Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JK, I'm just having some fun with her characters.

Prologue:

An unseasonal mist shrouded the hills surrounding Godric's Hollow. From the street one could just make out what had once been a house at the top of the hill, removed from the rest of the community. Somewhere nearby a faint pop sounded, disrupting the otherwise still night.

Harry Potter, the boy who lived, had appeared on the street of the home he couldn't remember. The weather was quite warm, but Harry tugged his cloak tighter around himself and walked towards the house. He had gotten halfway up the hill when two more pops sounded. Harry whirled on the spot, his wand raised.

"Harry! Don't!" Hermione and Ron were running towards him, Hermione looked quite cross indeed. "Honestly Harry we said we'd just be a minute, you didn't have to leave without us." Harry shrugged and pocketed his wand, turning back towards the house. Ron and Hermione shared a glance, neither one had felt returning to Godric's Hollow the best idea for Harry, but they turned and followed him, determined that he shouldn't be here alone.

"What are we looking for?" Ron asked after some time. Hermione glared daggers at him but Harry wasn't annoyed. He was starting to feel a little foolish himself, he didn't know what he had expected to find here. Some clue, a horcrux? No, this place wasn't important to Voldemort, only himself. There was such little left it was hard to tell a house had once stood here, and nothing to suggest anyone had been here since. Resigned to his first search being a failure, he turned to tell Ron they could leave, when another pop sounded behind him. With his wand at the ready Harry peered into the night, trying to make out the intruder through the fog. Much to his surprise a thin, redheaded figure burst through it. And though this was only a slightly more welcome sight than a death eater, he breathed a sigh of relief before turning incredulously to face Ginny Weasley.

"Just what in the bloody hell do you think you're doing here?" Ron had beaten him to the punch. Before Ginny could answer, Harry had grabbed her by the arm and was marching back down the hill.

"Leaving, come on."

"Let go of me- I can walk- LET GO!" Not wanting to be on the receiving end of Ginny's bat bogey hex, which had quite the reputation, Harry let go of her arm, but didn't stop his descent towards the road. Ginny called after him, "Wait! You don't have to leave because of me, I can take care of myself, I'm not in danger!"

"We were leaving anyway," Harry said, "Come on."

"We were?" Ron asked. Hermione shrugged and set off after Harry, leaving Ginny behind glaring at them.

"I'm not a child!" she yelled.

"We're leaving," called Harry.

"Ginny come on," said Ron, "we're getting out of here."

When no reply came Harry turned exasperatedly back towards the house, and what he saw made his blood chill. Ginny had her back turned to them, and was staring up at the house, where the dark mark suddenly loomed, casting everything beneath it in an eerie green glow. "No," breathed Harry, "Ginny!" He was already halfway back up when the death eaters appeared from behind the house. "Stupefy! Impedimenta!" Harry was desperate, he wouldn't get there in time. Ginny remained frozen. "Ginny!" She turned, finally, and looked at him, fear etched across her face. One of the death eaters saw Harry and yelled something, crimson streaks were fired towards him. He stumbled over a rock, and his glasses fell off. His vision blurred; he saw Ginny running towards him. Then a flash of green light from behind her blinded him, "NO!"