The Distance to Here:
Chapter 7
A/N: Hi everybody! For once we're updated within a week of our last post! Oh WOW! (sorry, inside joke, you have to say it in a funny voice). Well I really have to pee, but this is a plot point so just read it and don't forget to review. By the way, the review with the quote that described a line of ours that was, "sheer brilliance" was so ego-boosting my head almost exploded. THANK YOU!à That was written about a week ago. Oops. So maybe we take long to update. Enjoy! Oh, I have a quote I wanted to put in, because it sounds cool.
"When you strip away all the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth."
- I don't know
~*~
Ginny soared through an open window on the top floor of the Pulp and Paper of Munich factory, known as the Ministry of Magic to witches and wizards. She landed on a black leather chair in Ron's office. Ron hadn't noticed her come in so he jerked his head up, startled.
"Is something wrong, Ginny? You look pale," he acknowledged, once she had changed back into her human form. Her hair was ruffled and out of place, and she was indeed pale.
"I have something to tell you, but you have to promise not to pull a nervy-b on me. Really, Ron, you're going to be upset but you can't just run off and kill someone."
Ron laughed, but stopped abruptly when he saw the seriousness in her eyes. "Ok, what is this about?"
"Sit down." Ron was starting to feel nervous. It wasn't like his sister to be so melodramatic, he had to assume that this matter held at least some importance to her personally, and not just for business. "Well, I went to see the Death Eater in isolation in order to identify him, and it turns out- now, Ron, stay calm- it's Malfoy," Ginny finished in a whisper.
Ron's face was completely white and tight with suppressed anger, but he didn't speak.
"There's more. Draco is not a Death Eater. He was in training. He had performed the first two curses, and was going to perform the third. Except he was ordered to kill his girlfriend. Pansy. Lucius was supervising. Draco refused. He wasn't initiated. And Lucius killed Pansy."
"So what? Gin, he's Draco Malfoy! He doesn't deserve my sympathy. This is perfect. It's much easier than I thought it would be. Just kill Draco and bring his body to Voldemort. Boom. He thinks you're loyal and we get rid of one more scumball littering the Wizarding World."
"It's not that easy Ron. I can't kill someone in cold blood who I am now convinced is innocent. He's a prisoner with no wand, for God's sake! I would feel bad killing him in a duel, let alone AK-ing him in his little holding cell!" She was shouting now. "I can't believe you would ask me to do that! Whatever your opinion of me, I have nothing against that man. In fact he had become one of my closest friends!"
Ron stared at her open-mouthed. He had had no idea of their- friendship. Ugh. Just thinking of the word made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't manage to splutter a reply to that, although he made several gallant tries, eyes popping.
"Have you thought about what I have had to go through these past years? Gaining all of their trust, wondering every moment if he would turn on me and discover my secrets! It was almost more than I could bear, being there all of those hours, pushing away my closest friends for fear of their safety…he was my only refuge there. A link with sanity."
All of Ron's rage was slowly ebbing away. He was an older brother foremost, a Minister secondarily. He had asked so much of her, her time, her safety, her whole life was dedicated to this one task that he had asked of her. He could not ask her to kill Draco, much as he hated the man. Nor could he set up a trial for Draco publicly; for fear of the consequences at Ginny's failure becoming Ron's success. And he might become suspicious. No, the matter of Draco Malfoy would have to wait for a while, another bottle whose cap was to be screwed up tight and filed away at the back of a long line of problems. Ron was edging towards breaking point. Just as he was reaching out to comfort his sister, he heard the loud, dull footsteps of a confident strut on carpet.
Ludlow strode into Ron's office and boomed, "Ron, my boy, who are you talking to? Not to imaginary friends, I hope," he said with a guffaw. Ron smiled tightly and his eyes darted over to the leather chair where a bright red barn owl was now sitting and preening herself. Ludlow caught the nervous glance and walked over to the chair and attempted to pat the owl on the head. Ginny turned her head and snapped her beak at his fingers. Ludlow pulled his hand back quickly, while Ginny ruffled her feathers agitatedly.
"A very beautiful bird you have there, Weasley! The breeding is excellent, and rarely have I seen such intelligent eyes on an owl, nor such vibrantly red feathers. Did you dye her to match you Ron? You have the same hair colour!" This was followed by another guffaw. "But where on earth did you find her Weasley? Not in the Owl Emporium, no, much too cheap. Where did you get her?" He narrowed his eyes a mere notch, almost imperceptibly. It was evident that he was trying to trap the spider in its own web, so to speak.
"I had it imported from Canada, they have a rare bird museum on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Quite fascinating really, have you been?" Ron was quite proud of himself, really. He had lied smoothly, effectively and had diverted the conversation to the relatively bland subject of birds.
"Ah, no. I have much more important things to do than go gallivanting around the world looking for a messenger bird that matches my hair! That being said, I am inconveniently short of an owl as of right now, and I need to send an important message to Bulgaria. Might I borrow your beautiful bird? What did you say her name was?"
"Pig," Ron spat out. Damn. Ludlow was quick. "Pig-er- Junior. It's her, daughter."
"Wasn't Pig a male dwarf owl?"
"Well, yes, but Pig sort of adopted- er- Pig, before he died."
"Right. Well, may I?" Without waiting for an answer, Ludlow made his way across the room to retrieve Ginny. Just before he reached her, she spread out her wings, gave a squawk, and soared through the open window, leaving her mark and a clear opinion of Mr. Ludlow on the spotless leather of the couch.
Ron bit back a laugh. Ginny was hilarious, in an uncouth sort of way. But maybe it was her owl sense brought out in her. He quickly mopped up the mess and turned to apologize to Ludlow. "Mortimer, I'm so sorry. She hasn't really been trained. I'm notoriously bad at choosing obedient owls." He smiled, remembering Pig whooshing around his cage like a mad thing. Ludlow smiled thinly, but it didn't reach his smouldering eyes. He turned and left the office, banging the door behind him. Ron sighed, sat down at his desk and pulled out the bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, which he kept for stressful occasions. Today he had earned two glasses.
~*~
Ginny flew into the safe house and quickly changed back into her human form. She rushed around, trying to find Harry, or anyone who could help. It was imperative that they leave the safe house immediately. Ginny wasn't sure how much Ludlow had heard of her and Ron's conversation and it was very likely Ludlow had her followed back to the safe house. She veered in the direction of Malfoy's cell when she heard the sound of Hermione's laughter. Opening the door, she found, not Harry and Hermione sharing a laugh at Draco's expense, but Draco and Hermione, both sitting on the cot, Draco red, but smiling grudgingly, and Hermione gasping between outbursts of hilarity.
Ginny coughed, none too subtley and they both stood up. "Where's Harry?" she demanded. Draco smirked.
"Hello to you too. Can't even spare a moment for your dear old friends before running off to your lover boy?"
"Fuck you Malfoy. Hermione, where is he?" Hermione looked hesitant and a little aggravated at the reply.
"With Cho," she said disgustedly. "He's trying to patch things up. God knows why-" she wanted to continue, but knew it would only hurt Ginny more.
"Oh well, then. You two have to go alone then. I already talked to Ron. He wants to kill Malfoy, so you two need to go to Ireland. It's out of the reach of the British Ministry. You need to go undercover as Muggle tourists. That means completely Muggle. You are to leave your wand here. I'll keep them safe. And no funny business, Draco. If you try to escape we'll hunt you down and kill you for real. It would save me a lot of trouble. You're going undercover because I don't know the extent of the support for Voldemort in Ireland. Harry was supposed to come too, but since he's not here it will work better. Be more inconspicuous."
Ginny packed up some things for both of them. She left them only with a small bit of Floo Powder and a tiny dwarf owl as their links to the Wizarding World. She told them to owl where they were staying so that the nearest fireplace could be linked up to the Floo network. It would serve as a very desperate escape attempt, and only that. She stressed very much that their only hope of safety was complete inconspicuous behaviour, since Hermione's wand would be all the way in London if they needed it. Ginny didn't say as much, but part of the reason why she was taking away 'Mione's wand was because she still didn't trust Draco entirely. She hugged Hermione and gave a shy sort of smile that begged forgiveness to Draco before Apparating them into the bustling centre of Dublin.
"Well, isn't this just a happy little bonding experience," Draco sneered. But somewhere deep inside him, he wasn't sneering.