Breaking All the Rules

Chapter Seven

Breaking All the Rules

La Isla de los Asesinos

~*~~*~~*~

The first thing that hit her was the heat. She fell backwards with the force of it and had to lean against a tree. There were heavy cuts and ridges in them and she ran her hand along them before being cut from her thoughts.

"They're sword marks or knives, daggers, spears and such. You'll find them all over the place." Blaise looked at the forest they had landed in. "It's our playground," he said with a commemorative smile. Ginny gulped and followed them as they made their way through thick bushes.

They crossed through to a large clearing. Ginny stepped out and faced the immense wooden gate in front of her. It was draped in vines and beautiful flowers. She gasped.

"I know, it doesn't look like it houses some of the most powerful murderers does it?" Draco said coldly and walked past her to the left gate knocking loudly. As he passed, Blaise came to stand next to her and slipped something in her hand. She looked at him but the expression on his face told her not to look down and just take it. She held it as he squeezed it in her hand and then let her hand go.

"You really shouldn't have judged him like that," he whispered. "It'll take a while for him to get over that. After all, he is the one supposed to kill you."

"I know that," she said sharply as the gate began to open.

"Really?" he said to her and waited until she faced him. "Then have you considered perhaps why he hasn't done it yet?" Her face changed completely and he smiled. "In all my time of knowing him, he has not blinked one eye at killing anyone. He's done in most of the people he would have considered family. Hell, he's killed some of them too," he said with a tilted head. "For some strange reason he seems physically and - well, incapable of doing it to you. Instead, he seems to be saving your life every time you are threatened. Perhaps you should be thanking him instead of condemning him to Hades." He gestured for her to walk forward and followed her to a door that Draco had stopped at. There was a hole where the key was supposed to go, at the right just above his head, but he put his wand in there instead.

"State your code," said a voice from behind the door.

"A36-58," he said waiting for the door to open. When it did he took away his wand and walked inside.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked Blaise quietly.

"Later, do not talk from now on." Blaise said sternly. "Follow our lead and do not disclose your name. If he does anything to you, you do not talk just look as clueless as you do now." Ginny's frown increased. "It will help more than you think." She continued with her confused face to his cryptic explanations and stood next to Draco as he knocked on another door.

"Enter." Blaise stepped in front and walked in facing his old teacher. "Ah, A29-85, how have you been?"

"Pleasant Sir, however, I have a few questions to ask you."

"Is this anything to do with your empath power?"

"Yes, actually it is. I'm having problems."

Draco smiled, problems was an understatement. Blaise had all of a sudden grown a bottomless pit in his stomach. If that was anything to go by, 'problems' was a mediocre word to describe it.

The man looked over to him. "And A36-58, it's only proper that you would both be in this office at the same time. Tell me, why do you grace me with your presence also?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Just the company, Sir, just the company." The man smiled, as he eyed Ginny he raised an eyebrow and then ran them down to her hand. He noticed the ring on her finger.

"And who is this delightful creature?" he said surveying the ring with a valid curiosity.

Blaise followed his eyes and saw the ring. Shit, he thought. "Wife, Sir," he said quickly with sudden inspiration.

The man surveyed both of them. "Of whom?" he said questioningly.

"His," he said gesturing to Draco. Draco straightened at this sudden change of plan. He made sure to think up Blaise's punishment in his head hard enough to create some sort of feeling. He smiled when he saw Blaise wince a little. Blaise glared at him and Draco quirked an eyebrow feigning his innocence.

"So, you actually got settled did you?" the Professor said with mirth. "I would never have imagined that."

"Believe me Sir, neither did I. It's hard sometimes but I manage." Draco squeezed Ginny's hand.

"And of your Profession, she knows?"

"Not until now, sir."

The Professor surveyed Ginny's confused expression and put two and two together. "Obliviate?" he said suggestively.

"Yes, Sir." Draco's face showed nothing.

The man seemed to accept it and nodded. "So," he said rounding off. "29-85, you will want to see Raymond I presume?"

"Yes, if I can," Blaise said. "She has helped me in the past. I think I will benefit."

"Very well, she's in a class right now but I'm sure she will be able to see you if you ask. They are in exams right now so she might be able to sneak out." He showed them the door. "Luck in your journey, and 36-58?"

Draco turned from the step. "Yes sir?"

"No deja que ella vaya." He smiled at him.

Draco looked at him as if the professor had never done that to him before. "Yes Sir," he said returning the gesture.

"Come on let's go. Sir," Blaise said bowing his head and walked off. Draco followed after him and pulled Ginny with him.

"What did he say?" Ginny said as she fell into step with them.

Draco put his finger to his mouth and continued walking. Somehow, she knew that meant later.

They walked through a dirt path until they reached a large camp, full of tents and various cages of all sizes. Inside of them housed different animals no doubt captured for 'training purposes." As they walked, Ginny looked around at the people working around her, some were laughing and enjoying the sun, and some were studying in books or sparring in a court that stood nearby. She noticed the shirts they were wearing, it was a t-shirt and all of them were the same colour with an emblem and a motto written along the bottom.

"NUMQUAM SINE CANES TE DEGRAVERE."

'There's a uniform?' she thought to herself. It would have resembled any other school if she didn't know any better.

"Wait here," Blaise said as he walked into the large tent in front of them.

They stood waiting for him for what seemed like ages. Ginny looked around and saw a large notice board littered with different coloured papers. She scanned them and saw a timetable for the two years. They looked bizarrely like any normal school's syllabus except for the things that were taught.

She gaped at what was being taught in this place and looked around at the "students" walking around. She noted the anxiety on the older ones' faces and smiled, they looked exactly like most of the students at Hogwarts when NEWTs came along.

She continued to peer at the board, now with more of a respect than just curiosity. She wondered how they could take such an unspeakable subject and create a learning institution and succeed on it. It struck her dumb, not that she was allowed to say anything anyway.

She peered at the examination charts, occasionally glancing at the people walking around with text books and a selection of weaponry and the occasional wand. She caught site of the Year three section filled with examinations for both empathetic and non empathetic students

"Enjoying yourself?" she heard from her side.

She glanced at Malfoy and grimaced a little. "You actually did these things?" she said pointing to the exam timetable.

He shrugged. "Had to, it's part of the syllabus. Though, when I was here, everyone had to learn the advanced spells for detainment and damage. I still haven't got a clue what damagical wounds are, I just bruised my mark up as much as possible before dragging it in. Got full marks, plus extras." He smiled gleefully.

"That's... nice," she tried.

He rolled his eyes. She was suddenly trying to be nice and he had a feeling it was Blaise who had initiated it. "Yeah, I wish we could stay for the empaths examinations though, it used to be held separately for everyone to see. It was fantastic. You see here," he said moving to the syllabus, "the advanced spells for us is different to theirs. Empaths have a natural ability to channel magic of grand proportions. You saw an example of this in the park this morning."

Ginny thought back and her eyes widened. "You learn that here?"

"No not the NEBs." Ginny frowned.

He sighed. "Non-Empathetic Beings." She nodded in understanding. "It's like going to a Quidditch match, except that it's held on the whole island instead of just a small pitch, they don't fly and they aren't chasing a snitch."

"What are they chasing?" A rummaging of cages and angry voices sounded behind them.

Draco pointed to the various sizes of magical animals behind her. "Those. The first years have the larger animals like the baby Graphorns, don't want them killed now do we? Erm, the second years have a range of smaller animals to choose from. Third years though. After all that training, they get the smaller ones with abilities of their own. Some of them can change into other things, some can disappear completely. It's up to the empaths to track them down by... what was it?" He moved to look at the exam timetable. "Oh, here it is, 'Applied use of abilities for reading emotional behaviour in practical tasks of search and detain.' I see Blaise didn't have to worry about the whole 'demagical' wounds thing, he just got marks for damage," he added more to himself. Ginny's face was indescribable.

Suddenly a woman came rushing out of the tent, passing them straight, looking in all directions. Draco saw her and cleared his throat smiling. She spun around and gasped happily.

"Malfoy! Long time no see," she hugged him tightly. "The other girls from the camp wondered whether you had gotten on."

Blaise stepped outside and smirked. "He certainly did."

Draco looked at him but Blaise just continued smirking. "I know!" she said wildly. "I heard, congratulations, is this her?"

"Yep," Blaise said almost to the point of laughter. He bit his lip to contain himself.

"Oh she's gorgeous! What's her name?"

"Ginevra," Blaise answered for him. Ginny suddenly felt like a new dog that they had bought.

"Oh," she said. "Does she speak?" she smiled.

"Not right now." Blaise sensed Ginny's current frustration and thought it best to end the conversation there. "She just found out, you know." He nodded for her to drop the subject.

"Oh," she said slowly understanding. "It's hard isn't it? Don't worry though I'm sure he'll obliviate you when you leave so it won't be too hard," she said bluntly. After a moment of awkward silence and Ginny glaring at her, she turned to Blaise. "Are you alright now? I know it's difficult but just concentrate on the life you've built and everything will be fine. You're drifting from your path, if you can get back onto it you can keep up your barriers and you'll be fine."

"Thanks Ray," he said thankfully.

"That's alright. And you!" She turned on Draco. "You need to keep in touch more. I know you can't owl but we have those faxing things, so don't be a stranger!" She punched him on the arm then gave him another hug.

"Alright, Damn. That still hurts woman!" He rubbed his arm.

Her eyes went dark momentarily and glazed over, Ginny wondered if there was something wrong with her. "Hold on." She turned back to the tent she had exited. "G45, keep your eyes on your own paper!" she said without looking inside and turned back. "Oh, don't be such a girl and let it bleed," she laughed. "I have to go, I have an exam on now and it's for the empaths, they're driving me crazy with their anxiety. I think I need some of that elixir myself."

Blaise smiled at her. "Just focus on your path Jules- ow!" he said as she punched him hard.

"Don't piss me off Zabini, I can still take you." She pointed to him in warning. Then turned and looked toward the tent "Damn kids think they can cheat, they never learn." She shook her head.

"Still take me? Miss Julia Raymond, you never did," he said with an arrogant nod.

She feigned shock. "The cheek," she said placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, check me in a few days after the exams and I'll give you what for," she laughed.

Suddenly alarms went off in the camp. Every member of the camp ran outside of their tents looking around.

"What's going on?" Draco asked joining them in their search.

Julia Raymond looked around to the camp's head office. "I don't know, but I think I know someone who does." She walked straight to the professor's door, the only person who hadn't walked outside with everyone else, and opened it. "Sir, what's going on?" she asked quickly. She knew he didn't take anything but straight questions and answers.

He handed her the fax he had just received. "There is a mark on the island."

"What?" she said taking it. "Who's G. Thomas?"

"I don't know, frankly I don't care. If they are here, they are dead. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir," she said.

"Take the empaths with you. It'll be a good training exercise for them. An island of assassins must be a tad upsetting for our mark. Bring the body back here in thirty minutes."

"That long sir?" she smiled.

"You may be good, A57-58 but even this island takes a long time to trace."

"Not if we have two of the best." She looked out of the shutters of the office to see Blaise and Draco talking amongst themselves.

He quirked an eyebrow. "In that case," he said with a sly smile, "make it fifteen."