This story is AU: Draco, instead of killing Dumbledore, changed sides at the last moment on top of the Astronomy Tower. Dumbledore is alive and Draco is on the 'good' side, though he still has all his old prejudices. Snape had to reveal himself as a spy to save Draco that night and now is wanted by the Dark Lord. JKR owns all the characters etc. Please read and review!
The sound of distant gulls began to make its way into Ginny's ears. 'Odd' she thought, but still in the comfortable state between sleeping and waking she ignored it. A warm breeze drifted across her face. 'I must have left the window open again! I'll close it later…' She turned over only to find herself with a face full of sand. 'Sand?'
Ginny propped herself up on her hands and looked around. She was on a beach. And this wasn't Brighton either; it appeared to be a tropical South Sea's type of beach. The sand was golden-white and there were Palm Trees –Bloody Palm Trees- along the edge of a small patch of forest. She shook her head vigorously. How the fuck did this happen?
She sat up properly this time and reached for her wand. This must be a Death Eater trick she thought, grip tightening on her wand. The last thing Ginny could remember was going to sleep in her own bed, the night after Bill and Fleur's wedding. Her parents had come in to wish her goodnight, slightly strange they both came, but perhaps they were feeling emotional about Bill getting married? It was nothing out of the ordinary that's for sure.
Now she was on an island.
An island. It could be anywhere for all she knew, Pacific, Caribbean Mediterranean, off the coast of bloody Africa! Ginny was scared and angry, not a good combination for anyone, but especially not a Weasley. Perhaps this was why it took her a few minutes to realise there was a well worn trail winding its way into the bush. It went in about 20 metres and turned a corner out of view.
Getting up and dusting herself off Ginny contemplated what she should do. Surely it was a trap. There'd be half a dozen Death Eaters waiting for her around that corner. She couldn't just walk down it. It could be some magical maze you can never escape. Just as she was thinking all this Draco Malfoy walked out from around the bend in the track.
"You!" she yelled, wand pointed at his heart. He looked extremely startled to see her.
"What the fuck?"
"Don't pretend like you don't know what this is Malfoy. Just because Dumbledore believes in second chances, I don't. Why am I here eh? What's your plan? Where are the others?" she said it all before she realised how paranoid it sounded.
"You're flipping mental Weasley!" Draco said an ugly look on his face.
"Well tell me why I'm here then!"
"I don't bloody know!" Draco shouted arms in the air. He was wearing his wizard robes and looked back to his old health, a bit more colour in his face then there had been at the end of the last school year, but despite this he was still pale. "I was reading at Grimmuald Place and must have dozed off. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the middle of a tropical jungle with a snake on my leg! I shook it off and sprinted down the path I was laying on, and here I am staring at Ginny-bloody-Weasley! I expect Neville Longbottom to spring out from behind a coconut tree any second!"
"You really don't know anything do you?" Ginny asked somewhat disappointed.
"No" said Draco cooling off "You don't either then?"
"No same story really, fell asleep, woke up here"
Ginny gazed up and down the stretch of beach. Nothing in either direction expect more sand and a few rocks.
"Do you think…he might have something to do with it?" Draco asked sounding terrified.
"Don't jump to conclusions" said Ginny, even though this was exactly what she'd been thinking. She still despised Draco Malfoy, despite the fact he'd decided to change sides and the last moment and not kill Dumbledore. He now had half the Death Eaters in Britain hunting for him.
"What should we do?" Ginny asked after a moments pause.
"I don't know Weasley, this happens to be my first time on a desert island." Draco's speech dripped with his trademark sarcasm.
"Oh relax Malfoy, it's just a question."
They both sat down in the sand, stumped. There was still a large space between them, neither wanting to be closer then necessary to the other. The adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off and Ginny was finally noticing how repressively hot her new environment was. The humid air seemed thick and hard to breathe.
"Maybe we should follow the track?" Ginny suggested after a pause
"What, further into the bush?"
"Yes of course Draco. Oh you're not scared are you?" Ginny asked catching the look on his face.
"No, just…could be dangerous. There might be…savages!"
"Savages? Come on Draco, we both have wands for crying out loud!"
Ginny got up to walk on and Draco, clearly terrified at the thought of being left alone, promptly followed her. Somehow the terrified presence of Draco Malfoy was doing a great deal to boost Ginny's own courage. They rounded the bend in the track.
"This was where I was lying" said Draco pointing to a bunch of leaves and twigs "A bloody snake on my foot!" Ginny rolled her eyes and kept walking.
They walked straight a few more metres and came to another twist in the narrow track. Rounding it a house came into view in the middle of a clearing.
"Bloody hell"
"Do you think we should see if anyone's at home?" Ginny asked
"Right behind you" said Draco
The house appeared to be a sort of modern batch, complete with sliding doors and a veranda. It was completely out of place in such a rustic setting.
Ginny knocked. Hearing no answer she pulled the door open and let herself in. Draco followed her inside.
They were standing in a modern muggle kitchen. It was large and open plan and spread out into a lounge area, complete with a TV, DVD, stereo and computer. To Ginny and Draco, both purebloods who'd never set foot in a Muggle Studies class, this was rather meaningless.
"Come on" said Ginny, walking through the living room and opening a door which led into a hallway. There were photographs of colourful tropical fish along the walls and a hibiscus flower print on the skirting board. All in all it gave a slightly tacky Hawaiian feel to the house. There were 3 doors leading off from the hall. Ginny gingerly opened the first one and was a little disappointed to find it empty. There was an unmade bed and a chest of draws, along with a trunk in the room. The island décor continued in here too.
"Hold it a second" said Draco angrily rushing past Ginny "That's my trunk!" He opened it and sure enough half of Draco's wardrobe and personal effects fell out.
"What the hell? Who would do this?" Draco asked puzzled.
"Someone close enough to you to have access to Grimmauld Place and all of your clothes. Perhaps a spy in the Order?" Ginny suggested.
"But most of my clothes were at the Manor and I haven't been back since school ended. And look at this-" Draco held up a rather batted book "- it was my favourite book when I was a first year…it was definitely at the Manor."
Ginny cringed to herself each time Draco said 'Manor'
"Come on, there are two other rooms to check" she said dragging Draco away from his belongings.
Ginny grabbed the doorknob on the next door and swung it open. To both their amazement there were two beds in this room and one appeared to have someone in it.
"Is that a girl?" Draco asked loudly
"Shhh!" said Ginny, aware it could easily be a Death Eater in disguise. Unfortunately Draco had awoken whatever it was. She stretched, turned around and screamed. Ginny sighed in relief; it was only Susan Bones.
"WHERE AM I? WHATS GOING ON?" she yelled at the top of her lungs
"Relax Susan, it's me, Ginny." Ginny said. She knew Susan a little from the DA and through friends of friends but Susan was in the year above Ginny and a different house, so they weren't close at all.
"What the fuck? I was asleep at Hannah's and now I wake up and I'm here?"
"We're on an island" Ginny said and then told the story of her and Draco waking up on the beach and in a jungle and not knowing what was going on. Susan sat and listened. Ginny felt acutely sorry for Susan; the last Bones left alive. The rest of her family had been murdered by Death Eaters not one week into the summer holidays. Ginny could hardly bare to think what she'd do if one of her brothers was killed, let alone all of them. Susan was a pretty girl; she had rich brown hair and eyes of the same colour, and cheek bones you only noticed after you'd been looking at her for a while. She was the sort of person who wouldn't stand out in a crowd but seemed to become prettier the longer you looked at her.
"Merlin's Beard" said Susan once Ginny had told her story. Draco leaned against the wall, paler then before. Perhaps he was feeling guilty about his former colleagues being responsible for Susan's orphan status.
"Shall we go open the last door then?" asked Susan, calmed down to her normal self.
"Yeah good idea, you'll probably be a lot more help then-" Ginny's eyes shot at Draco "-some people"
This time Susan twisted the door handle while Ginny and Draco stood with their wands ready should whatever was inside decide to attack them. It didn't try to attack them. It was sitting on its bed looking rather scornful. It was Severus Snape.