Sunlight filtered into the room, splaying itself across Ginny’s face. She groaned, raised her hand to shield her eyes, and buried herself under her blanket.
“Why are the curtains open?” she muttered.
“I opened them,” Draco said. He was lying beside her, one of his arms across her pillow. He used his finger to gently poke her in the head. “You want to do anything today?”
“No, I just want to sleep.”
Draco reached under the blanket to run his hands through her hair. “I think we should do something productive.”
Ginny rose and moved the covers off of her head, her hair knotted and in her eyes. “Like what?” she said, glancing at him.
He moved her hair from her eyes, bent down, and pressed his lips to her forehead. The simple action sent a shiver down Ginny’s spine.
She smiled and crawled to him, wrapped her fingers around his neck, and pulled his mouth to hers. When she looped one of her legs over his torso to straddle him, he immediately set his hands on her hips.
They made love for nearly an hour, all of their frustration, fear, and doubts giving them more energy to keep going. When they finished, Ginny curled up beside him, her fingers sliding over his sweat-covered chest.
“That was nice,” she murmured.
Draco just chuckled and brushed his lips against her hair, pulling her closer. “I hope Pansy went to work, otherwise we might have caused her to go deaf.”
“We should do something today,” Ginny said. “Something to take our mind off things.”
“Like what we just did, only more of it?” Draco asked, chuckling.
“No,” Ginny said sternly, shaking her head. “Like going out some place. How about we go to a bar?”
He stared at her, raising an eyebrow.
“What?” she muttered.
“I think we should see your brother,” Draco said as he sat up, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.
“I don’t want to.”
“You know, you never were a good liar.”
Ginny glared at him and shook her head.
“He can help me,” she said. “I know he can.”
Draco said nothing as he got off of the bed and picked up his clothes. He put them on slowly, staring out the window onto the streets below. When he turned to face her, his grey eyes were hesitant, his lips twitching slightly.
“I’ll let Pansy know we’re going, if you want.”
Ginny nodded and started to dress. She hoped Ron could help her, or anyone else in the Ministry, as they had no clue to why someone was killing these women.
“You’re worried,” he said from the other side of the room. “It’s okay.”
She blinked at him before slipping into her white blouse, knowing that he was right again. He always was.
____
The Ministry seemed bigger than Ginny remembered from her fourth year. She watched Draco, his confidence overflowing as he walked down the hallway to Ron’s office. Before they got to it, he turned to her.
“Do you want me to wait?” he asked.
“No,” Ginny said, reaching down to grip his hand. He smiled faintly. “It’s just easier to get this done together.”
He nodded and knocked on the door. There was a flutter of noise on the other side and it opened a crack, Ron’s hair and one eye visible.
“What do you want, Malfoy?”
Draco smirked, pulled Ginny in front of his body, and stayed quiet.
“Ginny,” Ron said, sounding surprised. “Is it really you?”
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed the door open and stepped inside. “No, it’s Lavender Brown. I used Polyjuice Potion.”
Ron paled at the mention of Lavender and shook his head. Then he enveloped his sister in a bone-crushing hug that left her gasping.
“Ron! Ronald, I can’t breathe. You don’t want to kill me before you know why I’m here.”
“You sound like Hermione,” Ron muttered as he let her go. He seemed to have noticed Draco then. If he was mad, he didn’t say anything.
“How is she?” Ginny asked as she took a seat on the couch against the wall. When Draco sat beside her, she had a cluster of images slide through her brain, all having to do with his office, and she couldn’t help the blush that set on her cheeks.
“Beastly,” Ron said, laughing. “I mean she’s pregnant so she’s vicious.”
“Is that so? I was under the impression you were calling your wife fat,” Draco said.
Ron ignored him and looked at Ginny.
“So, let me guess. You and the Ferret? Okay, I’m assuming that’s not the reason you came by. Those women dying, then.”
“Have you found out anything?” Ginny asked, crossing her legs. She watched Draco’s eyes on her and smirked.
“We figured that the guy kept the women alive for a time before he killed them. We estimated a few hours between when they were taken to where they were dumped. So far there’s only been two discovered.”
“Two?” Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. “How is that possible? There was a third.”
“Yes,” Ron said, nodding. “But all we’ve found out is that she was last seen at a bar and she left with a man. There was no reason to suspect that she had been kidnapped.”
“Where is she now?” Draco asked.
“She’s out of town.”
“Convenient,” Draco muttered.
“What’s that?” Ron asked, staring at him.
“Nothing,” Draco said. “I just find it funny that she was supposedly abducted and now she’s on vacation somewhere. Maybe she’s covering.”
“You could be one hell of an Auror,” Ron said, nodding approvingly. “What’s this theory?”
“Well, she could be covering for him.” Draco stood and went to Ron’s desk, playing with the paperweight there. “She doesn’t want him to get into trouble if he’s the one doing this.”
“You think she likes him?” Ginny asked suspiciously. “That’s absurd.”
Draco turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. “Is it so strange?”
“Well yes. Are you listening to yourself?”
“Very clearly,” Draco said, frowning.
Something flashed across his face and it was gone before Ginny could identify it properly.
“If he isn’t the killer – and that’s a big if – the girl he’s taken has grown attached to him.”
Draco stared at her, his eyes cool. “Maybe he’s through with her. Maybe she’s not the one he wants.”
Ginny shuddered suddenly and knew it had nothing to do with the small breeze that had swept into the room.
“Why are the curtains open?” she muttered.
“I opened them,” Draco said. He was lying beside her, one of his arms across her pillow. He used his finger to gently poke her in the head. “You want to do anything today?”
“No, I just want to sleep.”
Draco reached under the blanket to run his hands through her hair. “I think we should do something productive.”
Ginny rose and moved the covers off of her head, her hair knotted and in her eyes. “Like what?” she said, glancing at him.
He moved her hair from her eyes, bent down, and pressed his lips to her forehead. The simple action sent a shiver down Ginny’s spine.
She smiled and crawled to him, wrapped her fingers around his neck, and pulled his mouth to hers. When she looped one of her legs over his torso to straddle him, he immediately set his hands on her hips.
They made love for nearly an hour, all of their frustration, fear, and doubts giving them more energy to keep going. When they finished, Ginny curled up beside him, her fingers sliding over his sweat-covered chest.
“That was nice,” she murmured.
Draco just chuckled and brushed his lips against her hair, pulling her closer. “I hope Pansy went to work, otherwise we might have caused her to go deaf.”
“We should do something today,” Ginny said. “Something to take our mind off things.”
“Like what we just did, only more of it?” Draco asked, chuckling.
“No,” Ginny said sternly, shaking her head. “Like going out some place. How about we go to a bar?”
He stared at her, raising an eyebrow.
“What?” she muttered.
“I think we should see your brother,” Draco said as he sat up, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.
“I don’t want to.”
“You know, you never were a good liar.”
Ginny glared at him and shook her head.
“He can help me,” she said. “I know he can.”
Draco said nothing as he got off of the bed and picked up his clothes. He put them on slowly, staring out the window onto the streets below. When he turned to face her, his grey eyes were hesitant, his lips twitching slightly.
“I’ll let Pansy know we’re going, if you want.”
Ginny nodded and started to dress. She hoped Ron could help her, or anyone else in the Ministry, as they had no clue to why someone was killing these women.
“You’re worried,” he said from the other side of the room. “It’s okay.”
She blinked at him before slipping into her white blouse, knowing that he was right again. He always was.
The Ministry seemed bigger than Ginny remembered from her fourth year. She watched Draco, his confidence overflowing as he walked down the hallway to Ron’s office. Before they got to it, he turned to her.
“Do you want me to wait?” he asked.
“No,” Ginny said, reaching down to grip his hand. He smiled faintly. “It’s just easier to get this done together.”
He nodded and knocked on the door. There was a flutter of noise on the other side and it opened a crack, Ron’s hair and one eye visible.
“What do you want, Malfoy?”
Draco smirked, pulled Ginny in front of his body, and stayed quiet.
“Ginny,” Ron said, sounding surprised. “Is it really you?”
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed the door open and stepped inside. “No, it’s Lavender Brown. I used Polyjuice Potion.”
Ron paled at the mention of Lavender and shook his head. Then he enveloped his sister in a bone-crushing hug that left her gasping.
“Ron! Ronald, I can’t breathe. You don’t want to kill me before you know why I’m here.”
“You sound like Hermione,” Ron muttered as he let her go. He seemed to have noticed Draco then. If he was mad, he didn’t say anything.
“How is she?” Ginny asked as she took a seat on the couch against the wall. When Draco sat beside her, she had a cluster of images slide through her brain, all having to do with his office, and she couldn’t help the blush that set on her cheeks.
“Beastly,” Ron said, laughing. “I mean she’s pregnant so she’s vicious.”
“Is that so? I was under the impression you were calling your wife fat,” Draco said.
Ron ignored him and looked at Ginny.
“So, let me guess. You and the Ferret? Okay, I’m assuming that’s not the reason you came by. Those women dying, then.”
“Have you found out anything?” Ginny asked, crossing her legs. She watched Draco’s eyes on her and smirked.
“We figured that the guy kept the women alive for a time before he killed them. We estimated a few hours between when they were taken to where they were dumped. So far there’s only been two discovered.”
“Two?” Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. “How is that possible? There was a third.”
“Yes,” Ron said, nodding. “But all we’ve found out is that she was last seen at a bar and she left with a man. There was no reason to suspect that she had been kidnapped.”
“Where is she now?” Draco asked.
“She’s out of town.”
“Convenient,” Draco muttered.
“What’s that?” Ron asked, staring at him.
“Nothing,” Draco said. “I just find it funny that she was supposedly abducted and now she’s on vacation somewhere. Maybe she’s covering.”
“You could be one hell of an Auror,” Ron said, nodding approvingly. “What’s this theory?”
“Well, she could be covering for him.” Draco stood and went to Ron’s desk, playing with the paperweight there. “She doesn’t want him to get into trouble if he’s the one doing this.”
“You think she likes him?” Ginny asked suspiciously. “That’s absurd.”
Draco turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. “Is it so strange?”
“Well yes. Are you listening to yourself?”
“Very clearly,” Draco said, frowning.
Something flashed across his face and it was gone before Ginny could identify it properly.
“If he isn’t the killer – and that’s a big if – the girl he’s taken has grown attached to him.”
Draco stared at her, his eyes cool. “Maybe he’s through with her. Maybe she’s not the one he wants.”
Ginny shuddered suddenly and knew it had nothing to do with the small breeze that had swept into the room.
Leave a Review