[HP] Three thousand days of innocence

The changes in Ginny Weasley over the next few weeks shocked everyone else in the Auror office.The witch who was always late, complained about her tasks, and publicly confronted the department head was gone—no, she had completely stopped communicating with other people now, preferring to spend most of her time looking through Draco Malfoy's case file , and went out frequently, saying that he would investigate the places where he was said to have been found.No one believed her until one Monday, when she came back flushed from the sun—Ginny said calmly that the weather in Italy was finer than she had expected.

She had his picture available now: a magical one, courtesy of Blaise Zabini, of a 17-year-old Draco at a social gathering, in expensive gowns, looking haughty and bored.With Hermione's help, Ginny made a still version of this photo, which she used to ask Muggles if they had seen him.

Surprisingly, despite all this time, her attempts were not entirely fruitless.The first businessman she'd asked in Milan had recognized Draco in the photo at a glance. "Yes, Englishman!" he cried. "He comes here to buy — food, a lot of food."

"How long ago was this?" Ginny asked.

Frowning, the Muggle trader asked his lanky assistant a question, which hesitated before answering him. "Five, maybe six years," he finally said. "I remember him because his Italian is so good. Much better than Stefano." He gave his assistant an annoyed look.

Ginny made a note in her little notebook: fluent in Italian. "Can you tell me anything else about him?" she asked.

"Well, very sad, the Englishman," said the retailer, frowning. "No smiles. Here alone. Girls like him—he's very good-looking?" He looked up hopefully at Ginny, who blushed and nodded understandingly.Yes, if there was one thing she identified with Draco Malfoy, it was that he was very attractive. "It is a sin not to appreciate good wine and good women!"

Traveling alone—forced to be separated?Ginny added in her notebook. "Thank you, sir," she said to the merchant. "If you can think of anything else, please contact me." She gave him the number of the mobile phone Harry had encouraged her to buy, and was glad she was actually going to use it now.

Draco had been seen in Milan and Florence, and in both cities the reactions were more or less the same.Many didn't remember him, and she didn't blame them, but many remembered him as clearly as the first Muggle.Their descriptions of him were nearly identical: they called him "ilinglese," a lonely Englishman.He was never seen with anyone else, he was never seen talking to anyone else; he disappeared after a few months and was never heard from again.He asked many merchants for food, asked for the way to the hotel, and many other things. "British, I don't think he reads newspapers," said one, laughing. "He doesn't know anything about wars in the Middle East! He asks for news like a man returning from a long journey."

Ginny, who herself knew next to nothing about the wars in the Middle East, just nodded, thinking that Draco's ignorance of the world wasn't worth writing about.Still, he was now interested in Muggle news, which was worth noting in her notebook.

From there she went on to Paris, and to Montmartre, where a Squib reported seeing a tall, lanky, fair-haired man in a café down the street about four years ago. Young man is drinking orange soda.Unfortunately, Ginny has little to gain here.The café owner babbled at her angrily in fluent French, until he remembered that she could not speak French, and then said succinctly: "I've answered this question enough. I haven't done it since the last time." Met him. You buy coffee or go."

So were the people she visited in Montmartre and other parts of the city.She is usually dismissed hastily. "No, I haven't seen him before." Though some begrudgingly admit that he looks familiar.One person did mention him, but that was after Ginny bought a cappuccino. "The Englishman, he's very quiet, keeps a diary," said the restaurateur. "I think he lives close by because he comes every day. Every day is the same: an orange soda and an omelet, writing in a journal. I think he's that poet type."

Ginny came back from her interview with some hope, for reasons she couldn't even explain.The man she questioned didn't say anything new—she already knew he was alone and withdrawn wherever he went—but...she turned the interview notebook to the middle page.

Interested in Muggle events.

It was the only brand new piece of news she got.She looked over and over at Sturgis Podmore's records, and he didn't mention it, perhaps finding it irrelevant.Ginny thought the affair was worthwhile, and one afternoon, a few weeks after she had had tea with Narcissa, she went to Harry's office.

"I want to turn the subpoena against Draco Malfoy into a warrant for his arrest," Ginny said boldly before she even sat down.

Harry blinked at her from above his round glasses. "what why?"

"He's not just running from the Ministry, Harry, he's hiding," said Ginny, pulling out her notebook. "A barber shop owner in Florence told me that when he saw Draco, he was interested in learning about Muggle events, news, wars, etc. He was disguised as a Muggle."

"I take that for granted," said Harry, frowning. "Considering we haven't found him in the wizarding world yet."

"But don't you see? Lots of cases against him. He's wanted for assault now, but he's gone, he's gone into hiding—he used to be disgusted with everything Muggle, which seems like a big deal." transformation, no? Who knows what other crimes he committed?"

Harry bit his lower lip as he flipped through Ginny's other notes. "Kim, you have a point," he said slowly.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "but……"

"I was in the Astronomy Tower, and Malfoy could have killed Dumbledore, and he didn't." That was exactly what she was thinking; Harry's favorite retelling of the night Dumbledore died. "It was the same when we were looking for the Ravenclaw diadem in the Room of Requirement. I very much doubt that Malfoy would just cast a spell on someone that night and run away before he got hurt. He couldn't have done anything worse."

Ginny frowned at him. "It's the hindrance, Harry," she said softly.

"I suppose you redoubled your efforts because of Mrs. Malfoy's dying wishes, not because you want to see justice done?"

"It's the same," she said, waving her hand. "I promised a mother that she would see her son again, but her son was also a criminal. I wasn't going to find him and let him go."

Harry looked at her in surprise, took off his glasses and wiped them. "When did you become so keen on apprehending suspects?" he asked mildly.

"Because I obviously need to prove to you that I am capable of handling those more famous cases." Ginny said coldly, then took back her notebook and returned to her desk.

But she worries about her theory and the meeting that follows, and over lunch she complains to Percy that she doesn't think her combative behavior will do any good. "He just gets angrier and angrier at me," she complained, "and keeps giving me terrible assignments. Harry is unbelievably stubborn at times."

"Harry has a lot of respect for you, you know that," Percy said. "It won't hurt to let him know you mean business. I know you're a capable witch, after all I've been pointed at with your wand so often."

"I think," she said, "I mean—I didn't go through three years of intense training to arrest naughty teenagers who wanted to die and thought they'd lived long enough to be above the law stupid old wizard."

Percy sighed. "How long will that be? Before the law won't apply to you?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Let's live to be a hundred years old first."

Ginny left the Ministry that evening to clear her mind and calm down, so she changed into Muggle attire and headed for St. James' Park, near Buckingham Palace.There are people everywhere on the lawn, some are lying in the sunset, some are reading or talking softly, and some are looking after children playing not far away.Some took blankets and ate dinner on them, and one held a baby and chased flies around the food.Evenings were warm and quiet despite the heavy traffic nearby.She seemed to have entered another world, to another place outside the busy and crowded London.

Ginny sat down on the grass, next to a large pond that looked like a mirror, reflecting the London Eye and the Clock Tower in the distance.A group of young men were playing a fierce rugby game nearby, and she watched them casually for a while.She looked around contentedly—at people, trees, and ponds—and wondered why her life always seemed to rush unnecessarily.

She will be 25 in a few months, but what is she doing?Working a job she hates, has an ex-boyfriend who won't give up, has no love life to speak of, and her friends are busy with their own domestic well-being.As a girl, she had dreamed of becoming a famous Quidditch player, and her Prince Charming would be one of many adoring fans who fell in love with her the moment he saw her.She wanted three boys and maybe a girl, a cozy house full of their stuff, and happy days and nights for the rest of her life.

However, her dream didn't come true, just like she didn't find Draco Malfoy.

Ginny sighed at her own melancholy thoughts, and pulled out the book she had brought, one of the many books Hermione had recommended to her, but she couldn't stop reading.Everything seemed to depend on finding Draco.For the past few weeks, she'd found herself thinking a lot: If I find Draco, I'll be happy with my job.If I find Draco, I'll earn Harry's respect and he'll let me go.If I find Draco...

"Hey, be careful!"

Ginny jolted out of her thoughts as something quickly bounced off the ground in front of her and hit her knee.She yelled softly, heightened her vigilance, and reached for the wand hidden in her jeans, when she realized—she wasn't being attacked, just a football that was thrown wide.Apparently, the distance between her and the football game wasn't enough to protect her from their intense game.

Ginny stood up, still shaking from the sudden tension, and picked up the ball.One of the young men was running towards her, his Newcastle United jersey soaked in sweat, with jeers and insults from his team-mates behind him.

"Sorry, miss!" he called to her, smiling apologetically. "I'm going to be clumsy when I'm around pretty girls."

"You say that to all the girls, I bet." Ginny responded instinctively to his flippant.The football player laughed, and she tossed him the ball when he was still a few feet away.

Then she froze.

He smiled down at her, ball under one arm, and seemed oblivious to her stiffness. "Only for those who get in our way," he teased, a happy gleam in his gray eyes. "But really, miss, no malice. We won't bother you any more."

"It's okay." She said softly, with a forced smile. "It's—seriously, I—"

"Then goodbye." He smiled at her one last time, then turned around and ran back to his companions.

If I find Draco, everything will be fine.

Like a gift from heaven, she seems to have done it.