Not What They Were- a Drinny fanfiction

Chapter 11

Draco sat on the green velvet couch in his study, still as marble. Surely Ginny had to be wrong; it couldn't be as bad as she feared, was it? Even as he tried to rationalize the potion's existence, its purpose and who he found it on, he knew she was right; Ginny was always right when it came to potions. It felt like only days ago that he had escaped the clutches of Voldemort with his mother, leaving his father to rot, and now he was being thrust back into the world of dark arts and shadows. Allowing that world to come back was not an option, he vowed that no matter what it required, this world, the one he was now a part of would not slip back into the hands of the Dark Wizards.

"Draco?" Ginny waved a hand in front of his eyes; he had been eerily quiet since she spoke. "Draco?"

"Sorry." he sighed, running a hand through his platinum locks.

"So?" Ginny looked at him expectantly. He knew she wanted answers. Answers he only a few hours ago was prepared to give to her, but now, after seeing what this really meant, he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

"I found the potion in Knockturn Alley while conducting a raid on a shop. Not sure who it belongs to." He lied, and he felt awful for it. He betrayed her, and it felt like he had been gutted.

Ginny eyed him suspiciously. She wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. Weeks earlier, when Draco first asked her to investigate the vial's contents, he refused to tell her from where it had come. The way he had spoken about the bottle, and the circumstances surrounding it, made Draco sound as if he knew who the owner was. And now, just as she had finished the decipher, he claimed not to know who the owner was. Trusting Draco Malfoy was never a sentiment she would have agreed to go along with, but now she had no choice. If she questioned him, his sincerity, she ran the risk of being shut out from all further investigations, but if she played along, agreed like the good little helper, then maybe she would be allowed future insight into the case. There was absolutely no way Ginny would stand idly by if the Ministry was attempting to cover up another dark rising.

"Hmm...." Ginny needed to play her part convincingly, but somehow manipulating him felt wrong. "Well, is there any way to trace the bottle or what about the shop owner?"

"No, the owner said he bought it off a little old warlock claiming it was hair serum, and the bottle isn't traceable." Lies rolled so quickly off Draco's tongue; he had mastered the task early on in life.

Three swift knocks at the door interrupted their conversation at the perfect moment, preventing Ginny from asking more questions and Draco from fabricating more lies.

"Teas ready." Narcissa floated from the doorway into the study and placed a lavish silver tea set and tray on the small coffee table before Ginny. Even in the dead of night, the Malfoy's were fancy.

"Thank you Narcissa, but I really should head out." Ginny began to rise when Narcissa stepped directly in front of her.

"Don't be silly girl! There are plenty of rooms in the Manor, and it is far too late to travel. Will you stay?" Narcissa's words themselves were questions, but her tone was a command.

"Uh, thank you but--"

"It's settled then!" Narcissa clapped her hands together, signaling the end of the discussion. "Draco will show you a room once you've finished your tea!"

Ginny sat back on the couch, feel deflated and slightly ill as Draco escorted his mother from the study. There were about three million other places Ginny would rather stay before spending a night at the Manor, like Sirius' old cave outside of Hogwarts, Buckbeak's pen, or even a dragon cave. Draco had made it very clear that night that she was nothing more than a one night stand and Ginny did not want to be that annoying little harpie who wouldn't leave him be. Still, she found she did not argue to leave as much as she could have, part of her did want to stay. Humiliating couldn't even describe how she felt.