(a/n: I am soooooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in a long while. I've been working on other stories and I sort of left this one alone for a while, I needed inspiration for the "Christmas Challenge/Quest". If any of you have any ideas of what some of the challenge questions should be, I'll take all of them into consideration, but I already know what I want the last one to be. THanks again for being patient!

~Adela H)

Chapter Eleven

The little paper indeed had her name written across the top in calligraphy. The rest of the paper, however, Ginny was unable to understand. Draco took the paper and it suddenly vanished—Draco refused to uncloak at any time. Ginny waited for a few minutes before she grew very impatient.

"Well, what does it say?" She asked, tapping her foot on the ground.

Draco took a few more minutes, then a soft laugh came from his direction.

"What? What is it?" Ginny demanded.

"It says 'Begin in the beginning, where blood and water are one. The next clue is waiting, but the challenge is far from done.' It's easy!"

Ginny crinkled her eyebrows. "Sure, if you're a Malfoy!" She stepped closer to where she suspected Draco was standing. "Let me see the clue…it didn't say that when I read it. It was written in some other language."

"It's an ancient written alphabet that is known only to three families in England. Mine and—well, two others."

"Oh, like I'm going to blab around town that I know the families that can read some ancient language that no one cares about any more." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Ginny could tell by the type of silence coming from Draco he was not pleased at her display of indifference.

"So…where do we 'begin?'"

"In the womb." Draco responded.

"The womb?" Ginny looked disgusted. "How are we supposed to get…in the womb?"

"Well, that's not what the clue implies. When it says 'begin' it's talking about an actual place, not a thing, like a womb."

Ginny thought about this a while. When she came out of her mother's womb, she was born in her parents bedroom. Where was Draco born?

"It's funny, Ginny. I actually saw the wheels turning in your head and then the light bulb go off." Draco laughed.

Ginny let out an annoyed growl while trying to catch Draco with her closed fists. He evaded her and soon she tired. "Just tell me where you were born…"

"I was born in a Witch's Hospital in the south of France. It's abandoned now because Muggles were beginning to build closer and closer and they found it too difficult to operate so close with them." Draco paused. "It seems ages since I've been in France when—"

"—It was only the beginning of summer." Ginny finished. "I read your little diaries…just to get a grip on who I'm thought to be…sorry."

"Heh, it's ok. I read yours too."

"What?!" Ginny screamed. She had too many secrets, too many dear memories written in those diaries to let Draco, an enemy, read them. She felt stripped in front of him, and it unnerved her.

"Hey, we're even, ok? Now take my hand, I'm gonna get us to the hospital."

Before Ginny could protest, she felt Draco's warm hand against hers and she felt a force pulling at her. She had never apparated before, nor had anyone forced her to apparate with them—it was against wizarding law. She felt light and fuzzy in her head as the force pulled and pulled and then finally it stopped, and she was standing on solid ground once again.

Catching her breath, Ginny looked around the dark quiet streets of a small town. The shops and houses looked rather new but one building stuck out amongst them all. A very tall and ancient looking stone building. It looked almost like a Muggle church, with tall spires and stained glass windows. She heard a ringing of the bells and knew it to be the half hour mark. It was already 12:30 and she only had eight and a half more hours to find all the clues.

"Hurry up!" A sharp whisper came from somewhere ahead of her, towards the church building.

"Well, I can't see you so have some patience." Ginny whispered back.

She began walking towards the sound of footsteps upon the paved road. Just as Ginny though, they were headed towards the old building. There was a sign on the front door saying that it was closed, and that the library would be open at seven the next morning, in French.

"It's a library." Ginny stated.

"Now it is…but it used to be the hospital. Before that it used to be a Catholic church and before that it used to be a Celtic sacrificial altar. Its history goes even further. Now come on."

Draco opened the door using his wand and entered the building. Ginny had misgivings about going inside. She was afraid they'd get caught and thrown in a Muggle jail. How would she explain that to her parents?

"Mum isn't mum and Dad isn't dad." She whispered to herself, and followed Draco in.