Regret and Betrayal

Chapter Six

The Rules of Desire.

3. The desire that leads to love drags you to the happiness which lies can destroy.

~*~~*~~*~

Okay so I'm in love, I can deal with that.

Ginny had been pacing her room for about twenty minutes before she had come to terms with the idea of being in love with Draco Malfoy. She had spent most of the day in the confines of her room mainly thinking. The rest was taken up by her realising that her hair was now permanently black, but priorities had to be made.

Now she had a decision to make. Either she confessed it and ended the investigation to end up being hated by her friends, disowned by her family and possibly rejected by Mal - Draco himself, or she could keep it hidden and still be loved by her family and friends but hate herself for never finding out. It had taken another fifty minutes to make this decision before she noticed the path she had practically made on the plush carpet.

That was why she was now dressing for work, when she got home she would have to tell him. Hatred by many or not, she would not hate herself, not again.

***

"Okay so I'm in love with her, and she kisses me. At least I know now for sure that my feelings towards her are being reciprocated." Draco stood in his office, his gaze fixed upon the view of London outside. The buildings mused into one mass of grey as his eyes remained unblinked. He had tried to remain in the house but he was afraid that everywhere he went he would run into her so he left for work. It was then that he had owled Zambini.

Blaise Zambini was by far the best brain to get in as he wrote a column in the newspaper, kind of like an agony aunt thing except when he thought you were being stupid he would tell you. He never wrote anything sappy to make you feel fuzzy inside. If he thought it he wrote it, which was exactly the attitude Draco wanted right now. It was very surprising when he had come out with it; he wasn't really the person Draco would think could give advice on love as it were. His own love life was more than colourful to be giving any ideas on long term relationships, but the public loved it and the papers were selling like the new brand of broomstick.

"Has she told you who she is, really is I mean."

"Blaise I already know who she is, does it matter anymore? I'm talking about me being the weak chain in my family's line and all you want to know is whether she lies. Hello, her whole life is a lie." He pressed his body weight against the glass as he hit his head repeatedly, she was stressing him out.

"Well you said that at least your-." he snorted. "- Feelings for her were being reciprocated no? Well, if she does feel the same way then she should at least have tried to tell you the truth by now. A relationship is not based on lies as they say."

"What do you say?" He turned his head on the glass.

"I say you can't have a proper relationship with out them, it leaves a little to the imagination. Most couples who don't tell the truth have trust issues. When those feelings are brought to the surface each one has this compulsive feeling of wanting to solve the others problems. If your partner can't help you then they were obviously not worth your suspicion anyway. If they can then the bond is strengthened." Blaise sat back in his chair surveying the expression on Draco's face.

So that's why his column is so popular, he actually makes sense. Of course none of it has anything to do with me. "So what are you trying to say? She has trust issues?"

"Maybe that's why she took the job in the first place, going undercover as the identity of someone else is exciting and thrilling. Being in the skin of another person creates a split personality, causing you to do certain things that your original self could never do. Maybe she's running away or perhaps she just enjoys not being herself."

"So what we did - she, what she did was not her but Claire Goyle? So she doesn't like me at all?" He took his hands down from the glass and faced Blaise crossing them over his chest as he sat down.

"I am saying nothing of the sort, perhaps if she was in her own persona then she would not have kissed you, yes, but because she had this identity - as stupid as it is to take on Goyle's name - ." He stopped to roll his eyes. "It gave her the courage to do something that she would not have normally attempted had she been herself. I mean, I've met Claire and she's not exactly the kind of person that would back down from something she wants." His eyes went reminiscent, when he came back there was a sly smile on his lips.

Draco sighed, "I'm thirsty."

"Get your receptionist; I could murder a cup of coffee."

He shook his head. "She's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here? Every time I come to visit you she's not here, are you sure you even have one? Doesn't she have a job to do?" Blaise reeled.

"No, she's never here really I only hired her because she was the smartest and the best looking out of all the ones that audit - applied for the job. Besides her impeccable abilities to file her nails, she also forgot on her resume to identify her phobia."

"Of what? Working on days that end in - 'day,'" he asked laughing.

Draco shrugged. "More or less."

"So have you decided what you are going to do about your little problem?"

"I don't know, so what if she's been lying, you know? I've lied as well. I haven't exactly told her I knew who she was the same night she came to me have I?"

"No but she 'supposedly' is supposed to have a husband. That, I figure, is even worst on her count because not only 'as a Weasley' is she snogging you 'a Malfoy,' but as Claire Goyle - your friend's, brother's wife," he counted, "she's kind of committing adultery don't you think?" He nodded to prompt Draco's answer.

"But I've told you already that even before I knew who she was I was already planning on her committing adultery, so that is kind of beside the point."

"Hmm, well if you say so. Question is do you care?"

"Care for what, for her?"

"No Draco, I think you've answered that already. What I'm asking is do you care about what she's doing, what she does. Would it bother you that she has to lie all the time to protect herself? She's had experience so lying offhandedly wouldn't be that much of a problem for her. But would it be a problem for you, if you are in - what you say you are then you'll have to accept her, all of her." He shuddered a little before continuing. "That includes - her family."

Draco sat there for a while considering the options, on one side, he could tell her and risk the fate of being rejected by her and be embarrassed and disowned by his father, not that bad actually. Or he could not tell her and keep his father and somewhat of his pride. Hmm.

"I'll tell her when I get home. Right now I have something to do."

***

Draco apparated to Lesley's apartment ignoring the fact Ginny's room was just upstairs. He had started on apparating into Lesley's home, but he decided to at least be courteous and use the door. So he knocked, he was surprised that she was home. He had of course wanted her to be in but a certain part of him did not want to face her and had wanted her to be on business somewhere.

"Oh, hello Mr. Malfoy I wasn't expecting you so soon. I haven't finished the painting if that is what you're after." She stood at the door in overalls; she had obviously been painting due to the spots of green and blue on her face and in her hair. The paintbrush in her hand threatened to smear red on her door; he quickly moved her hand before it touched it as wizarding paint was hell to remove.

"No I wasn't - um, I just came to see the progress."

"Well you only ordered it about a week ago. Something with as much importance as you made it out to be needs time, but if you want you can see it." She opened the door wider for him to enter. He followed her in and shut the door. He took off his jacket and laid it on one of the chairs. "How's Ginny doing?" she asked casually as if they were old friends, leading him down into the basement.

"Um, I suppose she's doing alright," he said as he descended the stairs. Besides acting like a lunatic and kissing me then running off, she's perfect.

She walked into a small room at the bottom of the stairs and chose a door on the right. She turned the chrome handle and walked through the door, the light on the other side struck him silent. The sun stood regal in the sky that cloaked itself in bright oranges and reds. It looked like a painting in itself, as no sky could be this beautiful.

"You paint in here? How can you concentrate?" He turned around; the door they had come in from was gone, when he turned back toward her there was a cabin behind her.

Lesley smiled; it looked like a smile of pride. "You know, many people have seen my work before but none have ever had this expression on their faces yet." She laughed as his face changed again.

"This is your work? You're good."

"Correction, this is your work, this is what you have paid me for. Seeing that you made it that a door was needed I had to get some, inspiration. But in doing that I am afraid I went against your wishes and put something behind the door." She pointed behind him, when he turned the door was back.

"The door I walked through was the painting?" he asked.

She raised her hand, the one she had used to turn the chrome handle. It was a silver colour but it looked like polished silver, she smiled. "When I said it wasn't finished I kind of meant it, the inside is done but the paint has to dry, the whole room from the basement door onwards is a painting, I put in two doors - the actual door changes from time to time as they tend to do, so I have put a sign on the door for you to see. I can't tell you what it is because in truth I haven't finished that yet either, so... What do you think?" She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"I think - it's brilliant," he laughed. "You've really outdone yourself this time you really have. Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate it coming from the cunning eye for art that you are." She smiled.

"Lesley!" she heard. She stopped and looked around, it sounded as though it had traveled through the wind, and yet as if it was nearby.

"Did you hear something?" she asked him, looking around.

He stopped to listen ignoring the slight wind that blew around them. "Lesley!" He heard it too, and he knew who it was.

"Weasley."

"Shit, we have to get out of here. Quickly, this way." She ran through the door and they ended up in the room they were in before. "Don't close that door!" she said to him and opened the other one. "Now close it." He did so and they left through the door she was holding open. When they stepped through the second one they were now in the actual basement. Lesley stopped and told him to apparate home before running up the stairs. She bumped into Ginny as she rounded the top. "Hey, girl how you doing?" she smiled, panting.

"Lesley, are you okay?" Ginny asked confused.

***

"Ginny what the hell are you doing here? You could be seen by someone."

"That's what I want Pete, to be seen by Manning. Where is he?"

"What is this about, what are you going tell him."

She walked past him after spotting his office. The door was closed, that meant he was in. She turned to him before opening the door. "The truth." She hadn't heard when he told her that he was in a meeting.

"Oh sir, I'm - I'm sorry I'll come back I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, Ginny wait you can stay I am finished here anyhow." He looked over at her dressed like she was going to work again, not at all like she had looked when she had left two weeks ago.

Ginny remained in the doorway, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. The man that sat opposite him stood to leave and she watched him as he turned to face her - a look of framed hunger in his eyes. He stared at her as if he knew her and hadn't seen her in a long time. It was a look of longing and yet behind it there was an abhorrence that lingered behind each pulse of his glare. Seconds later he apparated and Ginny stood in shock. You can't apparate anywhere in the Ministry of Magic, especially in this sector. It was basic security and yet no alarms were going off.

She stared at the empty space for a while before breaking the silence in the room. "Um, sir, who was that?"

He gave her a warm yet nervous smile. "Oh never you worry about that, what are you doing here? Last I heard you were the lead of an investigation that has been planned for months." She couldn't help but stare at him, he was acting so unlike his usual self. He actually looked scared. "Why aren't you in there has something gone wrong?" His face became set to between terrified and fuming. "Ginny there is too much riding on this please tell me everything is alright." He got up and walked over to the door where she refused to move from, she couldn't possibly have come across any difficulties because Mr. Black had everything planned out perfectly. He gave her an anxious look before holding her shoulders.

And just then, Ginny did something she knew she would regret later.

She lied.

"Sir, I've seen all of his documents, and none of them have any traces of any felony. I looked at his bank receipts and his company paycheques - both to himself and to his employees. There isn't any reason to believe that Dr - Malfoy took anything." She rubbed her face with her hands. "I think we should call it off."

"No we can't do that. His uncle is dead set on the fact this boy has taken his money. There must be something you've missed."

"No sir, I've looked everywhere. None of his documents show anything."

"Well, I'll tell you what. Bring them to me." Ginny leaned on the door for support, frightened by what she was hearing. "I'll get the team to look over it and if we don't find anything then I'll send Marcus - Pete, sorry," he smiled. "I'll send Pete in to get you out. We'll make up something like he's gotten his enemies off his back or something. What do you say?" He looked up at her and smiled into her face.

Ginny didn't know what to do. In the end, she set her face into the calmest smile she could find and said. "I - I say - thank you, sir." She swallowed hard. "I had better be getting back now, you know, to get those documents I found in the erm - the place where I found them, cos you know, I know where they are and - and I'll bring them to you, yeah." She clutched her stomach before running outside, forgetting to shut the door. She didn't even notice Pete as she ran to the nearest bathroom. Instantly hanging her head over the bowl and vomiting into it. When she was sure there wasn't anything else in her stomach and then vomiting some more, she sat on the ground and cried.

It was then that she heard footsteps come into the bathroom. She sobered up and sat in silence hoping that they'd go away. "Ginny, Ginny are you in here?" It was Pete. Instantly she got up and opened the door and hugged him tightly sobbing. Pete just stood there overwhelmed for a second, but being the friend that he was he held her and rubbed her back until she calmed down before asking her what was wrong now.

"Pete," she began wiping away her tears, "why are you in here?"

"Ginny, you're in the men's bathroom I, unlike you, have a right to be in here." He smiled but stopped instantly when he saw her start to cry again. "Ginny? Ginny what's wrong?"

"I can't do anything right can I? I can't believe it," she sobbed. "I backed out and I lied, I can't believe it."

"What did you back out from?"

She sniffed. "My decision." She looked up at him deciding wheter or not to tell him, but he'd have to find out sooner or later. "I wanted to end the investigation because I can't go through with it anymore."

"You want to do what? Why?" Then, from the expression on her face, he realised. "No, you can't seriously mean it's because of him." Her silence said it all and he pushed her away from him. "I cannot believe you. Okay - I was beginning to accept it, but I never thought it would come to this. Ginny -." He exhaled sharply. "What has he done to you?" She bent her head and something slipped out of her top. It was then that he noticed the pendant on the chain around her neck. He grabbed hold of it. "Is this why?" he spat. "He's giving you presents now, are you that shallow?" Ginny almost shrank at the look of disgust he was giving her. "What was it a reward?" It was then she looked up at him and into his eyes. "After everything we've done to get this to take place, you want to end it because you've become another notch on his bedpost." He was almost yelling. It was certain that outside people could hear but it was evident he didn't care anymore.

In that instant she forgot the feeling of betraying anyone and became extremely livid. "Wh- what did you say? You bastard, how could you think that of me?" Her voice was a harsh whisper. "I don't know why he gave it to me, and I am certainly not sleeping with him! I am not some - some scanty whore that crawled up from the street. Yes I am ashamed, and I am also scared," she said. She moved closer to him so that he could see her eyes, "because of the reactions I will get when I attempt to tell my family." She paused out of breath but had a moment of revelation. "But you know what? I don't think I care anymore. I cannot help my heart Pete. As much as I have tried to deny and ignore all the signs - and all the hints - and the nudges - and the whispers, I can't anymore. I am in love with him." She stopped at how invigorating her confession was and almost shivered at the feeling of absolute truth behind her words. "I have my dignity, and my pride and I thought I also had a friend. I was obviously wrong when I thought I could find one in you!" She slammed the cubicle door shut and stalked past him slamming the door to the bathroom on her way out.

As she reached outside she inhaled the fresh air of London and winced as it tingled through to her brain, a light breeze swept on the tears on her face making them cold. She looked up and down the street before apparating back home. After one reaction, it was time to face Malfoy but first she needed some support.

***

Ginny apparated outside Lesley's apartment and found the door to be unlocked. Cautiously she went inside and looked around. She heard voices but couldn't tell where they were coming from so she went searching for them, and when nothing had come of that she did the next best thing.

"Lesley! Lesley are you in here?" she yelled trying to get the other one's attention. "Lesley!" It was then that she heard scuffling. Stupid, she's an artist - check downstairs. She went through the living room and turned the corner by the kitchens. As she rounded the stairs Lesley came bursting through the door at the top and collided with her panting.

"Hey- girl, how you doing?" she said hastily resting her hand firmly on the top of the door blocking Ginny's view of the stairs.

"Lesley, are you okay?" Ginny asked, trying to peer over Lesley's arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine, you know just - working. I have a project I'm working on for a client of mine. Very hush, hush. Yeah," she said steering Ginny into the living room making a bee-line to the chairs. As Ginny sat down Lesley noticed a crème coloured jacket that belonged to a suit a certain man had been wearing moments earlier, she quickly banished it away with a quiet spell as she sat Ginny down. "SO," she said louder than usual, taking the attention away from the tugging she had just done behind Ginny's back, "how've you been?" she asked in a sing-song way smiling.

Ginny sighed loudly resting her head on the headrest previously occupied by Malfoy's jacket. "Pete hates me," she said bluntly.

"No," she said with an over-exaggerated voice, "why?" Lesley asked with a non-believing frown.

"Because -." She shut her eyes tight and took a long deep breath. "I'm in love with Malfoy and I said I wanted to end the investigation because I don't want to lie to him or myself or you or my family or -." She stopped for a second and stared blankly toward the ceiling. "Did I say myself?"

"Yes, yes you did."

"Okay, because you know that's the most important thing right? I don't want to lie to myself any more. I've been doing that enough for the past few years, it's time to get rid of old habits." She stopped to take another breath, but this time to actually breathe.

Lesley sighed. Between her best friend's panic attacks and abnormal speaking habits and Malfoy apparating in and out leaving behind valuable clothing that almost gets her in deep water, Lesley just felt like collapsing. She was now in the middle of what many reporters would call 'the romance of the century,' but all she wanted to do was drop them and go on with her life before she knew anything was going on. She took drawn steps to her large sofa and sighed as she lay down on it, all the running - and the painting - and the hiding - and lying - and keeping secrets was getting to her. "This, this is all just so wrong. And this-." She opened out her arms in defeat. "- has been such a long day." She breathed out a tense sigh and closed her eyes. They stayed that way for some time before Lesley turned over to watch Ginny. "You know what you should do, go back to Malfoy's and tell him, I mean it can only get better from here onwards. First tell him about who you are and then move on to what you've done and then tell him how you feel. Go in that order, he'll appreciate it more that way." She turned back and closed her eyes again, sheltering them from the afternoon sun.

"How do you know?"

Lesley smiled, "I may not know much about him personally, but this man is a business man. Get the substantial information out of the way first - he can deal with that, and then hit him with what you feel. He won't be able to deal with that - much. It'll take him a while - give or take a few minutes." She jiggled her hand from side to side; it looked like a fast version of the Queen's wave.

"I don't know anymore, it's not exactly a good love connection is it? I mean a Weasley and a Malfoy,"

"A boy and a girl, Ginny. Stop overreacting."

"Lesley, you may not have noticed this but - this is Malfoy we're talking about. When he's told that a Weasley is in love with him - he's more liable to throw me out laughing than to just understand - give or take a few minutes." She mimicked the hand gesture laughing. "How do you know he won't just curse me to the ground and laugh in my face?"

Lesley smiled knowingly, "Call it women's intuition. I just know. You better go if you want to catch him at home."

Ginny never bothered to ask how Lesley possibly knew all these things. She just made a mental note to ask her later when Ma - Draco threw her out on the street.

By the time she had plucked up enough courage to actually face him she couldn't even find him. She had asked Altair who had told her he was in his office, but seeing as she had no idea where the office was now there was just no point in looking for it. Plus her nerves by then were shot and she had lost all courage she had been building since she left Lesley's apartment anyway. But as she climbed the stairs she looked up and saw him heading towards her. Her heart skipped a beat as he almost cascaded into her on his way down.

"I have been looking for you every where."

"You - you have?" she stumbled.

"Yes and I know why you've been avoiding me-."

"I have?" she questioned.

"Yes, it's because you were embarrassed about how you kissed me yesterday."

"Ah," she said hanging her head.

"But don't worry I completely understand, you got confused - you know husband and all - and you felt ashamed of what you had done so you ran, it's perfectly understandable." He stood watching her.

Understandable, so he can rationalize on irrational behaviour. She looked up at him as she had been avoiding his eye since he started speaking, he had a glint - she couldn't tell but it looked like, hope. Well, now or never.

"Malfoy," she said, breathing deeply. "I need to speak to you, alone."

"Claire, we are alone."

"No," she frowned irritated, "no somewhere private where we can't be disturbed."

"Um," he began, but she had already grabbed his hand and was leading him outside to the balcony that overlooked the garden. "Okay, the garden then. This is quiet; I doubt anyone ever comes here at night." He was nervous; she had picked up on it. She watched him trying to figure it out but couldn't, there was only so much his eyes could show at once.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes I'm fine. You know I've been meaning to talk to you too. Um-."

"No, me first. I am sure what I have to say outbalances yours any day. Plus I want to give you time to see what you will do, then you can see if you want to talk to me ever again." She took a deep breath.

Draco couldn't help but sense what lay under her words, the way she stood and how she kept tucking that stray strand of hair behind her hair. She was more than nervous, she was scared and in that instant he knew why. She was going to tell him.

"Um, Claire-."

"No, don't call me that." She took another breath. "Perhaps you need to sit down," she said. She then noticed there was nowhere to sit. "Or perhaps just lean. Believe me it will go better that way." She waited for him to get comfortable before carrying on. "My name is not Claire and I am not married to Marcus Goyle. Hell - I've never even met Marcus Goyle." She laughed nervously, but when she realised he wasn't laughing she quickly cleared her throat and continued. "I - I work for the ministry. We have been investigating you for about two or three weeks now, I was sent in here to spy on you because one of our clients had claimed you had stolen something of his. It was up to me to find out how, when and where you took it from him. It was all going so well except for the fact that - well, you changed. I think right now that's the only thing I hate you for."

She laughed emptily searching for some humour in the situation, when she finally looked at him again he was smiling. "You are so different to how I remember you, I don't know - maybe it's because you've saved my life so many times..." she trailed off not knowing where to continue from there and a long and unbearable silence followed. "Okay," she said a little louder than before. "I'll go upstairs and pack my things and - oh, if you're worried about the investigation I am - I did plan on stopping it today. I lied, even, to stop it from continuing but um - chief says to bring in your documents so I guess in a sense it is over." She laughed emptily. "Well, goodbye."

Draco had been listening to most of that, and even though he got the drift of what she was trying to say, he also noticed that she had left out one important thing. Why she wanted to shut down the investigation in the first place. Okay so he was different now even he had seen that, hell the whole household had seen it. They had been teasing him on it and he was sure he had even seen money being exchanged this morning, but, if she felt the same way he did then he wanted to know. He wanted her to say it before he told her anything. But he decided to give her something to brew over because she had not noticed it over the past weeks she had been here, mainly because she was too preoccupied in trying to survive and he had said it so many times it was almost becoming second nature again, but once more couldn't hurt.

"Weasley, wait," he said to her retreating back. She turned.

"Yes," she said sadly. He could see her eyes beginning to glisten.

"What are you actually trying to say here, you're leaving? After all that you belt out at me you're just going to leave. I would think after that much courage it took to say all of that then you should at least have some left over to hear what I have to say to you before running away - again. First you answer my question - you at least owe me that. Why did you shut down your investigation?"

She paused for a while trying to find an answer to this. She had already been rejected as nothing in his voice seemed to say 'it's alright I forgive you' it was more like 'is that all you're going to tell me, I want reasoning and the names and addresses of all you work with.'

"I couldn't find anything so I went to him and I told him that. He didn't understand why I would want to shut it down now. This client just seems to hate you." Even if he is family, but I guess that's what you guys do best right? Hate. With that in mind she retreated a little and leaned against one of the terrace doors and sighed. Why not? It's not as if he'd care right, plus you said you didn't want to hate yourself anymore, just do it for Merlin's sake. "And," she said shakily, she could feel her body tremble from the fear and anxiety.

"I'm - I'm uh..." She knew she probably looked horrible right now, even if he did feel the same he would probably banish her for looking so terrible in his presence. He wanted to make her feel miserable, just like he had at school, she knew it. That was why he had called her ba-. Then it hit her.

'Weasley, wait,'

She hadn't told him her real name yet. She looked at him; he hadn't taken his eyes off of her yet. It was as if he was asking her just to work it out, and from the look on his face now he had realised that she had. He stood up straight.

"You called me-."

"Well, it's about time you noticed." He took her hand and led her up the stairs along the corridor into his room.

"Um, Malfoy..." she trailed off when he whispered something to the wall, almost immediately a door appeared. It was his office door.

"This is the permanent door to my office, if you wanted to know all you had to do was ask," he said in an obvious way. "All this time I thought you were here for my father but I guess my first guess was right." He laughed and looked at her as he opened the door. "It was my uncle right? Paethozar Black?" Ginny nodded. "Thought so..." He went to a cabinet and took out a stack of files that looked perfectly organized, once he opened it on his desk he took out three sheets and handed them to her. "And if you wanted documents you just had to ask for them too, I have nothing to hide - especially from the ministry."

Ginny looked down at the papers, one was a bank statement and the other two were the codes and combinations for a muggle bank and his uncles bank statement.

She was thoroughly confused, "I don't understand," she said shaking her head.

"These are the codes for my uncle's bank in muggle London, and these are the codes for all the different banks that his money is being sent to. It can't be traced, not even by magic but I guess the MBI can try." He shrugged. "This is my bank statement, showing that none of his money is in my bank account, only the money that he had been stealing from me when I was nineteen. And this is his bank statement that shows my suspicions dated around the time my 'task' was being fulfilled." By task she knew he meant the company his father had forced him to create.

"And - you're just giving them to me?"

"You do know why, don't you?" She looked at him. "Ginny, why did you want to shut down the investigation. I mean really, what was stopping you from carrying on?"

Just then, Altair raced into the room. "Dr - Sir - oh for Merlin's sake, Draco something is happening come out here right now!" She ran back outside.

Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance and turned to her, "Stay here." She nodded and he ran outside. Being Ginny, she followed him hearing voices as she approached the door.

He ran outside and kept up with Altair long enough to hear raised voices downstairs. He almost swore when he saw who it was that was causing all of this commotion. It was her damn partner, but since he had no idea what his name was he settled for the stage name that they seemed so fond of. "Marcus, what are you doing here?" he asked coming down the stairs casually. Ginny stayed at the top peering from behind the safety of a pillar.

"Claire, where is she I have to talk to her - and your damn staff members won't let me through." She stiffened at the mention of her name. Please Pete, don't get hurt.

"Would you please just calm down!" Altair yelled at him. "Sir, he's drunk you can tell. I told him that you were speaking to her in your office but-."

"You told her drunken husband that I was speaking to her alone in my office, Altair how tactless can you be?" he asked, she just shrugged. "Goyle, come with me I think you should go." He turned and whispered to Altair and she left, taking the other staff members with her. When he was thoroughly convinced they were gone he looked at Marcus and his open front door behind him. "I have no doubts that you love your - wife Marcus but, I don't think you're in any state to be facing her right now." He approached him, backing him towards the door.

"I am not going anywhere with you, you've ruined her and I just want my partner back!" he said, making half steady steps backwards.

I've ruined her? He looked up the stairs unaware that Pete was following his gaze. Ginny backed behind the pillar again to avoid their eyes. "Is that where she is, upstairs? I suppose it wouldn't be too foolish to think that she was anywhere near your room would it? Or even in it you bastard. You took her away from me and I want her back!" He yelled, oblivious to the fact he was coming even closer to the door. "You don't even like her you're probably just using her to get ahead aren't you? Tick off some people along the way and get back at others. She's embarrassing herself and she's too blind to see it!" Ginny could feel her eyes burning with the tears that threatened to fall. The more she thought of it the more logical it seemed, he knew who she was this whole time after all. He was probably just using her to get back at her brothers, and he was just milking the opportunity to hear her tell him how she felt. How could she be so stupid?

She looked back out from behind the pillar, Malfoy seemed to be backing him out of the house and Pete hadn't even noticed. Neither of them was watching anything besides each other, she took this opportunity to run down the stairs and into the garden, she apparated home.

Draco had him more or less outside by now, he paused so that he was inside and leaned against the opened door. "I think she is very capable of seeing embarrassment when she looks at it, and I am sure if she was to see you right now it would be all her eyes would be filled with. Why don't you come back when you've washed some of it off?"

"I am not leaving without her, Malfoy." He pulled out his wand, but before he had aimed it anywhere Draco's was already planted between his eyes.

"Well, believe it or not my inn is full so I guess you'll just have to sleep outside with my dogs, but be careful of the large brown one I don't think they've been fed today." He pulled on the heavy oak doors and slammed it hard in the frame. He walked steadily upstairs and back to his office, Ginny was gone.