Vander was late. Ginny checked her watch for the fourth time. Stretching back against the wall in Kockturn Alley, the shadows hiding her from the view of curious glances. She yawned. She'd been waiting for half an hour. She glanced at her watch again. Where was he? If he didn't show soon, she couldn't be held accountable for her actions. She was still ticked about last night with her meeting with Malfoy. Whenever she thought about it, a throbbing started behind her eyes.
Where the hell was he?
She folded the Daily Prophet under her arm. Still nothing about the robbery. Had the Ministry silenced the truth? She didn't know why she was surprised.
Ginny heard him coming down the alleyway. Her wand in hand, Vander turned the corner to his usual spot beside Borgin and Burkes but jumped back, a soft cry on his lips, when he felt the stick in his stomach.
Arms shot up. "Don't, I'm unarmed!" He cried, not even reaching for his wand.
She snorted. "Like hell you are." She pulled back and grinned at him. "Good afternoon, Vander."
He groaned, turning around and shaking his head. He came back around. Her smile grew. Abram Vander did not enjoy her visits, but she wasn't here to make friends. If she allowed him or any of the others in this line of work walk all over her, she would've been dead a long time ago.
She brushed blond hair behind her ears and stepped a little into the light.
Vander frowned, brushing his fingers through his graying hair. "What can I do for you, Ms. Elizabeth?"
"A stolen item, of course," she told him. "And I need it quickly." She stepped towards him, and he retreated. In the crime world, it was always a dance. An endless cycle of chasing.
He licked his lips and rubbed his hands together."How quickly are we talking?"
"As soon as possible. It's a rush job." She stopped and frowned then ran her tongue over her teeth. "Unfortunately, I had dessert before dinner. Bad of me, but that's just me." She shrugged, a grin pulling onto her lips.
Vander crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowing. "Depends on the money and exactly what the item is."
Her head tilted. "Money? Did you already forget my last visit?" Her eyebrow rose.
He gulped. "Wait-" He stopped, eyes widening and hands held up between them.
"I gave you plenty of galleons. Did you forget?" She crossed her arms. "This isn't how you play fair, Vander. I don't like that." She exhaled. "Do you want me to find someone else to help me?"
He waved his hands. "No! I remember now! I do! Really! Yeah, you gave me more than enough last time. I-" He stopped and cleared his throat.
She grinned. "That's what I thought." She stepped back and leaned against the wall.
"Tell me what you need." He rubbed his hands together.
She wanted to pat him on the shoulder but figured he would jump out of his bones. "I need blueprints to a manor," she said.
"Blueprints?" he asked. "Why do you need blueprints?"
"Not why, but whose?"
Vander got the meaning and backed off of the information. "Yeah, I meant whose blueprints of whose manor?"
Ginny nodded. "Now you're getting it."
"Is this about the Black Locket?" He chanced a guess. "Did you find out where it is?"
It would probably move things along faster if she shared with him. "Yes, I found it. I'll need blueprints for the Parkinson Manor as soon as possible, Vander. Like yesterday. Do you understand?"
He nodded.
"I'll be back in a few hours to pick them up."
"And if they ask who it's for?"
She sighed again. "If you must, tell them Fyrefox is in need of it," she told him as she turned to leave.
"Fyrefox..." he whispered. "No way! No- You can't be-"
"Maybe, maybe not," she threw over her shoulder and winked playfully. "Never said it was me." And with that, she disappeared into the shadows of Knockturn Alley.
* * *
"Potter!" Sharp called from his office but didn't stay long enough to see if Harry would come before disappearing into his office.
Harry frowned, looking at Ron standing beside him. "What do you think that's about?"
Ron shrugged. "Guess you'll find out." He started to turn away but Harry grabbed his arm and steered him towards Sharp's office. Jack was fast asleep in one of the chairs, his feet propped on the desk, arms crossed and his chin on his chest.
"Late night?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.
Sharp shot him a look.
"I'm awake." Jack's eyes snapped open, and he looked towards the two men, his dark eyes focusing on them.
Sharp sat in his chair and started ruffling through papers. "Come in and shut the door. Hurry." He rushed.
"What's the rush?" Ron asked, closing the door behind them. "And with all this secrecy?"
"I received an anonymous tip about Fyrefox." Sharp got right to the point.
"Whaaaat?" Jack's jaw dropped as he shot up in his chair. "When?"
"When?" Ron asked as well.
Harry stared, and when his brain kicked into gear, he asked, "From who?" Ginny. Bloody hell. This was bad.
Ron snorted. "It's anonymous, Harry. He doesn't know." Ron rolled his eyes. "Obviously."
Harry shot him a glare.
Sharp crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I received two actually," he said. "The Department of Magical Law Enforcement received some intel, but I actually got information from my source in Kockturn Alley about Fyrefox."
Harry's heart clenched. Two tips? Was Ginny getting sloppy? She lasted years, but why now? He thought about the two parchments.
"My guy said Fyrefox is looking for blueprints," Sharp continued.
Blueprints? What the hell is she thinking?
"Why would he need- What do you think he's up to?" Ron asked, frowning. "He just robbed the Ministry. Why would he need blueprints?"
"He's obviously not done," Sharp said.
Harry gulped and licked his lips. "Is the information reliable?"
Ginny wouldn't be so stupid to try to move now. Fyrefox is front-page news, even if the public didn't know who was behind the theft of the Golden Unicorn Horn. She had to know it would be stupid to pull a job now. She should be lying low. What was she thinking?
"Yes, it's reliable. I believe my source sent a tip to the Department because I couldn't be reached right away." Sharp tapped his fingers against the desk. "I was... busy but as soon as I got free, I got the message."
Jack fidgeted in his chair.
"How do you have someone in Knockturn Alley?" Ron asked curiously.
"You don't?" Sharp asked, an eyebrow raised. Ron laughed. Sharp continued, "A man owes me a favor. He was willing to tip me off if any news about Fyrefox came up." He glanced at Harry. "Looks like we've got another shot." He got to his feet and grabbed his cloak.
"And you better take advantage." The four men jumped in surprise to see Robards standing just inside the room, the door slightly ajar.
"I swear I closed the door," Ron whispered.
Everyone ignored him as Robards looked at them. "I'll send a team. You four and an additional four. Eight should be enough to catch this bastard. Potter, gather the other four. The conference room is all yours. Good luck." With that, the man left.
Harry fought his panic. Maybe it was false information, maybe she wouldn't show. She was smart. She wouldn't come.
Gulping, he made his way to the door. "Ron, get Pitters, Montgomery, Redman, and Garcia to the conference room in ten minutes. We've got a lot to talk about." He looked at Sharp. "Do we have a time?"
"Only a few hours," Sharp said.
Harry nodded. "And we've only got a little time."
"Do we know what the blueprints are to?" Jack asked, coming to stand beside Sharp.
"I'm waiting to hear back about it." Sharp looked at his watch. "I'll go down to Knockturn Alley and see what I can learn."
"Contact me if you learn anything," Harry told him.
Sharp nodded and started for the door. Jack followed him.
"Jack, you're with me," Harry shot off.
They both stopped. After a look at each other, Jack came back into the room. Ron hurried out of the room after Jackson. Jack joined Harry to the conference room.
Ten minutes later, the conference room was filled with eight Aurors, seven of them watching Harry as he stood in the front of them, a glass of water in his hand. He finished his glass and placed it on the table.
The four other aurors were Jenson Pitters, who talked a lot but was good at his job; Lydia Montgomery, young but efficient; Francis Redman, an older auror but he was one of the best; and Michelle Garcia, she was quick, speed and smarts wise. They made a good team.
"Robards wants us to stun as soon as you see Fyrefox. The thief is quick and will not hesitate to disarm or stun you." Merlin, don't show up Ginny. He didn't want her to get hurt or worse, have someone see who she is. He ran his hands over his face, his glasses sliding up his forehead. He dropped his hands. "Our responsibility for tonight is to bring the thief in for questioning."
"Do you really think eight of us is necessary?" Pitters asked.
Jack crossed his arms. "Have you caught Fyrefox before?"
Pitters mouth opened then closed. "No," he said a moment.
Jack nodded. "Okay, and has Fyrefox ever been caught before in the last... how many years has it been?" he asked the others.
"About four years," Ron answered as he rested his chin on his hand, eyes staring at the door to the conference room.
"Thank you." Jack rubbed his hands together. "Has he ever been caught in the last four years, Pitters?"
"No," Pitters answered softly.
"So, maybe I'm an outsider here and don't really know how things work around here, but eight seems like a good number to me," Jack said, leaning back in his chair and looking at Harry. "How, where were we?"
Harry fought a grin, crossing his arms. Pitters flushed. "Prepare yourselves. Take a break. Be back here in an hour and a half. We'll be ready to go when Sharp gets here." He turned away as he heard everyone getting up then forced himself to move at normal speed. He needed to go. He needed to get to Ginny's flat.
"Harry, wait up!" Ron started after him. "Hungry? Think I'll pick up some food."
Harry cut him off. "I left something at home. I'll be back soon. While you're at it, can you get me something to eat?"
Ron nodded. "I'll go and check on Hermione first. She's been in her office all day. Bet she forgot to eat. Maybe I'll grab her something too. See you soon." He patted his back.
Rushing to the elevators, he waved over his shoulder. He needed to hurry. If Ginny was caught, she'd go away for a long time. Half a dozen years if she was lucky. He couldn't let that happen. Not after coming back into her life. Not after he got another chance with her. God, he still loved her.
His eyes widened. He still loved her. Loved her since they were kids even through all the heartbreak and lost years, even if she was a thief and he was supposed to uphold the law, even though she hated him.
Bloody hell, he was in serious trouble.
He left the Ministry and apparated straight to Ginny's flat in Westminster. He needed to warn her, to make sure she stayed home and far away from wherever the blueprints lead.
Unfortunately, when he knocked on the door, no one answered after twenty minutes. She wasn't home. He thought about blasting in the door but figured it wasn't in his best interest. She had muggle neighbors after all.
He had a bad feeling.
"Shite," he whispered. His hands clenched into fists. Shaking his head, he apparated home and grabbed his invisibility cloak. The cloak would be useful. He cursed the entire way home and into his office. He grabbed the cloak then flooed back to his office. Ginny would be where the blueprints led. He was sure of it. He needed to catch her before the others did.
When he stepped through the fireplace in his office, Sharp and Jack were waiting for him.
Sharp stepped forward, his green eyes meeting his. "The blueprints are to the Parkinson Manor."
*
And here we go! All avenues are pointing towards the Parkinson Manor. What will happen? What do you think will come to pass at the Manor? Also, thank you as always, for supporting Ginny and Harry's adventures. I hope you continue to, and feel free to share your thoughts as you do <3