The sun was slowly sinking into oblivion, brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and pink trailing close behind. I sat on the mountainside, willing the sun to move faster. Night couldn't come soon enough. I don't know why I was so anxious and hurried, it's not like I was going to be able to sleep. I knew it was going to be just like it was in the War; sleep was going to become a privilege that I would rarely get. Days would be spent on the move, and nights would be spent on the watch.
Ginny was still unconscious. She looked dead, lying in the grass a few feet from me. I sighed as I watched her, thinking about the battlefield and all the bodies lying truly lifeless on it, and not just temporarily still. I felt frustrated. I didn't know what to do. My job wasn't supposed to start like this. How come the first person I locate from the stupid list has to be the one on Voldemort's side? And Ginny Weasley, of all people? I groaned as I stood up and brushed the dead grass off me.
Then it hit me suddenly- like an impulse. I could run, right now. While Ginny laid there, helpless, I could run. Or better yet, I could kill her and then run. As soon as I caught a glimpse of her face, however, I knew I would never be able to bring myself to kill her. Not now. Not until I got to the bottom of this.
"For now," I said to myself, "I'll let you be. You go back to your Voldemort, and I'll go on with my stupid assignment. Then, someday soon, I'll figure you out, Ginny Weasley." And with that, I began walking into the sunset.
It got dark very soon. I was still in the same flat valley I left Ginny in. Here it would be easy to spot me, so I had no choice but to continue on through the night. The valley seemed to stretch on for eternity. I knew I was to come to a river soon enough, and from there I would follow the river to Brooksbury. That's where I was headed because three of the people on the profiles were last spotted here: Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, and Steven Woodhall. The first two names sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure.
Depressingly enough, Brooksbury was another week's worth of walking away. My chances of reaching the small town and those three runaways still being there were quite low. Even worse was the fact that I couldn't get Ginny off my mind. Fall was almost here, and the leaves were abandoning their spring greens for fiercer fall colors. The red leaves annoyed me particularly, for they reminded me of Ginny's silky hair and how it had always looked perfectly tousled, as if she styled it that way. In fact, the whole of the season fall reminded me of Ginny- not only her appearance, but also her fiery personality. I hated myself for falling for the enemy, but I hated myself even more for falling for a Weasley. Father would not be pleased with me. Not that I cared what Father thought anymore, mind you.
I walked on through the rest of the night and half the next day before I finally reached the river. By then I could barely keep my eyes awake. Luckily, on the opposite side of the river was forest. I jumped across a few rocks to the other side, found a dense cluster of trees and bushes, and fell into a deep sleep immediately.