Bad [Harry Potter Fanfiction] (Bad Series: 1)

20 | Parkinson Manor

On the edge of the small woods on the outskirts of the Parkinson Manor, Ginny knelt by a tree. She took in the grounds. Polished lawns, shadowed corners, ominous vibe, and empty. She looked at her watch. A few minutes after nine-thirty. She had some time to spare.

She pulled the blueprints from her bag and unraveled them onto the floor. The manor was enormous. Vander deserved an extra galleon next visit for such a quick retrieval. She grinned as she ran her fingers over the labeled bedrooms. There were dozen of rooms, but the second largest, right down from the master bedroom, was the second biggest room. Must be Pansy's. On the second floor, the right side of the manor.

Standing, she rolled her shoulders and rubbed her hands together. Next point was where to get into the Manor. The Parkinsons were out tonight. Malfoy owled earlier that the family would be away, and now would be the time. There was a part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell, but it was a job. She chewed on her bottom lip.

A flash of Malfoy's silvery-gray eyes shot through her mind.

She stiffened, clearing her throat and wiped at her eyes. What the hell had that been? Add that to the kiss with Harry... She ran her hand over her lips.

Focus on the job.

She crouched down again and mapped out the best way to reach Pansy's room. As her fingers glided across the blueprints, excitement drummed through her.

Pansy's bedroom would be first, and if not there, she'd check her parents' room down the way.

Ginny wanted to get in, grab the Black Locket, return it to Malfoy, then disappear. Maybe move out of her flat in Westminster and leave, disappear from this life. She'd drawn too much attention to herself. Harry, Malfoy, the Ministry... yes, it was time to move away for a bit. With Malfoy's money from this job, she could go anywhere she wanted to. Just grab her golden vase and go. Disappear.

She really liked that idea.

Her watch buzzed.

She smiled. Time to go.

She rolled up the blueprint and stuffed it back into her bag. She got to her feet and gripped her bag strap. She was ready.

Taking a deep breath, she listened. Nature filled her ears. She exhaled. The wind blew. She inhaled. Insects sang, birds chirped, a wolf howled. She exhaled again.

Ginny sprinted towards the gate, her wand in hand. She whispered a spell to reveal the protection wards. It buzzed all over the gate. She jogged down a few more feet and stopped in front of a weak spot. She just needed to get passed this part. It shouldn't send off too strong of a warning, but that didn't matter. No one was home anyway.

"Homenum Revelio!" she whispered. Silence followed. Yes, no humans around. She pointed her wand at a small area. "Deprimo." A hole blasted through the gate.

No alarm went off.

She climbed through. As she passed through the weak spell, her hair stood on end. She held her breath as she cleared it. Once through, she exhaled. Tossing a repair spell over her shoulder, she hurried towards the Manor. She'd find another way out of the place. It was safer this way.

The front doors loomed over her. The Manor was too big for three people. It was pointless to have so much extra space. She walked past a three-layered fountain fixture in the massive flower gardens. The topiary trees were masterly shaped like anyone would expect a Slytherin Pureblood family to have.

She unlocked the back door and slipped into the kitchen. There were no house elves at the moment since the family was away. She was free to roam.

The further she walked, the more she realized how cold it was. This wasn't a home. Void of love and warmth and compassion. The walls were lined with magical pictures, each turning to watch her but never speaking a word. She frowned at them as she passed countless rooms until she finally came to the one she was searching for. The golden handle beckoned her.