We Walked this Road

Disclaimer: I completely acknowledge that I own none of these characters, except those of my own creation (but even they tend to get away from me) and I give full credit to the true master-mind: J. !

Without further ado, I give …
Chapter Two: Remembrance is Regret

'It doesn't work that way,' a voiced said, laced with amusement but there was an underlying warning. Ginny flipped around, knocking the stranger of his feet and backed him up against the wall- wand quivering in her hand. 'They told me you got back,' Harry said with a grin as Ginny stared down at startling green eyes hidden under a mass of tussled, black hair. She let her wand drop immediately, backing off with a genuine smile written all over her face.

'Harry,' she said warmly as he stepped forward and wrapped his strong arms around her. She breathed in deeply, resting her head on his shoulder. He stepped back to take a better look at her, his brow crinkling as he took in her numerous cuts and bruises.

'You look like hell,' he said. And while that once might have earned him a not-so-playful punch, Ginny just laughed; glad to have someone around who wasn't molly-coddling her.

She shrugged and added with a smirk, 'That's what happens when you're a badass warrior.'

Harry smiled, 'Yeah, I heard you took out Malfoy; that's…impressive.'

'Wow, praise from the Chosen One? How did those words taste coming out of your mouth?' she asked with a laugh and Harry rolled his eyes. 'Besides it's Malfoy…anyone could take him down.'

Harry shook his head with a strange expression, 'Just shows how long you've been gone,' he murmured. 'Ginny, the man's a legend when it comes to combat.'

Ginny snorted with a hint of derision, 'Since when have you been on team Draco?' Harry grimaced and shrugged; conceding her point.

'So, mind telling me why you were trying to escape when you just got back?' He asked, leaning back against the wall with a slight inclination to a little black box in the corner.

Ginny sighed exasperatedly, 'I can't believe Charlie put an escape detector on the door.'

'And one on your bedroom window…so where were you going?'

'I'll trade you,' Ginny said with a grin as Harry rolled his eyes again, 'An answer for an answer.' He nodded indulging her. 'Okay, what are you doing here?'

'Kingsley had me stationed here for extra protection and it just so happened I got put on exit patrol,' he explained with a wry smile.

'And you didn't come say 'hey'?' Ginny demanded in mock outrage, propping a hand on her hip.

'Just got here,' Harry replied briskly, ignoring Ginny's raised eyebrow, 'your go.'

'You know I go for walks at dawn, remember?'

Harry shook his head but his eyes were laughing. 'Sure I do, but your brothers don't so let's get back inside before they lock us both up, under suspicion of a teenage rendezvous.'

'In your dreams, Potter,' Ginny snorted but allowed herself to be hurried inside. She paused for a moment at the doorway, turning back to face Harry who just fell short of smacking into her. 'When did Draco join the Order?'

Harry looked surprised but answered all the same, 'I heard about your amnesia but I'd of thought you'd remember…just before your mission to the Czechoslovakian ministry the Order decided to induct him…as your mission partner.'

'I went on missions with Malfoy?' Ginny asked, shocked. 'Why did he not say…'

Harry looked pained, 'Gin, the Czechoslovakian mission was the last time any of us saw you, Draco was in charge of your protection and you were leading the advance.'

'I remember prep for that,' Ginny stammered, unsure, 'but nothing about Malfoy…why did they still induct him after I disappeared?'

'Times changed,' Harry shrugged, 'you were gone, the Order needed new recruits and…I went crazy.' He said it calmly, his face passive and devoid of distress.

'Well that makes two of us,' Ginny murmured as she reburied her head in his shoulder.

'Well you better think up something better than that for Hermione,' Harry said with a chuckle, 'She went insane when she found out you were back, Lupin had to restrain her from marching right over here.' Ginny grimaced; oh boy. Smiling, Harry slung his arm over her shoulder and the pretty pair made their way back into the house.

Ginny slumped slightly over her breakfast, anxiety stealing away her appetite. In the next room she could hear Harry whispering hurriedly with Lupin and she knew he was trying to explain her attempted escape…probably with a better excuse than 'walks at dawn.' She was glad Harry had been one of the first to visit; very few people knew about her disappearance and for safety even fewer would be notified of her return.

George stared at her intently from the kitchen counter and with a sigh she picked up her spoon and forced herself to slurp up the lumpy porridge. None of her brothers had any talent in the kitchen except for Fred who just had this weird knack for it. Mrs. Weasley had entrusted Ginny with the secrets of her kitchen on Ginny's sixteenth birthday and Ginny had been every bit as good as her mother. She shook her head sadly; she missed her mum.

The door banged open loudly and both Harry and Lupin entered the kitchen with reasonably calm expressions. Harry grabbed slice of toast from the bread basket and leaned back against the counter next to George. Lupin pulled up a chair opposite from Ginny with a slightly guilty expression and Ginny inwardly groaned.

'Now Ginny, Harry's just been explaining your early morning escapade,' Lupin explained in a strained voice. Ginny shot a piercing glare at Harry; what had he been saying? 'And of course it's perfectly normal that you must be craving extra exercise. After your impressive display last week, we understand you must have been following a rather intense schedule.' Ginny sighed, this had been about the only information the Order had been willing to surrender and she'd heard it a thousand times before, she just couldn't remember it. 'Now as we have discussed, we have asked Professor Snape to utilise his skills in legillimency to attempt to extract some of the hidden memories, but until the time when he returns we have decided on a new…uh, regime that might help your memory.'

'Right,' Ginny muttered, still glaring at Harry.

'Your skills are obviously impressive and coupled with Draco's knowledge we think you would make a good team,' he said lightly.

'Good team for what?' Ginny asked, suspicion ringing out in every syllable as George leapt up, anger blazing across his face.

'Well, we thought that you could train the new recruits for field work,' Lupin said with a quick glance at George that did not go unmissed by Ginny.

'No,' she said simply, turning back to her breakfast and George seemed to relax for a moment.

'Pardon me?' Lupin asked politely, shock clearly evident.

'No, thank you,' she repeated. 'I don't much fancy it. I'm not going to work with Malfoy.' More shock at her words except this shock seemed to go a little deeper as if everything about Ginny (or at least the old Ginny) had slipped away from under his feet.

'But-' he began.

'Are you insane?' George burst out, coming towards Lupin. 'You'd put my sister next to him?' Ginny was confused, surely everyone in the Order trusted Draco. She thought she'd been the only one, in fact she distinctly remembered George speaking lightly with him in the hallway the other night. What was up?

'Things have changed.' Lupin replied evenly, 'it won't be like last time.'

'Last time?' Ginny looked up, even more confused. 'What happened last time?' But no-one was listening to her.

'Do you even remember what happened last time?' George demanded, his anger growing. 'Or what she said?' he shot a brief glance at Ginny.

'I remember perfectly,' Lupin answered a little irritated.

'It's sick,' George said with disgust, 'to do it to either of them.'

'Either of us, what?' Ginny demanded feeling very out of the loop and not liking it one bit.

Lupin stared at George for a moment later before turning back to Ginny and calmly asking, 'Have you made your decision, Miss. Weasley?' Ginny made to repeat her previous answer but fell short, pausing. On one hand she despised the idea of working with Malfoy and yet on the other she was desperate to uncover some of her past and if the ex-Slytherin was a key piece well then…so be it.

'Fine, I'll do it,' she found herself answering resolutely. George shook his head, rubbing his temple and striding out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lupin watched him go, unmoved but Ginny's eyes were trained on Harry; had this really been his idea?

'What's going on?' Bill was standing in the door way, looking after George. Ginny slumped further in her chair; if George hadn't liked the idea Bill was going to hate it all the more. Stirring her porridge morosely Ginny wandered why her family were so intent on hiding the past.

Draco was avoiding her, she could tell. He'd left after the night of her return and had only been back a handful of times- each time he'd just watched her quietly, out of the corner of his eye and she'd even begun to wonder if he was taking her possible role as a 'threat' more seriously than the rest. What part could he have played in her life to make it so difficult to look her in the eye, three years later? Or maybe that was just it; three years later.

She'd felt unsure about proposing the recently (and most reluctantly) approved plan for combat training so she'd asked Lupin to pass on the word yesterday evening just as he left. She'd received no reply from him but Harry had visited with news that the recruits were coming in on Thursday and she was to meet with Draco at the large safe house on outskirts of London's metropolitan. Kingsley and the others had not been quick to approve the idea and she knew they were worried that Ginny's training may prove dangerous…that this would make her more dangerous than ever. The thing was Ginny didn't feel dangerous; sure she felt secure in the knowledge that she had the ability to take down almost anyone but she also felt scarred, damaged and weak. It was disconcerting.

'Bullocks, Ginny they don't know what they're talking about,' Harry had replied when she voiced her worries to him.

'But the way they look at me…like I mighty lash out at any second,' Ginny persisted with a shake of her head. Harry averted his gaze, concentrating on attaching a large scroll of parchment to a rather irate owl. 'They know something and they're not telling me,' Ginny finished, glaring at Harry and forcing him to meet her gaze.

'Don't be stupid, the Order is scared for you not of you,' Harry replied, gently sliding his hand along her arm. But Ginny turned away, irritated.

'Okay then, tell me what's on the scroll?' she demanded, flicking a glance at the owl that was shaking its leg profusely in an attempt to disentangle itself from the parchment.

'An outline for Thursday's training session,' Harry answered without missing a beat. As far as Ginny could tell he was telling the truth; living with six older brothers she'd learned quickly to discern a liar.

'Hmph,' she said by way of reply before turning back to him. 'Why don't I get an outline?' she asked indignantly.

'We need Malfoy's approval first,' Harry explained lightly as they watched the bird take flight, rather outbalanced by the attachment.

'Oh, I'd forgotten we were referring to his Lordship, Malfoy,' Ginny muttered sarcastically. Harry flinched and she rounded on him, hair flying wildly in the motion. 'Oh for Merlin's sake! Why does everybody react so strangely when I have a go at Malfoy?'

Harry paused, and he looked as if he was considering his next words very carefully. 'You were his mission partner for a year, Ginny, you got to know each other…and you had fun, I guess.' Ginny cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. 'Don't give me that look,' Harry said teasingly, wrapping an arm around her waist as she shivered in the cold.

'What look?' Ginny asked pointedly, as if advising him to contemplate his choice of words extremely carefully.

'That look that tells me multiple stories; that your peeved because I dragged you out in the cold morning, to send a letter to your arch nemesis and then tell you off for being so disapproving.' Harry grinned and Ginny scowled.

'Don't forget I can thrash your butt any day,' Ginny warned but she snuggled into his warm jacket all the same. Harry smiled contentedly.

'Is that all you two ever talk about?' A new voice came floating round the corner and Fred Weasley came into view looking slightly dishevelled but just as mischievous as ever. 'Rear ends and such?'

'Fred!' Ginny squealed, sprinting forward and throwing herself into his arms. He spun her around, laughing, until she begged to be put down.

'Don't know what you're talking about, mate,' Harry replied with a grin as the two embraced.

'Well I do,' Fred answered with an air of pretentious seriousness.

'Anyone new arrived?' Harry asked, moving the conversation along.

'No, but Dawkins won't make it tonight,' Fred paused shooting Ginny a look but Harry nodded for him to continue. 'Apparently he's off chasing down a rogue ministry official...something to do with the Trillian Organisation.'

'The Trillians?' Ginny asked. 'I thought they were all hunted down in the massacre.'

'They were but it's possible their descendants survived,' Fred explained darkly.

'But that means,' Ginny paused, stepping back in shock, 'they'll be people we know.'

'What?' Harry demanded sharply.

'Maybe we should move this discussion along to the meeting,' Fred suggested. The three trudged back towards the house, Ginny shaking her head stubbornly every time Harry pressed her for an explanation. As they approached the dining room which had been set up for Order purposes, Kingsely stretched out his hand to stop Ginny.

'She doesn't go through.'

'What?' Ginny demanded, angrily. 'I've been a part of the Order for four years!' But Kingsley just shook his head solemnly.

'She has information about…Dawkins' mission,' Harry explained in a hushed tone. After a long calculated look from Kingsley and a lot of huffing from Ginny, she was allowed entrance. Nine people sat around the large oak table, littered with maps, scrolls and newspaper articles; George, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Lupin, Mundungas, Tonks, Malfoy and Dean Thomas, Ginny recognised the tall, dark skinned wizard with a start. He shot her a warm smile and Ginny waved back, happy to see her former fellow Gryffindor.

'Right, we have information that the Death-eaters struck again in Norway,' Bill began, 'they killed a young woman, and her two children. As far as we can tell they had no connection to the Trillians or,' he paused to shoot a calculating look at Ginny, 'the Circle.'

'Then why attack?' Dean asked, 'Our last reports showed they were travelling South, Norway would mean a complete detour.' Ginny nodded; it didn't make sense.

'It's possible that they were leaving fake trail in our last report in an effort to throw us off the chase,' Lupin argued reasonably.

'But then why send the same deatheaters to Norway?' Ginny demanded and everybody turned to look at her. 'Surely the point of a fake trail is to distract the opponent so they don't notice another operation taking place.'

'Zat is a good point,' Fleur commented, tossing her golden hair in Ginny's direction. Bill shifted uncomfortably but no-one made any objection.

'Are you suggesting that the attack in Norway was spontaneous?' Lupin asked.

'Yes, I think they were intending on going South but something important happened and they changed course,' Ginny explained.

'But what could have happened?' Charlie asked but nobody around the table seemed to have an answer.

A loud cough from Lupin brought the table out of its reverie and Kingsley motioned to Ginny. 'I believe you have something on Dawkins' case.'

'What?' Draco demanded sharply turning his back to Ginny and facing Kingsley. 'Who told her of that.'

'What does it matter?' Tonks asked exasperatedly, 'She knows now so let's just listen.'

'Go on, Ginny,' Lupin motioned slightly with his hand that she should continue. She shot a quick look at Draco before beginning who was looking stony faced at the table, a hard looking simmering in his charcoal eyes.

'Well you reckon that some descendants of the Trillians might have survived and, I'm assuming, in light of Voldemort's return are regathering,' she paused and her gaze flickered around the room for assent. Lupin nodded and she continued a little anxious, 'Well in did a quick mental calculation and the only Trillian descendants that could, realistically speaking, still be alive would be my age or a little older…people we went to school with.'

'What are you suggesting we do with such information?' Fred asked but his question was directed at Kinglsey.

'I think,' Ginny began indignantly, 'we should run back ground searches on everyone; find out where they are, who they're with and what they're doing.'

Lupin nodded, 'I'll assemble a research squad, and in the meantime the meetings will have to hold off until Dawkins gets back.' Kinglsey nodded and there was a loud scraping of chairs as everybody got up to leave. Harry gave her a pat on the back with a murmured, 'well done,' before he too exited the room. Draco lingered to give Ginny a long look.

'Training starts on Thursday don't be late.' He paused and then a small smirk emerged, playing around with the corners of his mouth. 'Wear something protective, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again.' The last word was dripping with irony and something more- a challenge.

'You too,' Ginny said with a wry smile, 'I do like to play rough.'