Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: After Hogwarts with Voldemort gone and Harry by her side, life should be perfect for Ginny Weasley, but when the lies start to pile up she starts to wonder. Maybe the chosen one is not so wonderful after all. D/G, Post-Hogwarts, rated M for later.
The alley was dark. There were no visible signs of humans, but Draco knew better. Even though there were no footprints to follow, he could sense that magic had been used here not long ago. He ran down the alley without making a sound and stopped by a small half-rotten door.
He ran his fingertips across the coarse surface of the door. The person he was tracking had definitely entered here, the magic felt just the same as it had felt in the beginning of the tracking session when the trace had been fresh.
He flicked his wand, using a non-verbal spell, and the door creaked open. He silently slid inside the dark room, but stopped as he sensed the presence of another person. It was his target; whoever he was tracking was in the room. He stood absolutely still, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He did not want to light his wand and reveal to the other person exactly where he was.
"Good job, no one tracked me faster than you did," a familiar voice spoke in the darkness and suddenly the room was lit up.
Before him stood none other than Gawain Robards, head of the Auror's department. Draco watched as he walked over to the fire place and conjured a fire.
"I am very impressed that you did not light your wand as you entered the room, most of the other trainees made that mistake. Now, let us Floo back to the office and continue your evaluation there," Robards said and took out a silvery pouch out of his black robes.
He handed Draco some of the silver powder and he threw it into the fire.
"Ministry of Magic," Draco spoke clearly and Robards and the room disappeared out of his view. He stepped out in the deserted Atrium. He cast a glance at the Fountain of Magical Brethren that had been reinstalled after Voldemort's fall, then cast a Scouring Charm on himself to clean off the ashes.
"It's really a pain that we can't Apparate straight into the office, but safety comes first," said a slightly irritated Robards, trying to vanish the ash from his robes. Draco knew Robards was an excellent Auror, but for some reason he was useless at performing cleaning spells.
They walked over to the lifts that slowly brought them to the second floor.
"I don't see why the stupid lifts have to stop at every floor this time at night," Robards mumbled irritably as they exited the lifts and walked into the Auror's office. Draco knew better than to comment; the head Auror liked to complain about little things and it was usually best to let him be.
"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, let's take a look at your progress in your training," Robards said as he took a seat at his desk. He conjured a pile of papers and motioned Draco to take a seat in front of him.
"Thank you, sir," Draco said politely and sat down.
"Stealth and tracking is definitely your strongest attributes, I dare say you are becoming one of our best trackers in years. That does not mean we should ignore the other aspects of the Auror training, but I am going to ask you to specialize in this area. None of the other trainees could find me for hours, yet you found me in forty-five minutes. I hope you agree with me when I say that focusing on tracking and stealth would be a good idea?" Robson stated and looked expectantly at Draco. He realized that it was not really a question, he just wanted him to agree.
"I find tracking to be very easy and I agree that specializing in this field is right for me. However, I work best alone when I stalk or track someone. I would like you to keep that in mind for the future," Draco replied politely, but kept his face void of emotion. He respected Robson, but he did not like him much.
"Very well. Some of us are just meant to work alone. However, as an Auror you will be forced to work in a team, even though you may be alone out on the field. I am sure you are aware of this already," Robson replied coldly and Draco nodded curtly.
"I think we are done for tonight. Next week we begin the last part of your training. It is to be hoped that you and the other trainees will be Aurors by Christmas. Have a good night, Mr. Malfoy, and enjoy your lie-in tomorrow. I expect you to be here no sooner than ten-thirty, yet no later than ten-forty-five," Robson finished and stood up to shake Draco's hand.
"Good night, Mr. Robson," Draco replied and exited the room.
Once he entered the lifts he smirked. He was happy that he was the best at what he liked doing best; tracking. That was one of the reasons he wanted to become an Auror, so he could track and find Death Eaters that were hiding from justice. Sure, he had been a Death Eater once, but it was only to protect his family. Now the best thing he could do to ensure his family never ended up in danger again was to make sure that no wizard could come to power like Voldemort had.
He decided to walk the short distance to his luxury flat in London instead of Apparating. It was a beautiful starlit night with a slight breeze. He chose to walk on the dark side streets that people rarely chose to walk at night since he was wearing his robes and not Muggle clothing. He did not enjoy wearing Muggle clothing very much and avoided it if he could.
He suddenly stopped as he heard someone approaching from a side street. He quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm to blend in with the wall. If it was a Muggle they would probably walk right past him.
To his surprise it was Potter rushing out from the side street. He did not notice Draco under the Disillusionment Charm and walked past him. After a few feet he stopped and turned to Apparate away.
"What on earth is Potter doing here this time at night," Draco mumbled to himself and peeked into the alley Potter came from without lifting the Charm.
It was a dead-end with only a few doors leading to flats in the buildings on the street. He knew Potter's Golden Trio plus Ginny Weasley shared a flat in Diagon Alley, so he did not live there.
He shrugged his shoulders and walked off deciding that he had probably just visited a friend. This part of London was particularly popular among young Witches and Wizards as the rent was reasonable, yet it was close to Diagon Alley and the Ministry. The Muggle flats in the area were expensive though, it was only witches and wizards who were able to enjoy a low rent here.
He soon approached a Georgian style building. It did not stand out too much as most of the buildings on the street had the same style, but it was beautiful. He entered the luxury foyer and entered the lift. He swiped his wand at the dial and a button for an additional floor appeared. Muggles could not, even by mistake, take the lift to the top floor which consisted of his flat alone.
He walked out of the lift and into the foyer of his dimly lit flat. He walked over to the bay window in the living room, admiring the view of the Thames River briefly before getting ready to go to bed.
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