Disclaimer: I own not the Harry Potter characters, plots or settings…though I wish fervently that I did.
---On with the story---
Some people, such as Harry and Ron, have a knack for getting into trouble at any given time. This is probably because of their curious and meddlesome nature. For some people, such traits can prove very useful. For example, Harry, due to his constant meddling, had been able to prevent several takeovers planned by the Dark Lord. For other people, curiosity simply killed the cat. In Ginny's case, curiosity massacred the poor kitten with a two by four.
She cursed her short attention span and tendency for wandering off as she crouched; huddled in a dark corner of the pub, trying not to be seen and hoping to Merlin she was doing a good job of it.
She had been contemplating her escape for nearly five minutes, planning on crawling over to the wall and casually slipping out the door. After all, the pub was nearly empty, with most of the customers sitting at the bar or engrossed in conversations, probably concerning illegal things, Ginny mused.
Her mother had told her not to go wandering off. She had fussed and fussed when Ginny declared that she wanted to be a big girl and go shopping for her school supplies with the other three kids, damn near throwing a fit when her mother tried to deny her the right. Ginny would have been fine, had it not been for the Trio's annoying habit of occupying the Apothecary for almost an hour. She'd slipped out unnoticed, wandering about blindly before realizing that she was in Knockturn Alley.
Now, this didn't have to be a big deal. She could just turn around and walk on out, right? Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that the alley changed every now and then, especially when someone that didn't belong was trying to get out. She ended up in front of the same pub, The Butcher's Wife, four times before relenting and entering the establishment. She was glad, there was a barmaid working that looked nice enough, so Ginny decided upon asking for directions back to Diagon Alley.
After mustering all the courage she had she followed the barmaid around the pub, trying several times to get her attention. It was when she'd reached the same back corner at which Ginny currently resided, when she cleared her throat loudly and the barmaid turned around.
"Take a seat; I'll be right with you," she began to walk off when Ginny spoke up.
"But I just need—"
The barmaid cut her off, turning around again. "Look, I said I'll be right there, okay? It may not look like it but I'm very busy!"
Not wanting to anger the already steamed off woman, Ginny sank slowly into the nearest chair.
Again, this didn't seem to be such a big problem. She could just wait for the barmaid to come back, ask for directions and hightail it out of the whole mess. That was, of course, until the table next to her was occupied. Her heart had nearly stopped upon seeing Lucius Malfoy sit down but, fortunately enough, he hadn't seemed to see her, because he began a very interesting conversation with the man that had accompanied him in.
It was then that her damned curiosity had taken over.
"Not everyone will go along with this. You know that, right?"
"Do I look like a fool to you?" Lucius' voice drawled in a bored tone. "This is no news to me. What concerns me is what's to be done with those that turn against it."
"Simple enough," the second man was gruff and huge. He was someone that Ginny hoped to be like Hagrid, where his could-be-frightening appearance was overtaken by his kind smile and good nature. This wasn't the case, Ginny quickly concluded upon hearing the man's low, menacing chuckle.
Before she knew it, she had slid from her chair and was creeping even closer to the table. They were planning something, and possible murder of several people because of it.
"Don't be stupid," Lucius snapped quietly. "It's not that simple. We still need them, they can't be harmed. And anyways, we want as little attention drawn to this as possible. How's it going to look when even more people start vanishing all over the place?"
Ginny's blood pumped even faster at his words. A call for a low profile meant something big was being planned.
"There are still two options though," the man chuckled again. "Threaten them. If worse comes to worse, curse them."
"You're still not thinking clear enough. People are beginning to suspect everyone for the Imperious, and memory charms are being broken left and right. What we need is some subtle persuasion. We'll talk to Nott and Avery, Goyle and Crabbe as well, they'll be good for something. We'll attack Goblinwatch in four days, just before dawn."
"But…Goblinwatch is full of our allies, and neutrals. What's to be accomplished of that?"
Malfoy sighed, looking almost disgusted. "You're an idiot. We attack the goblins; make it look as if it were planned by the Order."
"They'll believe that?"
"My friend, the goblins will believe anything the Dark Lord tells them. He could tell them that hats are pants and shoes are flowers and the dumb things would go around wearing top hats around their bottoms and handing bouquets of trainers to their sweethearts."
His accomplice laughed again, stamping his foot dangerously close to Ginny's hand. "And that will make them see then?"
"When the goblins take retribution, the effects won't be pretty. Let those who disagree with us know that we gave the goblins the push they needed and no one will dare go against us."
By Ginny's own horrible luck, her shifting foot came in contact with a stray sickle, sending a small ping to fill the air as it ricocheted right off of Lucius Malfoy's chair.
"What? Idiot!" Malfoy seethed, standing and drawing out his wand. "You didn't notice that girl there?"
Lucius continued to hiss something to the other man, but Ginny didn't hear what, for she had just bolted, quite literally for her life, out the door and down the ally.
---It gets better---
Draco Malfoy slunk in and out of the shadows of the hallways of Hogwarts, waiting for his opportune moment to strike. It was his mission, his destiny, to stake out this precise spot and stay there until the old loon was coming back to his office.
He would be dead before he even uttered the password.
Sweat ran down the boy's forehead, and he wiped it off subconsciously, his every muscle tensing as Albus Dumbledore came into view. Draco had been right. He had barely opened his mouth before Draco had shot the fatal curse at him.
Smirking and looking quite pleased with himself, the young wizard strode out into the torchlight, nudging the old man's shoulder with his foot.
It was then that they overtook him.
Half a dozen wizards surrounded him, their wands sparking. Draco gave frenzied glances in all directions, hoping to find an escape route. There was one spot that Draco could squeeze through if he leapt towards it with all his might, but just as he began preparing to do so, Severus Snape blocked it, stepping into the ring in front of Malfoy.
"Professor!" he gasped, growing all the more vulnerable as every ounce of composure he had slipped through his fingers. "Professor, help!"
The man simply sighed, shaking his head. "Don't you see, Draco? You were meant to fail all along."
"No! I-I killed him! I did it! Look!" he pointed to the lifeless body of one of the greatest wizards of all time.
"Yes. You did. But you weren't meant to survive this task. Avada—"
---What's going on? Oh, I see---
"Narcissa?"
The woman in question jerked violently from her reoccurring nightmare, somehow retaining all of the poise and elegance she possessed.
"So sorry for the wait," Albus Dumbledore apologized, taking his seat behind his desk. "I believe you had something of utter importance to talk to me about?"
"It's Draco," the composure she had so proudly harnessed began to slip from her grasp the moment her son's name left her mouth. Her eyes glowed eerily with tears and her bottom lip quavered as a child's might when they've done something very, very wrong. "The Dark Lord has given him a task."
"I thought that might be the case," Dumbledore nodded sagely. "What is this task?"
"To kill you," she choked out the words, abandoning the practice of remaining calm at all. "By the end of the school year and I," she gave a small sob as tears slid down her cheeks, "I just know he'll try it, if only to please Lucius. But that's it! He wasn't meant to survive this task, I can feel it! It was given to him as a punishment for Lucius! He will die, Albus! My only son will die!" she pulled out a handkerchief and mopped at her eyes, daring herself to look straight into those of Albus Dumbledore. What she gathered sent her mind spinning, finding that the news of his impending death had not slighted him in the least.
"I thought it might be something such as that. And you are correct on two counts: that this task was given as punishment to Lucius and that he was not meant to survive. What you are wrong about, however, is the time span of your son's life. He will not die. Not until he has reached a ripe old age, such as me."
"You will help him then?" she looked at him hopefully, her sixteen year old son's life hanging in the balance of his decision.
His eyes twinkled at the woman. How could she think for one second that he would refuse to help her? "I will do everything in my power though, I admit, it will not be easy as I imagine Draco will not be particularly cooperative in the process."
"Bless you, Albus! Oh, bless your heart!" she began sobbing once more with relief as she envisioned how they could keep him safe.
"I will not allow a life so unlived to go on as such," he answered her simply. "Nor will I allow someone with as much potential as Draco to stray down the wrong path. He is young, and so there is still time for him. Now," Dumbledore cleared his throat, smiling at the thankful woman before him. "You still look a bit distressed. I have just the trick here!" he rummaged in his desk for a moment before producing a small tin. "They are very calming, I find," he held said tin out to Narcissa. "Lemon drop?"