The Web Of Love

Friday morning was not exactly one of the best they had experienced in their office. And it wasn't that they had a lot of work. In fact, they didn't even have some problem, they were just both caught up in their own thoughts revolving around last night and what they had both witnessed.

Blaise believed Hermione when she told him it wasn't a date. He knew Ginny and knew how often she exaggerates. But that didn't stop him from being jealous. He wasn't proud of it. He knew there was nothing he could do about it, and he wasn't going to do anything about it. Hermione was a free woman and could do whatever she wanted. He made a choice, and now he had to face the consequences. It was his fault, so he just absorbs it and gets down to work.

Draco, on the other hand, was absolutely furious. He couldn't hide his jealousy as well as Blaise. And his friend hid it so well that he almost thought he was the only one who was annoyed. Which he couldn't understand because Blaise himself had told him that even if he didn't want to go back to Hermione, he still loved her. So why did it keep him calm?

"Doesn't it bother you?" he blurted out suddenly when he couldn't take it anymore.

Blaise looked up from the papers he was finally able to fully read, slightly irritated that Draco had interrupted him. "What exactly is it supposed to be bothering me?"

"What we saw yesterday," he answered slightly curtly.

"What we saw yesterday," he breathed out in surprise and leaned back. He was surprised at how stern Draco sounded and more surprised that he was even talking about it. "We don't know what we saw yesterday, and it's none of our business," he said also more strictly.

"But it doesn't bother you?" the blond repeated his question. "She's your ex-wife!"

“Yes, exactly, Draco. She's my ex-wife,” he said harshly and was about to bend back down to the papers, but he wasn't allowed to.

"Just recently you told me that you love her, so how come it doesn't bother you?" he persisted.

"Merlin! Of course I'm pissed off! But there's absolutely nothing I can do about it because, as you said a moment ago, she's my ex-wife. And now it's too late for me to start listening to you and settle things with her, even if I wanted to. I can not. I've made up my mind a few times now and I don't want to constantly question that decision every time Hermione smiles at me. I never deserved her. I won't hurt her again. I always knew she'd find someone one day, and maybe it's already here, maybe it's not, I don't know, but I'm not going to stand in her way," he snapped at him angrily. Right now, he'd rather Draco didn't talk about it. 

Draco just stared at him silently for a moment, wondering what to say to that. He should have remembered how good Blaise was at hiding his feelings. Almost everyone in Slytherin wore masks to hide behind, but no one could hide better than Blaise. If he wanted you to not know something, you simply didn't know it.

"Haven't you thought about taking up Theo's offer and going to France to see him at some point?" he wondered. Because as selfish as he was and wanted Hermione for himself, he didn't want Blaise to suffer like that. And if he wasn't in London and not in constant sight of her, he might be able to move on. For a few seconds, not even Draco thought about the fact that he would then have freeway to the aforementioned brunette.

"Of course, I thought about it, and I would have accepted it if I didn't have the most valuable thing in the world," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the framed photograph of Charlie on his desk. Of course, his first impulse was to run. He's already run away from his marriage, so why not run away from the country? But he had a son, and he couldn't deprive him of his father because he was a coward.

"Speaking of Theo, don't you want to tell me what happened between you two?" he wanted to know for a change.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said convincingly, but Blaise had known him for quite a few years, so he knew Draco knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I was quite surprised when Theodore showed up yesterday, but not as much as your reaction when I suggested the three of us go out to dinner. Last night was unbearable even before Hermione was there," he pointed out a fact that others may have forgotten.

The blond sighed. "Minor exchange of our views, nothing to worry about," he replied vaguely, but Blaise didn't expect anything else.

"Well, I can only hope that what you've done isn't extra catastrophic," Blaise said with a hint of humor as he stood up. "I'm going to get some coffee," he informed him before leaving the office.

Draco didn't even bother to mention the fact that they had a coffee machine in the office. He knew Blaise had to go for a walk, and he himself now welcomed some alone time. He was somewhat confused by all this. He couldn't understand how Blaise could take it like this when he loved her. Draco liked Hermione and believed that he could love her, which was also the reason why he wanted to convince her to give them a chance.

However, Blaise should have been more jealous and angry, but it was Draco instead. And that made him wonder what kind of love it is when you're willing to let the other person go. He didn't grow up in a family where affection was shown too much, so it took him a long time to find a way to properly express his emotions. He's still working on it. He knew that many people were willing to lay down their lives for the ones they loved, everyone had witnessed that in the war, but he had never met anyone who would let the other person go, even though they loved that person.

There was a battle going on inside him. Part of him didn't want Blaise to suffer like this, but the other was glad for his decision. Because whatever kind of love it was, it allowed him to have his way. He knew Tom Gray, not personally, but he still watched Quidditch, so he knew the teams and the players. And he had to admit that he was a great player, but he was no good in the battle for Hermione. Draco could compete with Tom Gray and win handily, but if, Merlin forbid, Blaise's decision changed the next time his ex-wife smiled at him, Draco would lose by default.