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Chapter 10: Travel Preparations
Draco Malfoy had not slept very well the night before. After returning to his home, his mind had been too active to allow much rest. His new plan was shaping up to be very successful, and he knew that within a few more days of it, he would have Virginia Weasley exactly where he wanted her.
He was also angry with himself and unable to comprehend his actions. Why did I kiss her? he had asked himself angrily throughout the night. That certainly hadn’t been part of the plan. Of course, it probably had worked to his advantage, distracting her even more than she already was. But it had also had an undeniable affect upon Draco as well. He couldn’t get the memory of that moment out of his head. He kept trying to brush it off as a temporary moment of weakness; she had looked irresistible, her long hair blowing about in the wind, her skin pale in the moonlight, her eyes blazing as though she was ready to tear him limb from limb. It was quite an effect and he tried to console himself that anyone in his position would have done exactly the same. But whom am I kidding? he had to ask himself.
Checking the time, he realized that he had twenty minutes before he went to meet Weasley at their pre-arranged spot, and he sighed in frustration. He had taken care of all the business that couldn’t wait, instructing all types of post to be sent to him in Bulgaria among other things, had packed and even managed to plot some strategy for the impending visit. But now, he was left with nothing left to do, but idly wait. And think about last night…He shook his head, as if he could just shake the impression that fleeting moment had left upon him.
He heard the telltale ‘pop’ of a wizard Apparating behind him, and he pulled out his wand and spun around, almost on instinct. He was only mildly surprised to see the hero of the century, the one and only Harry Potter, standing in his study, arms crossed, a threatening look upon his face.
“Malfoy.”
“Potter. Delighted to see you. Little unexpected though, don’t you think?” Draco sneered. Harry just rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“Malfoy, I know we’re supposed to be the best of friends now because of Gabrielle, but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, so we may as well just accept it.”
“I already have, Potter. You, I might point out, are the one who is standing in my house, so if you’d kindly state your business, then we can both be on our ways,” Draco said, crossing his arms and glaring at his nemesis.
“I want Ginny out of Bulgaria by the end of the month.” Draco’s eyes narrowed; how dare Potter make any demands of him!
“I’m sure you’ll agree with me here, Potter, but no one has any control over Virginia Weasley, least of all me.”
“I don’t care, Malfoy. If she’s still in that country by the time the lunar eclipse comes around, you are going to have to answer to me,” Harry said, taking a step forward threateningly.
“Do you think that I would allow that, Potter? That I’m that foolish?” Draco asked incredulously.
“If anything happens to her, Malfoy, not even the good reputation you’ve earned yourself will save you from the what I and the Weasley brothers will do to you,” Harry said, the barest hint of a smile on his
face.
“She’ll be under my protection while we are there. No one would mess with the Malfoy name, so never fear, Potter.”
“Just making sure we have an understanding,” he said with a pointed look. A moment of intense silence fell over the two, until finally Harry pulled out his wand and Disapparated. Watching Harry leave, he sighed. If he wasn’t careful, things could get a lot more complicated then he thought.
* * * * *
Quickly grabbing her bag and struggling into her shoes, Ginny opened the door, ready to run as she was late. She would have screamed as she nearly crashed into someone on the other side of the door, but she was holding her keys in her mouth because her hands were full.
“Hermione! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she gasped, dropping one bag as she shuffled out the door, shutting it and locking it.
“Ginny, I know you’re busy, but I need to talk to you,” Hermione said frantically. Ginny, frowning in curiosity, turned to look at the older woman, and noticed that she seemed upset. Ginny was perplexed by this. But she was also late.
“Well, if you want to walk with me down to Diagon Alley, we can talk on the way, but I’m late, so we’ll have to hurry,” she gasped, tossing her keys into her purse, picking up her bags, straightening out her skirt, shouldering her bag, checking for her wand before beginning to walk down the hall, Hermione in tow.
“I just spoke to your brother, Ginny. Whatever you said to him really upset him,” Hermione explained as they stepped into the lift.
“That was why I said it. I needed him to back off so that I can do my job, and he comes around acting like he knows what is best for me,” Ginny explained.
“He’s worried about you. We all are, for that matter. Harry’s been frantic since he found out that you are actually carrying through with this trip with Malfoy. He’s just looking out for his little sister.”
“I think that I’ve proven a few times that I don’t need anyone to look after me. Plus, what about you three, then? All of you, running off to be Aurors, rooting around in all sorts of trouble, and you don’t hear a tiny mutter of protest from me. But the second that the little sister gets herself into something that might have the remote possibility of being even slightly dangerous; she needs to quit despite how important her job is! You can’t honestly expect me to play into that, Hermione, can you?” Ginny asked sarcastically. Hermione looked surprised.
“Ginny, what’s come over you lately? First that fight at the party, yelling at your brother and now this? It’s been so long since I’ve seen this side of you,” Hermione observed thoughtfully. Ginny could see the wheels in her head turning, as she tried to associate a reason for Ginny’s out-of-character behavior.
“I’m just tired, late and I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, and I don’t need the three of you pushing me around,” Ginny answered, matter-of-factly as they stepped off the lift and exited the building, heading out into the busy London street.
“I guess I can understand that. I get like that sometimes when we’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had a moment to myself, let alone any time with Michael. It’s strange how jealous he gets when I’m away on assignment, he doesn’t seem to understand that when I’m off with Ron and Harry, we’re doing work, not just gallivanting around for a good time,” Hermione sighed. Ginny cast her a sideways glance, hoping that she would just drop the subject; she always found it awkward when Hermione tried to discuss her boyfriends with her. She was Ron’s sister, after all.
“Maybe he just doesn’t understand the relationship that you three have. He’s a bit of an outsider, you know, he doesn’t know the history you three have.”
“Uh…Ginny, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Hermione said after a moment of silence had followed. She had stopped walking, and was standing still, people bustling by her, in a hurry.
“All right, but you’d better make it quick, Hermione, I really have to be on my way,” Ginny said, checking the time again. She was over ten minutes late. She had to smile slightly, imagining how angry it was making Malfoy that he was waiting for her, again.
“What you said that night at the party…that I was ‘just like him.’ What did you mean by that?” Hermione asked nervously. This stopped Ginny in her tracks. Not now, this is not the time for this, her mind pleaded silently. She could clearly recall why she had said it, she had been angry and vulnerable and needed to turn the tables so that Hermione would just leave her alone. She never imagined that her comment would have any effect on the girl. But by the look on Hermione’s face, it had apparently made quite an impression.
“What do you think that I meant by that?” Ginny asked, ever the politician trying to dodge the issue.
“Please, don’t play games with me. What did you mean?”
“Just that…you’re blind. When was the last time you really noticed the people around you, how much has changed, what going through their minds at the moment? What they’ve been doing lately, why they’ve been doing it, what they secretly keep hoping will happen if they keep trying?” Ginny tried to explain.
“Who are you talking about, though? Whom haven’t I noticed?” she questioned anxiously. Ginny had the feeling that Hermione knew exactly what she was talking about but what afraid to admit it to herself. Ginny wasn’t about to make her face it; she had to do it on her own.
“That is something you’ll need to figure out for yourself, because I really need to be going, Hermione. We can talk about this more when I return. Look, there’s the Leaky Cauldron, I need to be off, good bye Hermione!” she said, turning and dashing through the crowd, not looking forward to seeing the irritated Draco Malfoy that was waiting for her.
* * * * *
She had breezed into the restaurant, calm and fresh as if she had just been out enjoying an evening stroll. Draco bit back a growl of frustration. Dressed stylishly in another one of her suits, this time a light gray, she seemed like a completely different person then she had this morning. Her hair, while still tied back at the base of her neck, hadn’t been twisted into one of her famous knots, allowing the lengths of it to flow down her back enticingly. Her skirt was cut teasingly just below the knee, and the look on her face as she approached him was annoyingly chipper. She had a slight smile, and her pace was easy and relaxed. Time to guess what her game plan is going to be, he thought to himself, sizing her up. Something’s definitely changed from this morning and now.
Ginny had spotted him as soon as she entered the room, and she could feel his eyes taking in her appearance. Strangely, the confrontation with Ron and her previous discussion with Hermione had left her feeling cleansed, as if she had just washed away something that had been bothering her for a long time. Looking up at his face, she tried not to feel intimidated by his height and the cool gaze he was inflicting on her.
She had a job to do. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that, not even this arrogant git. Not even this charmingly handsome arrogant git. Ginny kept repeating this to herself over and over as she approached, the scrutiny his eyes were giving her growing more intense as they raked over her body.
“Draco, sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, forcing a weak smile under that cool gaze.
“You didn’t. I just arrived myself, figuring you would be late,” he answered back solemnly. Ginny resisted the urge to growl in frustration; why was he always one step ahead of her? Why?? Taking a deep, calming breath, she repeated the vow she had made to keep her cool around him, and smiled.
“Very well then, are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Yes, if you’ll follow me?” he asked, turning. He stopped abruptly as he felt her hand grab his arm. Her turned back to look at her – there was no warmth in her brown eyes, and she seemed deadly serious all at once.
“Before I go anywhere with you, Draco Malfoy, there is one thing that I need to know,” she whispered, looking furtively around her. It was a public place, and she did not want to draw any attention, but she needed to know. Draco stared down at her, his cool gray eyes seemed to be looking straight through her. Without breaking eye contact, she slid her hand down the length of his arm, until it reach the cuff of his sleeve. Staring up at him, she slowly pushed of his stylish black sweater up the length of his arm.
Realization dawned in his eyes as he understood what she was looking for. Leaning down, his face so very close to hers, she could feel the warmth of his breath against her neck. It sent a wave of shivers down her back, and her stomach, which was already quavering due to his close proximity, began a newly inspired acrobatic routine.
“There is nothing there,” he whispered, before pulling back. Finally looking away, Ginny could see that he was telling the truth. No Dark Mark tainted the pale perfection of his skin.
As he pulled his sleeve back down, he gave her a slight, almost indiscernible smile, then turned and began to exit the room. With an inaudible sight of relief, Ginny followed him out of the building, and out onto the street. Duty or no, she was not about to hand herself over to the mercy of a marked Death Eater.
Pulling out his wand, and holding it out, Draco turned to his companion and with a self-satisfied smirk of triumph noticed that she seemed to be slightly shaken by what had transpired. A loud crack was heard and the Knight Bus pulled up in front of them, to the shock of the few wizards who had been standing around.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Virginia?” he asked as she tentatively boarded the bus.
“I think the real question is, are you sure Bulgaria is ready for me?” she asked, tossing her hair confidently. Draco chuckled to himself.
“How right you are, Weasley. How right you are.”
Chapter 10: Travel Preparations
Draco Malfoy had not slept very well the night before. After returning to his home, his mind had been too active to allow much rest. His new plan was shaping up to be very successful, and he knew that within a few more days of it, he would have Virginia Weasley exactly where he wanted her.
He was also angry with himself and unable to comprehend his actions. Why did I kiss her? he had asked himself angrily throughout the night. That certainly hadn’t been part of the plan. Of course, it probably had worked to his advantage, distracting her even more than she already was. But it had also had an undeniable affect upon Draco as well. He couldn’t get the memory of that moment out of his head. He kept trying to brush it off as a temporary moment of weakness; she had looked irresistible, her long hair blowing about in the wind, her skin pale in the moonlight, her eyes blazing as though she was ready to tear him limb from limb. It was quite an effect and he tried to console himself that anyone in his position would have done exactly the same. But whom am I kidding? he had to ask himself.
Checking the time, he realized that he had twenty minutes before he went to meet Weasley at their pre-arranged spot, and he sighed in frustration. He had taken care of all the business that couldn’t wait, instructing all types of post to be sent to him in Bulgaria among other things, had packed and even managed to plot some strategy for the impending visit. But now, he was left with nothing left to do, but idly wait. And think about last night…He shook his head, as if he could just shake the impression that fleeting moment had left upon him.
He heard the telltale ‘pop’ of a wizard Apparating behind him, and he pulled out his wand and spun around, almost on instinct. He was only mildly surprised to see the hero of the century, the one and only Harry Potter, standing in his study, arms crossed, a threatening look upon his face.
“Malfoy.”
“Potter. Delighted to see you. Little unexpected though, don’t you think?” Draco sneered. Harry just rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“Malfoy, I know we’re supposed to be the best of friends now because of Gabrielle, but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, so we may as well just accept it.”
“I already have, Potter. You, I might point out, are the one who is standing in my house, so if you’d kindly state your business, then we can both be on our ways,” Draco said, crossing his arms and glaring at his nemesis.
“I want Ginny out of Bulgaria by the end of the month.” Draco’s eyes narrowed; how dare Potter make any demands of him!
“I’m sure you’ll agree with me here, Potter, but no one has any control over Virginia Weasley, least of all me.”
“I don’t care, Malfoy. If she’s still in that country by the time the lunar eclipse comes around, you are going to have to answer to me,” Harry said, taking a step forward threateningly.
“Do you think that I would allow that, Potter? That I’m that foolish?” Draco asked incredulously.
“If anything happens to her, Malfoy, not even the good reputation you’ve earned yourself will save you from the what I and the Weasley brothers will do to you,” Harry said, the barest hint of a smile on his
face.
“She’ll be under my protection while we are there. No one would mess with the Malfoy name, so never fear, Potter.”
“Just making sure we have an understanding,” he said with a pointed look. A moment of intense silence fell over the two, until finally Harry pulled out his wand and Disapparated. Watching Harry leave, he sighed. If he wasn’t careful, things could get a lot more complicated then he thought.
* * * * *
Quickly grabbing her bag and struggling into her shoes, Ginny opened the door, ready to run as she was late. She would have screamed as she nearly crashed into someone on the other side of the door, but she was holding her keys in her mouth because her hands were full.
“Hermione! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she gasped, dropping one bag as she shuffled out the door, shutting it and locking it.
“Ginny, I know you’re busy, but I need to talk to you,” Hermione said frantically. Ginny, frowning in curiosity, turned to look at the older woman, and noticed that she seemed upset. Ginny was perplexed by this. But she was also late.
“Well, if you want to walk with me down to Diagon Alley, we can talk on the way, but I’m late, so we’ll have to hurry,” she gasped, tossing her keys into her purse, picking up her bags, straightening out her skirt, shouldering her bag, checking for her wand before beginning to walk down the hall, Hermione in tow.
“I just spoke to your brother, Ginny. Whatever you said to him really upset him,” Hermione explained as they stepped into the lift.
“That was why I said it. I needed him to back off so that I can do my job, and he comes around acting like he knows what is best for me,” Ginny explained.
“He’s worried about you. We all are, for that matter. Harry’s been frantic since he found out that you are actually carrying through with this trip with Malfoy. He’s just looking out for his little sister.”
“I think that I’ve proven a few times that I don’t need anyone to look after me. Plus, what about you three, then? All of you, running off to be Aurors, rooting around in all sorts of trouble, and you don’t hear a tiny mutter of protest from me. But the second that the little sister gets herself into something that might have the remote possibility of being even slightly dangerous; she needs to quit despite how important her job is! You can’t honestly expect me to play into that, Hermione, can you?” Ginny asked sarcastically. Hermione looked surprised.
“Ginny, what’s come over you lately? First that fight at the party, yelling at your brother and now this? It’s been so long since I’ve seen this side of you,” Hermione observed thoughtfully. Ginny could see the wheels in her head turning, as she tried to associate a reason for Ginny’s out-of-character behavior.
“I’m just tired, late and I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, and I don’t need the three of you pushing me around,” Ginny answered, matter-of-factly as they stepped off the lift and exited the building, heading out into the busy London street.
“I guess I can understand that. I get like that sometimes when we’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had a moment to myself, let alone any time with Michael. It’s strange how jealous he gets when I’m away on assignment, he doesn’t seem to understand that when I’m off with Ron and Harry, we’re doing work, not just gallivanting around for a good time,” Hermione sighed. Ginny cast her a sideways glance, hoping that she would just drop the subject; she always found it awkward when Hermione tried to discuss her boyfriends with her. She was Ron’s sister, after all.
“Maybe he just doesn’t understand the relationship that you three have. He’s a bit of an outsider, you know, he doesn’t know the history you three have.”
“Uh…Ginny, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Hermione said after a moment of silence had followed. She had stopped walking, and was standing still, people bustling by her, in a hurry.
“All right, but you’d better make it quick, Hermione, I really have to be on my way,” Ginny said, checking the time again. She was over ten minutes late. She had to smile slightly, imagining how angry it was making Malfoy that he was waiting for her, again.
“What you said that night at the party…that I was ‘just like him.’ What did you mean by that?” Hermione asked nervously. This stopped Ginny in her tracks. Not now, this is not the time for this, her mind pleaded silently. She could clearly recall why she had said it, she had been angry and vulnerable and needed to turn the tables so that Hermione would just leave her alone. She never imagined that her comment would have any effect on the girl. But by the look on Hermione’s face, it had apparently made quite an impression.
“What do you think that I meant by that?” Ginny asked, ever the politician trying to dodge the issue.
“Please, don’t play games with me. What did you mean?”
“Just that…you’re blind. When was the last time you really noticed the people around you, how much has changed, what going through their minds at the moment? What they’ve been doing lately, why they’ve been doing it, what they secretly keep hoping will happen if they keep trying?” Ginny tried to explain.
“Who are you talking about, though? Whom haven’t I noticed?” she questioned anxiously. Ginny had the feeling that Hermione knew exactly what she was talking about but what afraid to admit it to herself. Ginny wasn’t about to make her face it; she had to do it on her own.
“That is something you’ll need to figure out for yourself, because I really need to be going, Hermione. We can talk about this more when I return. Look, there’s the Leaky Cauldron, I need to be off, good bye Hermione!” she said, turning and dashing through the crowd, not looking forward to seeing the irritated Draco Malfoy that was waiting for her.
* * * * *
She had breezed into the restaurant, calm and fresh as if she had just been out enjoying an evening stroll. Draco bit back a growl of frustration. Dressed stylishly in another one of her suits, this time a light gray, she seemed like a completely different person then she had this morning. Her hair, while still tied back at the base of her neck, hadn’t been twisted into one of her famous knots, allowing the lengths of it to flow down her back enticingly. Her skirt was cut teasingly just below the knee, and the look on her face as she approached him was annoyingly chipper. She had a slight smile, and her pace was easy and relaxed. Time to guess what her game plan is going to be, he thought to himself, sizing her up. Something’s definitely changed from this morning and now.
Ginny had spotted him as soon as she entered the room, and she could feel his eyes taking in her appearance. Strangely, the confrontation with Ron and her previous discussion with Hermione had left her feeling cleansed, as if she had just washed away something that had been bothering her for a long time. Looking up at his face, she tried not to feel intimidated by his height and the cool gaze he was inflicting on her.
She had a job to do. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that, not even this arrogant git. Not even this charmingly handsome arrogant git. Ginny kept repeating this to herself over and over as she approached, the scrutiny his eyes were giving her growing more intense as they raked over her body.
“Draco, sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, forcing a weak smile under that cool gaze.
“You didn’t. I just arrived myself, figuring you would be late,” he answered back solemnly. Ginny resisted the urge to growl in frustration; why was he always one step ahead of her? Why?? Taking a deep, calming breath, she repeated the vow she had made to keep her cool around him, and smiled.
“Very well then, are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Yes, if you’ll follow me?” he asked, turning. He stopped abruptly as he felt her hand grab his arm. Her turned back to look at her – there was no warmth in her brown eyes, and she seemed deadly serious all at once.
“Before I go anywhere with you, Draco Malfoy, there is one thing that I need to know,” she whispered, looking furtively around her. It was a public place, and she did not want to draw any attention, but she needed to know. Draco stared down at her, his cool gray eyes seemed to be looking straight through her. Without breaking eye contact, she slid her hand down the length of his arm, until it reach the cuff of his sleeve. Staring up at him, she slowly pushed of his stylish black sweater up the length of his arm.
Realization dawned in his eyes as he understood what she was looking for. Leaning down, his face so very close to hers, she could feel the warmth of his breath against her neck. It sent a wave of shivers down her back, and her stomach, which was already quavering due to his close proximity, began a newly inspired acrobatic routine.
“There is nothing there,” he whispered, before pulling back. Finally looking away, Ginny could see that he was telling the truth. No Dark Mark tainted the pale perfection of his skin.
As he pulled his sleeve back down, he gave her a slight, almost indiscernible smile, then turned and began to exit the room. With an inaudible sight of relief, Ginny followed him out of the building, and out onto the street. Duty or no, she was not about to hand herself over to the mercy of a marked Death Eater.
Pulling out his wand, and holding it out, Draco turned to his companion and with a self-satisfied smirk of triumph noticed that she seemed to be slightly shaken by what had transpired. A loud crack was heard and the Knight Bus pulled up in front of them, to the shock of the few wizards who had been standing around.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Virginia?” he asked as she tentatively boarded the bus.
“I think the real question is, are you sure Bulgaria is ready for me?” she asked, tossing her hair confidently. Draco chuckled to himself.
“How right you are, Weasley. How right you are.”
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