Breaking the rules

AN-This is the "end" of this one. I know there are unanswered questions, but I promise everything will get wrapped up in the sequel, "Consequences." (I really suck at titles!)



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Shortly before one o\'clock, McGonagall returned to the room to wake them. Ginny sat up and the time turner slipped to the floor. "Guess I don\'t need this anymore..." she shrugged and stuck it back in Hermione\'s bag (the one she had brought with her) for safe keeping. Kingsley had told them to leave the original bag where it was for their doubles to find when they went back. Ginny wasn\'t sure if it would just disappear at 1:10 or what, but she obediently left it there and followed Ron and McGonagall to the headmaster\'s office. 



"Give my best to your family," McGonagall said, smiling tiredly. Ginny could tell that coordinating the aftermath of the battle was taking its toll on the older witch.



"We will, Professor," Ron nodded before stepping into the fireplace, "St Mungo\'s!"



"Get some rest, Professor," Ginny smiled sympathetically at the older woman before following her brother into the flames. 



When they finally made their way to Fred\'s room on the fifth floor, they found it packed with people. Their mum and dad, Bill, Fleur and Victoire, Charlie, Percy and his girlfriend Audrey, George, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet were all crowded into the cramped space. Fred was propped up by a pile of pillows, looking a bit pale, but smiling cheerfully. A large bandage was wrapped around his head.



As soon as Ginny and Ron entered the room, a loud cheer went up. Molly launched herself at them, hugging them both tightly to her chest. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"



"Um...for what?" Ron asked a bit too innocently. 



"Kingsley told us what you did," Fred replied, smiling gratefully at them. "I knew I heard your voices casting that spell!"



"I guess you owe us a drink then," Ginny teased, sitting on the edge of the bed and hugging him tightly. 



"Anything you want," Fred said, "Just name it. Within my budget, of course..."



Ron laughed, leaning over for his own hug, "We\'re just glad we got to you in time. We almost didn\'t make it," he admitted, shuddering. 



"Well, you did," George smiled, patting Ron on the back. "We owe you big time," he added, sitting on the bed and putting his arm around his twin.



"So...you\'re alright?" Ginny asked worriedly, pointing at Fred\'s bandaged head. "Sorry we couldn\'t keep the wall off you completely. It was literally down to the last second..."



"I\'m fine," Fred nodded, "George and I are mirror images again," he grinned, tapping the right side of his head. "Lost my ear."



"Ugh," Ginny winced. "Sorry."



"Nah," Fred shrugged. "Now I\'m holy too," he winked.



"So...how\'s Harry?" Ron asked anxiously. 



"Why don\'t you ask him yourself? He\'s next door," Arthur suggested, pointing at the wall.



"Yeah...just knock first," Bill chuckled, making a face. 



Ginny tilted her head questioningly. 



"Having both arms in slings doesn\'t seem to have discouraged him and Hermione from trying to crawl down each other\'s throats," Charlie explained, winking.



"Why do you think we\'re all in here?" Alicia spoke up, laughing.



"Oh," Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Eww..."



"I\'m sure they\'d want you to step in and say hello," Molly said encouragingly. "You saved their lives."



"Um, Malfoy\'s been getting a bit twitchy too. He\'s down in room 414," Arthur added. "They had to admit him...his kidney is ruptured."



Ginny frowned, mumbling, "Gods, I knew that bruise looked bad..."



"He\'ll be alright, but it\'s a good thing Kingsley made him come in when he did," Molly tsk\'d quietly.



"Good to know, right Ginny?" Ron said, smirking widely. 



"Oh shut up," Ginny muttered, but couldn\'t fight back a smile.



"Oooooooh...has our widdle Ginny Winny got a widdle cwush?" Fred exclaimed, laughing.



"I saved you. Don\'t make me take it back," Ginny retorted, sticking out her tongue. Standing up, she said, "I\'m gonna go see Harry and Hermione, you coming, Ron?"



"Yup," he nodded and followed her into the hallway. 



Once they were alone, Ginny stopped and turned on her brother, "Why do you keep making all these thinly veiled comments about Draco? And you were nice to him...saying we\'d visit him..."



Ron raised an eyebrow, "Well, he hasn\'t been acting like Lucius Junior since we saved him. I figured we might as well let bygones be bygones, right?"



"Yeah," Ginny nodded, smiling. "I\'m impressed that you\'re being so mature about it."



"War changes things. Everything could\'ve ended so badly today, but it didn\'t. I\'m willing to make a fresh start as long as he is," Ron shrugged, then grinned slyly, "Besides, you two can\'t keep your eyes off each other."



Ginny blushed, "Is it that obvious?"



"Do Weasleys have red hair?" Ron laughed. "I say go for it. Life is too short for regrets. But if he hurts you, I will personally finish what Dolohov started."



"I don\'t even know if there\'s really anything happening between us, but if there is I\'ll be sure to tell him that," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Now let\'s say \'hi\' to Harry and \'Mione..." she said, pushing open the door to Harry\'s room.



"Oh gods, \'Mione! Yes! Just like that!" Harry\'s voice drifted into the hallway, sounding a bit strained. Ginny got a very brief glimpse of him lying flat on his back with his head thrown back in ecstasy. Partially obscured by the door, a mass of long brown curls covered his groin, moving slowly up and down, "That feels so good, baby..."



"We\'ll come back later!" Ron yelped, quickly pulling the door closed. He and Ginny exchanged embarrassed grins, both nearly as red as their hair. "Um...I\'m gonna go see how Lav\'s doing." Ron mumbled, shifting his weight uncomfortably. 



"Oh gods, Ron," Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Didn\'t you learn anything the first time around?"



"I\'m just going as a friend!" Ron exclaimed defensively. "The girl just got mauled by a werewolf for Merlin\'s sake!"



"Mmm," Ginny sighed, "Maybe you should bring Bill with you," she suggested. "He might be able to answer any questions she might have. Or at least show her it\'s possible to have a pretty normal life after being attacked."



"Good idea," Ron smiled, slowly backing toward Fred\'s room. "Say \'hi\' to Draco for me," he grinned, winking.



"I will," Ginny rolled her eyes, turning toward the lift.



When she reached room 414, she stopped to take a deep breath, smoothing her shirt as best she could before knocking quietly.



"Come in!" Draco\'s voice called out immediately, making her wonder whether he\'d heard her in the hallway or if he\'d just been waiting for her to come see him. Smiling nervously, she opened the door and blinked. 



Draco was sitting propped up on the bed, much like Fred. What confused her were his guests. Tonks and Remus Lupin were sitting on a couple of the hospital\'s atrocious wooden chairs, and Andromeda Tonks was perched on the side of his bed with little Teddy in her arms. Ginny rubbed her head, staring at Tonks and Remus. For some reason she felt like there was something extremely off about them being there.



"Ginny!" Draco smiled happily as she slowly stepped into the room, feeling like the situation was very wrong but unable to pin exactly how. "You came!"



"H-hi," she mumbled, smiling weakly when Tonks gave her a friendly wave. Turning to Draco she said, "I told you I would. Ron says \'hi\'. He went to go check on Lavender."



"Oh," Draco shrugged, "Um, you know Professor Lupin and my cousin..." he gestured at Tonks and Remus, and once again, Ginny couldn\'t shake the feeling that something wasn\'t right. "And my aunt Andromeda...."



"Hello Ginny," Andromeda smiled warmly at her. "I told you to call me Andi," she scolded Draco gently. 



"What are you doing here?" Ginny blurted at Tonks, unable to help herself.



"Um, Mum wanted to come see Draco when she found out what happened. Kingsley told us Narcissa\'s gone missing, " Tonks explained with a shrug.



"She hasn\'t turned up yet?" Ginny asked, surprised. 



"Well, Severus Snape has also turned up missing," Andromeda murmured, smiling mysteriously. "The two of them used to be...close, back in school."



"Ew!" Ginny grimaced, then blushed. "I mean..."



Remus laughed, "No, I think that sums it up nicely. After he and Lily had their falling out, he became quite close to Narcissa. She seemed enamoured with him, until her family arranged her marriage to that bastard Malfoy," he explained. Turning to Draco he smiled apologetically, adding, "No offense...."



"None taken," Draco shrugged carelessly, "Though I\'m pretty sure my grandparents were married."



"Anyway...we think they may have taken off together," Tonks shrugged uncertainly. Turning to Remus, she nudged him with her elbow, "We should probably get going, Luv. Mum?"



Andromeda glanced back and forth between Ginny and Draco, then quickly rose to her feet with an amused smile. "Yes, Dora. Let\'s leave these two alone. I sense a serious discussion pending..." she winked teasingly at Draco who turned faintly pink around the ears. "Let me know when they say you can come home, dear," she ordered, kissing him on the forehead. "It\'ll be so nice having the family back together."



"I will," Draco nodded, "Thank you for coming to see me," he added shyly.



"Oh, darling, I would have come to see you almost eighteen years ago if your father would have allowed it," Andromeda said, smiling warmly at him. Hefting Teddy higher up on her shoulder, she turned to her daughter and son-in-law and asked, "Ready?"



"After you," Remus gestured at the door. Andromeda and Tonks filed out and he followed them, nodding politely to Ginny as he passed by. The door swung shut behind them with a click.



Turning back to Draco, Ginny found him staring intently at her. "Um...hi," she mumbled awkwardly, nervous now that they were alone with no life or death missions to fulfill. 



"You said that already," Draco teased. Patting the spot Andromeda had just vacated, he asked, "Why are you way over there?"



Shrugging uncertainly, Ginny slowly moved closer and sat down beside him. "Um...so..." she rubbed her neck uncomfortably, wishing she could think of something intelligent to say. She couldn\'t recall ever being so affected by a boy. Not since Harry when she was ten.



"So..." Draco nodded. Reaching out, he gently took her hand in his and squeezed. Ginny jumped slightly. "I don\'t bite," he murmured soothingly. "Unless you want me to," he added, winking mischievously.



Ginny stared at his mouth, blushing, "Um..."



Draco sighed and released her hand. "Look, maybe I misread things. Maybe it was just all the adrenaline or something, but I kind of thought...it seemed like maybe there might be something...you know...between us. Maybe it was wishful thinking..."



Ginny smiled shyly, her heart rate accelerating. "Do you want there to be?"



"I know I\'ve been a jerk to you, but I\'ve always been...kind of fascinated by you, Ginny," Draco admitted softly. "You\'re so smart and pretty. And strong. I heard how your spell pretty much destroyed the Department of Mysteries. Even my father was impressed by how powerful you were. When you showed up and saved me earlier, you were like some kind of avenging angel. You were amazing!" He took her hand again, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of it. 



"I\'ve been wondering for a while how much of your behavior was an act," Ginny murmured, "So many things didn\'t add up. Harry said you didn\'t really want to kill Dumbledore, and you refused to identify him, Ron or Hermione back in March, even though you obviously knew it was them. And then you saved that girl\'s life earlier. I didn\'t know that spell...she would have died."



"You picked it up pretty quickly," Draco winked, running his free hand over the fresh scar on his temple. Growing more serious again, he asked, "Is there any chance you\'d let me prove just how much I really don\'t hate you?"



Raising an eyebrow, Ginny chuckled nervously as her heart leapt in her chest. "I think that might be the most convoluted pick up line I have ever heard," she teased, stalling for time. She couldn\'t deny being attracted to him, but six years of witnessing and being on the receiving end of his bullying behavior were making it a little difficult for her to trust her instincts, which surprisingly were screaming for her to go for it.



"Yeah, yeah," Draco rolled his eyes, "Just answer the damn question!" He pouted playfully then squeezed her hand again, staring into her eyes. "Give me a chance? I promise you won\'t be sorry."



Ginny glanced at his lips, then licked her own and shifted her gaze back up to his eyes. She was shocked by the sincerity she saw there. "Yes," she finally nodded, making up her mind.



Smirking sexily, he whispered, "Was that so hard?" Slipping his free hand into her hair, he pulled her closer and captured her lips with his own.



Ginny stiffened slightly out of pure shock, but immediately relaxed into the kiss, sighing contentedly. His lips were softer and smoother than any guy she\'d ever kissed, and despite everything they\'d been through in the last twenty-four hours, he tasted like chocolate and smelled faintly of oranges. When she sighed, he gently flicked his tongue over her lower lip then slid it into her mouth as they both tilted their heads for better access. 



Moaning softly, Ginny returned the favor, running her own tongue over his front teeth. Giggling, she mumbled into his mouth, "Got your teeth back, I see..."



"Mmmm..." he chuckled, pulling away just enough to press a series of light kisses along her jaw to her ear. "How do you smell so damn good after running around fighting all night and day?"



"I was gonna ask you that," Ginny laughed, reaching up to direct his mouth back to her own, "Less talking, more kissing..."



Growling softly, Draco pulled her further onto the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as she laid down partially on top of him, carefully avoiding putting any weight on the bruises across his abdomen. "No arguments here," he mumbled, slipping his tongue back into her mouth and proceeding to leisurely explore her teeth, tongue and tonsils as she ran her hands over his neck, shoulders and chest. When she flicked one of his nipples with a fingernail, he groaned loudly and pulled away, panting, "Owww,"



"Sorry!" Ginny glanced down at his chest but didn\'t see any obvious injuries to that particular spot.



"It\'s not you. My back is killing me," he gasped, reaching back to rub his injured side. "Pain potion wore off."



Ginny frowned worriedly and climbed off the bed. "I\'ll go tell the nurse," she said, quickly crossing to the door and pulling it open to find Ron standing with his hand poised to knock. They screamed in unison. "Gods! Ron! Don\'t do that!"



"Don\'t you do that!" He retorted. Looking her over, he smirked amusedly. "Well, you look rather thoroughly snogged, Sis. Should I come back later?"



Ginny punched him in the arm, "Don\'t be a prat! I\'ve gotta get a nurse. Draco\'s back is hurting..."



"Never thought I\'d see the day I\'d give a shit that Draco was in pain..." Ron chuckled incredulously. Stepping aside he gestured for her to go by him.



"Or that you\'d be visiting him in the hospital?" Ginny asked, nodding understandingly.



"Or that you\'d both stand around talking about me like I\'m not right bloody here?" Draco chimed in grumpily.



"Actually that part seems normal," Ron chuckled. Pushing Ginny gently toward the nurses station, he walked into the room and sat on one of the chairs. "Listen, mate...if you\'re gonna date my baby sister, we need to set some rules..." he announced, giving Draco a stern look.



Draco gazed pleadingly at Ginny. "Please hurry!" Ginny laughed and nodded, turning to leave. "And leave the door open!"



Ginny laughed all the way to the nurses station.