All Our Yesterdays

All Our Yesterdays

Chapter 4 - Vita Brevis

"The world is so big and we know so little about it. And life is too short."

(Jostein Gaarder in "Vita Brevis")

Diagon Alley was crowded. Draco had difficulty walking among all the people. The shops were full of parents with their kids, everybody was busy with their last minute shopping for Christmas. For someone like him, who worked there every day, it was all just a huge inconvenience. Especially because Christmas had never been his favorite time of the year. All right, he used to get a lot of expensive presents, but he was obligated to go home and hear his father repeat over and over how inadequate he was. Not to mention having to put up with all of the smiling and singing people. No, this time of the year really wasn't his favorite.

Still mangy, Malfoy opened the door of the small restaurant where he often had lunch and swept the place with his eyes. Punctual as a clock, she was already there, sitting at a table in the corner, smiling at him. Draco couldn't help but smile back. There were lots of things about Virginia Weasley that he didn't like: the fact that she was a Weasley, to start with; that she liked muggles and reproved him when he criticized them; her thousands (it seemed) of nosey brothers; the habit she had of always trying to force him to do this or that against his will; her bright red hair that sometimes over powered everything else in view; but the truth was that, when she looked at him like that: eyes sparkling and the most beautiful smile on her face, Draco could only think of the reasons why he loved her. In moments like that, he could forget all the problems they had and he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

When he approached, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer for a kiss. Draco didn't like this kind of demonstration of affection in public, so he quickly removed her arms, pretending not to notice her disappointment and sat down at the table.

"So, why did you want to see me?" he asked while taking a look at the menu.

"To show you this!" she exclaimed, smiling again like a child and showing him a pamphlet from a travel agency. "Oh, no," Draco thought.

"Ginny, we've already talked about it. I thought it was already decided that you would spend Christmas at your parents'."

"And you? Are you staying alone? No way."

"You don't expect me to go to your parents' house, do you?"

"Of course not, Draco! I'm just suggesting an alternative solution... Come on... Christmas in the Caribbean! Sun, beach and me wearing very few clothes!... What else would you want?"

"How about the money to pay for all that?"

"We can afford it!"

"With what?"

"Oh, you're always worried about that..."

"And isn't there a reason to be worried?"

"Draco, in case you don't remember, I grew up in a family with practically no money. I know what that's like. And, in one way or another, we've always managed to survive, isn't that right? In the end, things always end up working out fine. You just have to try hard enough."

"I don't know how you can still believe in that after all that has happened."

"Draco..."

"If things always worked out fine, then the Ministry wouldn't have taken all my money and we could be going to the Caribbean now. We could even live there if you wanted, but no! We're stuck here! So don't come to me with this talk of 'everything works out fine in the end', because it's simply not true! And you're old enough to understand that!"

"Ah! And what is your solution? Me going to my parents' while you stay alone? Do you really want to spend our first Christmas away from me, deep in self-pity?"

"It's a day like any other of the year," he answered coldly, trying to ignore the disappointment in her face.

"You know, sometimes I don't understand myself," Ginny answered, starting to gather her stuff.

"Can't understand yourself why?"

"Why the hell I tried so hard to marry someone like you!" she answered standing up. "I've lost my appetite," she said, turning and leaving the restaurant. Draco knew she expected him to follow her. She always did that on purpose, as if she had a childish need of seeing him running after her, but, in one way or another, he knew he'd better not disappoint her. With a resigned sigh, he left money to pay for Ginny's drink on the table and left the place to follow after her.

* * *

Six thirty in the morning. The alarm clock just started to ring. Draco was staring at the ceiling in silence. He couldn't close his eyes the entire night. He spent the whole time awake, thinking about everything that was happening lately and he was scared. He wanted to go on, he had to go on, but he was scared. He was scared because he knew that, if he followed the clues of the murder in Scotland, he could end up finding Ginny, and that thought was scary. Even after eleven years, a part of him believed, against all the possibilities, that she was alive and okay. He wanted to find her alive. He didn't want to face the fact that she was dead. Just the thought was enough to drive him crazy.

As soon as he found the card under his door, he flooed his old boss through the fireplace. He had been the head of the Department of Missing Persons at the time Ginny had gone missing, and maybe he knew something about Lindsey Morgan despite the missing files. Malfoy still couldn't prove it, but he was sure that Lindsey Morgan and the woman in the tree were the same person. He dimly remembered the girl at Hogwarts. She was one of the few Slytherins with muggle parents, but she was three years younger than him. When he left Hogwarts, she must have been around fourteen, so it wasn't a surprise that he didn't remember her face very well. But he remembered the name though. And, if she really had gone missing, his old boss would probably remember her too. He set an appointment with him for the end of the day. This way, he would have time enough to do his own research first. He wanted to know as much as possible.

So, when the alarm clock rang at six thirty, Draco blinked once or twice, but didn't take too long to get up. He took a bath, got dressed, had breakfast, read the newspaper and left. He had work to do.

First, he went to the office. He couldn't neglect everything going on there, especially with the possibility of there being a spy in his department. When he arrived, Anne was already at her desk and gave him the mail when he passed, on the way to his room. The only letter of any real importance was from Creevey. He was anxious not hearing any news, and like every good journalist, he didn't like that. Even if he didn't want to send him an answer, Draco would have to tell him something. They weren't exactly friends. Actually, Malfoy was never comfortable with the friendship between Colin and Ginny, but, since she had gone missing, they shared information. Quickly he scrabbled a note saying he was still investigating and would probably have something the following day and asked what the other knew about Lindsey Morgan. Maybe he could find out something about her in old editions of the Daily Prophet.

Then, Draco called Anne and asked her to find the address of the closest family member of Lindsey Morgan, ex-Slytherin student of Hogwarts, daughter of muggles. A short time later, she came back with two addresses of Morgan muggle families that had a witch daughter. One of them had a house in Tunbridge Wells and the other in Bath. Having the names and addresses, Malfoy wrote two identical letters to the families, asking if they were Lindsey's parents and saying that, in case they were, he had relevant information about her to communicate. He wanted to set an appointment for that afternoon if possible. Anne dispatched the letters immediately and, trying to focus on his work - they were still busy with the back-to Hogwarts operation - , Draco waited for the answers.

A little before lunch he received two owls practically at the same time. The Baths said they didn't know any Lindsey Morgan. The second, however, seemed pretty anxious to get news and set the appointment for two p.m.. They wrote Draco that he could use the floo net to get there. Malfoy immediately wrote back confirming he would be there. Then, with his soul feeling a bit more tranquil, and certain that soon he would have some additional information in the case, he took his cloak and went out to eat something.

* * *

"Ginny," he said when he finally reached her. In the middle of the mass of people in the street, her red hair was a gift. Only thanks to it Draco was able to find her.

"Come on, let's talk." He pulled her over to the entrance of a shop, where they would be protected from the 'comings and goings' of the sidewalk.

"Talk about what, Draco? Didn't you say it was already decided?"

"And since when do you listen to what I say?" he asked calmly. She couldn't help but show a smile as her answer. "I know, Ginny," he continued, changing his tone of voice, "that all this Christmas stuff is important to you and to your family. I know that, but I don't feel the same way. The opposite, actually. I don't like Christmas!"

"How can you not like Christmas?" she asked, shocked. It was hard to believe he was speaking seriously.

"It's very simple, really. You have good memories about this time of the year. I don't. I just have bad memories."

"It's impossible that you haven't had one damn good memory of Christmas in your entire life, Draco!"

"Well, maybe when I was a child, but it was so long ago that I can barely remember. Believe me, I'll probably be in an even worse mood than the usual around the 24th and 25th. Wouldn't you prefer to hang around with happier people than me? Who would really be having fun with all the parties and stuff?"

"Yes, but it's Christmas, Draco! We should be together!"

"For me, it's a day just like any other, my angel," he said softly. "It will be like any normal Sunday, when you go to have lunch with your family..."

"And you never go with me," she completed with some sadness in her voice.

"I'm married to you, Ginny. Not to your brothers," he said seriously.

"I know, I know. Putting you all in the same room would be the same as opening hell's doors and freeing all the beasts of the underworld on humanity..."

"Exactly. And that's why I think you'd best go to your parents', who will surely die if you don't go, rather than stay home and endure my complaints. I can live without you for one night, Ginny."

"Wow, that's a romantic thing to say!" she said ironically.

"I never hid from you the fact that I'm not romantic. But I told you the truth, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"So it's decided?"

"But you're staying alone..." She started to protest again, but Draco kindly interrupted her, putting a finger on her lips.

"No more arguing my love. Please," he asked, bowing to replace his finger to her lips. How could she refuse when he put things that way?

"Ah, hell!" she exclaimed mentally. "Life is too short." No more fighting, so, she surrender to kiss him.

* * *

A few minutes after two p.m., Draco was at the fireplace of his office, holding a folder with the documents related to the case in one hand and a hand of floo powder in the other. His heart was a little accelerated and he was nervous, since he couldn't avoid it, but he was also full of hope and expectation. Who knows, after talking with the Morgan family, perhaps the connection between Ginny and Lindsey Morgan would begin to be explained? Deep inside, he hoped there was no connection. That the destiny of his wife wasn't connected in any way to that of the young ex-Slytherin's, but the chances of that being true were slim. Very slim. And Draco was getting tired of trying to block the sunlight with a sieve. It was time to stop lying to himself.

Seconds later, he was coming out of the other fireplace, coughing a little and trying to remove some of the dust from his cloak. Standing in front of him were two people: a man and a woman. Both surely less than sixty. The man was tall and thin, with gray hair. The woman was shorter and had blonde hair. Both stared at Draco anxious for a moment, until the man said something.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy. I'm James Morgan and this is my wife, Elizabeth."

"Pleasure to meet you," Draco answered, shaking the couple's hands. "Are you Lindsey Morgan's parents?"

"Yes, we are," Mrs. Morgan answered, indicating a sofa where Malfoy could sit.

"Have you finally found her?" Her voice was full of anxiousness.

"Maybe," Draco answered. "Actually, Mrs. Morgan, I couldn't find much information about your daughter's disappearance. Did you, at that time, go to Missing Persons?"

"Yes of course!" Mr. Morgan answered immediately. "We did all we could. We even left our fireplace connected to your floo network to make it easier, should she wanted to make contact, but nothing ever happened... No clue, no letter, no news, nothing..."

"And would your daughter leave by free will, without letting you know?"

"No." It was Mrs. Morgan who answered. "Our daughter was a good girl. When we found out she was a witch, it was a shock. She always made weird things happen, but no one imagined... We were afraid, of course, but..."

"But she never let us down," Mr. Morgan completed.

"No, not, really. She was always happy, always ready for the next adventure. She said life is too short to waste time standing still, being afraid, or thinking too much."

"When she left Hogwarts, she started to work as a lawyer in one of your firms... What was the name?" He turned to his wife.

"Harper & Associates," the woman answered. "I think that was it..."

"They're the best known magical world firm in England," Draco said. "Undoubtedly, it was a good place for a Slytherin to work."

"She wanted to be an expert in contracts. She was just starting, but loved her job. She wouldn't abandon it just like that."

"Did Lindsey live with you?" Malfoy asked.

"No. She had moved to a small apartment in Diagon Alley, but we spoke often. Practically every day."

"Any boyfriend?"

"Not that we knew. She was too busy with work. My daughter was a good girl, Mr. Malfoy," Mrs. Morgan said, not being able to hide her emotions.

"Have you found her?" Mr. Morgan asked again.

"I'm not sure, but it's a possibility," Draco said carefully. "About a month ago, a young woman's body was found in Scotland. The body was extremely well preserved because it was kept in sand, but it was determined that the woman had been dead for about eleven years," he completed.

"My God!" Mrs. Morgan put her hand to her mouth.

"I have reasons to believe that this woman was your daughter, but I'm not absolutely sure. The muggle police made a reconstruction of her face on computer," he said, opening the folder and taking out the picture. "If you could make an identification..." The couple looked at each other. Both were shocked. Mrs. Morgan had tears in her eyes, but still, her husband agreed. He extended his arm and took the paper. At that moment, Draco was sure that the woman was Lindsey Morgan. Her mother's face contracted instantly and she started to cry, hugging Mr. Morgan, who seemed to be trying to control himself. With a shaking hand, he returned the paper to Draco.

"My God!" the woman muttered among hiccups. "Our little daughter... Our little daughter..."

Malfoy lowered his eyes while putting the paper back in the folder. He didn't even want to imagine how he would react if someone had told him that Ginny's body had been found. That was a kind of pain he didn't want to know, but the woman's hiccups reminded him that he wasn't far from being in a situation like that.

Trying to hide his own discomfort, Draco stood up to give the couple some privacy. They stood up, the woman being supported by her husband's shoulder. Mr. Morgan asked Malfoy to wait, that he would be right back, and both left the room. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. At least he would have a moment to compose himself. This was, no doubt, the most difficult case he had ever worked on. And the one that could bring the worst consequences.

Almost half an hour later, Mr. Morgan came back, still totally shocked.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but my wife is in no condition to talk to you."

"Don't worry," Draco answered. "I understand." "Even better than you can imagine," he completed mentally.

"Almost eleven years!" Mr. Morgan exclaimed, touched. "Eleven years. You'd think we'd be better prepared for this news, wouldn't you?"

"Nobody can be prepared for such news."

"I thought we were, you know? We almost wanted to hear something like this... Not that we didn't want to find her alive, but we thought that... that knowing she was dead would be better than lost. The worst was not knowing what had happened... And now, all we want is to go back to ignorance..." Mr. Morgan said, not being able to hold back the tears. Draco gulped dryly. "I'm sorry," the other continued, drying the tears. "But she was our little girl... Our only daughter.. Our biggest joy... We were so proud of her... She was all we had..."

"I'm sorry," Draco responded honestly. At that moment, he had forgotten that the man standing in front of him was a useless muggle. The only thing he seemed to see was the pain they shared. He could never scorn or mock the man for crying. He could never wish that pain on anyone.

"I know, I know," Mr. Morgan replied. "Do you know how she died?"

"Bleeding," Draco answered, suddenly undecided. How could he tell him everything that had happened to the girl? Something in his tone of voice, however, must've denoted what he was thinking.

"Was it a horrible death?" The man let his body fall on the sofa, with an expression of increased pain.

"Yes." That was all Malfoy could say, sitting down too.

"Please, don't tell me the details. I don't want to know."

"I won't." Draco breathed a sigh of relief. It was better this way.

"Do you know who killed her?"

"Not yet. That's exactly what I'm investigating, but, as I said, I'm having some difficulty in getting information about the disappearance. Do you remember the name of the investigator in charge of the case at that time?"

"It was a man named Smith," Mr. Morgan answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"Nothing," Draco answered. "Just checking." But deep inside he knew there was something wrong, because he remembered no one by the name Smith ever working at the Department. At least not in the last thirteen years, the time he'd been working there.

"The file containing information about your daughter disappeared from our Department."

"What? But how's that possible? Don't you keep copies?"

"Our files are charmed so that they can't leave the Department. I don't know what happened to your daughter's," Draco answered. "Any information you could give me, anything you can remember, will be extremely useful."

"Well," Mr. Morgan started, searching his memory. "I remember everything. You can't forget the circumstances of something like this, but, understand, Mr. Malfoy, my wife and I know very little about it. Very little."

"Anything will help," Draco repeated, encouraging him.

"If you insist..." the other started. "Well, let's see... It was Tuesday. The day was November 14th. Lizzie and I were in London. A business trip, but we decided to make a visit to Lindsey. She had lunch with us in muggle London and asked us to stop by that night. We still hadn't had the opportunity to visit her apartment in Diagon Alley. We agreed to meet at seven p.m. at the Leaky Cauldron, but she never showed up." Mr. Morgan had to stop to dry some tears. "We waited for two hours and she didn't show up! Lindsey was never late. We got worried, so we got the owner's help to go ourselves into Diagon Alley and go to her apartment."

"And what did you find there?" Malfoy asked, nervous.

"The room was a little messy. Didn't seem like anyone had been looking for something. Only seemed that there must have been some kind of fight there."

"Lindsey tried to resist?"

"Ah, she would surely try! My daughter didn't give up on things easily. We found a broken lamp on the floor, the coffee table was turned over and some objects were on the floor."

"Is that all?" Draco asked.

"There was..." The man stopped again to concentrate. The memories were too painful.

"There were some drops of blood on the floor. Just a few, but they were there."

"And the door wasn't bashed in?" Draco asked trying to cover up his anxiety. He didn't want to influence the observations of the girl's father.

"No, the door wasn't bashed in, but there was something on it..."

"What?" Draco asked, not being able to control himself.

"A triangle. Painted in red." Malfoy closed his eyes as a sign of defeat. That was exactly what he didn't want to hear. "I don't remember anything else. I'm sorry."

"No problem, Mr. Morgan. Everything you said was very important. Could I please ask one more thing?"

"Sure."

"A picture of your daughter at the time of her disappearance."

"You can keep this," the other answered, standing up and picking up a picture Draco hadn't seen there. Malfoy put it inside the folder. "When are you going to release her body so that we can bury her?" Mr. Morgan asked finally. Draco hesitated. He had momentarily forgotten that small detail.

"There was a setback in Scotland."

"Setback? What kind of setback?"

"Your daughter's body was transferred to the coroner's office in Edinburgh."

"And can't it be transferred here? Do you still need it in the investigation?"

"When I arrived to move the body, Mr. Morgan, it wasn't there anymore."

"Wasn't there? And where the hell is it now???"

"I don't know. It was stolen. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? We won't even be able to give our little daughter a decent funeral?!"

"I'll find her, Mr. Morgan. I will find her."

"You can't promise us that."

"Yes, I can," Draco said, very seriously. "Believe me. I'll bring her back."

"Thank you," the man said sincerely and Draco almost liked him. The only advantage about dealing with muggles, was that they didn't know the name Malfoy and its bad reputation in the wizarding world. Therefore, Draco didn't have to be on his guard all the time. If only they weren't muggles, they would be perfect.

"Just wait to hear from me, Mr. Morgan," he said standing up and extending a hand.

"Will you keep us informed?"

"Yes, I will. See you," Draco said, picking up the folder and turning to the fireplace.

"See you," Mr. Morgan said despondently.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve. Draco was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of orange juice. He was wearing only black silk pajama pants, one of the few things he managed to save from his wardrobe when the Mansion caught fire right after his graduation from Hogwarts. It was cold outside, but some charms and a fireplace were more than enough to keep the small apartment warm. After drinking the juice, he put the glass in the sink and went back to the living room. All of the lights were off, so the only light in the room was coming from the fireplace. Silence reigned.

Ginny had left sometime earlier to go to her parents' house. She was probably having fun with her brothers and nephews right now, singing, talking or doing whatever they do at Christmas. The only thing Draco was sure of, was that it was quite different from the big dinners his parents used to offer at this time of the year. It was weird, actually. Things weren't the same anymore. He knew that, and he wasn't fool enough to pretend they were, but it couldn't stop him from missing them. He missed the splendor and magnificence. He missed the etiquette and tradition. He missed the money. A Malfoy without money isn't a real Malfoy.

Deep inside, Draco felt like a half-Malfoy. He still had the pretentiousness, but didn't have the resources or respect, and that was worse than death. The truth was that he didn't know if he would be able to make it through without her, and still, it was painful. Part of him really wanted to go on that trip Ginny suggested. Wanted to forget all the problems, pick a port-key and spend some days with her in a tropical paradise. The other part, however, was a persistent voice whispering in his ear that, if they did that, maybe they wouldn't be able to survive the next month. She would surely say it was bullshit. That, in the end, everything would work out fine, but he refused to be reckless and then have to ask the bank for money, or worse, someone from her family. That would be the end. Her having to work was bad enough. On second thought, it was bad enough that he had to work! But there were no other options.

Worst of all, however, was knowing that, at the end of every day, he would be coming back to their small apartment that wasn't even in Diagon Alley. It was located in a mixed part of muggle London, where many wizards lived, but still.... It was a great humiliation for a Malfoy. Looking around, Draco couldn't hide his disgust. He knew Ginny liked the place. She said it was small and cozy, but that wasn't what he saw when he looked around. What he saw was a living room decorated with cheap furniture, old curtains, old carpets, a fireplace that was always clogged and, at that moment, a Christmas tree that was undoubtedly too big for the room. She thought it was lovely. He thought it was repulsive. The only good thing about being in that apartment, at that moment, was that he wasn't having dinner sitting next to Potter, who as sure as the sun rising in the morning, was trying to hit on Ginny. Clenching his teeth, Draco tried to clear his mind of that unpleasant image. He tried to keep her from visiting her parents too frequently - traditionally she went every Sunday - , but he couldn't. In the end, she said there were only two options: she would go alone or he would go with her. Draco never tried to stop her again.

Still, however, he felt insanely jealous just at the thought of her being beside him, even if it was for only a few hours. He knew she had been in love with him most of her years at Hogwarts. God! Everybody knew that! And, if he were a better man, maybe he would've left her to Mr. Perfection. God knows it would be easier for her: her family would love it, she could travel around the world with his Quidditch team, not to mention all the things Potter's money could buy her and that she undoubtedly deserved. Draco, however, wasn't a better man. He was still a Malfoy and whatever a Malfoy wants, he gets: he wanted Ginny, he got Ginny. Simple as that.

Satisfied with the thought that there was at least one thing in this world that both Potter and himself had wanted and that he had won in the end, Draco went to the bedroom. He wanted to take advantage of the tranquil night to get some sleep. So, he went to bed and pulled up the covers. He closed his eyes, but before he could float off to sleep, he was interrupted by a roaring sound in the living room. Startled, he got up again and went to check what was going on. As soon as he saw the fireplace, he couldn't hold back one of his rare and precious laughs. That woman of his was simply the best!

* * *

Draco arrived at the restaurant a little late. He didn't like delays and he knew Matt didn't like them either, but he couldn't avoid it. At the time he was prepared to leave the department for the meeting, two of his investigators came to his office with urgent problems.

Draco helped them and sent them on their way, but, when he finally managed to leave work, he was already late.

As soon as he set foot in the Leaky Cauldron, he could see the person he'd come to see sitting at a table in the corner, which afforded some privacy. "Mathew O'Brien," Draco thought admirably. This was the only person besides Ginny he could honestly admit he liked. When he approached, Matt stood up and greeted him with a smile.

The man had a solid appeal. He was fiftyish, over six foot tall, large shoulders, dark brown eyes. His short hair had been this color when they'd met, but now it was mixed with gray. He was the previous head of the Department of Missing Persons and everything Draco knew about the profession, Matt had taught him.

"Hello, Matt," Malfoy said while hugging him fondly.

"How are you?" the other said with a fatherly tone of voice.

"The same as always," Draco said, sitting down in front of Matt.

"That's not what you said yesterday."

"It's about Ginny."

"I had thought it was something like that."

"Am I that predictable?"

"On this subject, Draco, yes, you are extremely predictable."

"I need your help," Malfoy said ignoring the last comment. "Do you remember the name Lindsey Morgan?"

"Lindsey Morgan." The other seemed confused. "Should I?"

"She disappeared a few months before Ginny in similar circumstances," Draco said, showing the man the girl's picture.

"In similar circumstances? And why didn't we know this before?"

"That's exactly what I was hoping you could help me understand. Her file disappeared from the Department! Her body disappeared from the morgue! And I only discovered her name through an anonymous tip. Everything in this case seems to be obscured by an unbreakable fog of mystery!!!"

"Calm down, Draco, calm down. Explain everything to me slowly. First, where and how was she found?"

"At a farm in Scotland. During a storm, lightning hit a tree and broke it in two. Morgan's body was inside the trunk, with a huge amount of sand. She had been missing for almost eleven years and probably died a short time after being put into the tree."

"And what was the cause of death?"

"Bleeding," Draco answered, wishing he didn't have to repeat all this. "But she was beaten up and rapped."

"My God!" Matt exclaimed horrified. Crimes like that weren't common in the wizarding world. "And do you believe that the person who killed her is the same who took Ginny?"

"I'm sure," the other confirmed without hiding his discomfort.

"You can't be sure about it, Draco!"

"Believe me, I've already passed through the denying phase. Lindsey Morgan had a red triangle painted on her forehead and one painted on the door of her apartment when she disappeared. Do you remember what we found at the Burrow's door when Ginny disappeared?"

"A red triangle."

"Exactly."

"But, Draco, we don't even know what it means..."

"But the murderer knows," Malfoy affirmed flatly. A long pause settled between them.

"Do you remember," Matt started, finally breaking the silence, "the mess the department was in eleven years ago?"

"Yes, of course. I had just started to work there. Voldemort and the Death Eaters had left us an inheritance of missing people. While many of the cases weren't explained, we never had a break."

"Not to mention the aurors, always annoying us and always poking their noses into everything."

"I remember. But what does that have to do with anything?..."

"At that time, many cases considered less important ended up being passed on to another agency."

"Another agency?"

"Have you heard of the Autonomous Investigators Society?" Matt asked.

"Yes, of course. You work with them now, don't you?"

"Yes. We're an extra-Ministry group that also investigates crimes to help the formal police."

"Don't you help only aurors?"

"Yes. Now we help only the aurors, since the group has an extensive library in the area of the dark arts, but eleven years ago, the Society had just been created, so the Ministry decided to put it to work investigating less important cases, as a test."

"And they took the cases of missing people that weren't connected to Voldemort?"

"Exactly. That might explain the missing files."

"So they're in the Society and not in the Department," Draco concluded, also finally understanding why he hadn't recognized the name of the investigator that Mr. Morgan had given him.

"It's possible."

"There are other missing files from that period."

"Do you think there could be more victims?"

"Maybe. The only way to find out is to find the files. Can you do that, Matt?"

"I don't know, Draco. I'm new there and they're mistrustful with new people... Everything is confidential... But I can try."

"Please."

"I know how important this is to you. I know." O'Brien assumed a soft tone, "But are you sure you want to find out what happened? Is it worth it to suffer all this pain?"

"I need to know. It's the only way."

"The only way for you to move on with your life, Draco?"

"What life?" Malfoy asked with a dry laugh, passing a hand through his hair. "I have no life without her, Matt."

"But if she is..."

"Dead?"

"You won't do anything stupid, will you?" the other said worried.

"Like what? Killing myself? What for? I've been dead for all these years, haven't I? What's the difference, after all?"

"Don't speak like that, Draco."

"I say it because it's true. Would you please let me know when you get the files, Matt?"

"Won't you have dinner with me?"

"No. I want to go home. Will you?" Malfoy repeated.

"I will. Don't worry."

With a last handshake, Draco stood up and left the restaurant. Outside, it started to rain, but he didn't care about that. Walking through the streets of Diagon Alley, Malfoy couldn't avoid the memories that invaded him.

* * *

The scene happening in front of his eyes was at least hilarious: Ginny had fallen and was sitting on the floor, covered with dust, wearing a tight red dress that reached her knees and had a V neckline, with a Santa Claus cap on her head and the most indignant expression on her face.

"Arghhh! I hate floo powder!" she exclaimed furiously.

"You could have apparated," Draco said calmly, approaching to help her stand up.

"But then I would miss the glorious entry effect, wouldn't I?"

"Glorious, you bet!" He laughed.

"It's not funny!" She lightly slapped his arm. "I did it for you!"

"To make me laugh?"

"No!"

"To arm me with a story that I can use to annoy you for the rest of your life?"

"No! To give you a good memory of our first Christmas!" she answered still indignant.

"You most definitely did it," Draco said smiling, while leaning over and giving her a quick kiss.

"I thought you would like it," she said. "I know I'm not exactly a Santa Claus wearing, but..."

"Indeed," Malfoy said, paying more attention to her now. "I must admit, however, that the beard and the belly is a great touch, but a little less dust would be better..."

"It's not my fault! It's this damn floo net!"

"Ginny, honestly, you don't seem like a pure blood witch when you speak like that!"

"There you go again saying... Muggle borns aren't worse wizards than we are. Draco!"

"Of course they are!"

"No, they're not! When will you stop with this childishness and start to think like a man?"

"At the same time you stop with your childish dreams and start to see the world as it really is!"

"I see the world as it is!"

"Of course you don't see! Everything you see is just pretty pink clouds!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes, it is! I don't know what you're doing here! You should be with your family, who also only see the world with pretty pink clouds and is forever happy."

"Yeah, well maybe I should be. God knows Harry appreciated my outfit better than you!" she yelled, but she knew this time she had gone too far. Malfoy clenched his teeth, squeezed his fists, controlling himself as much as he could, then passed by Ginny without saying a word, going to the bedroom. "No, Draco, Wait," she called, regretful. He stopped immediately, still furious. "I didn't come to argue," she continued, approaching and hugging him. "I don't want to argue with you today, my love."

"A little late for that, isn't it?"

"I love you," she said softly. "Don't be angry. I really don't want to argue anymore. Life is too short to waste our precious time with senseless arguments, don't you think? I came because here's where I belong, beside you. Doesn't matter how much I love my parents and my brothers, here's where my heart is."

"I love you too," he answered still moody, but finally turning to hug her better.

"Damned Potter really saw you in this dress?" he asked, finally.

"Of course not, you retard!" she answered laughing. "This is just for you."

"Oh, but you know exactly what to say to make me furious, don't you?"

"Of course I know. I know you like the palm of my hand."

"Smug."

"Arrogant."

"Liar."

"Domineering."

"Me?"

"Yes, you!"

"Ah-há... Look who's s..."

"Draco!"

"What?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

He, obviously, obeyed willingly. A few minutes later however, Ginny interrupted their kissing. - to his complete displeasure - to ask him something.

"Did you look through the window tonight?" She smiled.

"Why should I?" he asked irritated.

"Come see!"

"I don't want..."

"Come!" She pulled him. "It's snowing."

"Ginny," Draco said hugging her. "It's just snow. We see it every year!"

"It's not just snow! It's Christmas Eve snow! Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, staring at the sky with a smile. Draco really tried to see the beauty she was seeing, see the world in that moment as she was seeing it, but, for him, it was just snow.

"It's beautiful." He said finally just to see her smile get bigger.

"Draco," Ginny started after a long pause, "I know that you worry."

"I worry?" He didn't understand at first what she meant.

"About us. You're always worried about the practical side of our lives and I never seemed to pay enough attention to it as I should. I know you worry about it and I think it's good, but... I wanted you to understand my point of view."

"And what is your point of view?"

"I think that, despite everything, everything will work out as long as we're together. Nothing else matters, as long as we're together."

"As long as we're together," Draco echoed thoughtfully, hugging her stronger. "As long as we're together..."

* * *

The alarm-clock rang punctually at six thirty in the morning. After a night of not so good sleep, Draco got up tired and looked around the room; he was alone. No sounds coming from the kitchen, no sound of water from the bathroom. The silence reigned in the house. He was alone... "As long as we're together," he thought embittered. As long as we're together...