Everything belongs to JK. I merely do her bidding through my own plots and stories.
This story includes events from DH excluding the epilogue.
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Chapter Twelve - Defiance
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For the second time in as many nights Ginny found herself pressed up against her bedroom door, one ear molded to the wooden surface as she listened for Draco to enter his own chambers. Blood was pumping quickly and for the most part all she heard was the thumping of her heart but she closed her eyes and focused, concentrating on the noises beyond her immediate vicinity. Both hands were braced against the door and she sagged against the upright surface with impatient relief when she finally heard Draco's bedroom door open and close.
Though evading him was going to prove to be the biggest challenge, Ginny knew the larger portion of her night was going to be as equally nerve wracking. She still had to wait at least thirty minutes before she left the Manor but that time would dwindle quickly if she did not get ready and thoroughly go over her plans. If she was going to do this tonight - alone - she had to make sure she was absolute in every decision that she made. Once Draco found out about this he was going to be rip roaring mad but with any luck Ginny would be able to save them precious time in finding Blaise's killer and that alone would earn her mercy from his wrath.
Dressed in black from head to toe, Ginny securely buttoned her wool coat and removed her wand from her sleeve. Pointing it at her feet, she cast a strong Muffliato on her body, raising the wand up and down her figure to cover her entire frame, and then rendered herself invisible. Crossing her fingers that Draco did not have supernatural senses and double checking the clock, Ginny crept to her bedroom door and slowly twisted the brass knob. The hallway was dark except for the soft glow of several dimmed lamps scattered along the winding length and she immediately craned her neck through the doorway and to the left to stare at Draco's bedroom. The lights were off, leading her to hope he was lying in bed asleep, yet she did not move forward. Ginny was stuck in the archway, suddenly frozen and wondering if she was doing the right thing by going behind his back.
As soon as she seriously reconsidered her plans though, for what seemed like the hundredth time, there was no hesitation in her movements. Ginny had to do this. There was no other option. If they waited any longer to finally do something, to make actual progress in their crusade, there would be no time left at all. Blaise's murderer would have gotten away and she would be put in Azkaban for killing the man she loved. Too many days had already vanished in the blink of an eye, too many hours slipped through their fingers while everyone searched for Ginny.
Some part of her knew that she was doing this tonight because of her guilt. Guilt over Blaise, guilt over her stupidity in choosing to spend an entire week hiding out instead of contacting Pansy, and the rest of her friends. Ginny had wasted seven days when she could have been hunting down the real criminal. She had let the sadness and depression consume her instead of focusing and thinking logically. But she was going to make it up tonight - Ginny was going to show Draco that she was not just some sad sack who needed his every direction and decision.
The glass doors silently slid back into place behind her as she soundlessly walked through the garden towards the ring of roses. Thin, whispy clouds covered the moon, giving her little light in way of maneuvering, and Ginny edged around the shadows of bushes until she reached the center. Turning around to face the Manor, quietly holding her breath that Draco wasn't coming after her, she retrieved her wand and solidly gripped the maple wood.
Anxious to begin her short travels, Ginny flicked the wand at her side and mentally pictured her destination. Her insides shrank down until she felt herself become a single dot traveling through the molecules of time and space. Soon enough the Apparation gave way and she found her wobbly footing in a recently familiar alley.
Ginny glanced up and down the disgusting length, her eyes probing the shadows as she nervously pulled her coat tighter around her body. The Cloaking spell was still in place but she was almost certain that the rodents and drunken bums had felt a shift in the energy when she arrived.
Not entirely wanting to be ran into by a stranger or announce her presence by shrieking at a scampering mouse, Ginny tucked her hands under her opposing arms and hurried down the darkened alley. Crumpled pieces of the newspaper crunched beneath her boots and a strong gust of wind blew a plastic bag up against her leg. Ginny aimlessly kicked her foot in a circle to dislodge the garbage and mumbled her rising frustration as the flimsy object caught the breeze once more. She kept her eyes peeled for the almost unnoticeable door but still had to double back when she walked farther down the alley than she remembered.
Glancing around to reaffirm that no one had spotted her, Ginny grabbed her wand in her coat pocket and wiggled it around as she wordlessly removed the Cloaking spell. Anxious to be visible for any prolonged period of time, she scurried into the slight alcove and hovered against the door. Raising a balled fist to the metal surface she rapped out the exact pattern that Draco had used.
Knock.
Knock knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock knock.
Nothing happened for a moment. Ginny dared not turn around to stare at the swiveling camera and waited anxiously for the handleless door to pop open. Then one minute, then two, passed and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from pounding on the door and screaming for Malloy to let her in. Completely aggravated with his apparent reluctance, Ginny spun around and threw her hands up in the air, her face fully visible to the camera as she scowled at the inanimate object.
Two breaths later the lock clicked out of place and the door scarcely swung on its hinges.
Ginny rapidly slid her fingers into the slight, open space and yanked the door ajar, tossing her hand behind her back to give the camera the middle finger before she snapped it shut. The long, deserted hallway was just as she remembered it but the barren nature of the corridor did not lead her to believe that she was alone in this part of the decrepit building. The Cloaking spell was erected again as soon as the door closed and Ginny wasted no time in sprinting down the hallway, her feet expertly dodging the random object littering the ground.
Malloy's security measures were nonexistent as she flicked her wand at the second doorway and easily unlocked it. The upscale waiting room looked exactly the same but she hardly noticed the decorations as she tore through the small space to the third door. Her hand reached for the brass handle and she paused momentarily to remove her invisibility once more. No sense in giving Malloy a complete heart attack when she appeared in his office out of thin air.
The white room gave no indication as to where the Muggle was but Ginny went for the door on the left first, already knowing where Malloy was hiding. She waved a hand at the lock and wandlessly opened the door, letting herself in as the darkness of his office engulfed her.
At first she could only see the brightness of the television screens and computer monitors. Everything was bathed in shadows and Ginny blinked quickly as she glanced around. At once she recognized the hulking outline that blocked a few screens from her view. Malloy did not move a muscle with her sudden appearance and she awkwardly stood there for a moment, rapidly weighing her options. Ginny scuffed her boot on the rug and twisted at the waist, reaching back for the door and pushing it shut with a loud bang.
Still Malloy did not budge. Growing more annoyed by the second, she impatiently cleared her throat and stepped sideways to get a better look at what he was so focused on.
The screens that she could not see came into view and something dropped through her stomach as she realized they were showing feeds from different cameras throughout the building. One in particular, the screen directly in front of Malloy's seat, was on a recorded loop. Ginny pushed down her panic as she watched her video self come through the front door. And then disappear two seconds later. Nothing happened for a moment before the clip returned to the beginning and she was entering the hallway once more.
"Drake would never tell me what exactly he does," Malloy began, his voice wavering between accusation and slight fear. "From the - things that he has had me do for him - I had gathered that he works for some intelligence agency." He swiveled around in the too-small, creaking chair and eyed Ginny as if there was not enough distance between them. "But you're something else," Malloy finished, a pique of curiosity furrowing his brows as his lips came together.
"Who we are, or what we do, is none of your concern," Ginny stated icily, doing her best to imitate Draco. Inside her stomach was in her throat and her lungs felt like thin sheets of paper stuck together. "You were recommended for the task because of your clean reputation for silence. If that is no longer the case, then there are ways that we can resolve this very quickly."
The whites of Malloy's eyes expanded to appear as quarter sized, bright discs amidst the darkness of the room. Ginny would have found it comical if this Muggle did not hold the technological answers to her mindbending questions. His right hand fidgeted on his lap and the bulking man looked away from her piercing stare.
"What did you find on the camera?" Ginny asked a moment later when Malloy seemed too frightened by the threat of death to speak. She tried to sound as comforting as she usually did with suspects but she still heard the hardness to her words.
Hesitantly, as if she were going to whip out a gun with the smallest movement from him, Malloy shuffled his feet over the floor and rotated around to face the monitors again. When he finally spoke again, Ginny could tell that his eyes were darting to the side to watch her but noticed that he grew calmer as he delved deeper into his element.
"I had to hack through some pretty heavy security walls first but it was all fairly simple once I got in to the server. I was able to access all of the other camera feeds that this one is connected to on the network - but -" Malloy fidgeted, almost unwilling to admit the small mistake he had encountered. "But - I could only recover the recordings from the last thirty days."
Something in the shaking tone of his voice sent off the alarms in Ginny's head, though she was relieved that his bad news wasn't as dire as she had feared. Panic seized her gut once more and she took an intimidating step forward, her slight frame still appearing small as she stood over Malloy.
"Drake told you not to watch the videos," she said with a threatening calm to her words.
"I-I-I di-didn't!" Malloy sputtered, straightening in his chair as he pushed off of one foot to wheel a few feet to her left. "I swear! I didn't look at anything!"
She could have easily used Legilimency to poke through his memories and see if he was telling the truth but one glance at the digital clock told Ginny she was already wasting time there. Fear can strike hold of a person and have a way of keeping their mouth shut. Though surely his outrageous payment and Draco's fierce warning would have been enough to avert his interest in the actual footage.
"Did you store all of the files on a flash drive?"
Malloy's head jerked, the band of dreadlocks swaying heavily, and his thick brows inched up his forehead. His expression became threaded with confusion and his eyes narrowed with hesitant confirmation.
"Of course."
"Give it to me," Ginny whispered urgently.
He dropped a small, black rectangle onto her outstretched palm and sharply recoiled his arm as she clutched the object tightly in her fist. Malloy leaned back, his chest expanding as his shoulders fell over the back of the chair, and attempted to discretely roll backwards. Ginny eyed his protective motions but said nothing. She dropped the flash drive into the pocket of her coat and retrieved a very fat roll of one hundred pound notes from the magically enlarged jacket feature, pilfered compliments of Draco. It rolled across the scatterings of paper atop his desk and slowed to a stop against the spine of a thick, dusty tome. His dark eyes were immediately drawn to the wad of money and again he seemed at a loss for words.
"That should cover it," Ginny said dismissively, not having to state that it was a smooth fifty thousand pounds for his services.
Completely speechless, and most likely taken aback by her bluntness, Malloy gaped open-mouthed and stared unblinkingly at her suddenly calm demeanor. He was never one to judge but Drake and his business associate were odd to a degree that even he had never experienced before. He supposed their strange and alluring behavior came as baggage with their jobs and for the millionth time he wondered what it was they really did. Little did he realize how enormously Ginny was freaking out. A beat of heart-striking grief had engulfed her when he handed over the flash drive and only the automatic raising of her protective walls had saved her from showing the waves of emotions she was feeling. Exchanging payment for the small object had furthered her rapidly increasing understanding and she was growing more frantic by the second as the memory device burned an imagined hole in her pocket.
"I'll see myself out," Ginny said to deaf ears and Malloy mutely nodded as he reached for the wad of money.
Again she waited until she was in the very dimly lit lounge to cast a Cloaking spell and the instant she saw her body disappear, Ginny sprinted for the opposite door. Her feet barely touched the dirty ground as she ran down the hallway and threw one hand out to unlock the exiting door before darting through to the alleyway beyond. She did not stop once she got outside though. Ginny expertly turned the corner and ran towards the poorly lit street. She did not hear the angry shouts of drunken men nor did she see the confused looks of two prostitutes that glanced around when she breezed past them.
She needed to stop for air but her legs wouldn't quit running. She had to get away from the looming shadow that sent shivers down her spine, the feeling that she was being watched and criticized and judged. The weight of the flash drive in her pocket was like a boulder slowing her down and Ginny knew at once that she could not return to Malfoy Manor without looking through the footage first. Which meant her nighttime excursion just got a little bit longer.
D/G
My lungs are on fire and I lost feeling in my legs somewhere around five minutes ago. But I'm still running. The only thing that's really keeping me from stopping is the fact that I'm Cloaked.
No one can see me but the second they can my face will be recognized and the authorities will be alerted. Which is the exact opposite of what I want to happen.
As my feet continue to slap against the concrete, and sometimes gravel, hot tears stream down my flushed cheeks. Sweat rolls off my brow and mixes with the salty liquid, the combination sliding across my lips and whetting my dry lips as I struggle to inhale without a stitch in my side burning to life. My body is entirely too warm beneath the several layers of clothing I'm wearing but the weight urges me forward, giving me a reason to hurry up and find my destination. I am both eager and hesitant to scroll through the videos. The visual proof will just be one more nail in the coffin to the reality of this horrific situation - the truth to Blaise's death. Because if Draco's right, and the cameras were able to capture all of the footage from that fateful morning, then I am ultimately choosing to watch the man I loved die. I am electing to watch Blaise be killed through a security measure put in place to prevent such a occurrence.
I have to find somewhere, some place Muggle, to access the digital files but at this late hour nothing is open. I've already thought of the university and public libraries and any all-hour internet cafes would be too public for me to slip in and use a computer undetected. I can't go back to the Manor without watching them first - I just can't. I can't be in the same room with Draco when I see Blaise take his last breath. The emotions alone would most likely spark a rushed situation and I am not entirely prepared to take on the guilt of emotionally cheating on Blaise, even in his current posthumous state.
I was not at all sure where the actual location of Malloy's building was when I Apparated from the Manor earlier tonight and now that small detail, that somehow slipped my mind whilst I was chatting with the Muggle, is biting me in the ass. I literally have no idea what town or city I am in and the inky darkness is doing nothing to soothe my escalating panic. It's not like I have never done a 'mission' by myself, there have been plenty of nights where I was the lone wolf and working a lead on my own, but this is different. This outing was spurred on by guilt and a growing taste of revenge, two emotions that have caused me to act without letting anyone know of my whereabouts in the past, and again tonight. What if something really does happen to me? What will Draco think? What will he do?
The tree lined street I have turned onto seems to be in a better area than where I began my run from and when I spot a sagging bench with peeling green paint, I too eagerly slow to a jog until I melt into a puddle of limbs across the wooden seat. Sluggishly I rotate so that I am lying on my back, my legs dangling over one side of the bench, and lazily bend my arm to rest underneath my head. The hand draped across my stomach feels heavy as my chest rises and falls with my panting breaths and my eyes clamp shut as the outer limits of my vision begin to blur.
It takes a few minutes but slowly my inhalations become steady and I crack open one eye as the sounds of the night echo loudly in my ears. An animal scurries over dry leaves, the rustle of twigs and grass fluttering with a chilly breeze that sways the bare tree limbs above me. Through the tangled mass of hibernating branches, twinkling stars wink at me as they disappear behind slow moving clouds, silently rattling my chains and mocking my predicament.
I have to think.
Somewhere that isn't too public. Somewhere that would allow me a semblance of privacy for at least a few minutes. All I really need is a computer. Anywhere will be fine, really. Somewhere with a private office and a computer. MNZ was my first thought but we have too many tech nerds on staff for me to be able to bypass the firewalls and keep my late night presence a secret. It would be easy enough for me to slip inside and boot up the computer at the front desk though - the same computer that the night guard is surely using at this very moment to play solitaire or look for porn. Draco would not be able to phone in and demand that each of the computer's histories be erased, not if he's 'out of town.' And Pansy, or anyone else, would not think to review the security cameras for footage of an invisible person breaking in. Technically my presence there would virtually go undetected.
I'm bolting to an upright position before I can change my mind and I swing my legs off the arm of the bench as my hands nervously run up and down my thighs. It's going to be risky but I've already snuck out of Malfoy Manor, eluded Draco, and traveled to one of Britain's less desirable neighborhoods. What risk am I really taking if I steal into my own workplace for a few short minutes?
"No safer place than that which is familiar," I tell myself in an attempt to pacify my always jittery nerves but the shaky words only make me question my sanity further.
My wand is in hand as I hesitantly get to my feet, my legs as unsteady as my collective train of thought. The maple wood warms in my grasp and I clutch on to its familiarity as I tentatively shift my weight from side to side.
"Now or never," I say, unsure if my rushed plan is really worth the consequences I could face if I am caught. "Now or never," I repeat and my wrist jerks the wand before I can rethink the decision. The pull of Apparation is slightly comforting but the uncertainty of what I will find on the flash drive when I get to MNZ is what hurdles my stomach into my throat and forces me to catch my balance a split second later when I suddenly appear in front of an all too familiar building.
The streets are quiet and nary a soul is out as Big Ben chimes two o'clock in the distance. A lamp post casts a bright light across the wide glass doors but my shadow is nonexistent as I hurry up the short steps and wave a hand at the entrance. My magic will interfere with whatever Muggle alarms are in place and I can only hope that there is not a magical alert system rigged to notify Draco or Pansy or someone equally as powerful within the company. The door is hanging open a few inches and I know not to worry about the nighttime security guard, a Squib named Luther, who is probably raiding one of the employee fridges upstairs. Pulling the glass panel open just wide enough to slip through, I delicately close it behind me before scanning the darkened and completely lifeless lobby.
It feels like ages since I have been here, striding through the entrance, smiling at the receptionists, and walking onto an elevator, but my reminiscing is cut short when I see a small circle of glowing light coming from a lamp on the Muggle reception desk. The Wizarding entrance is on the other side of the ceiling length waterfall and it only appears as a door that reads 'Authorized Personal Only' to any Muggles who get curious while they're waiting for the elevators. There is no doubt that Luther was camped out here before he got bored and wandered upstairs but I cannot dwaddle and risk him coming back to find a computer being invisibly manned.
The heels of my boots click rapidly against the tile as I dart across the open lobby and rush behind the defense of the desk. My left arm reaches over my body to jiggle the computer's mouse as my right hand dips into the recesses of my coat pocket, shaking slightly as my fingers fumble with expanding the USB port. I sit down and roll the flimsy chair away from the desk, bending over as I try to remember where the flash drive goes on this ancient machine.
I'm frustrated soon enough and I'm halfway to reaching for my wand to cast a quick Lumos when the distinct chime of the elevator echos loudly in the silence of the building. My entire body tenses as I listen for the telltale sliding of the electronic doors and I immediately jump up when Luther's footsteps sound against the tiled floor and his low whistling follows his arrival. The flash drive drops back into my pocket and my eyes zip to the darkened archway that leads to the elevators.
He knows to be on guard for magical break-ins as well as Muggle tactics and I cannot let a single noise mark my exit. I need a distraction, something to keep Luther occupied long enough for me to slip back out the front doors. His lumbering shadow turns the corner and I only have a few seconds before he approaches the desk and sits down. I'm frantically looking around the lobby to find something to topple over and grab his attention when my eyes catch on the brightened computer screen. A website for streaming music is pulled up and I see my out when I notice the mouse hovering over the 'play' symbol at the top of the window. Reaching for the wireless mouse, I hurriedly click on the digital button and jump back when the speakers come to life.
Luther swears nearby and his footsteps pick up to a breathy jog as I run around the desk and bolt for the glass doors. There isn't time for me to look back and make sure that he isn't fumbling for a flashlight or his cell phone. One hand waves at the steel handle and the other arm reaches out to push open the door, the same hand grabbing the handle on the outside as I ease it back into place. My palms press against the glass on either sides of my eyes and my breath fogs the transparent panel as I squint to see Luther through the expansive lobby. The music volume has been lowered and he is gazing around the desk in search of the fallen object that must have set off the noise.
Satisfied that he is none the wiser of my presence and double checking that the flash drive is still in my pocket, I spin around and sprint towards the stone steps and the edge of the magical barrier that will allow me to Apparate. The close call has my heart hammering against my chest and I fail to remember the possible argument that will ensue when I return to Malfoy Manor. Grasping the only thing that feels familiar to me in that moment, I flourish my wand and relish in the safety of the tug of Apparating.
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A/N: The plot twist coming up has been reworked to fit a different direction for the story. But do not worry, nothing in previous chapters has been modified as of yet and I will announce as much if the need arises. Thank you for reading and for keeping on with this journey and tale that I am creating. Please leave me a review with some lovin (or hate if you so desire to marr my day with accepted criticism) and please know that I appreciate every bit of input that you will give me. Thank you again for reading and I look forward to surprising you with the remainder of the story.
