On the edge of the small woods on the outskirts of the Parkinson Manor, Ginny knelt by a tree. She took in the grounds. Polished lawns, shadowed corners, ominous vibe, and empty. She looked at her watch. A few minutes after nine-thirty. She had some time to spare.

She pulled the blueprints from her bag and unraveled them onto the floor. The manor was enormous. Vander deserved an extra galleon next visit for such a quick retrieval. She grinned as she ran her fingers over the labeled bedrooms. There were dozen of rooms, but the second largest, right down from the master bedroom, was the second biggest room. Must be Pansy's. On the second floor, the right side of the manor.

Standing, she rolled her shoulders and rubbed her hands together. Next point was where to get into the Manor. The Parkinsons were out tonight. Malfoy owled earlier that the family would be away, and now would be the time. There was a part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell, but it was a job. She chewed on her bottom lip.

A flash of Malfoy's silvery-gray eyes shot through her mind.

She stiffened, clearing her throat and wiped at her eyes. What the hell had that been? Add that to the kiss with Harry... She ran her hand over her lips.

Focus on the job.

She crouched down again and mapped out the best way to reach Pansy's room. As her fingers glided across the blueprints, excitement drummed through her.

Pansy's bedroom would be first, and if not there, she'd check her parents' room down the way.

Ginny wanted to get in, grab the Black Locket, return it to Malfoy, then disappear. Maybe move out of her flat in Westminster and leave, disappear from this life. She'd drawn too much attention to herself. Harry, Malfoy, the Ministry... yes, it was time to move away for a bit. With Malfoy's money from this job, she could go anywhere she wanted to. Just grab her golden vase and go. Disappear.

She really liked that idea.

Her watch buzzed.

She smiled. Time to go.

She rolled up the blueprint and stuffed it back into her bag. She got to her feet and gripped her bag strap. She was ready.

Taking a deep breath, she listened. Nature filled her ears. She exhaled. The wind blew. She inhaled. Insects sang, birds chirped, a wolf howled. She exhaled again.

Ginny sprinted towards the gate, her wand in hand. She whispered a spell to reveal the protection wards. It buzzed all over the gate. She jogged down a few more feet and stopped in front of a weak spot. She just needed to get passed this part. It shouldn't send off too strong of a warning, but that didn't matter. No one was home anyway.

"Homenum Revelio!" she whispered. Silence followed. Yes, no humans around. She pointed her wand at a small area. "Deprimo." A hole blasted through the gate.

No alarm went off.

She climbed through. As she passed through the weak spell, her hair stood on end. She held her breath as she cleared it. Once through, she exhaled. Tossing a repair spell over her shoulder, she hurried towards the Manor. She'd find another way out of the place. It was safer this way.

The front doors loomed over her. The Manor was too big for three people. It was pointless to have so much extra space. She walked past a three-layered fountain fixture in the massive flower gardens. The topiary trees were masterly shaped like anyone would expect a Slytherin Pureblood family to have.

She unlocked the back door and slipped into the kitchen. There were no house elves at the moment since the family was away. She was free to roam.

The further she walked, the more she realized how cold it was. This wasn't a home. Void of love and warmth and compassion. The walls were lined with magical pictures, each turning to watch her but never speaking a word. She frowned at them as she passed countless rooms until she finally came to the one she was searching for. The golden handle beckoned her.

She reached for it when a hand appeared out of nowhere and clasped over her mouth.

Her heart stopped then her brain kickstarted and she reared back her elbow, her wand in her hand.

"Wait," he whispered.

She froze then pushed his hand away and spun around. "Harry! What the hell are you-" No one was there. She blinked. He appeared a moment later, pulling off the invisibility cloak. He barely looked at her before peeking down the hall then he pulled the door open behind him and yanked her into the room. As the door shut behind them, she started, "What-"

He was on her, his lips crushing against hers as he pushed her against the door. It was a bruising kiss but she could feel his worry and panic through it. One hand gripped her neck, the other brushed against her left cheek softly.

But it was over before it really started. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"Thank God I caught you before they did," he muttered, eyes closed.

How was it her heart jumped when he worried about her? Her heart skipped a beat. God. Why was he- "Wait. Did you say they?"

His eyes snapped open and he pushed up his glasses. "Yes, I said they." He stepped away from her and looked around the room. "Where are we?"

"Pansy Parkinson's room." She crossed her arms. "Who's here?"

He spun around. "You have to get out of here now." He looked around the room. He moved to the balcony doors. When he opened the doors, he moved to the railings and looked over. He came back a moment later, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? What are you doing here?" She grabbed the back of his jumper, forcing him to look at her. "Answer me, Potter."

"Shhh, keep it down." He peeked back at the door. "Do you want to get caught?"

"That's why I want to find out who's here." She shook him.

"If we're caught, well, I don't know how I'm going to explain this." He exhaled. "So, be quiet so I can find you a way to get away?" He removed her hands and turned towards the fireplace in the center of the wall. He took a bowl off the mantel. "Brilliant! There's some floo powder here. Come, quickly, Ginny!"

Ginny glared. "Stop ordering me around."

Harry held the bowl out to her. "Take some and go!"

"Harry-" He cut her off.

"Will you just do as I say? Just this once? There is a group of Aurors searching this location for you, your brother included." Her heart skipped a beat, but he wasn't done. "I didn't want to get Ron involved, but I could hardly keep him away. Ginny, I don't have time for this. You need to go. I have to do some rounds before I go back to them to throw them off your trail." He turned back to her but she wasn't paying attention.

He hadn't told the Ministry about her? Why would he keep that from them? What was the point behind that? He should've told them. She expected him to. Why would he protect her?

"Why are you just staying there? Go!" He fixed his glasses. "You obviously want to be caught, and then we'll both get sent to Azkaban. That must be it. Is this punishment? Do you hate me that much?"

"I'm going!" She threw up her arms and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"Go," he said as he made his way to the door.

She stepped into the fireplace and chanced a look at his back, but he was standing at the door, watching her with wide eyes. Her heart sped up. "Harry-" She started, but he shook his head, opened the door, and shut it softly behind him.

She took a deep breath, lifted her hand, and dropped the powder. She disappeared within the green flames.

* * *

The door shut behind Harry, and he leaned back against it. He closed his eyes. The distinct roar of the flames came through the door. He sighed. It would've been terrible if they got caught. He had no way to explain Ginny or why they were together.

He ran his hands over his face, his glasses sliding up his forehead. He didn't have time to wallow in possibilities. He had to meet the others soon.

His invisibility cloak slipped over his shoulders. Time to disappear from the area and get back to his scheduled place. For ten minutes, he walked until he was far enough from Pansy's room to be safe. He turned a corner and pulled it off. Sliding it into the back of his pants.

"Potter?"

He turned. Sharp came down the other end of the corridor. "Yeah. Anything?" he asked, though he knew the man would say no. Ginny was long gone. He felt like he could finally breathe for the first time in hours. Damn. She was going to be the death of him.

Sharp shook his head, a frown on his face. "Let's head to the entrance. It's almost time to meet up with the others."

"Yes." They set off to the meeting spot. As they turned the corner, heading for the stairs, Harry heard Sharp sigh.

"Problem?" he asked.

"Where's the Parkinson family?" Sharp asked as they began their way down.

"I don't know." He was just glad they weren't here.

"Do you think Fyrefox did something to them?" Sharp asked, glancing around as they went.

Harry turned to look at him. "No!" He regretted it when he spotted Sharp's expression. He cleared his throat. "No, Fyrefox hasn't shown any sign of harming people," he added.

"You're probably right." Sharp nodded.

Clearing his throat, he pushed up his glasses. Ginny was going to get him thrown in Azkaban for sure.

They met up with the rest of the group. The other seven Aurors turned towards Harry as he ran his fingers through his hair. None of them looked hopeful, and though that should disappoint him, it relaxed him.

"Report?" he asked, and one by one, they began.

Francis Redman and Lydia Montgomery were the first pair. "Nothing from us. Empty and dark," Redman reported. Lydia nodded.

Harry nodded.

Michelle Garcia and Jenson Pitters were next. He was almost regretting bring him in when Pitters opened his mouth, but Garcia jumped ahead. "Nothing from our end, either. It was just quiet. Almost too quiet, if you know what I mean, sir."

Harry bit his tongue. She was right. Even though Ginny had been quiet, the how was unnervingly quiet. He didn't like it one bit. It felt off. He nodded.

Ron, Sharp, and Jack were the last group.

"Well, you know I wandered away," Sharp said before the others.

"Like everyone said," Ron started. "The place is empty. Maybe the tip was wrong. Fyrefox isn't here and it doesn't look like he has been." He yawned and checked his watch.

"Or he was gone before we showed up," Jack said, rubbing his chin. "Or maybe he heard us and split just in time."

They all turned to him, and Jack shrugged. "What? Just some ideas."

"I think Jack's right." Sharp stepped towards Jack. "I trust my informant. He's never led me astray before."

"There's a first for everything," Pitters mumbled, but Sharp heard him. The man flinched under Sharp's glare.

"So, what happens now?" Garcia asked, pushing the end of her braid over her shoulder.

"We head back for now and fill out the usual paperwork. If anything stuck out to you, report it. Do you hear me?" He ordered.

They all nodded before stepping out the front doors. They walked out the gate and apparated back to the Ministry, all without the Parkinsons knowing. For a second, Harry stayed behind after they all disappeared He looked back at the Manor.

He wasn't comfortable with the dangers Ginny was putting herself in He needed to do something. This was getting out of hand. He couldn't have the witch he loved rotting away in Azkaban. He had to do something and quick.

*

What is Harry going to do to keep Ginny away from trouble? Hmm... it can't be good, that's for sure! What were your thoughts on this chapter? Where will they go from here? And as always, thank you so much for your support. Throughout this rewrite, you've all kept me going. I appreciate it. Thank you so much <3