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Chapter Two:

"What are you doing here anyway?" Ginny asked as her and Draco exited the church.

Exited is probably not the word to describe the Clerk practically throwing them out. Apparently he hadn't given Draco permission to enter the church and he seemed to think that the strange man dressed all in black had appeared out of nowhere and all in an attempt to demise his authority. Well, Draco had just apparated, though he didn't care anything for the man's authority.

Draco rolled his eyes, "I'm here to oversee your findings and study and decide whether or not your 'project' is worth the schools money."

"You're the Rep from the Financial Department?" Ginny turned to stare at Draco.

"So it would seem." Draco said, not caring at all that his decision could make or break Ginny's future.

"Are you staying in the village then?" Ginny asked hopefully. "Because it will take a while to review all my work and I expect you'll want to visit the site and-"

"I wouldn't stay in this town for all the gold in Gringotts." Draco rolled his eyes at the quaint looking pub. "I'll be apparating and disapparating."

"But you will be reviewing my work, correct? And-and visiting the site?"

Draco gave a huge sigh, "It is my job to review your work and I suppose that will include visiting this stone-or whatever it is you're working on."

Ginny's mind was instantly put at rest knowing that she would at least get a fair shot at stating her case. Who knew, she might even be able to manipulate Draco into getting what she wanted. He obviously didn't want to stay here, so if she suggested he just write a quick report on okaying her grant, he'd be gone and she could finish her work in peace.

"Oy, Ginny!" Someone yelled from up ahead.

Ginny smiled at Maria as she came running towards her from the Inn. The two hugged and quickly caught up on recent developments. Ginny introduced Draco to Maria, emphasizing that he would be the Rep for the Financial Department. Maria smiled approvingly at Draco, then continued with them the rest of the way to the Inn.

"Are the others here yet?" Ginny asked once they entered the Inn.

Ginny grabbed her key from the front desk, then Brigit showed them to a small table next to a window that looked out over the street. They were brought drinks and continued with their conversation.

"Mike and Serena will get here later. They're, er, getting their things together." Maria smiled knowingly at Ginny. Both of them knew that Mike and Serena were both bad at keeping their notes in order, much like their team leader.

"And Collin?" Ginny gulped.

"Collin Crevey will definitely be here. He just finished shooting some Common Welsh Greens for a Magazine and has some time before he needs to get some shots of Chinese Fireballs."

"Collin Crevey?" Draco spoke up. "That kid from school who couldn't keep his camera off of Potter?"

Maria, having gone to school in South America, didn't know that Draco, Ginny and Collin had attended the same school, but was surprised at Draco's outburst.

"Collin Crevey is a celebrated photographer. His works are priceless." Maria said defensively, obviously not getting Ginny's gestures for her to shut it.

"Please," Draco scoffed. "How hard can it be to aim a camera and shoot?"

"I'd like to see you take some of the shots he has. His shots speak poetry and I don't know of any one else who has captured Scottish Unicorn as he did last summer."

"Well!" Ginny shouted, stopping Maria from continuing. "I think I'll go up to my room and get my notes. I'll be right back." Ginny stood up from the table. "Maria, a little help?"

Reluctantly Maria got up as well and followed Ginny towards the stairs. As they were entering the hallway Ginny said, "Maria, how could you do that?"

"Do what?" Maria asked confused.

"Draco Malfoy is here to 'yes' or 'no' on our future funding. It would be prudent for us to treat him like a god, not arguing over little things."

"I just couldn't sit there and have that-that-Malfoy person disrespect Collin." Maria paused. "And you! How could you just sit there? With all that you and Collin have been through. You should have seen the look in his eyes when I told him you needed him. He still loves you, you know."

Ginny bit her bottom lip, "I know, and I'm sorry I had to bring him into this, but it was on such short notice."

Taking the key from her pocket, Ginny unlocked the door to her room and allowed Maria to enter before her. As Ginny was collecting her notes, and making sure she had everything, Maria kept talking.

"Collin is a very nice man, Ginny. Muy Guapo, I'd say. I just don't understand why you broke up with him?"

"It's complicated," Ginny said. "I can't find my notebook."

Maria picked a notebook up from off the dresser and waved it in front of Ginny, which caused her to remember the torn page and the break-in earlier.

"Maria, I have to tell you something." Ginny shut the door, then looked around the room to make sure no one was listening. "Someone broke into my room and I have a feeling they were looking for my notes. From now on any finds and important notes we take will be kept with me, alright? And no talking to any one about what we're doing, for safety reasons."

"But why?" Maria asked. "All we're doing is studying ancient stone monuments. What's so secretive about that? These Muggles don't know."

"I don't know." Was Ginny's response.

~*~*~

Serena and Mike arrived shortly after, each of them carrying many suitcases between them. They all of them booked rooms in the Inn, causing a smile to spread over Brigit's face.

"Well, now, well now, and here I was thinking the season was come to a close." She gave them all tea and ordered the bellboy to get the rooms ready.

"There'll be one more later." Ginny informed. "A Collin Creevey. I'll pay for his room right now."

"Gosh, Ginny, you've no idea the work we've been through." Serena exhaled as she fell into a cushioned chair.

"Stacks of papers the size of mountains!" Mike described. "I couldn't believe that we had that many notes. All a year and a half worth of note taking."

"Time flies." Serena lifted the cup to her lips and drank the sweet, hot tea.

"Thank you so much." Ginny said. "You've no idea how much this means to me-to all of us. And I have a feeling all our hard work will be well paid off soon."

Mike lifted one of his eyebrows and Serena sat straighter in her chair. "What do you mean?"

Ginny looked around the small room. An elderly couple were seated a few tables away, both enjoying their tea. On the other side of the room someone from the kitchen began to clean the tables and get them ready for dinner while Brigit was talking to the clerk in the doorway.

"Serena, take a look at these and tell me what you can make of them." Ginny handed over the papers she had copied the ancient text on.

Serena's eyes roamed the papers, widening with every second. "They're amazing! I can't believe it really exists. Where'd you get these?"

"I got them at the church on the other end of town. The books were really old and I thought you'd like to see them. Do you know what language it is?"

"Well, it doesn't have a name, per say." Serena took a moment to look over the text once again. "It's supposed to be myth, or legend, depends on who's relating the tale."

By now everyone sitting around the table were leaning in closer to better see and hear Serena. This was her moment to shine, which didn't come very often. She usually spent her time translating from French or Gaelic monk archives. She had studied ancient languages and modern language, and was thrilled when Ginny asked her to join their team, even without finishing school. But this, these pages would give her something-a challenge.

"I don't want to get any ones hopes up," She looked around at the faces of her fellow team members, "guess I'm too late."

"I think you should wait to tell us later. Right now I'd like everyone to get settled in, then we can go over the schedule for tomorrow." Ginny said just as Brigit came over with the room keys.

~*~*~

The group had gone up the stairs to their rooms to unpack and freshen up. Ginny told them to meet in her room in an hour, and then they'd go over everything, starting with the schedule, then going to the ancient manuscripts. Ginny was sitting on a very plush couch in the sitting room, reading a novel, when someone sat down beside her.

"Has any one every told you you'd make an excellent model?" The decidedly male voice asked.

Ginny looked up and smiled at Collin, shaking her head.

"It's true!" Collin took his hands and placed them in a square shape, then looked through the square at Ginny. "Perfect bone structure, gorgeous red hair-natural?"

Ginny took her book and playfully hit Collin in the stomach.

"Ouch!" Collin grabbed his stomach. "That's what I get for coming out here, dropping my huge project that could make me famous? Well, Miss Weasley, I don't have to take that."

"Collin, you're such a tease." Ginny laughed.

Collin smiled at Ginny, who then looked away. She was now sorely regretting asking him to do this for her. She knew their past would interfere. It was just that she couldn't find anyone else she could trust on such a short notice. If she had, oh, say a month she could have gone to the school and asked for an amateur photojournalist. Despite knowing that deep within herself that she did not love Collin, her cheeks began to blush.

"Ginny, I-" Collin began.

"Collin, please," Ginny looked up. "Don't bring up the past. I still feel the same way and I don't want you to say anything that you'll regret."

Collin gave a hallow laugh, "I guy can hope, can't he?"

Ginny was about to explain once again how she confused her over affectionate feelings she had for Collin as love, but that was when Draco had decided to re-enter the scene. Where'd he go, anyway? Ginny asked herself. He'd been there when her and Maria entered the Inn, but sort of disappeared when Serena and Mike showed up.

"What's he doing here?" Collin whispered to Ginny before Draco was upon them.

"Well," It was too late for a reply, Draco was already standing in front of them. "Draco Malfoy, you already know Collin Creevey." Both Ginny and Collin stood up, Collin reaching his hand out to Draco who refused to shake. "Well, Collin, Draco is from the Financial Department and will report to the Trustees if our funding should be continued."

"Well isn't this irony personified?" Collin muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Draco said.

"Yes, well, I believe everyone is waiting upstairs." Ginny said in a light voice. "Shall we?"

(A/N: I'm still trying to decide on what celtic themes I should intertwine in this new story of mine, so if you'd like to see anything, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

~ADELA H)