"Hey......hey, Miss, are you ok?"

Ginny started to open her eyes and blinked a few times until there was a wrinkled face clearly staring in front of her.

"Are you two alright?" asked an old man bent over her.

She didn't say anything, she was too busy looking around to see where she was and soon realized she was still in the hallway outside of Will's apartment.

"Mum, wake up, we fell asleep," she said, gently shaking her mum awake.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked the old man again

"Yes, yes, I'm fine....what time is it?" Ginny asked him, getting to her feet and then helping her mum up.

"It's almost seven," he answered, squinting at his watch.

"Seven, geez." Ginny turned to her mum. "Mum, we should just go to the Ministry first before we go home to just make sure it's safe. Harry should be there, especially if he's wondering where we are. Even if he isn't there, I'm sure Chamberlain will be."

Molly nodded in agreement and they both apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Are you sure she will come here?" Draco asked with a snarl.

"YES!" Harry snapped loudly.

"Alright calm down, Potter, don't get your knickers in a bunch," he said, taking a seat behind Harry's desk. "So this is where the famous Harry Potter works." he drawled, leaning back in the chair and looking at the piles of files all around. "I wonder how many of these files are in relation to my case," he said casually shooting Harry a quick glare.

Harry just shook his head, "Honesty, Draco, at this point I just might take your help, but I want Ginny left out of it." he said, taking a seat across from him.

Draco was completely caught by surprise by Harry's sudden change of mind to let him help. He nodded once he heard Harry's conditions to not involve Ginny and he agreed. After seeing the damage that was done to her when she was attacked, he couldn't bear to see anything else happen to her. Now here he was sitting around waiting and hoping that she was ok and would soon turn up.

"I would also prefer if you didn't tell Ginny you were helping me......she would flip out." Harry continued.

"So you want me to lie to her?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry just looked at him, "Yeah, I guess so. Why? Doesn't seem that something like that would be an issue for you." he casually said with a shrug.

Draco couldn't even imagine how mad Ginny would be if she knew he was helping Harry with his case and she wasn't, especially after how many times she tried to persuade Harry to let her help.

"I...I don't know if I can do that," he said softly, his tone more serious.

Harry was surprised at Draco's comment, he didn't realize Draco thought that highly of Ginny not to lie to her.

"Draco, it's to keep her safe, you think I would lie to her to hurt her?"

"Is that why you lied to her about what's in her file?" he asked, glaring at him.

Harry just glared back, "Yes, believe me, Draco, I......" he just trailed off and started to shake his head before he abruptly got up from the chair and left the office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was practically running through the Ministry in the hopes that Harry or even Will were there. She was dragging her mother along with her the whole way until she made it to the hallway and quickly made a dash to Harry's office. She didn't even bother knocking, she just quickly barged through the door and was so relieved when she saw him there.

"GINNY!" both Harry and Draco yelled out in unison.

Harry quickly grabbed her into a hug and looked her over and saw she was ok and then he turned his attention to the small scrape Molly had on her head.

"Mrs. Weasley, are you alright? What happened? Where were you?" he berated them with questions.

"Yes, dear, we are quite alright, as soon as you left last night two men attacked. What about George, please tell me he is alright?" she asked, her eyes welling with tears.

"Yes, he's fine, it was just a distraction for us to leave you guys alone........I'm just glad you're ok," he said turning back to Ginny, who had her eyes firmly on Draco.

"Yeah, me too," Draco said with a small smirk as he locked eyes with Ginny.

"Where's Arthur?" Molly asked.

"He's back at the Burrow with Narcissa, I asked her to put a ward around the house. Just like the one around the Manor so I'll know if it's been compromised at all and if anyone tries to break through." Harry explained.

"A ward? You think that's necessary?" Ginny asked, a bit of anger rising in her voice.

They all looked at her, "Better safe than sorry," Draco said.

She just shook her head, of course she wanted to be safe, but the fact that things have gotten so bad since she became involved with Draco were bothering her for some reason.

"Come on, Mrs. Weasley, we have a small medical department downstairs, I can take you there," Harry said, leading the way out the door. "I'll be back in a few guys."

Once they were gone, it was just Ginny and Draco in the office and she gave a long sigh and sat down. He just stared at her, he wanted to hug her and kiss her like crazy once he saw her barge through that office door. The small thought that something terrible could have possibly happened to her was gut-wrenching.

"What's wrong?" he asked her with a furrowed brow.

She shrugged, "Nothing, it's just......I don't know, is this how my life is going to be now?" she said in a very apparent annoyed tone.

He was quiet for a few moments, he really wasn't sure what to say; of course it was his fault she was in this mess. He did try to warn her not to get involved with him, but he should have tried harder......she was just so fuckin hard to stay away from though.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I know how you feel," he said softly.

"Do you? Because the last time I checked, I'm the one covered in cuts and bruises head to toe. I'm the one who was almost killed not one, not two, but THREE times, unless I'm missing some other occasion that might've slipped my mind. I thought these people wanted YOU dead, not me, not my family. Oh, that's right, they can't fuckin touch you because you're hiding inside that fuckin prison you call home," she snapped angrily.

Draco was livid at her sudden outburst, he wanted to try and understand, but the fact that she made it out like he had lost nothing these past few years wasn't something he would take lightly. "Are you fuckin serious right now? Do you even hear yourself when you open that fuckin hole in your face? You think I'm hiding? You think I don't want to be able to go wherever the hell I please? I would give ANYTHING, ANY FUCKIN THING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY EVERY TIME I DO, SOMEONE I LOVE OR CARE ABOUT OR HAVE ANY SORT OF RELATIONSHIP OR FEELINGS FOR IS KILLED!" he screamed at her. He walked closer to her until his face was only a few inches from hers. "You can say whatever THE FUCK you want and you can THINK whatever shit that fuckin twisted mind of yours wants to think, but the last time I checked EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR LOVED ONES IS STILL ALIVE!" he spat at her, his voice filled with venom and hate. "Oh, that's right, the only brother you did lose and you can't even have the decency to mourn the poor bloke," he said with a sneer before ripping the door open and slamming it shut so hard that he made a frame from one of the walls fall to the floor and break.

Ginny's heart felt like it was being repeatedly stabbed as her body shook with rage. She wasn't even sure if she was mad at Draco or herself more. Why would she say something like that to him, like she really had it that bad? Sure, she had been in a few near-death situations, but they were all her choice....well most of them. She is the one who decided to get involved, even though Draco and Harry told her not to. She couldn't even compare the things she's lost to what Draco had gone through these past few years. Her heart ached at the reaction he had when she first spoke those words to him. How the hell did things get to this?

Ginny walked out into the hall to see if by some small chance Draco was still out there. After seeing he wasn't she saw Will walk into his office and she marched over to the doorway.

"Where were you?" she snapped.

"Excuse me?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

"My mother and I were attacked last night at our house and I went to your place thinking you would be somewhat helpful and your flat is completely empty. What the hell is going on?" she asked angrily, her voice rising.

"Um, it's called moving, Ginny. Is that not allowed? Was I suppose to get permission?" he said with a chuckle.

His laugh just made Ginny angrier, maybe she was more angry at the fight she just had with Draco more than anything.

"So you just decided to move one day?" she said, folding her arms.

"It almost sounds like you're accusing me of something.......are you? And why is it such a big deal about me moving? You really need to learn some boundaries because quite honestly you're pissing me off," he said some anger apparent in his voice.

She just shook her head in annoyance. "Whatever, Will," she said before slamming the door shut and leaving the Ministry.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Draco?"

He rolled his eyes as his mother called out to him.

"Draco, are you coming down for dinner?" she asked through the door.

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and then heard another knock. He gave out a growl of agitation and ripped the door open.

"BLOODY FUCKIN HELL, MOTHER, IF I WANTED TO EAT I'D BE FUCKIN DOWN THERE!" he yelled angrily at her before making his way back over to the couch.

She didn't say anything at his outburst, instead, she just walked into his room and watched him for a moment. "Relationship troubles?" she asked with a slight smirk.

"Mother, please shut up with that shit. There is no damn relationship, there never was and never will be," he snapped.

Narcissa didn't say anything, in fact, she couldn't help the small frown that formed.

"She....she's just so.....so....FUCK, I don't even know because she's so damn bloody fuckin annoying," he said with a sneer as he started to pace in front of the fireplace.

"Love hurts sometimes, Draco," Narcissa said with a sad smile.

He just started to laugh, "Love? Please, Mother, do you really think that's what's going on here?"

"Yes," she simply said.

He just glared at her, "Well, you're wrong."

"Am I? You're pretty riled up over this.....what was it? An argument I'm assuming? If you didn't care that much about her you wouldn't be this hurt over it," she said with a shrug.

He sat back down and just shook his head at her comment.

"You know I'm right, Draco," she said.

"YEAH, I FUCKIN KNOW!" he yelled out in frustration. "Now get the hell out," he snapped.

She just gave him a smug smile before leaving his bedroom.

Draco wanted to stay mad at Ginny forever over the hurtful things she said to him. He tried to understand where her mind was at, but he was just as stubborn as she was and he didn't want to forgive her that easily. The truth was that he said some pretty mean things himself to her; the look in her eyes when he threw Fred's death in her face made him want to find her right now and scoop her up into a hug. He didn't even know how he was going to help Harry without her knowing or keeping it from her, although, after their fight, he was finding it easier to lie to the little firecracker.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Ginny couldn't wait to get to work after being stuck inside the wards around her house. It wasn't like her parents were making her stay home, but they strongly suggested it every time she mentioned going out somewhere. Right now they were only ok with her either going to work or the Malfoys and being that she and Draco had a huge blowout, it didn't seem like she would be stopping there anytime soon.

It wasn't that much different being surrounded by the ward, but Ginny couldn't fly as high as she wanted and the air wasn't as fresh and crisp as she knew it to be. She almost felt like she was suffocating inside her own home with how impenetrable the wards were and she hated it. She completely understood the reasoning, but she was also bothered that this is what her life had suddenly become.

She was making her way into work when she caught sight of Draco walking in the same direction as her. She wasn't sure how to act after their argument yesterday, but her curiosity was forcing her to converse with him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Weasley, not that it's any of your business, but I've managed to step out of my "prison" long enough to see what Potter wanted to talk to me about," he drawled with a sneer.

Ginny grew angry at his use of her last name and she knew he was doing it just to get under her skin. As angry as she was, her heart was just completely crumbling within her as she felt her love for him become threatened.

"Why are you being like this?" she asked him suddenly, although she knew why, she just wanted an excuse to keep talking to him.

"Don't you have a job to go do?" he snapped at her.

She followed him all the way to the outside of Harry' office. "Listen, I'm sorry about the things I said yesterday, I-"

"It's fine because it doesn't matter anymore," he quickly said in a dismissive tone as he knocked on the door.

"Really? So.....you don't want to work on your case together anymore?" she asked, her feelings apparently hurt.

"Yeah, I'm all set, thanks," he said with a scowl.

Ginny because livid at his behavior, the fact that it was so easy for him to wipe her from his life completely pissed her off, "You know what, Malfoy.........FUCK YOU!" she yelled at him before turning on her heel and storming into Will's office.

His heart sank at the use of his last name also, not realizing how much it really did hurt to hear her say it. How the hell did they go from sharing the most amazing day together to arguing like this and going back to a last name basis?

"Is everything ok out here?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood in the doorway, apparently, he overheard more than he should have.

Draco just rolled his eyes and pushed past him into the office and plopped down in a chair. "She's just....-"

"Ginny?" Harry finished his sentence for him.

"YES!" he growled out in frustration.

"So you guys are fighting? About what?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco just glared at him, "Never mind, so what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Do you have Blaise's file?"

Draco didn't say anything, the only thing he thought of was how hard Ginny worked on trying to get all the proper files to work on his case. He suddenly felt ridiculously guilty when he realized she still never got hers, well she did look at it, but they knew there was more to it.

"Because it's not here and it's not in Chamberlain's office so-"

"Yes, I have it.......I also still have a copy of my file and my mother charmed it so that every time you add something to your copy it will appear in mine," he quickly added.

Harry just shook his head, "You know, I don't know who's worse, you or Ginny," he said with some amusement.

"Ginny definitely has the lead, she wanted to replicate it when she first grabbed it, but just didn't know how to override-" He stopped talking when he saw Harry give him a disapproving glare. "And I'm just going to shut up now."

"Yeah, perhaps the less I know about all the illegal stuff you two are doing is best."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny slammed the door to Will's office closed and took a seat in front of his desk, still fuming over her conversation with Draco.

"You're late you know," Will said, as he was flipping through a file before looking up at her.

Ginny just glared at him, "I don't care," she snapped.

"What's the matter? Trouble in paradise? How could that be? You're with the perfect guy," he drawled with an amused smirk.

"You're a real piece of shit, you know that," she said angrily.

He just looked at her with an even wider smirk. "Aww, now that's not nice, you know you shouldn't talk to your boss like that."

"Will, I honestly don't give a fuck.......at all," she said sarcastically. "I don't even need this job, I just do it to pass the time, so fire me if you want."

"Now that's no fun, I rather have you stay here and be miserable."

Ginny just glared at him, "You know, I got a letter the other day that threatened my brother's life AFTER I had just gone to see him earlier that day. I remember saying to myself that day right before I left work, "Gee, I think I'll go see George real quick after work" and then I get that letter."

"Ok, so what's your point?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you're up to no good and I think you have Harry fooled because you saved his life a few times out there in the field and you've had his back and helped him cover up some shit for Draco and I.....but I think it's all an act," she said accusingly.

The look on his face turned to one of pure anger and he walked around the desk and squatted in front of her chair. "That's a very serious statement, Ginny Weasley, what exactly are you trying to suggest?" he said, his tone was soft but menacing at the same time.

She just looked at him with disgust.

"Don't think I won't throw you in a holding cell downstairs for the night if you keep running your mouth." he threatened.

Ginny just scoffed at his threat and then glared at him once more, "I think you have something to do with Draco's case and I don't mean in a good way. You just suddenly start working for the ministry right after Astoria was killed and then you're so willing to help Harry work on Draco's case when you HATE him, both you and your brother."

"PLENTY OF PEOPLE HATE HIM!" he yelled at her. "The real question, is why don't you? You know that you almost died down there in that chamber right? You know that Lucius Malfoy played a big hand in that? You know that at that time Draco was very much willing to let-"

"THAT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME!" she cut him off, standing up suddenly. She couldn't stand to hear the things he was saying and didn't want him to fill her head with such horrid memories.

"Think of it however you want, but the very fact that you could EVER think so highly of someone who is such a piece of garbage.... makes you just as bad as him."

"You have no idea what things were like for-"

"NO, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" he bellowed, slamming his fist hard on his desk. He looked like he was trying to compose himself before he completely went crazy. "I think you need to leave now before I arrest you for these false accusations and harassment on a Ministry official."

Ginny just laughed, "Are you serious? If anyone should be arrested it should be you," she snapped.

He quickly waved his wand and Ginny felt her hands tightly bound behind her back. He walked up to her until he was only inches from her face. "I think you're slowly going insane, Miss Weasley," he said softly as he brought up his thumb and wiped a small drop of blood that had apparently been dripping from Ginny's nose. "You really should get this checked out," he said with a smug smirk before dragging her out into the hall.

As he was walking her down the hall, Harry and Draco had just finished up and took in the scene before them.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny's bound hands.

"No worries, Mr. Potter, Ginny here just needs a lesson in minding her tongue." Will said with a slight grin.

"What could she have possibly said that you need to arrest her for?" Draco asked angrily, trying hard not punch this guys lights out.

"That's an excellent question, well, let's see, oh yes, that's right, she accused me of basically being a murderer," he said, looking at Ginny with a satisfied smile.

Draco and Harry both looked at her like she was completely mental.

"What the FUCK, Ginny?" Harry said through clenched teeth.

She didn't say anything, she just looked at the floor before she glanced up and caught Draco's gaze. Fuck, he was gorgeous, she didn't care about their argument anymore, she just wanted him to apparate her out of here and back to his bedroom so he could fuck her brains out.

"I can escort her down," Harry said

"That's quite alright, I think I can handle it. You know....conflict of interest and all, I want to make sure she actually gets there," he said, before dragging her along.

Harry just glared at him before turning back to Draco, "Why the hell would she say that?"

"I don't know unless she knows something we don't?" Draco suggested. "I mean, Chamberlain's a sketchy fucker anyway and you know how Ginny loves to jump to conclusions."

"I guess let's go pay our a little criminal a visit," he said, gesturing for Draco to follow him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was sitting in the cell with a bloody tissue held to her nose; her head was pounding and the room was spinning. She was angry at herself for acting so carelessly after her encounter with Draco in the hallway. She closed her eyes in hopes the dizzy feeling would soon subside, but it seemed to just make it worse.

"Ginny?"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Harry's voice and she tried to get up, but the spinning room made her just lay back against the wall. He entered the cell with Draco behind him and they were all quiet for a moment.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ginny?" Harry started.

She just glared at him and then at Draco, "I guess I wasn't thinking at all," she said softly.

Draco was more concerned about her condition than the fact she was sitting in a cell. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

She just shook her head, "Not really," she said in a small voice.

"I'm going to talk to Chamberlain so we can get you home," Harry said.

"How about to a hospital?" Draco snapped. "This has gone on long enough, you need to find out what the hell is going on," he demanded.

Harry just looked at him and then to Ginny, "I was only under the impression this happened like twice, how many times are you blacking out, Ginny?"

She just shrugged.

"All the time, twice at my place, once here at the Ministry and that's not counting the endless nosebleeds, and debilitating headaches you have almost every day now."

"I DON'T NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!" she yelled. "Just......just get out," she said with a wave of her hand.

They were both quiet and Draco turned to Harry to ask him to give him a moment with Ginny but he already got the hint before he could say a word.

"I'll be back in a few," he quickly said, before leaving the room.

Draco took a seat next to Ginny and sat there quietly with her for a few moments. "I'm.....I'm sorry,"

"It's fine, I shouldn't have said that stuff to you... I was just frustrated, I'm sorry too," she said with a small smile.

"Who exactly did you accuse Chamberlain of murdering?" he said with an amused smirk.

"I didn't actually accuse him of murder, I just said I think he........"

"He what?"

"I don't know, I just don't trust him and I think he has more to do with your case than we think."

He just stared at her, his expression stiffened a bit. "Why do you think that?"

She just looked at him, "Draco, something isn't right with this guy......I just....." she trailed off and gave a defeated sigh. "Maybe he's right, maybe I am going fuckin insane."

"I'm afraid to tell you this, Ginny, but-"

"Don't say it," she said with a smile.

"You already are insane." he laughed, causing her to slap him on the arm. "If you really think this guy could potentially be involved then we need to find out." he simply said.

She nodded before resting her head on his shoulder, "Can we go back to being friends now?" she asked in a small voice.

He smiled to himself, "Sure." he said, before placing an arm around her shoulders. "Uh, Ginny..... before that happens, I need to tell you something."

She lifted her head to look at him, "What is it?"

"Harry......" he stopped himself. If he told Ginny about him working on his case with Harry she would either be angry or want to help and then Harry wouldn't have either of them help. If that happened then he could jeopardize any chance of him finding out who killed Astoria and Blaise.

"Draco?" she pushed for him to continue.

He looked into her eyes as she awaited his words, "He asked me to help him work on my case....as long as...... you didn't get involved and I didn't tell you." he said.

She looked angry at first, but then a slight smile spread across her face. "This is perfect, now YOU can try to get my file. Maybe he will tell you what's in there," she said excitedly.

"I.....I don't know, Ginny, he was pretty serious about leaving you out of it and I don't want you getting hurt any-"

"So you're just going to forget everything we've worked on and go work with your new pal Harry?" she snapped.

"Stop being like that, I didn't even have to tell you shit."

"THEN WHY DID YOU?"

He got up and walked out of the cell. "Maybe we need to rethink this friend thing or whatever the fuck it is that we are," he said with a sneer before leaving the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?" Harry yelled.

"Calm down, Harry, I'm just teaching her a lesson. You know she runs her mouth and steals files and tampers in Auror business and enough was enough." Will explained.

"I get that, but arresting her?"

"Relax, I'm not doing anything, I just threw her down there to shut her up. You know how hard I've worked on this case to try and help you and then to have her turn around and make me out to be a part of it? How should I have responded?" he said, his feelings seemed genuinely hurt.

"I understand how Ginny can be, but she's going through a lot right now and I know I shouldn't be making excuses for her, but maybe you could cut her a damn break?" he asked with some anger still in his voice.

"With all due respect, Mr. Potter, hasn't she had plenty of breaks recently? Covering up their prints all over a crime scene? Overlooking the fact that she stole Ministry files? I mean the list goes on."

"So where do you want to go from here?"

"I'll let her out in a few hours and she's still welcome to work in my office if she wants as long as these false accusations stop or the next time I'm going to Kingsley," he threatened.

Harry just nodded before leaving Chamberlain's office and when he did, he felt like he trusted him a lot less than he had before.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Alright, looks like the day is almost over so I suppose I'll let you out now." came Will's voice as he unlocked the cell door.

Ginny just glared at him and he walked inside and squatted down in front of her.

"Why are you so set on me being a monster?" he softly asked her, his expression genuine

She just continued to look at him for a moment. "Why did you become an Auror?" she asked him suddenly.

He got up and took a seat beside her. "During Voldemort's time, my parents were murdered by some death eaters. Who it was or how it happened will probably never be answered with how many people were killed back then. Anyway, obviously I wanted to make them pay, but in an attempt to try and be some sort of hero one day, I ended up getting my sister killed as well when I went to seek out information regarding my parents' killer. About two years ago after I was already well on my way to becoming an Auror, my youngest brother Thomas was killed in some crossfire and it just so happened to be a few weeks after Astoria's murder. I have a strong feeling the same people who killed my brother are the same people who murdered Astoria and Blaise. I took a job at the Ministry shortly after that and asked Harry about the case and we agreed to work on it together.....that's it really."

Ginny wasn't sure what to say, she didn't expect any of this to come out of Will's mouth. "That's horrible, so is Joseph your only other brother?" she asked curiously.

"No, in fact, I have five brothers altogether," he said with a light laugh.

"Damn, that's a lot of siblings, believe me, I know." she joked.

"So, can we start over again here and stop this nonsense?" he asked her, holding his hand out for her to shake.

She looked at him for a moment, "I'm still skeptical, but I suppose I'll give you a chance. What about my file? Can you get me it?"

"You are still in a holding cell and you're already asking me if I can steal your file for you," he stated. "Besides, I meant what I said.......I will require something in return."

She looked at his outstretched hand and then going against everything her mind was screaming out to her, she grabbed it and shook it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day after everything that went down at the Ministry, Ginny had stayed home from work and slept almost all day. Her head was just continuously pounding all the time now and she found herself wiping blood from her nose at least twice a day now. She literally felt like she was losing her mind, everything just seemed to make no sense lately. She finally managed to pull herself out of bed to an owl that was tapping on her window and she dragged her feet over and let him in. She grabbed the letter and quickly read it.

Ginny,

Dinner at the Manor? You know what time.......... we need to talk.

Draco

Surprised by Draco reaching out to her suddenly, she quickly glanced at the clock and saw it was a little after four and decided to go shower and get dressed. She made her way downstairs and saw her mum and dad in the kitchen chatting.

"Hello, sleepyhead," Molly said with a chuckle. "How are you feeling? You look like hell."

"Thanks, and I guess ok......is Harry home from work yet?"

"Not yet, dear.......where are you off too?" Molly asked suddenly, taking in Ginny's attire.

"I'm going to Draco's for dinner." she shrugged.

"I see.....soooo what's going on with you two?" Molly asked as she thought back to the conversation she had with Ginny in the hallway.

"I don't know, Mum, I'll keep you posted," she said sarcastically.

"PLEASE BE CAREFUL!" She called out to her as Ginny was already halfway out the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny gave a hard knock on the door and was surprised to see Narcissa answer it so quickly.

"Miss Weasley," she said with a smile and then it quickly faded as she realized her enthusiasm. "I, Uh, didn't realize you were coming......please come in," she said, opening the door all the way for her.

"Thanks," Ginny mumbled.

"So how are you? How's your mother? You both gave everyone a good scare the other day."

Ginny was even more surprised by Narcissa's questions. "We are both doing fine, thanks," she said as she made her way up to Draco's room.

Narcissa just gave a small smirk as she watched Ginny walk upstairs, she was hopeful that Draco and Ginny would work things out.

Ginny gave a hard knock on Draco's door and this time waited for him to answer rather than walk in. He opened the door and looked surprised to see her standing there; he just couldn't stop staring at her, like it was the first time he realized he was madly in love with her.

"Hey," Ginny mumbled as she made her way into his room.

"Hey, I didn't think I would see you today," he said.

"What are you talking about? You sent me that letter to come over and talk, so here I am," she snapped.

"Ginny.........I didn't send anything to you," he said, giving her a confused look.

She looked just as confused as he was, "Did your mother send it?"

"May.....be...." Draco trailed off when he saw the lights flicker for a moment and then looked at Ginny.

"What was that?" she asked, noticing it as well.

"I have no idea-"

He was cut off when there was a loud boom outside and there was a sudden rumbling sensation that filled the house for a moment.

"Draco, that sounds like-"

"The wards," he whispered to himself and then took off running to find his parents with Ginny close behind him.

They didn't even make it to the stairs yet when Lucius and Narcissa already met them halfway. Ginny noticed the panic they all seemed to be in suddenly.

"Mother, what the hell is going on? Has someone broke through the wards?" Draco asked, although he feared he already knew.

"I don't think so, they are still up, but it looks like they have been temporarily disabled, which means......someone just forced their way inside," she said, her voice filled with fear and panic. "You most likely will not be able to apparate out of here until the original wards are back in place." she explained, as she took a quick peek out of the window to see if she could see anyone outside.

"And how long will that be?" Draco asked.

She just looked at him and then to Ginny, "I'm not sure, I don't even know how they managed to disable them, but I want you two to get somewhere safe, do you remember everything we've discussed in case anything like this was to ever happen?" she quickly asked Draco before he could take off with Ginny.

He nodded.

"Good," she said with a small smile, "Now go."

She watched him drag Ginny with him downstairs and then she turned to Lucius, who grabbed her over to a corner where they had an advantage point in case someone broke in.

"Narcissa, how could this have happened?" he asked her, his voice filled with anger.

"I DON'T KNOW, LUCIUS!" she yelled out. "I don't know, I thought I had everything covered....perhaps I missed something," she said, desperately trying to think of something she could've accidentally overlooked.

"How long until Potter is alerted of the breach?"

"It should be immediately," she said, her heart sinking at the possibility of that plan failing as well. She started to wave her wand and metal shutters started covering all the windows and all entrances into the Manor. She stopped and turned to Lucius, "If something happens-"

"Nothing will happen, nobody has even made it through our doors yet and by that time Potter and Aurors will already be here, JUST like we have planned all these years," he said firmly.

She nodded before tightly gripping her wand and following Lucius to a more secure part of the Manor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Draco wait........Draco hold on a second, DRACO!" she yelled out, ripping her wrist out of his grasp.

He stopped and turned to look at her before he reached up and cupped her face firmly in his hands. "Ginny, listen to me.....if these people really made it in here, then chances are we aren't getting out alive.....not all of us anyway. I mean my parents have prepared for this since everything started, but now that it's happening....." he trailed off.

She didn't know what to say, all she could really think about was the feel of his hands on her face and that was the last thing she should be thinking about right now. "Where are we going?" she asked suddenly after seeing that he had brought her down towards the dungeons of the Manor.

"Any place safe until the disabling charm wears off, once that happens the wards will cause harm to anyone that's a threat inside it," he explained.

"What if they make it inside before that happens?" she asked, her voice filled with panic.

She didn't want to be scared and she normally wasn't, but she knew what these people were capable of, one of them almost killed her and she didn't want to relive that moment again anytime soon.

"Hey, you have to stay clear-headed ok? You got your wand?" he asked, giving her something else to think about for even the slightest of moments.

She nodded.

"Ok, good," he said, then opened his palm and held it out in front of him. "I'll show you something pretty neat, my mother showed me this advanced charm a while ago just for this occasion."

He started waving his wand in a circular motion and said a few spells that Ginny couldn't make out. He started moving his wand in a few different directions until she started seeing some kind of an orb looking thing forming in the palm of his hand and he held it out in front of her.

"What kind of attacking spell do you think you're pretty decent at?" he asked her, a smirk forming on his face.

"Um.....my Reducto spell is pretty wild." she shrugged.

"Good, now point your wand at the orb and perform the spell. Put as much force behind it as you can.....make it good," he explained.

She nodded and then whipped her wand hand about as fiercely as she could, "REDUCTO!" she yelled out.

Her hair blew wildly around her for a moment as the spell shot out into the small orb making it change to a bluish color.

"Brilliant, what else do you have?" he asked her as he shot a few of his own spells inside of it.

"Well, you know I'm famous for my Bat-Bogey hex," she said with a slight smile.

"Fuck that hex, that sucked.......you better put that in then," he said, gesturing to the orb.

Again she waved her wand and shot the hex into the orb. "So, what exactly does this thing do?"

He placed the orb near one of the entrances to the manor. "Think of it like a bomb, once it is triggered, every single curse and charm and whatever else we threw in here will be released. Each spell will hold the same amount of force of how the caster originally performed it and it will cause some heavy duty damage," he explained.

"Wow, that's......amazing, and your mother showed you this?" she asked, pretty impressed by the level of magic.

"Yep, I told you......she hardly breaks a sweat when she comes up with this shit," he said with a smug grin. "Now let's do a few more."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ah, Harry you're finally home," Mrs. Weasley said with a bright smile. "Dinner is almost ready, dear."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley, just had to finish up some paperwork," he said, plopping down in a seat at the table.

"Now, now, Harry, there's always tomorrow," Arthur joked. "Anyway, Kingsley wants to meet with Lucius and me about the positions this week, I think it sounds like a go ahead," he said happily.

"Arthur, that's great news," Harry said with a smile.

He suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket and his entire body froze as he reached his hand inside and pulled out a small round item that resembled a pocket watch. When Narcissa and Lucius wanted the ward put up around the Manor, Kingsley wanted it monitored by a Ministry official, which of course Harry agreed to, especially with one so powerful as the one Narcissa herself put up. He linked the object in his pocket to replicate the wards and whenever they were compromised in any way it would shake uncontrollably. He took the extra step to make sure he would know right away because of his close involvement in Draco's case, which is why he created the item.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Arthur asked, noticing Harry's expression.

Harry pulled the item from his pocket and it was shaking so much he had to use two hands to hold it. It was even rattling at this point and a few cracks started to form in it.

He jumped up from his seat suddenly. "The wards.....someone got through them?" he asked to himself, surprised that this was actually happening. He looked at Arthur when he finally comprehended what was happening. "WE NEED TO GET TO THE MANOR NOW!" he yelled.

"HARRY!"

He stopped running towards the door when he heard Molly's voice ring out and he looked at her.

"Harry, Ginny's there," Molly cried out.

He didn't waste another second as he and Arthur apparated to Malfoy Manor hoping they weren't too late.