Tomorrow is a Different Day

A/N: This does contain OotP spoilers!! I hope you like it, please review.

Prologue

When we begin our story, Voldemort has been steadily gaining power since his return nearly six years ago. You do not know whom to trust, you can never be certain who is Light or Dark. Death Eater riots and kidnappings have become commonplace and many Muggle-borns and their families live in constant fear for their lives. Diagon and Knockturn Alleys have been the source of many attacks, leaving few that dare to spend any length of time there. Hogwarts is one of the few remaining safe havens of the magical world. The school had been closed about a year ago when things began to worsen. It was now the main base of operation for the side of the Light, and a refuge for any that need their assistance. Muggle killings have been record in numbers and the Ministry of Magic is on the alert 24 hours a day, trying to capture the Dark Lord and his followers, and cleaning up the aftermath of their bloodbaths. Within the circle of Death Eaters, there lives a network of spies, some loyal, some not. These spies have sometimes thwarted the plans of Voldemort, but until very recently, someone has been feeding the Dark Lord information regarding the Light's plans, gaining them small victories and enabling them to elude capture. Through the work of the Death Eater operatives, the Ministry has suspicion he is planning a major attack to occur in the near future. With the strength the Dark Lord now has, it could very possibly be the fall of the wizarding world as we know it. This war has been going on for so long, many feel that it will never end. Throughout the magical community, a kind of numbness has settled, leading people to carry on their daily activities like zombies, neither knowing nor caring what happens next.

Our story follows two very complicated young people, trying, for once, to do the right thing. Trying to redeem themselves and find forgiveness. Trying to learn who and what they really are and being forced to deal with those startling and sometimes devastating revelations. Fate's road has many twists and turns and more often than not, the path ahead cannot be seen clearly. The wizarding population has placed their faith and hope in two great wizards, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Auror Harry Potter, the pair destined to save the world from this most awful fate. But perhaps, they aren't the only ones to whom this task will be given?

And so our tale begins...

Tomorrow is a Different Day

Chapter One

"What do you want now, Dabir?" Draco Malfoy said, kicking open the door to Michael Dabir, Head of the Department of Mysteries' office, and stalking in.

Michael looked up from his paperwork and smiled, making his blue eyes crinkle at the corners. "Malfoy, always a pleasure. The kids are great, Jess too. Thanks for asking, and you?" he replied sarcastically. Draco got on his nerves at times, but he was the best, and this particular assignment required the best of the best. And Michael did like him, in a way.

Draco just seated himself and stared back, his steely grey eyes conveying his anger and irritation. He wasn't exactly having a very good day. "Just tell me what you want," he said. "I'm really not in a good humour today. Just had a run-in with that infant Potter." He shook his head in disgust, "You'd think he would have done us all a favour and gotten himself murdered by the Dark Lord by now."

"I have an assignment for you," Michael replied, looking back down at his paperwork, purposely ignoring the comment about Harry.

Draco wasn't fooled. He knew the other man didn't want to meet his eyes because Michael wasn't even supposed to be giving him assignments and because it was probably something he didn't want to do. He glanced at Michael apprehensively, "You know I'm supposed to be restricted to missions from Magical Law Enforcement. They don't trust me."

'And with good reason,' Draco added silently. Michael fidgeted a little, his eyes darting back and forth nervously. Finally, he sighed and said, "Close the door and I'll tell you." Draco did so and sat back in his chair thinking, 'Well, I'm here, I might as well hear him out. But what's he up to now?' Draco really did like Michael; after all, he was the one who had cleared Draco's name after the 'incident'. And Draco trusted him, but sometimes Michael came up with some pretty hare-brained ideas.

"I don't know where to begin," Michael sighed again, running his fingers through his short, brown hair. "We've got your aunt and your father."

Now he was really curious. "What does that have to do with me?" Draco asked, eyeing Michael with even more suspicion, and completely ignoring what he had said about his father. Then understanding dawned. "You mean Bellatrix. That aunt. You want me to do her in, then. Why are you giving me the assignment?"

The other man shook his head, "No, this is not a hit. It's more difficult, more complicated, and more dangerous. Those idiots at Magical Law Enforcement don't know anything about this. It's an Order mission. Dumbledore wanted me to ask you to make it look more legit and because he thought you'd take it better coming from me."

"I still don't get it, Dabir," Draco said. He was not happy with the way this was going; he was beginning to feel uneasy about the whole situation. 'Damn it, getting information out of him is like pulling teeth,' he thought tiredly. 'Though it's probably a good thing.'

"I need you for this, Draco. I need to know right now if you're in or out," Michael said. "I don't really want to have to go through the hassle of Obliviating you if you choose not to do this, but I can't force you. I understand if it's too difficult and you-."

"Do what? And why do you need me? Couldn't you find anyone else?" Draco questioned him, crossing his arms. "Just cut through the bullshit and tell me what's going on. You know of my present situation and all the complications that go with it. I'm not available for a wild goose chase, if that's what you're proposing."

"Look, I want to wait until your partner gets here to explain the details, but I'll give you a brief summary," said Michael.

"Partner?" Draco interrupted, sitting up straight. "Wait just a minute. You know I don't work with partners."

"Well, if you take this assignment, you'll have to," Michael replied dryly. "Unless you plan on impersonating both Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange at the same time."

Just then, the door slammed open again. "Michael, this had better not be a waste of time," a very feminine voice said. "I left lunch with Severus to come here, and then I ran into blasted Potter down in Muggle Artifacts speaking with my father." The girl closed the door and plopped down into the chair next to Draco. Her wavy light auburn hair was pulled up into a messy bun and her wand was stuck through it. Little tendrils had escaped to fall softly around her heart shaped face and she wore khaki trousers and a light blue tee shirt under navy work robes. To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"What the hell, Dabir?!" Draco yelled, standing. "This is not my partner, is it? I can't believe you'd even ask me something like that! You know how close her family is to Potter and all of them! Are you trying to get me and my family killed?"

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy!" Ginny Weasley screamed, standing up to face him. "We were the only ones for the job, and I already know all about your current situation, thank you! Just grow up a little- you think I'm happy about working with you?"

Draco and Michael just stared at her, their jaws hanging. "Just shut your mouths," she grumbled, flouncing into her seat, and glaring at the both of them. "You look like a couple of bloody codfish doing that."

Draco was completely floored. 'Did a Weasley just yell at me and then call me a codfish?' he thought in bewilderment as he sat back down, running his fingers through his pale blond hair and mussing his ponytail. Michael looked at him, concerned at his dazed expression, before proceeding to his explanation. He opened his mouth to speak, but Draco interrupted, "How do you know of my family, Weasley?" He glared at her dubiously and she flushed a bit under his scrutiny.

"I just do," she replied, looking away from him. "And no, it's not from Michael or Severus."

Draco just sat back, defeated. 'How did she know Severus even knew- does she know he's our Secret Keeper? Bloody hell,' he thought, feeling quite ill.

Michael sighed yet again. Draco wished he would stop doing that, it was beginning to grate on his nerves. "Okay, now you two are the best we have, and if you can't work together then this whole plan goes to hell and our best chance to finally defeat Voldemort goes down the tubes. Do you get it?" Michael said, glancing at both of them warily. "Do you think you can do this?" Next to him, Ginny nodded.

"If she can, I can," Draco replied, rather reluctantly, feeling unwilling to let a Weasley admit she could do something he couldn't. He was still not happy about this, but to be honest, he did need the work. 'Damn Weasley. Why'd it have to be her?' he thought, not really feeling the hatred he was thinking. 'Of all people.'

Michael nodded and smiled, "Good. You two were- are, my best operatives. I've sifted through every employee of the Ministry and every member of the Order of the Phoenix and you are the best of the best. You were each chosen because you have something no one else has, and I won't have you going into this thinking one of you is better. You are partners, equals. Is that understood?"

They both silently nodded and he leaned forward, continuing, "As you know, we've been working for a long time to capture the known Death Eaters. Some were in Azkaban, but you remember the breakout about a month ago? Well, some of our best guards were lost to that Weasley traitor- Sorry, Gin," she just nodded and he continued. "Well, we've managed to capture some of the escapees."

"Lestrange and my father," stated Draco. Ginny looked at him curiously, but Michael nodded.

"Yes, we have them in custody now. We have a network of spies in the Death Eaters, but no one as close as the two of you were, and now that we've lost you..." It was Draco's turn to look curiously at Ginny. She wouldn't meet his eyes and he wondered, 'I didn't know she was a Death Eater. No, she couldn't be- I would've known, wouldn't I?'

"I'm not blaming you, but we no longer have access to Voldemort's inner circle," Michael said, after a somewhat awkward moment of silence. "That's what this is going to give us. It has been discovered that, before their imprisonment, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, um, well, they conspired to kill Rodolphus Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy because they were- are- having an affair. You will be impersonating Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, whom Voldemort believes to be his most faithful servants. He is very happy about this and has many plans for the two of them." Michael paused to glance at Draco, but he seemed to be all right, "Your first task will be to question them, under the influence of Veritaserum, and find out who they are. For this to feel real to Voldemort, you will have to look like, talk like, act like, and be like them. Do you accept?" He looked hard at both of them, waiting for a reply.

Ginny slouched in her chair looking deep in thought, and Draco began to feel a little better, 'Maybe she'll refuse.' He looked back to Michael, "You've got a deal, Dabir. But, I want my family's safety assured and if anything- I mean, anything- goes wrong, I bail."

Michael nodded, "Done. Ginny?"

She abruptly awoke from her thoughtful trance and sat up shaking her head. "No, it won't work," she said. "Tom will know. He's a very powerful Legilimens, he'll know we're not the real thing."

"Who the hell is Tom and why will it matter?" asked Draco, rudely.

She looked at him like he was a twit and said, "Tom is the Dark Lord- so I think I just answered both your questions."

"Why do you call him Tom?" he asked. 'She has some nerve, calling him that,' Draco thought. 'Even when he's not here. He'd kill her if he knew, only one person was ever allowed to call him that.' She looked away again and didn't answer.

"I thought of that, Gin," Michael said. "But, since you are an accomplished Occlumens, you will be able to conceal yourself, it'll just take some practice. One of the many reasons it had to be you. You two are the only Occlumens we have with the Dark Mark that aren't currently spying for us. You, Ginny, are the only female operative with the Dark Mark." She seemed slightly surprised to find he was an Occlumens, but Draco turned his attention back to Michael. "So, are you in?" She took a deep breath and nodded, obviously still a little uncertain. "Alright. Voldemort will be expecting them soon, so we don't have very much time. I will give you the address of your new home," he dug through the papers on his desk for a second.

"New home?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, you both need to at least look like you're available to Voldemort, and you need to move in today. Yes, Draco, there's room for them too," he said, before Draco had even been able to ask his question. "You'll have a nurse for Narcissa and Dulcie, house elves, and two other operatives to be attendants and contacts for other spies. It's been discovered that while most of their money was confiscated by the Ministry when they were sent to Azkaban, they had some hidden and some was left with other Death Eaters, which they had already managed to collect, so you're quite well off. Both your nurse and attendants will be other operatives, and your Secret Keepers will remain the same. However, you will inform Voldemort that you have chosen Severus Snape as your Secret Keeper to keep you from discovery by the Ministry. Voldemort has no reason to suspect him as yet and he's still trusted with quite a bit of information."

He had been searching his desk the entire time he was speaking and finally produced a large, iron skeleton key. "Ah, here it is. Take this," he handed the key and a slip of paper to Ginny. "Go fetch your things and get settled. Remember that this is a Class One level of confidentiality. Tell your family and friends, even the ones in the Order, you won't be available for a few months, but you'll stay in touch by owl. We have a lot to do, so tomorrow I need you here at eight to begin. I know you still have a lot of questions, but first things first. Plus, I have another appointment in fifteen minutes."

They stood simultaneously and left, with Ginny saying, "Bye," as she closed the door behind them. Draco was already striding down the hallway with his long legs. "Hey, wait!" she called.

He turned impatiently, he had been hoping to avoid her. "What do you want, Weasley? I've got things to do."

"I don't see how, since I've got the address and key," she retorted, angrily. "Look, I don't want to work with you anymore than you want to work with me, but we need to be adults about this." She stopped when they were only inches away from each other and was forced to look up at him, he being a good half-foot taller than her. She stared straight into his steely grey eyes said in a low, dangerous voice, "I will bring that bastard down, if I have to do with or without you. Now, we can do this together and you can have your revenge as well, or we can not, and revenge will be solely mine." She put her hands on her hips and stepped back. "You choose."

He was having trouble breathing. She had gazed at him with her big, cinnamon brown eyes, and he had been disturbed. Her eyes were beautiful, but that wasn't what had been disturbing or had caused his chest to tighten. Draco had looked into her eyes and it was like looking into his own. He could see the hatred, rage, fear, and fierce determination he saw when he looked into the mirror. 'This is crazy. This is a Weasley. They're all Muggle-loving Gryffindor good guys. What's going on? I feel like I'm going mad,' he thought.

"Okay, fine. Meet me at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in two hours," he said, somewhat still flustered. "We'll go from there."

~&~

Convincing him to go along with this had really been relatively easy. Ginny supposed it was the whole revenge thing that had done it. She had rushed home and packed all her things, rather haphazardly, dodging questions from her mother.

"Ginny, why can't you tell me where you are going? I don't want you to go, especially now with Ron in France. And Hermione told me just this morning that she was going to be gone for a few months as well. All I'll have is your father and Harry, and you know they're always working. I've always hated you working for Mysteries," her mother had whined. She loved her mum, but never really felt connected to her anymore- not the way she had been when she was younger. Nowadays, Ginny tended to feel a distant fondness for her family, except maybe her father. Kind of like she was watching them on one of those Muggle televisions. She only wished she could turn them off sometimes. They were living in one world, but two different worlds at the same time. Ginny didn't know where she belonged anymore, she just knew it wasn't here.

"Mum, I already explained. It could put me and the other people in danger," she had replied, a bit more harshly than she intended. "Look, I'll be in touch by owl. Don't worry. Love you," and she kissed her mother goodbye, dragging her trunk behind her.

Now, she was standing at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, as planned, waiting for Malfoy. She had shrunk her trunk and tucked it inside her rucksack, which she switched from her left shoulder to her right. "This damn thing's getting heavy," she muttered. "Trust a Malfoy to be late."

"Ah, yes, but I'm fashionably late," Draco Malfoy's voice said behind her. "Which is really more than anything that could be said about a Weasley."

She gasped and turned to find him standing behind her, a small, plain young girl with mousy brown hair in his arms, and a tall, hooded figure behind him. It wasn't until she looked closer that she noticed he had a Disillusionment Charm on. "I forgot you are also an idiot, Malfoy. Don't do that- you don't know who could be listening in here," she retorted.

"Let's get going," she said. "I don't mean to be rude, but we can make introductions in a more secure location. The address is in Little Hangleton, of all places. We need to Floo through Diagon Alley." She looked at the trio uncertainly. "Is it going to be a problem? Going through Diagon Alley, I mean."

Draco looked at her suspiciously, "No. And why did you say Little Hangleton, of all places, like that?" He wasn't about to trust her.

She just stared at him blankly, before turning and taking Narcissa's arm. She led the older woman to the entrance of the pub and paused. "You know, for someone who was in such a prominent position, you don't know much about your master," she said, the expression on her face still unreadable. "Are you coming?"

~&~

She had certainly not expected this to be the place. The same town- that was bad enough, but the same house? 'Why, oh why, did it have to be here?' she thought, feeling sick. She waited until all of them had stepped out of the fireplace into the spacious, stone kitchen and threw another handful of powder in. "Michael Dabir!" she shouted. His head appeared in the flames and she began ranting and raving, pacing back and forth. "Is this some kind of sick joke? Did you know about this?" Ginny demanded, not pausing for him to answer, and several small objects began to fly around the room. "I can't believe this! Do you realise that we're going to be, like, Death Eater Central? How can you expect us to do this and not get caught? What is the matter with you? Did you not even use your brain when you chose this place- or was it because the rent's so fucking cheap?"

Draco was completely taken aback. He didn't see what the big deal was, and he had no clue as to what she was talking about. 'Death Eater Central? Where in the world did she come up with that one?' he thought.

"Ginny, stop! Just calm down," Michael's head said. "I know you're upset, but let me explain. I didn't choose this. Apparently, the pair had been informed of the plan to break open Azkaban ahead of time. We think it was Avery who they made arrangements with. They had gotten all of their money and had bought this house before they were even out. They had purchased it years ago, but he had the deed and some of their money, so the Ministry never found it. I didn't tell you because I knew you would react like this and I really need you for this, Ginny."

At this, Ginny seemed to calm down a little bit. Everything that was in the air, fell, but she did not seem to notice. Michael continued, "I know this is not the greatest place for you to be, but we have to make sure everything goes according to the plan Bellatrix and Lucius made before they escaped, or Voldemort will know something's not right. And it's only temporary, remember?"

She nodded and said, "Alright. Like you said, it's only temporary. Are we going to be the only ones living here?"

"No, the servants will arrive tomorrow," he said, shaking his bodiless head. "The ghost of Frank Bryce is still hanging about, doing the gardening and such. He is the only one that will not have an alias. The others are allowed to inform you of their names and real appearances if you already know them, or if they choose to do so. I'll explain the potion and all of that tomorrow. Are you going to be okay, being there?"

She nodded again, standing in front of the fireplace, "Yes, I'm sorry. I suppose I overreacted a bit."

"You're forgiven," Michael said, smiling. "I'll see you at eight." And he was gone.

Draco and his mother and sister had watched the entire exchange in silence, after removing the various charms that had been placed on them. Ginny turned around and gasped. Now, she could see Draco quite clearly, without the fuzzy outline of the Disillusionment Charm. He had removed Narcissa's hood and she stood there, regal and beautiful, though her brilliant blue eyes were empty. And the little girl had turned into a very cute, pale little girl with pale golden hair, just like her brother's, and her mother's blue eyes.

They were just standing there, next to the big island in the middle of the room and she sighed. 'This is going to be more difficult than I thought,' she mused. "Well, shall we explore the house and begin putting up wards?" she asked Draco. "Your mother and Dulcie should be settled before we begin." He nodded, silently and followed her out of the kitchen, still carrying Dulcie and leading his mother.

The house was rather large and there was plenty of room for them and the others who would be coming later. They left the kitchen, passed through a formal dining room all done in dark blue, walked down a long, carpeted hallway with several entrances and no paintings or furniture, and came to the stairs. Draco was still puzzling about why Ginny had made such a big deal about them staying in this house. 'Sure, she doesn't want to be here with us, but that didn't seem to be what she was yelling about,' he thought. 'Maybe I should keep an eye on her. Seems a bit unstable.'

They had stopped walking and he looked up to find Ginny just standing at the base of the staircase, staring up. She looked like someone was asking her to walk barefoot through hot coals, instead of just up the stairs. "What's the matter, Weasley? They're only stairs," Draco said, he was beginning to lose his patience with all her nonsense. She made a small noise of agreement and nodded, slowly ascending. He gently pushed his mother in front of him, and she followed Ginny wordlessly. He put his sister down and sent her up, as well. He stopped for a moment, then he too followed.

When he reached the landing, he could see two more staircases at the end of the hall, leading up in opposite directions. Ginny turned to face him and said, pointing to the stairs, "That one leads to the servants' quarters, and the other to the nursery suite and guestrooms. That would probably be the best place for them." She indicated Narcissa and Dulcie. "You two don't talk much do you? Anyway, if I remember correctly, there's a nursery up there with a bedroom on either side. It would be perfect, your mother could take the larger suite, which adjoins to it, and the nurse could take the smaller bedroom on the other side. Let's go get them settled and then we can put our things away."

He nodded and followed her again, this time motioning for his family to follow. "How do you know all this?" Draco asked, low enough for only them to hear.

"I've been here before," replied Ginny, almost to the next floor.

"When? What is this place, and why were you so upset?" he questioned, as he joined her. "And where in the world did you come up with 'Death Eater Central'?"

"A long time ago, this is the old Riddle house, and it used to be the Dark Lord's temporary headquarters, until he moved to Malfoy Manor," she said flatly, leaving no more room for discussion. "Are you always so nosy?"

"Yes," he said. She looked at him to see if he was joking, but could find no traces of humour in his voice or face.

"Don't fight," said a small voice. Ginny turned to look at the pale little girl, holding her mother's hand, and smiled.

"Don't worry, we weren't fighting," she said, kneeling in front of the girl. "I'm Ginny, what's your name?"

"You know my name, it's Dulcie," she replied, switching from insecurity to defiance in a flash.

'Well, she certainly is a Malfoy,' Ginny thought dryly.

"Yes, I do. But you see, there is a difference in a name spoken of and one given at last by the bearer," Ginny said, patiently. "Do you understand?" Dulcie nodded and Ginny nodded back. "I thought you would. Remember, that your name is only yours, and you are the only person who can give another your name. Now, shall we go see your new bedroom?" She took the little girl's other hand and led the pair to a door midway down the hall.

They entered into a small, dusty sitting room. There was a small stone fireplace with two large cream-coloured armchairs and a soft Persian rug in front of it. Across from the fireplace, there were French double doors, left open, so that you could see the bedroom. In one corner, there stood a tall mahogany bookcase, and in the other, a matching desk. "Well, it's a bit dusty, but that's easily remedied. This will be your sitting room, Narcissa," Ginny said, releasing Dulcie's hand to pull out her wand. In just moments, the dust was gone, the windows and carpets clean, and everything was bright and shiny. She lit a fire and helped Narcissa out of her cloak.

"Here, sit down and I'll go clean the bedroom," she led the older woman to one of the armchairs. Once she was seated, Narcissa looked at her for the first time. She smiled a very small smile that didn't reach any of her other features. Ginny couldn't help but smile back. She felt bad for them, but this poor woman especially. She bent down and kissed her softly on the forehead. "We'll be friends again, I hope," she whispered. "I'll be your Ginny and you'll be my friend, Narcissa. I wish you could remember, you poor, dear sweet thing."

Draco had silently observed all this from the doorway. He could see the tenderness and compassion in Ginny's eyes during this brief exchange, and he saw it fade into emptiness and detachment as quickly as it had come when she turned from his mother. 'This girl is full of mysteries and contradictions,' he surmised. 'One minute she's a raving lunatic, the next, she's kissing my mum and making friends with Dulcie. I don't know anything at all about her, only that Dabir said she was the only one for the job. This is crazy! She's a Weasley and a Potter-loving good girl!'

"What am I doing here?" he asked himself, only to be answered by the one he was perturbed by.

"Revenge. Look at your mother- he made her like this, he took away everything you're entitled to, he destroyed your family and your life. And he must pay. Hell, all of them will pay! That's what you're doing here!" Ginny hissed under her breath. "Now, stop worrying about inconsequential matters. We're here to do a job; we're here for revenge! Leave it at that, you nosy little prick!"

"Oh, sod off, Weasley! I don't know anything about you or about this whole thing! Do you think I'm going to let anyone endanger them?" he raged back at her. He was still in the doorway, but she had moved beyond his sight into the bedroom. "I can't believe I'm even here! I'm leaving. This isn't worth it. I don't trust very many people and I'm sure as hell not gonna trust you!"

She came racing out of the bedroom, "NO!" She stopped just inches in front of him and he could feel her mind pleading. She glanced at Narcissa and Dulcie, who had settled herself in the other armchair. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the hallway. "Look, let's go check the grounds and we can talk. I understand that you don't trust me, I don't really trust you either. But, this is the best chance we're ever going to have to finally defeat To- the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. I- I need your help," she said, looking as though it pained her to say that. "Plus, you're in a position not even Potter could get into. You're getting revenge on Tom and your father and you're one up on Harry. What more of an incentive do you want?"

He thought about it for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Besides, I already told Dabir I would and I can't really back out now," he said. "Let me get Lexiss and we'll go. You've got a lot of explaining to do, Weasley. You're really obsessed with this whole revenge thing, huh?"

"Who's Lexiss?" she asked, not answering his question, as he turned to go downstairs.

"You'll see," he said.

She went back into the suite and had the bathroom, the playroom, Dulcie's bedroom, and the nurse's bedroom spotless by the time he returned. With him was a large black panther with sharp green eyes. "This is Lexiss. She is their guardian when I am away," Draco said. "She's very well-behaved. She wouldn't hurt you unless she thought Mum or Dulcie were in danger."

'Where did the cat come from? I never saw it before,' she thought. Ginny nodded and spoke to the big cat, "It's a pleasure, Lexiss. I am Ginny, and I can assure I would never put Narcissa or Dulcie in harm."

"I know. You have yet to learn that all things happen for a reason," Lexiss replied, taking in the shocked expression on Ginny's face before continuing. "We shall get on quite well. You and I are very much alike, as are I and Draco."

Ginny just stared at her with an odd look on her face. She nodded, feeling as though she had realised something, but wasn't sure what she had realised. This whole day was too much. It was too surreal. Here she was, standing in the Riddle House, with Draco Malfoy, his mother, sister, and their cat, Lexiss. And she was intending to live here for an unspecified length of time, posing as a trusted and loyal Death Eater, while spying for the Department of Mysteries with Draco Malfoy. 'This is madness! It's too strange,' she thought. 'Well, yes, but what part of your life has been normal?'