Breaking All the Rules

Chapter Eleven

Breaking All the Rules

Using What You Have

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"Did you find out if she's gone?"

"No sir. The fourth batch of members has disappeared. We believe the last time they were seen was in the middle of a muggle park. We have no idea were they went though. When we arrived there were muggle authorities everywhere. We couldn't practice without them knowing."

"Let me get this straight. I have spent thousands on getting a decent assassin to kill the only witness of the only public display of 'crime,' I can count and you're telling me that none of them have succeeded?"

"No sir, we have records that one agency, erm-." He flipped through a large book he carried with him and ran his finger down a page. "- Leveret's unLTD, sir. They have set their best on your case and we have been ensured that she will be dead by the end of the week."

"End of the week? She was meant to be dead last month! How could this have happened?" He banged his fists on the table he sat at. "The only reason she's been alive this long is because I didn't kill her when I had the chance. Damn girl had a family and friends in the Ministry. Bloody Harry Potter and his damn sidekick Auror friends." He sighed heavily and brought his hands to his head. "Well, at least I took care of that. She doesn't know any of them anyway, not anymore. And just when I think she's forgotten everything, she begins to have 'daydreams.'" He looked at his secretary with a frown, suddenly thinking of something. "I thought you told me those were guaranteed to last for at least ten years?" he said.

"They were sir, but a large amount of activity can cause strenuous damage on them sir. They aren't one hundred percent up to scratch. They were off the shelf charms, not custom made."

"What activity, we haven't done any activities since I 'Married,' her," he said signaling air quotes.

"In the past year-." He flipped through the book again to find the page and fingered down it. "-you had your wife plan your wedding with her, she was quite upset if you remember because she didn't know who this woman was. You then went on your honeymoon that was, all in all, uneventful but still stressful because of the malcontent for her. There has been a constant of stress for the nights you are not home and you went on a holiday a month ago sir, for about three weeks you spent touring the Caribbean islands. The remaining week was spent with your child, sir."

"Where is she by the way?"

"With your wife, sir. They are staying in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Your wife says that they are having a marvelous time."

"Very good. Now, what do we do with this other girl?"

"Well, she has gone missing and it's likely she's dead already."

He turned to him with a menacing look. "Where's the body?" he said narrowing his eyes.

The secretary trembled. "I - I don't know sir."

He raised an eyebrow and turned back to his desk. "Good, when you do know where it is, you can tell me it's likely she's dead."

***

"So you're just going to give me the location of Girard Thomas and expect me to kill him for you in exchange for your immunity? Immunity for what, what is it that you need immunity for?" Harry questioned.

Draco rolled his eyes. Honestly, the man couldn't just handle simple instructions could he? "Never you mind that, will you do it or not?" he said irritated.

"Well," Harry considered. "Catching him is one thing, killing is something else." He looked up at him from his seat. "Why do you want him dead?"

Ginny swallowed hard. "So that she doesn't die." He pointed to Ginny.

Harry looked at her. "What does she have to do with this?" he frowned.

"Well, Potter, you're looking at Mrs. Girard Thomas." Harry's eyes opened wide.

"What!"

Ginny waved sheepishly. "Hey, Harry."

"You got married to him? Wait - you got married?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why, Ginny?" he breathed. "Have you any idea what this could do to your family, especially your mother?"

Ginny looked at him incredulous, though most of it was shock that he could say something like that. "My mother is dead, Harry." She looked solemn at that. Draco looked at her. He had wondered why she kept saying that.

Harry looked confused. "No she isn't," he said shaking his head.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Yes, she is. I'd prefer if you wouldn't joke about something like that."

"What? I'm not joking, Ginny. I ate breakfast by her this morning at the burrow. Pancakes, I don't forget pancakes."

"Wh - what?"

"I don't forget pa-."

"Not that, Harry. My mother died a two years into the war. There is no burrow, Harry." Draco continued to watch her carefully. She seemed to be convincing him more than herself. She really believed it.

Harry's forehead creased in concentration as he realised something. "Ginny," he said slowly. "Who told you this?" he questioned.

"You did," she stated clearly. His look increased and she watched him carefully. "You sent an owl to me and told me! I was surprised that you didn't try to track me through it to tell you the truth." She went quiet. "No one tried to reach me. I gave up on hope after three years. Moved from place to place and ended up in London. I got a job at a book store and when I was closing down one night I met-." She stopped suddenly losing her place. She shook her head to get rid of the dizziness.

After a long silence, Draco rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ginny? Are you alright?" She didn't answer. Draco turned to Blaise and nodded, Blaise mirrored his actions and walked toward them instantly dropping his barriers and tuning in to Ginny's thoughts.

Her head swam and she fell back. When she hit the floor, she didn't hear the usual thud she normally did when she would fall like this. Instead, she heard a door slamming shut and metal rapping softly from the burglarproofing she was dragging down from the top of the shop window.

***

Blaise stood in the cold of late autumn. Ginny was standing before him wrapped tightly in a winter coat pulling down the burglarproof in front of the last of the shop's windows. The sections sheets clattered noisily as she dragged it down and secured it with a metal lock.

"Damn it's cold," she said to herself. Blaise smiled as she wound her coat around herself and folded her arms after putting the latch on the large sheet of metal at the bottom and walked around the shop to put the garbage in a large bin. She lifted the lid of the can and was about to slam it down when she heard voices coming from over the fence. Curiosity got the better of her and it did for him and they both scrambled up onto the huge green dumpster behind the store to look over. Four men had a man up against a wall, he looked terrified.

Blaise tried to focus on their faces. Apparently Ginny's memory was a little distorted as some of the men had perfect focus as the others were slightly faded.

"Shut up and listen to me! If you don't deliver in the next week, Girard is not going to be very happy with you. Don't think he doesn't already know what you said to the Aurors. You have a second chance here, Thomas, don't screw it up. We both know that no witness protection is going to save you from him. He'll hit you so hard; your grandchildren's grandchildren will be pleading for mercy."

Girard? He looked at Ginny, she didn't seem to recognize the name. This must have been before she met him.

"I didn't say anything I swear! We didn't know it was him!"

Another man walked out of the shadows. "We? Who's we?" he said from under the hood of his jacket. His back was turned to Ginny so she couldn't see him. Blaise knew who he was though.

"Uncle! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

"You just said, 'we.' Who is the 'we,' James?"

"Nobody," he laughed nervously.

There was a long moment of silence.

"James Thomas, you are, so far, the longest lasting witness to a murder that I have ever had. The others being dead on site. For the sake of my dear sister, I took care of you. I left you, I let you live, I even almost forgave you and now you lie to me? Remind me why this man is not dead?" he asked turning to the others incredulously. As he turned, Blaise caught his face perfectly. He looked at Ginny again suddenly realising that Girard was about to see her.

"Oh Ginny please duck."

"Can anyone here do that for me?" He spun around to them all twice before settling his eyes back on James. Ginny had to duck briefly so he wouldn't see her. Blaise sighed in relief.

There were shaken heads all round.

He raised his hand, two fingers extended from the fist. "Kill him." Thomas cried out as the men approached him. "No. No wands, I don't want this traced to me." They all pocketed their wands and looked around for various large objects. Some found large sticks, some found cut bottles and some had even brought their own weapons, knives and such. It was horrifying.

One blow followed another after another and Ginny covered her ears to get rid of the sounds. Blaise even covered her ears, as if it would help any. She ducked down to block the sight from her eyes. As she did, the lid from the bin fell with many crashes off the dumpster to smaller bins at the side.

"Oh god," Blaise whispered jumping down to try to catch it. His hands went straight through it. "Ginny, I hope you ran."

She crouched there willing it to stop but it continued bouncing to the concrete ground. As it hit, it rolled and span on itself getting louder until it finally stopped.

The dangerous silence that followed echoed through her, into the small alleyway she had encased herself in. If she moved she would make enough noise to indicate that she was there, if she stayed they would look over anyway and find her. She took her chances with moving.

The scrimmage did indicate she was there, it was heard through the hurried voices and the sound of men jumping over the fence she had used as refuge and hitting the top of the dumpster with large clunks and thuds. She turned to see them and screamed as she rounded the corner to the main road.

Blaise watched a rather large man run quite faster than he thought was possible for a man his size. He caught up with her and was grasping forward for her coat but she kept getting away from him. Damn she was fast.

As she passed the shop and passed through the streetlamp's light, something tugged at the hood of her coat. She screamed and kicked as a hand was placed over her mouth and another man, the same man who had ordered Thomas be killed. She bit hard on the hand at her mouth and it was taken off with a loud obscenity. As she was pushed forward a forehand came at her face and she fell to the ground. She paused at the ground and watched as droplets of blood splashed to the ground before she was picked up and hit again.

Blaise didn't need to see anymore, her angst was getting to him. He pulled out and opened his eyes.

"Shake her awake."

"What?"

"Do it now! She's getting beaten."

Draco took hold of her shoulders and shook her vigorously. It was a few moments before a glass of water was being thrown in Ginny's direction. Ginny's eyes opened and she gasped for breath as if she were drowning. Her arms went everywhere and she was screaming 'No,' at the top of her lungs with her eyes shut. Draco chanted her name softly and sat down on the ground next to her.

"Ginny, its okay, you're safe now," he repeated until she calmed down. She opened her eyes and saw it was him and clung to him tightly not daring to let go. She sobbed sporadically into his chest not caring who saw as he rocked her backwards and forwards.

He looked up at Harry, who was just watching this display with his nerves on edge. "You see, Potter, you see why we have to kill him now?"