Bad [Harry Potter Fanfiction] (Bad Series: 1)

35 | The future together

Where the bloody hell was Ginny?

It had taken Harry all of five minutes to follow her out into the side corridor. His heart pounded, hands clenched into fists. He want to yell at her, plead with her, kiss her silly. He didn't know what he was going to do when he caught up with her again.

Ginny was on a mission, it seemed. What did the Parkinsons have that she wanted? It had to be them. She wouldn't have left the ballroom if it was someone in there. He looked down the corridor but no one was around. He turned left and headed towards the entrance of the manor.

"Harry!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see a man jogging towards him. It took him a second to recognize Ron. He stopped. "Hey, how's it going? Where are Sharp and Jack?"

"You didn't see them? They went inside to find you." Ron looked over his shoulder one more time then met up with Harry. The look on his face worried him.

"No," Harry said. He didn't remember seeing them before he left the ballroom. "What's wrong?"

"I just saw-" He paused and shook his head. "What is Ginny doing here?"

Ah. Just as he said. She walked right by him and hadn't recognized him. Ron did, though. Damn, she never listened. Stubborn woman. Why couldn't she listen to him for once? Didn't she realize he was trying to help her?

"Probably leaving," he lied.

"What is she even doing here?" Ron's eyebrows furrowed as he looked down the corridor again.

Harry looked too. The corridor was empty. Was that where she went?

"Did she come to see you?" Ron asked.

Harry's eyebrows raised. "No, definitely not." That wasn't a lie. She was all business tonight, but he couldn't tell Ron that. He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at the corridor again. Go away, Ron.

"Then, who did she come with? I thought you guys were-" He stopped and shook his head. "How did she even get in here? It's not like the Parkinsons are best mates with our family."

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea." Then he peeked down the corridor one more time. "Actually, I'm going to go make some rounds myself. If I see her, I'm ask her. Promise." He walked away then paused, looking at his watch. "Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes. Gather everyone." He didn't wait for Ron to respond, he went down the corridor, in the direction he had come from.

It was empty.

Dammit. He lost her again.

*               *               *

She finally lost him. Ginny sighed then went up the stairways. Finding the kitchen had been a little harder than she thought. She got a bit turned around when she walked by this man, and he stared at her the entire time until she turned around a corner. She didn't know him, didn't recognize him. It was just odd.

Everyone was so preoccupied with the birthday ball, she was able to skirt past the house-elves and up the back stairs without anyone noticing. Once upstairs, she turned right, walked past the master bedroom and continued down multiple doors until she reached the one she wanted. This was it. Almost at the end of this job, and then she could get Malfoy off her back.

Smiling, she glanced down the corridor. Empty. She turned the kno and slipped into the dark room. Empty too. Her smile grew. With a quiet Lumos, the tip of her wand lit the room. Her last trip to this room, she'd barely had a second to take it in, now was her chance.