Breaking the rules

AN-This chapter also hasn't changed, I just moved it a bit.

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Ginny sat beside Ron in horrified silence as Healer Jyoti Singh explained to their father, Arthur, and the acting Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the extent of Harry's injuries. Her mother and George were too overwrought with grief over Fred's death to handle any more bad news. They had gone back to the Burrow with her three oldest brothers, though Charlie had promised to come back to the hospital after he got some rest. Ginny and Ron had refused to leave, even though Harry hadn't been allowed visitors.

A deep frown marred the healer's pretty face as she explained that the swelling in Harry's brain was just too extensive; she didn't think he was likely to survive the night.

"I'd like to examine his last memories to see if I can figure out what made him attack those aurors and kill himself," she murmured quietly.

"Is that really necessary?" Ron snapped, his eyes damp with tears. "He was kidnapped from his bed, made to look like Draco Bloody Malfoy and then forced into close contact with his worst fucking fear! What do you think made him go round the bend?" He muttered sarcastically. "He deserves some respect and privacy!"

"Ron..." Ginny gently put her hand on her brother's arm and he settled down instantly. Normally, he would have argued with her, but the events of the last several hours seemed to have drained him of most of his usual spark. Ginny was deeply worried about him. She also didn't like the things that were being implied about Harry. "I know it sounds crazy, but I don't think Harry would do this," She shook her head slightly, "He was so happy. He finally killed Voldemort just hours before...whatever happened. He knows how to handle dementors. He knows the tricks they play on your mind. He also knows that polyjuice wears off after an hour. All he had to do was wait for it to wear off, then demand a huge apology from the Ministry for not listening to him." Healer Singh looked uncertain, and Ginny snapped, yelling, "He and Hermione just got together...he wouldn't throw it all away just because someone tricked him into a brief trip to Azkaban! There has to be more to it!"

Kingsley and Arthur exchanged a look. Finally, Kingsley said, "I believe Miss Weasley is correct. We owe it to Harry to find out exactly what happened to him."

"Thank you, Kingsley. Er...Minister Shacklebolt," Healer Singh smiled rather flirtatiously at the stocky dark skinned wizard. "If you wish, I can bring you into Harry's memory with me so you can see for yourself whatever I manage to uncover."

"Can't you just extract the memories?" Arthur asked, his face showing the same confusion his daughter now felt.

"It would be too dangerous with the injuries Harry has sustained. Removing the memories could kill him." Healer Singh explained quietly.

"But shoving yourself in his head won't?" Ron asked, looking very dubious.

"It's hard to explain, but it is safer because it will just be our conscious minds observing what is there, rather than trying to extract the memories. There is a slight physical aspect to our memories; as you may know, they have a vapor-like consistency. Pulling them from such severely damaged tissue...." she grimaced, then shrugged slightly. "Harry doesn't have much of a chance, but I don't want to risk destroying even the tiny one he's got."

"Can I come?" Ginny requested after everyone had let this sink in for a moment.

"What?" Arthur and Ron asked incredulously. "Why?" Her father added.

"He should have someone he's close to act as a witness...to represent him. No offense, but he was hurt while he was in the custody of the Ministry, and they haven't even begun to have a chance to weed out all of the corruption that went on there under Voldemort. I know we can trust you Kingsley, but don't you think there should be someone who doesn't work for the Ministry there who can bear witness to whatever happened?"

"But your father works for the Ministry. And you're not impartial...you're his ex girlfriend," Ron pointed out, "I'm his best friend. I should do it,"

"But you're known to be hot headed. Do you really think you could watch without flying off the handle? Hermione would normally be the best choice, but no one even knows where she is. We might not have that long," Aurors were searching the castle, but the Fat Lady was missing from Gryffindor Tower and no one could find her to let them inside. Whoever had turned Harry over to the aurors had given him polyjuice, changing him into Draco Malfoy, and also changed himself into Harry. He'd claimed to have caught "Draco" trying to break into the tower while he and Hermione slept. No one knew where the person had gone after turning Harry in, but it had been over an hour since he turned Harry in and everyone was getting more and more anxious.

"I suppose we don't want to let just anyone see his memories. Even if he's not going to...if he's gonna d-die...he wouldn't want just anyone seeing that..." Ron stammered uncertainly. The fact that he still didn't argue more with Ginny frightened her immensely.

"Are you sure you can handle this, Ginny?" Arthur asked gently, "You don't know what you might see..."

"I just saw my brother die, and one of my best friends get mauled by a werewolf, Dad. I think I can handle seeing a few dementors and Harry falling off a broom," Ginny pointed out, "I'm almost an adult. My birthday is in just a few months."

"I think she's made a very valid point. A few of them, actually," Healer Singh shrugged slightly, smiling softly at Ginny. "I think it might be a good idea for her to view his memories."

"Alright," Kingsley nodded his approval, "If Arthur gives his permission," Ginny huffed impatiently and he smiled apologetically, "We don't have time to wait two months for your birthday, and if we see anything you might have to testify about later it's best to do this as by the books as possible,"

"She can do it," Arthur nodded.

"Alright, now that that's decided, I'd really like to do this as soon as possible," Healer Singh said, smiling uncomfortably. "I'm really afraid that Harry doesn't have much time."

Ginny bit her lip and nodded. After hugging her father and brother she nervously followed the healer and Minister out of the healer's office and a few doors down the hall to Harry's room. "Have you seen him yet?" Healer Singh asked softly. Ginny nodded ruefully but Kingsley shook his head. "Prepare yourself...he's...it's bad," the healer warned her gently.

Ginny nodded and took a deep breath as they entered the room. Harry was lying on a narrow white bed, with a bleached white sheet covering him to his mid chest. The blood that had covered him earlier had been washed away and his normally tanned skin was almost as white as the sheet, except for huge black bruises on his forehead, shoulders and chest. He seemed completely, utterly motionless. "Is...is he breathing?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"Barely," Healer Singh sighed sadly. Touching Harry's right shoulder, just below a large bruise there, she frowned thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Kingsley asked.

"The injuries to his shoulders don't make sense to me. They're both dislocated," she shook her head slowly, "That doesn't really fit with him falling off a broom,"

Ginny was watching Kingsley closely during this explanation. His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed suspiciously before a dark frown settled on his features. "What is it?" Ginny asked him a bit more sharply than she'd intended.

"I hope it's nothing, but I've heard rumors that Paul Robertson...one of the aurors that was killed...well, let's just say he didn't have the best reputation in the world."

"Was he a Death Eater?" Ginny asked, scowling.

"No, no," Kingsley shook his head quickly, "He hated them, in fact. They killed his younger sister and her husband. Paul has...had a tendency to get a little rough with them sometimes. But even if he thought he had Malfoy...I can't believe he would do something like this. The kid's a pain in the arse, but it's not like he really hurt anyone. Not compared to his father."

"But if they were told Draco had tried to attack Harry..." Ginny frowned thoughtfully.

"Let's quit standing around speculating and find out what really happened," Healer Singh suggested. "Please sit down on either side of the bed. I'm going to need to have you place your fingertips on my temples...like this..." she took Kingsley's right hand and placed it on her left temple then moved Ginny's left hand to her right temple. Leaning between them, she reached for Harry with both her hands. "Whatever you see, try not to let go. You'll break my connection and I'll have to start over. Close your eyes..." she murmured as she leaned further and placed her hands lightly on either side of Harry's forehead.

Ginny quickly closed her eyes. At first nothing happened, but then an image slowly began to form in her mind. A small spot of light formed and then she suddenly found herself standing in the courtyard at Hogwarts. Harry was just in front of her, facing Voldemort, and Ginny jumped fearfully. "It's just a memory," Healer Singh crooned comfortingly, "He can't hurt us."

Ginny wondered if she was trying to convince Ginny, Kingsley (who seemed to have gone very stiff) or herself. She forced herself to breathe as she watched Harry once again defeat the Dark Lord. She cringed for both her friends' sake as all three awkwardly observed the conversation and brief make out session that took place between Harry and Hermione before the pair finally staggered upstairs to Hermione's old dorm and collapsed in exhaustion. Kingsley snickered when Harry made a drowsy comment about showing off his impressive love making skills, and Healer Singh clucked her tongue at him.

Then the vision faded out and right back in as Harry slept and then woke to look sleepily around the room. He started to remove his glasses and they all spun to look at the bedroom door as a soft creak sounded on the other side. "He's got such good instincts," Kingsley sighed. "He'd have made a wonderful auror..." then he muttered, "Or not. Dammit Harry...bring your wand!"

All three cringed as Harry stepped into the hallway unarmed. Ginny noticed the roach and wrinkled her nose just as Harry muttered about Hogwarts non existent roach problem, "Step on the bug, Harry!" She urged just before the insect began to morph into a blurry dark figure.

"Harry never saw him change, so we can't see his face, but his mind made the connection that the roach must've been his attacker," Healer Singh explained as the dark, faceless figure stunned Harry and the vision went dark again for a moment.

Harry still looked like himself when the image faded back in, which Ginny found confusing as Kingsley had told them the aurors and McGonagall had quite clearly seen him as Draco. "He sees himself as...himself," Healer Singh murmured quietly. "Even knowing he looked like someone else, he still had a strong enough sense of self for his memory to overrule the potion..."

"Is that a big deal?" Ginny asked quietly.

"It just means he has a very strong mind...oh gods!" Healer Singh cried out as the tall, angry looking blond holding Harry's arms jerked his hands up toward his shoulders, causing an audible pop as Harry cried out in pain.

"The bastard!" Kingsley exclaimed. "If he wasn't dead I'd have his badge for that! That was out of line even if he'd done it to a real Death Eater. Oh gods!" Ginny felt the bed shift when the auror dislocated Harry's other shoulder before casting his patronus.

"Easy...don't break the connection," Healer Singh murmured soothingly. "Oh my god that bastard!" She finally lost her cool when the blond punched Harry in the stomach.

"I'll kill him..." Ginny growled, feeling tears trickling down her cheeks.

"He's already dead," Kingsley reminded her grouchily. Ginny grunted irritably.

"I can't believe she didn't listen..." Healer Singh gasped as McGonagall approached and then casually blew off Harry's pleas for help.

"Well...it is sort of something Draco might have tried. When he was younger anyway," Ginny bit her lip, "Not anymore though."

"I wonder how involved the Malfoys were in planning this," Kingsley mused aloud.

"I don't think they were. Remember...Harry told Hermione that Narcissa covered for him?" Healer Singh reminded him. "Merlin's beard, that's what...four times that man has hit him now?!" She exclaimed angrily as Harry was elbowed in the ribs.

"I don't know how to keep count with all the arm twisting and pulling," Ginny shrugged sadly. They all watched in anxious silence, hovering in midair just behind Harry and the Aurors as they flew toward London. "Oh my god...he knocked him off..." Ginny gasped as Robertson slapped Harry halfway off the broom.

"Not yet..." Kingsley huffed angrily as the blond pulled Harry back into place.

"Why didn't they just tie him on?" Healer Singh asked sadly.

"They normally do. Robertson clearly had it in for Harry...er...Malfoy," Kingsley grumbled. "Oh shit...he's falling. He's falling!"

Ginny held her breath in horror as Harry seemed seconds away from falling. She heard Kingsley and Healer Singh sigh with relief when Robertson finally caught him, then... "Son of a bitch! Did he just break his back?!" Kingsley bellowed when the auror elbowed Harry in the back.

"I don't think so...I think that was his ribs. I thought they broke in the fall," Singh murmured thoughtfully. "What are they doing?!" She yelped as the dementors suddenly moved alongside Robertsons broom.

"He made Harry so miserable they couldn't resist his suffering anymore," Kingsley explained quietly. "Holy shit!"

The bed lurched and Ginny nearly lost contact with the Healer's forehead, "Stay still, Kingsley! We don't want to have to watch all this again..."

"It...kissed him. It kissed the auror! How is Harry flying that broom like that?" Ginny whispered, amazed that he'd somehow kept the broom in the air, let alone moving in a straight line. She barely noticed the death of the other auror.

"Talent. Fuck....this is where he fell..." Kingsley mumbled. All three held their breath as Harry looked desperately at the nearby building, closed his eyes, and jumped just as the dementors lunged for him.

Ginny felt like her heart was falling right alongside Harry when he narrowly missed the rooftop and let out a scream of pure terror. "He missed. He didn't try to kill himself...he tried to jump on the roof to avoid them, but he missed. Poor Harry..."

The image vanished, just as Harry approached a large awning near the ground floor. "We don't need to watch that," Healer Singh muttered.

Ginny opened her eyes and gazed sadly at Harry's pale face. "He didn't deserve that. Even Draco didn't deserve to be treated like that. I'm not sure even Lucius deserved that..." she murmured sadly, gently taking Harry's left hand in hers.

"That bastard killed Harry because he thought Draco tried to kill Harry," Kingsley muttered, shaking his head disgustedly. "Whoever set this up was one twisted bastard. They had to know just who to hand 'Draco' over to in order to get Harry killed."

"That other one didn't do anything to prevent it," Healer Singh pointed out.

"Murray Jones was always a bit intimidated by Robertson," Kingsley sighed, "I've no idea how he ever became an auror in the first place. He's brilliant at strategy and theory, but balls in the field,"

"And now Harry's going to die because of one auror with an epically bad temper and one with no spine?" Ginny exclaimed angrily, "How is that right? How is that fair?"

"What worries me is why they went out of their way to organize this," Kingsley frowned. "Why turn him over and let Robertson kill him? Why not do it himself?"

"To undermine the Ministry," Ginny murmured. "Can you imagine people's reaction when this gets out?"

Kingsley opened his mouth, but before he could speak there was a knock on the door and a nurse stuck her head into the room, "I'm sorry to disturb you, Jyoti, but there's a man here for Minister Shacklebolt.

"Minister, I need to speak with you. We've found Hermione Granger. She was inside Gryffindor Tower like we suspected..." he glanced at Ginny and trailed off as if unsure he should speak in front of her.

"Is she okay?" Ginny asked anxiously.

The auror shifted his gaze back to Kingsley, who nodded for him to continue. Swallowing thickly, he announced "She's...she's d-dead."

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So...everyone thinks Harry finally snapped. Healer Singh thinks she's just going to be gathering proof that Harry killed the Aurors and himself (he's as good as dead). I guess it's a good thing she decided to check! ;-)