[HP] Three thousand days of innocence

Ron gripped Ginny's upper arm tightly and dragged her down Earls Court Road, further and further away from Draco's house.The way he dragged her behind him, and perhaps his murderous expression, attracted curious glances from passers-by, and more than one showed concern.Ginny kept trying to control her expression so they wouldn't see how much Ron hurt her.The last thing they needed was someone to notify the Muggle police of a suspicious kidnapping.

"Come on," she hissed. "You're making a fool of yourself—"

"Oh, am I making a fool of myself?" Ron yelled, but he let her go and stopped in the middle of the pavement. "Not you, and your public performance—"

"If you want to be safe, don't finish your sentence," she warned, narrowing her eyes.

He looked like he was going to argue, but he dragged her into a narrow alley between a stationery store and a Tesco, and Apparated away.Ginny recovered to find them at an apparition point at the Ministry of Magic.Ron dragged her through the Auror office - somehow, without arousing anyone's suspicion - into his private office.Ron dragged her through the Auror office - without arousing anyone's suspicion, anyway - into his private office.He locked the door and cast a protective spell over it.

"You said you couldn't find Malfoy," growled Ron, his face almost purple. "You said you couldn't catch him and didn't know where he lived."

"I don't know--"

Ron was speechless for a moment, then finally said, "I think you forgot to mention that it's going to be hard to find a guy who sticks his goddamn tongue down your throat!"

Ginny's heart sank.For a split second, she foolishly hoped he didn't recognize Draco. "I don't know what nonsense you're talking about, Ron," she said coldly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I recognize that hair, Ginny," he said angrily. "I recognized the bastard's voice. I could tell it was Malfoy at a glance." He moved closer to her, blue eyes so cold they could freeze the water. "sit down."

Ginny glared at him savagely, but sat down in the chair by the table anyway.Ron swung his wand so hard that his chair flew from behind the table in front of her, and he sat down as soon as its legs hit the ground. "When did you find him?" Ron asked.

"Six weeks ago," said Ginny flatly.There is no need to hide anything anymore.

"You..." Ron's face flushed even redder, but instead of yelling, he stroked his hair with his hands and took a deep breath. "Damn Merlin drawers, Kim. Six weeks? Six weeks?"

"I don't stutter."

"What have you been doing since you found him?"

Ginny looked away, her heart beating painfully. "A date with him."

"I guess I should guess from the kiss he gave you," said Ron bitterly.He leaned back dejectedly in his chair. "How could Malfoy and Weasley kiss like that?"

"He doesn't know anything, Ron," she said. "This case - this case is much more serious than when he was only charged with murder. Draco - he doesn't remember anything before November 1998."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Is this a new Death Eater trend? In the last war, saying you were under the Imperius Curse, now it's 'But I don't remember if I tortured or killed a Muggle, Minister, I've lost my memory. 'Damn it, Ginny."

"Can you just shut up and listen to me for a second and stop treating me like a piece of shit?" she yelled. "Do you think it didn't occur to me that he was pretending? When I met him at St. James' Park—"

"Six weeks ago," said Ron sharply.

She ignored him. "He's playing rugby with Muggles, Ron. Wearing Muggle clothes, using Muggle terms, as if he'd been born knowing it. He didn't hesitate when he saw me. He's had six weeks so far. Time to tell me, but he didn't. He's got a rare mental illness called—"

"A Muggle diagnosis?" said Ron suspiciously, tugging at his lower lip. "You know it won't work with the Wizengamot. If Muggles say he has a problem, fine, but he needs to see a healer. If it's just some sort of complicated amnesia, the healer will bring him back. .”

Ginny froze, clutching the arm of the chair tightly. "Recover...memories?" she said softly. "You mean—he can remember everything again?"

Ron shrugged. "Yeah. Hermione explained this to me once—remember when she was doing wizard health research last year?—but I don't quite remember it now. It was about unlocking parts of the brain that had been sealed off by amnesia... but Yes, if a memory specialist treats him, he will recover. Ready to stand trial."

Ginny put her hands over her mouth.Dear Merlin.Admittedly, she didn't know anything about the treatment, so it never occurred to her that Draco's memory would come back.It was also possible that he was not simply a sufferer of amnesia - if indeed he had the disease - which she had thought was incurable.But she now knew that the Draco Malfoy of yesteryear was likely to return - what would become of Ben Hamilton and the life he had created for himself?Would Draco hate the Walcotts?The wonderful people who helped him start his life again.Would he laugh at John and Simon, rejecting their unconditional friendship?Would he frown at the thought of working in a restaurant and serving people - Muggles - with his hands?

Would he push Ginny away because she was his Muggle lover?

"It's good for him to remember," she said falsely. "I can't think of any precedent where someone with amnesia has been tried for a crime."

"Hell, can you imagine the commotion it would cause if he had to?" said Ron. "That Skeeter woman will make a big fuss if she finds out about it. She's already calling him the most desirable bachelor in England. The bastard," he added with disgust.

"If that's the case - then the charge of his escape should be dropped," she said. "That should be done first, and then other things will be dealt with."

"Okay," said Ron. "And the Creevey and Padma Patil case. Speaking of Colin—" He frowned at the table as if looking for something, then shrugged and looked back at her. "There is an official notice, but I have been too lazy to look for it. Rabastan Lestrange had a preliminary hearing yesterday afternoon and he admitted to all the charges."

"I hope you've told Neville," she said. "Rabasta was responsible for torturing his parents into insanity."

"Neville was there too," he said. "But when he was asked about Colin's death, he said the same thing as Yaxley - Malfoy did it. So the charge is at least unassailable."

"What about Travers? What did he say?"

Ron clenched his jaw and clenched his fists. "Someone in the detention room was careless." He said through gritted teeth. "Travers managed to get a wand, pointed it at himself, and we found him dead this morning. We reprimanded the guards and Lestrange and Yaxley were moved to more secure cells. .” He kicked the table. "Of course, the McKinnons were furious. Hermione was going crazy trying to calm them down, and she assured the Creeveys and the Patils that guilty wizards would get a fair trial..." He shook his hand covered his face. "Merlin's beard, Kim, everyone's crazy these days. Everything's a mess."

Ginny looked down at her hands, feeling a strong surge of guilt.The messages swirl around her like scattered pieces of a puzzle until they finally fall into place.All the real Death Eaters are now caught and will eventually get their due in court, however, what the public really wants to see is Draco put on trial.The only one she wouldn't give up on.

"Okay," said Ron, after an uncomfortable silence.He stood up, hands behind his back, and began pacing the crowded office. "We will correct your mistakes."

A fierce rebuttal came to her lips, but she didn't say it.After all, it is a fact.She is very remiss.Once Harry found out, he had every right to fire her.

"You're dating Malfoy in secret to keep an eye on him as closely as possible," said Ron.

"How do you know I didn't do that in the first place?" Ginny asked.

Ron stopped to look at her, puckering his lips in pain. "Because I saw your face, Kim," he said softly. "You—you haven't been so happy since you were with Harry."

Ginny blinked, fighting back tears, thinking back to the morning—was it only a few hours ago—and she looked at Draco sleeping next to her.He told her he loved her.Ron was right: she hadn't felt so happy and at ease since she'd dated Harry.

Ron cleared his throat in embarrassment and continued pacing. "Right. Besides, you don't need six weeks of surveillance to make sure he doesn't remember anything—so you only talked to him for a week."

"Okay," Ginny said meekly.

"We can claim that's your right, part of your criminal investigation, so nobody can accuse you of negligence," Ron continued.

"It doesn't matter anymore." She sighed. "Harry would have fired me anyway."

Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "Harry won't know anything." He glanced at the heavily guarded door. "At least not from me."

Ginny stared at him dumbfounded. "But—Ron, Harry's a good friend of yours—"

"And you're my sister, Ginny," he said, "I think it's more—"

He stopped suddenly because she had jumped out of her chair and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she said softly. "I love you so much, Ron."

"I love you too, Ginny," he said, patting her on the back uncomfortably.He let go of her and coughed again to hide his embarrassment. "Then—I won't tell anyone what is said in this room. Because—you're my sister—and mother would kill me with her bare hands."

"She won't—"

"Oh, she will." Ron suddenly became serious again. "Do you realize the seriousness of what you've done? You're aiding and abetting a criminal, King, from getting caught. If the Wizengamot finds out -- you'll be in jail. Do you understand? They'll Send you to Azkaban, and none of us can save you. Mom has lost Fred, and I dare not let you become like that."

Ginny turned and stared at a framed picture on Ron's bookshelf.Inside was a photo of Ron and Hermione taken on the day Hugo was born.Rose writhed excitedly in his father's arms, and Ron put his other arm around Hermione, who looked proudly and happily at the flushed little baby in her arms. "You haven't explained how you know where to find me," she said, looking wistfully at her brother's family.

She heard Ron leaning against the table behind her. "I tracked down your wand," he said. "I had just rounded the corner of Buxton Gardens and hid when you and Malfoy came out of the house."

"Why? Why is it so urgent?"

"Kim—" She turned to meet his eyes. "We received Lucius Malfoy's owl a few hours ago. Narcissa is terminally ill. She is only a week old."

Ginny felt out of breath, gripping the chair tightly to steady herself.It was her worst crime - she had kept Draco with her, while his mother lay there dying, desperate to see him one last time.Merlin, what the hell did she do?

"Lucius will donate twice as much as planned if we can get Draco to meet her," said Ron darkly. "Narcissa asks about him every day. She's running out of time."

Ginny swallowed and nodded, feeling as if she had lost touch with her body. "Then we have to arrest him," she said.

"You know what you need to do first," said Ron. "If Malfoy was brought into court and saw a familiar face, he would screw everything up."

"I need to break up with him," Ginny said. "He'll know I'm not on his side."

"Call me as soon as we're done," said Ron, making his way to his desk.He picked up a half-eaten sugar quill from a stack of books and made quick notes on a piece of parchment. "If he lives like a Muggle, he doesn't have a wand - I reckon I can subdue him myself. You're standing outside his house looking out while I do that."

"Ok."

"He needs to be considered first - considering the current situation, we may be able to apply for a dispensation to let him go to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible."

"Okay," she said again, running a trembling hand through her hair, which Draco loved so much.Ginny struggled to draw in a breath, then let it out slowly. "Ron - he told me he loved me," she said softly.

Ron looked at her sympathetically. "Then I'll let you break his heart."