CHAPTER 16

Ginny entered her office only to find Draco already there. She cursed under her breath as she looked at him, he didn't even look up as she entered. "G'morning," she said as she placed her things on her desk.

Draco grunted in response and she sighed, falling into her chair, defeated. He had been ignoring her for the last few days, ever since that day in the flying room. Every morning she would come in, say hello, and every morning he would ignore her. They worked silently through the day, only saying a few words to each other and only about the case.

She grimaced slightly. 'I am such an idiot, how did I expect him to act?' she huffed, leaning back in her chair and looking up at Draco from under her lashes. She was sure that she looked pathetic, but he didn't really care. It matched how she felt on the inside.

'Did you expect flowers and jewelry, Ginny?' her inner voice asked and she snorted.

'Certainly not, but I at least wanted him to pay attention to me. Anything is better than the cold shoulder. What the hell is wrong with him?'

Ginny watched him silently for a few minutes, he was looking over the morning paper and it seemed as though he couldn't have a care in the world, if it wasn't for the hard line of frustration set between his brows. A tickle formed in her throat and she coughed loudly, sputtering as she caught her breath. Draco didn't even flinch. She coughed again, this time even louder, trying to see if she could annoy him into a reaction. Nothing.

'He won't even look at me. Right now I'd do anything for an insult from him, something like 'don't have enough money for cough medicine, Weasel?'' She snorted. 'At least it would be something.'

She leaned forward, her shoulders hunched and tense as she pretended to be looking over some documents. 'Shake it off, girl. He's just an arse; he always has been and always will be'

'You still want him.' The voice taunted and she groaned, rubbing a hand over her face.

'Maybe. A little…" she admitted. 'I mean, what's wrong with me? Am I not good enough for a shag?'

Her mind was silent and she blew a puff of air up towards her hair. 'Don't answer that.'

She looked over at him for a moment more, watching as he folded his newspaper now that he was done reading it. He set it aside, and with out even glancing at her, moved towards the paperwork of the morning.

It was going to be another long morning.

Two hours later, Ginny was ready for the day to end. She hated sitting there, waiting for the other shoe to drop and walking on eggshells. The room was eerily silent, the only noise coming from their quills scratching on paper. It was funny, when she was younger and living at the Burrow, she would've done almost anything for this kind of impenetrable silence. But now…it was just awkward.

She had tried to start up a conversation with him a few times but quickly became tired of his one-word answers. Ginny felt like her head could explode any moment-- and it would be welcomed. Surely this silence would drive her insane soon. Was it possible to die from the silent-treatment and boredom?

She could hear her own breathing, heavy in her ears and knew it wouldn't be long now. Just a few more seconds and she would snap.

POP!

For a moment she thought it had finally happened. She had snapped! That was until she noticed the floppy eared creature looking up at her through large marble eyes.

Ah, a free elf.

The elf was wearing a gaudy blue dress that was covered in bows. She smiled a crooked smile at Ginny as she held out an envelope for her.

Ginny tilted her head in thanks and took the note from the elf. 'Damn, guess I didn't loose it yet,' she thought as the elf disapparated.

"What is it?"

She jumped at the sound of his uninterested drawl, and her heart started to beat a little faster as her eyes met his. "A letter", she answered dumbly, still shocked that he had spoken.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Obviously. What does it say, Weasley?"

Ginny shook herself, her cheeks turning bright pink from embarrassment. She unfolded the parchment and read it quickly before raising her eyes back up to his.

"Well?" he asked, impatiently.

"We have a lead."

Finally… A lead. No more sitting around the office, waiting, and bored. Time for action. Ginny loved the action; it meant she was doing something. It also meant she had something else to think about, other than he partner and trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Surveillance had told them that Theodore Nott had sent out notice to both Alecto Carrows and Jonathon Thuban that tonight would be the drop off date. Their slaves were ready. The note was simple, just a time and location. Short, sweet, and to the point. Written like a true Slytherin.

That brought them here, back to Knockturn Alley, behind another building; Ginny under a Ministry issue Invisibility Cloak and Draco Polyjuiced as the chubby former Death Eater, Thuban. She followed a few steps behind him, not wanting to be seen. The alleys were dark again, shadows of moonlight falling over the walls of the buildings. She hated it here. You could practically feel the dark magic in the air. It was stifling.

Her foot caught in something sticky on the cobbled path and she wrenched her foot free, not wanting to know in what she had stepped. They walked the winding path between the buildings until they came to an old abandoned warehouse. They were at the back of the building, and the lights above the door had been spelled on, bathing the alcove in light. Three figures were already there when they arrived, and Ginny quickly identified them as their unsavory company for the evening; Alecto, Crabbe, and Nott.

"Where are they?" Alecto said in a tone that suggested that this was not the first time she was asking this question.

"Be patient. The slaves will be brought out shortly," Nott assured her, and Crabbe nodded in agreement, his large neck shaking as he did.

Alecto stomped childishly and Nott brought his attention to Draco. "Ah! Jonathon. I was wondering when you would show up," he said, a wolfish grin on his long face.

Draco nodded, taking Nott's offered hand, wrapping his now chubbier fingers around it and shaking. He missed the strange, sideways look that Nott gave him, but Ginny, under her Invisibility Cloak, didn't.

Something was wrong.

"I want my slave!" Alecto whined. "He's here now. Can't I have my Muggle?"

Nott laughed, turning sharply away from Draco and making his way back to Crabbe's side, leaving the four of them standing in a half-circle. "I would bring out your property, Mrs. Carrows, but…"

Alecto growled. "But what?"

"…But I need to know that I can trust you." The light from above the door played in strange patterns across his face, making him look decidedly more sinister. Beside him, Crabbe looked as though he were confused, but trying to cover it up well.

Draco went rigid at Nott's taunting words, and Ginny stepped silently closer, warning bells sounding in her head.

"Trust me?" Alecto exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "What are you playing at?"

Nott smirked, his eyes never leaving Draco's. "Not you, Madame. Mr. Thuban." He slithered forward, making his way closer to Draco, studying him.

"What are you doing, Theo?" Crabbe asked, and Nott waved him to silnce, his intense gaze never leaving Draco's.

When he was only a few steps in front of Draco, he spoke, "You know, Jonathon Thuban has never shaken my hand. He's never trusted me enough. He doesn't trust anyone."

Ginny could see the look of realization hit Draco, an odd sort of grimace that said 'I fucked up. Bad.'

Nott drew his wand slowly and Ginny drew hers as well, still hidden under the cloak.

"I found it odd when you were first in my office. Thuban was never that easy; he would never shake my hand like that, or accept my proposal so easily. He likes to play games just as much as I do."

Nott tapped his wand against his palm. "So that only leaves one question…"

He drew his wand out at arms length, pointing it at Draco's chest. Ginny heard a rustling to her left and saw that Crabbe had also drawn his wand and had it pointed at Alecto. "If you're not Thuban, then who are you?" He looked at Draco calculatingly, his head tilted to the side.

Alecto attempted to Apparate and Crabbe quietly muttered, 'Expelliarmus', taking her only protection and exit away.

Ginny was standing stock still, her wand pointed at Nott and awaiting Draco's signal. Sweat was dripping down her back, and she could feel her body humming with adrenalin, ready at any moment to go into a flight-or-fight reaction.

Nott leaned towards Draco and sniffed at the air. He pulled away with a look of disgust on his face as if he had smelled something foul. "Smells like…" He smiled proudly. "Auror."

Ginny was ready to jump out. Nott knew. It could only get worse from here. She was ready to fight. A flick of Draco's wrist made her stop. He was trying to tell her to calm down. She panicked slightly, didn't he know the danger they were in? Didn't he understand that he could be killed?

Ginny stared at Nott's wand, following the length down to its point which was pressing against Draco's chest.

"Yes, an Auror, and not just any Auror either, are you?" Nott asked, a gleeful expression on his face as he taunted his prey. "Good to see you again… Malfoy."

Several things happened at once. It all happened so quickly that Ginny almost couldn't keep up.

Draco had drawn his wand right as Nott had sent a spell at him, sending him flying against a brick wall of a nearby building and landing with a crunch. Crabbe had stunned Alecto and Nott had begun to look around, his eyes crazed as if he knew that she was there, hiding in the darkness. He started throwing curses into the alley randomly; he would hit her or Draco soon. She needed to stop him somehow.

She looked up at the bright light above the door and sent a quick extinguishing spell at it before rolling to the side. Nott threw a curse in the direction of where she had just been. She heard him curse loudly as the alcove was shrouded in darkness.

Two whispers of 'Lumos' drifted to her ears as Crabbe and Nott had lit there wands.

The Invisibility Cloak had fallen off of her as she had rolled to the side, and she now stood in front of the two men, the aim of her wand switching between them. Fear prickled at her body, causing goose bumps to rise upon her flesh. Any ideas of real strategy or finesse were pushed aside as her mind focused on one thing: Self-preservation.

She was just about to send out a spell when Draco's voice rang out. Suddenly Crabbe was clawing at his eyes and screaming that he was blind.

Nott looked nervous now, and before Ginny could take him down, he had Disapparated. Hearing the popping noise, Crabbe followed Nott's example and Disapparated as well. When they were gone, she placed a body bind on the still stunned Alecto and ran to Draco's side.

He was attempting to stand and was grabbing his side, a look of pain on his face. She grabbed his upper arm, helping his to his feet. Once he was fully up-right, he shook off her touch.

She reached out to him again, wanting to check his ribs and he swatted her away.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled, making her flinch.

"I can numb the pain…" she whispered, reaching a hand out once more, brushing her fingers lightly against his arm.

He jumped back as if burned and hissed in pain. "I said. Don't. Touch. Me!"

She felt as if she had been slapped and she backed up a few steps.

"What the hell were you doing, Weasley? Were you waiting for them to kill you?" he accused.

"No! I--"

"Save it." He growled. "They got away, Weasel. It's your fault." He glared at her before hobbling away down the alley.

She nodded, tears stinging behind her eyes. He was right, she should've reacted sooner, better, but she had been too worried. When he had been thrown against the wall, her heart had stopped and she couldn't think clearly, couldn't move the way she should have. Ginny sighed heavily as she levitated Alecto's body. They would need to take her in for questioning.

As she led her body down the alley way, she thought bitterly about what her report for the day's mission would say.

'Auror Weasley was a self-admitted failure. The good guy had let the bad-guys get away…'

...o...o...o...o...o...o...

A/N: Thanks to all of those who have reviewed and been so encouraging. It is very much appreciated! I try to update as soon as possible, but I work fulltime and have othe responsibilities, so I only get to write during the weekends, then I send the chapter off to my beta who has to work around her own schedule to check the chapter then I post it. My beta and I both work very hard on this fic, taking time out of our lives to lovingly craft and mold this peice of writing.

Therefore, every review means a lot. We dont get paid with money, reviews are the only payment. I usually hate to read this sort of thing when reading a fic because I consider it begging, but I have written 16 chapters and received only 30 reviews. that's less than 2 per chapter.

Anyway, to those who reviewed: Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart! And to those who havent: Review! Give me some love or critcism or ideas!