Chapter Three

World Upside Down

It was Tuesday morning and Ginny was in high spirits, it was to be her first day out on her own without her faithful bodyguard. Draco was thinking of the time he would have just to himself, for once. Ginny had promised about a million times that she would dress appropriately and keep her hands to herself. Draco told her she could flirt, make promises, anything she wanted of that line, but no taking boys into secluded places for a little "play time".

She had agreed wholeheartedly, but Draco still felt a tinge of dread, would she really stick to her promises? Linette was the daughter of a Ministry Official, Ginny had met her at a wizarding function, and Draco knew he could count on her not only to keep Ginny in line, but she would tell him if things went awry.

Draco was lying on the couch in the front sitting room of Ginny's house with a book propped on his chest when Ginny came in. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and trainers, but even with such ordinary clothing she looked wonderful. She walked over towards Draco pulled her sunglasses from her face.

"I'm going now," Ginny said and Draco nodded.

"Be good," He said and she smiled.

Before leaving she bent down and kissed him on the cheek and then she was out the door, probably feeling like a bird that's been let out of it's cage. Draco sighed, before when she'd dressed like a hussy he'd been able to keep her at arms length because he found her appearance trashy, but now that she'd started acting normal and wearing normal clothes he could feel his heart constrict every moment she was around.

She really was a beautiful girl and sweeter than honey too.

Draco would have been content to while away his day reading and relaxing, but at one o'clock he received an urgent message from the Ministry. There had been a murder and now subsequently people were rioting in Diagon Alley. His orders were to go in and see what he could do to help. With a pang, Draco remember that Ginny was in Diagon Alley and he apparated as fast as he could.

Ginny and Linette were sitting in a café, having as good time gossiping and being as girly as possible. Ginny, for once, was being the demure one, while Linette flirted with their waiter. Ginny didn't find him as attractive as she might of and she thought she knew why. They were just getting their lattes delivered to their table when they both heard a scream from somewhere down the street.

Without thinking, Ginny picked up her latte and her purse and went outside to see what was going on. Linette, on the other hand, had the good sense to pay for their coffee before exiting the café. She joined Ginny outside a few moments later and the two girls hooked arms and made to walk closer to the spot on the street where so many people were gathered.

They pushed their way to the front of the circle and saw a young man with brown hair face down on the cobbles, his life blood flowing away from him. Ginny had seen people who were cursed in the streets before, in some places it was an ordinary thing. Beside him was a large leather coin purse, empty now and laying forlorn someways from his body. This in itself would have been pretty unremarkable, but his robes where of finest clothe and Ginny clutched her hand to her mouth as she realized that she recognized the person now laying dead at their feet.

He wasn't the usual target of such attacks, he was a very rich and very powerful person, who had all the right connection at the Ministry and certainly his death would be avenged by his family. The person so shamelessly hunted down and decimated was Ginny's fiancé, Joseph Banks. Tears welled in Ginny's eyes, but not because she had been so overly found of this young man, but because she was afraid.

If someone like Joseph could be so carelessly killed in broad day light, what about the rest of them.

That's about the time the riot started. Ginny felt the crowd holding it's breath and then suddenly she was being hurled to one side, Linette carried the other. Ginny screamed, but no heard, they were too busy destroying things. Ginny was pushed and pulled this way and that, and she began to shake with fear. Tears streamed down her face and finally someone pushed her hard and she fell to the ground.

She knew that this was it, she was going to be trampled by the crowd, she felt someone step on her leg and she cried out in pain. Just as Ginny's vision started to blur and she felt herself losing grip on consciousness, she was hoisted to her feet and into someone's arms.

"MAKE WAY," She heard a familiar voice bellow and surprisingly the crush of people parted for this one authoritive figure.

Ginny looked up with half-lidded eyes and saw the face of her rescuer. She was dizzy and when she tried to talk her voice came out as a low slurred whisper.

"Draco," She said and she thought he hadn't heard her.

He certainly didn't answer her, or even look at her until he had her propped up on a public bench.

"Ginny, are you alright," Draco said his voice coming out rough and his face hard with concern.

Ginny smiled blearily and tried to nod, but her head felt so heavy.

"You saved me," She slurred and he nodded although his mouth tightened.

"I think I love you," Ginny said her silly smile never leaving her face as she slumped side-ways, passed out.

Draco looked around himself, down the block he could see other Ministry Officials breaking up the mob, or helping the injured. The crowd was getting smaller and smaller as the people dissipated like fog at noon.

Confident that things were coming under control, Draco stood and folded Ginny into his arms, being careful not to jar her obviously broken leg, he apparated home.

Ginny wasn't anything more than Draco could handle. He'd been trained to work as a semi-Healer, he was an all-around kind of guy, that's why he was so valued at the Ministry. He healed Ginny's leg and gave her a potion for her headache and soon enough she was sitting with him at the breakfast table, spooning cold cereal eagerly into her mouth.

"For someone who has nearly died, you have quite the appetite," Draco commented as he himself took calm and measured bites of his toast.

Ginny looked up, her eyes wide and milk dripping from her chin. Blushing she wiped away the milk and sat up straight, putting her spoon down as well.

"What a disaster going out on my own proved to be," Ginny said sadly and Draco snorted.

"Now as someone who has gone out a lot on their own I can tell you that what you experienced yesterday doesn't usually happen," Draco said and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I don't remember much, just going to see what happened outside the café and then seeing Joseph laying there and then people started to push and I fell to the ground and was stepped on, after that it's a bit hazy," Ginny said after taking a sip of her orange juice.

"That's probably for the best," Draco said making a face.

"Why, what did I say?"

"Nothing, only that I had saved you and that you love me," Draco said and Ginny looked stricken.

"I understand though, you were delirious," Draco said smoothly trying to wipe the look of poor horror of Ginny's face.

"Yeah," Ginny said sounding upset and then she looked up suddenly, "Is Linette alright? I lost her in the sea of people," Ginny said and Draco's face went blank.

"I've been nursing you back to health, I haven't heard anything," Draco said and Ginny's eyes took on a wildness that scared Draco.

"I must see if she is alright. Contact her family! Please, Draco," Ginny said coming around the table and kneeling down to plead.

"Get up, I'll contact them as soon as I finish eating," Draco said politely and Ginny's face shone with gratitude.

"Thank you."

"You know, with Joseph dead, the Ministry won't give a fig about me anymore. You'll probably be reassigned," Ginny said and Draco shook his head.

"No, they'll still want me guarding you. Whoever killed him could come after you, you're in grave danger," Draco said.

Brodey was grim when Draco got a hold of him. His head bobbed in the fireplace in Draco's room and he didn't speak for a while when Draco inquired what had become of Ginny's companion.

"She's fine. A bit shaken, but she is at home with her family currently. It was a great tragedy that Joseph should be murdered, but that doesn't demote the importance of young Miss Weasley. Joseph's parents have decided that they'd like for her to be engage to the brother next in line, Alexander. They're very distraught over the death of their son and as you can guess they are starting a man-hunt to find his killer. I'd bet all my money that they find the guy before we do, they're those kind of people."

Draco knew what Brodey meant, the Banks family was the most influential family in Europe, they had a hand in most everything and they were the reigning family of the wizarding world. Draco almost felt bad for whoever was about to be hunted down and torn limb from limb.

"Ginny's a bit upset too. She after all was out for an afternoon meal and then she finds her fiance's body laying on the cobble stones. I think she needs to get away, a bit of a vacation," Draco commented and Brodey smiled slightly.

"That's out of the question right now. She is a huge target and we can better defend her here. I know you could use one too, but you're just going to have to keep your spirits up," Brodey said and Draco nodded.

"She's safe with me, Sir," Draco said.

"That's what I want to hear. You're dismissed."