Wow… no killing the author. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. This has actually been sitting on my computer for a long time half done, but since I last updated, things became… hectic. My family was graced with the birth of two baby girls, Ava Grace who is going to be a year old on August 31st, and Kaydence Elyse who is six months as of July 7th. On unhappier notes, one of my best friends was murdered in April and my grandfather then passed away on Father's Day. So it's just been an up-and-down sort of year. I haven't had much interest in Harry Potter for awhile, but I wanted to try and finish this story seeing as I left people hanging with Haunting Visions (indefinitely on hiatus) and I feel guilty.
Again, thank you all for your support on this. To clear something up real quick, it was Joy that was watching Ginny after she came back from meeting with Draco, and as you'll find out in the opening scene, it was Joy and Blaise in the last scene, not some slag going to see Draco. And before I forget again, I just wanted to drop a note that Blaise is considered fanon in this story. I can't help but imagine him any other way, I'm afraid. My current favorite fanon Blaise in my head are Steven Strait and Jamie Dornan. I lean more towards the latter when I think of Hogwarts!Blaise 'cause then I think of him as Shia LaBeouf and they have similar tones and builds, so it'd be easy to imagine Shia shaping into Jamie.
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Blaise stared at the brunette with a vaguely interested look across his features, a smirk quirking his lips as he took in what she'd said. He opened the door wider, and swept his arm into his flat as a way of inviting her in, "I'm listening."
Joy smiled bashfully as she stepped in, taking in the expensive décor before turning around to face Blaise with her mouth open, poised to explain her plan to him. That was when she fully noticed that he was wearing a pair of trousers that were unzipped and unbuttoned as if he'd pulled them on over his boxers as he rushed to answer the door. He however, hadn't bothered to put on a shirt, and Joy became aware of this almost immediately after having briefly forgotten while looking around at the flat he lived in. She felt a blush creeping up her neck as she felt lust stirring in her. "Oh bloody hell, put your clothes on." She said in a distressed tone as she rolled her eyes and turned away from him.
Blaise watched the way Joy acted, and couldn't help but smirk. He walked slowly, purposely brushing against her as he past, a twinkle in his eye as he heard her intake of breath, smiling innocently as she gave him a sharp look. He held back a chuckle at her reactions to him. A part of him was relieved that she wasn't throwing herself at his feet, or simpering around him. Sure, it was good for when he wanted a quick shag, but all the time was rather annoying. He headed into the bedroom, and pulled on the dress shirt that littered his floor; something he'd yanked off with little regard after another bloody event that he'd had to attend in Draco's place that night. He'd come home hours ago with thoughts of blowing off work tomorrow and leaving a double load for his business partner, and sleeping the night and day away. But an hour into his sleep, and already he was being disturbed. Though, at least this time his disturbance was prettier than his last. Blaise rolled his eyes while buttoning his shirt, thinking about to his last disturbance in the form of his drunken business partner and best friend. The man certainly was going to need a lot of help. That brought him back to reality, trudging out to the living area where Joy was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at his flat with a bored expression as if she expected nothing less, or perhaps more.
Joy looked at him when he came back out, able to breathe again now that he'd covered up and was wearing clothes. She busied herself by straightening her clothes, and hiking her purse higher on her shoulder so that she wasn't looking at Blaise while she spoke, but made sure to speak loud and clear, "Right. Well, sorry about intruding on you this late, but Ginny just came home in a right state, and I figured out from the slamming of doors and breaking glass that she'd came from a meeting with your partner. Now…" She trailed off with a surprised sound in the back of her throat when she finally dared to look up. Blaise was standing right in front of her, her eyes level with the base of his throat. Her eyes slid up his strong neck, past his brilliant smile, and into his sparkling eyes. She had a feeling he was enjoying her reaction to him. She suddenly felt the urge to stomp on his foot and leave in a huff.
"Please, sit down." Blaise said as he tried to hide his smirk. Oh yes, he was definitely enjoying this. And he knew that she knew it. He placed his hand on the low of her back, felt her tense, but led her over to his plush couch, and helped (more like forced) her to sit. He sat next to her, his body facing hers as he leant against the back cushions of the couch with his arm relaxing along the back, behind Joy's shoulders. "Now, what plan is formulating in your head that bestowed me with the pleasure of a beautiful woman dropping by my apartment at this inappropriate hour?" The suggestion behind his last words was unmistakable through his charming drawl.
Joy tried to bite back the smirk that threatened to cross her face as his blatant attempts to get into her pants. After all, she'd used them herself a few times in bars after a few drinks. To have them used on herself was… amusing. "Simple. You and I work together and have them happen upon each other on several occasions. By the time they realize we're behind it, they'll be ready to thank us for getting them to be one big happy family. After all, let's face it; we're the brains in each of our friendships." Joy said, half jokingly as she allowed the smirk to quirk her lips finally.
As he smirked himself, he wouldn't allow himself to admit to either of them that her deviousness and Slytherin-link smirk were positively delicious.
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One week after her impromptu visit to Blaise Zabini's flat, Joy was still attempting to find the right time to get Draco and Ginny to "accidentally" bump into each other. The PR that Blaise and Draco were putting out for The Crossroads was definitely helping. They'd been incredibly busy during the day, and by the time they were done, Ginny always went home and saw Silas before going to bed. Joy in the meantime was working with Blaise to try and find the right moment. But it seemed that Draco was busy too, throwing himself into work (which Blaise claimed was a defense mechanism to avoid things that he didn't want to face).
"Oh, for the love of the Gods." Joy muttered to herself as she paced back and forth, wondering where the playboy million-galleonaire was that she was waiting for. Blaise was supposed to have come by floo at ten, right after she closed the restaurant, and it was currently quarter past eleven. She'd nearly slipped down the stairs in her rush to get up them to make sure she took the wards down in time, so that she didn't end up with an ear hanging from the coat rack. He was over an hour late, with no note, or anything, and she was rather annoyed. "Oh, bugger it all." She said, once again to herself, heading for her bedroom. She stripped out of her clothes, and walked unabashed to her bathroom, where she stepped into the shower, and turned the water on to lukewarm. She could never stand hot showers; they were too hot for her.
By the time she got out of the shower and looked at the clock, she'd spent half an hour in it. Smiling contentedly, she sighed as the tension from the long day left her body. She lazily got dressed into grey lightweight sweatpants and a white ribbed tank top. She sat down on her bed, and bent forward to pull on a pair of striped socks, and then pulled her hair into a messy bun. She pulled on a lightweight grey sheet-robe, and pulled it tightly around her. She sighed, tempted to jump into bed, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she was exhausted. She walked forward to her mirror, and dragged her fingers along her eyes, wiping off remnants of mascara and eyeliner that creased on her eyelid. She looked down at her fingers and scowled at the black marks on her freshly cleaned skin. She shrugged and wiped her fingers on the butt of her robe, and walked out into the living room. Her mind was focused on getting to the kitchen and making herself a cup of hot chocolate.
"Cozy little place." Joy literally jumped a foot in the air at the voice, wheeling around to spot the smirking face of Blaise sitting on her couch, feet crossed at the ankles while resting on her coffee table, his arms stretched around along the back of the couch.
"What in the bloody hell, Zabini?" Joy exclaimed, picking up a round pillow from the chair to her right, and threw it with exaggerate force at Blaise. He was laughing at her actions, and Joy glared at him, "You're an arse, you know that?"
"Hey, we agreed to meet. You were in the shower when I got here. As much as I wanted to join you," he paused deliberately to rake his eyes along her form in an obvious leer, "I really prefer my anatomy as it is." He watched with amusement as a blush crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks with color. Before she could respond and possibly rearrange said anatomy anyways, he stood up, and walked towards her as she ducked her head, "Sunday Draco and I have this last minute meeting not far from the London Zoo." If she'd looked up to face him, she would've noticed the sparkle in his eye that belied the lie, "Say around, two?"
Joy was still irate at the man before her, thinking of ways to disembowel him and get away with it, so she didn't catch on to his topic as easily as she should have, "And what does that have to do with me, exactly?" She asked tightly as she walked away from him, going into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She was beginning to wonder how she ever found the infuriating Slytherin attractive. She was usually a firm believer that there was more to people than looks, and their personality enhanced how beautiful they actually are. But he was just a Hippogriff's arse.
"There is no meeting. You once said that Silas enjoys that zoo. I figured you could convince Ginny that she should go with you and Silas to the zoo Sunday at two, and you'll run into Draco and me." Blaise said as he followed her into the kitchen, inhaling the scent left in the air from her body wash and shampoo. A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he watched her scramble around, gathering things for hot chocolate. He knew he irritated her greatly, so he was pleased to see she was unconsciously getting him a mug ready as well. He watched her carefully, trying to decipher her. She was all over the map, every time they met. She was shy and bumbling, or confident and outspoken, calling him on his bull. Right now she seemed to be attempting to ignore him, instead of impressing him. Another thing he wasn't used to. Most women tried everything to get his attention. Here she was, dressed completely down but still managing an innocent sexiness about her, trying not to muck up hot chocolate… at least her mutterings claimed the latter. His eyes raked down her back, and felt his amusement heighten as well as his curiosity at the black streaks along the back of her robe.
Joy was highly aware that Blaise was watching her as she prepared two cups of hot chocolate. Yes, two. Somehow, she'd unthinkingly invited him to hot chocolate the second her hand curled around a second mug. She never meant to; she wanted him out of her flat as soon as possible. She was growing more uncomfortable with him there by the second. When she realized she hadn't given him an answer to his plan, she twisted around to answer him, and let out a surprised squeak when she found herself a hairsbreadth away from him. She tried to regain her composure, wishing she had Ginny's ability to steel herself from letting emotions onto her face and into her voice, as she responded, "That sounds like a great plan." She mentally cursed herself for the way her voice wavered, and was lower than usual as she tried to change the thought-train in her head from devouring the Italian before her. She felt heat rising up her neck as she looked into his dark eyes, her heart jumping into her throat as she tried to read the brown depths.
He felt the surge of lust overcome him as he got closer to her. He didn't know when he had, but right now questioning himself was the furthest thing that occupied his mind. She wasn't like any of the other girls he'd been around; that had been established in his mind frequently. He didn't know why he attempted to compare her to his conquests, it was uncharacteristic of him. But he found himself doing it regardless. All the girls he slept with were tall, thin, and gold diggers. Joy on the other hand was practically the exact opposite. She was on the short side, and had natural curves with weight added onto her frame that he could tell she was secretly fought with herself over whether it was a good or bad thing about her, and she didn't seem to be into his money. She was definitely different. He was still at a loss as why he noticed these little things, when he hadn't even kissed her, let alone slept with her. His eyes searched through her blue-green before sliding down to look at her lips. They were incredibly inviting, still slightly red and puckered from the heat of her shower. He took a step forward, his hips connecting with hers as he pushed her back against the counter, his hands clasping the edge of the counter in case she felt the sudden urge to flee.
"What're you doing?" Joy asked quietly, staring up at him through slightly hooded eyes as she tried to figure out what game he was playing at. "You're not getting into my knickers." She said bluntly, refusing to be another notch on his bedpost. It was different when she was going out for a one-night stand with a guy. She usually didn't see them afterwards, let alone plot getting together a family of stubborn idiots with them. She wasn't going to just sleep with Zabini and that was that. She was better than that, and she knew it. Not to toot her own horn, or anything. Then again, her brain was saying one thing, and her body was willing to do whatever the dark haired Slytherin was ready to offer.
He couldn't help but smirk at her words, his eyes never leaving her lips as she spoke, before responded, "Though I know you find me incredibly irresistible, that's not my game here, Miss Davenport."
"Then what is your game, Mister Zabini?" Joy asked, eyes narrowing slightly as she prepared to get laughed at or something equally Slytherin-like at his use of the word 'game'.
He didn't respond to her, knowing that regardless of any sort of answer he gave would most likely resort to a knee being pressed angrily into a rather sensitive region. He used his hips to pin her against the counter, bringing his hands to her wrists. He slowly dragged them up her arms, trying to imagine the feel of her flesh beneath his slightly calloused fingertips through her thin robe. When he got to her shoulders, both of his index fingers hooked underneath either side of her robe, and pushed it slowly down her arms, then he did feel her skin underneath his. He felt heat building in his abdomen as lust began to take over his senses. His eyes followed his hands as they made their way to her neck, caressing the soft skin before delving into her hair, his fingers pushing through the loose bun to disengage with tie that held it, and felt the softness of her wavy hair. He wasn't sure if she felt it, but he felt like energy was crackling in the air around them as he wordlessly explored her softly with his hands. He yearned to kiss her, but something told him it was too soon for that as his hands cupped her head, thumbs stroking the skin of her jaw softly. He bent his head forward when she tilted hers back, and went for her neck, nuzzling the skin as he inhaled her scent of peaches and cinnamon. His lips never brushed her skin once as he lifted his head, nose trailing along her skin as he refused to move away from her more than he already had. He felt intoxicated as his eyes slid closed when his nose brushed hers, reveling in her sharp intake of breath over their pseudo intimacy. Their lips were just beginning to touch, his upper lip brushing the full of her lower one, when they both sprang apart in surprise as the tea kettle began to whine that it was ready to be taken off of the burner.
As Blaise jumped away from Joy, his eyes grew wide in surprise over the feelings that coursed through him. Stronger than anything he'd ever felt with another woman in a more intimate act than what he'd just shared with Joy. "I'm… going to go. Sunday at 2, the zoo. Bye." And with that, he headed for the fireplace. He hoped for a second that she'd call out to him, or something, but when she didn't, he threw the floo powder into the fireplace and left without another word.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Joy was still in such a daze over what had just happened. They hadn't even kissed and yet she felt like she'd just had an all night snog-session, completely satisfied but wanting so much more at the same time. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before hurrying to take the kettle off the hot burner to quiet it. After that was done, she replayed the scene in her head, and groaned, slapping herself on the forehead repeatedly as she stated, "Oh, bloody fuck."
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"Hey sweetie." Ginny said when her best friend walked into her flat the next morning, looking tired and haggard, like she hadn't slept much. "You look like crap. What's wrong?"
"Just a long night." Joy said, her voice strained as she resisted the urge to explode about what happened with Blaise. But that would make Ginny suspect what she was about to say, "So, I was thinking on Sunday, seeing as they're repaving the road in front of the restaurant, we might not have much business so we should just close down for the day and head out on the town. Maybe take Silas to the zoo. There's an elephant exhibit a little after two that he'd love, I know because he hasn't stopped babbling about it since he got back from the zoo with George and Lia last time."
Ginny bit her lip as she thought over the idea. They could definitely use a day off, but closing the restaurant meant that regardless of what little they might do in business, there was still profit to be made… profit still greatly needed despite the business that the PR had done for them. But she knew that if Joy went to Silas, which she wouldn't put past her, the little boy would scream and wail until she promised they'd go to the zoo. Maybe Joy was right… she did spoil Silas a bit too much. "That sounds like a great idea. I miss my little boy. By the time I get done here at night, he's either already in bed, or Elle is just getting ready to put him down."
"Great!" Joy said, enthusiasm suddenly overpowering her voice, "That's perfect." But then as she remembered the night before, and the fact that Blaise would be there, her voice declined considerably when she restated, "That's perfect."
"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, taking in her friend's sudden change in demeanor. She looked a mixed between nervous, pained, and guilty… which after knowing Joy for so long, appropriately sent off warning bells in her brain. She watched through slightly narrowed eyes as the brunette picked at the hem of her shirt, leaning against the back of the couch. Ginny walked over to Joy, motherly instincts overtaking suspicious ones, as she ran her hand over the back of Joy's dark locks, "Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" She cooed, empathy taking over her face regardless of what she was about to hear, which if it were the truth, she already had a feeling it wouldn't be beneficial to her.
Joy looked up and the guilt squeezing her heart intensified by the look on Ginny's face. In all honesty, of course she hoped her plan to get Ginny and Draco back together would work. But with them of all people, in the same room even, there was too much pride and stubbornness that could explode and completely backfire on them all. Including Silas. Even though she felt what she was doing was for everyone's benefit, she also knew that there was a lot on the line; friendships, relationships, business dealings, and a little boy too innocent to know what was actually about to happen, yet he was the sole core of it all. Taking a deep breath, Joy mustered a small smile, "Nothing. Like I said, long night. Taking care of bills and order forms for the restaurant." That was true… seeing as after scheming and nearly kissing Blaise Zabini in her kitchen, she wasn't exactly able to sleep… without some really interesting dreams at least, that left her a hell of a lot more frustrated than what they had done in the kitchen.
"You sure?" Ginny asked, sensing there was a lot more to the story. Her instincts had become amazing once she became a mother. She suspected the Gods of various relations to mothering and children had instilled that ability in all women. Otherwise she had her mother, and rambunctious brothers, to thank for practice. Ginny banished those thoughts from her mind as she shifted to lean against the back of the couch next to Joy, and wrap her arm around the girl's shoulders. She rested her temple against Joy's, and emitted comfort and warmth for her best friend.
That guilt? Just multiplied tenfold. Joy resisted the urge to groan, and made sure she kept all signs of guilt wiped from her face. Joy took a deep breath and managed a tight smile, nodding her head quickly. "Positive." Joy said, before standing up. Now was the perfect time for her escape before she blew everything to smithereens. She took a few steps away, before pausing. A beat passed before she turned back to Ginny and threw her arms around the surprised red-head. When she pulled back, she said, "You know that everything I do is just for you and Silas, right? I just want the best for the both of you. I would never set out to intentionally hurt either of you."
Ginny felt something go off in her head at this statement. Actually, it'd gone off the second Joy had walked into the apartment. But she didn't want to shrug away Joy's sincerity and get in hot water with her best friend, business partner, babysitter, and sister practically. She nodded slowly, adding on a reassuring smile, "I know. One of the reasons I love you."
Joy smiled sadly, feeling her heart grow heavy at Ginny's words. She placed her hands on either side of Ginny's face, grabbing her head softly to hold it in place as she leant forward and pressed a quick kiss to Ginny's forehead. "Good. I'll see you Sunday, if not before then." Joy said, and quickly departed to leave a wary Ginevra behind her.
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Ginny waited outside the zoo entrance for Joy to show up. Her son was bouncing giddily next to her, shouting the word 'zoo' over and over again as he held on to his mother's hand and looked up at her out of sheer excitement. Ginny smiled down at the little boy, amazed by just how much she loved him. She swept him up into her arms, and hugged him tightly. She was secretly worried that Draco would make good on his threat to take the little boy from her. She didn't know how she'd survive if that were to happen. He was her life now. She was nothing without her son. "I love you," she whispered into the little boy's ear, though it probably fell on deaf ears as he was still bouncing as much as he could against his mother's chest.
The red head turned as she heard hurried footsteps approaching her, putting Silas down on the ground but latching onto his hand. She smirked at the sight of a frazzled Joy running through the people crowding the street, her purse flopping all over the place and hitting random people. Ginny chuckled slightly, and turned her body so that Silas could get a look at Joy, "Look at your crazy Auntie." She said in the voice that always got his attention, slightly breathless and higher in pitch. The little boy giggled, his arms stretching outward as his fingers flexed on his free hand towards Joy.
"Sorry I'm late. Couldn't find anything to wear. Bloody cold." Joy grumbled the last part as she fixed her black knit cap around her hair. She wore a black knee-length jacket as well, with black pants and boots, a red scarf, and a soft ivory sweater. In actuality, she'd spent a little more time than necessary on her appearance, because she'd known that Blaise would be showing up.
Ginny herself wore a bulky sweater and warm pants, a heating charm placed on her and her son to keep them warmer than necessary. She'd bundled up Silas though in enough layers to make him almost waddle around. The poor thing was rather small for his age, and made it all look rather comical as he ran around in circles, almost twirling as Ginny continued to hold his hand, screaming about elephants and the other animals in the zoo. "That's okay, Joy. You can just explain to your nephew why he's been standing outside the zoo for ten minutes unable to enter." She teased lightly as Silas's face lit up again at the word 'zoo'.
"I'm really sorry!" Joy exclaimed in exaggeration, dropping into a squat to pull the little boy into her arms and hug him tightly, rocking back and forth jerkily while he laughed boisterously. When she released him, his cheeks were red from excitement, his teeth gleaming under the sunlight as he threw his head back in giggles. She grabbed his pudgy cheeks and brought his head forward, placing a loud kiss on his forehead. "Love you kid." She said as she stood. She straightened her clothes and froze for a split second as her eyes befell the two people walking like beacons in the crowd. No one else had platinum blonde hair and a permanent scowl, nor devilishly handsome dark features like the duo headed straight for them. Draco Malfoy was completely unaware whereas Blaise Zabini winked openly at her. "Uh oh." She muttered quietly, unable to help herself.
Ginny however heard, an ebbing feeling in her stomach telling her something was wrong. "What? What is it?" She asked, just as the object of her earlier fears broke through the crowd entering the zoo - Draco Malfoy in the flesh. Her stomach dropped and the blood drained from her face as she watched Draco's eyes connect on Silas, then look up at her in geniune surprise.
Everything was silent for several minutes as grey stared into brown. She started though, when her son's hand was suddenly missing from hers. She watched in shock as Silas jogged forward to Draco, his innocent face smiling up at his father. "Hello! I'm Silas!" He said as he stuck his hand towards the surprised blonde who'd gave him his eyes - his life. Ginny refused to admit that the scene warmed her heart. Especially when Draco softly took the boy's much smaller hand in his and smiled down at him. Nope. She didn't feel a thing. Because panic was swiftly starting to swallow her whole at the little moment between her son and his father.
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I'm rather partial to the scene with Joy and Blaise in the kitchen. That's one of the original scenes from the initial first version of this chapter that made it through every rewrite. I had to keep it. 'Cause when it plays out in my head, that scene's HOT. And the whole zoo scene is something I've been planning since the beginning of the story, but never really intended for it to be this soon, but I didn't really have anything else for this chapter. That's why I ended it where I did and then next chapters will be filler flashbacks to show you more of how Ginny got where she is and then we'll continue up from here. Also, I've already wrote the final chapter. I have no idea how many chapters are between this one and that one, but I wrote it ahead of time 'cause I knew the route I wanted to take to the end, so I had to write it otherwise I'd never make it to that, and… I'd end up having Ginny fall in love with Blaise and go run off and join a three-ring circus with him and Silas. I rarely have actual direction for fics, so hopefully that final chapter will make sure I get a direction.
Now that I'm back into this, I have to admit… there're ideas flowing for other stories already. Specifically a dark D/G one where Voldemort won - something done numerous times already but not in the way I'm thinking. Also, a possible Blaise/Joy sequel. Anyone interested in the latter? I'm still not 100% sure on putting them together, but if people like them, I will. I know there's quite a bit of Joy in the chapter, and you may love her or hate her, but she's key in D/G's future! That's why this chapter was necessary. So love her, haha.