Chapter two up! I've just moved to another house, that's the reason for the time. Sorry! But remember Monty Python. Cheers!

I Still loves reviews.

Chapter 2: Escape through the darkness.

Ginny opened her eyes and noticed that it was dark all around her, not to mention cold. Her hands felt like ice, and she would be surprised if she was able to move her fingers. As she was about to turn her head, she noticed that she it was resting upon a shoulder. Whose shoulder?

She looked down at the man's hands, which lay in his lap, and gasped. Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking the mark on his wrist. The Dark Mark. You-Know-Who's mark. She had been sleeping on the shoulder of a Death Eater.

"Finally awake, are we?" The man's voice surprised her. She had expected it to be much darker, but it actually seemed like the he was around her own age. And come to think of it, didn't she know that voice? Ginny lifted her head, her eyes wide open. She did not know whether to be scared, surprised, or angry when she turned her head, and her brown eyes met Draco Malfoy's grey ones. Despite the darkness around them, she saw his eyes clearly. The cold eyes that she had learned to despise ever since she started at Hogwarts. And now, with the dark mark on his wrist, she felt a fresh hate rising inside her.

Just when Ginny was about to shout all her aggression at Malfoy, she thought of something and stopped, her mouth open so that she had the look of a goldfish that had been out of its bowl for too long.

No one had actually heard or seen anything of Malfoy since the night Dumbledore had died. Malfoy and Snape had disappeared, and been gone for so long that people assumed they were dead. Yet, here she sat on a bench in Knockturn Alley, talking with him as if nothing had happened. Where had Malfoy been all that time, and more importantly, what had he done? Was it possible that Malfoy knew anything about Harry and You-Know-Who?

"Malfoy." Her eyes narrowed as she looked over at the former Slytherin. He was, in fact, looking much better than the last time she had seen him. Not a huge surprise, as he was thin and nervous with a sort of grayish skin that time, but still. He had grown to be all most a head taller than her, and his hair looked neat. It laid over his face in a strange way that suited him, though she hated to admit it. Draco Malfoy was actually… handsome.

"Are you enjoying Knockturn Alley this wonderful dark evening?" he smirked. Even though Malfoy had changed, the smirk was still the same old. She couldn't count the times she had wanted to smash his face because of that smirk. Now, however, she was too exhausted to even bother.

"No."

Ginny got up from the bench, and looked around. The clock on her arm told her that it was half past ten. "Did I really sleep for three hours?"

Still smirking, Malfoy got up too. "Actually, you've slept about three and a half hours. I think your cheap watch has stopped." He nodded at Ginny's forearm where her old watch. "Where did you get it? At a yard sale?" Something flickered in his eyes.

"Yard sale? Please!" Ginny started, as if she would never, not even in her wildest dreams, buy anything at yard sale. "I inherited it from my brother," she mumbled, and felt a blush spreading through her face. Wordlessly, she thanked the darkness for hiding it.

Malfoy reached out his own arm, probably to tap on the glass of her watch, but she was quicker, and seized him by the wrist, pulling up the cloak that hid the Dark Mark.

"So…" Her brown eyes narrowed as her finger slid across the mark. "Your big, dark baby-sitter finally let you get outside the house?" Her finger stopped at the snake's mouth before the dug her nail into his skin so that it left a mark, before she let go of his arm as if she had been burned. His skin was cold. Way colder than hers, even though she was the one who had been sleeping for three and a half hours.

"Don't touch me, Weasley, or I'll never tell you how to get back into Diagon Alley," Draco said. His voice was even colder than his skin.

"Oh, perhaps you didn't notice. We are in a dark park in Knockturn Alley, and there are at least seven different lanes you could get lost in here. Admit it, Weasley, you need me to show you the way back."

He sounded amused, and the smirk was back on his face. Ginny would like to punch him right now. "Perhaps I'll take the chance, then." She turned her back at him, and aimed at the first dark road she saw when she felt Malfoy's cold hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Do you really want me to hit you?" she said, and lifted her fist.

"No. I just wanted to warn you before you wander off into the darkness." He grabbed her other shoulder, and turned her around so that they were looking into each others eyes. "Even though they don't wear they masks all day long, there are still Death Eaters out there, Weasley. And they wouldn't stop to think about right or wrong if some girl just came walking past them. If you plan on getting lost, Knockturn Alley is certainly not the place. So you have a choice. You either have to spend some time with me and get safely back to Diagon Alley, or you can go. I won't stop you, but know the risk."

He let go of her shoulders, just staring at her. Ginny looked confused at him. Had Malfoy actually warned her? What did he care if she went in there and got herself killed? She looked away from his grey eyes, and into the dark alley behind her. She knew she should never trust him. He was a Death Eater. A Slytherin. A Malfoy. None of those things counted in his favor. Still, he had warned her when he could just let her go and get raped, or killed, or something.

"What's in it for you?"

He still looked quite amused.

"Just the pleasure of your company."

---

Draco's grey eyes watched Ginny as they walked side by side up Knockturn Alley. Yes, she could become useful to have around. He had walked around Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley for days, and had all most lost of his faith in that he would be able to finish his task. And all hell would break loose if he didn't. He had already failed the first task the Dark Lord had given him, and he was sure he wouldn't have many days left to enjoy if he messed up on this one too.

---

"For you, Draco, I now have a special task."

The Dark Lord placed a white, cold hand with long fingers on his shoulder, and Draco immediately felt chill spreading through him.

"What, my lord?"

Voldemort smiled the most inhuman smile Draco had ever seen. Compared to this smile, his own smirks were warm and loving. All Voldemort's smile did was make him even more nervous for the task he was about to be given.

"Harry Potter."

The fingers of the Dark Lord tightened around his shoulder blade.

"He escaped this night, and I want you to get him back. I need the boy."

Draco swallowed. Why was it always him that was given the difficult tasks? Any other Death Eater with far more experience than him could have done the task on one third of the time. Why, then, did the Dark Lord give him these tasks? He had been asked to finish Dumbledore off, even though the Dark Lord knew perfectly well that the task was too difficult and dangerous for a sixteen-year-old to do.

"You remember how merciful I was when you were last given a task, and failed it?" The false kindness in Voldemort's voice was even more frightening than when he was angry. It made every bone in Draco's body shiver, but he forced calmness in his voice, trying to block his mind so that the Dark Lord would not sense his fright.

"Yes, my Lord."

"I won't be merciful again, Draco. If you fail to bring me the boy, alive, I will not be pleased. Both you and your loved ones will be punished. Keep that in mind, Draco. I will not be merciful."

"I see, my Lord. I will not disappoint you."

---

These last few days, he had been certain that the Dark Lord would call on him and punish him for not completing the task. The only clue he had was some drunken guys on a café who were talking about a woman they knew who had spotted Potter in Knockturn Alley. She had probably been drunk too.

He could not believe his luck when Harry Potter's girlfriend walked right into his arms (or more precisely, his shoulder). She may be his former girlfriend, but Draco was sure they still loved each other. At least, he hoped they did, because she was his last hope. If Potter still was around, and he found out that Ginny Weasley was right under his nose, Draco was sure it wouldn't take long before he came to talk to her. And then he would capture him, bring him to the Dark Lord and get his reward. All he had to do was to make sure that Ginny stayed with him for as long as possible. But that also meant that he would have to be nice to her to stop her from leaving.

"So. How are you?"

Oh God, Draco. That's just pathetic. Be glad no one heard you right now.

Ginny turned her head, and regarded him. He could see that she was suspicious, and that wasn't really surprising. Trying to resume some of his old manners, he added. "I asked you a question, Weasley. Didn't your parents teach you how to behave?"

Looking a mixture of irritated and confused, Ginny opened her mouth. "I'm fine, thanks. Can't wait to get away from this bloody lane. Why do Death Eaters always have to stay in the darkness? Does it make you feel tough? Or do you like the thought of being invisible?" she spat at Draco, who found the whole situation amusing.

"It's so that we can sneak up on little enemies when they don't know we're there!"

A dark voice came from a dark corner near Ginny, and the next second, a curse had been cast. As she dived to the ground and felt the curse missing just above her head, she saw Draco taking a step forward with his wand raised.

"Get out of here, Lombard, I'm on a mission."

Lombard stepped out from the dark corner he had been hid. He was a tall man with a long, white beard. Being a little chubby, he would have reminded people of Santa Claus, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was thin on top, and that his eyes were cold and evil. Not the kind of man you would want to sit on the lap of, nor the kind of man you would want to have come climbing down your chimney.

"Ah, Malfoy." Lombard sneered, and his gaze fell upon Ginny, who quickly rose from the ground and drew her own wand.

Draco didn't like the situation. He knew Lombard had been guarding Harry while he had been imprisoned, and he might know a few things that worked for his advantage right now.

"Well, well, well. Is this the famous little redhead we've all heard so much about? Ginny, am I right?" His eyes glimmered as he took one step towards her. Draco could see the girl gape for a moment before she tried to pull herself together, rising her arm and pointing her wand at Lombard.

"That's none of your concern. Lombard, wasn't it?" She kept on pointing her wand at Lombard, but took a step closer to Draco, which, under different circumstances, he would have found entertaining. But now, he wanted to get Lombard away before he ruined everything.

"Well, you are well known where I come from, Miss Weasley. You wouldn't guess all Potter has mumbled in his sleep the last-"

At these words, before Draco had time to react, Ginny had.

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Within a second, she was holding both Lombard's and her own wand in her hand, pointing them right between his eyes.

"You said what! No, I will not remove my wand from your face before you give me some answers, mister. Get away, Malfoy!"

She turned, and gave the blonde a threatening look, and Draco, who had stepped towards her, a bit shocked over how the girl had reacted, froze, and remained still while he watched Ginny. Seeing her at first, he would not have guessed that she could react that way. He had thought she would break down completely hearing Potter's name, not go psycho, and threaten a dangerous Death Eater.

She must be insane!

"Now, where is Harry? Answer and I may spare your beard."

"If I knew, I would not have told you, Weasley. Beard or not, I'm acting on the Dark Lord's orders. As is Malfoy here." Lombard was obviously trying to get the attention away from himself, but Ginny didn't seem to have heard his mentioning of Draco at all.

"Argh, those bloody Death Eaters! I hate them all!" With a flick of her wand that made a yellow light fly towards Lombard, she grabbed Draco's arm, and dragged him up the street with her. As they left, Draco heard Lombard yell behind them.

"MY BEARD! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!"

He turned to see what she had done, and a bark of laughter escaped from him. The feared Death Eater now had fluffy, pink beard. He sniggered. "It does match his eyes, really."

If he had been on another mission another time, Draco would have been thrilled to meet Lombard. But this situation was different. He feared that Death Eaters may take Ginny, catch Potter before him, and leave Draco to be punished by the Dark Lord, or kill her, seeing as she was the daughter of two Aurors, which would leave Draco with nothing once again.

"Yes. I think I'll send him a matching hat for Christmas," Ginny said, and threw Lombard's wand back in the street. "Here's your wand! Now you can curl your beard all by yourself." She laughed, and obviously expected Draco to laugh with her, because she looked slightly shocked when he suddenly grabbed her arm, and gave her an angry look.

"Idiot! You've just given him his weapon back! Do you even know what spells that man is capable of using? We need to get away from here right now!"

A loud bang from behind them told Draco he had been right. Lombard must be mad like hell, and he was not the one who sat back without revenge. Not letting go of Ginny's wrist, he started to run as fast as he could, dragging her along with him. He could hear Lombard's triumphant laughter down the street.

"Oh my God, he's really furious, isn't he? Don't Death Eaters have a sense of humor?" he heard Ginny yell behind him, and was just about to say something incredibly sarcastic back when he felt a hot light pass his head as he ran. Lombard was throwing hexes at them. The light hit a garbage can a bit further up the street, and the garbage can exploded right in front of them, showering them in little metal pieces.

"DON'T!" he snatched Ginny's wand as he noticed she was just about to throw a hex back at the mad Death Eater. "It'll only make him angrier, and the revenge more painful! Let's go this way! I think it's a shortcut."

They turned and continued down another road, hearing Lombard's heavy breath and cursing behind them. Another curse was thrown at them, and Ginny just ducked it.

"I'LL GET YOU, YOU RUDE LITTLE BEARD-JINXING PIECE OF-"

Draco felt a sudden pain in his left leg, and was immediately unable to keep on running. Lombard's third hex had hit him, and his leg was stiff and swollen in no time. The pain ran through him, and he had to clench his teeth hard together to stop himself from yelling out in pain.

"Why are you stopping! Do you want him to catch us!" Ginny snapped at him, trying to drag him with her.

"I'm hit, and believe it or not, it's not easy to run when your leg feels like a grilled sausage! If you want to run, go ahead! I'm going to get out of here!"

Her eyes widened, but she stopped running. Just behind them, Lombard was running towards them as fast as he could, swear and throw curses at them in the same time. Luckily, he wasn't in very good condition.

"Here!" Draco grabbed Ginny's arm again, and concentrated as hard as he could on a place. Everywhere they would be safe from the mad Death Eater. Anywhere that was safe. Safe!

As Ginny and Draco Disapparated from Death Alley, Lombard let out a roar of irritation. The girl had threatened him and jinxed him. Him. A respected Death Eater. Oh, it would not end here. He was going to go right to the Dark Lord and give his report. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter's girlfriend. Lombard was positive that the Dark Lord would find the news interesting.

I promise, I'm trying with all my effort to keep both Ginny and Draco in character. It's very tempting to turn them into two super-characters. But then again, that wouldn't make the fanfic very interesting to read, would it?

I'll try to get chapter three up soon!