door, ripping it open. "I know where she is."
**
Ginny's fingers tightened around her glass. She wanted to numb herself because of everything, but she had to be aware, alert.
Someone brushed her arm, and she turned her head, her eyes wide.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped, her voice shaking.
Theo smirked at her, put a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed until she winced. Ginny stood and took out her wand to curse him, but her aim was off slightly.
"Get away from me," she hissed.
"I don't think so," he said, lip curling. "Come with me. Now." When he grabbed her, Ginny was horrified that no one seemed to move to stop the attack. In fact, as she looked around, she noticed that no one moved at all.
"What did you do?" But even as she said the words, she knew. That was not possible. "You couldn't have done that to so many people."
Irritated, he pinched the back of her neck until she winced. "Do as I say."
Ginny closed her eyes, her brain muddled. She felt very weak suddenly, and she leaned back against Theo for support. She knew she wasn't drunk, so what had he done to her?
"You did something," she accused.
His arms went around her waist, tugging her closer. Theo brushed his lips along the outer part of her ear, and she remembered what was wrong.
"You're not him," she said, pulling away. "Let me go."
She pushed Theo back. He stumbled into the bar, and cursed softly. He went to grab her again, but something hit him in the chest, and he dropped to the floor.
"Get away from her!" Draco snarled, as he gripped Ginny's arm and pushed her behind him. "I swear to god, if you don't leave her alone—leave us alone, I will kill you."
Theo got up, his expression hard. Then he smiled, and pointed his wand at several bottles; they exploded into giant shards. It was distracting enough. "I don't think you will, Malfoy. There's too much at stake."
As glass shot everywhere from the blast, Theo snatched Ginny, and Apparated out of the bar.
"No!" Draco shouted.
Blaise had ducked, his arms around Pansy, protecting her. They watched the bar come back to life, customers wondering why there was broken glass everywhere. But no one had witnessed the fight.
"Come on," Blaise said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Draco jerked away. "She trusted me to keep her safe," he murmured. "He's going to hurt her."
"No, he's not," Pansy said. "We can find them."
"How?" Draco demanded angrily.
"Well, while you two were fighting, I used Legilimency on Theo."
Blaise cleared his throat and looked at her. "Excuse me? Since when do you know how to do that?"
Pansy shrugged. "I've been practicing. It seemed useful."
"Snape used it," Draco said. "He was good at it."
"Where are they going?" Blaise asked Pansy.
She glanced at both of them. "He's taking her back to where it all started."
**
They stumbled, and Ginny straightened. She looked around at the grounds and her eyes took in the familiar halls with a pang of nostalgia.
"You brought me back to Hogwarts?" she snapped. "Why?"
"Because," Theo muttered, "this is where we first met, and I want you to realize that what we had was real. What you have with him, it's not...it's wrong. We're supposed to be together, Ginny."
"No," Ginny whispered. "We're not."
Theo's nails dug into her arm.
"Stop it," she cried. "You're hurting me. You don't want to do that, Theo. Please."
"Oh, but I do." He grinned at her, but it held no warmth. "I want you to know how badly I feel for what you did to me. You should feel what I feel."
"What do you feel?" Ginny asked, looking at him.
"Pain," he said, and twisted her arm. "Anger. Humiliation."
"Let go," she said, her legs shaking.
"No." He raised his hand and hit her. But she didn't make a sound. Her cheek was red, a handprint left there. "You need to understand. You need to learn that you can't mess with people's feelings."
When he stuck her again, this time she was ready. Before his fist connected, she grabbed his arm and shoved him into the wall.
"No," she yelled. "You don't get to do this to me anymore."
Theo struggled, his anger blazing. "You bitch!"
Ginny smirked. "You don't know who you're messing with, Nott." She pressed her wand into his back, hands trembling. She wants very much to hurt him, but it won't do any good.
Before she can decide what to do, however, a hand falls on her shoulder. The voice in her ear was concerned.
"Gin?"
He was here.
**
The water was hot enough to burn her, but she didn't care. She needed the heat to ease the sore muscles and scrapes. Ginny lowered herself into the bathtub with a wince.
"Take it slow," Draco murmured, brushing a hand along her hair. "This whole thing is going to take a long time to process, and overcome, but I know you can do it."
"What will happen to Theo now?" Ginny asked, placing a hot hand on his cheek.
"He'll go to trial," Draco assured her. "That much I know. But you don't have to go to that if you don't want to. Blaise and Pansy will be here a lot to watch you when I'm not here." He caught her expression. "Don't look at me like that, you need someone here in case you have another attack."
Ginny sighed and closed her eyes. She'd been having anxiety attacks on and off for a few weeks, but Draco had made her a calming draught for her nerves.
"I want this to be over," she whispered. "I don't want to think about him again."
Draco leaned over and kissed her softly. "We'll have our lives back soon, love," he promised.
"He's going to her," he told them.
"Are you sure?" Pansy asked.
Draco nodded. "Of course I am. Ginny's who he wants. This is a game to him, and she's the prize. We have to find her before he does." He headed for the door, ripping it open. "I know where she is."
Ginny's fingers tightened around her glass. She wanted to numb herself because of everything, but she had to be aware, alert.
Someone brushed her arm, and she turned her head, her eyes wide.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped, her voice shaking.
Theo smirked at her, put a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed until she winced. Ginny stood and took out her wand to curse him, but her aim was off slightly.
"Get away from me," she hissed.
"I don't think so," he said, lip curling. "Come with me. Now." When he grabbed her, Ginny was horrified that no one seemed to move to stop the attack. In fact, as she looked around, she noticed that no one moved at all.
"What did you do?" But even as she said the words, she knew. That was not possible. "You couldn't have done that to so many people."
Irritated, he pinched the back of her neck until she winced. "Do as I say."
Ginny closed her eyes, her brain muddled. She felt very weak suddenly, and she leaned back against Theo for support. She knew she wasn't drunk, so what had he done to her?
"You did something," she accused.
His arms went around her waist, tugging her closer. Theo brushed his lips along the outer part of her ear, and she remembered what was wrong.
"You're not him," she said, pulling away. "Let me go."
She pushed Theo back. He stumbled into the bar, and cursed softly. He went to grab her again, but something hit him in the chest, and he dropped to the floor.
"Get away from her!" Draco snarled, as he gripped Ginny's arm and pushed her behind him. "I swear to god, if you don't leave her alone—leave us alone, I will kill you."
Theo got up, his expression hard. Then he smiled, and pointed his wand at several bottles; they exploded into giant shards. It was distracting enough. "I don't think you will, Malfoy. There's too much at stake."
As glass shot everywhere from the blast, Theo snatched Ginny, and Apparated out of the bar.
"No!" Draco shouted.
Blaise had ducked, his arms around Pansy, protecting her. They watched the bar come back to life, customers wondering why there was broken glass everywhere. But no one had witnessed the fight.
"Come on," Blaise said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Draco jerked away. "She trusted me to keep her safe," he murmured. "He's going to hurt her."
"No, he's not," Pansy said. "We can find them."
"How?" Draco demanded angrily.
"Well, while you two were fighting, I used Legilimency on Theo."
Blaise cleared his throat and looked at her. "Excuse me? Since when do you know how to do that?"
Pansy shrugged. "I've been practicing. It seemed useful."
"Snape used it," Draco said. "He was good at it."
"Where are they going?" Blaise asked Pansy.
She glanced at both of them. "He's taking her back to where it all started."
They stumbled, and Ginny straightened. She looked around at the grounds and her eyes took in the familiar halls with a pang of nostalgia.
"You brought me back to Hogwarts?" she snapped. "Why?"
"Because," Theo muttered, "this is where we first met, and I want you to realize that what we had was real. What you have with him, it's not...it's wrong. We're supposed to be together, Ginny."
"No," Ginny whispered. "We're not."
Theo's nails dug into her arm.
"Stop it," she cried. "You're hurting me. You don't want to do that, Theo. Please."
"Oh, but I do." He grinned at her, but it held no warmth. "I want you to know how badly I feel for what you did to me. You should feel what I feel."
"What do you feel?" Ginny asked, looking at him.
"Pain," he said, and twisted her arm. "Anger. Humiliation."
"Let go," she said, her legs shaking.
"No." He raised his hand and hit her. But she didn't make a sound. Her cheek was red, a handprint left there. "You need to understand. You need to learn that you can't mess with people's feelings."
When he stuck her again, this time she was ready. Before his fist connected, she grabbed his arm and shoved him into the wall.
"No," she yelled. "You don't get to do this to me anymore."
Theo struggled, his anger blazing. "You bitch!"
Ginny smirked. "You don't know who you're messing with, Nott." She pressed her wand into his back, hands trembling. She wants very much to hurt him, but it won't do any good.
Before she can decide what to do, however, a hand falls on her shoulder. The voice in her ear was concerned.
"Gin?"
He was here.
The water was hot enough to burn her, but she didn't care. She needed the heat to ease the sore muscles and scrapes. Ginny lowered herself into the bathtub with a wince.
"Take it slow," Draco murmured, brushing a hand along her hair. "This whole thing is going to take a long time to process, and overcome, but I know you can do it."
"What will happen to Theo now?" Ginny asked, placing a hot hand on his cheek.
"He'll go to trial," Draco assured her. "That much I know. But you don't have to go to that if you don't want to. Blaise and Pansy will be here a lot to watch you when I'm not here." He caught her expression. "Don't look at me like that, you need someone here in case you have another attack."
Ginny sighed and closed her eyes. She'd been having anxiety attacks on and off for a few weeks, but Draco had made her a calming draught for her nerves.
"I want this to be over," she whispered. "I don't want to think about him again."
Draco leaned over and kissed her softly. "We'll have our lives back soon, love," he promised.
Author notes: Hi, all. I know it's been a long time since I updated this story, but I'll try to post regularly now.
Thanks for reading :)
To Be Continued.
ReverseBeauty is the author of 10 other stories.
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