Disclaimer: This is for those of you who go around suing people because
they don't have disclaimers. Wait, does anyone actually do that? Anyway,
most of the characters are J.K. Rowlings!
Dedication: To Hannah, who refuses to let me have Hermione go out with Ron in my fic! (I'm more of a H/H person anyway.)
A/N: To those of you who are R/H people, sorry, I kind of liked Harry and Hermione together. I think they are sweet together. But don't get me wrong, I like R/H too. I don't know what I like!!! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers!
***PLZ READ: Okay, do you remember that tiny little part I squeezed into chapter 5, where Harry is about to tell Ron and Hermione what he found out from Dobby? I continued that part in the beginning of this chapter, but then it goes back to D/G. Just wanted to let you know. And I also put why they can't use the Maurader's Map in this one. I apologize again for the first chapter, when I totally forgot to put something about that in! One of my blonde moments. I'll go back and edit that someday. :o)
Piercing the Darkness
Chapter 6 Explanations
******
"After you left the kitchen," Harry continued, "Dobby told me some, ummm, things."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked Harry, his face slowly dawning, his mind slowly admitting what it hadn't wanted to admit.
"Ginny lied to us." Harry said, and before Ron could make an outburst he continued,
"She didn't get lost that night. Dobby told me everything he heard. He said," Harry stopped, very hesitant to go on.
"SAID WHAT?!" Ron asked, his temper finally getting the better of him. "WHY DID GINNY HAVE ANY REASON TO LIE!?!"
"Ron, calm down," Hermione said in a soothing voice. "I'm sure she had a good enough reason."
"Said what?" Ron repeated, his voice shaky, trying his hardest to keep from yelling at Harry again.
Harry sighed; people were beginning to stare at them questioningly. Dean and Neville had started setting off fireworks, trying to get the party started.
"Come on, let's go up to our dormitory. It will be deserted, everyone's already down here." Harry suggested a slight urgency in his voice.
"No! Harry I want to know now!"
"Ron please let's just go upstairs, we don't want a public dispute." Hermione had seen the urgent look on Harry's face, and knew that whatever was coming, Ron wasn't going to like.
"Fine." Ron said, and he silently followed them up the stairs.
"Now tell me." Ron said as Hermione shut the door.
"Okay. Dobby told me that the night Ginny disappeared, Malfoy came into the kitchen. And he was carrying Ginny in his arms. Dobby said that she was unconscious."
"WHAT!?! I'LL KILL HIM! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!! I'LL-"
Harry grabbed Ron by the shoulder.
"Listen! There has to be a reason why Ginny didn't tell us. Let me finish telling you everything Dobby said!"
"Maybe I should try to go find Ginny." Hermione interrupted with nervousness in her voice.
"That's probably a good idea. Take the invisibility cloak." Harry said, still gripping Ron tight by the shoulders.
Hermione pulled on the cloak silently, while Harry continued talking to Ron.
"Dobby said that Ginny and Malfoy argued, that Ginny said something about Malfoy locking her up. Dobby said that Malfoy had apparently done it for revenge. You know, when she punched him."
"But why wouldn't Ginny have told us about this, about that evil, no good, son of a-"
"Ron!" An invisible Hermione interrupted. But she didn't say anything more about it, instead she questioned Harry too. "Yes Harry, why didn't she tell us?"
"Well, Dobby said something about blackmail, or at least he tried to describe what went on between the two of them, but I didn't fully understand."
Ron groaned, and put his face in his hands.
"If only we had the Maurader's map." Harry said wistfully, as he remembered back to when Professor McGonagal caught him with it.
It had been at the beginning of the school year, and Harry couldn't sleep one night, so he decided to go see Dobby. He took the map and invisibility cloak with him, and sat them both down on a table in the kitchen as he walked in. But as Harry was talking with Dobby, and eating a snack, McGonagal just happened to walk in. She was probably there for a midnight snack too. Harry rushed over to the map and cloak, remembering that he had forgotten to clear the map. It was too late, McGonagal saw him and came over as he reached the table.
"Harry Potter! What am I going to do with you? You've got to stop this nighttime strolling! What's this?" She had spotted the map. "Ohhh, I'm sorry Professor, I'll just leave." He said, trying to slide the map away from her eyesight.
"Wait just a second!" She took the map and studied it.
"Hmm, where in the world did you get such a thing as this Potter? I need to take this to Dumbledore, and make sure there isn't any Dark Magic related to it." She eyed the invisibility cloak.
"Ahh, yes," she said with a disapproving look on her face. "Dumbledore has told me about this, and since he let you have it, I won't take it. Just don't go sneaking out of bed anymore Potter."
"Thank you Professor. I'll try not to." Harry said. Well he'd try. He wasn't guaranteeing that he wouldn't.
"But I'll have to take this." She said, waving the map.
Harry sighed as Hermione's voice brought him back from his memories. McGonagal had yet to give him back his map. Why did so many teachers keep catching him with it?
"I'm going to find her." Hermione said.
"Yeah we'll all go." Ron stood up and walked towards where he thought Hermione was.
"No Ron! We move to slow with all three of us under here! It'll be quicker if I go alone."
For once, Ron didn't argue.
"Don't worry, I'll be back with Ginny soon. Then we can get this all worked out."
And she left.
******
Ginny was not going to believe it. Was not going to admit to herself the nightmare she was going through. Was not going to admit that she was on the back of a broomstick, holding onto Malfoy for dear life, hundreds of feet up in the air. Holding on to Malfoy of all people. Running from what? What was Malfoy running from? Voldemort? Dumbledore? Life? 'But why did he have to take me with him?' Ginny asked herself.
They had been flying for about twenty minutes she estimated. Of course it was hard to tell, everything seemed to be in such a haze. Had she really seen Voldemort again? When it had been just a memory of his sixteen year old self, it hadn't been as bad. It had been bad, but not like seeing him for what he was now. Voldemort was like a dead man walking, pale skin, and terrible red eyes, an ever-present evil surrounding him.
Ginny hadn't said anything to Malfoy since they had left Hogwarts, a place she dearly loved now. He hadn't said anything to her either, just sat there, hunched forward, always looking around his shoulder, as if he thought someone was following. Every now and then he would dip down through the clouds, apparently to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Finally he spoke, causing Ginny to jump out of the trance she was in.
"We are going to Gringotts. Don't talk to anyone. Keep your hood up. And don't," and at this point he turned around and looked at her. "Don't do anything stupid."
Ginny sat in silence for a moment, thinking over what Malfoy had just said. It didn't make any since. What was he doing?
"Why are we going to Gringotts? Won't it be closed?" She asked.
"It doesn't ever close. The goblins hardly ever sleep. Actually I doubt if they sleep at all. You see, it's much harder to try and rob the bank with the goblins there, wide awake and fully operating."
"So it stays open? Even at night?" Ginny realized she had never been to Diagon Alley before at night.
"Yes, I just told you that." Draco said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Ginny didn't say anything else. She had no idea what was going on with Malfoy. What if the Dark Mark was controlling him? And she still didn't know why they were going to the wizarding bank.
Presently they began descending towards Gringotts. Malfoy landed in a dark spot behind the building so they wouldn't be seen. Ginny winced as she stepped off the broom. She gingerly put some weight on her throbbing ankle, and was relieved to find that it could support her. She lifted up her robes to look at her ankle. Just a little swelling, but thankfully it wasn't broken.
Ginny was wearing her favorite deep ruby colored robes. They were probably ruined now. Mud and grass stains covered them. She would definitely attract attention with these dirty things on. But would that be such a bad thing? After all didn't she need attention? She needed help. Needed to get away. A plan formed itself in her head.
"You know Malfoy," she said while he was dismounting. "My robes are really dirty. Maybe I should just wait out here while you go and do whatever it is you need to do. Wouldn't want me attracting attention now would you?"
Malfoy stopped abruptly and grabbed Ginny by her shoulders, shaking her hard.
"What, do you think I'm stupid Weasley? Leave you out here so you can run off?"
'So much for my plan.' She thought.
"What do you want from me!? Why are you doing this? We should have gone to Professor Dumbledore right away!"
"Don't you get it yet?!" he said, still gripping her shoulders to hard. "We know to much! Dumbledore's old and weary, and Voldemort is too strong! Dumbledore can't protect us anymore! We have enough information to put two of Voldemort's spies in Azkaban, two teenage spies for goodness sakes! Two of some of the Death Eater's own children! Voldemort will hunt us down and kill us. And Hogwarts will be the first place he looks of course! Which is why I won't be going there! Hopefully he didn't see us fly off, hopefully he thinks we ran to Dumbledore. But if he did see us leave, it puts us in a precarious situation, because he'll know what direction I went, he could even be following us now!"
Ginny listened to him, stricken.
"But why won't you let me go back to Hogwarts? Someone needs to warn Dumbledore and Harry. Someone-" but she paused in thought. She had just realized something. Ginny knew that Draco had received the mark, which meant-
"You're kidnapping me! It's not just Voldemort you're scared of, it's- it's me too! I know that you received the mark tonight! That's not something that you'd want floating around the Ministry of Magic! It could land you your own cell in Azkaban!" Her eyes were filling with tears as she yelled at Malfoy. He hadn't been trying to protect her at all! He was just trying to save his own skin!
"I also could have told Voldemort which direction you flew off at, if you had left me on the grounds and he caught me. You said yourself that it would have been easier for him to find you if he knew which direction you went! Well what are you going to do if he saw you leave? What if he is following us right now!?
"Then you can die with me." He hissed, while he grabbed Ginny's wrist and pulled her forward.
"You evil- evil person!" she said, her tears finally spilling over. But she just had to convince Malfoy to let her go. She needed to think straight, and retain control over her emotions.
"Please!" she cried pleadingly. " How do you even know if Voldemort or your father recognized me? Please just let me go, and I promise not to tell anyone that you have the mark!"
"Do you actually think that my father didn't recognize that mass of red hair on your head?! He would be able to tell that you're a Weasley from a mile off! I'm sure they have all the Death Eaters out looking for you and me this instant!"
Ginny started sobbing uncontrollably.
"I hate you!" she yelled through her sobs.
"Look, it's not my fault you were so nosey, and couldn't mind your own business! Not my fault that you had to run in and be the hero!"
"Yes but the rest is!" she screamed at him. "You took me with you! Stole me! You don't care who you step on, whose life you destroy to get things the way you need it! You're just as bad as the Death Eaters themselves!"
Malfoy reached out at her, and Ginny thought he was probably about to strangle her, but instead her pulled up her hood over her hair.
"Keep your hood up. And stop that noise."
"I hate you." she muttered again.
"Well it's probably better that way isn't it? Now come on." He tugged on her wrist.
'No!' Ginny screamed to herself. She couldn't let this happen! She had to get away!
With her free hand she reached inside her robes for her wand. It wasn't there! Draco stared at her unbelievingly and sighed. He reached into his own robes and pulled out Ginny's wand!
"You really do think I'm stupid don't you?" he asked sarcastically.
"great." she muttered. Now she didn't even have a wand! How had he gotten it? And why was life so unfair?
******
Hermione couldn't stop blaming herself. 'Why haven't I been paying attention to Ginny more closely these days? Why didn't I realize that something was wrong?' The answer to that was simple. The only person she had been thinking about lately had been Harry. 'Where is she!?' Hermione asked herself, as she moved room to room under the invisibility cloak, searching the castle.
She was getting hot underneath the cloak, and as she reached the Entrance Hall and didn't see anyone, she decided to step out from under it for a breather. She went to the front doors and quietly opened them, peering out into the darkness. Everything was still and quiet, she couldn't see a thing. Hermione closed the doors and leaned her back against them.
"Please Ginny, where are you?" she wispered as she closed her eyes. She was so tired.
"I saw her."
Hermione's eyes shot open. A small boy emerged out of the shadows in the corner. Hermione recognized him as a Gryffindor. A first year she thought.
"What did you say?" she asked, concern for Ginny completely making her forget to keep her voice down.
"Your friend, with the red hair." He said in a timid, scared voice.
"Ginny? You saw Ginny!?"
"Yes, I- I followed her, because I saw how sad she looked, and I," his eyes were brimming with tears.
"It's okay, go ahead." Hermione said, trying to comfort him.
"I wanted to make sure she was okay." He continued. "And I watched her as she went outside. Then she went into the forest."
"The forest!?" Hermione asked shocked to hear such a thing. "Did she come out? Is she okay? Where is she?"
The boy started crying.
"I saw her come out, but I couldn't do anything! I couldn't do anything!"
Hermione went over to the boy.
"It's okay." she whispered. "What happened?"
He tried his best to stop crying and took a deep breath.
"She and this boy ran out of the forest screaming. It looked like sparks were flying after them. And then she fell as she ran, and the boy came over, summoned his broom and put her on it, and they flew off! And I couldn't do anything to help her!"
"Do you know who the boy was?" Hermione asked frantically.
He hesitated.
"Yes, that mean Slytherin seeker."
"Oh no!"
******
Draco took Ginny firmly by the hand, a little to firmly, to show that he was in control. She grudgingly allowed herself to be tugged along, silent tears still streaming down her pretty face under her hood. Draco almost felt sorry for her, but then again it wasn't his fault. She shouldn't have gotten herself involved.
They walked through the doors of the bank and down the corridor, as all the goblins eyed them with much dislike. Draco went over to the head goblin, the one his father always ordered around. The goblin stared at Draco, daring him to demand something of him.
"I need seven-hundred galleons removed from my vault, and exchanged for muggle money." Draco said, in a voice his father commonly used when ordering people around.
The goblin sighed.
"I need your name, vault number, password, and signature."
"I thought you had to go down to your vault to get the money." Ginny said.
"It's one of those high security vaults Weasley, only a goblin can open it. If anyone else tries to open it, they get sucked in, although we never leave more than 700 galleons in there." He replied.
"Here." Draco said, as he gave the goblin back the form he had just filled out. "I'm in kind of a hurry too."
The goblin waved another goblin over, a fat one, who took the form and disappeared.
Draco pulled Ginny away from where the goblin was seated.
"Do you have pockets?" he asked.
"Pockets? My robes have pockets."
"No, not your robes. Your clothing."
Ginny looked at him questioningly.
"Uh, yeah my jeans have pockets." She said.
"Good, oh here comes the goblin."
The goblin approached, carrying quite a large sum of muggle money.
Draco took the money, grabbed Ginny and left.
Once they were outside, he handed a few hundred pounds to Ginny and told her to stuff as much into her muggle type clothing as she could. She looked at him like he was crazy, but did what he said anyway, which Draco was glad for, because he didn't feel like arguing. She had probably never seen so much money in her whole life. She probably didn't mind stuffing money into her pockets.
They went to the Leaky Cauldron, which was a pub, so it also stayed open late, passed through and went out into muggle London.
"Take off your robes now, and don't do anything stupid." He warned her again.
Draco took off his robes also, rolled them up and stuffed them under his arm.
He summoned a taxi and pushed Ginny in, and then climbed in after her.
"Hi kids! I'm Pete. Where to?" the driver said.
"A hotel." Draco replied.
"Which un? There's lotsa hotels 'round here."
"It doesn't matter, which ever one you recommend."
Draco looked over at Ginny, who wore a horrified expression on her face. He took a chance and scooted right up next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She squirmed and tried to push him away, but he held on tight.
"Where you planning on sleeping on a park bench?" he whispered a slight smirk on his face.
"I can't believe you- you."
"What?" He asked innocently, squeezing her even tighter.
"Get off me! I can't breathe!"
He leaned in closer, and spoke right into her ear.
"Awww, poor thing."
Draco felt her shiver and she once again tried to push him away, but he grabbed her chin, and planted his lips firmly on hers.
That stopped her squirming.
To Be Continued
A/N: Oh no! more suspense! I have a habit of doing that :o) Okay next chapter: G/D at the hotel, more twists and turns, and whatever else I think of at the last moment! As always, I love to hear your thoughts!
Dedication: To Hannah, who refuses to let me have Hermione go out with Ron in my fic! (I'm more of a H/H person anyway.)
A/N: To those of you who are R/H people, sorry, I kind of liked Harry and Hermione together. I think they are sweet together. But don't get me wrong, I like R/H too. I don't know what I like!!! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers!
***PLZ READ: Okay, do you remember that tiny little part I squeezed into chapter 5, where Harry is about to tell Ron and Hermione what he found out from Dobby? I continued that part in the beginning of this chapter, but then it goes back to D/G. Just wanted to let you know. And I also put why they can't use the Maurader's Map in this one. I apologize again for the first chapter, when I totally forgot to put something about that in! One of my blonde moments. I'll go back and edit that someday. :o)
Piercing the Darkness
Chapter 6 Explanations
******
"After you left the kitchen," Harry continued, "Dobby told me some, ummm, things."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked Harry, his face slowly dawning, his mind slowly admitting what it hadn't wanted to admit.
"Ginny lied to us." Harry said, and before Ron could make an outburst he continued,
"She didn't get lost that night. Dobby told me everything he heard. He said," Harry stopped, very hesitant to go on.
"SAID WHAT?!" Ron asked, his temper finally getting the better of him. "WHY DID GINNY HAVE ANY REASON TO LIE!?!"
"Ron, calm down," Hermione said in a soothing voice. "I'm sure she had a good enough reason."
"Said what?" Ron repeated, his voice shaky, trying his hardest to keep from yelling at Harry again.
Harry sighed; people were beginning to stare at them questioningly. Dean and Neville had started setting off fireworks, trying to get the party started.
"Come on, let's go up to our dormitory. It will be deserted, everyone's already down here." Harry suggested a slight urgency in his voice.
"No! Harry I want to know now!"
"Ron please let's just go upstairs, we don't want a public dispute." Hermione had seen the urgent look on Harry's face, and knew that whatever was coming, Ron wasn't going to like.
"Fine." Ron said, and he silently followed them up the stairs.
"Now tell me." Ron said as Hermione shut the door.
"Okay. Dobby told me that the night Ginny disappeared, Malfoy came into the kitchen. And he was carrying Ginny in his arms. Dobby said that she was unconscious."
"WHAT!?! I'LL KILL HIM! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!! I'LL-"
Harry grabbed Ron by the shoulder.
"Listen! There has to be a reason why Ginny didn't tell us. Let me finish telling you everything Dobby said!"
"Maybe I should try to go find Ginny." Hermione interrupted with nervousness in her voice.
"That's probably a good idea. Take the invisibility cloak." Harry said, still gripping Ron tight by the shoulders.
Hermione pulled on the cloak silently, while Harry continued talking to Ron.
"Dobby said that Ginny and Malfoy argued, that Ginny said something about Malfoy locking her up. Dobby said that Malfoy had apparently done it for revenge. You know, when she punched him."
"But why wouldn't Ginny have told us about this, about that evil, no good, son of a-"
"Ron!" An invisible Hermione interrupted. But she didn't say anything more about it, instead she questioned Harry too. "Yes Harry, why didn't she tell us?"
"Well, Dobby said something about blackmail, or at least he tried to describe what went on between the two of them, but I didn't fully understand."
Ron groaned, and put his face in his hands.
"If only we had the Maurader's map." Harry said wistfully, as he remembered back to when Professor McGonagal caught him with it.
It had been at the beginning of the school year, and Harry couldn't sleep one night, so he decided to go see Dobby. He took the map and invisibility cloak with him, and sat them both down on a table in the kitchen as he walked in. But as Harry was talking with Dobby, and eating a snack, McGonagal just happened to walk in. She was probably there for a midnight snack too. Harry rushed over to the map and cloak, remembering that he had forgotten to clear the map. It was too late, McGonagal saw him and came over as he reached the table.
"Harry Potter! What am I going to do with you? You've got to stop this nighttime strolling! What's this?" She had spotted the map. "Ohhh, I'm sorry Professor, I'll just leave." He said, trying to slide the map away from her eyesight.
"Wait just a second!" She took the map and studied it.
"Hmm, where in the world did you get such a thing as this Potter? I need to take this to Dumbledore, and make sure there isn't any Dark Magic related to it." She eyed the invisibility cloak.
"Ahh, yes," she said with a disapproving look on her face. "Dumbledore has told me about this, and since he let you have it, I won't take it. Just don't go sneaking out of bed anymore Potter."
"Thank you Professor. I'll try not to." Harry said. Well he'd try. He wasn't guaranteeing that he wouldn't.
"But I'll have to take this." She said, waving the map.
Harry sighed as Hermione's voice brought him back from his memories. McGonagal had yet to give him back his map. Why did so many teachers keep catching him with it?
"I'm going to find her." Hermione said.
"Yeah we'll all go." Ron stood up and walked towards where he thought Hermione was.
"No Ron! We move to slow with all three of us under here! It'll be quicker if I go alone."
For once, Ron didn't argue.
"Don't worry, I'll be back with Ginny soon. Then we can get this all worked out."
And she left.
******
Ginny was not going to believe it. Was not going to admit to herself the nightmare she was going through. Was not going to admit that she was on the back of a broomstick, holding onto Malfoy for dear life, hundreds of feet up in the air. Holding on to Malfoy of all people. Running from what? What was Malfoy running from? Voldemort? Dumbledore? Life? 'But why did he have to take me with him?' Ginny asked herself.
They had been flying for about twenty minutes she estimated. Of course it was hard to tell, everything seemed to be in such a haze. Had she really seen Voldemort again? When it had been just a memory of his sixteen year old self, it hadn't been as bad. It had been bad, but not like seeing him for what he was now. Voldemort was like a dead man walking, pale skin, and terrible red eyes, an ever-present evil surrounding him.
Ginny hadn't said anything to Malfoy since they had left Hogwarts, a place she dearly loved now. He hadn't said anything to her either, just sat there, hunched forward, always looking around his shoulder, as if he thought someone was following. Every now and then he would dip down through the clouds, apparently to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Finally he spoke, causing Ginny to jump out of the trance she was in.
"We are going to Gringotts. Don't talk to anyone. Keep your hood up. And don't," and at this point he turned around and looked at her. "Don't do anything stupid."
Ginny sat in silence for a moment, thinking over what Malfoy had just said. It didn't make any since. What was he doing?
"Why are we going to Gringotts? Won't it be closed?" She asked.
"It doesn't ever close. The goblins hardly ever sleep. Actually I doubt if they sleep at all. You see, it's much harder to try and rob the bank with the goblins there, wide awake and fully operating."
"So it stays open? Even at night?" Ginny realized she had never been to Diagon Alley before at night.
"Yes, I just told you that." Draco said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Ginny didn't say anything else. She had no idea what was going on with Malfoy. What if the Dark Mark was controlling him? And she still didn't know why they were going to the wizarding bank.
Presently they began descending towards Gringotts. Malfoy landed in a dark spot behind the building so they wouldn't be seen. Ginny winced as she stepped off the broom. She gingerly put some weight on her throbbing ankle, and was relieved to find that it could support her. She lifted up her robes to look at her ankle. Just a little swelling, but thankfully it wasn't broken.
Ginny was wearing her favorite deep ruby colored robes. They were probably ruined now. Mud and grass stains covered them. She would definitely attract attention with these dirty things on. But would that be such a bad thing? After all didn't she need attention? She needed help. Needed to get away. A plan formed itself in her head.
"You know Malfoy," she said while he was dismounting. "My robes are really dirty. Maybe I should just wait out here while you go and do whatever it is you need to do. Wouldn't want me attracting attention now would you?"
Malfoy stopped abruptly and grabbed Ginny by her shoulders, shaking her hard.
"What, do you think I'm stupid Weasley? Leave you out here so you can run off?"
'So much for my plan.' She thought.
"What do you want from me!? Why are you doing this? We should have gone to Professor Dumbledore right away!"
"Don't you get it yet?!" he said, still gripping her shoulders to hard. "We know to much! Dumbledore's old and weary, and Voldemort is too strong! Dumbledore can't protect us anymore! We have enough information to put two of Voldemort's spies in Azkaban, two teenage spies for goodness sakes! Two of some of the Death Eater's own children! Voldemort will hunt us down and kill us. And Hogwarts will be the first place he looks of course! Which is why I won't be going there! Hopefully he didn't see us fly off, hopefully he thinks we ran to Dumbledore. But if he did see us leave, it puts us in a precarious situation, because he'll know what direction I went, he could even be following us now!"
Ginny listened to him, stricken.
"But why won't you let me go back to Hogwarts? Someone needs to warn Dumbledore and Harry. Someone-" but she paused in thought. She had just realized something. Ginny knew that Draco had received the mark, which meant-
"You're kidnapping me! It's not just Voldemort you're scared of, it's- it's me too! I know that you received the mark tonight! That's not something that you'd want floating around the Ministry of Magic! It could land you your own cell in Azkaban!" Her eyes were filling with tears as she yelled at Malfoy. He hadn't been trying to protect her at all! He was just trying to save his own skin!
"I also could have told Voldemort which direction you flew off at, if you had left me on the grounds and he caught me. You said yourself that it would have been easier for him to find you if he knew which direction you went! Well what are you going to do if he saw you leave? What if he is following us right now!?
"Then you can die with me." He hissed, while he grabbed Ginny's wrist and pulled her forward.
"You evil- evil person!" she said, her tears finally spilling over. But she just had to convince Malfoy to let her go. She needed to think straight, and retain control over her emotions.
"Please!" she cried pleadingly. " How do you even know if Voldemort or your father recognized me? Please just let me go, and I promise not to tell anyone that you have the mark!"
"Do you actually think that my father didn't recognize that mass of red hair on your head?! He would be able to tell that you're a Weasley from a mile off! I'm sure they have all the Death Eaters out looking for you and me this instant!"
Ginny started sobbing uncontrollably.
"I hate you!" she yelled through her sobs.
"Look, it's not my fault you were so nosey, and couldn't mind your own business! Not my fault that you had to run in and be the hero!"
"Yes but the rest is!" she screamed at him. "You took me with you! Stole me! You don't care who you step on, whose life you destroy to get things the way you need it! You're just as bad as the Death Eaters themselves!"
Malfoy reached out at her, and Ginny thought he was probably about to strangle her, but instead her pulled up her hood over her hair.
"Keep your hood up. And stop that noise."
"I hate you." she muttered again.
"Well it's probably better that way isn't it? Now come on." He tugged on her wrist.
'No!' Ginny screamed to herself. She couldn't let this happen! She had to get away!
With her free hand she reached inside her robes for her wand. It wasn't there! Draco stared at her unbelievingly and sighed. He reached into his own robes and pulled out Ginny's wand!
"You really do think I'm stupid don't you?" he asked sarcastically.
"great." she muttered. Now she didn't even have a wand! How had he gotten it? And why was life so unfair?
******
Hermione couldn't stop blaming herself. 'Why haven't I been paying attention to Ginny more closely these days? Why didn't I realize that something was wrong?' The answer to that was simple. The only person she had been thinking about lately had been Harry. 'Where is she!?' Hermione asked herself, as she moved room to room under the invisibility cloak, searching the castle.
She was getting hot underneath the cloak, and as she reached the Entrance Hall and didn't see anyone, she decided to step out from under it for a breather. She went to the front doors and quietly opened them, peering out into the darkness. Everything was still and quiet, she couldn't see a thing. Hermione closed the doors and leaned her back against them.
"Please Ginny, where are you?" she wispered as she closed her eyes. She was so tired.
"I saw her."
Hermione's eyes shot open. A small boy emerged out of the shadows in the corner. Hermione recognized him as a Gryffindor. A first year she thought.
"What did you say?" she asked, concern for Ginny completely making her forget to keep her voice down.
"Your friend, with the red hair." He said in a timid, scared voice.
"Ginny? You saw Ginny!?"
"Yes, I- I followed her, because I saw how sad she looked, and I," his eyes were brimming with tears.
"It's okay, go ahead." Hermione said, trying to comfort him.
"I wanted to make sure she was okay." He continued. "And I watched her as she went outside. Then she went into the forest."
"The forest!?" Hermione asked shocked to hear such a thing. "Did she come out? Is she okay? Where is she?"
The boy started crying.
"I saw her come out, but I couldn't do anything! I couldn't do anything!"
Hermione went over to the boy.
"It's okay." she whispered. "What happened?"
He tried his best to stop crying and took a deep breath.
"She and this boy ran out of the forest screaming. It looked like sparks were flying after them. And then she fell as she ran, and the boy came over, summoned his broom and put her on it, and they flew off! And I couldn't do anything to help her!"
"Do you know who the boy was?" Hermione asked frantically.
He hesitated.
"Yes, that mean Slytherin seeker."
"Oh no!"
******
Draco took Ginny firmly by the hand, a little to firmly, to show that he was in control. She grudgingly allowed herself to be tugged along, silent tears still streaming down her pretty face under her hood. Draco almost felt sorry for her, but then again it wasn't his fault. She shouldn't have gotten herself involved.
They walked through the doors of the bank and down the corridor, as all the goblins eyed them with much dislike. Draco went over to the head goblin, the one his father always ordered around. The goblin stared at Draco, daring him to demand something of him.
"I need seven-hundred galleons removed from my vault, and exchanged for muggle money." Draco said, in a voice his father commonly used when ordering people around.
The goblin sighed.
"I need your name, vault number, password, and signature."
"I thought you had to go down to your vault to get the money." Ginny said.
"It's one of those high security vaults Weasley, only a goblin can open it. If anyone else tries to open it, they get sucked in, although we never leave more than 700 galleons in there." He replied.
"Here." Draco said, as he gave the goblin back the form he had just filled out. "I'm in kind of a hurry too."
The goblin waved another goblin over, a fat one, who took the form and disappeared.
Draco pulled Ginny away from where the goblin was seated.
"Do you have pockets?" he asked.
"Pockets? My robes have pockets."
"No, not your robes. Your clothing."
Ginny looked at him questioningly.
"Uh, yeah my jeans have pockets." She said.
"Good, oh here comes the goblin."
The goblin approached, carrying quite a large sum of muggle money.
Draco took the money, grabbed Ginny and left.
Once they were outside, he handed a few hundred pounds to Ginny and told her to stuff as much into her muggle type clothing as she could. She looked at him like he was crazy, but did what he said anyway, which Draco was glad for, because he didn't feel like arguing. She had probably never seen so much money in her whole life. She probably didn't mind stuffing money into her pockets.
They went to the Leaky Cauldron, which was a pub, so it also stayed open late, passed through and went out into muggle London.
"Take off your robes now, and don't do anything stupid." He warned her again.
Draco took off his robes also, rolled them up and stuffed them under his arm.
He summoned a taxi and pushed Ginny in, and then climbed in after her.
"Hi kids! I'm Pete. Where to?" the driver said.
"A hotel." Draco replied.
"Which un? There's lotsa hotels 'round here."
"It doesn't matter, which ever one you recommend."
Draco looked over at Ginny, who wore a horrified expression on her face. He took a chance and scooted right up next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She squirmed and tried to push him away, but he held on tight.
"Where you planning on sleeping on a park bench?" he whispered a slight smirk on his face.
"I can't believe you- you."
"What?" He asked innocently, squeezing her even tighter.
"Get off me! I can't breathe!"
He leaned in closer, and spoke right into her ear.
"Awww, poor thing."
Draco felt her shiver and she once again tried to push him away, but he grabbed her chin, and planted his lips firmly on hers.
That stopped her squirming.
To Be Continued
A/N: Oh no! more suspense! I have a habit of doing that :o) Okay next chapter: G/D at the hotel, more twists and turns, and whatever else I think of at the last moment! As always, I love to hear your thoughts!