Title: Floating Face Down
Author: xalexandriam
Rating: R (Sorta Naughty)
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: lots of language, some violence
Summary (if fic): Ginny's an Auror with a new case on her hands. The only person competent enough
to help her is also a man she helped lock up in Azkaban.
A/N: I wrote this particular fic for the D/G Fic Exchange over at LJ.com for neojas. I was incredibly
excited to recieve the prompt below; I had so much fun writing it! Thanks to my friend, Lisa, for the deluge of ideas
that eventually went into this fic, as well as my beta, ginnygie, for probably the fastest beta job I have
ever witnessed.
Original Prompt:
BRIEFLY describe what you'd like to receive if you were to get a fic by describing... A fic where
Ginny and Draco must put aside past grievances in order to solve a case.
The tone/mood of the fic: Drama and romance…with elements of a good crime novel if possible.
An element/line of dialogue/object you would like in your fic: Element: misunderstandings in their
past relationship. 'He thought she betrayed him. She thought she had no choice'- that sort of thing.
Preferred rating of the fic you want: Whatever the author wants
Canon or AU? Either but nothing too wacky
Deal Breakers (what don't you want?): No songfic or crossovers please. H/G (unless really
necessary). A very dark fic or something overly fluffy…something 'real' in tone would be fantastic.
Floating Face Down
They were a paradox of a pairing - the then newly appointed Minister's daughter and the son of a Death Eater with a
shady past.
And yet, their paradoxical pairing turned out to make the most sense out of any other pairing in the Ministry's Auror division.
He was cold, ruthless, and efficient, and he balanced out her warm, precise, and somewhat deadly nature. Both could wield a fatal hex or spell, using their combined knowledge to get the job done in the quickest means possible.
But that had been two years ago.
Before the case that tore them apart and before his brief stay in Azkaban.
He thought she betrayed him.
She thought she had no choice.
* * * * * * * * * *
January 2004
Ginny's life couldn't have been any more perfect than it was at that exact moment.
She and Draco had been working for months trying to find Antonin Dolohov, an old Death Eater and currently one of the top crime bosses in all of wizarding Europe.
They had finally traced him back to Lithuania, near the Russian border. The Ministry, in their desperation to put an end to his black market practices with not only dangerous magical creatures, but Dark artefacts and potions, had sent out Draco and Ginny to capture him.
Before leaving, though, their superior informed the team of the latest setback on the Ministry's part: a mole, sent by Dolohov himself had wormed his way throughout the Ministry. No department had the slightest idea of where the mole could be. The entire bureaucracy was in a panic; the Minister had instituted background checks for every Ministry employee and, if necessary, a private investigation for any suspicious actions found.
Yet even though Ginny was in the process of a background check during her mission, life still could not be any more perfect.
After three years of having Draco as a partner, both he and Ginny came to the conclusion that their near-daily arguments were fuelled by something other than centuries of mutual family bickering and was explored by a synchronous release of tension and frustration (both sexual and other in nature) the night previous. Their cover as a married couple only added to Ginny's glee.
So there she was, crouched beside her partner-cum-lover, fighting against the urge to say to hell with the mission and professional decorum just so she could spend the rest of the day in bed with Draco. But, unfortunately, there was a mission to be completed and a Ministry mole to be unearthed.
Draco turned to give Ginny a brief smile before grabbing her hand and guiding her through the maze of hallways in Dolohov's spacious Lithuanian abode.
They came to a halt in front a large oak door; the wood was pockmarked and scarred, the iron handle and its hinges tinted a burnt copper by the fading sun's glow on the slight film of rust. All signs of age.
Ginny felt a sharp gust of wind blow through the already chilly corridor, a low whistle that caused a shiver to reach her all the way down in her bones. As Draco reached for the door, Ginny heard the shifting and grinding of stone against stone. Instinctively she turned, expecting to see the large, slithering form of a basilisk or a horde of burly men, grinning at their new prey. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Nothing.
Every since she and Draco entered the estate, Ginny had the strangest sense of movement from the house. As if it was linked to the very well-being of its owner. She shook it off as nerves, squeezing Draco's hand in hopes of boosting his morale.
He squeezed back, sending a flurry of nervous energy through Ginny, sucking in a breath as she watched Draco push the door open with ease. Normally, Ginny wasn't one to be so cautious when on a mission. Draco said she still had the Gryffindor mentality of running blindly into a fray. But then again, now that she and Draco were involved with one another, there was more for her to lose.
Draco let go of her hand, slowly walking into what was supposed to be Dolohov's meeting room. He motioned with a hand to circle the room, the two walking around the vast space in opposite directions, searching for any clue as to Dolohov's whereabouts. Each sub-consciously felt for their wands hidden in their robes, grasping on to the handle in case Dolohov decided to make an appearance.
The massive door in the entranceway slammed shut, Draco and Ginny whipping their heads in reaction to the sudden sound and movement. Ginny turned away, her ears keying in on the familiar sound of stone grinding against itself. At the very back of the room, a passageway began to open beside a high-backed chair, a figure stepping out from the shadows.
"My, my. What are two Aurors doing here so far away from home?"
Before her partner had time to react to the voice, Ginny yelled out "Stupefy!", her target easily dodging the hex.
Draco stole a glance at her, trying his hardest not to glare in response to Ginny's failed decision.
He noticed her eyes widen slightly, but she refused to address her adversary.
Dolohov turned to Draco. "What? No response?" He clucked his tongue in annoyance. "And I had thought your dear mother taught you better, Draco."
"It's over, Dolohov," Draco replied with an air of cold indifference.
"Really? On the contrary, good friend, I believe this little game has just started."
Dolohov waved a hand, eyes shining in amusement as Draco and Ginny began to struggle against the stone shackles the house created with Dolohov's signal.
Bound to the walls at opposite sides of the great room, Dolohov took the opportunity to relieve Draco and Ginny of their wands, shouting an "Expelliarmus!" and catching the wands as they flew to his open hand.
Pocketing the two Aurors' wands, their foreign adversary strolled to the chair near the passageway he initially came out of, swinging his sinewy legs over the dark wood of the chair's arms.
He glanced at Draco, smirking as he addressed him. "Weasley, Draco? I didn't think that you could do it, but I suppose a congratulations is in order. I did have my doubts; I mean, let's face it, you're not one of my top men, but I figure that if you could make into the Auror Academy and still work for me, well, you can do just about anything, can't you?"
Dolohov snapped his fingers, releasing Draco from the stone shackles. The blond man began rubbing his wrists, pressing a panel on the inside of his robe sleeve unbeknownst to Dolohov.
"Oh, ye of little faith you have in me, Dolohov. I told you from the beginning that the job would be nothing short of easy. Getting Weasley as my partner and having to find you as a case were just sheer dumb luck."
"And I thank you for bringing her to me. She poses the biggest threat to my business, making headway in sending most of my clients and suppliers to prison. The fact that she's the Minister's daughter will only make my getting rid of her that much sweeter."
Ginny watched the two men's exchange from her place against the wall, rendered helpless and speechless not only by what Dolohov said but Draco's friendly candour with him. She blinked rapidly several times, willing herself to not cry. Her time with Draco was so wonderful, so amazing, and she could slowly feel every moment with him slip away into the area of her sub-conscious where Tom was kept; a place were lies and deception ran rampant.
She could see Draco convince Dolohov of returning both of their wands, but she could not hear the interaction. Her vision blurred as her pent-up tears threatened to spill over, her hearing was muffled as if cotton was stuffed into her ears.
Time slowed down for Ginny as she saw Dolohov snap his fingers, releasing her from her place against the wall before she felt her body go rigid from a Body-Bind. She barely felt the cold stone floor beneath her, could barely recognize the familiar popping sound of dozens of Aurors Apparating into the room she was currently in, and didn't even notice Dolohov snap his fingers once more, releasing her of her bind, before pulling a strange object out of his robe, aiming it at Ginny as he dodged curses and hexes cast by the Aurors.
Then suddenly, she was slammed with a sensory overload -- the shouting of names and spells; the sharp, acrid smell of smoke; the tang of iron and copper, dripping onto and into the cross sections of the stone brick beneath her. She felt a pain in her lower abdomen and slowly laid a rapidly paling hand over the area. Ginny drew it back to see the stark contrast of blood on her lily-white hand.
She was being shaken like a rag doll. Her name repeated over and over as she struggled to not give in to the darkness itching to take hold of her like a vice.
A flash of grey and then Ginny's world fell apart.
* * * *
Ginny woke up some two weeks later, abdomen bandaged and slowly healing as she laid in St. Mungo's.
She later learned that her wound was caused by a Muggle toy that Dolohov had recently taken to playing around with: a pistol.
The last person she had seen was Draco, who Apparated the two of them to the wizarding hospital, throwing the place into hysteria as he tried to get Ginny help.
He wasn't there when she woke up, though. In fact, no one was.
As she slept, her body mending itself for the damage done, Dolohov confessed to everything during his highly publicized trial -- including Draco being the "Ministry Mole". Ginny testifying to confirm what Dolohov revealed upon her waking was like putting salt in a wound for Draco.
By the time Ginny left the wizarding hospital, Draco had already spent three days in Azkaban for his crime of conspiring against the national wizarding government.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ginny's eyes flew open, the night's dream still fresh in her head.
For a week now, she kept dreaming about the night when she was shot; her sub-conscious reminding her that it was also the night she learned of Draco's deception.
She sat up, rubbing the left side of her abdomen as though the wound were still fresh.
Some instances during the week she even went as far as lifting her nightshirt upon waking, expecting to see the harsh white glow of the bandages, but each time she only saw a small horizontal scar.
Walking to her bathroom, Ginny thought about the day ahead, grateful for the distraction that allowed her to focus on something other than bad memories.
The tepid water of the shower rained down on her, soaking her from the roots of her hair to the nails on her toes, washing away the residue of the past day. Ginny laid her forehead against the cool tile of one of the walls, trying to convince herself that the day's task really was for the best.
She had received her latest mission the day previous, and really, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for her - find and protect someone from the various nefarious forces out there in the wizarding world. Nothing new.
Well, not exactly.
This time around, the subject in question was a Muggle woman around Ginny's age with blue-black hair, who just below the nape of her neck, had a tattoo of a black key with an orange-tipped yellow rose winding around it. The Aurors knew nothing about her, only that her key tattoo, when paired with a certain incantation unlocked the door to the underworld, allowing the globe to be overrun with demons and other such malevolent spirits.
Besides the fact that Ginny had no other information regarding the woman she was supposed to find, she also learned of the others searching for this Muggle - Dolohov's son, Rodion, took it upon himself to follow in his father's footsteps and the first item on his checklist was to search for the same Muggle Ginny had to search for.
She stepped out of the shower, running a towel through her sopping curls, wrapping another around her body.
Once dry, she rummaged through her closet, looking for a pair of black slacks, a white shirt, and her favourite crimson-coloured trench. Ginny laid the day's chosen ensemble on her bed, grabbing her wand off of her nightstand to dry her hair.
She glanced at the clock, rushing through the rest of her routine in order to avoid being late for her appointment.
Ginny ran to her fireplace, grabbing a fistful of Floo powder before shouting "British Ministry of Magic!" quickly disappearing in a flurry of green flames.
She arrived at the Auror Deparment some five minutes later, exchanging polite glances and hellos with her fellow co-workers, weaving through the many cubicles before reaching her own.
On her desk was a small envelope, the words "Your Portkey" written in Kingsley's familiar handwriting on the front. Encased in the envelope was a golden Snitch replica. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the irony.
She stole a look at her wrist-watch, touching the Snitch as the device indicated nine o'clock.
Ginny landed feet-first in front of the black wrought iron gates to Azkaban prison.
A young guard met her at the gate, immediately guiding her to the appropriate sector.
They came to an abrupt halt in front of a cell at the very end of a corridor. The guard opened the cell door, motioning for Ginny to enter. The barred door slammed shut, causing the red-head to jump as she tried to calm her nerves. She did an about-face to see the guard staring at her from the other side of the door.
Ginny turned once more to face him.
Her heart, red and pulsating, leapt into her throat, while her stomach did a back tuck, causing her body to tense up in nervous anticipation.
He sat in a corner, mercurial eyes peeking out of slits in his platinum hair. The slate grey Azkaban standard robes were ill-fitting and the slenderness of his wrists and ankles showed how much weight he- had lost in just two years.
"Hello, Draco."
"What the fuck do you want?"
Ginny swallowed a lump in her throat before speaking, Draco's eyes never leaving her face.
"I -- I came here with a proposition for you."
"Oh, really? And what the bloody hell do you think I could want from a traitorous bint like you?"
"I only came here because I needed your help with my latest mission, and frankly, you are the only person that I can think of who is competent enough to assist me."
"That's all well and good, but as you can see, I'm otherwise obligated to the lovely institution that is Azkaban. Besides, I don't enjoy consorting with the likes of you."
"Look, just hear me out - if you agree to working with me, my father promises your release."
"Oh, boy! The Minister's offering me my freedom if I say yes to his precious daughter!" Draco exclaimed, feigning excitement. "No, thanks, but I'll pass, Weasley."
Ginny turned to leave, then stopped, turning around to face her ex. "Please, Draco. I really do --"
Draco leapt up from his spot on the floor, running so he was nose to nose with Ginny.
"What? What the fuck do you expect me to say? Expect me to do? Do you expect me to welcome you with open arms? Hold you close and tell you that I forgive you for helping the Ministry lock me up in this hellhole? Well, I hate to break it to you, Ginny, but I can't. I put my fucking heart on a fucking platter for you and what do I get in return? A one-way ticket to Azkaban."
Draco stepped away, returning to the corner he came from.
Ginny remained frozen in her spot, mouth agog, tears flowing freely down her freckled face.
"I - I'm sorry, Draco."
"Sorry, dear, but your apology is two years too late. Get out."
Ginny sighed in resignation, but walked over to where Draco sat, determined to not leave without him.
"I had no choice, Draco."
"Yes you did."
"You were a spy in the Ministry. And I witnessed everything that night. Did you expect me to lie to the Wizengamot? They made Dolohov take Veritaserum. And to tell the truth, I don't fancy Azkaban all that much. If anything, you can only blame yourself." Ginny sat down beside him, taking a hold of one of his hands. "I know you may not like me very much right now, but if it's any consolation, you're the only person I can think about these days. I often wonder if there was a way that I could have lied, if only to keep you by my side."
Ginny laughed bitterly, tears threatening to break free once more, cursing Draco's stubbornness.
She wiped away a single tear with her free hand, before using it to turn Draco's head to face hers.
"Please," Ginny whispered, eyes imploring and glassy as she begged Draco a final time.
His face was impassive, immune to her tearful charms.
Her eyes scanned his face for any sign of a breakthrough, but there was still nothing, the reddened orbs finally landing on his lips.
Temptation got the better of Ginny and she leaned in to place a soft, chaste kiss on his chapped lips.
She pulled away, relinquishing her grasp on his hand, using both of hers to help her stand.
"I should be going," Ginny mumbled, heading for the barred door.
As the guard opened said door for her, she was stopped by Draco wrapping a slender hand around her right wrist. He whipped her around so she was facing him.
"I had forgotten what you tasted like," he uttered, a wry smile curling his lips.
"So will you help me?" Ginny asked tentatively.
"Yes."