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 Three: Retracing Footsteps

'I'm going to miss you,' Ginny said quietly, her hair fluttering in the breeze, all messy and knotted.

'Nah, you'll be too busy to miss me,' Harry shook his head with a wry laugh and Ginny sighed in frustration.

'Yeah right,' she answered with a toss of her head, 'because I'm just drowning in all the missions and operations they've been offering me.' She scuffed her shoes about in the muddy ground.

Harry reached out and grabbed her cold hand with his warm fingers, 'It'll be alright, these things just take time.'

'Harry, I used to lead battles, plan strategies, have men follow my command and now I can barely even attend meetings and there's always someone watching me- don't think I didn't notice Dean tailing me yesterday.'

Harry grinned and shook his head lightly, 'I told them you were too good for that.'

Ginny grumbled, 'It's actually quite insulting- as if I couldn't spot a basic tailing tactic.'

'Some of us are just a bit hard to please,' Harry joked and Ginny scowled at his gentle banter. 'Ah, I'm going to miss you too, Gin- won't be the same without your endless wit.' Ginny shot him a cutting glare but she was holding back a smile.

'Arry, zey are waiting for you at zee portkey!' Fleur stuck her head out the back door, with a stern expression.

'Be right there!' Harry called and turned back to Ginny with a concerned look.

'Go!' she flapped her hands at him carelessly, 'Go play with the big kids!' Harry rolled his eyes and then bent over to kiss her on the forehead. 'You'll be late, and Malfoy will be waiting impatiently for me,' she said waving away his affection, concealing the odd wrenching feeling she was experiencing,

Harry turned to leave and then turned back with a slightly apprehensive look, 'You'll play nice, won't you?'

'We'll see.'

...

'You're late.'

'Hello to you too,' Ginny muttered as turned on the spot, having just apparated, and approached a tense Malfoy.

'When you place your allegiance with the Order, it's an expectation that you obey commands,' Draco instructed as he turned to continue onwards. 'If this were an operation your lateness could have cost agents their lives.'

'You forget, I've been a member for far longer than you have,' she retorted sharply.

'I haven't forgotten anything,' Draco reminded her darkly.

'So tell me what you remember,' she suggested lightly. She had been planning on leading in slowly; gently breaking down his defences and then striking but her eagerness had gotten the better of her.

'What?' he asked confused but not all together surprised. Maybe Harry had been right, he did know her pretty well.

'I want you to tell me something, anything,' she commanded and then her expression softened, 'please.'

He sighed and for the first time her turned and faced her directly but she could still see it was a struggle for him, 'What should I tell you? If you're looking for an excuse to hate me- you'll find one,' he creased his brow and added wryly, 'no matter what I tell you.'

Ginny decided to let the comment pass and kept pressing forward, 'How did you come over to our side?'

Draco's jaw clenched and Ginny wandered if she'd already gone too far but then he relaxed. 'That's not a story you want to hear.'

'Why not?' she asked cautiously.

Draco's eyes flickered from the side street but Ginny never tore her gaze away from his face, she knew a surveillance sweep when she saw one and she wasn't worried she knew how to keep all eyes, everywhere, all at once. 'The trainees are waiting, we should hurry.'

Ginny came to an abrupt stop and Draco paused to swivel around to her an impatient look simmering across his hard features. 'You've already told me the story before haven't you?' a determined look swept across her face and her eyes took on a new blaze. 'I will remember, I must remember,' she muttered harshly more to herself than anyone else.

Draco reached out to touch her arm but then pulled back, looking at his hands as though they surprised him- like he'd suddenly remembered how to do something. 'Some things are better left unremembered.'

Ginny nodded and turned back towards him and they continued down the pathway in silence. Draco stopped when they came to the end of the road and Ginny peered around curiously- there was nothing but a vacant block. She opened her mouth, ready to release a witty retort about at least being able to remember the way to a safe house when a strange feeling took over her. Like nostalgia and the awful queasiness of riding a roller coaster too many times.

'It's a concealment charm, isn't it?' she asked a little awestruck at the vast immensity of the spell.

'And a damned powerful one at that two,' Draco murmured as he stepped forward and stretch out his open palm, it seemed to hit a solid surface though none could be seen and the air appeared to vibrate. Ginny stumbled backwards as the ground seemed to tremble beneath her. A small trail of smoke erupted from the place where Draco's palm had been, which had since returned to his side, and danced across the air, slowly forming letters.

'What is it?' Ginny asked, transfixed by the apparition.

'Do you remember Professor Flitwick? He's one of ours now and this was a little invention he came up with. The letters will slowly form words and the words a riddle- with an answer only a true member of the order can recognise.'

'Brilliant,' Ginny muttered, not entirely sure she understood the concept. 'But is that it, the only protection?'

Draco shook his head ruefully, 'I disarmed a dozen protective spells while I waited on you and there's still the anti-concealment charm and dark detector spells to get through.'

'What can be seen best in the darkest of darks, when all else is invisible?' The words had finally formed and Ginny could hear them whispering inside her head, it was terrifying but impossibly intriguing.

Draco rubbed his chin brusquely and turned back to Ginny. 'Any thoughts?'

'What?" she asked with mock surprise, 'don't tell me you've been outwitted?'

Draco had to hold back a smile, 'I don't think so. But it's like you said, you've been a member of the Order for far longer, surely you can riddle it out?' Ginny narrowed her eyes at his unveiled smirk.

'Jerk,' she muttered as she pushed past him, stopping in front of the swirling mist. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. What can be seen best in the darkest of darks when all else is invisible? When all else is invisible. In the darkest of darks. 'Light.' Ginny opened her eyes slowly and watched as the mist froze and then, as fast as lightening, moved to form the image of an arched doorway. 'I did it!' she exulted and then paused and turned back to Draco who had been watching her with a deep gaze. 'What does that mean? Does this prove I'm not dangerous?'

'For now,' Draco said bluntly and her face fell, running a hand through his hair he took a step forward to explain. 'The spell works to penetrate your mind and see your deeper intentions- but in your case it's a little more complicated. As far as you know, you have only the purest of intentions- that is the extent of your knowledge and likewise, the extent of the spell.'

'But it could change,' Ginny asked frowning. 'If I begin to remember things…things the Circle have taught me, my intentions could change.'

Draco nodded, 'And the spell would pick up on this, it would bar you out.' Only now, she noticed, did his hand relax on his wand.

Ginny gave a short laugh as another realisation struck, 'This wasn't just some ploy to keep my attention span from waning this was also a test- you were ready to take me out in a second if I couldn't answer,' she stated accusingly.

Draco didn't flinch from it, 'Veritaserum can only get us so far, till such a time when Snape's skills can be employed. You don't bare the marks of the Circle or Voldemort's followers and you still have the golden phoenix marking on the nape of your neck but it tells us very little. In fact nothing at all, it could be that the enemy purposely left you untouched. We just needed another way to be sure.'

Ginny reached behind and brushed the back of her neck, she'd forgotten about the marking. It identified her as an elite auror, one of the chosen few. Underneath the soaring wings of the phoenix a single sentence was inscribed in a language so old nobody could remember its meaning.

'Right well now that you've a-okayed me, can we get going?' Ginny asked impatiently, letting her hand fall back to her side and Draco held out his arm in an 'after you' gesture.

...

'Okay team, listen up!' Called out Draco. The ten trainees who had been practising defensive strategies on the 'death eater' enchantments all dropped their wands and turned back to face their instructor. Ginny was, and not for the first time that lesson, intrigued (and a little bit impressed) by Draco's leadership qualities and the way his presence just demanded respect and attention- as each and every face was focussed entirely upon her partner. 'That was better but-'

'No it was poor,' Ginny interrupted moving forward so that her face claimed the group's attention. The trainees showed a mixture of hurt, confusion and some indignation.

'Ginny,' Draco snapped fiercely under his breath, shooting her cutting glares but she took no noticed and continued.

'Don't get me wrong, your technique was good and so was the execution,' she paused to assess the group's reaction, 'but you lack the fundamental reflexes,' she explained bluntly. 'How many of you still have your enemy in sight? How many of you would be able to defend yourself successfully from your vantage point? How many of you would be able to defend your partner from their vantage point?' There was an outbreak of low muttering as each of the trainees shot furtive glances at the enchanted death eaters that hovered slightly above ground level behind them. 'Rule one,' Ginny said with a rueful smile, 'never turn your back on your enemy.' As new looks of respect swept over the faces of the trainees Ginny could have sworn she saw a small smile flicker over Draco's mouth.

'Enough,' he said. 'Group dismissed, practise your technique I want you all to have improved ten times over by next session.' He turned away and drew his wand and with a flick vanished all the training equipment. A dark boy with rich brown curls, a chocolate eyes had remained for a moment longer than the rest of the group and with a cocky grin he too turned to leave.

'Maybe next time, Scarlet,' he called over his shoulder as he sauntered towards the portkey. People had turned back to watch with mild amusement as they waited for him to join them. 'I'd have liked to have had a one-on-one combat with you.'

Ginny gave a short laugh of amusement and called out to him, 'be careful- if you play with fire, you're bound to get burnt.'

He turned back to face her, his eyes held a glimmer of surprise, 'you're good, for a witch, but you really think you could take on a wizard?' The surprise had turned to indifferent mockery.

'I grew up with seven brothers and each and every one of them bears a mark to show it,' she related with a dark grin, 'you should catch up with them sometime- just so you fully understand what you're dealing with.'

He called out something after her but the portkey had already begun to take off and his words were drowned out by the rustling of the wind. Ginny turned away a faint smile on her lips.

'You shouldn't lead him on like that,' Draco scolded as they walked down the alley way they had entered from five hours previously.

'I'm not leading anyone on,' Ginny replied firmly with an indignant toss of her hair.

'That's Xavier Crosswoods and he's known for having more than one or two connections to the dark side,' Draco explained warningly.

'I can handle myself just fine,' Ginny commented.

'So I've noticed.' A wry smile accompanied his rather sarcastic reply.

'Ah, still bitter after our little tousle?' she paused to grin. 'In which- correct me if I'm wrong- I kicked your butt.' Draco scowled.

'We've been over this, it was a stale mate,' he corrected her.

'If you say so, partner,' Ginny was still smiling. 'Anyway if he's got so many questionable connections what's he doing training on our side?'

'Possibly going under cover,' Draco replied, his disgruntled air replaced by one of keen thoughtfulness.

Ginny shook her head, 'that's very risky- for us and for them.'

Draco nodded, 'True but sometimes these risks are worth taking.'

'So that's why you make no objection to his training- you see it as a risk worth taking?' Ginny asked curious.

'I like to keep the enemy where I can see them.'

'What happens if he is a death eater- I mean, what happens to him?' Ginny asked, slowing her pace. 'That is, he'd be too dangerous to be kept alive,' she added with a thoughtful nod of her head before turning to face Draco.

'You'd have him killed?' he asked, composing his features so quickly Ginny got barely a flash of his subtle shock.

'Why does that come as such a surprise?' Ginny asked with a gentle shrug of her shoulders, eyes boring into his.

'A boy?' he demanded intently, 'you'd see him dead?'

'He's seventeen- a man,' Ginny retorted sharply. 'Besides you know that kind of life leaves little opportunity for conversion- I'm surprised even youmanaged it.'

Draco's gaze hardened and his jawline clenched, 'you still don't trust my motives?'

'No, nor do you trust mine,' Ginny added brashly.

'I wasn't held hostage by a dark organisation for three years,' Draco pointed out.

'And all I remember of you is an intense dislike and even more so, distrust,' Ginny snapped and then she sighed, 'Oh, God, we're back to this argument,' she muttered with a bitter laugh.

Draco seemed to relax and he let his shoulders fall loose, 'You say you didn't like me huh?' he asked and Ginny was surprised to find a hint of joking in his tone, 'that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the last time we were in contact – by your memory- would have been at the International Quidditch Finals where I barracked against your team and won the bet?'

Ginny smiled, she'd forgotten about that day. Bill had taken her to see England play off against Bulgaria and she'd been disgusted to find herself seated not three rows away from Malfoy who'd spent the entire first quarter bragging about the comfort of the top box and how poorly the English were playing. Eventually she'd stalked up there and demanded he choose one of the two following options; either he accepted her bet of two galleons staked against the Bulgarians or she'd hex of his head. How sickly smug he'd looked when the Bulgarians snatch the snitch right out from under the English seeker and she'd had to pass over the money she'd saved from her small time job.

'I don't have a clue what you're talking about,' Ginny said coolly; she could not bear for him to relive that moment.

'Well I do, and then I came to visit you in that dinky café where you worked to demand that you pay me with real money not Irish foolery,' Draco regaled.

'Ha, I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book, honestly,' Ginny scoffed.

'At the time it was a good prank, I was mortified and dragging myself down to that ditch to confer with a blood traitor,' Draco rolled his eyes.

'Oi, don't dis the café,' Ginny warned, 'that place payed my way through the ministry. But I have to say I was surprised you'd bother for a couple of galleons when it was rumoured you were to inherit the Malfoy legacy of twelve million galleons.'

Draco shrugged, ' my mother used to sneak me spending money but my father beat it out of her when he realised, thought she was being too soft on me.'

Ginny's mind hit a mental blank, 'your father beat you?' Draco did not reply and Ginny decided not to pursue the topic, but she could not think of anything else to say; the news completely abolished the image she'd held of Draco as a pampered, spoiled, prince of Slytherin.

As if reading her thoughts Draco added, rather bitterly, 'my father only ever spent money on me when he thought it would raise our status as a family or at least flaunt me as an extremely well-off son of a noble family.'

Ginny remained silent but she reached out and placed her hand on his forearm, this time he did not flinch away. 'Let's go home,' she murmured quietly and with a brusque nod Draco took her hand and the two disapperated on the spot.

Maybe Harry had been right, maybe she could play this nice…for now.

Hello, again! Thanks so much for reading my work- as a reward you know I LOVE reviews! If I get enough I could finish the next chapter within the week….

Till next time, x