Dragon and Angel

CHAPTER SIX

AN OLD FRIEND

"Oh, Ron." The familiar voice rang through the small shop. "You're so wonderful."

Draco turned toward the voice only to see Ron Weasley, standing beside a small table, holding a very attractive witch. Her arms were thrown around his neck and she was lavishing his face with small kisses. Clutched in one of her hands was a small posy of pink tea roses. Draco couldn't believe his eyes. Surely it can't be her. Not behaving like that, with Ron Weasley of all people, in a public place.

"Yeah, yeah I know -- I'm wonderful." Ron chuckled at her attention. As he glanced up, he stiffened in her arms and his smile immediately faded. His eyes locked with the blonde wizard watching them. "Malfoy."

"What?" The young witch pulled back a little, she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. Ron's face had twisted into an expression of pure hatred.

Ron reached for the witch's arms to gently disentangle himself from her embrace, his eyes never leaving Draco. As the young woman turned in the direction Ron was so avidly staring she immediately recognized the wizard standing by the counter.

"Merlin! Draco Malfoy! I don't believe your standing right here." She walked toward Draco, leaving Ron standing beside their table.

Ron began to stride slowly toward Draco, his face now deep red as his fury continued to escalate. "He won't be standing for long."

"Ron," warned the attractive witch. He stopped his advance on Draco and looked incredulously at her.

Draco smirked at the scene before him. She was definitely the one in control of this relationship, if that's what it is, he thought, mentally shuddering as he turned his attention to the woman standing in front of him.

"Hello, Pansy. How are you?"

"I'm great, Draco. Oh gods, it's been over five years since I last saw you. Where have you been?" Pansy smiled fondly at her old friend.

"Well I--" Draco began but a now purple-faced Ronald Weasley swiftly cut him off.

"PANSY! How can you be nice to this git? After what he did--" Very close to losing control, Ron's volume had risen considerably.

"Now, Ron, calm down. Draco is an old friend of mine."

"CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN! PANSY HE ABANDONED ANGEL AND DRAKE, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO BE CALM, I -- I WANT TO KILL HIM."

"Ron, please," Pansy pleaded as she turned to him placing her hands on his chest. "I would really like--"

Draco suddenly cut her off. "Abandoned? ABANDONED?" he shouted at them. "I NEVER ABANDONED HER!" He couldn't believe Weasley had just accused him of abandoning Ginny.

Ron was now shaking with rage, he couldn't believe his ears -- the ferret was actually denying it.

"Ron, love, I think you should go for a walk or something and calm down." Pansy was starting to get worried, she'd never seen Ron this angry before and she wasn't sure what he would do. She knew he had every right to be enraged. Friend or not, Draco had abandoned Ginny when she was pregnant, but this was not the place to be airing such issues.

Ron blinked at her a couple of times and then nodded, but as he stepped around her to leave the café he confronted Draco a final time. "This isn't over, Malfoy." Ron poked Draco in the chest, several times, for emphasis. With that he left the small eatery slamming the door behind him.

Draco was breathing hard as Pansy turned back to him. "Shall we sit?" She indicated the table she had earlier occupied with Ron. They sat opposite one another and Pansy regarded her old friend intensely, as he tried to calm his breathing. While they sat in silence Rosie bought Draco's order to the table and Pansy ordered more coffee for herself.

"He would have killed you, you know."

"Yeah, he mentioned he'd like to."

"Why did you do it, Draco?"

"Do what? I haven't done anything, Pans." Draco's volume was beginning to rise again.

"Draco, there's no need to raise your voice at me. I'm a friend, remember?" Pansy remained calm.

"Yeah, sorry. Look can you tell me what it is that I'm supposed to have done?" This week just keeps getting better, he added silently, at this rate I'll be lucky to be still breathing by the weekend.

Pansy couldn't believe he actually had to ask. "Draco, you abandoned Ginny when she was pregnant!"

"But I never knew she was pregnant. I didn't even know I had a child until yesterday, when Father saw her in Diagon Alley."

Ron had told Pansy about the events of the day before and how upset Ginny had been when she'd returned to the Burrow. She'd found it quite amusing, imagining what Lucius' reaction to this discovery might have been.

"What? You didn't know?"

"No, what makes you think I knew?"

"But she told her family she told you and you said you didn't want anything to do with it." Pansy watched as his eyes grew large, disbelief clearly written on his face.

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know," Pansy responded in a whisper.

"Pans, I have to see her. I need to talk to her. I need to know what's going on -- it's driving me mad." The desperation in his voice was evident to anyone, who knew him well.

Pansy was one of the few people who knew about Draco's relationship with Ginny, from the beginning. She never really understood why they had split up, except for the fact that their families didn't get along, there had been nothing else standing in their way. They had been perfect for each other and surely could have convinced their respective families of that.

"Well, why don't you just go and see her?"

"I don't know where she is. Father is making some discreet enquiries at the Ministry today so, hopefully, I'll know by tonight."

Pansy smirked at him. "Draco, honestly! For someone who's so smart you can be really stupid at times!"

"Excuse me!" Draco was taken aback, what on earth had bought that attack on.

"Draco, who is my boyfriend?"

"Weasley is your boyfriend?" Draco said, screwing up his face. "Eww, taste Parkinson!" It had, however, just dawned on him that the women seated across the table knew where his Ginny was. Tossing a few galleons onto the table Draco stood and offered his hand to Pansy. "Well, lead on woman."

"Oh, no you don't. I'm not getting on the bad side of that family for you or anyone."

Shaking his offered hand at her impatiently, he pleaded, "Come on, Pans, I really need to see her. I want to meet my son."

"Just your son?"

"Well, no. I want to see my Angel too -- I love her, you know." His eyes had darkened and his face had taken on a dreamy look.

"Alright, alright lets go before you get any mushier. Oh and Malfoy, I feel compelled, as one of your long standing friends, to tell you mushy is not a good look on you." Pansy laughed. At least he's not just interested in his heir, she thought as they made their way out of the little café toward the closest apparition point.

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