Author's Note: Hey to all my lovely readers! Sorry it took me so long to update, exams are still going on so yeah. This chapter was written in quite a hurry so I apologise if there are so many errors or if you don't find it to your liking. And oh many thanks for those who left reviews for Chapter 11 yeah!

Disclaimer: Everything familiar in this story is owned by the wonderful JK Rowling.

Chapter 12

"This is getting us nowhere," Ginny sighed as she slumped onto the sofa in their office. It was already 10pm and she, Harry, Ron, Draco and Tonks were still at the Ministry, discussing the Malfoy and Lestrange search. They had thought about all the clues that they have managed to collect but the clues added up to nothing. Clues that consisted of several people from different villages that came forward only to say that they caught glimpses of a man with long, blonde hair and a woman with some crazy hairstyle. Really, that could be anyone.

"Draco, maybe you should make a list of all the likely places your father would go to," Tonks said as she massaged her temple. The search was really getting kind of lame and there were no threats or dangerous happenings as of yet. It had been almost three weeks since Avery received the kiss and there were no death eaters that came up to murder or hurt anyone as protest. That would've at least been some help.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I've done that, Tonks. But he goes to many places that I don't have the slightest idea about."

"Maybe we should just close this case for the time being. It's beginning to get tiresome," Ron said, placing his feet on his desk and crossing them at the ankles. They all stared at him.

"You can't just close a case because it's getting 'tiresome', Ron," Ginny snapped.

"We should move on to the other cases then, newer ones," he said in a bored voice.

"There are no other cases," she said. It was true anyway. Ever since the fall of the Dark Lord, extremely dangerous and risky situations that demanded heavy duty auror work rarely came up. The cases that did come up these days could be easily handled by the junior aurors themselves.

"Then we could all use a vacation," Ron said. "That way Hermione would get off my back about me always being at work and never having time for her." Among the three other people in the room, Harry was the only one who smiled at his comment, the three were too busy gaping at him, especially the red headed lady in the room. She was glaring holes at Ron, who didn't seem to care and the others could immediately sense the irritation and tension emanating from the siblings. Tonks quickly spoke in hope that she would be able to steer the two away from arguing.

"Maybe we should all go home," she said lamely. But no one seemed to have heard her as they watched Ginny open her mouth to retaliate to Ron's comment.

"Dark wizards are out there, probably planning the rise of a new bloody Voldemort and all you can bloody think about is a vacation?" She snapped in a tone so cold that the temperature in the room dropped probably 30 degrees.

"Well, I'm not the one using my job as a means to be closer to my so called 'boyfriend'," Ron said, drawing quotation marks in the air with his fingers as he said the last word while rolling his eyes. Harry and Tonks turned their heads to Ginny so fast that they thought their heads would snap as they saw Ginny's cheeks reddening in anger. She was so angry that it was a wonder that smoke wasn't coming out of her nose and ears. Draco looked down to the floor, annoyed and embarassed that the reason of their argument was once again him.

"Fuck you," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh I'm sure you're getting a mighty lot of that lately, Ginny," Ron said as he took his feet off the table and he straightened in his seat to look her in the eye. Draco's head snapped up in anger at Ron's comment. That was way out of line, Draco thought, and then, all of a sudden, Ginny did something that surprised everyone in the room, even Ron; especially Ron. She burst into tears; not the kiddy kind of bursting into tears; the kind of crying that you know was because she was hurt.. Draco cringed inwardly with guilt. He wanted to approach her and take her in his arms and just get away from here but he knew Ginny didn't like that. She didn't like running away and walking out of arguments; even if she was already crying. Tonks and Harry sat watching the scene in awe. How could what had been a discussion on death eaters turn into a heated, dramatic argument between two siblings, all in just five minutes?

"You're really never going to accept this, aren't you?" she asked, her voice throaty from the crying. Upon hearing her question, Ron turned to glare at Draco.

"No," he said with a finality.

And with that, Ron got up and stormed out of the room, leaving two shocked people, a man who was feeling enormously guilty and a crying woman who was hurt and angry.

"Draco, this must be really hard for you, I'm so sorry," Ginny said as she lay on the couch with her head on Draco's lap.

"It's as much as my fault as it is yours, so don't worry about it," he said. He sounded confident and unworried but inside, Draco was overwhelmed with guilt and uncertainty. He didn't know what to do. He didn't like seeing Ginny suffer because of her insufferable git of a brother. Ginny's breathing was even now, and he knew she was asleep but he didn't have the heart to move and go back home to the Manor and leave her here alone so he stayed and for the first time that night, he began to feel relaxed and at home. He looked at Ginny's fair face as he stroked her blazing red hair. She's beautiful, he thought as he ran his thumb over her soft, red lips and it was at that moment that he realized that he wanted this forever; he wanted her forever. He decided then, that if he wanted their relationship to last, he would have to get on the good side of bloody Ronald Weasley.

The next morning, Draco and a very puffy-eyed and groggy Ginny walked into their office together. Harry who was reading the Daily Prophet, looked up at them as they entered. Upon meeting Ginny's sore eyes that showed hurt and uncertainty, he gave her a concerned smile which she, thankfully, returned. Ron, however, did not look up as he appeared to be glaring in concentration into his mug of coffee. The silence in the room was almost deafening when Tonks entered and greeted them a 'Good Morning' a little too cheerfully. She immediately sensed the tension hanging in the room and she knew that whatever it is that was going on between these two siblings, they had to work things out and end it.

"Ginevra, Ronald, my office please," she said, her voice authorative and clear. Harry and Draco looked up as Ron and Ginny reluctantly got up from their seats and followed Tonks into her office. Draco sighed. Again, this was his bloody fault. He heard the door to Tonks' office click shut as he buried his face in his hands and sighed frustratedly.

"Don't tell me you didn't see this coming," Harry said but not unkindly. Draco growled.

"I didn't see any of this coming. I didn't expect that Ginny and I would..." he paused as he searched for the right word, "would be together."

"But you knew that somehow there would be people who won't approve of your...relationship, right?" Harry asked.

"Of course I knew!" he snapped. "It's Ginny Weasley we're talking about here, Potter. You don't just forget that she has six huge brothers who would throttle me to death if I so much as pull a strand of hair on her pretty head."

"Actually, the fact that you even thought of dating her would have been enough to make them hurt you," Harry said calmly. Draco glared at him. "They just haven't because they don't know yet."

"You're not exactly helping, Potter," he snapped.

"I didn't know you were asking for my help," Harry said, shrugging. Draco growled in frustration again.

"I'm not," he said. Harry raised his eyebrows, his lips curling as he fought back a smile. "Okay maybe I am. Don't look at me like that! It's just that I've never gone through this before alright. I've never felt so guilty in my life. How do I get on the good side of that bloody git anyway?"

Harry didn't fight back his smile as he grinned this time. He had never seen Draco so unsettled and he didn't know how much Draco cared for Ginny until now. It seemed to him that Draco was really determined to keep their relationship. "You start by not calling him names behind his back."

"It's inevitable, Potter. If he had just accepted the fact that we were dating in the first place then this would have never happened," Draco said.

"You don't know how he feels," Harry said. He looked him in the eye as he said, "Imagine a loved one, your mother, let's say, falls in love with Mr. Weasley, how would you feel?"

A look of revoltion spread on Draco's face as he shuddered in horror at the thought. "That is just about the sickest idea you've ever had, Potter."

"See?" Harry said as he leaned back in his chair. "That's how Ron feels about you and Ginny."

Draco tilted his head to one side as realization dawned over him. He never thought of it that way and how Potter had put it, the situation began to make more sense and if he really thought about it, and if did happen, which he hoped would never happen, he would be as mad as Ron if he found out his mother was dating Mr. Weasley. Wait, this is only how Ron feels. What about Potter? He's Ginny's ex-boyfriend for Merlin's sake. How did he feel about all this and why was he even giving him advices? He voiced out his thoughts.

"What about you? How do you feel about this?" Draco asked. If Harry was surprised by the question, he hid it quite well. He shrugged.

"Ginny is an adult. She's strong and smart and I know she wouldn't get herself into a relationship she knows she can't handle. I trust her judgement," he said. "But keep in mind that if you do hurt her, you've got me plus six huge brothers to face," he added and then suddenly laughed light-heartedly. Draco raised an eyebrow. Just how weird can Potter get? He shook his head as he turned to the stack of parchments on his desk.

"You two, sit," Tonks ordered Ron and Ginny as soon as the door clicked shut. The two obeyed as Tonks eyed them warily. "Whatever argument or war you two have on raging, you better end it now."

Ginny sat straighter. "Tonks, I'm not the one with the problem. It's my dear brother here that's got the problem."

"Well Tonks, you tell my 'dear' sister," he said, his voice dripping with venom, "that it's that boyfriend of hers thats the cause of all this."

Ginny turned to glare at Ron, looking him straight in the eye. "Tonks, please tell this git that if he had just accepted our relationship like an ideal brother would do in the first place, then this would have never happened."

"Oh Tonks will you please, please tell this little chit of a girl here that if she had never dated him in the first place then all of this would never have happened!" Ron snapped as he and Ginny stared holes into each other's eyes.

"For Merlin's sake, I'm NOT AN OWL!" Tonks yelled as she stood up, her patience wavering. "Ronald, what's your problem with Draco anyway?"

Ron snapped his head towards Tonks direction. "Oh I'm so sorry that I don't like your bloody git of a cousin, Tonks," he snapped. Ginny gasped. A look of anger spread on Tonk's features and when she spoke, she spoke every word slowly with anger and warning. Ron had crossed the line.

"I am still your Head of Auror, Mr. Weasley. You will not talk to me that way. Take this as a warning. I have tolerated your hurtful comments to Ginny and now, myself, long enough. You are very close to losing your job, Mr. Weasley but I will give you another chance because I know this is just a temporary change in your attitude. I do not want to hear any more of you and your sister's arguments and we will never have this conversation again. Is that clear?"

Ginny felt herself cringe with guilt. Now, she had put Ron's job on the line. She glanced at Ron, wishing that he would look at her so she could at least show him that she was sorry but he didn't look at her. He just stared hard at Tonks, ears red.

"Crystal," he replied.

"Very well, you're dismissed," Tonks said and at that, walked out of Tonk's office immediately.

Sighing, Ginny stood up and looked at Tonks sadly.

"Tonks, I'm so sorry this is happening," she said.

"Ginny, he just needs time. Both of you need to talk about it, no, make that the three of you," Tonks said in a gentle voice. Ginny nodded and after giving Tonks a small smile, she walked out of Tonks' office, only to be greeted by two gaping men looking at her for an explanation as to why Ron, again, was cursing and storming out of the office. She couldn't take it anymore. Why couldn't Ron understand? Anger and frustration began to course through her veins and because she didn't want to break down, show weakness here in front of Draco and Harry anymore, she hurried out of the office and apparated away to Merlin-knows-where.