Astray in Endeavor



Disclaimer: I own nothing. Remember, University student. Hence, no money.



Summary: Ginny Weasley disappeared within a week of graduating from Hogwarts, and Draco Malfoy swore that he would find her if it killed him. Now, three years and an anonymous tip off later, it just might do that. And if he's not careful, her too. In order to protect the world and the woman he fell in love with from a new and perhaps even more dangerous threat, he must swallow his pride and team up with his childhood nemesis before someone else disappears.



Chapter 2





"Potter." He greeted, opening the door. Harry Potter, resident top Auror looked up suddenly from his desk and proceeded to raise an eyebrow. Malfoy knew that it was odd for Potter to be seeing him standing in the doorway to his office.

"Malfoy." He returned evenly.

"I have a lead."

"Another one?" Harry knew exactly what he was talking about. It was always the same. Ginny Weasley was the only reason that two of them ever really talked in the first place.



****

"Malfoy! What happened to Ginny!" Hermione cried as the pair came into view. He surveyed them carefully. Granger had a gash down the side of her face and another on her arm, nothing serious. Potter looked a little more worse for wear, he was leaning heavily on Granger, one of his legs obviously broken. Weasley was on the ground just to their left, they had been in the process of reaching him when Draco had turned up carrying Ginny in his arms.

"She followed me. My father tried to kill her slowly. He won't be bothering anyone again." He said simply.

"Crucatious curse?" Hermione asked. He nodded.

"I couldn't get away from Crabbe in time. But I think she'll be okay. We just need to get ourselves to a medi-tent." Harry nodded in agreement and levitated Weasley in order to bring him with them. They slowly made their way to the nearest camp.



Later in the evening, after his own injuries had been taken care of, he went off in search of the tent where they were keeping the two injured Weasleys. He found Potter there with them.

"What are you doing here Malfoy? Haven't you done enough?" Harry Potter asked tiredly, limping slightly to sit on the only empty hospital bed. Malfoy sighed and sank into a chair, next to Ginny's bed.

"It wasn't my fault Potter. I wish you would believe that. I had no idea that she had followed me." He said. It wasn't fair, you weren't supposed to have to deal with nearly dying and then facing the possibility of losing your girlfriend, and then open hostility from a fellow fighter all in one day. He saw Potter sigh.

"I know that. I'm sorry. I'm just so used to you as the evil bastard. I'm still adjusting to you as Ginny's boyfriend." Draco smiled a little grimly.

"Well, I'm not holding it against you Potter. There are a lot of things that I do, but not that." He said. Harry smiled in spite of himself.

"We never will be friends will we?" Harry said, after a pause. Malfoy looked at him.

"Probably not. But at least we aren't enemies." He replied. Harry nodded. Draco continued, "And besides, Ginny wouldn't enjoy herself around her own friends if we hated each other dreadfully."

"You really love her that much?"

"How much do you love Granger, Potter? Because it's the same between us." He said, absently taking the unconscious girl's hand. Harry only nodded once more in understanding.



****



"This one is real. I checked it myself."

"So why are you telling me?"

Malfoy took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. This would be the second time he asked Potter for help. It was hard enough the first time, and that had been with Death Eaters breathing down his neck and the threat of Voldemort filling the wizard world with terror. This time the circumstances were somewhat different.

"I need your help, Potter." Harry raised both eyebrows this time.

"The great Malfoy needs Potter's help? Pull the other one, it's got bells on." He said going back to the pile of paperwork in front of him.

"I'm serious Potter. The tip off said she's been nabbed by a band of rogue Death Eaters." Harry's head snapped back up. He narrowed his eyes at Malfoy.

"Rumor has it that some have resurfaced." He confirmed. Draco stood directly in front of him, towering over the desk in brisk formality. The Malfoy way.

"You know who they'll go after next don't you?" He said. Harry shook his head.

"Your wife, Potter."

"Why would they want Hermione?" He wondered.

"Think about it Potter. You and I pissed a lot of them off four years ago. And we didn't catch all of them. How else do you think they'd get their revenge? They went for Ginny first because she's not protected by all of the Potter charms and spells that you have on your family."

"But why are you finding this out three years later? Why not when she disappeared?"

"They didn't take her three years ago. She left on her own. Something that I plan to ask her about when we find her."

"We?"

"As much I dislike you Potter, you're in this as deep as I am. I don't intend to take on angry Death Eaters alone. Besides which, you have higher security clearance than I do, surely that has to count for something."

"So, you're saying what, exactly?" Draco sighed slightly. Despite the position, and being married to the smartest woman Hogwarts had ever produced, the man could be decidedly dim.

"I need you Potter. I hate you, but I need your help."

"Okay. Fine. I'll help you. But if this turns out to be a wild goose chase, never again."

"It's a deal. Get your wife here as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Because, despite all of your protection spells, she'll be safer where you can see her. There's no point in endangering her needlessly." Harry nodded. It was an annoying habit he had. A few brief moments later, Hermione Potter was sitting in the extra chair in the room attempting to calm a fussing baby.

"Oh wonderful. Potter's been breeding." Draco commented.

"Malfoy." Harry said, his tone warning. Hermione even sent him a death glare.

"Sorry."

"Look, what's going on here? I had to wake Andrea up and apparate here to listen to Malfoy?"

"He's got a lead on Ginny."

"Oh." Hermione sat up a little straighter and paid more attention to what they were talking about.

"So what was this tip off anyway?" Harry asked. Malfoy pulled the piece of parchment out of his robe pocket and dropped it on the desk. Harry raised his eyebrow again, and reached for it. He read it and then tossed it on the desk again.

"So who wrote it?" He asked.

"Blaise Zabini."

"She disappeared right after the war. How do you know for sure?"

"Only four people besides me knew what the Ultimate Secret was all about. Three of them are incapacitated. That only leaves her."

"I see." Harry still looked doubtful.

"There's a writing charm on the paper. I don't know what the counter charm is, so all I know is that handwriting is not the writer's real script." Hermione got up and picked up the parchment, handing the now quiet baby to Harry. She drew her wand and poked it carefully with her wand.

"You're right. There is a charm on it."

"Can you lift it?" Harry asked.

"I think so." She said. She began murmuring a few slight incantations to it. Her wand flashed a brilliant shade of blue, and the parchment flared for a moment.

"There. That's got it." She handed the parchment to Draco and he examined it again. It was definitely Blaise's handwriting.

"It's her handwriting alright." He said.

"So, now the question becomes; how does Blaise Zabini, a woman who fought with us against the Dark Lord, know about Death Eater movements?" Harry wondered out loud.

"That is only one of the many questions that we have to find the answers too." Malfoy mused. Harry nodded again.

"So what now?" Hermione asked, beginning to pace the room.

"Now, Potter finds out exactly what this new Death Eater threat is all about, and I start trying to figure out where Blaise is. Then we can start getting somewhere." He turned to leave the room, but was stopped by Hermione's voice.

"We will find her Draco." He gave her slight smile.

"I know. Of this, I have never had any doubt."



Draco was well on his way through his fifth cup of coffee when he finally got results. Creevey's head appeared in his fireplace, looking sleepy and annoyed.

"Alright Malfoy. I found her for you. It took me a great many favours, and a considerable amount of charm, but Blaise Zabini is working in a bar in Manchester. It's called The Fighting Bear. She doesn't use that name anymore though. Calls herself Barbara Sabine. Her shift ends at midnight." He said.

"Creevey, I owe you one."

"Correction. You owe me at least twenty. But find Ginny and we'll break even." He said, before disappearing. Draco quickly found himself something that would pass as Muggle clothing and apparated to an alleyway outside the Fighting Bear. It was ten to midnight. He sauntered into the establishment carefully, trying not to look like he wasn't a Muggle. Came across quite well actually. He sat down at a table close to the back and gazed intently around the small bar. It was smoke filled, and crawling with drunkards, but cozy in a weird sort of way. It was difficult to see, but Draco could just make out several patrons and the waitresses serving them. Blaise wasn't one of them.

"What can I get you sir?" A voice asked from his left. A Muggle waitress was standing there, looking tired and annoyed. Seemed to be going around.

"Actually I'm looking for someone. Maybe you know her, Barbara Sabine? We're old school friends." The girl wrinkled her nose in thought.

"Oh yeah. I know her. She gets off in a minute, lucky bitch. I'll tell her to come over 'fore she leaves." With that the girl whirled around and stalked away. A few minutes later another young woman appeared close by and peered at him. She didn't look like Blaise, but he supposed people change. She approached carefully. She studied him again.

"Well, well, well. I was not expecting you to find me so fast." She said at last.

"Blaise?"

"Barbara. But yes. That's who I used to be." She sat down in the empty chair across from him. Draco sighed and sat back in his chair and studied her in turn. She'd bleached her hair at one point, and it was in the process of growing out. She had lost weight. And she was dressed as a Muggle. That made sense considering how she was living now.

"How?" He asked. She looked at him blankly.

"How what?"

"How do you know what the Death Eaters are doing?" She laughed.

"You get right to the point don't you. Have you acted yet?"

"Of course I have. Potter's going over information right now. Answer the question."

"They won't leave me alone. I hear them all the time, and I cannot escape. I know things that I shouldn't, and they will eventually kill me for it."

"Who? What can you hear? What is going on?" Draco demanded. Blaise snapped her eyes up to his. Then she rolled up a sleeve.

"I never told you about this, did I?" Draco looked down at her arm. There was part of a Dark Mark emblazoned on her arm. At his raised eyebrows. "Half way through the ceremony I changed my mind. I had to get out fast, and didn't think anything of it. I didn't find out until later that due to the susceptibility of my mind, I was going to be plagued by Death Eater voices in my head." She explained quietly.

"What did you do?"

"I went to Dumbledore. I told him I could help. How do you think we were able to set up War camp so close to where they were? A war won as quickly as possible, and the only cost was my sanity."

"That's why you left."

"That's why I left. And I was fine too, until they came back."

"And now you can hear their plans."

"Yes. Not all of them, but I do know bits."

"What do you know? Why did they take Ginny?"

"I don't know that. I don't know where they are. But I do know that they're going to try to bring Voldemort back again."

"How?"

"That, I don't know either. Something to do with people who have been in contact with him. And some kind of ancient ritual."

"Ritual?"

"Yeah. Can't remember what they said it was. But Ginny's a part of it. Sacrifice probably."

"So why did you tell me. When you left I figured it was for good."

"It is for good. I don't want to see another wizard for the rest of my life. So unless it's an absolute emergency, I don't ever want to see you again. Do you understand?"

"Blaise, if you're in danger surely..."

"If I'm in danger, I'll face it myself Malfoy. Good luck finding Ginny." She got up to leave.

"Wait! Blaise, if you've been living as a Muggle for so long, how did you know I was looking for her?"

"I can't tell you that. See you around Malfoy. Don't come back here again." And then she did leave. Disappearing out the door and into the night as she had done four years past. He sighed, and then left himself.



He didn't know what he was expecting when he re-appeared in the living room of the stately Malfoy Manor, but it wasn't Harry and Hermione Potter sitting in his living room waiting anxiously. He did a double take, and then collected himself.

"What on earth are you doing here?" He asked. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"They've been in our house." He told him.

"The Death Eaters?" Hermione nodded.

"They must have been looking for me. But I was with Harry all night. You were right Malfoy. I was next."

"So why are you here then? Surely if you can defeat the Dark Lord himself, then you can take on a bunch of Death Eaters."

"The house itself was supposed to be breach proof. If they could get in there, then what difference would my presence be?"

"You have got a point there. Alright, what are you going to do now? Why couldn't you go to someone who actually likes you?" Harry frowned in annoyance, but before he could bring up a stinging reply, Hermione interjected.

"Think about it Malfoy. Who would look for the Boy Who Lived in the house of the bane of his existence? No one would ever suspect Draco Malfoy of helping out his old enemy." Draco frowned, but then his face cleared.

"Alright fine. You can stay here, I'll even put up a couple of charms for you. But I warn you, if that baby screeches too much I'll send you to Longbottom's." He said, leaning back into his chair. He heard Potter chuckle and Hermione huff, but they seemed pleased. It wasn't much of a threat, he didn't mind babies. And despite Longbottom being a good friend all around, he still wasn't the greatest wizard in the world. In fact, often a rescue detail had to be dispatched in order to fix something that had gone wrong over at his place. Parvati tried hard to keep problems to a minimum, but the poor woman could only do so much. Secretly, Draco believed she enjoyed chasing down spells that went wrong, probably gave her an adventure.

"Well, if you could point the way Malfoy, I need to put Andrea to bed. And myself as well, I'm exhausted."

"Sure. Second left at the top of the stairs. It's the best guestroom available."

"Thank you, Malfoy." He watched Hermione get up off the couch and make her way to the stairs in the front hall. She stifled a yawn and adjusted the baby in her arms. Harry watched her every movement with evident concern. When she was gone Draco spoke again.

"Problems, Potter?" Harry's eyes snapped back to him and he glared momentarily.

"Not really. Just....well, she only had the baby a month ago. I don't think she can help us much on the battlefield this time around."

"You didn't want her on the first one. If I recall correctly, it was too dangerous."

"Well, if you'll remember, she practically beat me over the head for suggesting that she stay behind. And she was a big help then. Just like Ginny was."

"I do remember. But you are right. She can't fight this time, she's not strong enough yet. We'll probably have to tie her down though, to keep her away."

"That's what worries me. But I can't just dismiss her."

"Don't worry about it Potter. We'll burn that bridge after we cross it."

"True. So..."

"So what?

"Any luck finding Blaise?"

"Actually yes. I had to bother Creevey again, but it worked."

"How many times are you going to call in Colin before people realize that you don't do any of your own work?"

"I do my own work. I only call Creevey when it needs to be snappy. I consider his position at the Prophet one of my assets." Draco said, concealing a grin. Harry shook his head smiling slightly.

"You're strange. Anyway. What did she have to say?"

"Not a lot. She hears Death Eater voices in her head. Not always, and never the whole story. But they're going to try and bring old Voldemort back. Again."

"It figures. What does Ginny have to do with that?"

"She doesn't know. And she doesn't know exactly how they're going to go about resurrecting the old corpse. Just some kind ritual. After that, she told me to sod off and leave her to deal with her problems her way." Draco finished. Harry's brow furrowed in thought.

"Ancient rituals concerning the resurrection of an authority figure.....hmm.....We might have to get Hermione to look those up. If nothing else she can do some research this time."

"She always did research Potter."

"Yes, and every time we fought something she always wound up injured in some way." Draco held up his hands placatingly. Harry continued. "Anyway, if anyone knows ancient rituals it'd be Hermione."

"You've got a point there."

"All I've got is file after file on the Death Eaters that escaped capture, or evaded incarceration. There's very little about where they may have congregated, or when. Even where they're going is not certain. But if they're planning a ritual, then they'll need a place with a history of magical properties."

"Like where?"

"I don't know. That's more research I suppose, or else...." Harry trailed off as if struck by a thought. Draco recognized the look.

"Or else wait until they strike." He finished for the other man. They looked at each other for a moment. Harry frowned again.

"We'll just have to stop them before that happens." He said.





End of Part 2.

Stay tuned for Part 3.