Here is a story I've been thinking of for a while. I'm not sure where it is going but I think it will work out in the end.

Chapter 1

With his hands in his jacket pockets, Harry Potter, saviour of the Wizarding World, surveyed the scene before him. All the imagines had seemed to take on an unbearably bright setting, as if the sun had appeared again after days in a smothering fog. He turned as a grief stricken Ginny Weasley leaned close into his body, tears evident on her face. In fact, if it was not for this sudden shock, this sudden blown to his senses, Harry was sure he would be crying as well. It had only been two days since the tragic battle but already things were returning to there post-war trivialness. Not that Harry had been able to partake, all his time the past two days had been spent repairing the castle and gathering all the remains of friends and death-eaters alike. It had just been decided yesterday that all the missing persons had been accounted for, and so the funerals began.

It was nearly three in the afternoon, and the Weasley's had saved the most depressing, for them and for Harry at least, funeral for last. Before him lay Fred's coffin a dark glossy wood, levitating over a dark abyss, it seemed criminal to lay someone as vibrant and humorous as Fred to rest in a place that seemed so dark and dismal. Harry closed his eyes trying vainly to shield them from the sight before him, his heart felt heavy and ached from the continuous amounts of sorrow it had dealt with through out the day. It would take many decades, decided Harry for the scars of the war to completely fade, and he knew that for him it would be something that would always haunt him in life.

Harry opened his eyes again only this time directing them up to the priest, a tall gauntly man that very much so resembled a corpse, his rough, gravel voice filled the pregnant silence. Harry tuned him out, what he had to say for Fred and all the other victims rarely varied and spoke nothing of the actual person. As his speak came to a close people on the outside of the crowd began to disperse off to the castle or to return home, or what ever was left of it. Finally, it was only the Weasley's and the closest friends of Fred that remained. Harry looked towards Mrs. Weasley, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from tears that had only recently stopped she looked utterly defeated, all her weight was against Mr. Weasley and Harry quickly turned away unable to bear the sight of anymore sorrow.

Back at the comforts of the Gryffindor common room Harry sat peering intently into the fire. It was late and everyone had long since gone to sleep but Harry, though utterly exhausted emotionally and physically, was unable to sleep. His mind was constantly haunted by images of the war, and it seemed nowadays every time he closed his eyes flashes of death and destruction where all that appeared.

'Couldn't sleep either?' whispered Ginny as she approached the couch certainly occupied by Harry. She was dressed in grey sweat pants and an oversized red t-shirt her eyes were exhausted and troubled.

'Haven't been able to for days.' said Harry truthfully, avoiding looking at her penetrating eyes. They sat there in silence for several minutes, eyes fixated in there hands, avoiding looking at each other.

'Harry,' said Ginny breaking the silence. 'Um….we need to …like talk…' She finished lamely looking at him expectantly.

Harry felt overwhelmed, he had so much to say, so much to tell Ginny but he had now idea where to start. His mind felt slow and unreliable, he was unable to process what to say, and how to say it. He wanted to tell her everything at once but protect her from all his troubles.

'Um…what to you want to know?' He said lamely, returning the expecting look back at her.

Ginny's face suddenly became rigid and her eyes filled with anger, she quickly turned glaring directly at Harry.

'Why don't you start with why you did not tell anyone that you weren't really dead?' said Ginny her voice hard and icy. 'Why don't you start with tell me why you thought that it was a good idea to play games with a bunch of death eaters?' Continued Ginny her voice rising. 'Or why you thought it was a good idea to risk your life to…to break into Gringotts! To do what? When every corner of the street is covered with wanted posters of you?! And…And.. .' Ginny rambled off her anger turning into desperate cries.

Harry turned to her in alarm, never had he seen Ginny so upset in her life, not even at Fred's funeral. Awkwardly Harry wrapped his arms around the now sobbing girl. Harry felt as if his heart had been ripped out, he couldn't believe he had caused Ginny so much pain, he knew she would be upset but never did he imagine this extent.

As quickly as the tears came they retreated back and Ginny composed her features again, turning to Harry a malicious glare on her face. Harry longed to see her smile; he wished with all his heart that he could take away all the pain and anger inside her. He knew that the only way for that to ever be possible was to tell her the truth, all of it, every last detail and to keep no secrets from her. In order to gain back her trust and her happiness he could not keep her from his past. He knew that he could never take away the pain he had already caused from the war; all he could do was be truthful and try to keep her safe tomorrow.

'Well let me just start at the beginning.'

Harry was awoken by the steady stream of sunlight slipping through the window in the Gryffindor common room. Rubbing his eyes and shoving on his glasses, Harry sat up and looked down at his love beside him. Last night had been a long night, Harry and Ginny had talked through the night about the events from the war, what had happened why they were separate, and how the events of the last battle had unfolded. His mind clouded at the thought of what Ginny had been through.

Things had been worse at Hogwarts than Hermione, Ron and he had ever imagined. The students, treated like prisoners, worse than prisoners, tortured for information and sometimes for pure entertainment. How could I have let this happen? How could I have abandoned her here? These thoughts continued to scream in Harry's head, why, why, why, a constant pulse in his mind. He was so overwhelmed with guilt, he knew this could happen but he let it continue anyway. According to Ginny people had died, died at his hand, because he turned his back on Hogwarts, turned his back on his family. I abandoned them.

In a last attempt to free his mind from his consuming thoughts, Harry made his way over to the prefect's bathroom, a long bath would help, and he needed something, anything to take his mind off last night.

Ginny Weasley's eyes popped open. Her mind was instantly alert and her heart raced at the thought of danger. Ever since arriving at Hogwarts in the beginning of the school year, every morning had been the same. The fear of capture, attack, the fear for her family, the labyrinth she was in had become routine, always on edge night and day. Her body snapped up off the sofa, her instincts kicking in, her mind repeated again and again that she was safe, nothing to worry about, but still her body was rigid, her eyes on alert for any sign of threat. Her hand gripped her wand tightly, to the point of pain in her joints, waiting and watching for the nonexistent threat.

'Ginny? Hey are you okay?'

Ginny whipped around her wand pointed in the direction of the familiar male voice, but yet she was unable to lower her wand all the way. Her fighting instinct wouldn't allow it.

'I'm fine Ron, just a little…jumpy that's all.' But her wand still did not lower, no matter how strongly her mind told her that she was being stupid, that this was her brother for goodness sake, she couldn't override the protective walls she had built this past year and they said stay alert.

Ron eyed the wand wearily, he was concerned at the uneasiness in his sisters eyes. Her hand was practically crushing her wand and shaking severely. Her eyes looked wide and troubled, too troubled for someone not yet of age. Her body was sickly thin, even after living at aunt Muriel's for so long the signs of Hogwarts were still visible. He tried to push this from his mind, everyone was going to be okay, even Ginny.

'Mum wants you down in the dinning hall once you get ready.' Ginny nodded, she turned quickly to the stairs leading to the girls dormitory and rushed up as quickly as possible ignoring Ron's worried looks as she passed. She had to get her body and mind under control, she couldn't be seen like this, her Mum already had enough to worry about without her being added to the list. What she need was a shower, a warm, long shower to clear her head and relax her. Grabbing a towel off the bed she walked slowly over to the bathroom to engulf herself in steamy bliss.

Sorry not much really happened in this chapter, but I kinda wanted to set up the problem that Ginny's dealing with and the feel of the story. Also sorry about some of the grammar usage, I tried really but I really am a sucker for commas and I probably misuse them a lot. If this first chapter gets a good turn out I will look into getting a beta but for now sorry about the mistakes.

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