Astray in Endeavor





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.



Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm a University student. I have no money.



Notes: I think this chapter is a little shorter than all the others, but that really doesn't matter much. Enjoy!





Chapter 7



He watched her sleep for a few minutes. He knew he would have to wake her soon, but for now, he could watch. It was quite amazing, the resemblance she bore to both of them. He wondered idly when it had happened.



****

"Gin? Are you alright? You seem a bit distant." She twisted around slightly in his arms to look in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Draco. Just nervous about NEWTS I guess."

"You'll be fine. Your brother passed, and you're smarter than he is." He said softly. She smiled at. He smiled back as he watched her features soften in the dim candlelight. Then she frowned.

"What?"

"This'll be the last time I see you until then." She said.

"It's only a month away."

"I know. But then we'll both be wearing big, thick robes." She giggled. He grinned. Then she sobered.

"You know I love you."

"Yes. I do. And I love you even more." She smiled again, and snuggled into his chest.

"Besides there's the rest of our lives to consider." He said, stroking her hair, gently. She nodded.

"What do you think of children?" She asked out of the blue. He thought for a moment.

"I like them. Maybe someday I'd want some of my own." He said. "Why do you ask?" She snuggled deeper and sighed.

"No reason. Just wondering. I want some too." She murmured before falling asleep.

****



It must have been before then. She wasn't showing then, so not much before that night.

"Four months." Draco whirled around, Hermione was standing in the doorway watching the both of them.

"What was that?"

"She was four months pregnant when she graduated. You looked like you were trying to contemplate that."

"Something along those lines. I was remembering a conversation about a month before that. She must known then."

"She did. She really hated leaving, you know that don't you?"

'Oh, I know. It had to be hard. But I understand why she did." He acknowledged. Hermione nodded.

"We just got off the Floo with Ron. Whenever you and Harry are ready to go, I'll be ready to take the girls to his place.

"He know's the situation."

"The basic rundown, yes. He still maintains that she's not missing, but he's accepted that she's in trouble."

"Good. What are you going to do when you get to his place?"

"Lav's setting up a safehouse. I think Ron's getting Bill's help to put up wards too." She said. Draco nodded, then absentmindedly brushed a lock of hair from Silvanna's face.

"I miss her." He said.

"You'll get her back."

"We have a beautiful little girl. And I missed the first years of her life."

"You can make it up in time."

"I know, but what if something happens to me, or to Ginny?"

"Have faith, Malfoy. It'll be fine."

"I wish I could believe that."

"You have to. If you don't, then something will go wrong." Draco looked up at the woman that he used to taunt. He afforded her another smile.

"Thank you." She smiled back at him, then turned and left the room. He turned back to Silvanna and gently shook her awake. She smiled groggily at him.

"Daddy." She said. He smiled again. He decided that liked hearing that title.

"Good morning sunshine." He said. She smiled at him again.

"I saying Daddy." She said.

"I like hearing it."

"Do you have to go and find Mummy now?"

"Yes."

"Then we can be a family."

"That's right." She sat up in her bed and held her arms out for a hug. He grinned and lifted her out of the bed. He twirled her around and she laughed gleefully.

"What do I do while you get Mummy?" She asked.

"You are going with a very nice lady, and you're going to visit one of your many uncles. That's where you'll be safe." He told her. She nodded, but clung to him, a little nervous. He carried her out of the room and downstairs. He found Harry and Hermione standing in front of the fireplace, ready to go. Although Harry looked like he was going to have a heart attack, and Hermione was trying to avoid looking worried by fussing over the baby. Silvanna clung a little tighter.

"What's the matter?" He whispered to her. She looked up at him worriedly.

"I don't wanna go." She said.

"But you have to. It's the only way I'll know you're safe."

"I want my Mummy."

"And you shall have her. But if I'm going to get her, I need to know you're alright. Okay?" Silvanna blinked at him, then nodded. He let her down to the floor, and Hermione held out a hand to her. Casting another woeful look at Draco, Silvanna took her hand. Hermione smiled at Draco, gave Harry a kiss, then stepped into the fireplace.

"Good luck, you two." She said. Draco nodded at her, and Harry blew her another kiss.

"Ron Weasley's house!" She yelled, and then, in a flash of green, the three of them were gone. Harry stared at the fireplace for a moment, then pulled his shoulders back.

"So what now?" He asked. Draco pulled on his cloak.

"Now, we pay another quick visit to Blaise Zabini, and find out what else she knows."

"How will that help?"

"It will help because by now, she'll have more information than she did a day or two ago."

And in a blink of an eye, they too had left the building.



"Can I help you gents? Oh, you're the bloke who was here the other night." Draco turned around to see the same annoyed looking waitress that he'd spoken to before. She was looking at the two of them suspiciously, and draco wondered if perhaps she'd seen them apparate in front of the door. But that wasn't possible because it was so dark out.

"Good evening. We're looking for Barbara Sabine again, it's very important." He told her, already looking around for Blaise.

"Well, that'll be difficult won't it?" She said.

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Well, word has it, she threw herself off the bridge las' night." Draco stared at her. Blaise was dead? This was not good.

"She killed herself?" Harry asked, quietly.

"I didn't say that. That's just the word." The waitress started examining her nails, and leaned in a bit closer to them. "She'd been actin kinda strange after you were here the other day. Like she knew somethin' was goin' to happen. Then las' night, there were these black figures all lurking around the bridge. And she goes over the bridge to get to her flat. I said to her, 'You sure you're gonna be okay, those guys don't look very friendly.' But she said that everything was alright. Next thing I know, they're tellin' me she's thrown herself off the bridge. But that don't make any sense. She was always stable. If you ask me, I'd say she was thrown off that bridge." The waitress stood up straight again. Harry looked very troubled, and draco was frowning. She had said she would face the danger herself. But she seemed to have lost.

"'Ere. She left this for you. Said you'd probably be back." The waitress pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Draco. Then she turned and walked away. Harry turned to Draco.

"So now what?" Draco blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. How in the world did this guy manage to make it to the top job?

"Now, we're going to find out what this says." He said, holding his disdain in. He unfolded the paper to reveal two words: TAP ME. He raised an eyebrow, but took it to a private booth and tapped it with his wand. He and Harry both sat down as it rose a couple inches in the air and refolded itself. It looked vaguely like a howler, but white. Then it spoke.

"Hello, Malfoy. And hello Potter, if Malfoy actually brought you. I knew you'd be back, you never took orders very well. You'll have to forgive this thing if it stops halfway through a sentence, it is after all, the first spell I've performed in four years. I had to borrow someone else's wand to do it. If you're listening to this, it means that I'm probably dead. They'll tell you that I've killed myself, or some such bullshit. I was a liability to them, Malfoy, so they had to get rid of me. I knew it was coming. But this also means that you can finally get to Ginny. If you had any idea how many times you almost found her, you would be pretty annoyed. You see, I've been her secret keeper for three years now. Who would have thought, a Slytherin actually helping out a Gryffindor. You have to understand that all she wanted was to give you a chance to be your own person, before real life encroached on you. Now, you've probably already got this figured out, especially if you've got Granger working on this, but they've got her in a house outside of Surrey. You don't have a lot of time. You'll need to look out for nasty surprises, and be careful of silencing charms. They're going to do it on the 21st. It just happens to coincide with the date of Ostara in the old Wicca calendar. Malfoy, if this works, Voldemort will be back, as Ginny Weasley. Stronger and angrier than ever. You have to stop it, because if he gets loose again, the repercussions will be even worse than they were four years ago. And this time, we're missing a lot of people. Take care, Malfoy. Catch you on the flip side."

And with that, Blaise's voice ceased. The paper scrunched itself into a ball, and lobbed itself into the nearby fireplace.

"The voices of the dead...." Draco murmured. "Well, Potter? What do you think we should be doing now?"

"Malfoy, this is the 21st. I think we need to be getting to Surrey."

"I'm inclined to agree."

"So let's go then."

"Alright."

"Alright." Still staring at each other, the two men suddenly disappeared from the small pub booth. Neither of them heard the slight giggle that erupted from the fireplace when the ball of paper exploded into flame.





End of Part 7

Stay tuned for Part 8