A/N: Thankyou to everyone who's reviewed: I really appreciate hearing your thoughts!
Everything was going smoothly. Ginny jogged the five hundred metres to the side of the enormous brick-walled mansion under the cover of the extensively cultivated gardens, knowing that her shoes would leave no impressions behind. Reaching out to clutch the bricks for purchase, Ginny hoisted herself off the ground. The climb was long, and by the time she'd reached the windowsill her legs and arms were burning, and her chest prickled uncomfortably with sweat.
The charms were the same as before. Ginny unlayered the spells carefully from her precarious position, then clamboured onto the windowsill. She sat there for a few moments, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated in various places on her body – her neck, her back, behind her knees. After resting for a minute, Ginny turned her attention to the window. Carefully banishing the glass, she stared at the room.
The room was filled with jewellery. Little velveteen boxes were stacked atop each other in the corners, and various articles were displayed on ornamental hands and busts. Some were laid on black velvet cloth. Ginny's mouth almost watered at the thought of the money just a representative sample would bring in…
But, Ginny shook herself, she didn't want to be pursued by Malfoy or whoever he hired because he noticed that someone had broken in. She wanted to remain invisible, undetected. So, with darting eyes, she located the strand of lustrous black pearls with the strange symbol etched into a shining golden pendant that dangled from the strand. A quick scan of the room with her wand told her that it would not be noticed if she hovered the item to herself, so she did so quickly, stowing the string in a small pouch and tucking it inside her top. She replaced the wards.
The climb down was excruciating. Ginny's legs were jelly-like from the climb up, and her fingers seemed clumsy. She nearly dislodged herself three times, and the adrenaline that pounded through her body was more a hindrance than a help. Finally, shaking with excitement and exhaustion, she staggered the five hundred metres away from the building so that she could apparate.
It was then that she felt it. Her hand – her left hand – itched terribly, and began to get heavy. Not waiting to find out what on earth was going on, she apparated with a soft hiss, gradually shifting her mass from the Malfoy estate to her room at the Leaky Cauldron.
Falling on her bed, Ginny cast another Undetectable spell, and put her wand away. She put the pearls in a hidden compartment at the back of the drawer of her nightstand. Ginny stared at her hand for a moment, but the ring had stopped itching and her hand was no longer heavy. Despite her desperate need for a shower, Ginny pulled her blankets over herself and fell asleep.