Now, Then And Forever
A/N: The plot thickens now! And you'll find there is one! Yahoo!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, J.K. owns everything.
Chapter 5 – Close To Death Somewhere in North England"Success, then?"
"Extremely." Draian Mock grinned proudly.
"Don't get so smart," Reran Snape growled. Unlike his uncle, Severus Snape, he was and always had been a loyal supporter of Voldemort. Even after Severus had been exposed as a spy for Dumbledore, he had stayed by Voldemort's side, making his way up, as he slowly became His right-hand-man, replacing Wormtail. "If you hadn't screwed up Plan A, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble because there wouldn't be a Plan B."
"But sir," he complained, "that Weasley girl was always around all her friends. I couldn't get to her alone."
"Then ask her out when she was around her friends. Get close to her, get into her house, get the damn wand. What was so hard about that?"
"If it's so easy, why didn't you do it," Draian muttered angrily.
"Crucio," Reran said off-handedly. "You were the only one capable of seducing the Weasley. I didn't do it because I needed to make sure everything went smoothly here. These others couldn't have dome it anyway."
There were moderate grumbles in their little group that Reran silenced with a look. "But it doesn't matter now. Finite Incantatum." He glanced over as Draian stopped his shuddering on the ground and got up rather shakily.
"We're no closer to getting the other wands, anyway. Nott, report."
"Right, sir. The wands of Potter and the others are securely locked up. A number of spells have been placed on them. We are quite sure that getting them would be a whole lot of trouble we don't want. The fool Dumbledore made sure of that."
"Are you checked all that out?"
Ayden Nott nodded.
"Good work. But we don't need them. I admit, Potter's would have been excellent as he was the one who brought down our Master, but the Weasley's will do almost as well." He glanced around.
"Quillan is off finding Draco Malfoy, is he not?" The former Death Eaters murmured assent.
"He will come to his senses. Quillan can be very convincing. Draco is vulnerable, he has been hurt. The wand is ours already," he laughed gleefully. "The Master will rise, we shall be his most honoured!"
***
Draco didn't know why he was so upset. He didn't know why he felt like crying and yelling at the same time. But damn the Weasley. He had told her to wait for him. Instead she went off traipsing with some person he doubted she even knew, and then she bloody kissed him! She was kissing some stranger. Fine, damn her. She could do whatever she wanted. It wasn't like he owned her or anything. And it wasn't like she was dating him. And he didn't want to be dating her! Did he? He didn't know.
Draco walked into a dark alleyway. He saw out of the corner of his eye a shadow of a man but ignored it. He kept his head down, looking at the ground. The man stepped out of the shadows, into Draco's path. He snapped his head up, annoyed, ready to bark at the man. However, the stranger beat him to it.
"My name is Janzec Quillan," he said in a silky voice. "I come to strike a deal with you."
"Sorry, striking mysterious deals with guys with weird names in a dark alleyway isn't really my thing. And if you're talking about those deals, well, I don't swing that way, if you catch my drift," he said morosely.
"Draco Malfoy, if I'm not mistaken, your name is also rather strange. I know a lot more than your name too," he told Draco.
"You know a person by the name of Ginny Weasley. You have a possession of hers that I have been searching for."
"You want the wand," Draco said flatly.
"You are smart. Yes, I want the wand."
"Sorry, the wand's going to Dumbledore. What makes you think I'd give it to you, anyway?"
"I said I had a deal for you. You give me the wand; I'll give you Ginny Weasley. She would be only yours. To kill, to torture, to use in other ways." Janzec Quillan smiled evilly. "Complete control over her. Those idiots at the Ministry, how will they award you? By taking the wand and giving you another's fool errand. You'll never make a name for yourself there. Give me the wand, join our ranks. When our Master rises he'll know how you helped. You'll be renowned, and you'll have the redhead by your side." He was starting to get to Draco.
Draco stared at him. "I get Ginny? I get power? I get everything?" He looked at Janzec and laughed, before reaching in his pocket and drawing out a wand. "I'm sorry, I don't want those things and I don't want her. Not like that. And by the way, she's not yours to give."
It was his wand.
"Expelliarmus," he growled. He caught Janzec's wand as it flew to him, and punched the other man in the face. He then proceeded to snap the wand in two.
"Sorry 'bout that. I just don't like you guys very much. Nothing personal." He looked at the slumped figure. "See ya, I'm off to find Ginny. If I'm going to get her, I'm going to get her the proper way." He turned on his heel and walked away.
***
Draco hurried back to Ginny's house. Contrary to what he had told Janzec, he wasn't going to try and get Ginny. She evidently wanted someone who would go out with her, like the same things she liked. He wasn't that person. He was going to apologize for running off, undo the effects of the clothing spell and Apparate back to the Ministry. He certainly wasn't going back there with these clothes on. As for saying sorry, it was he least he could do. Draco wasn't a very repentant person; he could count the amount of times he had said sorry on the fingers of one hand. But he figured it would at least make Ginny feel a little better, especially if she was mad at him.
He stopped suddenly at a familiar figure sitting on Ginny's sidewalk. The person moved her head and a flash of red hair met his onlooking eyes. It was Ginny who was slouched over the side, head in hands. Every few seconds her body would give a shiver. He took a hesitant step towards her. Had someone hurt her?
"Has someone hurt you?" he asked cautiously.
She raised her head and stared at him with her soulful brown eyes. "Yes."
"Who..." His voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say. She had been crying, that much was obvious.
"You did." Her voice rose and wavered before she continued. "Why did you run off? I was looking for you... I didn't try to kiss him, he kissed me. And even then, why should that bother you?" she demanded slightly angry. Then her voice softened and her head fell into her hands again.
"We're just friends, aren't we? Or are we even that? Because I don't know what you want from me. If I'm supposed to wait around for you, I don't do that anymore. I did that for Harry, and nothing good came out of that. I let everyone walk over me and nothing good came out of that either, unless you count me wising up and getting the hell out of there. I..."
He covered the remaining area between them with a large stride. He took her face from her hands, tipped it up to face him and cupped it in his hands. "I don't know either," he whispered huskily. He looked in her eyes, and he felt like he was drowning in their brown depths.
"But we have now."
He kissed her, and he held her.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Ah, we have plot goodness and we have fluff goodness. I like this chapter. J Finally! Please review!
Next chapter: We learn about Ginny's mysterious past – The Great Weasley Mystery. We find out more about the wicked plans of those mean Vol - You-Know-Who supporters. Sorry it took so long! The next chapter's half finished, so it should be out soon. Reviews would do a lot to make me feel better and write faster. I have no inspiration now... Thanks coming soon…