Disclaimer: Not mine.

A.N.- I approach fanfiction the same way I approach things that may be chocolate. Approach thing that may be chocolate. Pick up thing that may be chocolate. Taste thing that may be chocolate. Mmmmmm chocolate. That is how I approach fanfiction. Mmmmmm fanfiction.

A.N.2- I've never been to California, hell, I've never even been to America, and I've only ever met a few Americans, so my interpretation of what California is like is gonna come mainly from what I've seen in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Don't kill me if I get it wrong.

A.N.3- Another one? Geez. Just a thought, if anyone would like to do some fanart for this fic, I'd be more than happy to put a link to it in one of my chapters. I'm a major fanart fan. Just send them to my e-mail address.

Dedicated to my Beta Dom

*** Rufina Moody ***

America. She was in America. America was the thing she was in. That was a piece of really bad English. See! It was affecting her already!

"May I see your key please?" Asked the woman behind the desk who smiled at her with big lips.

"Yeah, sure." Ginny reached into her robes and pulled out the long silver key the Goblin at Gringotts had given her. It seemed like such a long time ago, when Malfoy was still the enemy, and not to be trusted.

"Welcome to America Miss Bowcott." The assistant said, checking the name on the key, "You came in quite a hurry, is there anything you need?"

"Um yeah, I need to get out some money, and find a place to stay for the night." Ginny explained. She was thankful that she had bought a wand; she couldn't imagine the idea of being in another country without one.

"So you'll be wanting to go to Ascentmur, it's the nearest wizarding town, you'll be able to find go to the bank there, and find a hotel." The assistant told her, passing back to key, "Grate six is permanently locked to Ascentmur, so just go right through. I hope you enjoy your stay in Sunny California!"

Ginny nodded, feeling slightly fearful at such enthusiasm. She walked over to the fireplace that had a number six hanging above it and walked through. She reappeared in a very small floo hub, and was greeted by a slightly less cheerful assistant.

"Hello, my names Rufina." Said the girl. She looked to be in her early twenties, and had red hair that was similar to Ginny's own, "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a place to stay for the night, and I'll need to get some money out of the bank." Ginny explained.

"Here's a map of the town. It's very small, so you won't have problem's finding your way around. We do advice getting home before dark; our town has had some history with vampire attacks." She handed over the small leaflet, "Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks, I will." Ginny assured her, and walked outside. The town was beautiful, it was built with Victorian architect in mind, and was not spoilt any modern inputs. Ginny wandered around for an hour, just taking in the sights, before making her way to the hotel, where she used the rest of the money Malfoy had given her to rent a room for the night. The room was small but comfortable, and Ginny left most her possessions inside it before venturing out again, in search of the bank.

It took her a good half an hour to find the small building, and once inside she found herself confronted with not only Goblins, but also millions of fairies. As she knew from her Care Of Magical Creatures lessons, fairies were not the sweet natured helpers muggles made them out to be, and were far more likely to bite your nose off then grant you a wish. And yet these little critters were doing exactly as the Goblins told them too.

"They have far more respect for Goblins than they do for humans." Came a voice from behind her. A Goblin stood there, smiling benignly, "how may I help you?"

"I'd like to get some money out." Ginny explained.

"Your key?" He asked, and Ginny reached into her robes and pulled it out, handing it over to the Goblin. He inspected it for some time, before calling another Goblin and passing it to him, saying something in a language she couldn't understand. They conversed for a long time, before the one that had approached her originally coughed and turned to her.

"There seems to be a problem, would you please come this way?" he asked her, leading her to an office. She followed him, feeling slightly worried. Once inside, he left her, and worry turned to panic when she heard a slight click that told her that the Goblin had locked her in.

***

Draco headed straight for Knockturn Alley, running as fast as was humanly possible. Several times he was sure that Lupin was right behind him, but was able to dodge him each time. Once he reached the dark Alley he slipped inside a pub that had the words 'No Werewolves' written in bog words. Lupin tried to follow him inside by a sudden klaxon sounded and Lupin was cut off. Draco slipped out the back, and into another shop.

"How may I help you?" asked Mr Borgin, the owner of Borgin and Burkes.

"I need something to stop myself from being tracked." He told the man, "I had the Amulet of Cain, but it broke."

"It broke." Said Mr Borgin, his voice deadpan.

"It was an accident, not my fault." Draco insisted. The Amulet of Cain was one-of-a-kind, and ridiculously expensive; "I really need something to stop myself from being tracked."

"Well, I do have something, it won't be cheap though." The shop owner told him, bending down to get something fro below the desk. It was a bracelet, not as beautiful as his broken amulet, but still quite fine, "This beauty holds two charmed stones, onyx and fluorite. It'll deflect all tracking spells, but it'll be no good if you're in eyeshot of the person searching for you."

"That'll be great, thanks." Draco said, buying the bracelet. He'd always wondered why so many valuable items came in the form of jewellery. Why couldn't some one make a magical belt? Putting the bracelet on as he left the shop, and bumped straight into Narcissa Malfoy.

"Come with me." She said sternly, grabbing him before he could run. She dragged him all the way to a pub called 'The Fwooper and Gnome', and pulled him into a secluded booth.

"Well Draco, you've royally screwed up this time, havn't you?" She snapped, glaring at him.

"My names not Draco." He tried, marvelling at his mother's ability to recognize him.

"Don't try that with me young man, my tracking spell was pointing straight at you until you bought that bracelet." She told him, "You're just lucky you lost that werewolf, otherwise you'd be in even deeper trouble than you already are."

"I don't know what I'm going to do." He admitted, "The newspaper said that you don't remember anything about the night I ran away."

"Yes, your damn father put a memory spell on me." She sighed, "What exactly happened?"

"Um, I found out that Father was holding a girl in our house against her will, so I rescued her, sort of." Draco explained.

"Damn that man!" She snapped, looking furious, "Where is she? The girl I mean."

"Last I saw her she was running off the Floo Hub." He told her, "I have to find her; I don't think she can manage on her own."

"Didn't you arrange a place to meet her if you got separated?" Narcissa asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" He grinned sheepishly, "I can't believe I forgot. I need to meet her at-"

"Don't tell me you fool! What if your father tortures it out of me?" She asked, "Honestly, you're not very good at this, are you?"

"Well, I had a neat little plan in my head." Draco admitted, "But it doesn't seem to be going to well. The girl, her name's Ginny Weasley, she has something wrong with her, and we're trying to find a cure. It's not going to well."

"I wish I could help you Draco, I really wish I could, but I have enough troubles of my own." She reached out and took his hand, "I was so sure that your father had murdered you, and I was so scared, I can't tell you how happy I am that you're safe and well. But now that the Ministry know that you're alive they're going to release your father from custody, and he'll stop at nothing to find you."

"That's why I bought this bracelet." He told her, showing it to her, "It'll stop me from being tracked."

"At least you're not too much of a fool." She laughed, "Find a place to stay tonight, and go and meet Ginny tomorrow. And I hope all this will be over soon."

They rose from their seats, and she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead.

"I love you Draco, please be careful." She whispered.

"I will." He promised, "Goodbye Mother."

***

"Let me out!" Ginny shouted, banging on the door, "There's been a mistake! I'm innocent of whatever crime you're accusing me of! Just let me out!"

At that point the door unlocked and Rufina, the girl who had welcomed Ginny to the town, walked in, followed by the two Goblins. They were all frowning.

"According to these Goblins, the key you gave them was a fake, and you are not, in actual fact, Emily Bowcott." She said, her voice devoid of its previous friendliness.

"I am!" Ginny insisted, "Please, you just have to talk to the Goblins at Gringotts, they'll explain everything."

"Hehezkel, will you see to it?" Rufina asked.

"Ask for Hurtzaz!" Ginny added as the Goblin walked away.

"We will wait for Hehezkel's reply, and if it turns out you are lying, we will have you arrested." The young woman told her, and Ginny felt herself tremble with fear.

"I'm not lying, you just wait." She muttered to herself. But fear was growing in her stomach. What if Hurtzaz didn't care about her, and said that she was lying? How would she get back to Malfoy?

After a few minutes the Goblin called Hehezkel returned, his face twisted in fear.

"We are most sorry Miss Bowcott." He stuttered, his eyes as wide as platters, "This was a terrible accident, we are very sorry."

"Her story checks out?" Rufina asked, looking confused.

"Yes, she is indeed who she says she is." The Goblin told her, but when she turned her back to him, he whispered something in the other Goblin's ear, and he glanced fearfully at Ginny.

"I suppose my cousin was mentioned?" Ginny asked with a sigh.

"Yes, Nathaniel was mentioned." Hehezkel admitted, "If we had any idea who you were, we would not have even considered questioning you."

"No, you probably wouldn't have." She muttered to herself, "So, can I go now?"

"Of course!" The two Goblins smiled widely, "Um, you, uh, won't be mentioning this to your family, will you?"

"No, of course not." Ginny assured them, "I just want to get back to the hotel."

"We will provide you with transport!" Hehezkel insisted, and Ginny found herself being taken back to the hotel in a horse driven carriage.

***

The next day Ginny awoke, and lay in bed for a very long time. For the first time in a long while she felt completely safe, and this made her smile.

She got up and pulled on her clothes, brushing her long black hair. She gazed at herself in the mirror, and sighed sadly. She missed her old self, missed her red hair and her freckles. But there was nothing she could do about it.

She packed her bag and walked to the reception of the hotel, signing out. They were extremely polite to her, and she supposed word must have travelled about who she was. The Goblins knew that she was connected to the Malfoy's, of that she was sure, and they had probably told everyone that the Bowcott's were a very important family so she would receive the same respect a Malfoy would get.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" The receptionist asked, and a thought occurred to her.

"Um, could you tell me where the nearest Letter Hub is?" She asked, her thoughts wandering to Aidan.

"Yes, there's one just a little walk from here." The receptionist told her, and gave her direction, which Ginny memorised. The walk was enjoyable, as it gave her some time to think about what had happened to her over the last few days. In only a few short days Malfoy had turned from the enemy to a friend, almost. She still wasn't sure that she trusted him completely, but she knew that he was on her side for the moment.

The Letter Hub was a small building that had a gold letter engraved on its door. She entered, and found herself having to duck as several envelopes zoomed past her.

"Hello, my name is Hermus, and how may I help you?" Came a voice from under a stack of letters. A moment later a face appeared. The speaker was a small man with large glasses and a wonky smile.

"Hello, my names Emily Bowcott, I was wondering if I had any letters?" She asked.

"Ah yes, Miss Bowcott, we all heard about you last night." He said, smiling, "Rufina was livid, she was quite caught up with the idea of catching a criminal, and was very angry when you turned out to be innocent."

"Why did she want to catch a criminal?" Ginny asked, frowning.

"Oh, her father is quite a famous Auror in England, she wants to follow in his footsteps, but hasn't quite got the talent." He explained, "You may have heard of him, his name is Alastor Moody."

Ginny was unable to hide her shock, her mouth fell open. Mad-Eye Moody had a daughter! Who on earth was the mother?

"You've heard of Moody then!" Hermus said, laughing.

"He knows my father." Ginny admitted, trying not to give too much away, "I had no idea that he had a daughter."

"Most people don't, he doesn't like people knowing he has a weakness." He told her, "Now, about your letter." He walked over to what looked like a long golden tube, and tapped his wand against it, "Emily Bowcott!"

An envelope shot out from the tube and he caught it in his hand and passed it over, "That'll be fifteen knuts please." He said as she took the envelope.

"Thank you." Ginny said as she paid. She waited until she was outside before opening the letter. It was from Aidan, and she felt a tiny thrill about receiving a letter from someone so famous.

Dear Emily, It's a good thing Nathaniel asked me for that favour, for as soon as I had returned to the Hotel; I found it full of Death Eaters, all looking for you! I told them you had gone to Spain, and they seemed to believe me. They told me that you and Nathaniel had run away from home, and I would have believed them if I hadn't seen the Dark Mark on one their arms. I know you're in trouble, and if you ever need any help just write to me. I don't know much about you, but if the Death Eaters are your enemies, then we're on the same side. What I really want to know is how someone so young could have got involved with Death Eaters! But I'm sure you can't tell me that. Please write to me if you need anything at all, and I'll see what I can do. Yours faithfully Aidan

"Oh Aidan." She muttered, "I wish I could answer all your questions."

She wrote him a quick reply, telling him that she was safe, and grateful for all his help, and took it to the towns Post Office. The staff looked at her strangely when they saw who it was too.

"Letters to celebrities are usually sent to their fan clubs." One man said. Ginny sighed in frustration, but then decided to use the influence the name Bowcott seemed to have. Once she told them who she was, they seemed more than happy to send the letter.

***

Draco had spent the night in a room in the Leaky Cauldron. When he awoke, he made his way downstairs and ordered himself some breakfast, and ate it quietly, watching the customers.

He saw a great many people who he knew, and the urge to talk to them was almost irresistible. But what would he say? 'Hello, I may not look like it, but I'm really Draco Malfoy, only don't tell my dad'? Not very likely.

After break fast he ventured out into Diagon Alley, keeping a keen eye out for Ministry officials. After wandering for a little while he decided to check the Newspaper, and found his name in Headlines. He bought the paper quickly and began reading.

Draco Malfoy found in disguise by werewolf Auror The boy who has recently gone missing was yesterday spotted by Auror Remus Lupin, but was in disguise. The only reason Lupin was able to recognize him was because of his werewolf capabilities. Many people have objected to the Ministries choice of employing the werewolf, but will they be so against it if he is able to find and bring home Draco Malfoy? "I've never had anything against werewolves" Said Fudge, Minister of Magic, "And I feel that anyone who can help us find Draco is very welcome in the Ministry" Now that there is no doubt the he is alive, Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, has been realised, and all charges against him have been dropped. "No one believed me when I said I didn't kill my son." Said an angry Lucius Malfoy, "But now that it has been proved, we can all focus on what's important, finding Draco and bringing him back safe." Draco Malfoy currently looks like a seventeen to eighteen-year-old boy with black hair. He is approximately five ft nine. If anyone sees a boy matching that description could they please alert the ministry?

Well there goes a perfectly good disguise, Draco thought to himself. But then again, how many black haired tall young men could there be in England? No, he was still safe.

"It's a crime, what that Lucius Malfoy's getting away wiv'." Said the newspaper stand owner.

"Yes, yes it is." Agreed Draco.

"I tell ya, I'll feel much safer when e's behind bars." He said, "Think what ya like, e's a Death Eater, and e'll get what 'e deserves."

"We can only hope." Draco replied with a smile and a nod, and then he turned away and began the walk towards the Diagon Alley Floo Hub.

***

"Ron, Harry, look at this!" Hermione said, handing them the Newspaper, "They've cleared Lucius Malfoy!"

"They haven't." Ron said, aghast. He read they paper quickly and gasped, "They have! Those idiots."

"Yeah, just because Malfoy's alive, doesn't mean that his dad didn't try to kill him." Harry agreed.

"This means that he'll be redoubling his efforts to find Malfoy." Hermione told them, "Which means that we have to too."

"But you already said, unless we get more information then we're going to get nowhere." Ron reminded her.

"Then we'll have to do some research, that's all!" She said, "We can try and find out who else Lucius and Damien Zabini have been working with lately."

"More homework?" Harry asked.

"Come off it Harry, you have the easy part, all you have to do is talk to Blaise." Ron said, looking annoyed.

"Yeah well, it turns out that talking isn't something that Blaise really enjoys." The dark haired boy muttered.

"Oh Harry, what do you see in her?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno, maybe I just crave drama." He said, "You know, I could have loads of girls here, and yet I always seem to choose the ones with issues."

"I think it's you who's got issues." The red haired boy joked.

"You've both got issues." Hermione snapped.

***

Ginny was making her way to the Floo Hub when she was cut off by an extremely angry looking red haired young woman.

"I bet you're really pleased with yourself, fooling those Goblins." Rufina said, glaring at her.

"I didn't fool anyone." Ginny corrected, "They checked at Gringotts, remember? It was just a mistake."

"Goblins don't make mistakes." The older girl snapped, "I bet you just gave those Goblins at Gringotts a whole lot of money, so now they're kissing up. You're probably a Malfoy or something."

"I'm not a Malfoy!" Ginny shouted, and then cursed herself for loosing control, "I'm not. They thought the key was a fake because I had to have my old key replaced when it was stolen. I don't think it's been properly registered yet." She lied.

"I know when laws are being broken." Rufina told her, "My father is an Auror."

"Yes, Alastor Moody, I heard." She said, "He's actually good friends with my parents."

"Oh really? Well, I'll be checking that."

"Fine, you do that." Ginny replied, feeling worried. What would happen when Rufina asked her father about the Bowcott's and he replied that he'd never heard of them? Then she'll probably tell him about a girl called Emily Bowcott who had lied, and she'd have to change identity again! "Ok, fine, I lied a little bit, but I haven't broken any laws! The thing is, my family had to change identities because of this...thing...that I'm not allowed to talk about, and our new keys aren't working very well. My parents do know your father, but I can't tell you their old names, in case you're working for our enemies."

That was some fancy bit of lying, and it seemed very unrealistic to Ginny, but Rufina's eyes were wide with excitement, and Ginny couldn't help adding a little extra.

"My parents are Aurors as well, and they were training me to be. But they've sent me away because they're worried that someone may have found out about who we really are." She whispered.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry about giving you such a hard time!" Rufina apologised, "If I'd known... Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. And I'm not working for any Aurors enemies, but you're right not to trust me, you can't trust anyone. But you've attracted too much attention here; we have to get you out before your enemies hear about you. Is that why you were so offended when I called you a Malfoy? Are the Malfoy's your enemies?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but yeah." Ginny said, feeling guilty about lying. But then again, this was closer to the truth then she'd told Aidan. And any way, this girl was obviously quite mad, and Ginny didn't think she could handle the truth.

Rufina took her to the building that she'd arrived in the day before and showed her to the grate that was connected to the California Floo Hub.

"I hope you don't get caught." Said the older girl, looking around shiftily. "Good luck!"

"Thank, bye!" Ginny said, before stepping into the flames. She arrived a moment later in the Floo Hub which she had arrived in yesterday.

"Hi, I hope you enjoyed your visit at Ascentmur." Said the Floo assistant, "Where would you like to go today?"

"To the Diagon Alley Floo Hub." Ginny requested, handing over her money. She was led to a grate, and made her request before disappearing into the flames.

***

Ginny and Draco arrived within minutes of each other at the Covent Garden Floo Extension, and were so pleased to see each other in one piece that they almost hugged, almost. Instead they ended up doing this strange dodging dance before shaking hands.

"I was really worried." Ginny told him, "I ended up in America! And I thought that you'd been captured by Remus."

"I got away all right, and I bought myself a new charm to stop us from being tracked." He assured her, "Look at this."

He passed her the newspaper, which she read quickly, "I can't believe they dropped the charges! Hasn't it occurred to them there might be a reason you ran away?"

"Well, they are idiots." He paused, and then continued talking, "I also saw my mother while we were separated. She knew who I was, and we talked. It was nice to see her. But anyway, what happened in America?"

She told him about Rufina Moody, and about almost being arrested, and about Aidan's letter. Her swore several times while she was talking, but apart from that didn't interrupt.

"Well, at least we know we can trust Lynch." He said finally, "What now?"

"Well, we still have to go to France, but I think we should have today off." She said with a mischievous grin, "Ever been shopping in Muggle London?"

***