He watched her disappear, leaving him alone on the busy streets, sunlight glaring down at him. He turned the corner when someone stepped in his way. Blaise stared at him, a scowl on his face.
"You look about as bad as I feel," Draco said gruffly. "Get up on the wrong side of some woman's bed?"
Blaise's eyes narrowed. "Jesus Christ, mate. Aren't you going after her? I heard what happened. But I don't think Ginny's capable of doing what you accused her of."
Draco blinked. "You don't understand. You just – wait a minute. You weren't here on accident. You were meeting her, that much I know. But you're acting weird. Oh, goddammit. You like her, don't you?"
Blaise smirked. "So what if I do? You're not going to be dating her. Because clearly she's messed with your brain or something. What does that even mean?"
"If you heard everything, you know exactly what it means." He moved past his friend and called over his shoulder. "She's all yours now, Zabini."
**
Anger continued to spread through Ginny, and she wasn't feeling better when there was a knock on the door. Tearing through the flat and opening the door, she found Pansy standing in the hallway, her arms full of bags.
"Give me a hand, would you?"
"Sure," Ginny said, taking one. "What is all this?"
"Supplies," Pansy answered, pulling out a carton of ice cream. "I spoke to Draco. Figured you could use some cheering up."
Ginny sighed and pulled on the contents of her bag, which mostly consisted of various chocolate. She set them down while Pansy stuck the ice cream in the freezer. Then she turned around, her eyes narrowed.
"I didn't do what he said," she said quietly. "He assumes I did, though. And I think I know why."
Pansy waited patiently.
Ginny's voice was soft. "Once upon a time, Draco Malfoy and I fell in love. It was never supposed to happen, we knew that, so we never told anyone. It went on for months, until he left Hogwarts. But the night before he was graduated, I had an idea. It was positively the worst thing ever. I realized I should have done it from the start, and that killed me to consider."
"You were going to erase his memory of the time you'd spent together," Pansy whispered, her voice tight. "Oh, Ginny. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"How could I?" she asked.
"What happened after you went to see him?" Pansy said, taking a seat next to her.
At that question, Ginny shut her eyes. "I went to his room, like every other time. My gut twisted, because of what I was going to do. I got there and knocked on the door. Draco opened it, and had the strangest look on his face, almost like he didn't recognize me. Then he asked what I was doing. When he called me Weasley, I knew it was over."
"Did you ever find out what happened?"
Ginny shook her head, opening her eyes. "No. I never asked. I just left him alone after that. What else could I do?"
"Who do you think Obliviated him?"
"I wish I knew," Ginny commented. "But it's not as though we could even ask Draco."
"This is so messed up," Pansy muttered. "Did you ever meet Blaise?"
"Oh, crap." Ginny sighed. "I forgot. I was going to, and then Draco and I got into that huge fight."
Pansy stood up and went to the freezer. She took out the ice cream and got two spoons. Then headed back to the couch. She sat down and handed Ginny the carton.
"Here," she said. "You need this now."
"Thanks," the redhead mumbled. The chocolatey flavor was cool on her tongue, and it eased her emotions a little as she continued eating. "You know, this is really unhealthy for so early in the morning. What were you thinking?"
Pansy shrugged. "We females can't resist anything chocolate."
Ginny stuck the spoon in the carton, and stood up. "Thank you for everything, but I don't think anything is going to be fixed."
"But the guilt is gone, right?"
"I don't really think it will be," she replied. "After what I did–"
"But you didn't do anything!" Pansy nearly shouted, trying to get her friend to understand. "You went there with the intention of erasing his memory, and you didn't. Someone else got to him first. But, the question is, who knew about the two of you?"
"Did you?" Ginny asked pointedly.
Pansy smiled. "Give me a little credit. If I had, you know I would have used that knowledge against you, at least back then. So, no, I didn't know about your secret."
Ginny put her head in her hands and sighed. "I think I want to talk to him again. I need to make him believe that I didn't do what he thinks."
Pansy headed for the door. "Do you want me to go with you?"
She shook her head. "I have to do this alone. I have to try. Goddammit, how am I going to make him see that I didn't do this?"
"You could always drink Veritaserum," Pansy said quickly.
Ginny looked at her. "That's probably not the best solution. I want to be able to make him see the truth because he wants to, not because I've tricked him."
"But you wouldn't be tricking him, you'd just be honest."
"I can do that on my own."
Pansy frowned, thoughtful for a moment before she said, "Legilimency. You need to know who did this to him, don't you? Well, you could use it and search his memories."
"He would know," Ginny responded.
Before Pansy could reply, however, there was a knock on the door. Ginny opened it to find Draco on the other side, and he stank of alcohol. He was leaning against the door, his eyes dark, lips set in a thin line. He looked at her miserably.
"We used to be in love," he said quietly, stepping inside. "But something went wrong." He touched her face, and she let him. "I know you didn't do this to me – you would never. So, please, help me find out who did."
"You look about as bad as I feel," Draco said gruffly. "Get up on the wrong side of some woman's bed?"
Blaise's eyes narrowed. "Jesus Christ, mate. Aren't you going after her? I heard what happened. But I don't think Ginny's capable of doing what you accused her of."
Draco blinked. "You don't understand. You just – wait a minute. You weren't here on accident. You were meeting her, that much I know. But you're acting weird. Oh, goddammit. You like her, don't you?"
Blaise smirked. "So what if I do? You're not going to be dating her. Because clearly she's messed with your brain or something. What does that even mean?"
"If you heard everything, you know exactly what it means." He moved past his friend and called over his shoulder. "She's all yours now, Zabini."
Anger continued to spread through Ginny, and she wasn't feeling better when there was a knock on the door. Tearing through the flat and opening the door, she found Pansy standing in the hallway, her arms full of bags.
"Give me a hand, would you?"
"Sure," Ginny said, taking one. "What is all this?"
"Supplies," Pansy answered, pulling out a carton of ice cream. "I spoke to Draco. Figured you could use some cheering up."
Ginny sighed and pulled on the contents of her bag, which mostly consisted of various chocolate. She set them down while Pansy stuck the ice cream in the freezer. Then she turned around, her eyes narrowed.
"I didn't do what he said," she said quietly. "He assumes I did, though. And I think I know why."
Pansy waited patiently.
Ginny's voice was soft. "Once upon a time, Draco Malfoy and I fell in love. It was never supposed to happen, we knew that, so we never told anyone. It went on for months, until he left Hogwarts. But the night before he was graduated, I had an idea. It was positively the worst thing ever. I realized I should have done it from the start, and that killed me to consider."
"You were going to erase his memory of the time you'd spent together," Pansy whispered, her voice tight. "Oh, Ginny. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"How could I?" she asked.
"What happened after you went to see him?" Pansy said, taking a seat next to her.
At that question, Ginny shut her eyes. "I went to his room, like every other time. My gut twisted, because of what I was going to do. I got there and knocked on the door. Draco opened it, and had the strangest look on his face, almost like he didn't recognize me. Then he asked what I was doing. When he called me Weasley, I knew it was over."
"Did you ever find out what happened?"
Ginny shook her head, opening her eyes. "No. I never asked. I just left him alone after that. What else could I do?"
"Who do you think Obliviated him?"
"I wish I knew," Ginny commented. "But it's not as though we could even ask Draco."
"This is so messed up," Pansy muttered. "Did you ever meet Blaise?"
"Oh, crap." Ginny sighed. "I forgot. I was going to, and then Draco and I got into that huge fight."
Pansy stood up and went to the freezer. She took out the ice cream and got two spoons. Then headed back to the couch. She sat down and handed Ginny the carton.
"Here," she said. "You need this now."
"Thanks," the redhead mumbled. The chocolatey flavor was cool on her tongue, and it eased her emotions a little as she continued eating. "You know, this is really unhealthy for so early in the morning. What were you thinking?"
Pansy shrugged. "We females can't resist anything chocolate."
Ginny stuck the spoon in the carton, and stood up. "Thank you for everything, but I don't think anything is going to be fixed."
"But the guilt is gone, right?"
"I don't really think it will be," she replied. "After what I did–"
"But you didn't do anything!" Pansy nearly shouted, trying to get her friend to understand. "You went there with the intention of erasing his memory, and you didn't. Someone else got to him first. But, the question is, who knew about the two of you?"
"Did you?" Ginny asked pointedly.
Pansy smiled. "Give me a little credit. If I had, you know I would have used that knowledge against you, at least back then. So, no, I didn't know about your secret."
Ginny put her head in her hands and sighed. "I think I want to talk to him again. I need to make him believe that I didn't do what he thinks."
Pansy headed for the door. "Do you want me to go with you?"
She shook her head. "I have to do this alone. I have to try. Goddammit, how am I going to make him see that I didn't do this?"
"You could always drink Veritaserum," Pansy said quickly.
Ginny looked at her. "That's probably not the best solution. I want to be able to make him see the truth because he wants to, not because I've tricked him."
"But you wouldn't be tricking him, you'd just be honest."
"I can do that on my own."
Pansy frowned, thoughtful for a moment before she said, "Legilimency. You need to know who did this to him, don't you? Well, you could use it and search his memories."
"He would know," Ginny responded.
Before Pansy could reply, however, there was a knock on the door. Ginny opened it to find Draco on the other side, and he stank of alcohol. He was leaning against the door, his eyes dark, lips set in a thin line. He looked at her miserably.
"We used to be in love," he said quietly, stepping inside. "But something went wrong." He touched her face, and she let him. "I know you didn't do this to me – you would never. So, please, help me find out who did."
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