Unbroken

Saturday, Week 1 (1)

Draco POV

Sometimes I really hate my girlfriend, soon to be fiancé. Well scratch that, I love the woman to bits which is why I'm here strolling along Diagon Alley carrying a ton of bloody bags of clothes and other little knickknacks. One thing about Ginny Weasley, soon to be Malfoy, the girl can shop. Of course, I have more than enough to oblige her so I don't mind. I still want to take a break, however.

"Love, can we stop in for ice-cream," I beg her. She looks up at me with a bright smile and I steal a quick kiss just because.

"Sure, but only because you're so bloody hot," she tells me. I preen myself at the compliment and let her lead me to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Shop.

We step in and I immediately groan when I can finally drop the bags and take a seat. She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek while I stare out the window and goes to order our sundaes. I don't need to tell her because she knows my favorite flavor like she knows everything else about me. No one knows me like she does and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her. The ring in my inner sleeve pocket is a comforting weight and I know I'm ready to propose to her with it. On Sunday, my life will finally be complete.

I get lost in my thoughts before I notice a young girl, remarkably similar to our previous Jane Doe, walk by. She is in a yellow dress and pushing a trolley by herself. I wonder where her parents are until I see her waving at them from just down the Alley. I smile to myself but something starts to unsettle me. This girl is similar, too similar to our previous victim. Half of me wants to follow her just to be safe and make sure she doesn't get hurt but the other half wants to brush it off. The alley isn't nearly as crowded and it would be foolish for Dolohov to try anything. Besides, we don't know enough about his hunting patterns to decipher how he picks his victims. I'm sure this girl isn't in any danger.

I look at the girl a while longer before noticing her parents apparently signaling her to pick up some stuff on her own while they explore some other shops. I'm not an Auror for nothing and my mind draws up an alert but I can't leave Ginny by herself. I stroll up to her in the line and call her.

"Love, I'm going to step out for a breath of air, I'll be back soon," I tell her before dropping a quick kiss onto her lips when she nods.

"Be careful," she calls and I shoot her my trademark disarming smirk despite my worry rising by the minute.

"Of course, Red." She cringes at my use of the nickname and I chuckle.

I leave her in the shop and step out to Diagon to search for the little girl. She shouldn't have gotten far but my heart starts to thump against my chest when I don't see her anymore in the slightly crowded alley. There's not enough time for me to scour all the shops to find her.

Time is running out and I try to find any solution I can to this conundrum. Without a plan, I race down Diagon looking every which way before a thought strikes me like an anvil down on my head. The last murder was committed at Knockturn Alley which means I need to search there just in case he's already got her. If he doesn't, then he's like to bring her there and I can ambush.

Knockturn is still as dreary and smelly as I remember it but I hear no signs of a struggle or screaming of any kind as I walk through the area. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing and I keep my wand raised and at the ready. Stalking through the alleyway, my senses go on red alert.

There's a faint muffled sound and I perk my ears up to focus on it as I creep towards it. I know immediately that it's that little girl and I force myself to keep calm. I creep closer and hear the voices much clearer around a corner. I come up to it and peer my head around to find a black robed male and the little girl I saw.