CHAPTER 10

They had gone to forensics first with high hopes of getting further in their case. Their hopes were quickly crushed when they were told that a match was not found for the magic signature. It wasn't found in the database.

"Hopefully Surveillance will have some good news," Draco said as they made their way to down the hall. They were halfway to their destination when they were stopped.

"Auror Weasley! Auror Malfoy! I'm so glad I've found you," the short balding man said, gasping for breath.

"We were just coming to find you, Mr. Douglas," Ginny said with a smile.

The man waved a hand in the air, excitedly. "Alecto- She's on the move."

"Where?" Draco asked gruffly.

"Knockturn Alley."

Someone who had nothing to hide would certainly not spend anytime in a place like Knockturn Alley. Dark artifacts, sinister and dangerous objects, were all for sale here, and no respectable witch would ever step foot there.

Alecto was up to something.

Especially since she were going there this late at night.

The two Aurors made their way, stealthily, through the twists of Knockturn Alley, looking between and behind buildings for their suspect.

Ginny scratched her cheek as she walked behind Draco, following his bobbing head of short black curls. They were using the same Glamour charm as at the Quidditch match, and her short brown hair was tickling her cheek.

She looked down at her clothes in the darkness. They had made sure to wear ragged robes for this mission. They had to look as though they would fit in as patrons at one of Knockturn's establishments.

Draco stopped suddenly, giving her the hand signal to 'stand down'. Her breathing sounded loud to her ears and her adrenalin was already pumping furiously. She loved these stealth missions.

The sound of voices floated over to them and they knew that they had found who they were looking for.

Draco stepped back a few feet, turning to face her and go over the plan once more.

"Ok, they're behind this building. We need to act well, remember we're a drunken couple. It has to be believable," he said and she nodded.

"Do you have the stuff?" she asked.

"Yeah. Ready?"

"Ready," she agreed.

After gathering their composure, the act began, the alley between two very shady shops acting as their stage. They stumbled down the cobblestone alley, hanging on to each other and talking loudly.

"What was that?" they heard a voice ask, and then saw the owner of the voice peer around the corner and into their alley.

Vincent Crabbe.

He laughed. "It's just two drunks. Come on, let's get on with it."

Draco and Ginny stumbled closer. When they were only about ten feet from the end of the alley, Draco pushed her against the wall.

To anyone walking by, they looked like two drunken lovers.

Draco fumbled in his pocket for a moment before pulling out their equipment, a pair of Extendable Ears (courtesy of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes), a shrunken Quick-Quotes Quill and piece of parchment.

They spelled the Extendable Ears to stretch the distance between them and their suspects, hooking the other end up to the Quick-Quotes Quill so that the quill would detail everything that was said. All there was to do now was to wait and make sure that their act was believable.

"Well?" they heard a female voice ask impatiently.

"Like I told you, Alecto, they just aren't ready yet..." a male voice, that wasn't Crabbe, said

"When will they be ready?"

"Soon. There should be another shipment tomorrow night," the male voice said coldly.

There was a round of laughter at this statement and the two Aurors couldn't tell if they were listening in on three or four persons.

"I'd like to join in if I could... maybe choose my slave on the spot," Alecto said.

'Slave?', Ginny thought, her heart beating frantically against her chest. She was sure Draco could feel it in their close proximity, but when she looked at him, it seemed that all of his attention was being directed to what words were being said.

"You know you can't. We don't even know who takes care of the Muggles. We just know when to pick them up," the male voice said.

Alecto sighed heavily, "Tomorrow night, you say?"

"At the very latest," another male voice chimed in. There were four.

"You better not be jerking me around, Nott!" she sneered.

"My lady, I assure you, all of our costumers are more than satisfied," he replied oily, "Now… do we have a deal?"

"Better be worth the price," she muttered and there was the sound of paper and coins being exchanged.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Alecto. Your slave will be ready in the next few days."

"Wait a minute! You said tomorrow night!" she screeched.

Nott laughed. "I lied. These things take time. But it will be well worth the wait."

A female's frustrated shout was heard and then the crack of someone disappearing.

Ginny felt sick. A black market Muggle slave trade. That was what was happening to the Muggles, being sold for a high price and sent to serve a rich wizarding master for the rest of their days?

"Are you sure it was wise to piss Alecto off like that, Theodore?" Crabbe asked.

"She'll get over it," the third male voice said.

"I had to do what I had to for the sale, boys. We don't know when the next shipment will come, but for now, we have her down payment."

There was another laugh. "She won't be happy when you ask for more."

"They never are."

There was another laugh and then the sound of footsteps.

Draco quickly shrunk the Extendable Ears, stuffing them, the Quick-Quotes Quill, and parchment into his pocket.

They would be coming around the corner any second. There was not enough time to get away, and if they looked closely, they would see that the 'drunken lovers' were, in fact, just standing there.

He heard the footsteps getting closer and heard Ginny whimper slightly. She was wondering what they were going to do as well.

If they were caught, they were dead.

Draco looked down at her, and before he could think twice, brought his lips down to hers.

For a moment, Ginny just stood there, shocked, but as the footsteps drew closer she understood. It had to look believable. She wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and relaxed into the kiss, trying to look natural and not focus on the approaching 'former' Death Eaters.

The first thing she noticed when she started to pay attention was that his lips were warm and as soft as flower petals. Her heart drummed against her chest as she let herself fall to the mercy of his kiss.

He kissed her gently at first, sweet pressure on her mouth, then harder, letting her know that there was more to come. He traced his tongue across her lips, tickling them in a demand for entry. She obeyed, opening for him, and deepening the kiss.

He tasted like mint and spice as she caressed his tongue with hers, tasting more of him. Her adrenalin turned to passion as he pressed her further into the wall. One of her legs rose up, rubbing against his leg, and he grabbed her thighs, lifting her legs and placing them around his waist.

Her head was swimming with sensations as his hands fluttered up her sides, one of them coming to her breast and squeezing. She moaned, pressing her chest against his hand and rolling her hips. The excitement of the night, the nervousness, all being released in this moment of passion.

All too soon he was pulling away. "They're gone," he said simply. "We'd better get back."

"Yeah..." she agreed, embarrassed. "Did you see who the third man was?"

"No, I was too busy making sure our act was working."

She nodded. Their act…