AN: I am soooo sorry I have taken so long to update. But, between working and trying to plan my wedding I was just so busy. But, lucky for you all, I have tons of time on my hands now!

Lost Love

A low moan escaped Draco's lips and-consequently-awoke him. Propping himself up on one hand, he used the other to rub away the pounding in his head. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His eyes were still blurry from being unconscious and all he could make of his surroundings was that it was dark and he was sitting on a very hard and very cold floor.

What the hell is going on? He silently wondered. For a moment he considered the idea that perhaps he had fallen from his broom and was now sitting on the pitch. However, this thought was soon pushed away as he was much too skilled at flying to simply fall off. Besides, it was quite evident that he was not sitting on grass. He vaguely remembered someone shouting a spell and then someone else hitting the ground. Wait, he had been that someone else. But why would someone attack him? The only logical explanation would be that he had been kidnapped. But that still left that irritating Why?

By this time his eyes had focused and adjusted to the dark. Might as well explore this place and see if I can't figure out where I am. He stood and, with a yelp, immediately sat back down. Apparently his captors had not felt that it was necessary to stick him somewhere with a ceiling that was high enough to allow him to stand.

Deciding it was wiser to search with just his hands rather than risk running into another wall, Draco stretched his right arm as far as he could. His hand met with something solid and cold- a wall. Further exploration in this manner revealed to him that he was in a very small room with no doors. Must be an attic, he silently concluded. He slowly scooted forward, running his hands over the floor in search of a door. It didn't take him long to find the round handle that he could only guess would open the trap door. Wrapping his fingers around it, he gave it a good yank upwards. The door didn't budge.

"Merlin!" he quietly cursed. It would be just his luck to have captors smart enough to remember to lock the door; most likely with complicated magic Still, it was a worth a try to at least attempt at unlocking it. He quickly searched his robes for his wand. Not finding it, he searched the room with his hands. They had taken his wand!

Draco sighed heavily and laid back down wondering who would have done this and why they wanted him in the first place. This train of thought brought him to the conclusion that his captors must have taken him in hopes of a hefty ransom. After all, it was well known in the wizarding world that the Malfoys were disgustingly wealthy.

They'll be disappointed to discover my father wouldn't give a cent for me. Not with our current relationship the way it is. He was jerked from his thoughts by the trap door creaking open.

Ginny solemnly walked to potions with Chloe and Amber on either side of her. It had been nearly a week since she had overheard the nymph's gossip. And in that time she hadn't seen a single trace of Draco. She had concluded that he was avoiding her. Perhaps to make sure his father had no doubt that they were no longer dating, or maybe he thought not seeing each other whatsoever would ease the pain of being apart. Ginny didn't know, all she knew was that she felt extremely lonely and just seeing him around the school would have made her feel loads better.

The redhead let out a soft sigh causing her two friends to share a look of worry and frustration. Ginny didn't notice; she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice much of anything.

Her distracted nature continued throughout potions and she didn't even flinch when Professor Snape snapped at her for forgetting to add leeches to her Honesty Potion-a weaker version of veritaserum.

"It should be clear, Miss Weasley! Clear so that your victim will not realize that you have added it to their drink! Not bright pink!"

"Yes, but you must admit, Professor Snape, it is a lovely shade of pink." Ginny said this so distractedly and the comment was so empty of sarcasm that Snape merely gaped at her before suggesting that she spend the rest of the day in bed.

"The boss says to give ya this," a burly looking man said as he pulled his hefty frame through the trap door. He set a large tin plate full of steaming food on the floor beside the door. The smells that wafted up from the plate were extremely appetizing compared to what he had been expecting his captors to feed him.

"And who is 'the boss?'" Draco asked quietly, hoping to glean some information concerning his situation. This man didn't seem to bright and would hopefully tell him what he wanted to know.

"Well now, that would be the honorable Mr. . . . hey now, don't be doin' that to me. You won't get no information out of me. No sir, I'd pay dearly if I told ya anythin' the boss doesn't want ya to know. Now be silent and eat yer vittles. I'm not allowed to leave here until you're done so as to make sure you don't try no funny stuff with the utensils. Although I don't see what ya could do with an old tin plate and wooden spoon. Not like you can dig yer way out seein' as this be the attic . . . I shouldn't have told you that."

Draco nearly snorted in his food as he listened to the man talk. His first impressions had been right. This man was as big an idiot as that oaf Hagrid. In fact, if this man were just a few tons heavier and his voice a lot deeper, Draco would have guessed that it was Hagrid.

"Thought you'd never come out of that sleep, we did. For a while there we'd thought Ott . . . er . . . I mean, the man we sent to collect ya had killed ya. The boss sure was relieved when we heard ya movin' around up here. Sent to have somethin' decent made for ya right quick and had me deliver it. That's the trouble with bein' the bottom rung in this business. Ya don't get to do nothin' important and whatnot. Yer just the gofer. I was surprised when they entrusted me to bring the food to ya. Usually I'd be the one cleanin' up yer dishes. Course, I probably will be the one to clean the dishes. Not just yers, but everyone else's as well. The boss may have several house elves, but he'll not have them lift a finger so long as I'm around to do his dirty work."

However, Draco didn't care that the man was lower than a house elf. "What do you mean you thought I'd never wake up?" he asked, "How long was I unconscious for?"

The man paused as though considering whether it was safe to answer this question or not. He must have decided it was innocent enough for he replied, "Nigh unto a week you were out. The boss nearly sent someone to check on ya but decided that it'd be best to wait until we heard you movin' around. Just in case your silence was nothin' more than a ruse to get someone to unlock the door . . . I shouldn't have put that idea in yer head . . ."

"What do you want with me? Why did you kidnap?" Draco demanded. He was getting impatient with how long it was taking to find out what he wanted to know. This turned out to be a mistake; however, as the man suddenly grabbed his half empty plate.

"Well, it looks like yer about done with that. If ya don't mind I'll take that down and get it washed. You'll be using the same plate for breakfast ya know." Without another word he had climbed out of the attic and pulled the door closed behind him. Draco scrambled to the door and gave the handle a good yank in hopes that the man hadn't locked it yet. Once again, the door didn't budge.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, he returned to lying on the cold floor and pondered what little knowledge he had received from this peculiar man. Apparently his captors were not just a couple men, but a good-sized bunch. The boss must be extremely rich if he had several house elves. Suddenly feeling very tired; Draco let out one last breath of frustration and went to sleep.

Ginny slowly raised her gaze to look the sallow faced man in the eye. The look of glee in those steely black eyes was undeniable.

"What does Professor Dumbledore want to see me for?" she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice. It would only add to the man's demonic joy.

"I don't know, Miss Weasley," Professor Snape replied impatiently, "He only asked that I escort you to his office." Without another word, he whirled around and walked down the corridor in the same direction he had just come from. Ginny watched the billowing black robes retreat for a moment before realizing that he expected her to follow. Hefting her bag higher onto her shoulder, she hurried to catch up.

After what seemed like a half an hour, Professor Snape finally stopped in front of the gargoyle statue that marked the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Peanut brittle" he said in a voice that clearly displayed his distaste for the selected password. The gargoyle hopped off his stand and Snape proceeded onto the moving staircase with Ginny right behind him.

"I've brought Miss Weasley, Headmaster," Snape announced when they had reached the Dumbeldore's office and had been invited in.

"Good, good," Dumbledore replied distractedly. "Please, Miss Weasley, have a seat." Ginny sat down rather stiffly and watched the headmaster expectantly.

"Yes, well," Dumbledore said, shifting in his seat. He glanced at Snape and smiled. "That will be all, Professor," he said firmly. Nodding, Snape left the room. It was evident that he was disappointed at not being allowed to witness the forthcoming scene.

"Now, Ginny," the headmaster said amiably. All formality was gone with the absence of the potions professor. "I understand that you have been dating Mr. Malfoy?"

"I was, sir," she replied quietly, "But we broke up a couple weeks ago."

Pity flickered in Dumbledore's eyes but was quickly replaced with an encouraging smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. Draco has been in dire need of someone like you in his life. It's a shame it had to end." He cleared his throat and pushed a small bowl on his desk toward her. "Lemon drop?"

"No thank you, headmaster," she said. "Would you mind telling me why I'm here?" she added, hoping that the question wasn't too impertinent.

Dumbeldore's face became grave and he leaned back in his seat. "Mr. Malfoy's gone missing, Miss Weasley," he said bluntly. "We have seen neither hide nor hair of him in a week and a half and we were hoping- as the person in this school who was close to him- that you would have some idea as to where he has gone."

Ginny felt her stomach drop. Draco was missing? But that was impossible! Why would he be missing? He needed to be here! It was important that he still be here so that she could tell him what she knew. It was her only hope for a reconciliation! She looked up as she felt the headmaster's eyes upon her.

"Do you know where he is?" he repeated softly.

Numbly, Ginny shook her head. "No," she choked out as her shoulders shook, "I don't. I thought that he was avoiding me because of the break up! I thought he was just being his usual prat self and pretending that I had never happened! Then I over heard the nymph and I need to tell him . . . are you sure he's missing?" she asked as tears streamed down her face.

Dumbldore nodded apologetically and offered her a handkerchief. "We're certain," he said, "I'm really sorry to put you through this, but are you absolutely certain you haven't a clue?"

"I sure," she managed to say through her tears. "How am I going to tell him now?" she mumbled to herself.

"Tell him what, Miss Weasley," Dumbeldore asked, leaning forward.

"T-tell him that I know why he broke up with me," she exclaimed as if the headmaster ought to know already.

"Why did he break up with you, Ginny?" Dumbledore asked quickly. He was acting as if she had just told him everything he wanted to know.

"B-because his father . . . his father threatened that bad things would happen if we continued to date. H-he was protecting me."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair again; a small smile playing at his lips. "Yes, it is possible," he muttered to himself before straightening. "Yes, thank you very much, Miss Weasley. You've been most helpful."

"What's possible, sir?" Ginny asked more out of hope than of curiosity. Did Dumbledore know where Draco was? Was he going to bring him back?

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off from classes," came the answer, "you look like you could use the break. I'll explain to your teachers and see to it that you get the assignments."

"But, Professor Dumbledore, what do you suppose . . ."

"And you might want to stop by the Great Hall and pick up something to eat. You look a little pale," Dumbledore cut in.

Realizing that she had been dismissed, Ginny rose from the chair and exited the room. Why wouldn't Dumbledore tell her what he thought had happened to Draco?

A/N: Well, there you have it. It's taken me months to write . . . mostly out of procrastination . . . but I finally gave you another chapter! I also went through the old chapters and changed a few things to make the story more consistent with OotP

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