Disclaimer: Draco, Ginny and Bill (and the Universe they come from, any other Weasley siblings, Harry Potter (if I ever get around to mentioning him) belong to JK Rowling. No offense intended, no money being made.

The Curse-breaker's
Sister Chapter 17

It was soon to dark to explore, even by the light of their wands, so Ginny and Draco went back to the carpet and set up camp. Ginny set protective wards around their campsite while Draco put together a late supper.

Uncle Algie's rug turned out to be more then just a method of transportation. If you tickled one of the embroidered flowers, the rug would convert itself into a tent. There was just enough room for Draco, Ginny, and their bags.

Neither was tired, so rather then sleep, they sat outside their tent sipping a weak wine Draco had conjured from the water they'd brought.

"There's Serpens Caput."

"Serpent what?"

"Serpens Caput, the serpents tail. One of the constellations. See those three bright stars all in a row? That's the end of the tail and it curves down and to the left. That's the rest of it."

"What else do you see?"

"Draco is in the sky tonight, as well. North of the snakes tail."

"Oh, yes! I can see it now!"

"That's two for me, let's find one for you. How about Lyra? If we're lucky, we'll see the Lyrids while we're out here."

"Astronomy was never my strong point, what are the Lyrids?"

"A meteor shower that passes through the constellation Lyra," he told her.

"Point it out to me."

Draco dragged the bag he was leaning against over to Ginny. They sat shoulder to shoulder, now. Draco pointed up to the sky. "Follow my finger, I'm pointing right at it. See that constellation with the little star cluster? That's Lyra."

"I can see it," she said quietly. "Draco, why Lyra? For me, I mean."

Draco settled back against his backpack, leaving his arm around Ginny. "The Lyrids can been seen in the sky only once a year, usually for a two week time period. Towards the end of the shower, the meteors turn a fiery red colour that reminds me of a certain red-head I know."

Ginny smiled. Her face was bathed in the light from the fire. "And who would that be?"

"I'm sure you know her. She's a wonderful woman who happens to be sitting right beside me."

Ginny felt her cheeks reddening and was grateful that it was too dark for Draco to see that he had made her blush.

"Ginny?" Draco asked, his voice but a whisper.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"You're going to wha-"

Her protest was cut short when he placed his lips on hers. His lips were gentle and he kissed her softly, not wanting to scare her away. When she didn't hit him, he moved in closer, one hand resting on Ginny's cheek. Her lips parted slightly and he slid his tongue over Ginny's, still waiting for the inevitable slap. But this time she did not push him away.

Ginny twined her arms around his neck and tilted her head, deepening the kiss. She had decided that she quite liked kissing Draco Malfoy. He was nothing like Hugh whose kisses were utilitarian in nature, a means to an end. And they never, never, made her feel as if her entire body was on fire.

Draco ended the kiss, much to Ginny's dismay. He was smiling at her when he pulled away. Ginny liked the way the firelight flickered on his face and how the dancing orange-red flames of the fire were reflected in his hair.

"We'd best get to bed," he told her quietly. "We've got a busy few days ahead of us." Draco kissed Ginny on the forehead before standing up. He held out a hand to her and pulled her up into his arms. "I think we are really close to finding your brother, you know...Shh, no, don't talk. Just let me speak. I hope that we can still be friends when this is all over. I know that under normal circumstances, we would never have even talked to one another, let alone haul off on an adventure to Mesopotamia and Algeria but..."

"There's no need to explain it, Draco," she said. "I know exactly what you mean."

For a moment their eyes met and Draco felt as if he had been hit by lightning. The hair on his arms was standing straight up, it was hard for him to breathe, and his heart was somehow crammed in his head and still pounding.

Great Merlin! He was in love with Ginny Weasley.

Draco woke alone in the tent. He vaguely remembered some sleepy moments of laying in bed with Ginny curled up beside him but when he reached out for her, he found her side of the makeshift bed empty. He thought back to the events of last night and how he'd almost confessed everything to Ginny.

Not just that he loved her, but about everything. Ea Nasir, the true meaning of the tablet, the Staff, her brother. Everything.

I can't think about that now, he thought to himself. I have to focus on finding Bill. Then, when we get back, I can sit Ginny down and explain everything to her.

He found Ginny walking along the shoreline and joined her there. They walked hand in hand for while, in silence, staring out at the deep turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Breakfast was a casual affair. Tea, toast, some fruit that Uncle Algie sent along. Once they were done eating, they set out to explore.

They were camped out in the center of an ancient city once knows as Ras Shamra. It was built on a man-made mound within walking distance of the sea. One large building remained standing, the rest of the walls consisted of piles of rubble, or a few crumbling blocks of stone. The protective magic that once kept the city in perfect condition had long since started to fade.

The amber tablet had told them everything they needed to know. They had the incantation already and, as instructed by the tablet, had to wait until the day before the full moon to chant it. That was in two evenings time. They had until then to find South Palace, inside which they would find a shrine.

Draco and Ginny found the South Palace on the first day. For a millenniums old building, it was in remarkably good condition. Draco would only let Ginny explore the five upper levels on her own, and would not let her into the lower levels, of which there were three, until he had checked them out himself, wand at the ready.

The walls were covered in the same Akkadian script that decorated the tablet. Draco spent most of his time making notes and writing down translations. Ginny occupied her time sketching all that she could see. Some of the artwork inscribed on the stonewalls was awe-inspiring and she had in mind a Syrian line of jewelry based on the vivid imagery she was sketching.

On the second day they found the shrine on the uppermost level of the South Palace. It stood in the center of many-windowed room. Unlike the rest of the palace, no carvings or inscriptions decorated the walls or stone floor.

"It's just a lump or rock, Draco. I was...well, I was expecting a bit more then this. Look how beautiful the rest of the palace is, and even after thousands of years!"

"Appearances can be deceiving, Gin. Look at all these windows. You can see for miles around from up here. Perhaps they didn't decorate because it would detract from the view. Look," he pointed out the window at the artificial hill they were camped on, "there's our tent." Draco looked up at the sun and was surprised to see it making its way towards the horizon. "Come on, it's late. We've been out here longer then we thought. Tomorrow is the big day; we should go back to camp and make sure we have everything ready."

The moon shone brightly in the navy, night sky. It was but a sliver away from being full. Draco and Ginny walked hand in hand through the upper levels of the South Palace. The amber tablet was stowed safely away in the backpack Draco wore. There were no sounds to be heard that night, beyond the gentle crashing of the waves against the shore. Ginny was too nervous to speak and for once in his life, Draco didn't know what to say.

Ginny entered the shrine room first and gasped at what was before her eyes. "Draco, look!" she cried out.

What was once boring and made of plain stone was now shimmering and silver. The moonlight played over the once-stone walls and revealed a mosaic that they did not see on their earlier visits. Gods and Goddesses decorated the walls; appearing so vivid it was if they were real. The shrine itself was pulsing and glowing silver. Cuneiform carvings that flowed like liquid shadow now adorned it.

Ginny reached out to touch the dancing letters...her fingertips barely brushing the top of the shrine.

There was a flash of burning, silver light. Ginny screamed and Draco cried out for her.

When Draco could see again, Ginny was gone.

Author Notes:
So both my beta's are on summer vacation! How's that for timing:) They haul off to enjoy the summer and I finally get my muse back.

Murphy's Law!!

Hope y'all are having a good weekend:)