** The Harry Potter world, characters and places don't belong to me. They belong to J.K. Rowling. Now, please enjoy! ES <3 **

Chapter Seven ~ Escaped

“I love you. I love you so much it hurts inside, Red.” Draco whispered into her ear.

Ginny shivered as his breath brushed against her ear. She closed her eyes, inhaling his delicious scent. Merlin, how she had missed his masculine and mouthwatering scent, his voice, his words; how she missed him something fierce.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he continued to whisper. He stood behind her, nothing touching her but his warm breath.

She swallowed a moan. “It’s been way too long. You know, I searched for you. We all did. Even though I couldn’t find you, I never gave up hope that one day we would be back together. I just knew, without a doubt, that my Red would come back to me.”

Ginny bit her lip; her eyes still closed. The feelings, the emotions that stormed through her body at his words, his nearness, consumed her completely.

“At night, even though we only slept together twice, my body missed you. It missed your closeness, the way our bodies molded together in our sleep. We both know, and pretty much everyone who knows me, that I don’t spend the night with women. Twice, I did it twice with you and now, to this very day, my sleep is troubled. Seventeen years it’s been troubled. Blimey, I need you, Ginny.” His voice had become deep with emotions as he had spoken and with the last words he spoke, Ginny’s heart just about exploded in her chest.

“Red, please,” Ginny felt Draco move in front of her. “Please, open your eyes.” He pleaded.

Biting her lip again, Ginny did just that and when she did, she regretted it instantaneously because instead of looking into those beautiful, emotional, silvery – gray eyes like she had been expecting, she found herself looking at the ceiling of her bedroom in her New York City apartment.

“It was a dream.” Ginny whispered sadly as rummaging from outside her room came to her ears. She sat up and smiled when she heard Amélie curse softly and more sounds came as things fell to the floor.

In the blink of an eye, Ginny was standing behind Amélie who was on her knees picking up boxes of …pictures? Ginny frowned at that.

“What are you doing?” Ginny asked.

Amélie jumped up in surprise; “Mom! I thought you were sleeping!”

“I was until noises woke me up.” She watched as Amélie grimaced. “What are you doing with these boxes, Amélie?”

“I was…well, the thing is that…” Amélie stopped and frowned. “I’m looking for pictures of dad, of Pansy and Blaise and of your family.”

For a second, Ginny’s inside froze. She began to panic but forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and then opened them again when she believe she was ready to resume the conversation calmly rather than start a bloody row with her teenage daughter.

“Why are you looking for their pictures?” She asked evenly.

Amélie bit her lip as she looked everywhere but at Ginny. She knew her mom was mad, she knew she was probably having a nervous breakdown but she’d never show it.

“Amélie -” Ginny started but Amélie’s head dropped and she shuffled her feet nervously.

“I’m not going to go looking for them while I’m there, I promise! Actually, it’s the exact opposite. I don’t want to see our family if they abandoned us, mom! I want nothing to do with people who turned their backs on you. I don’t… well, maybe one person.” Amélie whispered softly.

Ginny sighed as she saw the sad expression on her daughter’s face. A strong feeling of pain and hate spread through her body but she pushed it away.

“Baby, come here.” Ginny said, holding her arms out wide.

Amélie looked up and smiled sadly, her silvery – gray eyes shining from unshed tears. She nodded and went into Ginny’s open arms.

“Draco will be surprised. He won’t understand but he’d want to see you. Maybe…” Ginny stopped, took a deep breath and tried again. “Maybe while we’re in England, we’ll meet up with him.”

Amélie froze.

“While ‘we’re’ in England? What does that mean?” Amélie asked her eyes narrowed as she stepped out of Ginny’s embrace.

Ginny cursed inwardly. She had completely forgotten she hadn’t told Amélie.

“I’m going to England, as well. Last night I received word about –” Amélie cut her off.

“I don’t need a babysitter, mom!” Amélie growled.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Sometimes having a teenage daughter was a nightmare; she thought jokingly.

“Amélie, I am not going to England to babysit you.” She explained. “Jeff has given me another assignment.”

Amélie looked at Ginny suspiciously.

“I’m serious,” Ginny chuckled at Amélie’s expression.

“I can do this. I don’t need help.” Amélie said her voice thick with anger and suspicion but Ginny could also hear the hurt beneath it.

Ginny’s eyes widened in surprise; Amélie thought that Jeff was sending Ginny as well because they believed, Jeff and herself, that Amélie couldn’t complete her assignment. As she realized this, her surprised disappeared and filled her body with love and pride.

“Amélie, listen to me.” Ginny said as she stepped forward and grabbed Amélie’s biceps, waiting for Amélie’s eyes to meet hers. “I have an assignment, a separate assignment then yours. Yes, it’s in England. Yes, I’m glad I’m going with you. I don’t want you to go alone but baby, I can promise you that I will not get in the way of your own assignment.” She explained until Amélie smiled at Ginny.

“Okay, mom,” Amélie said as she nodded.

“And,” Ginny said, looking down at the mess of pictures along the floor and bent down to pick up two different magical pictures. “Here are two pictures. Study them, Amélie. I want you to remember their faces. Pansy and Blaise, if you see them, you can talk to them. They’ll probably be shocked right out of their bloody skin.” Ginny chuckled, “Pansy would most definitely say something uncharacteristically witty or crude.” Amélie laughed at that. “And Blaise, that’s him,” Ginny pointed at handsome black man. “I can just imagine his expression.”

Ginny handed the pictures to Amélie.

The first one was Blaise, Pansy, Neville, Luna, Draco and Ginny sitting in the living room of Ginny’s old apartment above WWW. They were playing the drinking game they always used to play. It brought back memories as they looked at the camera, smiled and then took their shots.

“Are you guys drinking… alcohol?” Amélie asked in shock.

Ginny chuckled, “yes. It was a drinking game we used to play.”

“Who would have thought?” Amélie snorted and placed the picture on the table then grabbed the second one.

It was a picture of Weasley family at Bill’s Wedding. The entire family was there since it was before Fred died in the Second War. They were all huddled in front of the Burrow. Each had happy smiles on their face even though the uncertainty of the future was all in their hearts. They waved happily within the picture.

“Is that Uncle Fred?” Amélie asked softly.

“No, that’s George.” Ginny smiled sadly at her twin brothers. “That one is Fred. The bandage around George’s head is hiding his missing ear. You can’t see it nowadays since he keeps his hair long to cover it.”

“What was he like?” Amélie asked staring longingly at the picture.

“A lot like George,” Ginny said. “A jokester, laughing a lot, friendly, amazing; he was one of my favorite brother’s. George got a lot better over time but after Fred’s death, he was different. Closed off, silent, suffering alone; I tried to help as much as I can but it was hard.”

“I can’t even imagine it, mom.” Amélie sighed sadly. “I can’t imagine losing someone close to me like that.”

“You won’t have to worry about that ever, baby. I won’t ever let something like that happen.” Ginny told Amélie seriously.

“I know, mom.” Amélie smiled at her mother.

Ginny and Amélie then continued to look at the other pictures in the boxes before they got around to packing for their trip to England the next day.

~.~.~

“Are you ready, Amélie?” Ginny asked as she looked over at her daughter. Her fiery, wavy hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, her silvery – gray eyes shining with nervousness and anticipation. She picked at her faded blue jeans unconsciously as she looked at the door anxiously. At Ginny’s words, she looked up at her and nodded.

“Yes, I am.” Amélie whispered.

Ginny nodded back then pushed her miniature luggage into her packet; indicating for Amélie to do the same.

“Do you want to blink there or apparate?” She asked.

“Let’s side - apparate,” Amélie answered, grabbing on to Ginny’s hand.

“Okay, let me blink us outside,” and with that they disappeared just outside their apartment building in the deserted alleyway.

“Since we’re side – apparating, we’re going to have to make a stop halfway through since you can’t apparate that long of a distance.” Ginny continued when Amélie nodded, “so, this is it, baby. No going back. This is going to be your future from now on. Are you ready?”

Amélie closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then opened her eyes, “more then I’ll ever be.”

Ginny nodded as a small smile appeared on her lips.

“England, here we come!” She said, her smile widening when Amélie laughed. “Ready? Three…two…one –” and then they were gone.

~.~.~

“Tomorrow, around noon, I’m going to see that muggle about the information on the redheaded woman he saw. He has to be her, Kingsley.” Draco said as he paced in front of Kingsley’s desk anxiously. “I just know it. I’m so close. I’m going to find her this time. I know it.”

Kingsley sighed as he leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel the pains of a blasted headache approaching but didn’t want to take any potions of the sort.

“Do you want back up?” Kingsley asked even though he knew what Draco would say.

Draco didn’t let him down, “of course not. I can handle it on my own.”

Kingsley nodded then began looking through some papers. “Have you found any information about the mass breakout at Azkaban?” He asked Draco.

Kingsley had given Draco some information about Ginny only if he’d also work on the Azkaban case.

Draco stopped pacing and turned to look at the Minister. “I found out the names of those who escaped.”

“Please don’t tell me –” Kingsley started to say in a hard voice.

“Lucius Malfoy escaped.” Draco interrupted him.

“No,” Kingsley cursed angrily as he dropped his head into his hands.

“Others as well but he is the one that is the biggest problem here.” Draco explained.

“This is bad, Draco.” Kingsley muttered through his hands.

“That it is,” Draco agreed.

“I must inform the muggle Prime Minister and the other countries Ministers of Magic. Let me know how it goes tomorrow, Draco.” Kingsley said as he turned towards his fireplace.

Draco knew when he was being dismissed. “Of course,” he said as he nodded and left the room.

That night as he lay in bed, depressingly alone, he couldn’t shake the feeling that tomorrow, no matter what he found out, would completely change everything that was currently happening right now.

******

Hello, hello! i know i have fallen behind but don't worry! i'm back! i hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading and staying with this story and it's prequel, Killer Lies!

Love you guys!

Peace & Love,

Emmalee <3