A/N: Whoa! I have not updated in way too long! So very sorry…you guys should have said something! Don't let me do that again, please! :) A big thanks to my Beta…who got it back to me in an astounding 30 minutes! You go girl! Well, here is the next chapter…try not to hex me too hard, or I won't be able to finish the story! LOL!
Ginny, when she arrived via the floo system in her living room, found both of her body guards standing stiffly by her sofa.
"Minister," the older one began, "we have been alerted from headquarters that a wizard somehow burst through security and has been throwing hexes in every direction. He has hit, thus far, seven Ministry workers with severe curses. All those hit have been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital and we are currently awaiting word on their conditions. All attempts to thwart the man by the Aurors have failed. Seven minutes ago, he took four young, secretarial witches hostage and is only willing to talk to you. We need you to come to Headquarters immediately."
"Of co-…" Ginny began, but was hastily caught up by another voice.
"Ginny, you cannot go. It is too dangerous." Draco earnestly voiced his opinion in a quiet but firm voice.
"Draco is right, Ginny. It is too dangerous. Let the aurors handle this." Harry agreed.
"No, I have to go."
"Then we are coming with you." Harry said and Draco confirmed with a nod of his head.
"Fine, but stay out of the way...okay?" Ginny insisted.
Ginny walked over to the older auror and said, "Let's go."
The oldest auror flooed through her fireplace to the Ministry's main entrance. Ginny followed with the younger auror on her heels. Draco and Harry were the last ones to go through.
Ginny was dumbfounded at what she saw before her. There were witches and wizards prostrate on the ground. Ginny gasped in shock when she saw the wizard causing all the chaos. It was none other than Colin Creevey.
"Colin," Ginny gasped out, "what in the world do you think you are doing?"
"Ginny, there you are! I have been looking everywhere for you!" Colin replied in an oxymoronic calm voice.
"I am right here, Colin. Why are you doing this?" Ginny asked, as Harry and Draco flanked her on either side.
"Doing what, Ginny? I simply came looking for you and no one here would tell me where you were. I simply made them understand that I wanted to see you; that is all." he said with obvious incomprehension in his voice.
"Colin, you do realize that you have just ki-"
Harry cut her off and whispered, "No Ginny! He is out of his mind!"
"I agree." Draco concurred in continued hushed tones.
"Then what do I do?" Ginny whispered with exasperation in her voice.
"Play it cool. Play it cool." Draco advised.
"Colin, dear, would you like to have a chat in my office?"
"That would be great, Ginny. I have wanted to discuss something with you for quite a while now. Oh! Harry, I did not see you there."
"Hello Colin, mate, how have you been?" Harry politely asked.
"Well, things could be better and things could be worse. You know how it can be."
"Sure do." Harry replied.
"Hello Colin," Draco offered.
"Draco Malfoy, will wonders never cease? I had heard you were back in town, but had figured it was just a rumor. You know how witches are with their gossip." Colin said matter of fact.
Draco gave a slight nod, whether he was agreeing or not was not clear.
"Come Colin; let's go to my office and talk." Ginny interjected before the conversation got any weirder.
"Good idea, Ginny. Harry, Draco, would you like to join us? I am sure Ginny would love to catch up with you as well."
Harry and Draco nodded and followed behind Ginny and Colin to her office. Behind them were about 15 Aurors, Ginny's father (who had heard what was going on the nightly Wizard's News) and her brothers, all six of them.
Ginny led the group to her office. Once there, she motioned for Colin, Draco and Harry to come in. When the Aurors moved to follow, she put up her hand and shook her head.
"Minister, we must come in…" the younger Auror from Ginny's flat said.
"No," she said with fierce determination. Ginny then turned, walked into her office and firmly closed the door.
Ginny walked around her desk and sat in her normal chair. Colin sat directly across from her. Harry stood to the side next to the gigantic fireplace. Draco, on the other hand, sat juxtaposed to Colin.
"Well Colin, you have my undivided attention. What did you want to talk about?" Ginny asked. Her hands in front of her and folded.
"Oh that! Yes, it is important, but first I want to talk to Harry and Draco." with that said, he turned to Harry and began asking asinine questions.
"So Harry, did you enjoy being away? Did you find a wife? Do you have any children? Why did you come back? Did Ginny give you a piece of her mind when you did? How are you still friends?" Colin rambled on, not allowing Harry any time to answer.
With his diatribe at an end to Harry, Colin turned to Draco and began another long chorus of questions, "Where have you been, Draco? Is it true that you served the Dark Lord? Was he really as ugly as people say? Did you leave to find yourself? Did you find yourself? Are you a new man? What are you doing with Ginny? Wait; what are you doing with Harry? I thought you hated each other? I thought you hated Ginny? What are you doing here, you bastard? You came to steal Ginny away from me, didn't you? Go ahead, admit it. We all know what you are, you sneaky, evil son of a bitch!" Colin yelled to Draco as he jumped to his feet.
Draco went to draw his wand on Colin, but was stymied by the brief and almost imperceptible nod Ginny gave him.
"Colin, sweetie, you need to sit down. Draco is not here to do anything, but keep us all company. Sit down, please, Colin."
Colin, with much regret, tore his gaze from Draco and looked at Ginny. She was smiling at him. He gave her a fleeting smile in return and sat down.
"Now Colin, what did you want to tell me? I would really like to hear what you have to say."
Colin nodded and began, "Ginny, you were one of my best friends at Hogwarts. I know people thought I was oblivious, but I did know what they said about me. 'Poor Colin, always following other people around, taking pictures…that I was trying to live vicariously through those pictures.' I knew, Ginny; I knew. I was not stupid. I was not blind. I was simply trying to fit in, instead of being the mudblood I was…am. You think I don't know that I don't fit into the Muggle World anymore? You think I don't know that I don't fit into the Wizarding World? I do. I don't fit anywhere…well, anywhere except where you are. You never made me feel that way, never. You always made me feel important. You made me feel that I just might belong. You made me feel that I belonged, that I was important, that I mattered. I love you, Ginny, with all that I am. Please say that you love me too. I know you do, if you would just look deep inside. I am right, aren't I? You love me as much as I love you. I knew it! I knew it! Ginny, marry me? Marry me today and let us begin our life together!"
Colin finished practically yelling the last three or four sentences. He hastily stood up, almost knocking the chair he had been sitting in over, and reached out a hand to Ginny. His eyes were alight with joy.
"Colin, you love me?" Ginny asked in a strangled voice.
"Of course I do, and you love me. Now take my hand and let's go down the hall to the wizard's ritual bonding department. Well, come on!" he said, obviously starting to become exasperated.
"But Colin, what about all those people you hurt and killed downstairs?" Ginny asked in a timid voice.
"What people, Ginny? You know I would never hurt anyone intentionally. I am Gryffindor, after all."
"Colin, you don't remember walking into the Ministry's Building and casting curse after curse?" this being asked by Harry who was still standing by the large fireplace.
"Harry, I have no idea what you are talking about. I am beginning to think that you are here to cause trouble for Ginny and me. So I ask, in all due respect, to recall that you gave up your chance to have Ginny. She wanted you; you did not want her. I was the one that held Ginny as she cried for days. So please, just bugger off!"
"Colin," Ginny said to get his attention back on her, "Are you really sure you want to marry me? I am no prize, by any means."
"Of course you are, Ginny. You are beautiful, sweet, smart…everything a man could want…well, except for ole' green eyes over there." Colin said with a smirk and a casual head toss in Harry's direction.
"Colin, what made you decide to come today and ask for Ginny's hand?" Draco asked, finally joining into the conversation after the earlier incident.
"Not that it is any of your business…but I thought the time was right. And it is right. Isn't it, Ginny?" Colin asked in a voice that seemed to have just a touch of desperation in it.
"Colin, you hurt and killed people this morning, how would that make Ginny want to be with you? Harry asked.
"I thought I told you to bugger off, Potter." Colin asked. His wand now pointed at Harry.
Harry put his hands up and shook his head in a surrendering manner.
"Ginny, let's go! NOW!" Colin said. This time he had moved his wand so that it now was pointed at Ginny.
Ginny, with obvious fright in her eyes, nodded and walked to Colin.
Harry and Draco grabbed their wands and pointed them at Colin, but they were too late. Ginny was already in Colin's grasp and his wand was pointed at her neck.
"Now boys, put those away. There is no need to be nasty." Colin cackled out. He placed an overly loving kiss on Ginny's neck and then licked it.
"Harry, you don't know what you are missing. She tasted so yummy, like strawberries on a summer day. Ummm!"
"You are a sick bastard, Creevey!" Draco said in disgust.
"Maybe, I am; maybe, I 'm not. Either way, I have what you both want and I am going to make her mine. Come Ginny, let's go get hitched, my love." with that said, he pushed Ginny forward and out the door. Outside the door stood the Aurors and Ginny's family; they jumped back in surprise. Arthur took a step towards Ginny and Colin, but was halted in his tracks when he noticed the wand pressed to Ginny's neck.
Arthur motioned for them to back off. They all did reluctantly. Colin nodded at them all jovially and invited them to his and Ginny's wedding. He ignored the gasps and tears that erupted from Ginny's family.
He pushed Ginny further down the hall and into the elevator. He selected the number for the appropriate level and held the door as he waited for Ginny's family to join them.
Ginny, who was watching everything as if in slow motion, kept trying to find a way out of the situation. Unfortunately, she had committed the ultimate Wizard sin this morning; she had left her wand at the Burrow.
The elevators opened and Colin motioned for the family to get out. Colin followed with Ginny. He pushed them to the front and then through the door of the Wizard Ritual Bonding Office. Arthur, behind Ginny and Colin, held the door open for the family.
The witch behind the counter asked if she could be of help. Colin said that they were in a hurry to get married.
The witch smiled in a knowing way and gave a long calculating look at Ginny, the MOM. She fumbled around in a few drawers, retrieved four pieces of paper and handed them to Ginny. Ginny took them.
"Fill them out, love." Colin prompted her.
Ginny, with much reluctance, filled out the paper work and handed it back to the witch. The witch placed her wand on the papers and said the necessary charms.
"There you are," the witch said in an annoyingly sweet tone, "You are legally wed. Congratulations!"