Chapter Three: Snooping
"What do you mean?" Ginny rushed up to Hobbs, trying to get her questions through the noise that broke out.
"What?" Hobbs yelled. "Come into my office!"
Ginny followed him behind the doors and instantly the noise was shut out by a silencing charm. Ginny noted the bareness of Hobb's office. It almost reminded her of the small room she had the interview in. The desk was covered with papers and a huge fireplace was in the corner. Ginny sat down in front of the desk and Hobbs sat behind it.
"How could this have happened?" Ginny stated rather than questioned. "I thought there was supposed to be charms over the vehicle! What kind of Ministry are we running here?"
"Calm down, Virginia." Hobbs spoke soothingly. "I haven't got all the details but I do know that he escaped on the coast, just as they were about to fly over the ocean. They have people looking for him and soon they'll catch him. I just want to put your article on hold until they do catch him, though. What's the point in printing something that's obsolete?"
Ginny breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly. Why was she getting so involved with this assignment? Why did she feel like it was somehow her fault he escaped? And why did she feel impending danger?
"Virginia, you've been through a lot. I want you to take the rest of the day off." Hobbs placed his hand over Ginny's. "Take tomorrow off as well." He gave her a fatherly smile, then got up from his desk and escorted Ginny to her car.
Ginny got into the car and was prepared to drive off when she quickly rolled down her window and shouted at Hobbs' retreating back. "Contact me when you get more news?"
Hobbs turned around and smiled, giving her a thumbs up.
Ginny didn't know if this day could get any worse. She drove slowly home in case the fates were out to get her via car accident. She pulled up to her apartment complex and went directly to her door. She fumbled with her keys and noticed that a neighbors door slowly opened. Ginny looked up and the door quickly slammed shut.
"Weirdos." Ginny mumbled, pushing her way into her place.
Ginny couldn't afford anything better than her tiny apartment. It wasn't in the nicest neighborhood either. She'd often see gangs of kids wearing nothing but black walk up and down the streets and the people above her played obnoxiously loud music. She had a strong suspicion her next door neighbor was some sort of pervert, his blinds would always be closed except for a small hole in the corner. It freaked Ginny out every time he opened his door to leave that she'd grab hold of her wand…just in case.
The apartment itself was done up pretty nice on the inside. It was always clean, mostly because her Mother made weekly visits and due to the fact that she was hardly at home any more. She'd often order out and stay at the office to finish up last minute work. Just as she sat down to relax the booming of her upstairs neighbor's radio echoed the walls.
"Argh!" Ginny let out a frustrated grunt. She had come home to relax, not to have her ear drums damaged beyond repair.
She was itching to grab her wand and curse whoever was above her, but then she'd probably have her wand snapped in two by Ministry officials. What's the point in having a wand if I can't use it? She wondered.
Dismissing her order to relax, she got up and went into the kitchen. The fridge was full of snack foods and things that could be microwaved in no time flat. She brought out a frozen dinner and touched it with her wand. It instantly began to steam and Ginny ate it right there at the counter.
The evening passed by and Ginny began to get wrestles. She had no word from Hobbs and she wondered if everything was all right. Of course they'd catch Draco again. It was only a matter of time. But why did she have that icky feeling in the pit of her stomach? A loud banging on the door startled her. Ginny grabbed her wand and cautiously moved towards the door. The banging persisted and Ginny looked through the peephole.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her wand on the counter and opening the door.
"Ginny! I can't believe you didn't tell us all!" Harry came into the apartment and stood directly in front of her.
"Tell you wh—oh, that." Ginny smiled rather sheepishly. Why didn't she tell everyone?
"We just heard on the WWN at the office and I came straight here! I owled your folks and Ron. Are you alright? Did you know he was going to escape? Did he give anything away during the interview?"
Ginny bit her bottom lip and shook her head. Why is it that whenever she was in Harry's presence she felt like she was eleven all over again? She felt like that scared girl who had a crush on the biggest celebrity. She thought she'd never live it down.
"No, Harry, he didn't give anything away." But speaking of the interview brought Ginny's thoughts tumbling back down to the fact that Draco said Harry was in danger. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm alright." Harry looked astonished. "What makes you think I wouldn't be?"
Ginny looked around the room. Should she tell him? Would he pass it off as some stupid joke Draco thought playing before he was carted off forever?
"Nothing." Ginny sighed.
"Ginny, when are you going to move out of this dump? Your neighbors are creepy." Harry said, sitting on one of the chairs in the living room.
"This is all I can afford at the moment. As soon as my name gets out there I'll be filthy rich and living in the lap of luxury." Ginny smiled.
They both began laughing and Ginny thought about how she felt so at east with him, even after what happened between them last year. Ginny had come home after graduating to get things ready for her job at the Daily Prophet. Harry and Ron were staying at the Burrow as well and Harry and Ginny had both grown since when they were young. Ginny was now a beautiful young woman and Harry a very attractive young man. They had begun dating but Ginny soon found their relationship lacked something she desperately needed.
Not wanting to hurt Harry's feeling by telling him he didn't live up to her expectations, she announced she hadn't had time for a real relationship then. And without any awkward moments they hugged and returned to being just friends.
"What?" Harry asked, seeing Ginny's gaze on something other than the present.
"Huh? Oh, nothing…I was just thinking."
"Of what?"
"Well, what if Draco is innocent?" Before Harry could put his two cents in Ginny continued. "I know what you're thinking. If Draco says he's innocent then it only proves his guilt but…" Ginny didn't know how to explain what she felt when Draco was sitting across from her.
"Go on." Harry prodded.
"Well…I just had this feeling that not everything fit. That there was something missing from this whole deal, but I don't know what and I don't know how to figure it out."
They both sat in silence a while before Harry spoke up. "I can't deny your feelings weren't sincere or valid but I don't see how there's any room for innocence."
"Thanks Harry." At that point Ginny just wanted to get some sleep and forget everything that was happening for a while. "I'll see you!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and watched him leave her complex.
Ginny flung herself on the couch and felt like sleeping but there was something nagging at her. She looked around her room at the chairs and table and the few pictures on the walls. Her eyes finally rested on her bag that was leaning against the wall. She got off the couch and made her way towards the bag and took out the tape recorder. She pushed the rewound button, then play
"Where are these letters?"
"My house."
"Not Malfoy Manor?"
"No…42 Surrey Lane."
"And these letters are there? Does anyone else know about these letters?"
"No."
"Did you have them hidden? Could this Slytherin have stolen them?"
"No…transfigured. Riddles."
"What do you mean? What are the—"
Ginny pushed the stop button then rewound again and listened to this bit of interview over and over.
"Riddles?" She said to herself, looking ahead into the unknown.
What could that possibly mean? She thought, playing the tape once more. Ginny rifled through her papers and came across Draco's crime file. She flipped through the pages, reading the reports on the crime, the witnesses, the victims. Thirty-two people were killed, all assumed Muggles but only one person was unaccounted for, passed off as a bum. The witnesses were Muggles of course.
Hobbs said Draco had escaped. But how could he? He was completely docile when they had their interview, and those types of spells just don't wear off so easily. She couldn't see how he even found the strength to get up on his own, let alone overtake two guards and run from the car.
"Something's not right." Ginny muttered to herself, tapping her lip with her forefinger.
~*~*~
The next day crept into Ginny's apartment like an unwelcome guest. The light forced her eyes to open and she muttered curses under her breath. She didn't want to get up. She had the day off! She definitely didn't want to spend it waking up before ten.
Ginny squeezed her eyes closed, begging sleep to return. But quite suddenly the noise from above forced her up.
Ginny walked into the bathroom and noted her wrinkled clothes and untidy hair. She had slept on the couch and quite suddenly she remembered why. She had been up all night going through the papers until she thought she'd scream. The last time she looked at the clock it was 11:30, but she suspected she stayed up well past midnight.
After taking a quick shower she dressed and went directly to the pile of papers on the floor. She had scratched a few notes on a piece of parchment, which she didn't remember taking, but one thing stuck out. Circled four times were the words "42 Surrey Lane." Ginny grabbed the parchment and headed out the door.
The drive was a short one. In no less the ten minutes Ginny had parked her car on the corner of Surrey Lane and made her way down the streets. The block was full of old Victorian Houses turned into apartments and flats. It was a pretty nice neighborhood, but it didn't scream that a Malfoy lived anywhere near the houses. Number 42 was a tall house with an iron gate out front. There looked to be about four different people living in the flats according to the intercom.
"Where's Malfoy?" Ginny ran her fingers down the names but none of them were Draco's. "Burns, Smith, Orcad and Schneider."
Ginny walked back onto the sidewalk to make sure she was at the right address, but there was no mistaking it. On the side of the house there was a large, brass number 42. She walked back up to the intercom and was about to puzzle over the names when someone walked out of the house.
"Hello, and who are you?" An old woman with a cane stood in front of Ginny. Her iron gray hair was tied up in a round bun and her hunched shoulders were clothed with an old brown sweater. From under her floral patterned skirt, two small feet poked out. Her face looked weather beaten with time, and Ginny didn't think she'd get any help from this woman.
"I was looking for a friend of mine but he's not answering the intercom." Ginny motioned to the intercom.
The woman's gaze followed Ginny's hand, then landed upon Ginny. "It's that young man, Jake or Drake or something." The woman flung her hand in the air as if it didn't matter. "He's been gone for days now and he's missed his rent. Always said, 'Please, Mrs. Smith, let me pay you tomorrow,' or 'Please, Mrs. Smith, I'll have the money by the end of the week.' Well, it's been a whole month together!"
"Oh, um…" Ginny paused. "Well, you see, he sent me over to get his things and I thought he'd be here, but I suppose he's at my place already."
"Eh? Are you here to pay his rent then?" The lady looked at her in a new light.
Ginny searched her pockets for any Muggle money she had and produced 75£s. "Will this do?"
The woman snatched the money out of Ginny's hands before she could say anything. "He still owes 100£ and you make sure and tell him!" The woman rushed down the stairs, astonishing Ginny at her agility, then disappeared down the street. She looked back at the door and noticed that the woman forgot to close it all the way.
Ginny looked around to make sure no one was watching, then quietly entered the building, closing the door behind her. Two doors were on either side of her, one marked "Smith," the other marked "Burns." She knew Smith wasn't his, so she turned to Burns. She pressed her ear against the door and heard muffled voices.
"That's not it." She thought, then she climbed the stairs that were in front of her. On the second level were two more doors, one marked "Schneider" the other "Orcad."
"Schneider…Orcad." Ginny stood there, contemplating the different names when it hit her! "Orcad…Draco!" She made her way to the door and tried the handle, but it was locked. Again making sure no one was looking she produced her wand and muttered an unlocking charm. She heard a soft click and the door swung freely open.
The room was still and silent, causing Ginny's heart to beat quickly. She had never done anything like this, and she wasn't sure she was up to it. The wooden floor creaked under her weight, causing her to slow her pace. There was a small sitting area and a small kitchen. On the further wall was a door that must have been the bedroom.
Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at Ginny. If she didn't know she was in Draco's place, she'd have guessed it was a common Muggle dwelling. Not on scrap of magic artifact was anywhere! Not one robe, not even a moving picture or anything. It was as if Draco wished to be forgotten by the Magical community, and went to great lengths to make it so.
Now that Ginny thought about it, after Draco graduated Hogwarts she hadn't heard anything of him since. And considering from the prosperous family he was from, it would have been difficult.
Beside the Muggle television was a bookshelf. Ginny glanced at the titles, noting the Muggle philosophy books. She rummaged through the kitchen cupboards and fridge and found nothing as well. She was beginning to think her search was fruitless when she entered his bedroom. She stood in the doorway, looking around. There were only two items in the room. A bed and a waste paper basket. On the right wall was a window with the blinds drawn shut. Ginny walked to the window and opened the blinds, sneezing on the dust that had collected on them. She blinked as the sunlight filtered through.
"Absolutely nothing." Ginny muttered.
Out of pure boredom she stripped his bed and flipped it over, still finding nothing. Turning to the waste paper basket she thought "what the heck," and dumped it out. Some crumpled up candy wrappers, a wad of tissue and a red plastic sack lay on the floor. The candy wrappers and tissue were of no importance, but Ginny picked the plastic bag up to inspect it when she heard something from the outer room. Plastic bag still I hand, Ginny tiptoed to the bedroom door.
"Someone is trying to get in!" Ginny shrieked to herself.
She slowly closed the bedroom door closed and stuffed the plastic bag in her pants and headed for the window. She opened it and was grateful there was no screen. She looked down at a small shed. She swung her first leg out the window just as she heard the front door open. Her other leg was caught and she pulled with all her might to free herself. Finally getting her leg free, she tumbled down onto the roof of the shed, wincing in pain.
"Crap!" She yelled, rubbing her thigh.
Collecting her wits, she crawled to the edge of the shed and jumped the five feet down, falling in the process. She looked up at the window and saw a figure pass by. Ginny quickly made her way past the shed along the fence to the side gate. The latch was locked, so she was forced to climb onto a garbage and fling herself over the side, yet again causing herself injury.
"Who are you!" Ginny turned around, startled, but saw that it was only the old lady at the front steps confronting a man.
Ginny couldn't see who the man was, his back was facing her, but he was tall and wearing a gray suite. She crouched behind a row of bushes to keep from being seen.
"I have come to collect Mr. Orcad's things." The man replied, in a deep voice.
"Are you with that red head?" Ginny clutched her hands in fear. "She came a while ago and gave me some of the rent money. I need the rest—" But before the woman could finish the man pulled something out of his pocket and said, "Obliverate."
"He's a wizard!" Ginny gasped.
The man quickly turned around, hearing Ginny's gasp. She ducked down even further behind the bushes, but the man had seen something! He made his way down the steps but before he could get any further someone yelled for him to enter the building. Taking one last look the bushes he entered.
Making sure the man was out of site, Ginny ran from the bushes, onto the sidewalk and down to her car. Not even daring to look back she started the engine and slammed on the gas, causing the tires to squeel in protest. She didn't feel safe until she was on the outer edge of town, and even then she refused to let her guard down.
(A/N: I know it took a while to get this chapter out, but I suspect it was well worth the wait. I don't care if a lot of people don't review, I'm gonna continue this fic anyway! They'll be missing out in the future when Draco and Ginny finally meet up and...well, I won't spoilt it!)
"What do you mean?" Ginny rushed up to Hobbs, trying to get her questions through the noise that broke out.
"What?" Hobbs yelled. "Come into my office!"
Ginny followed him behind the doors and instantly the noise was shut out by a silencing charm. Ginny noted the bareness of Hobb's office. It almost reminded her of the small room she had the interview in. The desk was covered with papers and a huge fireplace was in the corner. Ginny sat down in front of the desk and Hobbs sat behind it.
"How could this have happened?" Ginny stated rather than questioned. "I thought there was supposed to be charms over the vehicle! What kind of Ministry are we running here?"
"Calm down, Virginia." Hobbs spoke soothingly. "I haven't got all the details but I do know that he escaped on the coast, just as they were about to fly over the ocean. They have people looking for him and soon they'll catch him. I just want to put your article on hold until they do catch him, though. What's the point in printing something that's obsolete?"
Ginny breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly. Why was she getting so involved with this assignment? Why did she feel like it was somehow her fault he escaped? And why did she feel impending danger?
"Virginia, you've been through a lot. I want you to take the rest of the day off." Hobbs placed his hand over Ginny's. "Take tomorrow off as well." He gave her a fatherly smile, then got up from his desk and escorted Ginny to her car.
Ginny got into the car and was prepared to drive off when she quickly rolled down her window and shouted at Hobbs' retreating back. "Contact me when you get more news?"
Hobbs turned around and smiled, giving her a thumbs up.
Ginny didn't know if this day could get any worse. She drove slowly home in case the fates were out to get her via car accident. She pulled up to her apartment complex and went directly to her door. She fumbled with her keys and noticed that a neighbors door slowly opened. Ginny looked up and the door quickly slammed shut.
"Weirdos." Ginny mumbled, pushing her way into her place.
Ginny couldn't afford anything better than her tiny apartment. It wasn't in the nicest neighborhood either. She'd often see gangs of kids wearing nothing but black walk up and down the streets and the people above her played obnoxiously loud music. She had a strong suspicion her next door neighbor was some sort of pervert, his blinds would always be closed except for a small hole in the corner. It freaked Ginny out every time he opened his door to leave that she'd grab hold of her wand…just in case.
The apartment itself was done up pretty nice on the inside. It was always clean, mostly because her Mother made weekly visits and due to the fact that she was hardly at home any more. She'd often order out and stay at the office to finish up last minute work. Just as she sat down to relax the booming of her upstairs neighbor's radio echoed the walls.
"Argh!" Ginny let out a frustrated grunt. She had come home to relax, not to have her ear drums damaged beyond repair.
She was itching to grab her wand and curse whoever was above her, but then she'd probably have her wand snapped in two by Ministry officials. What's the point in having a wand if I can't use it? She wondered.
Dismissing her order to relax, she got up and went into the kitchen. The fridge was full of snack foods and things that could be microwaved in no time flat. She brought out a frozen dinner and touched it with her wand. It instantly began to steam and Ginny ate it right there at the counter.
The evening passed by and Ginny began to get wrestles. She had no word from Hobbs and she wondered if everything was all right. Of course they'd catch Draco again. It was only a matter of time. But why did she have that icky feeling in the pit of her stomach? A loud banging on the door startled her. Ginny grabbed her wand and cautiously moved towards the door. The banging persisted and Ginny looked through the peephole.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her wand on the counter and opening the door.
"Ginny! I can't believe you didn't tell us all!" Harry came into the apartment and stood directly in front of her.
"Tell you wh—oh, that." Ginny smiled rather sheepishly. Why didn't she tell everyone?
"We just heard on the WWN at the office and I came straight here! I owled your folks and Ron. Are you alright? Did you know he was going to escape? Did he give anything away during the interview?"
Ginny bit her bottom lip and shook her head. Why is it that whenever she was in Harry's presence she felt like she was eleven all over again? She felt like that scared girl who had a crush on the biggest celebrity. She thought she'd never live it down.
"No, Harry, he didn't give anything away." But speaking of the interview brought Ginny's thoughts tumbling back down to the fact that Draco said Harry was in danger. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm alright." Harry looked astonished. "What makes you think I wouldn't be?"
Ginny looked around the room. Should she tell him? Would he pass it off as some stupid joke Draco thought playing before he was carted off forever?
"Nothing." Ginny sighed.
"Ginny, when are you going to move out of this dump? Your neighbors are creepy." Harry said, sitting on one of the chairs in the living room.
"This is all I can afford at the moment. As soon as my name gets out there I'll be filthy rich and living in the lap of luxury." Ginny smiled.
They both began laughing and Ginny thought about how she felt so at east with him, even after what happened between them last year. Ginny had come home after graduating to get things ready for her job at the Daily Prophet. Harry and Ron were staying at the Burrow as well and Harry and Ginny had both grown since when they were young. Ginny was now a beautiful young woman and Harry a very attractive young man. They had begun dating but Ginny soon found their relationship lacked something she desperately needed.
Not wanting to hurt Harry's feeling by telling him he didn't live up to her expectations, she announced she hadn't had time for a real relationship then. And without any awkward moments they hugged and returned to being just friends.
"What?" Harry asked, seeing Ginny's gaze on something other than the present.
"Huh? Oh, nothing…I was just thinking."
"Of what?"
"Well, what if Draco is innocent?" Before Harry could put his two cents in Ginny continued. "I know what you're thinking. If Draco says he's innocent then it only proves his guilt but…" Ginny didn't know how to explain what she felt when Draco was sitting across from her.
"Go on." Harry prodded.
"Well…I just had this feeling that not everything fit. That there was something missing from this whole deal, but I don't know what and I don't know how to figure it out."
They both sat in silence a while before Harry spoke up. "I can't deny your feelings weren't sincere or valid but I don't see how there's any room for innocence."
"Thanks Harry." At that point Ginny just wanted to get some sleep and forget everything that was happening for a while. "I'll see you!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and watched him leave her complex.
Ginny flung herself on the couch and felt like sleeping but there was something nagging at her. She looked around her room at the chairs and table and the few pictures on the walls. Her eyes finally rested on her bag that was leaning against the wall. She got off the couch and made her way towards the bag and took out the tape recorder. She pushed the rewound button, then play
"Where are these letters?"
"My house."
"Not Malfoy Manor?"
"No…42 Surrey Lane."
"And these letters are there? Does anyone else know about these letters?"
"No."
"Did you have them hidden? Could this Slytherin have stolen them?"
"No…transfigured. Riddles."
"What do you mean? What are the—"
Ginny pushed the stop button then rewound again and listened to this bit of interview over and over.
"Riddles?" She said to herself, looking ahead into the unknown.
What could that possibly mean? She thought, playing the tape once more. Ginny rifled through her papers and came across Draco's crime file. She flipped through the pages, reading the reports on the crime, the witnesses, the victims. Thirty-two people were killed, all assumed Muggles but only one person was unaccounted for, passed off as a bum. The witnesses were Muggles of course.
Hobbs said Draco had escaped. But how could he? He was completely docile when they had their interview, and those types of spells just don't wear off so easily. She couldn't see how he even found the strength to get up on his own, let alone overtake two guards and run from the car.
"Something's not right." Ginny muttered to herself, tapping her lip with her forefinger.
~*~*~
The next day crept into Ginny's apartment like an unwelcome guest. The light forced her eyes to open and she muttered curses under her breath. She didn't want to get up. She had the day off! She definitely didn't want to spend it waking up before ten.
Ginny squeezed her eyes closed, begging sleep to return. But quite suddenly the noise from above forced her up.
Ginny walked into the bathroom and noted her wrinkled clothes and untidy hair. She had slept on the couch and quite suddenly she remembered why. She had been up all night going through the papers until she thought she'd scream. The last time she looked at the clock it was 11:30, but she suspected she stayed up well past midnight.
After taking a quick shower she dressed and went directly to the pile of papers on the floor. She had scratched a few notes on a piece of parchment, which she didn't remember taking, but one thing stuck out. Circled four times were the words "42 Surrey Lane." Ginny grabbed the parchment and headed out the door.
The drive was a short one. In no less the ten minutes Ginny had parked her car on the corner of Surrey Lane and made her way down the streets. The block was full of old Victorian Houses turned into apartments and flats. It was a pretty nice neighborhood, but it didn't scream that a Malfoy lived anywhere near the houses. Number 42 was a tall house with an iron gate out front. There looked to be about four different people living in the flats according to the intercom.
"Where's Malfoy?" Ginny ran her fingers down the names but none of them were Draco's. "Burns, Smith, Orcad and Schneider."
Ginny walked back onto the sidewalk to make sure she was at the right address, but there was no mistaking it. On the side of the house there was a large, brass number 42. She walked back up to the intercom and was about to puzzle over the names when someone walked out of the house.
"Hello, and who are you?" An old woman with a cane stood in front of Ginny. Her iron gray hair was tied up in a round bun and her hunched shoulders were clothed with an old brown sweater. From under her floral patterned skirt, two small feet poked out. Her face looked weather beaten with time, and Ginny didn't think she'd get any help from this woman.
"I was looking for a friend of mine but he's not answering the intercom." Ginny motioned to the intercom.
The woman's gaze followed Ginny's hand, then landed upon Ginny. "It's that young man, Jake or Drake or something." The woman flung her hand in the air as if it didn't matter. "He's been gone for days now and he's missed his rent. Always said, 'Please, Mrs. Smith, let me pay you tomorrow,' or 'Please, Mrs. Smith, I'll have the money by the end of the week.' Well, it's been a whole month together!"
"Oh, um…" Ginny paused. "Well, you see, he sent me over to get his things and I thought he'd be here, but I suppose he's at my place already."
"Eh? Are you here to pay his rent then?" The lady looked at her in a new light.
Ginny searched her pockets for any Muggle money she had and produced 75£s. "Will this do?"
The woman snatched the money out of Ginny's hands before she could say anything. "He still owes 100£ and you make sure and tell him!" The woman rushed down the stairs, astonishing Ginny at her agility, then disappeared down the street. She looked back at the door and noticed that the woman forgot to close it all the way.
Ginny looked around to make sure no one was watching, then quietly entered the building, closing the door behind her. Two doors were on either side of her, one marked "Smith," the other marked "Burns." She knew Smith wasn't his, so she turned to Burns. She pressed her ear against the door and heard muffled voices.
"That's not it." She thought, then she climbed the stairs that were in front of her. On the second level were two more doors, one marked "Schneider" the other "Orcad."
"Schneider…Orcad." Ginny stood there, contemplating the different names when it hit her! "Orcad…Draco!" She made her way to the door and tried the handle, but it was locked. Again making sure no one was looking she produced her wand and muttered an unlocking charm. She heard a soft click and the door swung freely open.
The room was still and silent, causing Ginny's heart to beat quickly. She had never done anything like this, and she wasn't sure she was up to it. The wooden floor creaked under her weight, causing her to slow her pace. There was a small sitting area and a small kitchen. On the further wall was a door that must have been the bedroom.
Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at Ginny. If she didn't know she was in Draco's place, she'd have guessed it was a common Muggle dwelling. Not on scrap of magic artifact was anywhere! Not one robe, not even a moving picture or anything. It was as if Draco wished to be forgotten by the Magical community, and went to great lengths to make it so.
Now that Ginny thought about it, after Draco graduated Hogwarts she hadn't heard anything of him since. And considering from the prosperous family he was from, it would have been difficult.
Beside the Muggle television was a bookshelf. Ginny glanced at the titles, noting the Muggle philosophy books. She rummaged through the kitchen cupboards and fridge and found nothing as well. She was beginning to think her search was fruitless when she entered his bedroom. She stood in the doorway, looking around. There were only two items in the room. A bed and a waste paper basket. On the right wall was a window with the blinds drawn shut. Ginny walked to the window and opened the blinds, sneezing on the dust that had collected on them. She blinked as the sunlight filtered through.
"Absolutely nothing." Ginny muttered.
Out of pure boredom she stripped his bed and flipped it over, still finding nothing. Turning to the waste paper basket she thought "what the heck," and dumped it out. Some crumpled up candy wrappers, a wad of tissue and a red plastic sack lay on the floor. The candy wrappers and tissue were of no importance, but Ginny picked the plastic bag up to inspect it when she heard something from the outer room. Plastic bag still I hand, Ginny tiptoed to the bedroom door.
"Someone is trying to get in!" Ginny shrieked to herself.
She slowly closed the bedroom door closed and stuffed the plastic bag in her pants and headed for the window. She opened it and was grateful there was no screen. She looked down at a small shed. She swung her first leg out the window just as she heard the front door open. Her other leg was caught and she pulled with all her might to free herself. Finally getting her leg free, she tumbled down onto the roof of the shed, wincing in pain.
"Crap!" She yelled, rubbing her thigh.
Collecting her wits, she crawled to the edge of the shed and jumped the five feet down, falling in the process. She looked up at the window and saw a figure pass by. Ginny quickly made her way past the shed along the fence to the side gate. The latch was locked, so she was forced to climb onto a garbage and fling herself over the side, yet again causing herself injury.
"Who are you!" Ginny turned around, startled, but saw that it was only the old lady at the front steps confronting a man.
Ginny couldn't see who the man was, his back was facing her, but he was tall and wearing a gray suite. She crouched behind a row of bushes to keep from being seen.
"I have come to collect Mr. Orcad's things." The man replied, in a deep voice.
"Are you with that red head?" Ginny clutched her hands in fear. "She came a while ago and gave me some of the rent money. I need the rest—" But before the woman could finish the man pulled something out of his pocket and said, "Obliverate."
"He's a wizard!" Ginny gasped.
The man quickly turned around, hearing Ginny's gasp. She ducked down even further behind the bushes, but the man had seen something! He made his way down the steps but before he could get any further someone yelled for him to enter the building. Taking one last look the bushes he entered.
Making sure the man was out of site, Ginny ran from the bushes, onto the sidewalk and down to her car. Not even daring to look back she started the engine and slammed on the gas, causing the tires to squeel in protest. She didn't feel safe until she was on the outer edge of town, and even then she refused to let her guard down.
(A/N: I know it took a while to get this chapter out, but I suspect it was well worth the wait. I don't care if a lot of people don't review, I'm gonna continue this fic anyway! They'll be missing out in the future when Draco and Ginny finally meet up and...well, I won't spoilt it!)