White Noise

Chapter 12: Coming to a Head

Ginny gaped at the note. Not Les!

Behind her, Draco laid his hand on the middle of her back, moving it back and forth in a comforting gesture; nothing like the touching and caressing that had been going on just three minutes ago.

She shifted her weight to her other foot and found herself wrapped in Draco's warm embrace.

It felt good to be held like this, to be comforted. She clutched his shirt as the tears fell, dampening her cheeks. Ginny hadn't had anyone to comfort her like this after she'd been told about Harry's death. She'd been all alone at that time and hadn't told her mother until hours later.

She sniffled and pulled away from him, only slightly embarrassed that he could see her swollen red eyes and red nose.

Draco placed his hands on her cheeks and brushed away a tear from each eye. She was momentarily blindsided by more tears with this uncharacteristic act of feeling on Draco's part.

She was quick to draw in a shaky breath. As she exhaled, she smiled weakly up at him.

He released her face immediately, his hands dropping to his sides. "Well then, I suppose we need to get back, don't we?" he said.

Ginny nodded, swallowing more tears and the feeling that something was off.

***

Within twenty minutes, they were standing outside the Building of Dangerous Liaisons, both looking through the glass doors with a great sense of trepidation.

Draco was the one to urge her on inside the building and she went in feeling as if she was wearing lead weights for shoes instead of white sneakers.

The first person she saw was her brother Ron. He was moving his wand over the doorframes--checking to see if any of the protective charms were broken, no doubt. He nodded at Draco and then focused on Ginny. "Took you long enough," he noted gruffly, averting his eyes from hers.

"What's going on?" she asked sharply, unable to contain her fear any longer.

Ron looked up at her sharply. "Didn't Dakotah owl you? She told me she did...Les was killed, Ginny." His tone turned soft at that and there was real empathy in his deep blue eyes. He knew how fond Ginny was of Les.

"I know that part! I mean, what's going on in the investigation?" she queried.

The fact that Draco stayed by her side the entire time was not lost on her, and apparently not on Ron either, who kept shooting Draco the death stare.

"Right now all we have to go on is what Dakotah has told us. She didn't see anything, but she sort of...ah, how should I put this? She stumbled into the scene of the crime."

Ginny winced at her brother's words. The phrase 'scene of the crime' just didn't mix with the building she had worked at for more than three years time. "How is she doing?" she asked, concerned about her friend's welfare.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, Hermione came in, in Medi-witch mode, and I haven't been able to speak to her since. So I'm checking the parameters for any breaks in the security system."

"Have you found anything?"

Her brother looked between the partners, sighing first and then shaking his head. "No, I haven't found anything out of the ordinary. Say Ginny, why don't you go find Hermione? I'd like to speak to Malfoy alone, if you don't mind."

With eyebrows raised, Ginny turned to Draco and saw him nod, then looked back disbelievingly at Ron, who also nodded. "I'm an Auror, Ginny, not a murderer," he finally said darkly.

She shrugged then and went ahead to find Hermione.

All around her, Aurors were swarming the place. Her co-workers were there too, although none of them were helping much. According to Carolinia Douglass, the office had been officially closed when Les was murdered.

"Where's Dakotah?" she whispered, feeling the need to speak to Dakotah directly.

Carolinia pointed down the hall. "Last time I saw, she was headed toward the Ladies' loo."

Ginny touched the older woman's arm in thanks and went to the loo, bumping into a disgruntled Hermione on the way. Hermione looked surprised, but also relieved, that Ginny was there.

"I don't suppose you had any inkling of this happening, did you?" she asked. Her brown eyes were filled with concern.

"No, nothing," she replied truthfully. It hurt her to know that she hadn't been able to save Les.

Hermione sighed. "I suppose it's just as well. Dakotah is in there, you should probably go talk to her. She's pretty upset."

Ginny nodded and went further into the loo.

Dakotah's normally happy, slightly ditzy look had been worn away and she looked...forlorn. She was leaning against the wall wearing blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, something Ginny had never seen her in before.

She went over to Dakotah and stood in front of her, searching her face for any sort of clue as to what she was feeling. Dakotah's pretty face was lifeless.

"Dakotah?" Ginny hedged softly. She didn't want to startle her.

Her large blue eyes flickered and so Ginny knew she'd heard her, but the rest of her countenance didn't change. "Dakotah, what happened?" she asked finally.

The woman looked at her then, fully in the eyes. "I'd only just got home when I realized I'd left my briefcase in my office...I'm flighty like that sometimes...and just, oh god!" She buried her head in her hands and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Ginny pulled her close and hugged her, rubbing her back in the soothing manner Draco had only an hour earlier. "Then what?" she asked, knowing she might be able to glean important details from her that her brother and sister-in-law weren't able to.

Dakotah continued to sob silently, hiccupping when she was finally done. Almost methodically, she left Ginny's embrace and went to the sink, splashing cold water on her face and then performing an appearance charm that took the redness away from her eyes and nose.

When she was facing Ginny once again, she was much calmer. "I had seen the light was still on in Les's office so I decided to go up and see him. I found him up there. There weren't any clues...there were no signatures. There was absolutely nothing."

Ginny shivered at her words: It had been the same way with Harry. No clues, no wand residue. There hadn't been the telltale signature so many homicidal wizards and witches were fond of leaving. To put it simply, there was nothing that in and of itself was a clue.

Ginny didn't voice her opinion though and instead led Dakotah out of the loo. The first person she noticed within the throngs of others was Draco. He was looking straight at her and Dakotah.

Ron was the first to approach them though. He came holding a roll of parchment and an Auror's quill, a device that, when held, forced the user to sign his or her exact name and only his or her own name. He came to stand in front of Dakotah, holding out the quill to her, which she received with a trembling hand.

"Please read through the statements, Mrs. Prior, and then sign your name at the bottom to verify they are all correct," Ron said in a very formal tone, one that Ginny was happy she had never had the misfortune of hearing.

As his only witness, Dakotah was a valuable source. Ron would make sure everything he got from her was correct.

Dakotah read through the scroll, nodding at some parts and shuddering at others. When she was finally done she gulped and nodded. "State your full name and age before signing, please," Ron requested icily.

"Dakotah A. Prior, age 31." She pressed the quill to the parchment and attempted to sign it, but no ink flowed through it.

"Repeat your name, please. No initials this time, Dakotah," Ron added quietly.

"Dakotah Angrboda Prior," she announced in a strong voice. This time, the quill was more than willing to sign her name.

She gave the parchment and quill back to Ron with a steadier hand than she received it. Then she collapsed on the floor.

***

Ginny didn't get a chance to speak with Draco alone for the rest of the evening, for he stayed at the office while she went to St. Mungo's with Dakotah. She sat in one of the stiff waiting room chairs until Hermione interrupted her blank stare.

Hermione waved a Styrofoam cup in front of Ginny's face. "Here. It's Essence of Orange tea. Rather weak, in my opinion, but it'll quench your thirst."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the cup from Hermione's hands.

Hermione dropped down in the seat next to hers. "Dakotah will be fine. She's just stressed out."

Ginny shrugged nonchalantly. Her mind was in a totally different place, one far from the hospital. She couldn't help but relive those moments before the Liaison's owl had interrupted them.

"I'd like to talk to you about something," Hermione admitted softly. Her hands were fidgeting with a loose thread on the upholstery of the chair.

"Oh? What's that?"

Hermione hesitated for only a moment, but it was a long one. "I don't know a better way to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it, all right? What's going on between you and Malfoy?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ginny blurted out defensively.

"I think you know exactly what it is I'm talking about, Gin. I saw you snogging him at the Gala last week." Disappointment was evident in her voice as well as her eyes, large and worried.

Ginny looked away, feeling embarrassed and then guilty, although she told herself she needn't be. "Mind your own business, Hermione," she warned. On edge as she was, she sprang to her feet and began pacing in front of their seats.

"What about Harry?" Hermione finally asked, barely above a whisper.

Ginny whirled around to face Hermione. "What about Harry?" she reiterated spitefully. "He's dead, Hermione. Dead!" Anger and bitterness swelled up in her breast. "Am I the only one that understands that?" she asked weakly.

Hermione stood up with her hands on her hips. "Of course you're not the only one who knows that! I just want to know what the hell you're doing snogging Malfoy, of all people!"

For a moment, Ginny was too shocked to say anything. Hermione never, ever swore. She was always riding Ron's back for swearing and now she was doing it herself? Ginny bristled and turned to walk away from her sister-in-law. It wasn't long before Hermione was walking right next to her though, matching her step for step.

"You know what Hermione? Maybe you're right: maybe I have lost my marbles. After all, I was snogging Draco Malfoy. You know what else? For once in my life I was doing something for me, not for anyone else and it felt pretty damn good." Her steps slowed down as she felt her anger dwindle, replaced by weariness.

"I will always love Harry. I hope you know that," she whispered.

They came to stand before a window at the end of the long hallway. Around them, Medi-witches and wizards were coming and going, but for once, they weren't paying attention to either Hermione or Ginny. It felt good to be inconsequential, Ginny mused.

She brought her hand up to the glass and placed it there, her palm flat against the pane. "Being married to Harry wasn't always the easiest thing, Hermione."

By now, Hermione was leaning against the adjacent wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She was listening intently, for which Ginny was grateful.

"I loved him, I really did," she repeated quietly, almost desperately. "But it was so hard sometimes, Hermione." She looked at Hermione and then lowered her eyes, feeling almost ashamed of herself. "He was such a wonderful man, but the world knew him better than I did. I swear to you, he was more likely to tell Rita Skeeter what he was feeling than say it to me--and you know how much he disliked her."

Hermione cocked her head, giving Ginny a pointed look. "You don't really believe that, do you Ginny?"

Ginny shrugged absently. "Sometimes I think I do. Right now I do."

Outside, life was going on. People were walking the streets laughing and waving to one another. Below a streetlight, a mum was shaking her fist at her young son as he looked down to the ground sadly.

"I can't tell you how good it felt to be held by someone Hermione, rather than holding someone," she continued quietly. "There were nights when Harry and I would come home and even though we had the same bad experience, I was comforting him. I can count on my fingers the number of times Harry held me after confronting a murderer or a dead child."

Hermione remained silent, which was fine really, because what was there to say?

"Those few times he did hold me during a panic attack his mind was always elsewhere. He was back at the scene of the crime. And Harry had seen so much in his lifetime that I didn't want to be a burden to him. So, I tried getting over the attacks as quickly as possible," she explained reasonably, as if she was giving out a new recipe and not her heart.

"With Draco, the times he kissed me..." Ginny fumbled for the words. How could she explain what Draco made her feel in a way that wouldn't offend Hermione?

She felt Hermione reach out and touch her arm. "Go on," she urged gently.

Ginny nodded and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "He didn't...we weren't...comforting each other. We were simply kissing. It felt good to be wanted like that." Even though it wasn't exactly what she'd wanted to say, she meant the words.

A little fearfully, she looked to Hermione for a reaction.

Her sister-in-law looked back. She was quiet for a long time. "I can't blame you for wanting to feel those things, Gin," she finally said. "Everyone wants to feel alive."

Ginny nodded, more grateful for Hermione's reaction and acceptance than the other woman would ever know.

***

Les's funeral was held four days later, on a Saturday. It was an outdoor service on what was to be one of the last warm days of the summer-fall season before it turned cold out. Ginny sat far in the back, not wanting to be so near another casket so soon. Besides, the entire front three rows were filled with Les's family and close friends.

Ron and Hermione had come with her, to offer moral support as well as mourn a man they liked, although they didn't know him as well.

Ginny was shocked when she saw her partner, dressed to the nines in long, flowing forest green robes, make his way up to the podium. His hair, which fell just below his shoulders, was pulled back with a thin green strip of fabric.

She hadn't seen him in four days and she was rather confused at her heart's reaction. It thumped and pounded wildly despite her best efforts to calm it.

Ginny had to force herself to listen in order to hear what he was saying.

"Those of you who know me are aware I rarely speak at public functions. If I had been asked a year ago to speak, I would have declined, and probably not in a polite way. But this isn't a year ago, this is now."

She imagined that he was lingering on her. His eyes weren't, but she wanted to believe his heart was.

"I will be the first to say Les gave me a chance when no one else did, even though he probably shouldn't have. For that I am eternally grateful." Draco stepped off the podium and took his seat back.

Ginny felt her heart constrict, and then her throat, and she sat through the rest of the service in a silent haze.

***

Draco made his way through the crowd toward Les's family: his wife Teresa and children, Henry, Valerie, and Suzanne. Teresa saw him and smiled softly. She was a quiet, small woman. Very kind. And when she smiled and waved, Draco simply nodded back.

He made it to the refreshment table without running into Ginny. She looked up at him, her brown eyes blinking in the bright afternoon sun. "I wanted to let you know...that was a beautiful speech you gave."

Draco didn't know why but he bristled under the compliment. "I didn't mean for it to be beautiful."

Ginny nodded slightly. "Yes, of course..."

He hadn't seen her since that night, the night they'd come so close... "Is that your Keeper over there?"

She didn't bother looking behind her. "Are you talking about Ron? Probably," she replied shortly. "Again, very nice job with the eulogy," she stated and then she turned and left.

At that same moment, her brother came to stand next to him. "I'm glad Gin left; I was afraid I was going to have to ask her to leave again so that we could talk in private. I don't think she would have appreciated that," Ron said.

"No, she probably wouldn't have," Draco agreed, casting a sidelong glance over the object of their conversation as they walked away from the crowd.

When they were safely out of earshot, Ron began talking. "I want to thank you for confirming our suspicions."

Draco leaned against a lamppost and crossed his arms over his chest. "What have you found?"

Ron's hands slipped into his pockets and he rocked back on his heels as the wind tugged his red hair. "None of Dakotah's alibis held up. No one she says she was with that afternoon and the following evening can confirm it."

The blonde man looked away from Ron, his eyes once again falling upon Ginny. She was with Les's wife, hugging her and talking to her. Draco could only assume she was offering words of hope and comfort to the woman. Perhaps words someone once spoke to her? He didn't know.

"So now all we need is a motive," Draco mused out loud. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Smoking was one vice he rarely gave into, and only on especially stressful situations. He offered one to Ron.

"No, no thank you. Hermione would have my neck." There was humor in his voice, but a genuine, respectful fear in his eyes.

Draco shrugged and put the pack back in his pocket. "Have you questioned Dakotah further on it?"

Ron shook his head. "Not yet. We're waiting for the right time."

Draco watched Ron intently, seeing the man roll his eyes with humorless sarcasm. "We'll wait until we have more solid evidence."

"I don't think you'll get any," Draco said.

Ron's gaze leveled with his. "Neither do I."

***

Ginny returned home from the funeral feeling deadened. The funeral must have taken more of a toll on her than she had realized. Teresa had hugged her hard as she gave her her condolences. Then she'd thanked Ginny profusely for coming, because she'd meant so much to Les.

It was all a bit overwhelming, really.

Then she saw Ron and Draco go off by themselves, finally stopping at a grove of trees long out of her hearing range. It drove her nuts not knowing what the two were talking about, although she felt it was a safe bet that it had to do with Les's death, with the way Ron's eyes shifted about the crowd. Draco, of course, had given nothing away.

She picked up her toothbrush and threw it at the mirror. It bounced off and landed between the sink and the toilet. Ginny wrinkled her nose and left it there.

It wasn't until she was heading down the stairs and pulling on her jacket that she realized she was leaving her apartment complex for a good, long time. She didn't dwell long on where she was headed. Deep down, she knew.

***

The last person Draco expected to see walking through the rain was Ginny, but there she was, outside his modest home, pacing the sidewalk.

He cocked his head and studied her. Her red hair was sopping wet, hanging in wet strands down her back. Her sweater was clinging to her curves and he thought she might be cold.

Against his better judgment, he opened the door and called out to her over the rain. "Ginny!" When her head snapped up and her eyes turned to him, he motioned for her to come over.

"What the hell are you doing out here? Are you trying to get sick?" He was careful to keep concern from his voice.

Ginny brushed past him, dripping rainwater onto his clean carpet. Draco was about to point this out, but she had already turned on him. "What were you and Ron talking about earlier today?"

Draco moved past her, mildly irritated that she followed him into the living room as if she was a regular fixture in his home. In his life. "What your brother and I were talking about had nothing to do with you."

"Maybe not," she said bitterly, "but it had to do with Les and he was my boss long before he was yours. I have a right to know what the hell you and Ron were talking about at his funeral!" Ginny stamped her foot for emphasis.

"That's your argument to convince me to tell you what your brother and I were talking about? Very mature, Ginny," he responded snidely.

She lifted her chin in defiance. "Tell me the goddamn truth, Draco. I am sick of people not telling me anything. You of all people should know I'm strong enough to face the truth, or at the very least, you ought to not care if my heart breaks because of what you say."

He appreciated the stubbornness in her tone and eyes. "Are you always such a pain?" he asked.

Ginny visibly relaxed, most likely thinking she'd gained ground with him. Draco wasn't about to tell her she'd already gained much more than anyone else had.

"Only around Ron. Apparently you too bring out the worst in me."

He heard the smile in her voice and couldn't help but smile himself, although his back was to her.

Draco took her by the arm and steered her to the sofa. "You ask too many questions," he commented.

She flushed. "I've heard that before," she admitted.

He took a seat next to her, his body responding in ways it shouldn't have just by the heat that emanated from hers. He cursed her husband for putting him in this position.

"There are some problems with Dakotah's alibis, it seems," he said finally.

Draco watched as her jaw dropped while she obviously wrestled with how to take this, how to respond.

"What?" she finally whispered.

"What what?" Draco repeated dully.

"What are the problems with the alibis?" she expanded.

Draco leaned back into the sofa. "Oh well that's an easy enough question to answer. None of her alibis remember even seeing her that night, much less talking with her."

"Oh shit," Ginny muttered.

"It seems she might have something to do with that little incident in St. Petersburg as well--"

"She said she was in the office with Les that day!" Ginny blurted out. Confusion riddled her eyes and body posture.

"Yes and it's not as if we can ask Les if that's true now, can we?" he remarked snidely.

Her teeth started chattering horribly, so Draco performed a warming spell on her before leaving her side to fetch a blanket. Upon returning, he laid the thick coverlet over her shoulders and she gripped at the edges, bringing them closer for warmth.

"Thank you."

Draco nodded, feeling pleased with his display of chivalry.

"So Ron knows all this?" she prompted.

"Yes. She's what we spoke of the night of Les's death. Your brother wanted to know my opinion of her."

"And you told him...what?"

Draco glanced at her. "The truth of course."

They sat in an odd silence then. It wasn't uncomfortable so much as it was different. The air between them was shockingly still, but the tension was tangible.

"Ginny, why did you come here?" he asked finally.

***

Her mouth opened before her mind had an answer for him. "I-I don't know," she finally answered weakly. "Because you're the only one I know who doesn't pity me?" Ginny leaned forward, stretching her hands to her toes as she did so. The soft blanket fell from her shoulders.

"Oh, I pity you all right. You married Potter, after all," he quipped.

She smiled despite telling herself that he wasn't all that funny and such rude behavior shouldn't be rewarded. Soon she found herself laughing, perhaps because she knew it wasn't all that funny.

"Fine then," she managed through her laughter, "you're the only one who hasn't completely changed on me. You're the one constant in my life at the moment."

"I don't know about that," he muttered. "After all, everyone changes."

Immediately, the laughter died on her lips. "Oh Draco..."

He cleared his throat and stood up. "Well then," he said in a gruff voice, "if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go to bed." Ginny wasn't sure of what he meant by telling her that. "You're welcome to sleep out here, if you'd like."

Ginny licked her lips and stood up so that she might see into his eyes better. "Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I should probably be getting home."

Draco's nod was absent. "Yes, of course," he replied distantly, as if he was distracted.

She walked to the door with a heavy mind. There was so much hanging between them, left unsaid, though she wasn't even sure what it was that they weren't saying to one another.

"Ginny." His voice was soft yet commanding.

"Yes?" she prompted, somewhat startled by his voice.

"Take care," he wished her simply.

As she left his home, she felt the last shred of her dignity slip away. She was sure he knew how she felt about him and therefore, he'd dismissed her so casually on purpose.

Ginny bit her bottom lip, summoning up every once of courage she had and put her hand on the doorknob once again.