Okay, coming right on the back of chappie 5…

Ginny opened the letter. If Ron was well enough to write, it meant that he couldn't be too badly hurt.

Ginny –

It's nice to hear from you. We hardly see each other any more, do we? We're always busy with work, even though we work in the same department. I'm doing loads better, my back's properly aligned now, and Moody and the other woman got out of it all right, though Moody needs to regrow the hair on one half of his head. Hermione wants to know if you can come to her birthday party – it's Saturday at nine o'clock. Cake, ice cream, everything. Harry says hi. He's right here, bugging me while I'm trying to write –

Here the handwriting changed.

Ginny, how are you. I'll try and send you owls more often. And I am NOT bugging Ron.

After this there was smudged evidence that Ron had wrested the parchment away from Harry.

Nice talking to you Ginny. Owl back as soon as you can.

-Ron

Ginny smiled. There had been hardly one sentence Ron had written that hadn't been in code. Good job, Ron, she thought silently as she sank into the room's sole chair. She regretted not having enough time to learn anything about Malfoy, but being a prisoner for an unset amount of time didn't appeal to her. See you soon.

---

Ginny watched her wristwatch tick slowly toward nine o'clock. Judging from Ron's words, there'd be quite a few of them coming for her. She had no idea how they had managed to find her, but she'd get that straightened out as soon as she was safely in Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

She jumped as the door opened behind her and Malfoy stepped into the room. He seemed agitated, his eyes worried under their brows. He was playing nervously with a small wooden amulet, sliding it in out of his fingers. Ginny wished he'd stop. "Weasley – er, Ginny," he began ungracefully, stepping toward her, "I need to –"

SMASH.

A curse blasted through the window next to Ginny, landing squarely on Malfoy's chest. His frame seemed to soak in the blue light as he sank to the floor, his wand dropping out of his fingers. Ginny turned to the window, where she saw Harry, Tonks, Kingsley, and her father floating outside on brooms, masked. Harry's wand was still pointing at Malfoy.

Grabbing Ron's letter, which had fallen to the floor, she leaped toward the window.

"I just loved that," Harry hissed, grabbing Ginny's hand and hoisting her onto his broom. "Wanted to do that for years..."

"Let's go before anything else happens," Kingsley warned as he zoomed off, leading the others behind him. Ginny relished the cool air of the night, enjoying un-Malfoy tainted air. It felt sweet.

---

Malfoy woke up three hours later, groaning as he shifted his body. Damn. That Stunner hurt.

"You let her get away," Hawthorne said accusingly, perched on the table above Malfoy. "Yeah, well, you're being very sympathetic," Malfoy shot at him sarcastically, peeling himself off the floor and checking for his wand. "I was going to tell her."

"But you didn't tell her quick enough! If you had gone and done it immediately three hours ago, when I first suggested it –"

"What would I have done? Kept her from escaping? It had to happen eventually."

"Part of your 'plan', I suppose?"

"Yes."

"Stop acting so surly. It doesn't become you at all. I'm sure witchie Weasley wouldn't like it."

"You mean Ginny," Malfoy corrected absently, looking for the amulet. Hawthorne grinned at Malfoy's slip.

Draco couldn't have been happier when he realized Ginny had taken the amulet with her.

-yay- ideas are beginning to come thick and fast now…I'm typing my fingers off here…

Ivan: mostly on me!

Morough: yes, well, you're going to be my breadwinner once I get you published…

Ivan: breadwinner?

Morough: It's English, Ivan.

Ivan: What?

Morough: breadwinner: you make my money.

Ivan: what does that have to do with bread?

Morough: -glares- absolutely nothing.

Ivan: then why did you bring it up?

Morough: -GAAAA!-