Family Ties

Dean did go back to the common room to celebrate the end of exams. He sat in a corner armchair, talking to Seamus about his summer plans. He kept one eye on the portrait hole, still looking for Ginny; and one eye on Lee Jordan, who was in better spirits than he had been since Fred and George had left. He was talking with Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, who were all looking quite sad as they were all leaving the next year so this was their last House party.

He sat there all evening, waiting for Ginny to return so he could tell her what he'd found out, while the common room slowly emptied around him. Near midnight, he fell into a fitful doze in his chair, only waking when someone stumbled through the portrait hole.

It was Neville who had come in, looking whiter than he'd ever seen him, and he'd been through the mill. His nose was red, traces of blood still around it, and he was shaking so hard Dean thought he was seeing double. "What the bloody hell happened to you?"

"Not for me to say, really, some of us kind of went and fought You-Know-Who."

Dean's blood ran cold. "Us? Who's us? Harry? Did Harry go? Ron? Hermione?"

He wasn't too worried about any of them; they seemed to be almost untouchable judging by their past exploits. "Ginny? Did Ginny go? Is she all right?"

Neville stared. Dean realised he didn't know that Ginny was Dean's girlfriend. "Where is she Neville? Was she hurt?"

He had gotten to his feet and was advancing on Neville who looked whiter than ever. "She's in the hospital wing - she had a broken ankle I think. There might have been something else..." Dean had reached the portrait hole before Neville had even finished saying "broken ankle"

* ~ *

"Mr Thomas! It's past midnight! What are you doing here?" Madam Pomfrey was not pleased to see him.

"Ginny Weasley, is she okay?"

The matron regarded him carefully. "She will be, nasty couple of curses hit her, what has it got to do with you?"

"What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall had arrived. "Mr Longbottom informed me you had headed out Mr Thomas, what are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

"I need to see Ginny - I need to know she's all right!" Dean was almost shouting now.

A tired, gentle voice spoke from inside the room. "It's all right, Poppy, Minerva, let him in."

Dean stepped past Madam Pomfrey as she opened the door to find Dumbledore standing by a window. There he could see five occupied beds along the right wall, all the occupants were fast asleep - Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna... and Ginny. Dean rushed over. "It's all right, Mr Thomas, she'll be okay. Nasty break in the ankle, one or two minor curses we were able to put right, she just needs to rest."

Dean pulled up a chair with the air of one prepared to sit all night. "I do urge you to go back to bed, Mr Thomas, I assure you she will be here in the morning."

Dean looked at him angrily. "What were they doing?"

"That, Mr Thomas, is for Miss Weasley to explain for herself, if she so wishes."

Dean felt the anger rising, and resisted the urge to shout, he didn't want to wake her from what looked like a very peaceful sleep. "The others, are they okay?"

"Yes, they will be fine. Miss Granger and Mr Weasley will be here for a few days, they were on the receiving end of some rather nasty curses. Miss Lovegood sustained a severe head injury and Mr Potter received a very nasty shock having come face to face with Lord Voldemort again."

Dean's heart gave a jolt. "I would appreciate it if you did not mention that to anyone else, Mr Thomas, I have only told you because you are so worried about Miss Weasley. She is fine, she did not encounter him, merely a few of his Death Eaters and she is lucky to have sustained so little damage."

Dean leaned over and took one of Ginny's warm hands in his gently. Her hand squeezed his ever so slightly, but she didn't wake. "They've all been given Sleeping Draughts, all but Ronald and Hermione will be able to leave in the morning."

Dean heard footsteps as Dumbledore approached him. "I don't suppose I could convince you to go back to your own bed?"

Dean answered him with a look, and turned back to Ginny. "All right, I will inform Madam Pomfrey that I gave you permission to stay."

* ~ *

Dean dozed restlessly, leaning forward in his chair, shoulder against Ginny's high hospital bed. He hadn't let go of her hand. It was when Ginny gave his hand a squeeze that he woke up. The hospital wing was bathed in a pink and gold light - it was only just dawn. Ginny was leaning up on the elbow of her free arm, regarding him with amusement. "Have you been there all night?"

Dean stifled a huge yawn. "Since after midnight."

She tilted her head. "How did you know I was here?"

"Neville wasn't kept overnight, he came and told me."

Ginny glanced around - looking worried as she looked at Ron and Hermione's still forms. For the first time Dean noticed the large livid welts on Ron's arms. "What happened to them, Ginny? What on Earth were you all doing at the Ministry?"

Ginny's eyes filled with tears, apparently not listening to him. "I don't know if those will ever heal."

She looked across the room and a dark expression crossed her face. "The Centaurs didn't even finish off that useless, evil old bitch then?" Dean followed her gaze and saw Umbridge lying in a bed opposite, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

At that moment Madam Pomfrey's office door opened, and she came over quietly. She quickly checked Ginny over with a wand, examining her ankle and chest. She gave her the okay to go, and Dean went to wait outside while she got dressed. They headed back to the common room in silence. Ginny was staring at her feet the whole way, lost in thought.

When they climbed through the portrait hole, they assumed the common room would be empty. It wasn't - Neville was asleep in a chair by the dead fire; the room was still littered with the devastation left by the end of exams party.

Dean steered Ginny to seats away from Neville, he wanted to talk to her before they woke him up. Ginny sat down opposite him and he took both her hands in his, looking at her intently. She finally looked at him properly too. There was shock in her lovely brown eyes.

"What happened, Ginny? Why were you all at the Ministry?"

Ginny swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "We went to rescue Harry's Godfather. We thought Voldemort had him." Dean was impressed more than anything that Ginny had said the name.

"So we went and it was a trap. There were a dozen Death Eaters - they wanted something Harry had to take from the Department of Mysteries. It got broken, a lot of us got hurt and Voldemort himself showed up. I - I think he did something to Harry before Dumbledore managed to chase him away."

She smiled bitterly. "At least the Ministry know the truth now since they saw him there. The news should break today."

She was halfway through a more detailed explanation of what had happened to them when Neville gave a loud grunting snore and started awake. He looked around blearily and spotted them. "Ginny! Where are the others? Are they okay?"

"They will be, Neville, we can go up and see them after breakfast if you want."

"I'd like that. I'm gonna go and shower, I'll be down shortly."

When the door to the dormitory stairs closed behind him, Ginny turned to Dean. "Do you want to come with us?"

He shook his head. "No, you guys go ahead, I doubt Ron is in the right frame of mind to find out... you know."

Ginny squeezed his hand playfully. "What? That you're my boyfriend?"

Dean grinned at her. "Something like that."

She hit him on the arm and went to clean up.

* ~ *

With the aftermath of Ginny's adventure in the Ministry, Dean didn't tell her about his having a cousin at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey had refused to let Neville and Ginny into the hospital wing to visit Ron and Hermione, who were both still unconscious; Harry and Luna had been released.

All day Saturday, everywhere Dean went, people were talking, and whispering, especially if Harry was walking by. He was alone all the time, and wouldn't talk to anyone for more than a minute. Dean had started and discarded dozens if not hundreds of letters to his newly discovered Aunt Gina, and knew if he just talked to someone about it, he might be able to get it done properly.

Nearly a week passed, and then near the end of their last week, Ginny came and sat down beside him in the common room, where he and Seamus were attempting to play Wizard's Chess, since Dean was useless at it. He was using the pieces he had found in the Room. She watched them play for about ten minutes, occasionally whispering instructions into Dean's ear. With her help, he won his first game ever.

He glanced around the room for any sign of another red head, and then gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She stood up and held out her hand to him. He said bye to Seamus and followed her out the door. He wondered where they were going, and was confused when he found himself in the corridor that led to the Room of Requirement. "What are we doing here?"

"Going somewhere comfortable and private. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't let me in. Go on, let's get in there."

Dean did as she asked and opened the door to Gary's room. When they were inside, she steered him into the armchair, and perched on the arm herself. She put a warm and on his shoulder and said to him, firmly, "There's something you're not telling me. I understand you didn't want to say anything when you found out about the Ministry, but I'm fine now."

Dean looked at her, taken aback by her perception. "How did you know?"

"You were waiting up for me that night, you must have wanted something."

Dean tried to grin light-heartedly. "How do you know I didn't just want a goodnight kiss?"

She gave him a look very reminiscent of Professor McGonagall, it was a no nonsense kind of look. "Dean, tell me."

He heaved a great sigh, and told her what Dumbledore showed him in the Pensieve. When he was finished, there was silence, and a stunned look on her face. "Lee Jordan... is your cousin?"

Dean nodded. "Apparently."

"So what's the next step?"

"Dumbledore said I should write to her, before I say anything to Lee."

She regarded him critically. "So, have you?"

Dean shook his head mournfully. "No... I don't know what to say! How do you write a letter like that?!"

"You'll find a way." Dead silence for thirty seconds. "Want some help?"