Chapter 11
Alright, don't panic, there must be some reasonable explanation for this.I hope! Ginny was at the brink of pulling her clothes to shreds because her so-called client had gone disappearing. To make matters worse, she didn't know her way back because she had kept her stupid head down the whole walk!
I'm going to die, I just know it! Why did I bother coming to this place in the first place? Oh that's right! It's because I'm too stubborn to back down on a job, even if it's Malfoy.great! Just great! She looked around her and simmered down a little. If there was a chance that she was going to die, she wouldn't mind dying here.
Draco had completely left her bewildered. She should at least try to survive the next few days or weeks by making do with what she had. The thing is, she never really got out much. She practically stayed at home or in the office. Typical average girl. To top it all of, how would she know if she wasn't eating anything poisonous! This Eden could be prehistoric or something! Who knows what kind of danger she might be in!
Get a grip Virginia Weasley! This is no time to be losing your head. Just maneuver yourself beside the river; maybe you can get yourself to think straight once you're there. Ginny nodded and took a deep breath. She was being stupid by letting weird thought run through her head. She put a hand up to shield her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. So far, it was all river, sky and trees.a whole lot of trees. Before her was a path, with grass on either sides of it, she made her way down the winding path to the river. It took her around five whole minutes to get there because she didn't realize that the halfway down the path leading there would turn out to be really rocky. She nearly crawled just to get there.
The crashing of the waterfall sounded louder than ever! Little sprays of water from the falls hit her gently on her face and arms. Maybe she'd actually come to like living in a place like this. Just think! She'd be a regular cavewoman here.not that there weren't any caves in the area. She sat near the water's edge and stared thoughtfully at her reflection.
Now where could have Draco gone? It's not like something took him away. Then a funny thought entered her head. An ancient bird whisking Malfoy away to be brought to its nest and be eaten by it's young. Just thinking about it made her collapse into giggles. She shook her head to get rid of the thought, a smile on her face. She was going to survive, she just knew it.
* * *
It was already well past noon by the time she managed to get a hold of herself. So far, she'd done a pretty decent job of making a tent out of some twigs and leaves. She congratulated herself for getting this far; the only problem was to figure out how she was going to do everything else she needed to survive. She looked at her cuts and bruises sadly. Why does everything have to happen to me? I didn't ask for this.if I find the stinking rat I'll kill him!
She sighed and crossed over the bed of rocks to get to the waterfalls. Ginny already discovered that there was a cave in there that led to an underwater cavern. She wondered if Malfoy was there but decided against it. Mists from the waterfall sprayed her skin lightly as she neared. The thunder of water ringing in her ears and the echo of water trickling inside the cave calmed her nerves when she entered. She considered living inside the cave instead of the pathetic shelter she made, but then, she'd probably be too cold in here. Then again, who knows what might attack her out there.
The cool floor sent relaxing shivers up her feet and throughout her body as she walked further into the cave. Deeper and deeper she went, deciding only to stop when no more light could help her get through. She knew that the underwater cavern was somewhere further, but some how her mind couldn't exactly remember where it was. All she remembered was a sparkling sort of light.
She positioned her hands against the walls of the cave, the moss giving comfort to her calloused skin. It was already getting dark from where she was, she could hardly hear the thunder of the falls.not even the echo. All she had was the dark and the slowly fading trickle of water.
Maybe its time to head back.But I've already come this far! You don't even remember where it was.you'll just gel lost! I don't care.I just have to find it! You don't even know what's in there.there might be something there that might hurt you.but what if it doesn't? What if it's just the opposite?
She hated those times when she conversed with herself. It usually happens when she's in some sort of dilemma. She stopped, her breathing slowed. Her ears strained to listen. She couldn't hear anything.there was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
It seemed like the world slowed down when she slumped to the floor and remained still for quite a long time, wondering if she would ever get out. She was beginning to hate herself for being so stupid to agree to this job with Malfoy. What was she thinking? Maybe it was all the infatuation.was she even passed that stage? If she were, then what stage would she be in? Don't say it, it can't be love.can it? Hah! That's a laugh! A Weasley in love with a Malfoy! That's the saddest thing that could ever happen. She was constantly ridiculed and humiliated by him, why would she even think of falling for him? But he has been changing.changing ever since he's been with you.isn't it enough? It's all just for you. She hugger herself and shut her eyes tight. But what if he's just playing with me? What if it's all a game to him? She countered doubtfully. But what if he's not? What if he's sincere? Take the risk, your heart will mend.it always does.
Suddenly, she felt light on her eyes. She opened one eye slowly and peeked at what was causing the light. She gasped as she saw what she was looking for! The sparkling light was caused by the clear, icy water the dwells inside the cave. She stood up shakily and brought herself closer to the light.what was causing it to shine like this? Maybe there was something below this pond of water? No time to think and wait. She made up her mind to jump in and find the source. If she dies, then.
Icy water stung her body as she jumped in. She swam quickly, trying to get to the bottom. There was only one way.down below. She couldn't go anywhere else. She had to pump her legs faster before she ran out of breath. Her legs were starting to cramp; it's been a long time since she swam. All she could see was a dark nook that led to the right; she had to squeeze in to get to the other side. She was already running out of breath and she was afraid she was going to die of hypothermia. Her vision was getting dark as she swam upwards to the light. She was getting nearer.just a few more.
* * *
She felt warm.the light was playing before her eyes.what was it?
* * *
Ginny opened her eyes to the sound of crackling fire by her side. Her body felt sore all over. Her legs hurt the most from all that swimming. Where was she? She got up and felt a shock in her head. She groaned and almost fell back when a pair of hands stopped her from hitting her head. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision. Her frown was accompanied with a squint as she processed who was in front of her. "Malfoy?" she managed to say before she put a hand to her head. "What are you doing here?" Ginny's frown grew as she tried to remember what had happened.for now she was completely mind blank. "Congratulations, you made it." Draco whispered as he settled her back gently to where she was sleeping. "Where are we?" she asked monotonously. "Welcome to my secret hiding place." "What!" she sat up again and groaned as another jolt went through her head.
Draco eased her down again as he explained to her. "Alright, I've been here before, I guess about when my mother brought me here to see the place. She so wanted to educate me about the family estates. Up there was where my mother loved to stay; down here I rule the domain. Of course, I knew about it because I did my extensive research, I would have gotten lost if my map didn't say so." Ginny glared at him. "Why did you just leave me? I went crazy when you were gone." Draco smirked. "Ah, so you do miss me. Touched." Ginny blushed as she continued to glare defiance. "Think whatever you want to think but I would never miss you." Her eyes took in the new surroundings. The little lagoon where she swam up was off to one side. Draco and her were situated on land. She could see another cave off the far side. Then she saw something that made her eyes bulge. "What did you do to me?" she screamed at him. "Nothing, I swear I did nothing! Don't let it go to your head. Believe me, if I wanted to rape you, I would do so when you were awake!" Draco protested as Ginny struggled to cover herself with her makeshift blanket. At least he had the decency to leave on her undergarments. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What was the point of going here anyway?" "It's rather simple really. When we were up there in the Eden.as I like to call it, there was no way to get to the estate except for this place. You see that cave there? It leads to our destination." "Why did you leave me? Didn't you know I could've gotten lost?" Ginny demanded angrily. She clutched the blanket tighter around her as she tried to stand up. Draco tried to help her but she kept brushing his hands away. "I can stand up by myself, thank you very much!" She was too busy shooing him away that her feet got tangled up by the blanket. She was going to fall; she shut her eyes again and prepared to scream bloody murder. "It seems that you can't." Draco stared into her eyes as he held her body in his arms. "You can't do everything Virginia.you don't have to be strong all the time." He settled her back to solid ground. "What took you so long?" Ginny said softly as she made her way to her drying clothes. The fire was warming them up nicely. She stood by the fire, watching the embers fly a few inches into to air and glide back down just to burn again with the others. "I'll answer your former question first. I told you to follow me, but you were to busy looking up into the sun. I thought you probably wanted some time to look around, but as I can see, you wanted to hurry and be by my side again." He smiled devilishly as he neared her. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Your ego is to big for your own sake. So what took you so long?" "I had to prepare some stuff and check the next cave for anything dangerous." He replied. "You do know that I wouldn't put you in danger, I'd hate to see you die because of me." Ginny looked into Draco's face thoughtfully then back at the fire. She remained silent, watching the fire once again.
Draco stared at the woman before him. He still can't believe how much she's changed since the last time he saw her. Just now, she looked so soft and vulnerable. She looks like a goddess contemplating what would happen next. A Goddess of Fire. The flame before her brought glows to her skin, making it look creamier. The flames danced in her eyes as she continued to stare. Her hair was getting dry and seemed to float in a wind that wasn't there. He wanted to touch her, make her a part of him, but not yet. He has to wait.but a wait that can seem so eternal. Make her a part of you? In the physical sense or in the emotional sense? Are you turning into those idiots that fall in love? Get a grip of yourself Malfoy. Your plan was to seduce her not make fall in love. Just do what you have to do and get rid of her. Actually, you can broom her right now but the plan wont be a success because she isn't exactly falling for you yet. Maybe she is but she isn't showing it, you'll have to get her to openly show it... . Do I really want to do it? She's more like an equal, someone that I could actually relate to. Would I risk it all just to lose her? . So what? You can just erase her memory and make her like you or something like that. Draco was constricted by his overflow of feelings. His cruel side wanted him to continue with his plan while the other wills him to be a mushy idiot. Which will it be? He glanced at her again and felt a pain in his chest, like a hand clutching his heart, forcing him in different directions.
I'll wait.I'll see what will happen.
* * *
It was good to get out of that cave. Ginny was glad to be able to get out of the dark, she needed to get some sunlight, she thought her skin was going to turn green from the cold and the dark.
Draco in the meanwhile was walking ahead of her and scanning his map. They were now in some sort of gravel-like place. She could hear him muttering that it was here somewhere. She grinned and tried to hide it when she caught up to him.
"Lost are we?" she looked at his map even though she couldn't understand it.
"No we're not." He said through gritted teeth. "I know the estate is somewhere behind the mall." his voice lowered to an almost inaudible sound as he started walking ahead of her again.
She sighed and scowled as she hurried after him. Why do men always feel they have to be right all the time? It would just make their heads bigger.as if it's not already large enough!
Draco stopped in front of some dead looking trees and examined them. "I know you have to do something to these things to get to the other side."
Ginny took a step closer to look at the trees. There were three of them that were blocking the entrance. Each tree looked different in a way that there was some sort of trick to unlock the secret. She touched the bark of the middle on with her second finger. She felt the tree move a little as some of its bark fell off.
"What did you do?" Draco asked her without looking at her. He was staring at the trees with fierce concentration. He did the same thing as she and got the same response from the giant. He then looked at the map and back at the trees. "Here, you try to figure it out."
She took the map from him and stared at the spot where the trees were. There was some sort of mark on them but she wasn't sure if it was just dirt. She tried to gently scratch it off but she guess that it was really meant to be there. On the left tree was a dark swirl and to the right was a sin sort of glitter. In the middle was a faint symbol, which she couldn't determine. The legend beside the trees where written in some sort of Latin.
"I think you have to perform some sort of spell on the left and right tree to activate the middle one. What to do with the middle one, it's up to you." Ginny informed Draco of her discovery.
"What do you propose we do then?" Draco asked her as he stood in front of the left tree.
"You cast a dark spell on that one, and I'll cast a light spell on the right one." She answered as she took her place. They pulled out their wands and muttered the appropriate spell to unlock the puzzle. A dark looking crest emanated from the trunk of the tree and an equally dark light shot out from it to connect with the middle tree. At the same time, a light crest showed up on the right tree and distributed its light to the middle. Draco and Ginny watched transfixed as the two lights formed a shape on the trunk of the tree in the middle. It showed a dragon reaching up to the sky.
"The Malfoy Crest," Draco breathed in as he put his hand palm to it. As he did so, the two lights engulfed his hand and a portal replaced the crest. He looked at the Ginny and motioned for her to get in. When she was inside he then pulled his hand and followed her. The portal closed behind them and the two were in the dark once again.
* * *
Ginny was already irritated with the past events. All she ever saw was black and white. It was sickening. It was like a black and white film that had so many reruns. What where they? The actors? When they got out of the portal it was bright again and this time they were in a huge lot that had a broken down manor right in the middle of it. From a distance she could hear the hustle and bustle of muggles in the mall.
"So this is the first Malfoy estate."
"Yes it is, shameful isn't it?" Draco scowled as he led her to the entrance of the once grand manor. "Now that we're here, I can send in the crew."
"What? What crew?" she looked around for people.
"You know, everyone needed to build this pile of bricks into what it was before.only this time it will be so much better." Draco replied as he pulled out a phone from his pocket. He could feel Ginny staring at him. "What? I'm just making a call."
"You do know that you're using a muggle thing, you know."
"I do know! I'm not that stupid. Of course I do use muggle things once in a while. I find this phone very handy, don't you think so?" Draco then proceeded to dial and summon the "crew". Ginny wondered when she'd ever get to finish this business trip. She then heard people talking around her, she guess it was the "crew" come to help build the manor already.
"So, Virginia, shall we go to settle business with the owners of that mall?" Draco came up beside her and offered her his arm.
She stared at his arm.
"It would be rude if you didn't accept," Draco said teasingly. "Besides, if those muggles saw you with me, maybe they'd agree better."
Ginny smirked. "You're saying that they'll agree because you're so rich and distinguished looking!"
"Precisely!"
"Alright, anything to make my job easier." Ginny hooked her arm around his and together they left through another passageway to the muggle world.
* * *
"Draco, I can't believe you did that! You're not allowed to brainwash people!" Ginny exclaimed as Draco escorted her into the elevator leading to the owner of the mall.
"Did you see how long that line was? If I didn't brainwash him then we'd be waiting for years! You did say that you wanted to get this over with, didn't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, a Malfoy never waits and its only proper that he doesn't keep his lady waiting."
"Of course, how could I forget that Milfoils tend to have an impatient streak running through them" Ginny snickered. "And I'm not your lady!"
"Business associate then? But it would seem the part of you were my lady" Draco drawled as they stepped of the elevator.
"In your dreams, only in your dreams." Ginny replied as they informed the secretary they were ready to see the manager.
You'll see Virginia, I've dreamed it up and it will come true.
They both straightened up to look presentable before they came in.
"So you see, Mr. Deveraux, as it turns out there is an estate behind this mall. My client here would like to live in that estate but the mall is disrupting his quality of life. Is there some way that you would consent to move the mall?" Ginny explained the situation to the manager.
"Is there some way that your client can live somewhere else?" Mr. Deveraux countered her. "This is a mall from crying out loud. I just can't close it and move! I have to build a new one and get all the other stores to open up in a new mall! It would be hard to find another location as good as this one!"
"I'm afraid not sir, that estate is priceless. It's been in his family for generations."
"Why is it so priceless?" Mr. Deveraux leaned over the table with interest.
It was Draco's turn to handle the situation. "My family knew it was the right spot to pick because of its lush greenery, but besides that, my ancestors have left something of importance to us there, that is why I must claim it. My crew has already started making repairs to the manor, it wont be long until I can live in it."
"What is this important thing?" Mr. Deveraux's eyes gleamed at the thought of treasure.
"That is what I have to find out." Draco replied. "I just moved in from the United States and I need a place to live. That estate is where I'm going to live in.I have no where else to go." He bowed his head down in sorrow.
Came from the Unites States, huh? I wonder if the bit about the "important thing" is true?
Ginny looked at Draco's forlorn figure. Such an actor. Maybe he does these acting things to get what he wants.maybe it explains why he's so spoiled.
"No," Mr. Deveraux said firmly. "You can just excavate it and live in some apartment or relatives house."
Draco's head came up; he was about to open his mouth to say something when Ginny grabbed his arm to shut him up. "May we have a moment, sir?" She dragged Draco outside the office and sighed.
"Look, he's right. It's stupid to move a mall just because of a house you want to erect near it. No don't interrupt me. I know you were here first, but you might be jeopardizing his business!"
No, that rat is jeopardizing my plans! Draco thought evilly. "Let's just brainwash him into saying 'yes', that way we wont have out time."
"No, we cant do that! Brainwashing two people in one day is enough! Would you do anything to get your way?" Ginny nearly shouted at him.
"Yes, I would." He lowered his face to hers to match her glare.
They stayed locked in that position for some time, neither one refusing to back down.
"Excuse me, but the manager has some other appointments to make, you'll have to finish this now or some other time." the Secretary interrupted them.
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him before she entered the office. Draco followed her moodily and shut the door behind him.
"Is there some way we can persuade you into moving?" Ginny offered tiredly.
"No, I'll lose millions of money if I agreed to your plan."
"What if I replace those millions with billions or trillions?" Draco spoke up.
"What? There's no way you can have that much money." Mr. Deveraux scoffed.
"If I do give them to you, would you move?" Draco smiled that made Ginny jump up in alarm. She knew that Draco didn't have that much money, let alone muggle money! What was he going to do? Rob a bank or something?
"Id like to see some proof first. You pay half of what my price is by tomorrow and I'll agree to move." Mr. Deveraux grinned as if he already won the game.
"Alright, tomorrow you'll what you want."
Ginny was aghast. No way that they'll ever get that much money in time. Mr. Deveraux had a contract made and made her and Draco sign it. When she saw the total price, she nearly fainted! Not only was it much, but he wanted them to pay in dollars. After all, he did come from the United States, was what Mr. Deveraux said. Along with that, he said that Draco looked rich and seemed to know what he was doing.
By the time that was over, Ginny was fuming mad. She screamed bloody murder at Draco when they got out of the mall and into the street filled with muggles. "Where are you going to get that much money? Are you crazy? In dollars!"
Draco just smiled lazily and waved a hand at her to relax. "You worry too much Virginia, we'll simply go to Fort Knox and get some money."
"As if they'll actually lend us that much money!" she spat out.
"No, we wont get the money itself, but the machine that makes it."
Ginny's jaw dropped open.
"Come now Virginia, close your mouth, its unbecoming of you." Draco laughed at her expression.
She blushed a deep red and said angrily "I suppose you want us to teleport to Fort Knox right now?"
"Exactly what I was thinking." Draco took her hand and led her to the portal heading back to the estate.
"They'll never lend you the machine!" Ginny protested as they reached the estate.
"They don't need to lend it, I just need to duplicate it and everything's set. Didn't I tell you that you worry too much?" Draco explained to her with such patience that made her feel like a little girl being reprimanded.
"I worry because you're schemes are too crazy!" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, here we go," Draco motioned for her to come over. He held her hand and with another touched a broken fountain and they were off.
I just don't know how I get talked into these things. Ginny thought helplessly as she stared out the window of the Concord. They were riding one of the fastest planes to get to America in record time. Beside her was Draco reading through a magazine. The keyport transported them to the airport and Draco got them first class seats on the Concord. Now they were off to Fort Knox to see the money machine. What has she gotten herself into this time?
Alright, don't panic, there must be some reasonable explanation for this.I hope! Ginny was at the brink of pulling her clothes to shreds because her so-called client had gone disappearing. To make matters worse, she didn't know her way back because she had kept her stupid head down the whole walk!
I'm going to die, I just know it! Why did I bother coming to this place in the first place? Oh that's right! It's because I'm too stubborn to back down on a job, even if it's Malfoy.great! Just great! She looked around her and simmered down a little. If there was a chance that she was going to die, she wouldn't mind dying here.
Draco had completely left her bewildered. She should at least try to survive the next few days or weeks by making do with what she had. The thing is, she never really got out much. She practically stayed at home or in the office. Typical average girl. To top it all of, how would she know if she wasn't eating anything poisonous! This Eden could be prehistoric or something! Who knows what kind of danger she might be in!
Get a grip Virginia Weasley! This is no time to be losing your head. Just maneuver yourself beside the river; maybe you can get yourself to think straight once you're there. Ginny nodded and took a deep breath. She was being stupid by letting weird thought run through her head. She put a hand up to shield her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. So far, it was all river, sky and trees.a whole lot of trees. Before her was a path, with grass on either sides of it, she made her way down the winding path to the river. It took her around five whole minutes to get there because she didn't realize that the halfway down the path leading there would turn out to be really rocky. She nearly crawled just to get there.
The crashing of the waterfall sounded louder than ever! Little sprays of water from the falls hit her gently on her face and arms. Maybe she'd actually come to like living in a place like this. Just think! She'd be a regular cavewoman here.not that there weren't any caves in the area. She sat near the water's edge and stared thoughtfully at her reflection.
Now where could have Draco gone? It's not like something took him away. Then a funny thought entered her head. An ancient bird whisking Malfoy away to be brought to its nest and be eaten by it's young. Just thinking about it made her collapse into giggles. She shook her head to get rid of the thought, a smile on her face. She was going to survive, she just knew it.
* * *
It was already well past noon by the time she managed to get a hold of herself. So far, she'd done a pretty decent job of making a tent out of some twigs and leaves. She congratulated herself for getting this far; the only problem was to figure out how she was going to do everything else she needed to survive. She looked at her cuts and bruises sadly. Why does everything have to happen to me? I didn't ask for this.if I find the stinking rat I'll kill him!
She sighed and crossed over the bed of rocks to get to the waterfalls. Ginny already discovered that there was a cave in there that led to an underwater cavern. She wondered if Malfoy was there but decided against it. Mists from the waterfall sprayed her skin lightly as she neared. The thunder of water ringing in her ears and the echo of water trickling inside the cave calmed her nerves when she entered. She considered living inside the cave instead of the pathetic shelter she made, but then, she'd probably be too cold in here. Then again, who knows what might attack her out there.
The cool floor sent relaxing shivers up her feet and throughout her body as she walked further into the cave. Deeper and deeper she went, deciding only to stop when no more light could help her get through. She knew that the underwater cavern was somewhere further, but some how her mind couldn't exactly remember where it was. All she remembered was a sparkling sort of light.
She positioned her hands against the walls of the cave, the moss giving comfort to her calloused skin. It was already getting dark from where she was, she could hardly hear the thunder of the falls.not even the echo. All she had was the dark and the slowly fading trickle of water.
Maybe its time to head back.But I've already come this far! You don't even remember where it was.you'll just gel lost! I don't care.I just have to find it! You don't even know what's in there.there might be something there that might hurt you.but what if it doesn't? What if it's just the opposite?
She hated those times when she conversed with herself. It usually happens when she's in some sort of dilemma. She stopped, her breathing slowed. Her ears strained to listen. She couldn't hear anything.there was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
It seemed like the world slowed down when she slumped to the floor and remained still for quite a long time, wondering if she would ever get out. She was beginning to hate herself for being so stupid to agree to this job with Malfoy. What was she thinking? Maybe it was all the infatuation.was she even passed that stage? If she were, then what stage would she be in? Don't say it, it can't be love.can it? Hah! That's a laugh! A Weasley in love with a Malfoy! That's the saddest thing that could ever happen. She was constantly ridiculed and humiliated by him, why would she even think of falling for him? But he has been changing.changing ever since he's been with you.isn't it enough? It's all just for you. She hugger herself and shut her eyes tight. But what if he's just playing with me? What if it's all a game to him? She countered doubtfully. But what if he's not? What if he's sincere? Take the risk, your heart will mend.it always does.
Suddenly, she felt light on her eyes. She opened one eye slowly and peeked at what was causing the light. She gasped as she saw what she was looking for! The sparkling light was caused by the clear, icy water the dwells inside the cave. She stood up shakily and brought herself closer to the light.what was causing it to shine like this? Maybe there was something below this pond of water? No time to think and wait. She made up her mind to jump in and find the source. If she dies, then.
Icy water stung her body as she jumped in. She swam quickly, trying to get to the bottom. There was only one way.down below. She couldn't go anywhere else. She had to pump her legs faster before she ran out of breath. Her legs were starting to cramp; it's been a long time since she swam. All she could see was a dark nook that led to the right; she had to squeeze in to get to the other side. She was already running out of breath and she was afraid she was going to die of hypothermia. Her vision was getting dark as she swam upwards to the light. She was getting nearer.just a few more.
* * *
She felt warm.the light was playing before her eyes.what was it?
* * *
Ginny opened her eyes to the sound of crackling fire by her side. Her body felt sore all over. Her legs hurt the most from all that swimming. Where was she? She got up and felt a shock in her head. She groaned and almost fell back when a pair of hands stopped her from hitting her head. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision. Her frown was accompanied with a squint as she processed who was in front of her. "Malfoy?" she managed to say before she put a hand to her head. "What are you doing here?" Ginny's frown grew as she tried to remember what had happened.for now she was completely mind blank. "Congratulations, you made it." Draco whispered as he settled her back gently to where she was sleeping. "Where are we?" she asked monotonously. "Welcome to my secret hiding place." "What!" she sat up again and groaned as another jolt went through her head.
Draco eased her down again as he explained to her. "Alright, I've been here before, I guess about when my mother brought me here to see the place. She so wanted to educate me about the family estates. Up there was where my mother loved to stay; down here I rule the domain. Of course, I knew about it because I did my extensive research, I would have gotten lost if my map didn't say so." Ginny glared at him. "Why did you just leave me? I went crazy when you were gone." Draco smirked. "Ah, so you do miss me. Touched." Ginny blushed as she continued to glare defiance. "Think whatever you want to think but I would never miss you." Her eyes took in the new surroundings. The little lagoon where she swam up was off to one side. Draco and her were situated on land. She could see another cave off the far side. Then she saw something that made her eyes bulge. "What did you do to me?" she screamed at him. "Nothing, I swear I did nothing! Don't let it go to your head. Believe me, if I wanted to rape you, I would do so when you were awake!" Draco protested as Ginny struggled to cover herself with her makeshift blanket. At least he had the decency to leave on her undergarments. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What was the point of going here anyway?" "It's rather simple really. When we were up there in the Eden.as I like to call it, there was no way to get to the estate except for this place. You see that cave there? It leads to our destination." "Why did you leave me? Didn't you know I could've gotten lost?" Ginny demanded angrily. She clutched the blanket tighter around her as she tried to stand up. Draco tried to help her but she kept brushing his hands away. "I can stand up by myself, thank you very much!" She was too busy shooing him away that her feet got tangled up by the blanket. She was going to fall; she shut her eyes again and prepared to scream bloody murder. "It seems that you can't." Draco stared into her eyes as he held her body in his arms. "You can't do everything Virginia.you don't have to be strong all the time." He settled her back to solid ground. "What took you so long?" Ginny said softly as she made her way to her drying clothes. The fire was warming them up nicely. She stood by the fire, watching the embers fly a few inches into to air and glide back down just to burn again with the others. "I'll answer your former question first. I told you to follow me, but you were to busy looking up into the sun. I thought you probably wanted some time to look around, but as I can see, you wanted to hurry and be by my side again." He smiled devilishly as he neared her. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Your ego is to big for your own sake. So what took you so long?" "I had to prepare some stuff and check the next cave for anything dangerous." He replied. "You do know that I wouldn't put you in danger, I'd hate to see you die because of me." Ginny looked into Draco's face thoughtfully then back at the fire. She remained silent, watching the fire once again.
Draco stared at the woman before him. He still can't believe how much she's changed since the last time he saw her. Just now, she looked so soft and vulnerable. She looks like a goddess contemplating what would happen next. A Goddess of Fire. The flame before her brought glows to her skin, making it look creamier. The flames danced in her eyes as she continued to stare. Her hair was getting dry and seemed to float in a wind that wasn't there. He wanted to touch her, make her a part of him, but not yet. He has to wait.but a wait that can seem so eternal. Make her a part of you? In the physical sense or in the emotional sense? Are you turning into those idiots that fall in love? Get a grip of yourself Malfoy. Your plan was to seduce her not make fall in love. Just do what you have to do and get rid of her. Actually, you can broom her right now but the plan wont be a success because she isn't exactly falling for you yet. Maybe she is but she isn't showing it, you'll have to get her to openly show it... . Do I really want to do it? She's more like an equal, someone that I could actually relate to. Would I risk it all just to lose her? . So what? You can just erase her memory and make her like you or something like that. Draco was constricted by his overflow of feelings. His cruel side wanted him to continue with his plan while the other wills him to be a mushy idiot. Which will it be? He glanced at her again and felt a pain in his chest, like a hand clutching his heart, forcing him in different directions.
I'll wait.I'll see what will happen.
* * *
It was good to get out of that cave. Ginny was glad to be able to get out of the dark, she needed to get some sunlight, she thought her skin was going to turn green from the cold and the dark.
Draco in the meanwhile was walking ahead of her and scanning his map. They were now in some sort of gravel-like place. She could hear him muttering that it was here somewhere. She grinned and tried to hide it when she caught up to him.
"Lost are we?" she looked at his map even though she couldn't understand it.
"No we're not." He said through gritted teeth. "I know the estate is somewhere behind the mall." his voice lowered to an almost inaudible sound as he started walking ahead of her again.
She sighed and scowled as she hurried after him. Why do men always feel they have to be right all the time? It would just make their heads bigger.as if it's not already large enough!
Draco stopped in front of some dead looking trees and examined them. "I know you have to do something to these things to get to the other side."
Ginny took a step closer to look at the trees. There were three of them that were blocking the entrance. Each tree looked different in a way that there was some sort of trick to unlock the secret. She touched the bark of the middle on with her second finger. She felt the tree move a little as some of its bark fell off.
"What did you do?" Draco asked her without looking at her. He was staring at the trees with fierce concentration. He did the same thing as she and got the same response from the giant. He then looked at the map and back at the trees. "Here, you try to figure it out."
She took the map from him and stared at the spot where the trees were. There was some sort of mark on them but she wasn't sure if it was just dirt. She tried to gently scratch it off but she guess that it was really meant to be there. On the left tree was a dark swirl and to the right was a sin sort of glitter. In the middle was a faint symbol, which she couldn't determine. The legend beside the trees where written in some sort of Latin.
"I think you have to perform some sort of spell on the left and right tree to activate the middle one. What to do with the middle one, it's up to you." Ginny informed Draco of her discovery.
"What do you propose we do then?" Draco asked her as he stood in front of the left tree.
"You cast a dark spell on that one, and I'll cast a light spell on the right one." She answered as she took her place. They pulled out their wands and muttered the appropriate spell to unlock the puzzle. A dark looking crest emanated from the trunk of the tree and an equally dark light shot out from it to connect with the middle tree. At the same time, a light crest showed up on the right tree and distributed its light to the middle. Draco and Ginny watched transfixed as the two lights formed a shape on the trunk of the tree in the middle. It showed a dragon reaching up to the sky.
"The Malfoy Crest," Draco breathed in as he put his hand palm to it. As he did so, the two lights engulfed his hand and a portal replaced the crest. He looked at the Ginny and motioned for her to get in. When she was inside he then pulled his hand and followed her. The portal closed behind them and the two were in the dark once again.
* * *
Ginny was already irritated with the past events. All she ever saw was black and white. It was sickening. It was like a black and white film that had so many reruns. What where they? The actors? When they got out of the portal it was bright again and this time they were in a huge lot that had a broken down manor right in the middle of it. From a distance she could hear the hustle and bustle of muggles in the mall.
"So this is the first Malfoy estate."
"Yes it is, shameful isn't it?" Draco scowled as he led her to the entrance of the once grand manor. "Now that we're here, I can send in the crew."
"What? What crew?" she looked around for people.
"You know, everyone needed to build this pile of bricks into what it was before.only this time it will be so much better." Draco replied as he pulled out a phone from his pocket. He could feel Ginny staring at him. "What? I'm just making a call."
"You do know that you're using a muggle thing, you know."
"I do know! I'm not that stupid. Of course I do use muggle things once in a while. I find this phone very handy, don't you think so?" Draco then proceeded to dial and summon the "crew". Ginny wondered when she'd ever get to finish this business trip. She then heard people talking around her, she guess it was the "crew" come to help build the manor already.
"So, Virginia, shall we go to settle business with the owners of that mall?" Draco came up beside her and offered her his arm.
She stared at his arm.
"It would be rude if you didn't accept," Draco said teasingly. "Besides, if those muggles saw you with me, maybe they'd agree better."
Ginny smirked. "You're saying that they'll agree because you're so rich and distinguished looking!"
"Precisely!"
"Alright, anything to make my job easier." Ginny hooked her arm around his and together they left through another passageway to the muggle world.
* * *
"Draco, I can't believe you did that! You're not allowed to brainwash people!" Ginny exclaimed as Draco escorted her into the elevator leading to the owner of the mall.
"Did you see how long that line was? If I didn't brainwash him then we'd be waiting for years! You did say that you wanted to get this over with, didn't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, a Malfoy never waits and its only proper that he doesn't keep his lady waiting."
"Of course, how could I forget that Milfoils tend to have an impatient streak running through them" Ginny snickered. "And I'm not your lady!"
"Business associate then? But it would seem the part of you were my lady" Draco drawled as they stepped of the elevator.
"In your dreams, only in your dreams." Ginny replied as they informed the secretary they were ready to see the manager.
You'll see Virginia, I've dreamed it up and it will come true.
They both straightened up to look presentable before they came in.
"So you see, Mr. Deveraux, as it turns out there is an estate behind this mall. My client here would like to live in that estate but the mall is disrupting his quality of life. Is there some way that you would consent to move the mall?" Ginny explained the situation to the manager.
"Is there some way that your client can live somewhere else?" Mr. Deveraux countered her. "This is a mall from crying out loud. I just can't close it and move! I have to build a new one and get all the other stores to open up in a new mall! It would be hard to find another location as good as this one!"
"I'm afraid not sir, that estate is priceless. It's been in his family for generations."
"Why is it so priceless?" Mr. Deveraux leaned over the table with interest.
It was Draco's turn to handle the situation. "My family knew it was the right spot to pick because of its lush greenery, but besides that, my ancestors have left something of importance to us there, that is why I must claim it. My crew has already started making repairs to the manor, it wont be long until I can live in it."
"What is this important thing?" Mr. Deveraux's eyes gleamed at the thought of treasure.
"That is what I have to find out." Draco replied. "I just moved in from the United States and I need a place to live. That estate is where I'm going to live in.I have no where else to go." He bowed his head down in sorrow.
Came from the Unites States, huh? I wonder if the bit about the "important thing" is true?
Ginny looked at Draco's forlorn figure. Such an actor. Maybe he does these acting things to get what he wants.maybe it explains why he's so spoiled.
"No," Mr. Deveraux said firmly. "You can just excavate it and live in some apartment or relatives house."
Draco's head came up; he was about to open his mouth to say something when Ginny grabbed his arm to shut him up. "May we have a moment, sir?" She dragged Draco outside the office and sighed.
"Look, he's right. It's stupid to move a mall just because of a house you want to erect near it. No don't interrupt me. I know you were here first, but you might be jeopardizing his business!"
No, that rat is jeopardizing my plans! Draco thought evilly. "Let's just brainwash him into saying 'yes', that way we wont have out time."
"No, we cant do that! Brainwashing two people in one day is enough! Would you do anything to get your way?" Ginny nearly shouted at him.
"Yes, I would." He lowered his face to hers to match her glare.
They stayed locked in that position for some time, neither one refusing to back down.
"Excuse me, but the manager has some other appointments to make, you'll have to finish this now or some other time." the Secretary interrupted them.
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him before she entered the office. Draco followed her moodily and shut the door behind him.
"Is there some way we can persuade you into moving?" Ginny offered tiredly.
"No, I'll lose millions of money if I agreed to your plan."
"What if I replace those millions with billions or trillions?" Draco spoke up.
"What? There's no way you can have that much money." Mr. Deveraux scoffed.
"If I do give them to you, would you move?" Draco smiled that made Ginny jump up in alarm. She knew that Draco didn't have that much money, let alone muggle money! What was he going to do? Rob a bank or something?
"Id like to see some proof first. You pay half of what my price is by tomorrow and I'll agree to move." Mr. Deveraux grinned as if he already won the game.
"Alright, tomorrow you'll what you want."
Ginny was aghast. No way that they'll ever get that much money in time. Mr. Deveraux had a contract made and made her and Draco sign it. When she saw the total price, she nearly fainted! Not only was it much, but he wanted them to pay in dollars. After all, he did come from the United States, was what Mr. Deveraux said. Along with that, he said that Draco looked rich and seemed to know what he was doing.
By the time that was over, Ginny was fuming mad. She screamed bloody murder at Draco when they got out of the mall and into the street filled with muggles. "Where are you going to get that much money? Are you crazy? In dollars!"
Draco just smiled lazily and waved a hand at her to relax. "You worry too much Virginia, we'll simply go to Fort Knox and get some money."
"As if they'll actually lend us that much money!" she spat out.
"No, we wont get the money itself, but the machine that makes it."
Ginny's jaw dropped open.
"Come now Virginia, close your mouth, its unbecoming of you." Draco laughed at her expression.
She blushed a deep red and said angrily "I suppose you want us to teleport to Fort Knox right now?"
"Exactly what I was thinking." Draco took her hand and led her to the portal heading back to the estate.
"They'll never lend you the machine!" Ginny protested as they reached the estate.
"They don't need to lend it, I just need to duplicate it and everything's set. Didn't I tell you that you worry too much?" Draco explained to her with such patience that made her feel like a little girl being reprimanded.
"I worry because you're schemes are too crazy!" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, here we go," Draco motioned for her to come over. He held her hand and with another touched a broken fountain and they were off.
I just don't know how I get talked into these things. Ginny thought helplessly as she stared out the window of the Concord. They were riding one of the fastest planes to get to America in record time. Beside her was Draco reading through a magazine. The keyport transported them to the airport and Draco got them first class seats on the Concord. Now they were off to Fort Knox to see the money machine. What has she gotten herself into this time?