A/N: As always, thanks to my beta, SometimeSelkie, for her input and SpaG help. I reworked the opening of the last scene in this chapter. I hope you like it. :)

The Safe House

Chapter Thirty-Six

Hermione worked in the archives of the Ministry Library along with three other witches. Her job focused mostly on helping with the Spell Research Department, but she often was asked to help the Wizengamot in presenting the facts or evidence to support a case. She knew that she would not be assigned to the Malfoy case because of her personal involvement, but she wanted to do her own research, even if it would have to be officially done again by one of her co-workers. So she decided to spend her lunch break gathering as much information as possible concerning Ginny's marriage and the stone Molly had found. She had already begun pulling any books and documents that would pertain to Pureblood Binding Rituals before Molly had handed her the mysterious stone.

She sat at her desk, holding the red gem in her hand. It was really beautiful, and it was almost the size of a Sickle. She had already tested the stone to see if it was a garnet or any other type of known gem, but all tests had come back negative. She opened a book that had a chapter devoted to the wedding ritual and began perusing the details of the ceremony. She was surprised at how similar it was to the traditional ceremony she and Ron had used. It seemed that the real changes took place in the creation of the wedding vial and with the spell itself. Nothing indicated that the vial could or could not be broken.

Not content with only one source of reference, she opened another book discussing the effects of Pureblood spells and rituals. Again, she found a section pertaining to the wedding ritual. It also did not comment on the vial or about any stone being created from within the vial. From this book, she learned more about the binding itself. She sagged into her chair when she read that, if done correctly, the binding was unbreakable.

"What have you done, Ginny?" she sighed.

Turning the page, Hermione discovered some more unsettling news. The actual binding would not take effect if either the bride or groom were under any kind of spell that altered their ability to participate. Each had to knowingly cast the spell and truly mean the incantation for it to work. This was not terribly surprising, as most advanced magic required the will of the witch or wizard who cast the spell. The book did suggest that outside force, such as physical threat, could be used to coerce one to participate. Even more, it went on to say that, historically, most marriages were arranged and that many of these unions probably had involved some type of intimidation or persuasion.

"Well, it would be like Malfoy to threaten her somehow. This still doesn't prove anything. Without her admitting to what happened, it won't matter if they are bound or not."

She took another bite of her lunch and sipped on her tea. Ron knew about the stone, but they had decided to not tell Harry about it until she could discover what it meant. They had reluctantly agreed that if it did come from the broken vial, it would most likely be another piece of evidence in support of Ginny and Draco's marriage. Ron had already accepted that the two were married, but he knew Harry was still holding on to the hope that the marriage could be annulled. She wasn't sure what to think. If the spell had been cast correctly, there would be no annulment, whether Ginny had been forced to make the binding or not. Looking back at the stone, she remembered that Ron had also pointed out the stone didn't have to mean anything, that the purebloods had traditionally believed all kinds of mythical things about themselves.

Hermione sat up quickly and almost spilled her drink. She jumped from her desk and rummaged through another pile of books on a nearby shelf. She found the book marked Pureblood Mythology: Fact or Fiction. She was giddy with excitement, sure that the answer would be found within. After several more minutes, she had become so engrossed in her research that she almost forgot the significance of what she was reading. She reread the passage concerning the wedding vial two more times before packing the stone and the book into her bag. She would need to speak with Arthur and Molly soon, but first she would need to discuss her findings with Ron.

ooo

Blaise strolled into the small cell within the Parkinson Prison and tossed the Daily Prophet to Draco. He laughed as he said, "I've got to hand it to Lovegood. She really knows how to work her audience. Even this picture makes you look like the poor, misunderstood bad boy. It's excellent."

Draco scowled before sitting down on his bed and reading the article. After finishing, he looked up at his friend. "I was officially arraigned this morning. I'm accused of treason and crimes committed whilst acting as a Death Eater. Potter came by with paperwork this time, but I refused to sign it without you here."

Immediately sobering up, Blaise continued, "I know. He sent it straight to me. That's why I'm here, actually. I have until tomorrow morning to turn them in. Here, sign away. It's just standard paperwork. You're not admitting to anything."

"What about this?" He held up the Daily Prophet. "Is this going to work?"

"Let's hope. I'm sure there will be a statement in the paper tomorrow from the Ministry. Draco, now that Ginevra has been removed fro – "

Draco bolted forward, his eyes gleaming. "She's out? Are they okay?"

"Yes and yes. I'm sorry, mate, I should've told you that first thing. George went to the Burrow last night and took them. They are both fine." He watched his friend slowly relax. "As I was saying, they cannot accuse you of kidnapping without Ginevra's testimony. That doesn't mean that they won't try. In fact, your papers do state that your relationship with 'Miss Weasley' is under investigation."

Draco waved his hand, dismissing his friend's warning. "When can I see her?"

"I don't know. Today has been about getting meetings with the right people, making sure that everything is being processed correctly. I haven't yet petitioned for your marriage certificate. And with its validity in question …"

"Why can't you just sneak her in here like yesterday?"

"There's a guard posted at your door. I'm going to be hustling just to keep you out of Azkaban. Right now, you're not considered high-risk. Let's keep it that way. We must follow every stupid rule they throw at us, okay?"

"Fine, but you will be going straight back to the Ministry and getting that certificate," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Blaise mocked.

Draco ignored his friend and added, "Do I get to have any visitors?"

"Yes, you get me." Blaise winked, trying to keep the mood light, but he could see it wasn't working. "And I can bring in Lovegood for a follow-up interview."

"Great."

"Once everything is filed, you'll be able to have visitation with immediate family."

"That only leaves my mother and my son. He can visit?"

Blaise hesitated before answering warily, "I'm sure they will allow him to come with Ginevra."

"Have you seen them yet?"

"No. I'm not even privileged enough to know where they are staying, which is with Pansy, but I will be meeting wi-"

"Wait. They're staying with Pansy? She's turning into a regular Hufflepuff these days. Shagging Potter must have done something to her brain."

"Didn't Gine –"

"Don't even go there, Blaise."

"I'm just saying, he must have some strange effect on women, turning them into completely different people."

"Very funny." He did not look amused. Then he smirked and added, "Besides, Ginevra wasn't completely immune to my charms in school."

"Well, you weren't immune to her, but I don't remember her looking at you at all."

"You mean she didn't look at you." He levelled his steely gaze at his friend. "There was something between us even then … but I had other things to worry about."

"Yes. I remember … Well, speaking of your lovely wife, I have a meeting with her and Ollivander at my estate. Pansy said she's ecstatic about getting a new wand. Is there anything you want me to bring to you tomorrow?"

"Besides her?"

"Yes, like books, paper, quills, maybe a change of clothes?"

"I prefer staring at the walls, thank you." He glared at his friend. "Of course, I want whatever you can bring me. I can only count the cracks in the ceiling so many times."

"All right. Will bring you as much 'contraband' as I can. And I will go petition for your certificate. See you tomorrow, mate."

ooo

By Thursday evening, George had received several owls from his family carrying messages concerning Ginny. He agreed to meet with them at his shop on Saturday night. He had already informed Percy of everything that had happened, and he had been surprised when Percy had agreed with his actions.

Percy walked back into the front of the store, having just emptied the till in the safe in the back room. "Okay, George. They should be here any minute. Are you certain that having everyone here is the best idea?"

George shrugged his shoulders and continued to arrange one of the displays near the front. "I figured that it's best to get it all over with at once. Plus, I have you on my side, and I'm pretty sure Bill will also think what they've done is terrible."

When they heard the door opening, George quickly crossed to Percy, presenting a united front. It was only a matter of minutes before the Weasley clan was assembled in the back room of the joke shop.

Bill had been the first to arrive and muttered, "Don't worry," to George as he clasped his hand.

Five red heads were facing the two brothers, three of whom looked pretty angry, and the other two looked mostly curious. George was surprised that it was Charlie, not his father, who was sharing the same look as Ron and his mother.

George cleared his throat. "I'm not going to tell you where she is, and if you try to force me then I will simply have Percy Obliviate me. Then no one in the family will be able to find her." He gave them a serious look, hoping that the last bit would be enough to make them cooperate, even though he knew that Pansy would simply tell him again where they were.

Arthur spoke first. "Okay, son, explain why you did not trust your parents to do what was best for Ginny."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but arresting her husband and locking her in her room is not what is best for her. At least now she will be able to see Draco again."

Ron slammed his fist on a nearby cabinet. "It doesn't matter if they are married, George. That's not what this is about. I told you that he was still a Death Eater, and you want to reunite them?"

Percy stepped forward and calmly asked, "If he is, it will be proven in court, right?"

"Yes," he barked.

Percy continued, "If you are right, he will be in prison for the rest of his life. If he has done anything to Ginny, we will have a long time to help her. But she won't come to us if we all turn against her now."

Bill put his arm on Ron's back. "He has a very good point. As long as we know that she is safe, and she knows that we won't come after her, then in the end, everything will work out for the best."

Ron twisted out from under Bill's arm and screamed, "Everything will be fine? Is that what you think? Will my ba- It's his fault! And nothing will ever be fine because of him." He stormed out of the room and Disapparated.

Molly wiped her eyes and looked around the room, surveying her torn family. "I'm sure you can all guess what Ron was really saying. That man was responsible for what happened to them. How can you expect us to just let her go back to him?" She sighed. "Percy, you're right. George, let her know that we love her and that we won't bother her." And with that, she took Arthur's hand and left the small room.

Charlie glared at his two younger brothers before limping over to Bill. "So she's safe now? Away from the only people who want what's best for her?"

Bill answered with a quiet voice, "Narcissa is probably with her, and she will take care of her."

"You mean she will take care of her grandchild." He turned to George. "Way to fuck everything up, George." He slowly made his way from the shop, not responding to anything that his brothers were saying to him to persuade him to stay.

The three Weasley men sat down at the small table and sagged into their chairs. Bill looked over at George. "You better be right about this. You need to make sure she really is okay. See her every day. If Ron is right, it's going to be hell for her later."

ooo

Ginny's interview appeared in the Sunday Prophet. As Blaise had predicted, the Ministry had run a very brief statement concerning Draco's arrest in the paper on Saturday, but Luna wanted the article with Ginny to have a bigger impact and had chosen wisely to publish it in the more widely read edition of the paper. She did include a lovely picture of Ginny, sitting serenely on a park bench, hands clasped on her lap with her wedding band on display. She chose the location for its ambiguity, still wanting to protect Ginny's whereabouts. Like Draco's article, it did not contain too many details about the last few years, but it did portray Ginny as a loving and concerned wife and mother. There was no direct reference to what the Weasleys had done to their daughter, but it was clearly implied that she was separating herself from her family due to the case.

Monday afternoon, one week after taking Draco Malfoy into custody, Harry found himself standing in front of a seedy pub in the back of Diagon Alley. He began pacing back and forth in front of the door, debating with himself. Finally, he stopped and pulled from his bag the Sunday Prophet with Ginny's picture on the cover. He had read and reread the article several times the day before, and he had gazed at the picture off and on throughout the evening. He stared once again at her pretty face and watched as the picture version of his love glanced down and lovingly caressed the wedding band on her finger. She smiled and blushed at the camera before the loop repeated itself. Stuffing the paper back into his bag, he stormed into the pub, mentally prepared to meet with a person he never expected to call upon for help.

Sitting in a private room located at the back of the pub was Rita Skeeter, in all her garish glory. Harry cringed inwardly as he sat across from her. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation as she sucked on her acid green quill. She waited for him to become comfortable and then removed her deadliest weapon from between her brightly painted lips.

"Harry Potter! I'm so glad you wanted to meet with me. It's been so long since we've had a good chat."

"Yes, ages," he said dryly.

"I know this has to be such a difficult time for you. I think you are being so brave letting the public share your grief." She gave him a sympathetic smile and reached across the table to grasp his hand.

Harry stiffened in his seat, trying not to yank his hand from hers. Instead, he quickly patted her hand with his other hand before removing both of them and reclining in his seat. He needed this interview to go well, and somehow, Rita Skeeter still had a devoted fan base.

"Oh, Harry. I'm so glad you trust me with your story. After all, we have such history. It's only right that I tell the next chapter."

"Ms. Skeeter, there's not much-"

"Harry, call me Rita when we're not working." She gave him an almost flirtatious grin.

"Ms. Skeeter," he started, and she frowned slightly. "This is not about my personal life. This is about the Malfoy case."

She shrugged her shoulders and smirked. "Well then, Mr. Potter, we should get started. I was planning on going to the Weasleys this week to get their side of the story, but I do still think yours will be so much more interesting."

"Yes, well, there's not much to tell. I'm restricted with how much I can say because of the trial, but I do think the public has the right to know the truth."

She glanced down at her Quick-Quotes Quill and licked her lips in excitement. "That was good - very good. I think I might just keep that one as is. So, Mr. Potter, why should we believe your version of the truth since you are the jilted lover, are you not?"

"Some might say that, but they would be ignoring the fact that I have known Ginny since I was a child, and my concern for her well-being goes beyond that of a past boyfriend."

"Her well-being? Are you implying that she is in danger?" She peered over her glasses at the Auror and then read to herself what was written on her notepad. "The youngest Weasley has returned from hiding but has not escaped the threats on her life and that of her baby boy."

"I am saying that her time spent with Draco Malfoy is being investigated. We suspect that he may have placed her under the Imperius curse and altered her memory in order for her to … join him."

"You mean to marry him and have his child?" She snorted. "Oh, come now, Harry, we're old friends."

He closed his eyes briefly to keep from glaring at her and then nodded.

"If this is true, Mr. Potter, then you are accusing Mr. Malfoy of serious crimes, including abduction and rape."

"Her family and I only want for her to be safe and happy. We realize that no one besides the two of them knows what really happened during their time together in hiding. Malfoy is being tried as a Death Eater, and I cannot ignore that fact when it comes to trusting what the they are telling everyone."

She glanced back down at her notepad, and quietly read the last written line. "Draco Malfoy, servant to the Dark Lord, performed an Unforgivable Curse on the young Healer and Order member, Ginevra Weasley, after imprisoning her and forcing himself on her both mentally and physically." She raised her eyes back up to Harry.

He frowned as she lifted her brows in question, but he did not contradict her.

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Mrs. Malfoy has clearly stated that she is very much in love with her husband. We can all assume that your opinion has played a part in driving a wedge between her and her family. Am I correct?"

"Most of the Weasleys share my concerns. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the trial is finished before we can get Ginny proper help in order for her to recover completely."

She nodded several times as she watched over her busy quill. Suddenly, she looked up at him. "Do you still love her?"

Harry took a deep breath before answering. "I love her enough to do what is right. To do what is best for her. I'm willing to have her hate me now if that's what it takes."

"Well, you're just full of great quotes today." They both looked down as her quill wrote frantically across her notebook. She grabbed the quill, slammed the notebook shut, and stuffed them into the bright yellow purse she was carrying. She stood up and extended her hand. "I'll be owling you if I need anything more. I think I will try to see the Weasleys. Any suggestions on which of them I should contact?"

"You can try her parents." He stood up and took a deep breath. "And her brother Ron."

"Will do. Thank you. The article will probably not appear until next Sunday's edition." She started to walk out the door, but turned back and smiled at him. "That last statement was very romantic, Harry. I do hope this works out for you."

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A/N: Thanks for reading. So excited about all the amazing reviews. Thank you!

So, any thoughts on the stone? And what about the Weasleys? Have they redeemed themselves a little? And, of course, Harry. Many of you hate him already. Did he go too far in contacting Rita Skeeter?