A Business Affair

Chapter Thirty-eight: Third Time's the Charm


"It's over."

"What?"

"I told someone..."

"Who?"

"... Ron..."

"You told him?! He'll tell everyone!"

"No, he won't! I trust him."

"Sure, you do. Just wait until everyone knows then we'll see how much you trust him."

"Hey, I had to tell him. But it should be okay as long as you didn't tell."

"..."

"Oh no! You told!"

"I couldn't help it! Hermione would have figured it out anyway." Blaise scowled at Pansy as she gaped at him.

"And here you were, yelling at me for telling my fiancé," she said darkly.

Blaise sighed and rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Either way, practically everyone knows now except those three," he said, referring to Harry, Draco, and Ginny.

"I knew this would happen," Pansy muttered, shaking her head. She sighed as she looked away from where Blaise sat on her couch. She had called him as soon as Ron had left.

Outside the sky was falling darker. She only hoped that Ron was keeping his promise and not killing anyone. She hated to think what Draco's house would be like if she went there tomorrow and found out Ron had paid him a visit.

"Well, it's too late to stop it now," Blaise said. "We should have done it when we had the chance."

"Yes, but now Draco's having feelings and I just... I just don't know what to do."

"Wait, feelings?" Blaise asked interestedly. "Since when?"

"Oh, I don't know," Pansy sighed. "Not too long. He just barely admitted it today."

"This is just wonderful!" Blaise exclaimed sarcastically. "Does he realize how much trouble he's causing?"

"I really don't think he even cares, Blaise," Pansy said. "I think he just wants what he wants. You know he always gets what he wants no matter what it takes to get it."

"So what is going to happen then? Potter is still married, regardless, and Draco can't just expect him to leave his wife, can he?"

"It's not impossible," Pansy said. "After all, he and I divorced and now I'm engaged to Ron."

"But you weren't having an affair right under his nose..." He trailed off as Pansy gave him a look. "Oh, right, you were."

"Look, that's not the point," Pansy interjected. "I think we can't do anything about this so it might just be best to step out, let Draco figure out what he wants and what he's going to do about it."

Blaise sighed, looking uneasy, but in the end agreed that it wasn't necessary for them to become any more involved than they already were.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said sighing.

"Of course I'm right. Now, would you like something to eat?"

Blaise smiled at her and followed her into her kitchen to find something to satisfy his stomach.

***

Ginny pushed open the door to the bar, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the dirt on the floor and grime on the windows. She picked her way gingerly through the tables and up to the bar where she sat herself primly on one of the chairs.

"What can I getcha?" the barkeep asked, walking over to her, cleaning a glass.

"I'll have anything that will make me forget," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The man nodded and went away to fetch her something.

She looked around the place in distaste, wondering why she had chosen this particular bar. It was close, that was why.

She sighed and turned back to the bar where the bartender had just deposited a glass of amber-looking liquid down in front of her. She sniffed it carefully before taking a sip. She grimaced at the taste but took another drink anyway.

"I'll tell you when I've had 'nuff!" A slurring voice cut through the room and Ginny's attention was brought to the end of the bar where a red-haired man sat at the counter, hunched over his drink as though it needed protection. Ginny's eyebrows knitted together, and her mouth dropped open.

She grabbed her drink and moved to the chair next to the man. "Ron?" she asked carefully.

"Ginny!" he greeted her, a little over-enthusiastically. "How're you?" he slurred.

"I'm fine," she replied slowly. "Are you fine?"

"'Course I'm fine!" he exclaimed, grinning at her, his unfocused eyes looking over her shoulder. "Why wouldn't I be? Hey! That's mine!" he growled at the bartender who had just walked by. He pulled his drink closer to him and glared at the man until he moved back down the counter. "This bloke's always tryin' to take my drink," he said, indicating the bartender, who just rolled his eyes and continued cleaning the bar.

Ginny looked at her brother in pity and considered just taking him home. "Why are you here?" she asked, wondering what could make him get this drunk on a Sunday night.

Ron looked around carefully, giving the couple at a table nearby a suspicious look before leaning in closely to Ginny.

"Ya haven't heard?" he whispered, slurring his words together. Ginny shook her head. Ron looked around again carefully as though making sure no one was listening. "Ginny's not here, is she?"

Ginny looked taken aback. Didn't he realize who she was? She decided to just let him get to the point.

"No, she's not," she told him.

Ron nodded and seemingly couldn't stop himself for a few minutes. "Okay, okay, I'll tell," he whispered in a low voice, still looking around him for conspirators. "Righ', well, I jus' found som'in' out," he slurred, having trouble focusing on her.

"What?" she asked pressingly.

"'Kay, see my sis-ster and Harry're not really gettin' 'along, see?" he said, taking another gulp of his drink. "An' I know, I know it mus' be a'cause Ginny cheated on 'im."

"And?" Ginny prodded him onward, wondering what this had to do with anything. He had known of her affair for many months now.

"And well, you know," Ron said, becoming distracted by a shimmering light on the wall behind the bar. Ginny looked at him impatiently, waiting for him to go on.

"Ron," she said sharply, pulling his attention back to her.

"Right', well, you know I love Ginny, an', an' she can be good, you know... sometimes," he said, looking back into his drink and swirling around the content at the bottom.

"Uh huh..." Ginny said slowly, not liking what he was saying.

"Yeah," Ron sighed. "I guess tha's why."

"Why what?"

"I love Ginny, you know? An' I want her to be happy. I wan' her to have stuff, have love, money, all tha' stuff," Ron slurred, swaying slightly on his stool. Ginny quickly put up a hand to steady him, pushing him upright.

"Okay," she said, prompting him forward.

"Bu' she's so mean sometimes. I dunno how she got like that! I can see why Harry ge's upset! She didn't used to be like that."

Ginny scowled as she listened to her brother describe her.

"Then she cheats on'im. An' he's not bad guy, you know?" he asked, looking imploringly at her. "He's good. He done lots of stuff! I dunno why she did it. I guess she just doesn' care."

Ron sighed sadly and looked down at his drink that was now empty. He looked up, annoyed. "Hey! I'm empty! Gimme another!"

"Ron, I don't think you need anymore," Ginny said, trying to tug the glass out of his hand but he wouldn't let it go.

"No, no, no!" he protested. "I's mine!"

She sighed and allowed him to pull it back to himself protectively. The bartender just slid another glass down the counter, and Ron snatched it up as though he was afraid Ginny would take it away.

"So what did you find out?" she asked, trying to get back to the main reason for the conversation in the first place.

"Oh, right," he said, taking a drink of his fresh glass. "So Ginny don' care and I'm tryin' not to tell anyone 'bout her, and so I dinnint even notice Harry was doin' sumpin'."

"Doing something?" Ginny asked eagerly, scooting forward on her chair. Maybe this was finally what she'd been waiting for.

"Yeah, just found out today," Ron slurred sarcastically, toasting his glass to no one and taking another long drink.

"What, what?" Ginny pressed, now nearly falling off her chair in eagerness.

"Well, see, Harry, he wasn't happy. An' I can see why, you know? Ginny's not exactically the bes' wife or person, and I can see why he'd needa do this. I jus' don't understand why he chose that."

"What?" Ginny whispered, eager with anticipation.

Ron heaved a huge sigh and drained the last of his glass once more. He set the heavy glass down on the countertop. "He's havin' an affair," he said sadly.

Ginny sat back in complete shock. For a moment she said nothing, trying to absorb the shock. "What?" she whispered in horror.

"Yeah," Ron sighed. "You just find out too?"

Ginny didn't say anything, only nodded dumbly.

"Can't believe it," Ron slurred, taking no notice of her silence. "And of all people," he said, blinking tiredly. "Why he hadda pick Malfoy, I'll never know."

"Malfoy?" Ginny repeated.

"Uh huh," Ron replied, his mouth going slightly slack. "An' ya know what else?"

"What?" she asked reluctantly, wondering how much more there could be.

Ron looked around surreptitiously then leaned in close to her. "Pansy dyes her hair," he whispered conspiratorially. "She's act'lly blonde!"

"What?" Ginny asked, confused why that had anything to do with anything.

"Yeah," Ron whispered, wide-eyed. "I can' believe it. She's blonde and Harrry an' Malfoy're sleepin' together. Stupid... low-down... evil little... git..."

Ron slowed down as sleep started to overtake him. He lay his head down on his hands and was out in a matter of seconds.

Ginny turned back to the counter, grabbing her drink and emptying its contents in one gulp. She winced at the taste and stared at the wood on the counter.

Beside her, Ron gave a loud snore and she looked over at him. She stared unseeingly at his body as he snoozed on the counter.

She turned back to the bar and ordered another drink, downing it as soon as it reached her fingers.


~~**~~


A/N: Some potential bad news...I may not be able to post this for up to two weeks. I will try my hardest and if the hotels get internet, I will do my best. So please review! And you have my promise that if internet is available on Mondays, you will get the next chapters :D