A Wonderful Fortuitous Love

40. Lipstick

Dedicated to amazingness and her sister, to whom I wish a very happy birthday :)

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"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." 

- Ingrid Bergman

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It came to Draco's attention that he had not been telling Blaise and Pansy very much. Granted, there was an awful lot he wanted to keep to himself, but still. They were his best friends, and once Pansy had settled herself in Granger's chair, he started to tell them what had transpired in the alleyway. He chose to leave out Theodore's precise words of his threat to Hermione because that was not something he was ready to discuss, and instead made it sound like he was going to hurt her because she was Potter's best friend, not Draco's... whatever she was to him. 

They remained silent through the whole thing, even after he'd finished, their eyes lost in thought. Then Blaise let out a breath, shaking his head.

"Shit, no wonder you look so panicked."

"Panicked?"

"Yeah, I mean you could actually get killed here."

"I think you mean Granger could," he said slowly.

"Well, yeah, but you could too."

He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Blaise looked at him as though speaking with a metal person. "The Unbreakable Vow, mate." He glanced over to Pansy for support, but she hardly noticed, her eyes trained calculatingly on Draco in a way that had him squirm in his bed. He looked back to his friend. "Remember? She dies, you die?"

And suddenly he did remember. 'You die, I die' was the line he'd used so often in those first months with her, using it whenever she was hesitant to do something he asked of her. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had to say those words so she would believe he wasn't actually trying to harm her.

"Blaise," Pansy spoke up, "I'd like a moment with Draco." When he did not move, she added, "Alone."

He frowned, the lines in his forehead creased. "But why –?"

Her gaze left Draco and met his, a small smile on her lips. "You won't be missing out on anything, it'll only take a moment. Please."

He looked unhappy to be out of the loop, but trusted Pansy enough to her word. With one last questioning look, the door closed behind him.

"How long?" she asked the second they were alone.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't be thick, Draco. How long have you had this thing for Granger?"

Instantly, he was defensive, and he sat up straighter. "I don't have a thing for her! Damn it, Pansy, just because I don't want Theodore to hurt her doesn't mean I'm in love with the bint. It's the decent thing to do, isn't it? To want to keep her alive."

"He was our best friend, Draco. He can't – he wouldn't actually hurt –" But she was spluttering, and she stopped, and it made Draco realise that, though she did not say it, while Theodore had been Draco and Blaise's best friend and at some point also Pansy's, he had been her boyfriend, and so she knew him in a way neither men ever would. Except, that also made her more vulnerable to Nott, unable to accept that he was no longer the person she grew to love.

"Listen," he said after a pause. "I know you cared for him, and I know he cared for you too, but underestimating him is the worst thing you could do. He's smart, Pansy. And he's pissed, especially now that he knows about you and Blaise."