Chapter 1

Ginny stared at Harry. His shoulders were slumped, as if he'd just been told the worst news he could imagine. His emerald green eyes were dull. He stared down at the ground, refusing to look at her. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and then withdrew her hand. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to explain.

"Harry, I love you. I really truly do, but I can't abandon my family. I can't. Fred's death nearly destroyed us. Please Harry, just wait a while. I'm sure they'll come around."

Harry looked at her sadly. "I don't think they will, Gin. They blame me for Fred's death," he paused thinking. "At least Ron and your Mum do. I don't blame them, but I did the best I could with the information I had. I wish I could've stopped Voldemort sooner. If I had, he would've never killed Teddy's parents."

Ginny winced at the mention of Remus and Tonks. "Harry, I am trying to convince them it wasn't your fault, but you know how stubborn my family is. When we get an idea in our heads, it's hard to get us to change our minds."

Harry glanced up at her. There was an expression of total defeat on his face. "So what you're saying is that you won't be with me until your Mum and Ron approve. What about your Dad? Doesn't his opinion mean anything? I know he doesn't blame me. He told me so himself."

"No he doesn't," Ginny said slowly, "but Mum's managed to convince the rest of them. You know how strong willed she can be. Please, can't you wait a little longer?

Harry turned away from her, gazing up at the setting sun. Far off, they could hear the water in the pond bubbling. Birds chirped as they flew back to their nests for the night. After a few moments, Harry turned back to her.

"I'll wait a little while longer, Gin, but not forever. I can't keep dealing with this pain day after day. Your Mum told me I was as good as a son, but that wasn't true, was it? No, when one of her blood children dies, she tosses me aside. I love you, Ginny Weasley, but I can't keep dealing with rejection."

Without another word, Harry turned on the spot and vanished. Sniffling slightly, Ginny turned and headed back to The Burrow. As she walked, she thought about what Harry had said.

He was right. It wasn't fair what her family had done to him. It had been a year since the final battle, and her Mother had only spoken to him once in that time. Her stomach twisted painfully as the memory came to the forefront of her mind.

Ginny looked up as Harry entered the great hall. He looked a mess. His black hair was dirty and matted, his face was cut and bruised, his clothes were torn, and there was a haunted look in his green eyes. Seeing her family, he made his way towards them. He stopped beside her, looking down at Fred's body. Before he could speak, her Mother turned to face him.

"What are you doing here?" she said shrilly. "Haven't you done enough?" Her hands were balled into fists and her brown eyes blazed with fury.

Harry reared back as if she'd slapped him. "I-I just wanted to say I'm sorry for Fred's death," he stammered.

"You should be sorry," Mrs. Weasley shrieked, beginning to sob. "He trusted you. We all trusted you. Why didn't you stop him sooner? Why did you wait so long? If you'd stopped him when you had the chance, my Fred wouldn't have died."

Harry stared at the closest thing he had to a Mother, stricken. "I tried my best," he whispered. "I did the best I could with the information I had."

"It's true Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said walking up, hand in hand with Ron. "Dumbledore's information wasn't exactly complete."

"So now you're blaming Dumbledore for Harry's failures?" She eyed Hermione and Ron's entwined hands. "If you are going to be a part of this family young lady, you will not associate with Potter anymore."

Hermione turned to Ron, a pleading look on her face. "Tell her Ron," she begged. "Tell her it's not Harry's fault. Tell her he did his best to stop Voldemort."

Ron wouldn't look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on his feet. He mumbled something.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Ron glanced at her, his chin jutting out. "He should've stopped him sooner," he mumbled.

Hermione stared at him in shock. "How could you say such a thing? Harry let Voldemort hit him with a killing curse to stop him."

Ron's eyes flashed. "Well," he snarled. "If his death would've kept my brother from dying, I consider that a fair trade."

Hermione dropped his hand as if it'd burned her. "How could you," she whispered. "He's been our friend for years."

Ron scowled at her. "Go ahead," he said harshly. "Choose Harry again, I always knew you would."

"No," Harry spoke suddenly. "Don't sacrifice your happiness for me, Hermione. I'm not worth that. I'll be fine."

"Harry," Ginny said, voice quavering. "I…"

Harry smiled sadly at her. "I love you Ginny. We'll talk later, if you want."

Before Ginny could say another word, Harry turned and left the hall.

Things had not improved after that day. Harry had tried to contact her, but her Mother had somehow intercepted the owls before she'd gotten the letters. She'd even gone so far as to put a mail blocking charm on Ginny, so she wouldn't receive any mail at all.

Ginny scowled at the thought of her own Mother blocking her mail. What was she going to do? It wasn't fair to make Harry wait on her? Should she tell him that they couldn't be together? Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought. She couldn't do that. She had to find a way to convince her Mother that it wasn't Harry's fault and she had to do it soon.

As she approached the burrow, the door opened and Hermione stormed out. As she passed Ginny, she glared at her.

"Your Mother and brother are arses." With a crack, she was gone.

Frowning, Ginny entered the burrow. As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Ron glaring down at the table. "Hermione just left," she said tentatively.

Ron Grunted.

Ginny sat down across from him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Harry," he snapped.

"What about him?" Ginny asked frowning.

"We had a fight about him, that's what. Hermione insists it wasn't Harry's fault that Fred died. She just doesn't understand. If Harry hadn't been goofing off in the tent, if he'd killed You Know Who sooner, Fred might still be alive."

Ginny stared at her brother. "Goofing off?" she asked incredulously. "He was on the run from the entire wizarding world."

"Which should have given him more motivation to stop him."

"Ron, Harry told you everything he knew. If you had such a problem with the way he handled things, why didn't you try and stop Voldemort?"

"Because it was Harry's job," Ron said as if it should have been obvious. "He was the one the prophecy was about, not me. No one else could stop You Know Who."

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but her Mother's voice stopped her.

"You're absolutely right, Ron. He was chosen by magic to stop Him. He should've taken his responsibility more seriously."

Ginny turned to glare at her Mother. "He didn't even know about the prophecy until the end of his fifth year. How was he supposed to prepare for something he didn't even know about? Do you even know the full contents of the prophecy? I don't. I only know the line, 'neither can live while the other survives.'"

Her Mother's angry expression softened. For a moment, Ginny allowed herself to hope that maybe her Mother had finally seen reason. When she spoke, that hope was quickly dashed.

"Ginny, I know you love him, but you need to let him go. While you are under my roof, you will not associate with that boy. He's far too dangerous. Furthermore, don't think that I'll help plan any wedding that involves him. If you marry him, you're on your own."

Tears sprang to Ginny's eyes. She turned and ran from the room. Ron and Mrs. Weasley could hear her feet pounding up the stairs. They heard her bedroom door slam. Ron looked at his Mother.

"I don't like Harry anymore, but don't you think that was a bit harsh? You basically said you would disown her if she married Harry."

"I will not bury anymore of my children. If she wants to shorten her life by associating with Harry, then so be it, but I won't watch her commit suicide."

"You may not, but I will," a male voice said from the doorway.

Ron and Mrs. Weasley turned to see Mr. Weasley standing in the doorway. What was left of his red hair stood straight up on his balding head. Magic crackled around him.

Arthur Weasley was normally the most taciturn of men, but when he was angered, he was a sight to behold. Now, here he stood, glaring straight into his wife's eyes. His lips were pulled into a thin line and his blue eyes flashed with fury. "What do you have to say for yourself, Molly?"

"Me," Molly said shocked. "What are you talking about? What have I done?"

Arthur stepped into the room, still glaring at his wife. "I find the fact you don't know quite disturbing."

Molly's brown eyes narrowed. "I will not stand here and be accused of something I didn't do," she said, her voice beginning to rise.

"That's the thing, Molly, you did do it. I stood here and watched you. You told our daughter that you would disown her if she married Harry."

"I did not," Molly began, but Arthur cut her off, his own voice rising to drown her out. His rage was palpable. A breeze blew through the kitchen. It was as hot and dry as a desert wind.

"You told her that if she married Harry, not to expect any help from you, did you not? You also told her that if she married Harry, she was on her own. You didn't consult me to see what I thought. No, you just proclaimed that we'd both disown one of our children if she married the man she loved. "You may not have said the words, but the message was clear."

"What about Fred," Molly said, stabbing an accusing finger at her husband. "He trusted Harry and look what happened to him. Do you think I want to see my daughter in an early grave because she made the same mistake?"

"We all trusted Dumbledore," Arthur said coldly. "I blame him, not Harry."

Molly stared at her husband in shock. "Dumbledore," she whispered. "How could you blame Dumbledore? He'd been dead for a year before Fred died."

"Harry did the best with what he was given," Arthur said calmly. He trusted Dumbledore to teach him the things he needed to know. I've talked to the lad and he feels really guilty about all the deaths."

"As he should," Molly said vehemently."

Arthur continued as if he hadn't heard her. "He told me the prophecy. He told me everything that Dumbledore taught him. Did Ron tell you what Dumbledore's secret lessons were?"

Ron shuffled his feet. "Dad," he said.

Arthur raised a hand to stop him. "Dumbledore showed him Voldemort's past through various memories. He drew those lessons out over a year. He could've shown him all those memories in one night. If he didn't have them all, he could've shown Harry the one's he had and then shown him more memories when he got them. He didn't do that. He didn't teach Harry any magic. He didn't train him at all. After what happened at the final battle, I believe Dumbledore was preparing Harry to die."

Molly looked at her husband, her eyes reflecting nothing but shock. No one had ever spoken this way about Albus Dumbledore. True, he was not perfect, but she'd always believed he'd had everyone's best interests at heart.

"I can't Arthur," she said at last.

"Can't what," Arthur asked tiredly.

"I can't support a relationship between Harry and Ginny. Even if what you say is true, it changes nothing. Fred is still dead, because Harry didn't act quick enough. I will not support a decision that will lead my daughter to the same fate."

She turned and left the room before Arthur could speak. A few seconds later, they heard the back door slam.

The rest of the evening was strained to say the least. Ginny sat with the family, but didn't speak to anyone. It was almost midnight and Ron, Ginny, and Molly were sitting around the fireplace. Arthur had gone up to bed an hour before, leaving the three to talk and try to mend fences.

It hadn't gone as he'd hoped. Ginny refused to talk to her Mother until she agreed to let her see Harry. Ginny would be the first to admit this was very childish, but she didn't care. If it made her Mother see reason, it would be worth it.

For her part, Molly was fuming at her daughter's attitude. Didn't she understand that this was for the best? Why couldn't she see how dangerous associating with Harry was? She would come around. Even if she got a job, it would be a while before she could move out. Molly was confident she could make her daughter see sense in that time.

Ron didn't care about Ginny's relationship with Harry one way or the other. If she wanted to date the girlfriend stealing bastard, let her. He just didn't want her crying to him when the relationship went horribly wrong.

The three were broken from their thoughts by a throat clearing behind them. They turned as one to see Albus Dumbledore sitting in a chair behind them.

He was relaxed, looking as if he'd just stopped by for a chat. He wore midnight blue robes and his long silver hair and beard were neatly combed, falling to his waist. His blue eyes twinkled as he looked at them. When he saw them staring at him, he raised one hand in greeting. "Hello, Ronald, Ginevra, Molly, how have you been?" he asked, his smile widening.

The three Weasleys stared at the old man in shock. It was Molly who spoke first.

"Albus, how is this possible? You're dead."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite," he said bowing slightly. "I am dead, but unfortunately, not departed. I'm here to talk to you about a wrong I have committed. Out of a life of many sins, this has to be my most grievous. I require your help to redress this wrong so that I can move on to my final rest."

Molly stared at him, frowning fiercely. "How do we know that you're really Dumbledore? You could just be a demon or some other kind of evil spirit."

"Very good, Molly," Dumbledore said, smiling again. You are of course correct. However, there are some difficulties with your assumption. As you can see, I am not transparent. Also," his eyes twinkled. "Do I need to tell your children what I caught you and Arthur doing in your sixth year?"

Molly turned crimson and hurriedly shook her head. "Okay, so let's say that we believe you are who you say," she said quickly. "What is this wrong you have committed? How can we help you?"

"It concerns Harry," Dumbledore began.

"No," Molly said sharply. "No, I'm sorry Albus, but we don't associate with Harry anymore. If you're looking for someone to help him, you will have to go somewhere else. My family has done enough. I won't risk their lives for that boy any longer."

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had vanished. The expression on his face was as cold as a block of ice. "I had hoped I was misinformed," he said quietly. "I had hoped you weren't still blaming Harry for something he couldn't help."

He looked at Molly directly. "Is this how you repay the person who saved your daughter's, husband's and son's life?"

Molly shifted uneasily. Her hands fluttered in her lap. She looked away from Dumbledore's steely gaze. "We've done enough," she said again.

"It wasn't Harry's fault," Dumbledore said with a long sigh. "It was mine. I should've trained him the best I knew how, but I didn't. I thought he would need to die before Voldemort could be defeated. I was wrong and my arrogance nearly cost us the war. If I had acted sooner, or even sought a way to remove the soul fragment from Harry's scar, so many things could be different."

"You can't be expected to think of everything, Albus," Molly said gently. "Besides, Harry was chosen by prophecy. You couldn't have stopped Voldemort. It was Harry's job and he buggered it up."

"Ah, that's where you are wrong. I have come to believe that the prophecy was fulfilled the night that Harry's parents died. If I had acted then, the second war may have never happened."

"But it did," Ron spoke up. "After you died, Harry took me and Hermione on that quest you sent him on. He sucked as a leader, even got Hermione tortured once."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed. "We all make mistakes, Ronald. I seem to recall one of yours nearly causing Ms. Granger nearly to get beaten to death by a troll."

Ron paled and slumped back in his chair. Molly opened her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore stopped her with a hard stare.

He fixed the three Weasleys with an icy glare. "I think the three of you need a lesson in humility. I had hoped this wouldn't be necessary, but I see there is no other choice."

"What are you going to do," Ron said nervously. He didn't like talking to a dead man, even if it was Dumbledore. When the old man has said something about teaching them a lesson, his nervousness increased.

"You will each be visited by a spirit," Dumbledore said. Each of you will be shown a point in Harry's life. I hope this will show you how fortunate you are and make you reconsider your actions."

Oi," Ron bellowed. "Don't we have a choice in this?"

"No," Dumbledore said shortly. "I have utterly failed Harry. I treated him like a weapon, a lamb to be led to the slaughter. I will not allow you to throw him away like a piece of trash." Dumbledore began to fade. "I hope not to see you for a long time," he said, his voice growing fainter with each word.

Just like that, he was gone. Ron, Ginny, and Molly stared at each other. There was nothing to say. Ginny spoke after several moments.

"Did he say when these spirits would be coming?"

Ron and Molly shook their heads. The three of them sat silent for half an hour.

"This is ridiculous," Ron said standing up. "I'm going to bed. These spirits are obviously not coming."

"Quite," Molly said. "I'm not even sure that was Dumbledore. It was probably just Harry trying to scare us into forgiving him."

Ginny followed her brother and Mother up the stairs. Entering her room, she got into bed and was instantly asleep.

A/N

I own nothing.

Consider this, my first challenge. The rules are simple. The Weasleys must shun Harry after Fred's death and through some sort of event, realize their mistake. Any het paring is accepted, but Harry/Ginny, Harry/Hermione, or Harry/Luna would be preferred.