LOLITA LOOTER STRIKES AGAIN
By Rita Skeeter

Paxton Hills, home of disgraced former Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, is the latest burglary site in a series of break-ins to several prominent wizarding homes.

The thief, nicknamed the "Lolita Looter", has eluded some of the top Aurors in the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including Harry Potter, the wizard who famously defeated the dark wizard Voldemort in his seventh year at Hogwarts Wizarding School.

"I went to bed after I locked up all my valuables, like I always do," said Fudge, 55, outside his temporary home at the Leaky Cauldron where he is staying until Aurors can reset the dismantled wards around Paxton Hills. "In the middle of the night, my wife starts screaming and we see a dark figure moving. I look at my Foe-Glass and all I could see was the silhouette of a young woman."

Oakden Higgins, head of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement, was not available for statement, but inside sources have revealed the Ministry is running out of leads. Rumors about flying in international wizards to help with this case continue to swirl, though the Ministry is reluctant to confirm...

--

Ron Weasley jumped, startled. He scowled when he realized who had snatched his newspaper away.

"Where's Potter?" came the lazy drawl from the newspaper-thief.

"I was reading that," hissed Ron, grabbing the newspaper back.

The pale blond man smirked. "There's no need to fib, Weasley. I already know you can't read." He gave a mock sigh. "It's just another item on the long list of things you could never hope to accomplish. Now where's Potter?"

"Right here," said a scratchy voice before Ron could respond to his old schoolmate's goading. Harry Potter emerged from behind a portrait of Dilys Derwent, the former St. Mungo's Healer.

"Let's go, Malfoy, Higgins has been waiting all afternoon for you to finish debriefing," said Harry quickly, shooting a look at Ron that clearly said, 'Please don't brawl with an Auror in the Ministry of Magic'.

Draco and Harry set off for their department head's office in silence, with Harry making an occasional sniffle or two. Few awkward moments existed between them, for the two men had been partners for nearly eight years after graduating from Auror Academy. Contrary to their schoolboy prejudices, they discovered they had much in common: they had been the youngest Aurors to serve in a century, received perfect scores in Stealth and Tracking on their Auror exams, and both had previously dated Ginny Weasley.

It was this last factoid that kept the animosity between Ron and Draco going strong. While Harry and Hermione held no grudge against the Slytherin who had so loved to make their lives miserable during their time at Hogwarts, Ron was still upset with the 'slimy, evil, Slytherin git' for 'breaking my baby sister's heart!'

"How's the desk job treating you?" Draco asked as they approached a security checkpoint.

"Good. Though I'm not working much behind a desk lately, we've had our hands full with this cat burglar," replied Harry, placing his wand on a silver tray as Draco did the same.

"Losing your touch, aren't you? Couple hundred break-ins, from what I've read," said Draco casually as a Trainee Auror waved them through.

"Three hundred and twenty-five, but who's counting?" responded Harry with a wry smile.

Draco chuckled. "Perhaps you're not suited to such domestic work. Are you sure you don't want to rejoin me in the international field?"

Harry shook his head. "I told you I wanted some peace and quiet for a little while, doing easy stuff like setting up wards and escorting diplomats."

For eight years, Harry and Draco had been the Ministry of Magic's perfect team. The "Dynamic Duo", as was their cheesy nickname, had successfully recovered forty-eight stolen Dark objects, captured eighteen Dark wizards on the Most Wanted list, and helped re-establish the British Ministry of Magic's reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the international community.

However, after a particularly nasty altercation with Desiderius Erasmus, a wizard who had nearly severed Draco's ear off before surrendering, Harry decided he'd had enough of dark wizards for the next decade or so and asked to be reassigned to a desk job in the Ministry.

"How's your new partner doing, what's his name, Lambert?" Harry asked, grinning as he took his wand back from the blue-haired attendant staring at Draco longingly. Oblivious, Draco shrugged. "A little overeager."

Oliver Lambert was the new Auror who had scored 100% on the written portion of the Auror exam, yet almost failed the practical. This was something that many in the Auror Department sniggered at, which made Lambert more enthusiastic to improve his reputation.

Harry chuckled, remembering the many stories often passed around the office. If even half of them were true, Draco certainly had his hands full.

As they reached the door to Higgins' office, Harry waited for the question that Draco never failed to ask whenever he was in town.

"How's Ginny?"

Harry sighed inwardly. It had been more than two years since Draco and Ginny had broken up but the effects still lingered. They were still extremely sensitive about the breakup, avoided each other at all costs (which wasn't hard, for Draco was employed outside the country), and both hadn't dated anyone since the split.

"She's... I dunno, the same, I guess. She's still in a performing arts school, training to be the next Celestina Warbeck," said Harry, rolling his eyes.

Draco smiled. "She has a beautiful voice."

Harry nodded, wondering where the conversation was going. Usually, Harry answered the question and Draco would give a noncommittal shrug or nod, silently processing the information. But today, he actually spoke.

"I started seeing someone."

Harry looked over, eyebrow raised.

Draco sighed. "I just thought it was time. For both of us, I mean. It's been two years and she hasn't made any effort to contact me. And Merlin knows I've tried. I owled her every day for a year."

Harry remained mute.

"I'd appreciate if you could tell her. I mean, I don't want to brag about it or anything, but if you could just slip it in. It's not serious, I'm not even sure I'll see her again. I just want her to know. I want her to know it's okay, I know it's really over. I want..." Draco suddenly had a hard time swallowing. "I want her to... move on. Be happy."

Before Harry could respond, the door in front of them swung open to reveal an annoyed Higgins.

"What are you two still doing out here, chattering?" demanded Higgins. "I've been waiting all afternoon for you to debrief, Malfoy! And you too, Potter! We're still in a crisis, in case you haven't noticed. Now both of you get your tardy arses into my office!"

Harry and Draco exchanged amused looks before stepping inside.

"Don't Hit Wizards usually deal with petty thieves, not Aurors? I was hoping for another life-threatening assignment," commented Draco as he sat down in a chair and reached out for the file in front of him. "Not a domestic case."

His boss scowled at him. "Malfoy, this little bandit has been keeping me awake for the past three weeks. I need you on this case to catch the culprit, whether you like it or not."

"If you've got something you want to keep safe, why don't you just keep it at Gringotts?" smirked Draco. Beside him, Harry smiled.

"Amusing, Malfoy. Are you sure you should be an Auror? You sound more suited to comedy. The Department is a laughing stock because we can't catch a puny female. The Minister is breathing down my neck and Bagwell from the Goblin Liaison Office drops by every morning to make a cute comment about our inadequacy..."

Draco tuned out his boss' voice and he could tell Harry wasn't paying any attention either, as he seemed to be busy hacking up a lung. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he tried to focus on Higgins' words, anything to avoid letting his mind drift back to thoughts of a certain red-haired witch.

Instead, he thought about Maria Weiss, the first woman to evoke any sort of interest in Draco in over a year. They had met while he was on assignment in Germany a year ago and had gone on a few dates since then. They were only casually dating and Draco did not think of her as particularly special, though she did have excellent taste in brooms.

Of course, how could he expect anyone to be special after spending time with Ginny Weasley? They had spent nine years together, with Draco falling more and more in love with her each day they spent together. He could still recall the little details: the way the scent of her perfume lingered on everything she touched, how her hips swayed when she walked like she was sashaying down a runway, the soft gasps and moans she made just before she...

"Are you two listening?" barked Higgins, breaking Draco out of his reverie. Beside him, Harry gasped for air after a particularly nasty cough attack. Higgins growled in frustration.

"Potter, go to St. Mungo's before you die. Malfoy, read the damn file. You're taking over the case until Potter recovers. I'm late for a meeting," grumbled Higgins as he grabbed his cloak off the hook.

"Is it just me, or has he gotten grumpier since the last time I was in town?" asked Draco sardonically.

--

As Draco read the case notes and occasionally jotted down clever comments in the margins ("How the hell can you actually write, 'Victim says the burglar looked as if she weighed twenty stone' here, Potter? The victim admitted she's blind!"), Harry sat and watched him.

"I thought Higgins sent you home," said Draco without looking up.

Harry cleared his throat. "I think you should tell Ginny yourself. When's the last time you saw her, anyway?"

Draco ignored him and continued to write, but his grip on the quill visibly tightened.

"I lied when I said she was still in performing arts. She dropped out of the program last year."

Draco looked up and turned the quill over in his hands. "Why? She loves to sing and perform. She loves an audience."

Harry got up from his seat to retrieve his cloak. "I dunno. I just know she left school. She didn't go back to work for Fred and George. We have no idea what she's doing these days."

Draco looked down and started to write again. "She hasn't been in touch with any of her family members?"

"An occasional owl. Nothing about her whereabouts or what she does with her days." He paused, as if to consider something. "Or nights," he added.

When Draco didn't respond, Harry sighed. "Look, all I know is that she wasn't the same person after you left. For a while, she seemed to be holding it together, doing just fine, hiding it from everyone just like you," said Harry, raising an eyebrow when Draco started to protest. "But deep down, she was hurting. She still acted normally, but she sang differently. There was no soul, no emotion left in her voice."

Draco stopped writing. "How am I supposed to see her if no one knows where she lives?"

"I have my suspicions." He stood up.

"That means you know. Where is she?" Harry opened his mouth to answer, and then changed his mind. "I'll tell you if you promise to go see her."

The two men stared at each other for a moment before Draco broke eye contact. He sat down and picked up his quill.

Harry sighed. They were both so stubborn. "I'll see you tomorrow, Malfoy," he said as he left the office.

--

Draco had returned to his cubicle on the second level of the Ministry of Magic to finish working. Studying case notes was tedious, especially when he had trouble deciphering Harry's messy scrawl, but he urged himself to continue working to avoid thoughts about...

"Mmm, Gin," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

"Draco," she said warningly as his hands traveled north along her leg.

"Ginny," he mimicked, pulling her closer.

"We should go, it's almost curfew," she said breathlessly, though she showed no signs of wanting to stop as she threaded her fingers repeatedly through his hair.

Draco gently nibbled the side of her neck, eliciting a sigh from her lips. "Do you really want me to stop?"

She stared at him as if he were crazy and then grabbed his face, crashing her lips into his.

"What is this?" demanded a sharp voice behind Ginny. He opened his eyes to see a tall, thin woman brandishing a rather thick feather duster marching their way.

"Time to leave," muttered Draco.

With one quick movement, he swept their books into his bag with one hand and grabbed his girlfriend's hand with the other as they both ran away, laughing at the enraged librarian...

"OY! Lambert! That's the luxury quill my grandmother gave me! Get your own, you stinkin' toad," yelled a loud voice, shaking Draco out of his thoughts.

Draco sighed and returned to his notes, trying to shut out the sounds of Lambert getting into yet another argument with a colleague.

He studied the criminal profile Harry had drawn up of the Lolita Looter. "Most likely living alone, probably somewhere in Essex, as that is the only region without a burglary," he read aloud.

"Essex," he repeated. That was where he and Ginny had lived before the split...

She was grinning like a maniac and kept running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck every five minutes.

Not that he minded very much, as it gave him considerable access to her shapely arse every time they embraced.

"I can't believe we have our own flat!" she said excitedly.

"I can't believe we've had our own flat for thirty minutes and still haven't shagged in it," he murmured in response. She swatted him playfully.

"We still have so many things to unpack," she admonished, though her hands had started to unbutton his shirt.

"I think christening the flat ranks higher in terms of priority, don't you?"

Her response was to yank his trousers down so they pooled around his ankles...

"Malfoy," said a deep voice, startling Draco. "Brought you some tea," the man said, holding out the drink. "Don't kill yourself with an all-nighter, now. It's your first day back."

Draco nodded and murmured a thank you. He set the cup down and tried to remember the name of the man. It was something Irish, he was sure about that. In fact, he could swear the man had helped him with an assignment once...

"I think I just cracked the code, Malfoy," said a bald man with a deep voice from inside the fireplace. "You'll need to intercept the hostile right away."

Draco rushed around the bedroom, trying to find his wand and Auror badge. "What was the message in the code?"

"It's pretty complicated, but I think --"

"Draco!"

Draco groaned. "Donnelly, I'll see you at headquarters before I go. I've got to handle this first."

"Hurry, Malfoy." Donnelly's head vanished with a pop.

Draco turned around to see an angry, red-headed witch glaring at him. "Look, Gin, we'll have to discuss this later, I have to --" he began.

"I don't care what you have to do! You promised me Munich would be your last assignment!" she snapped.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know. I'll apply for a transfer as soon as this is over, I swear."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's what you said on your last assignment. And the one before that. And the one --"

"Okay! Look, I don't have time for this. I have to go."

"To try and get yourself killed. Again." He closed his eyes. "We've been over this before. I'm not an Auror because I have a death wish."

"Well, it seems like you do. Isn't that why you go off into some foreign country for months at a time, dodging Unforgivables and Merlin knows what?"

He opened his eyes and stared at his shoes. "I don't want to fight. If I don't come back, I don't want the last memory to be..." He left the last sentence hanging in the air and looked up cautiously.

Her features had visibly softened. "That's exactly what I mean, Draco. Even you know you might not come back to me one day."

She crossed the room and touched his face. "You say you want to marry me. That what you want children with me."

"I do," he whispered hoarsely, finally looking into her eyes. "I don't want my children to grow up without a father, Draco."

He opened his mouth to speak when he felt the familiar warmth of the blue orb glowing in his pocket.

"Class 1 Emergency code," he muttered.

She dropped her hand from his face. "Go."

He turned around to grab his wand and prepared to Apparate. "Gin, I love you."

But she had already left the room.

"This Lolita Looter's really stumped the entire force, hasn't she?" said a loud female voice, bringing Draco back to the present.

"She must be something. They've had to bring in extra Aurors to help them solve it," replied her companion.

"I know. I heard they flew in Draco Malfoy from some high-risk assignment to handle it. I guess Lolita's now considered a Dark Wizard rather than a common criminal."

"Draco Malfoy?" added a third voice. "That's kind of an insult to Harry Potter, isn't it? He can't do the job so his old partner has to pitch in..."

"I think Potter specifically requested Malfoy, actually," said the second voice. "Besides, he's been hacking and coughing for months. He's probably got some awful, terminal disease or something. That's why he can't concentrate."

"Well, I don't mind a bit," decided the first. "He's some good eye candy, I wouldn't mind seeing his smashing arse walking around the Ministry for a while..." The women giggled as they walked away.

Draco looked at the tea beside him and decided it wasn't strong enough. He threw the remains in the trash and rooted around his desk drawer for an Energy Elixir to keep him awake.

It didn't matter what he did. Whether he was just seconds away from dying at the hands of a Dark Wizard or sitting in his old cubicle trying to read, she consumed him. Going abroad for two years hadn't helped the memories fade a bit. In fact, they had only intensified.

Especially during the night, when flashes of the last time he saw her invaded his mind.

"Gin, wait, can we at least talk about this?" he pleaded, feeling incredibly stupid as she tossed his belongings onto the street. "

Why don't you go back to your good mate Charles and talk to him?" she spat, hurling his broomstick at him.

"Nguyen? I just saw him last night. Wait, what does he have to do with this?"

She did not reply. She shot him a menacing glare and turned away from the window, probably to retrieve more of his things to toss.

"Is this about my job? I'll apply for a transfer. I swear I'll do it this time! Gin!"

He groaned as a curious crowd began to gather. "Ginny! People are beginning to stare!"

Finally, she appeared at the window. "Draco Malfoy, you are nothing but a sorry excuse for a wizard. I don't want you to see you ever again. Don't Floo me, don't owl me, don't ever come near me again. I want nothing to do with you."

Draco opened his mouth and closed it several times before sound came out. "Can I ask... why?"

She slammed the window shut.

"Right. I guess I'll come back when you're regained your sanity," muttered Draco as he started to gather his things.

"Looking for this, Malfoy?" Draco opened his eyes and caught the tiny bottle before it took out his eye. It was an Energy Elixir.

"Thanks," he called to the tall man who had thrown it.

He took the cap off and stared at it. Then he sighed and twisted it back on.

"It's no use," he muttered. "Might as well take a Sleeping Draught."

He gathered the files and put on his cloak. Perhaps after a good night's sleep, he would be able to concentrate in the morning.

--

Draco cracked one eye open to see an owl tapping urgently against the window.

"Go 'way," he mumbled into his pillow. The owl only increased its fervent tapping.

He reached for his wand and muttered an incantation to release the latch on the window. The owl swooped in and dropped an envelope near his fingertips.

Without opening his eyes, he felt the wax sealing the envelope, groaning when he recognized the familiar imprint of the Ministry seal.

Malfoy -

Another break-in three hours ago at the Balfour residence in Lincoln. Get there ASAP.

Higgins

Malfoy groaned as he grabbed his watch and realized it was 2:45 in the morning. "She's probably already gone by now," he mumbled.

Yawning, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and clumsily felt around for his slippers. When he could not find them, he rolled over and pulled the covers around him.

"Lambert can take care of it until morning," he said to himself sleepily.

--

It was not for nothing that Draco had passed the Stealth and Tracking portion of his Auror exam with flying colors. He had a natural ability to detect when something was amiss and eight years in the field had only nurtured this sixth sense.

This sixth sense told him immediately the culprit had long fled the scene, even before he entered the Balfour front door four hours after Higgins had summoned him. Still, he had to at least make a show of checking every room to ensure it was safe for the Balfour family to stay the night.

He wandered around aimlessly, opening closet doors and cupboards. On the third floor, he found a package of Chocoballs hidden on the top shelf of what he presumed to be a little girl's closet.

"Hiding things from mum, how naughty," remarked Draco. He paused for a moment before grabbing the package and ripping it open. "Naughty children don't deserve sweets."

He popped Chocoballs into his mouth as he wandered around the rest of the house, prodding items of interest with his wand. He was halfway through finishing his sixth Chocoball when he encountered Hit Wizards leaving the master bedroom.

"We've just received word of another break-in. Here's the address. Looks like Lolita was busy last night and this morning," said one of the Hit Wizards.

Draco nodded in acknowledgement and entered the bedroom to take a quick look.

"We've already swept this area, Malfoy. Nothing's there," said the other Hit Wizard. It was Gibbs, a rather pompous fellow who thought Hit Wizards were more important than Aurors because they 'actually fought criminals' rather than 'think up ways to catch them'.

Of course, Draco knew that Gibbs was only a Hit Wizard because he hadn't scored high enough on the theoretical to be a fully-fledged Auror. Tracking down dangerous criminals, after all, required a bit more brains than merely pointing a wand and cursing someone.

But Draco didn't respond to the other man's condescending tone, for his mouth was rather preoccupied with chewing. He merely nodded at the Hit Wizard and turned to follow him out of the room when something caught his eye.

"Gibbs," called Draco, walking over to the rug in the middle of the room.

"Nothing's there, Malfoy!" Gibbs yelled back as he continued to walk away.

Draco shook his head and bent down to inspect the rug. To the inexperienced eye, it would seem they were just regular rug fibres. But years of training had heightened Draco's senses.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he said as he Levitated several strands of hair in front of his face.

Draco paled. He would know that shade anywhere.

It was Weasley red.

--

When Draco arrived at the other crime scene, a cluster of wizards had already gathered around the front doorway.

"We found traces of Apparition near the backyard pool," said Duranni, a rather inexperienced Auror, though he was older than Draco by a few years. "She must have Disapparated before we got here."

Automatically, Draco opened his mouth to rebuke Duranni's assumption, but closed it almost immediately. If the Lolita Looter really was Ginny Weasley, he didn't think he could handle being the one responsible for sending her away to Azkaban for the rest of her natural life.

As Duranni led him to the poolside, Draco began to look for places where she might have hidden. It was nearly impossible to tell whether someone had Apparated or Disapparated from the traces Apparition magic left behind, though Draco was sure that she had not left the vicinity.

After all, it seemed as if she wanted to see him. He was almost positive that was why she had not performed a Permanent Sticking Charm or something similar to prevent the flame-colored strands from escaping her head last night. His throat constricted at the thought.

Duranni was motioning towards a deck chair when Draco saw movement in the corner of his eye. He looked up at the third floor bedroom window and saw the curtains rustle.

Bingo.

--

Draco could just make out the silhouette of a young lady sitting on the windowsill when he entered the room.

"Lumos."

A narrow beam of light shot through the tip of Draco's wand. He raised his wand slowly until the tiny pool of light illuminated the face of one Ginny Weasley.

"Diffindo."

A burst of sunlight flooded into the room as the Severing charm slashed the curtains into tiny pieces on the floor.

"Draco."

"Ginny," responded Draco automatically. His tongue felt heavy. What does a man say to the woman who shattered his heart two years before? Especially when, two years later, she still consumed most of his thoughts?

"It's always like this," she said softly, staring at the ruckus below through the glass windowpanes. "They always assume I've left the area and start setting up perimeters far away. They never bother to actually check the crime scene." Draco stepped forward.

"Why are you still here? Why didn't you try to escape when you heard me coming?"

"I wanted to see you." She paused. "It's been so long."

Two years, three months, eight days, thought Draco. He said nothing.

"How have you been?"

Draco cocked his head to the side. "You're currently at the top of the British Ministry's Most Wanted list and you've been caught in front of an Auror yet you want to ask how I've been?"

She muttered a quiet response he could not hear.

Draco shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

Ginny grinned a little manically. "It's exciting, isn't it, Draco? Everyone after me, people plotting to capture me, having this reputation of being so good at what I do... Hell, I even have a nickname! The Lolita Looter! Just like you!" She giggled a little before turning towards him. "It feels great. I love the feel of adrenaline coursing through my veins."

He blinked. "You're committing crimes that could land you thirty years in a dirty Azkaban cell because you want to experience the thrill of danger? Are you bloody insane?"

Ginny crossed her arms defiantly. "Isn't that the reason you wouldn't transfer to a safer job, Draco? Because you enjoyed the thrill of espionage too much?"

"I wasn't risking a life in Azkaban!"

"No, you were just risking a life. Yours."

He scowled in response. "Merlin, Ginny, if you liked adrenaline rushes, why don't you just apply for my job? You know, get to experience the high in a legal way?"

"I wanted to skip Auror Academy, too much hard work," replied Ginny sarcastically.

Draco let out a disbelieving laugh and looked away. "Funny. You're really funny, Ginny. You should write a joke-book someday, when you're not too busy, that is. Oh wait, I know when you'll find free time - when you're locked away in Azkaban!"

Ginny smiled. "They won't catch me, will they, Draco?"

"I took an oath, a pledge, when I became an Auror, Ginny," replied Draco stonily. "I have a duty to capture you and take you into custody."

Ginny looked away. "You took an oath, a pledge, the day you graduated from Hogwarts, Draco. Yet you didn't keep that promise, did you?"

Draco was confused. "What...what are you talking about?"

She shook her head in response. "It doesn't matter. The promise is broken so it doesn't mean anything anymore."

"I don't break my promises."

She didn't reply.

--

As Draco fixed his hair for the graduation ceremony, he heard a sniffle coming from the corner of the room where his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, stood.

"What's the matter?" asked Draco, concerned.

She looked away and blinked rapidly to dissolve her tears.

"Gin," he said, tilting her head upwards so that her tears streamed down her face.

"It's over," she said softly, closing her eyes.

A look of confusion crossed Draco's features. "What's over?"

Ginny swallowed. "Us. After today, you'll be gone. You've been granted acceptance to Auror Academy. You're leaving. And this... this will all seem like some mad, twisted fantasy I dreamed."

He drew her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. "I'm not going to leave you, Gin."

She sniffled quietly. "You're going to be in an intense training program and I'm going to be in my N.E.W.T year, Draco. What kind of relationship can we have?"

"It's only a year," he said consolingly. "I'll visit you every chance I get, every holiday, every weekend. I'll sneak out every night to see you."

Ginny gave a watery giggle. "I'm pretty sure that's against the rules."

"Rules were meant to be broken."

She bit her lip. "What if you find someone new?"

Draco looked at her disbelievingly. "Someone new?" he echoed.

The tears threatened to overflow again. "What if you get partnered up with some young, beautiful Auror Trainee? And you eat and train together every day and spend your spare time together and pretty soon, you give in to your urges..."

"Ginny, that's not going to happen."

"You don't know that!" she cried.

Draco sighed. "Look, Gin, I promise you that when I get out of the Academy and when you graduate from Hogwarts, we will be together. I am not going to abandon you or this relationship, not now, not tomorrow, not ever. I promise you that I will always love you and I will always be faithful and here for you. There is no one - nothing, nada, zip - that could ever stop me."

--

"It doesn't matter. I... look, Draco, it's okay. I forgive you. That's why I did all this," Ginny said quietly.

"I don't...what, I didn't break my promise to you! I would cut off my own leg before I did that, Ginny!"

"I wanted to bring you home," she continued, ignoring his outburst. "Growing up with Fred and George, I've picked up quite a few tricks on avoiding capture. And you know the War practically depleted the entire Auror force. All the good ones are working abroad, dead, or retired. Everyone left is too inexperienced, too dumb, or too old to do the job properly."

Draco's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying.

"You and Harry are the only ones really capable anymore. And Harry, I think Harry knows," said Ginny, letting a small chuckle escape her lips. "I knew they'd have to bring in someone else to solve the case. I knew they'd bring in you because you and Harry are the best and if Harry couldn't solve it..." she trailed off and shook her head.

"Harry knew. That's why he didn't question my whereabouts like everyone else, though he probably knows...and that's why he pretended to be sick so you'd have to take the case. He's always been a staunch supporter of our relationship, Draco. He was always the one defending us to Ron."

She took a deep breath. "I wanted you to come home so that I could tell you all was forgiven. And that I missed you and wanted you back."

Draco stared. "You could have just owled."

Ginny shook her head. "You were always gone when I wanted to talk to you. Every time I had something important to say, you were fighting evil in another country. You were on some dangerous mission, having an exciting life without me."

"Ginny, I wasn't -"

She spoke louder, ignoring him. "And I just wanted to talk to you, face to face, not through ink and parchment. I wanted to look into your eyes and tell you that I loved you and that I didn't want you to give up your job for me anymore. I wanted you to know that I'd rather have just bits and pieces of you, having you gone for months and only being home for two weeks at a time, than not have you at all. I had to tell you in person."

Draco walked across the room, still astonished at what Ginny had just revealed. A few minutes passed in silence. When they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching, he spoke.

"Let me get this straight, you committed three hundred robberies because you just wanted to get my attention?"

Ginny swallowed. "Yours is the only one I've ever wanted. Even in school." The footsteps grew louder and distant voices could now be heard.

"You committed three hundred robberies because you wanted to get my attention."

Ginny grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over her shoulders. "I have to go."

"Malfoy!"

Draco whipped around, ready to Stun and Obliviate whoever had caught them.

"Lambert thinks he may have found some evidence," wheezed Rutherford, an ancient Auror who had probably been on the force since the time Moody was still in diapers.

Draco looked back to see that Ginny had disappeared. He breathed a quick sigh of relief when he realized Rutherford had no idea the Lolita Looter had been in the room just seconds before.

"What were you doing in there anyway?" asked Rutherford as they left the empty room.

Draco didn't respond. The conversation with Ginny had left only one thought on his mind.

She still loves me.

--

The 'evidence' turned out to be a broken vase that Lambert suspected the Lolita Looter had knocked over (though Draco secretly guessed it had really been Davis, another ancient Auror who was getting quite clumsy in his old age) in her hasty getaway.

Draco volunteered to collect the evidence and submit it to the Ministry's archives before Apparating home, though he had no real intention of going back to the Manor.

Instead, he found himself in front of Harry Potter's door at dawn, knocking as loudly as possible to ensure Harry and everyone within a five mile radius woke up.

"Malfoy, it's five in the fucking morning! What the hell is wrong with you?" hissed Harry before grabbing Draco by the collar and dragging him inside before his neighbors could kill them both.

"Good morning," greeted Draco. "By the way, you have horrible morning breath. I thought I taught you some refreshment charms on our last mission?"

Harry rolled his eyes and cast a quick spell. "Now what is so bloody important that you had to wake me up at this ungodly hour?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Ungodly? Sweet Salazar, Potter, this desk job has made you soft. Remember the days we would get up at three in the morning to ambush a target? And that was without coffee!"

Harry yawned and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you have a point, Malfoy? Or did you just come here to reminisce about old times?"

Draco huffed. "Ginny's whereabouts. I need them."

This time it was Harry's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why would you need her address?"

"So I can send her a singing telegram. Just give me her damn address!" snapped Draco.

Harry walked over to the nook behind the kitchen table and grabbed a sheaf of parchment. He rummaged in a drawer for a quill before an impatient Draco handed over the spare he kept in his cloak.

"Took you long enough," grumbled Draco as he snatched the parchment with Ginny's address from Harry's fingers and marched out of the room.

As he fastened the buttons on his cloak outside the front door, he paused. He turned around to see Harry, eyes half closed, watching him while leaning against the doorway.

"You knew." H

arry's eyes remained closed, but a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"You bloody bastard. You knew she was setting me up and you did nothing to stop her. If Higgins knew... and really, Potter, you let her commit three hundred robberies?"

The grin on Harry's face grew wider. "Actually," he said, moving off the wall, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy. But I wonder... who planted the idea for this ridiculous caper in her head anyway?"

Draco's jaw dropped in shock as Harry shut the door in his face.

--

She was waiting outside the front door when Draco walked down the hall to where Ginny sat.

"Creevey's old photo studio. Why pick this place?" asked Draco, sitting down beside her.

She shrugged. "It's familiar. And Colin doesn't really use this space anymore. Not since he bought that new property over in Guildford."

"Is this where you're keeping all the loot?"

Ginny blushed. "I was going to give it back."

"Why give it back? I mean, no one suspects you of anything. You could just keep it."

She turned her head to stare at him. "What happened to that oath, that pledge you made when you became an Auror?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "To tell you the truth, I never really said the oath. I just mouthed the words while everyone else was doing it," he confessed.

Her eyes registered a look of surprise. "No way."

He confirmed his statement by nodding. "And speaking of oaths, I never broke my promise to you."

Ginny turned her head away. "Yes, you did," she said quietly.

"No, I didn't," corrected Draco.

"I heard you tell one of your colleagues that you cheated on me in your first year at the Academy."

"You heard wrong. I told Nguyen I had considered it in my first year, not that I did it."

There was no response from the person beside him.

"It was just four months into training. I missed you, a lot. I was lonely. Potter had your brother to pass the time with and I didn't know anyone in the program because it's not like the Slytherins were rushing to fight the crusade against evil. And there was this girl," Draco recalled, closing his eyes. "I don't even remember her name anymore. But she was a year ahead and very friendly to me."

Ginny snorted. "I'll bet."

"And we were in the library, studying. It was quiet and no one was around. And she suggested we do something to relieve the stress of training. And I told her no. But for a few seconds, I considered it," admitted Draco.

He stared down at his shoes. "And then, two years ago, Nguyen was having marital issues and he confided in me. He told me his wife's sex drive had diminished since the birth of their twins and he was considering having an affair. After berating him for oversharing, I told him about my brush with infidelity and the choice I made and how glad I was that I said no because it meant I still had you in my life."

Beside him, Ginny expelled a long breath.

"And then the next day, you threw me out of the flat. You said you hated me and that you never wanted to see me again. At least now I know why."

A few minutes passed without a response. He turned to look at her and slowly pulled her into his arms when he saw that she was crying.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against his shoulder. "I should have listened to you. I should have at least opened your owls."

Draco quirked a smile she could not see. "Well, I should have sent a Howler. Then you would have had no choice but to listen. That was stupid of me."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Oh Merlin, Draco, think of all the time we've wasted. I mean, two whole years!"

He pulled back from their embrace and dipped his head towards her. Inches away from her lips, he whispered, "Two years apart is nothing. We have the rest of our lives to be together now."

And with a kiss, they sealed that promise.

--

MINISTRY RECOVERS LOLITA'S STOLEN ITEMS
By Rita Skeeter

The Ministry of Magic has recovered more than 700 items stolen by the cat burglar identified only as the "Lolita Looter", announced Ministry representatives yesterday.

"We are working on getting the items back to their rightful owners," said Oakden Higgins, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "And we continue to investigate the identity and location of the culprit."

Though the Ministry refuses to credit what led to this breakthrough, rumors indicate the return of top Auror Draco Malfoy may have something to do with it. Malfoy was unavailable for comment as his former Auror partner Harry Potter told reporters he is "currently enjoying a long awaited reunion with his new fiancée, Ginny Weasley."

Meanwhile, Lolita's victims can expect to receive their stolen items back starting tomorrow...

THE END