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 5: Markings of Allegiance

The shop bells tinkled eerily as two figures pushed open the worn front door and stepped inside, shaking the rainfall off their beaten cloaks. The man at the counter peered upwards through thick rimmed round spectacles and his wizened mouth twisted into a smile, showing his yellow stained rambling collection of teeth. The figures nodded in his direction and one waved him over in a commanding fashion.

'Can I be of service young master and mistress?' he asked, with an oily voice as he stooped low in a ridiculously old fashioned bow. 'Perhaps a pretty trinket for the lady, eh?'

'Perhaps,' the man acquiesced slowly, 'it depends on whether you have what we're looking for.'

'And what'd that be? I dare say there isn't another jeweller in these parts with a collection so fine as mine, not for many miles.' The shopkeeper gestured proudly with his gnarled fingers to the many glass cabinets and boxes that huddled in dark corners.

'I am looking for a family heirloom, a ring of my great grandmothers,' the man replied and his companion moved towards the closest cabinet, staring fascinatedly in at an ornate, gem studded necklace.

'They're real, alright,' the shopkeeper wheezed, gesturing towards the cabinet holding the necklace and the woman looked around with surprise, her hood dipping slightly over her eyes.

The man sighed and his voice dropped dangerously low, 'My patience is wearing thin.'

'My sincerest apologies,' the shopkeeper answered hastily, sweeping another bow, 'I meant no offence.'

'I want to know how far back your collection dates,' the man demanded carefully.

'Eh?' The shop keeper looked up suddenly and his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Why'd you be needing to know that, eh?'

'That is none of your concern,' the woman spoke for the first time, her voice echoing in a dark, dangerous manner. The shopkeeper backed away slightly but his eyes still stared intently at the pair. The man stepped forward suddenly with an impatient air and pulled back his sleeve revealing his left arm, the shopkeeper recoiled in horror. 'Our business is our own.'

'We want a family heirloom tracked,' the man continued, 'can you help us?'

'My collection goes back to the fifteen hundreds at least,' the jeweller answered hastily. 'Do you have a family name attached to the ring?'

'It belonged to the noble house of Trillian.' Surprisingly the shopkeeper did not jerk back in fear as was the way with most; instead his expression took on an air of keen thoughtfulness and scrutiny.

'Get out,' he said suddenly his voice abandoning any pretence of politeness.

'Excuse me?' the woman demanded, turning away from a small wooden box that contained a small tiara with a blood red ruby, to face her companion and the jeweller.

'I won't be made a fool of,' the shopkeeper sneered. 'I'll bet that's not even real,' he remarked pointing his wizened finger towards the man's left arm.

The woman stepped forward menacingly, 'Would you like to touch it? Then you can ask the Dark Lord how real it is.'

The shopkeeper stepped backwards and some of the arrogance seemed knocked out of him but his eyes reverted back to suspicious scrutiny. 'I've already spoken with your people; I gave the child the ring, what more do you want of me?'

'What child?' the man demanded quickly.

'The girl, she came in with a woman and a man, asking about the Trillian ring,' the jeweller explained reluctantly.

'And you gave it to her?' the woman questioned a fierce intensity ringing in her every syllable.

'Not willingly,' the shopkeeper replied tartly, 'she only paid half the original price and when I pressed her for more she threatened to have her werewolf companion shred me to bits.' The shopkeepers voiced quivered and the two strangers exchanged dark looks. 'But why you need it as well, is beyond me. In fact-'

'Obliviate.'

The jeweller began to speak again but the man already had his wand out and the next thing the jeweller's eyes glazed over and he seemed to slump slightly.

'I don't know about you but I have a very bad feeling about all this,' the woman said, pulling down her hood to reveal a mound of red curls.

'It's certainly a bad omen if the other side has the ring,' Draco replied, as he too pulled off his hood.

'So the Trillian ring actually exists? I thought that part was legend,' Ginny asked curiously.

'Apparently you thought wrong,' Draco answered but he did not sound surprised.

'You knew,' Ginny accused.

'I suspected.' The shopkeeper moaned slightly and shook his head, Draco motioned for Ginny to cover her head once more and she hastened to comply.

'Wh-who are you?' the shopkeeper asked looking around as if surprised to find them there at all.

Draco shot him a calculating look, 'Thank you very much for showing us your collection, I'm sure our client will be most interested in your findings. We'll be sure to be in touch, good day.' The shopkeeper watched the pair walk push through the door, the bells ringing ominously, with confusion; he could not remember them coming in at all.

Outside the rain had eased up but an uncomfortable damp hung in the air.

'The look he gave you- he looked like he'd been hit over the head by a bludger,' Ginny laughed as she followed Draco out of the shop. Draco offered only a tight smile in response; he had much more pressing matters on his mind. 'What are you thinking about?' Ginny sighed as she watched his expression.

'Who says I'm thinking about anything at all?' Draco asked, shooting her an innocent glance.

Ginny laughed, 'I know you, you're always thinking and right now I know you're thinking particularly hard about something.'

'How do you figure that?'

Ginny tapped her nose, 'Whenever men are thinking particularly hard it smells like burning rubber.' Draco scowled but Ginny had seen the corners of his mouth twitching.

The turned left down an alleyway and came out into a little parade that was packed with little antique stores, book shops and cafes.

'We shouldn't be here,' Draco warned preparing to leave, 'too public.'

'No-one's going to notice us in this crowd,' Ginny pointed out, 'and I don't know about you but I am dying for a coffee.' Draco grumbled slightly as Ginny dragged him down the pathway towards a small café that was packed with couples and small families.

'What can I get you?' a motherly looking witch called as she stuck her head over the counter, pointing her wand at a large pot on the stove that hissed and nearly bubbled over. 'Oops,' she murmured good naturedly.

'Two muggle specials,' Ginny called back over the loud background chattering.

'Muggle specials?' Draco asked sounding amused.

'Yeah, Hermione calls them cappuccitas, cappuccinos or something,' Ginny answered mildly as she scrounged in her bag for some change. Draco made no reply only raised an eyebrow as the witch placed two steaming mugs of frothy drink, dusted with chocolate like powder, on the counter.

'Seven sickles,' she counted up the prices and held out her hand.

'Ooh, this place has gone upmarket,' Ginny remarked as she continued to search for the right change. With an exasperated sigh Draco passed over a galleon coin to the witch who smiled, thanked him and offered him back the change.

'That was supposed to be my treat,' Ginny remarked a little crossly once the two had made it back out onto the streets.

'Too bad,' Draco replied with a smirk.

They reached the end of the alley way and as Ginny turned to continue down the next lane, a flicker in the shop window reflection caught her eye and made her blood turn cold. Turning back to Draco she tried to look relaxed, she couldn't risk anyone knowing she'd noticed. Someone was following her.

She inclined her head slightly as they continued walking, to give the appearance that she was peering in at a rather rambling bookshop, but out of the corner of her eye she was watching intently the shadowy figure. Ginny frowned as her eyes feverishly scanned his (she'd already discerned him to be male) outline as he paused to look in at a shop advertising potion enhancing cauldron – he too was playing the part of casual street wanderer. Then suddenly before she could tear her eyes away, he looked up and his eyes bore into hers. She could vaguely hear Draco saying something to her, but she ignored it, staring transfixed as the man slipped his hand into the pocket of his shabby coat and pulled out a small, round, gold disk. Ginny made a sharp intake of breath as the sun glinted off its surface and her head seemed to burn. She felt herself slump against Draco's steady arm as the man slipped back around the corner and out of sight.

'Wait, stop, he's getting away,' she tried to call out but her words all slurred together. She felt an awful pulling and tugging sensation and then the world went black.

…

Someone was calling her name. Vaguely Ginny registered the urge to answer, probably with a snappish command to shut-up. Ugh, she hurt and ached all over. What was wrong? Blearily she managed to force her eyes open and blink away the drowsiness. She was lying on a couch and she sat up to find Draco lounging on the opposite seat, his mouth set in a concerned line.

'Am I dead?' she asked.

'No,' he replied looking relieved that she was awake but troubled by her question.

'Really? 'Cause waking up to your face is my definition of eternal purgatory,' she answered with a tired smirk.

Draco's face relaxed and he managed an eye roll in her direction. 'You're feeling better then.'

'Not really, I ache all over,' Ginny groaned as she stretched out her muscles. 'What happened?'

'I was going to ask you the same question,' Draco remarked.

'There was someone following us back there,' she explained and Draco nodded. 'You knew?' she asked surprised. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'For the same reason you didn't tell me,' Draco replied calmly, 'I didn't want him to know I knew.'

'He had this weird gold, disk thing and when I looked at it, it was like my head had been set on fire,' Ginny said as she carefully scrutinised his reaction, he gave none.

'Do you remember seeing it anywhere before?' Draco asked.

'No,' Ginny replied slowly, 'but it felt familiar.' The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and though she couldn't remember thinking them consciously she knew they were the truth.

'There's a very good chance that what you saw today is connected to your past,' Draco explained cautiously, 'your reaction was very similar to when I first pressed you for answers- it's the memory charm at work.'

'Whatever the gold disk was, no doubt today was to check how much I could still remember,' Ginny said, speaking her thoughts allowed and Draco inclined his head in agreement. 'Not enough to give them away, just the right amount to turn me…' Ginny trailed off, fingering the couch material in an awkward manner. 'Bad.'

Draco wasn't one to shy away from the truth, 'Exactly,' he answered but then he sighed and added, 'for the record, I reckon they've got no chance.'

Ginny allowed a small smile to trail across her features and raised a quizzical eyebrow, 'Is that so?' she demanded. 'I wouldn't be so sure, I'm not exactly angelic material,' she added drily.

Draco caught his smile midway and was about to reply with a witty retort when suddenly his whole body tensed up and he froze. Ginny too moved to the edge of the couch and cocked her head like a lioness waiting for a sound from her prey.

'I heard it too,' she mouthed and gestured with her hand to the ceiling, speckled with dark stains, where the floorboards had creaked momentarily.' Upstairs,' she mouthed again and Draco nodded, slowly getting to his feet. When she made to follow suit, he waved her back down again with a serious expression.

'Stay here,' he mouthed and Ginny rolled her eyes; like hell was she going to stay put. Draco shot her a furious glare as she defiantly got to her feet but made no move to stop her. Instead he pulled out his wand and cast a spell on her battered shoes, which were now silent as she made her way towards the staircase; she nodded her head in appreciation. As she made to ascend the first step, Draco put out his arm to halt her and darted in front- secretly Ginny was glad he was going first, though she would have rather eaten dragon dung than admit it.

But the need for stealth was soon averted as a great crash sounded from above and the pair bounded up the rest of the stairs, bursting into the second bedroom where the sound had originated from. A cloud of smoke had erupted from one of the storage boxes and a young wizard was lying on the ground, rubbing his jaw where a bruise was already beginning to bloom. A hand grasp away laid a shiny golden telescope with a large, round first protruding from the end and Ginny had a sudden, random urge to laugh as she recognised it as one of Fred and George's earlier inventions; this was after all their old apartment.

Despite the obvious humour of the situation, Ginny felt a chill at the sight of the intruder, dressed in a fitted black t-shirt, loose, faded jeans, a cutting glare and a mouth that had twisted upwards into a provocative smile that was more dangerous that inviting. Draco crouched slightly into a low defensive position, in front of Ginny but the intruders eyes only flicked in his direction momentarily before returning to their previous study of Ginny's face.

'Well, well.' He spoke with a slight croon, his voice dangerously soft and low. 'Isn't this fun.'

'Who are you?' Ginny demanded, in a quiet voice her insides clenching cruelly. 'Do I know you?'

'They did a good job on you,' the intruder remarked, cocking his head to the side as his gaze slid over to Draco. 'Ah yes, the knight in shining armour- I remember all too well, isn't he the one that abandoned you in the first place?'

Draco stiffened and his wand dropped a little and Ginny registered the shock and anger that played across his hard features. 'What are you talking about?' she demanded looking from one to the other. 'Draco?'

'Don't listen to him; he's trying to mess with your mind.' Draco replied through a clenched jaw.

'We owe you thanks,' the intruder continued, his voice cropping even lower, 'without you we never would have gotten to her, but alone and heartbroken makes even the best…vulnerable.' Before Ginny could even properly register his words Draco had leapt, with a snarl on top of the intruder and had his wand up against his throat.

'Tell me why I shouldn't,' he said, breathing heavily his eyes flashing dangerously.

'Make your move,' the intruder taunted and Draco's eyes fell on the wand that was suddenly poised directly at Ginny. 'Just one move and it'll be her last breath.' An agonised look flitted across Draco's face briefly but the intruder had seen it and he let out a cold laugh, 'you almost killed her once why not do the job properly this time.' His free hand came to rest on the wooden floor boards and Ginny knew in an instant he was preparing to launch himself, but she was quicker. Sliding across the floor she came to rest at the head of the intruder, sticking her wand into the nape of his neck and leaning in close.

'You so much as touch anyone in this room and you're dead,' she threatened in a savage voice.

The intruder let out another little laugh, 'Ah little V, I have missed having you around- your wild temper made you almost too good to pass up.'

'Who are you?' Ginny hissed, digging her wand in harder. 'The circle?' she guessed and the intruder looked mildly surprised, 'or maybe the Trillians?' Draco let out a warning sound but Ginny already knew she'd gone too far, the intruder's face had broken into a small smile.

'So you do remember,' he remarked, sounding mildly impressed.

'Not nearly enough,' Ginny replied harshly. 'But now that I have you, I might be able to make some real progress.' She murmured the curse and the next second the intruder had slumped against her trembling form.

'You alright?' Draco asked immediately and Ginny nodded, quietly examining the body.

She let out a sharp intake of breath suddenly having just noticed the gold disk, hanging around his neck on a delicate silver chain.

'I know,' Draco remarked softly and then let out a sudden cry of protest as he registered her actions. Without realising it Ginny had slipped the chain over the man's head, fingering it lightly before slowly lowering it over hers so that it fell against her collarbone with a gentle thump. Draco's eyes widened in a wild fear before Ginny let out a scream of agonised pain, her features contorting as a bloody V etched itself onto the skin of her wrists, burning brightly. The world turned black for the second time and Ginny's head hit the floor.

Hi readers! Again thank you for being so supportive in your reading and reviewing- my emails were flocked with new people subscribing to my story which was so awesome! I'd love to hear reviews from all my followers too! Might be another wait before my next chapter but I hope you all enjoyed this one! Till next time….

xx