Number One

"I think I need a calling card."

"What d'you mean by that?"

"You know, to leave a mark that says I was here. My signature, so to speak."

"So you leave the Dark Mark above their house, you stupid dolt."

"Yeah, but everyone does that. I want to leave evidence that I was there. Me, Crabbe Jr, Death Eater."

"Okay. So what d'you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that instead of using a wand and rolling off some curse...I could use an axe."

"That would be so cool."

"SHUT UP!" Draco glared at his fellow Death Eaters, former schoolmates Crabbe and Goyle. They quickly fell silent. Draco turned his attention back to the house in the clearing and shifted nervously. He crouched near the roots of a large elm tree near the Weasley residence, listening to the flutter of a bird's wings and the mating call of a dozen or so grasshoppers. The house looked empty from his lookout post, which meant all was going according to plan. Little did his fellow henchmen know that Draco did not want to come upon occupants when the break-in was scheduled to occur. Merlin willing, the orchestrated theft would follow through easily.

Things had never been easy for Draco Malfoy. He always looked out for number one, before the pride of his father or the admiration of his peers. His Slytherin heritage and full wizard blood status did mean a lot to him. But he wasn't one to follow the crowd just because it seemed to be the most logical thing to do. From the moment he first witnessed torture and death at the hands of his fellow Death Eaters, he realized that such a lifestyle was not his cup of tea. To say the least--he never did anything at all if it did not benefit him in some way and he felt it was a waste of his time and effort to terrorize people indiscriminately. This attitude manifested itself in his work and he had come to develop a very cunning, calculated reputation within Voldemort's ranks. He acted with precision, with utmost care. He did not torture or kill or maim for kicks. There was a fully meditated reason behind every action. His father was proud; he was rising in the ranks. Voldemort often praised the younger Malfoy, which was a rare thing to hear. He had said more than once that great things were in store for Draco.

But Draco knew better. For something had changed him, appearing in him suddenly and then quietly, methodically spreading. It was love. Love for Ginny Weasley. He tried to deny it because of the personal bias he always held for her family--their lack of proper wizarding pride annoyed him--and he also knew about her long-standing crush on his arch nemesis, Harry Potter. However, she outgrew him and seemed to both sense and become attracted to Draco's burgeoning desire. It was a surprise to both of them when they fell in love. Their feelings for eachother took root in private, shadowy places away from prying eyes and grew into something far larger than either of them could possibly contain in silence and secrecy. Draco knew he would have to decide where he stood if he wanted to keep Ginny and maintain at least a few of his scruples.

So he flipped on Voldemort, turned spy. Reiterated everything he knew to the Order of the Pheonix and relayed false information to the Death Eaters. Obtained 'planted' evidence of battle plans and new spells, then presented his bounty to Voldemort with nary a quiver. It was dangerous business, and he recalled how Dumbledore had asked him, very seriously, if he could deal with any possible future repercussions. He had entertained a private meeting with the Hogwarts Headmaster in his office, who had appeared far older and more gaunt than usual. "I do not wish this sort of life upon anyone." Dumbledore had stated emphatically. "And you must not walk into it naively. You could lose so much from taking on such an endeavor. Are you willing to risk it all?" Draco had merely nodded in response. He was good at taking care of himself, looking out for Number One. It was at this time Ginny announced their relationship to her closest friends and immediate family, thus pissing off her brother, Ron, and alarming Harry. They eventually accepted his place within the Order and in Ginny's heart, albeit grudgingly. Ginny had to enlist her friend Hermione's help to that effect. It all came to pass, but it hadn't been easy.

Now here he was, crouching in the shadows of the perimeter of the Burrow, waiting for the sun to finally set so he could 'break in' to Mr. Weasley's study and pilfer a set of keys to various underground safes within Gringotts. Supposedly, anyway. Both he and Mr. Weasley knew the keys were of no value whatsoever. But it was a direct order from Voldemort himself, so Draco scrambled to set up the scene. He knew there were inner spies among the Death Eaters, so he had to at least stage a robbery, even if one wasn't actually taking place. It would have been easier to accomplish alone. And he had tried to beg off the need for henchmen, but Voldemort had insisted that he take Crabbe and Goyle along, in case Draco came upon the whole family. He would be outnumbered then. "Unless, of course, " Draco vividly recalled Voldemort drawl, "you know something I don't."

Stepping out from behind the tree, Draco visibly shivered from the memory. He beckoned Crabbe and Goyle, standing a ways apart from him within the dense wood, to follow him. All three quietly made their way toward the Weasley's front door. "Alohomora!" Draco stated, and the door swung open. They entered the main hall and Draco turned to face his colleauges. "Crabbe, you search the kitchen. Stay in there and keep an eye out for the Muggle-lovers from the window. Goyle, make a quick inventory of the rest of the downstairs quarters." Murmured agreement followed. Draco made his way up a flight of stairs stealthily, careful not to make a sound. He wasn't sure if the Weasleys had pets, but he chose to err on the side of caution--he did not want to incite noise. For a moment, he mused at the fact that he knew so little about his girlfriend's home and family. But then, circumstances did not really permit that sort of thing. At least not yet. His reverie was broken by a tumult of noise downstairs. He shook his head wearily as he distinctly heard the shatter of glass in the kitchen below.

"Crabbe--be careful!" He hissed from the landing. He made his way toward Arthur Weasley's study and quietly pushed back the door. He let out a gasp of surprise--Ginny was sitting at her father's desk, curled up in the big, frayed leather chair, covered in a patchwork quilt. She had been reading a letter when she suddenly looked up at him and smiled. She put down her letter and began her pleasantries when Draco violently shushed her. The smile struck immediately from her face.

"Draco, is something wrong?" Goyle called out loudly from the bottom of the stairs. "D'you need help?"

"No," Draco said, his voice a little shaky, "I just didn't expect to see...such shabby conditions."

"Oh. Okay." Goyle sauntered off, and Draco sighed as he quietly shut the study door. No sooner had he turned around when he received a swift punch in the shoulder

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Ginny hissed.

"What do you think?" Draco snapped. Ginny's anger morphed instantaneouly into hurt. Draco whispered, "I can't let on how I really feel around them, and you know that. Anyway, just what is the meaning of this?" Draco flailed his arms around. "You're not supposed to be here! This is a staged break-in, Ginny!"

Ginny's eyes went wide with fear. She stuttered her defense. "I, uh, I had been visiting a friend in town and...um, I got home earlier than expected. The rest of the family already left by the time I got home and won't be back til later."

"Yes, 10pm to be exact. Didn't anyone inform you that you absolutely could NOT come home early tonight?"

Ginny started to tear up. "No. I don't know. Oh, what are we going to do?"

Draco ran his fingers nervously through his hair and started pacing the floor. "No one would ever believe that I let someone go unharmed in the event of a bungled break-in. No, I would either place a memory charm on you or...no, that would be too humane..."

"You wouldn't..." Ginny pleaded, shaking her head and clutching Draco's black robes.

Draco turned to her incredulously and put his hands on her small shoulders. Peering deeply into her eyes, he whispered, "I would never hurt you, Ginny. I love you. You know I love you. Someday the whole world will know how much I love you."

Ginny sniffed. "You mean..."

"Yes. This war won't last all our lives, Ginny, and I want to spend the rest of mine with you."

"Oh, Draco!" She impulsively pulled his head down toward hers and gave him a long, desperate kiss.

Draco wanted to drink in the kiss for as long as possible, but knew he could not. Time was slipping by quickly, and there was always the off-chance that Goyle would open the door to the study and discover their illicit embrace. Pulling back, he murmured huskily, "Lie down."

Ginny's eyes widened more than before. "Draco!"

Draco smirked. "We need to set up a scene, dear. You have to appear dead in case either of those two numbskulls walk in here."

"Oh." Awkwardly, Ginny laid herself down on the floor beneath Draco. He crouched down above her and pulled a vial from the folds of his robes. Ginny propped herself up on her elbows and asked, "What is that?"

"It is an intense sleeping draught." Noticing the skeptical look on Ginny's face, Draco said, "Oh, come on, Ginny. Hermione wasn't the only one who got top marks in Potions class."

"I figured you only got top grades on account of being one of Professor Snape's favorite students."

"I beg to differ. I did not need extra points from Professor Snape. I did well enough on my own."

"Hermione was still better."

"Virginia Weasley! Do you want to know the plan or would you rather belittle my academic prowess?"

Ginny sobered up considerably. "I'm sorry, Draco. You don't need to get so upset."

Draco shook his head. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just that we haven't got much time...and...given the present circumstances...anyway. This potion will put you into a sleep so sound and so deep you will appear to be dead. But you will awaken three hours after ingesting it. That's right around the time the rest of your family comes home. Trust me, Ginny. Do you trust me?"

Ginny nodded. "I trust you with all my heart."

"Good. Now drink this while I go look for the keys." Ginny downed the drink in one long gulp, placed the vial next to her and settled herself. Draco rustled through the various drawers of Arthur's desk until he came upon an old rusty set of keys. He picked them up and stuffed them deep inside one of his pockets. He lifted the sole candle lighting the room from the desk and kneeled down next to Ginny. He took up the empty vial and put it in another pocket, then fished out his wand.

Ginny's eyelids began to get heavy and she slurred a few last words before nodding off. "Draco, you will see me soon?"

"Yes, love. As soon as I finish this assignment, I will report back to the Order for instructions. I will be able to visit you then."

"Okay...don't keep me waiting. I never see you often enough, or long enough, and you know this whole situation worrys me so. You know I love you, don't you, Draco?"

"Yes, I know." Draco pointed his wand at the candle's flame and snuffed it out. After a small explosion of green light, the room suddenly became dark. Gently placing the candle on its side near Ginny's hand, he leant over and kissed her on the forehead. She murmured something unintelligable, and Draco set about making her look as though she had fallen to the floor instead of curling up to take a long nap.

Upon finishing his handiwork, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Goyle was just stepping onto the second floor landing. Draco shook his head dramatically so that Goyle could see him in the dark. "Nothing in there. Let's go check upstairs." So they both headed up several more floors, searching over each one. It took longer than Draco had expected; the house was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. He spent most of the time wandering the rooms, his mind constantly riveted on his fair young lady slumbering on the second floor. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he came back down the stairs with Goyle. He was half-tempted to sneak over to the study just to check on Ginny and make sure she was sleeping, but decided against it. He didn't want to bring attention to himself. Crabbe was waiting for them on the lowest step of the staircase.

Draco eyed him suspiciously. "Did you stay in the kitchen?"

Crabbe didn't answer. "I think they're back!" Without another word, Draco opened the door a sliver and peered out into the yard. Indeed, it seemed as though the whole family had congregated. Softly shutting the door, Draco nodded toward the livingroom. All three bolted in there as the front door swung open. Draco mouthed, "Apparate!" even as Goyle stuck his wand out a window and shot out a flash of green light into the sky. There were shouts coming from the front of the house when this occurred, and footsteps could be heard coming toward them down the hall as well as clambering up the stairs. They all Apparated within seconds, and Draco barely heard screams as he disappeared.

******

In the next instant, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were standing in a low-ceilinged hallway with an earthen floor and only the occasional torch lighting the passage. Draco was considerably shaken by the unbelieveably close call, as the other two began talking excitedly.

Crabbe began. "You guys won't believe what I did. I came up with a calling card!"

Draco drawled out sarcastically between breaths as he bent over, hands on knees, "Well aren't we all excited now!"

Goyle looked confused. "What did you do? And how? The house was empty."

Draco turned cold and stood at attention very suddenly. Slowly, he whispered, "What?"

Crabbe gave Draco a toothy grin."Oh, while you guys were looking around upstairs, I thought I'd see if you missed anything. There was someone--I think it was the youngest weasel. Draco had already Avada Kedavra-ed her in the study on the second floor so I figured I'd try out my new calling card: decapitation!"

Goyle gave his partner a high five. "Awesome! That's really original. I wish I'd thought of that! But where's the axe? I wanna see it."

"Oh, um, I left it there. Eh, I can always get another one from MacNair. He won't mind..." Draco had grabbed Crabbe by the throat and shoved him against the wall full force.

"What the hell were you thinking?" His voice shook dangerously. "I told you to keep post in the kitchen and now look what you've done, you lousy ingrate!...Damnit...I'm in charge of this operation, and you will DO AS I SAY!" The last words came out in a rush of rising fury. Draco's words matched his demeanor, wild eyes, purple face.

Crabbe was dumbfounded. "What's the matter with you? We got back--and she was dead, anyway! Besides, the Dark Lord will reward you when you give him the keys."

Draco let him go and stood there, stunned into silence. His own master plan mocked him from the vantage point of hindsight. Mentally, he was torn in many opposing directions. Set up the scene. You could lose so much from taking on such an endeavor. Are you willing to risk it all? Swallow the emotions rising in your throat, block out their murderous, casual chatter. Only feet away from Voldemort's lair. Helpless. Cannot go back and explain. Never go back to the Burrow. Don't return to the Order. Mustn't see the Dark Lord. Maelstrom of pure, unbridled hate, spite, vengefulness. Ginny, so innocent. Pain, hurt, regret, shame. Love. Like a knife, splitting the soul. An axe. Oh Merlin, an axe. I trust you with all my heart. Don't keep me waiting. I never see you often enough, or long enough, and you know this whole situation worrys me so. You know I love you, don't you, Draco? Guilt-ridden and in the throes of frustrated anguish, Draco's mind whirled around madly until he let out a primal yell and all went black.