A/N They are not mine, they are JKR :).

Summary: "Don't say goodbye Harry, you'll be back." She said slowly and he remained silent for a while thinking in what would happen to Ginny if he…

Please read and enjoy.

Goodbye

He left his room and slowly made his way to the kitchen. He tried his best not to make noise on the stairs so that no one could hear him. The reception had ended for some time but he couldn't sleep so he went for a glass of water.

He had a lot of problems on his mind at the moment. He would leave the Burrow in the morning in order to fulfil his task. He would have to find the Horcruxes and destroy them one by one and, after that, he would have to kill Voldemort. But what worried him the most it wasn't that dangerous mission; it was the fact that his friends would be risking their lives by his side and it was also the fact that he would have to leave… her alone. The girl he loved would be left alone and without his protection. And the worst was that he didn't know if he should or not leave without saying her at least a goodbye.

He hadn't taken that decision already; it was too difficult for him. If he said goodbye he would have to watch the sadness in her eyes but if he left without seeing her again he would be tormented by it. He needed to see her, to touch her face before he left.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he only saw the shadow of a person sitting alone in an armchair near the fading light of the fireplace when he was in the middle of the room.

He froze on the spot when he recognized the small frame of a girl… his girl. He sighed inwardly, how he wanted to close their distance and hold her in his arms, how he wanted to have her head resting on his shoulder, but he couldn't. He wouldn't give in to his thoughts. He would leave in the morning and he didn't know if he would be back, he would probably… not make it to the end alive. She probably wouldn't see him again so there wasn't a point in encouraging her love for him. Even so he knew he would have to say goodbye to her as difficult as it would be for them both, as much as he would hate to see the grief in her eyes.

He knew he should walk to her and say something but he didn't move from the spot. He wasn't sure if he was brave enough to say goodbye to the girl… woman that he loved, he had already suffered too much when he had broken up with her.

Afraid of what might happen if they actually talked he took a step back. He should leave before she saw him but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her red hair, dark in the shadows of the night. He was a Gryffindor, he had faced Trolls, Giant Spiders, dragons, Death Eaters and Voldemort, why wasn't he brave enough to say a simple word.

He took his decision, he needed to say goodbye and he was going to say it, he thought sternly, so he took a step towards her. But once again he hesitated, uncertain of her reaction. She was staring intently at the fire and he would perturb her thoughts, he knew he would; but he needed to do it, he had to say goodbye, he owed her that.

"Come closer, Harry." her soft voice interrupted his thoughts and his mouth went dry. He had no way out now "It was a beautiful wedding wasn't it, though I would rather that Bill hadn't married Phlegm" she chuckled lightly and Harry managed a faint smile while he took a couple of steps forward so that he stood right beside her chair. He knew that he couldn't waste the opportunity to say what he needed to tell her.

"Ginny I…"

"Did you see Ron and Hermione, I would say that they are together now. I mean he didn't look at Phlegm even once, did you notice?" she looked absolutely calm but her voice sounded desperate and Harry could sense that she knew what he was about to do and that she was avoiding the issue.

"I've noticed Ginny but I…" He trailed of, his voice caught in his throat because finally she had stopped staring at the fire and she was now studying his features. She had a smile on her lips but he saw shadows in her beautiful brown eyes. Harry couldn't stand her sadness and averted his eyes from hers. He shoved his hands on his pockets, staring silently at the fire while he felt Ginny studying his features.

"Tomorrow I'll leave the Burrow Ginny… I'll be away for a very long time and I don't know if I'll ever come back." he said all of that at once not even stopping to breathe and he felt Ginny shifting nervously on her sit."

Suddenly he felt a tiny hand lay on his shoulder and he turned to her and lowered his eyes to the earnest ones of the girl he loved so much; the only girl that he had really loved in his life; the only girl that had managed to make him feel completely happy even if only for a short while.

"You will win in the end, you know?" she said without questioning him, without crying or begging him to stay. "You will defeat Voldemort and you will return." She seemed so certain of her words that he almost believed in her. This was his Ginny, she was brave and she knew what he had to do. She wouldn't stop him because she believed in him more than himself.

"You know this is an impossible task Ginny, even if I… even if I managed to debilitate Voldemort I might not win in the end." That's why I… I want to say Go…

"Don't say goodbye Harry, you'll be back." She said slowly and he remained silent for a while thinking in what would happen to Ginny if he… she had to move on with her life and forget him. He wanted the best for her and he was the worst choice for her at the moment.

"Promise me that you'll be happy, Ginny!"

What?"

"Just promise me that."

"Well, of course I'm going to be happy… with you as soon as you defeat Voldemort!" Ginny said steadily.

"And what if I…" Harry couldn't finish his sentence because she had pressed her lips softly to his. He stood still afraid of giving in. But after a moment he couldn't stand it anymore and he returned her kiss with everything he had to give. She threw her arms around his neck and for a moment he forgot everything, the war, Voldemort… everything. He could only sense the girl he had in his arms; he could only breathe her and feel her hair between his fingers. When they finally parted he felt a kind of emptiness that he had never believed it was possible. He felt like crying out all his dismay. He was seventeen; he wasn't supposed to be fighting a war. He should be enjoying summer with his girlfriend, playing Quidditch with his friends or… even studying.

Harry shook his head as to bring himself to reality, he wasn't complaining about his destiny, he had a task to fulfil and he would do it gladly. He was going to destroy the sole responsible for the death of so many people that he loved. His father and mother; Sirius; his friend Cedric… and Dumbledore. He would make sure that no one else would die at Voldemort's hands.

"Goodbye, Ginny" he said slowly, his voice low yet firm. He caressed her face gently one last time and then he made his way back to the stairs without saying another word. He was afraid that she would stop him but she didn't. He perceived that Ginny was trying not to show too much of her grief although he knew it was there. He knew that her heart was aching as much as his own.

"Stay alive, Harry" she pleaded in despair and he closed his eyes at the stab of pain caused by the fear drenched in her voice "for me" she finished in a whisper and Harry looked back, unable to resist and gave her a weak smile while taking in her appearance. She looked more beautiful then ever, with her long hair framing her features perfectly, her eyes shining in the gloom. The memory of her beautiful face would be his most precious gift, during the upcoming hard times. And he knew that, somehow, what had just happened, the memory of Ginny, of her touch, of her words would keep him safe and alive all through his final quest.

So, what did you think about it? Please tell me your thoughts in a review .