Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger sat at the kitchen table in the Burrow at the end of July with apprehensive looks on their face. Also at the table sat Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Lupin, Tonks and Mad-eye Moody. It was nearing dark and the people gathered at the table looked quiet anxious.
"Thank you all for coming over at such short notice. Ron and Hermione have requested to see you all. All I asked was a simple question of these two as to why they thought Ginny has locked herself into her room since she came back from Hogwarts and they said they wanted to tell you all." Mrs. Weasley explained.
"Well, you see- it all sort of has a story behind it that involves Ginny, Harry, Dumbledore and Lord V-Voldemort." Hermione explained.
"And we're not sure if we should tell you as it seems Harry only confided in us but we are very worried bout Harry." Ron said hesitantly.
"Well if you are worried about it you should probably tell us." Lupin spoke quietly.
"Alright well you see Ginny and Harry were going out for the past few months." Ron began.
"Oh that's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed interrupting her son.
"Yes well Harry recently broke it off. On the day of Dumbledore's funeral." Hermione said quickly afraid of Mrs. Weasley's reaction. And she was quiet right, Mrs. Weasley jumped out of her chair and went towards the kitchen door.
"Oh, my poor baby. No wonder she's locked herself in her room, she's had her heart broken. And from all people has Harry, oh I need to go comfort her." Mrs. Weasley cried out and opened the kitchen door to leave.
"Mum wait!" Ron exclaimed and Mrs. Weasley came back to the table and sat down. "Harry had a good reason for breaking it off. There's more we need to tell you."
"Yes there is and Ginny isn't just heart broken. She's also worried." Hermione explained.
"Well what does this have to do with Dumbledore and Voldemort?" Moody asked impatiently.
"We're getting to that." Hermione said simply. "You see the prophecy about Harry said that Neither one could live while the other survives. Dumbledore heard it and it means that either Harry has to murder Voldemort or be murdered by him." she paused while the people at the table gasped and murmured to each other.
"But there is another twist." Ron took over. "It seems that You-know-who split his soul into seven horecruxes. One still being inside his body. Harry killed one at our second year at hogwarts in Tom Riddle's diary and Dumbledore destroyed one in Slytherin's ring. That means there are four more hidden and the one in his body. The night Dumbledore was killed Harry and him had gone to destroy another one. But it had already been taken and we're not sure if it has been destroyed or not." So Ron and Hermione explained as much as they knew about the theory of the Horecruxes.
"This leaves Harry alone to figure out where the four horecruxes are and destroy them and then to kill Voldemort himself." Hermione explained. There were more gasps.
"So what does this have to do with Ginny." Tonks whispered.
"Well Harry has figured that Voldemort has killed everyone protecting him from him. And Harry is worried that if Voldemort finds out that he-he..er..." Ron seemed to stumble on the word he was looking for.
"Harry told us on the Hogwarts express that he is in love with Ginny."Hermione spoke for him.
"What!" Mr. Weasley spoke for the first time and his chair that had been leaning on its back two legs came crashing down on all fours.
"Yes. He wanted to marry her when she's out of school. You see Harry tried to go out with Cho Chang in our fifth year but he couldn't get anything right with her and everything goes right with him and Ginny. He told me so. They truly belong together." Hermione smiled widely. Ron just stared at her.
"He didn't tell me this!" Ron said in surprise.
"He was afraid you would get angry or laugh at him." Hermione looked at Ron with a serious expression.
"This is great! My best friend and my sister!" Ron smiled widely now.
"What about Ginny?" Tonks said carefully.
"She's the same way. She told me on the train too. She said she wanted to marry him too." Hermione said sadly.
"Well I don't see what the problem is? Why did Potter break it off?"Moody growled.
"That's what I was trying to explain."Ron said. "Harry is afraid that if You-know-who finds out that Harry l-loves Ginny then he'll use Ginny to get to him as he did Sirius."
"So Harry has cut off communication with her. But that's not all." Hermione sighed. "The reason Ginny is worried about Harry is that Harry has told us he's not going to school next year even if it does re-open."
"What!" Everyone in the room exclaimed. Lupin jumped up and began pacing.
"Why not. He's got to go back he can't stay at the Dursley's all year." Lupin said angrily.
"Why would he want too?" Moody said in disbelief.
"I thought he wanted to become an Auror. He can't if he doesn't complete his N.E.W.T.s." Tonks said simply.
"He doesn't want to sit around at school to become a Auror when he can do the same thing right now." Ron said.
"No he can't. He has to have his N.E.W.T.s to become an Auror." Tonks argued.
"Don't you understand?" Hermione said impatiently. When everyone shook their heads she sighed and said. "He's going to spend this time looking for Horecruxes and then kill Voldemort." Hermione exclaimed.
"And he doesn't want us to come along and help." Ron said angrily.
"Of course you're not going to help cause we're not going to let Harry do this yet. You are all going to complete your schooling!" yelled Mrs. Weasley
"Molly, would you mind if I go and talk to Ginny?" Tonks asked.
"Well...all right." Mrs. Weasley looked hesitant at first.
As Tonks went upstairs the others mumbled about Harry and Voldemort.
Ginny was sitting on the window sill in her bedroom with her arms wound tightly around her knees, she was staring out at the window without seeing. There was a knock on the door and Ginny didn't seem to take notice. The knock came again.
"Ginny it's Tonks can I come in?" a voice carried through the door that was sad and understanding.
"Yes." came the quiet answer from Ginny that made Tonks think for a moment as if she had imagined it.
Nevertheless she opened the door and closed it behind her standing just inside the room.
"How are you?" Tonks asked.
"Fine."
"Then why have you locked yourself in your room all summer?" Tonks walked slowly towards Ginny.
"It's nothing." Ginny turned further to the window.
"Hermione and Ron told us everything about you and Harry and what he's planning on doing." Tonks said carefully.
"Did they?" But Ginny was not angry as Tonks had expected, the sad pitiful voice that came out was much worse. She turned to face Tonks tears coming heavily down her cheeks now.
"I know how it is when you can't understand why the person who loves you won't see you. Remus is the same way. He won't marry me cause he's afraid he'll hurt me at full moon. Now Harry won't continue to see you because he cares to much about you to let you get hurt because of him. He loves you so much that he's willing not to see or talk to you again so that you can have a long life. I know I know. I don't want a long life if it can't be with the person I love either, but this is a great sacrifice for him too." Tonks said sadly tears coming into her eyes.
"Yes I understand all that but I'm worried about him, what happens if he dies!" Ginny shrieked and the tears came harder and Ginny flung her face into Tonks' robes.
"There there. Now that the order knows what he's doing we'll back him up. We'll make sure nothing happens to him." Tonks patted Ginny on the back.
"But Harry's so stubborn sometimes he won't want your help." Ginny looked up at Tonks.
"Then we'll have him tailed without him knowing if we have to. We wouldn't dream of sending him out there on his own when we know what he's doing. Now back to the letter. Hermione told us some things that you don't know that Harry told her on the train." Tonks gave Ginny a handkerchief.After blowing her nose Ginny asked Tonks what these things were.
"Well Hermione says that you told her you wanted to marry Harry one day."
"Yes I know." interrupted Ginny.
"Well, Harry told Hermione they same thing. He wants to marry you when you get out of school and he finishes the task he has to do."
"Really?" Ginny asked.
"He'll come around, I've seen the way he looks at you. It won't last too long." Tonks jumped up from the bed and pulled Ginny up too. "Now your mother is very upset about your behavior lately, so I think it best if we go down and speak to everyone downstairs." Tonks pulled Ginny to the door and downstairs.
"I don't want to face Harry when he comes tonight. Not just yet." Ginny pulled back and Tonks finally let go.
Back in the Kitchen the rest were getting tired of the subject of Harry and Voldemort because they had already talked about all they knew and were running out of ideas about where the remaining horecruxes were. They stopped talking when Tonks came down the steps. Mrs. Weasley walked over to Tonks.
"She doesn't want to see him tonight. Give her time."