Disclaimer: However much I might wish I did, unfortunately I do not own any of these characters… They all belong to JKR.

She gazed into the flames, their fiery sentiment the opposite of her heart. He had promised.

"I'll be there," he had said, "don't worry, I'll be fine." Her eyes watered, due to her closeness to the flames, or her memory of Harry's head floating in them, Ginny did not know.

"Ginny?" She turned round with a start, hoping that tonight was the night he would appear.

"Oh, hello Hermione."

"Ginny, don't worry. If he were hurt you would know about it. Everyone else has gone to bed and you're just going to worry yourself sick if you stay up. Go to bed. When you wake up you'll be one day closer to seeing him again." Hermione's words of comfort did little to mend Ginny's aching heart, but she put on a smile and went upstairs. Hermione was right, as usual. She was doing herself no good staying up all night.

"Mione?" Ron's voice whispered through the semi-darkness of the Burrow's kitchen.

"Ron! What are you doing down here? It's past midnight."

"Well," he drawled, "Like you, I just couldn't sleep without a bit of late night studying." He grinned as she raised an eyebrow, "No, seriously I just thought if there were any leftovers lying around. When Harry stayed over we used to…" His voice tailed away.

"Oh, Ron I'm really worried. Ginny's driving herself insane. I mean, what if he was hurt, or-"

"Whatever he does, we'll know about it. If he doesn't tell us, the Prophet will. You know Mum's been committing every article involving Harry to memory just lately." At his words, Hermione's worried expression relaxed a little.

Ron continued, "Well, Ginny's sharing with Fleur, but Harry' not here, so if you don't want to be on your own…" He left it hanging. Hermione followed him out the door and up the staircase. He peered round the corner to check no one was watching, then ushered Hermione into his room. He locked the door and turned around. Hermione let he dressing gown fall to the floor. She was wearing a silvery-blue spaghetti-strap nightie that reached midway to her knees. Ron stared openly at all the curves that had been magnified over the past few years and that were enhanced by the soft brown curls spilling over her shoulders.

"One kiss, then I swear I will go to bed." He asked her.

He was lying and they both knew it. She stepped forward into his outstretched arms feeling all the muscles his quidditch playing had produced surround her as he tilted her face upwards and brushed her lips with his. He let his arms fall to his side as his eyes locked hers, heat blazing across from his to hers. He waited. She decided. She stepped forward again and his arms encircle her waist.

"I never said I'd go to bed alone" Ron whispered. He picked Hermione up bridal style and walked over to lay her on his bed. He lay next to her and she brought her lips to his again as her hands when to his shirt. She undid the buttons one by one as his fingers entangled in her hair. He shrugged out of his shirt and her hands moved down his chest to his hips. When he was wearing nothing but his boxers, he spun her underneath him.

"Love you, Mione" he breathed as he slid the straps off her shoulders.

Morning Mrs. Weasley." Hermione called as she walked into the kitchen. "Do you w-want," yawn, "any h-help?"

"Oh hello dear," she replied absently, "Didn't get a good night?" Before Hermione had a chance to reply Mrs Weasley continued, "Well, no of course you wouldn't, we're all so worried about Harry. It's become rather a tradition that he spends Christmas with us. I felt a bit snubbed when he chose to be Voldemort's dinner guest instead of mine." Her attempt at a joke just deepened her worry as she picked up the Prophet and searched it again for any hint about Harry's current whereabouts or predicament.

She needn't have worried however. Miles away, Harry pushed open the old oak door to the pub.

"Ah, Mr. Smith, the usual I presume?" The barmen called as he noted Harry come in in a flurry of snow.

"Thanks, Tim." Harry replied and handed over some coins before sitting down in a dark corner with a good viewpoint of the crowd around the fire. His upper lip curled into a snarl as he saw Draco swagger up to the applauding Death Eaters. He pulled Pansy into his lap and kissed her before smirking at his followers and making small half-hearted shushing motions with his hand. A sudden jealousy erupted in Harry's chest as he watched Draco and Pansy. His mind wandered back to Ginny again. Although he thought that being in the same house as her was torture, he preferred it to being miles away from her. He'd have to send her a letter, no matter how risky it was. He had to see her, talk to her, touch her. He imagined that flowery scent of her hair that had such an effect on him. When he was with her, he felt that she was in the safest place in the world, although his brain told him otherwise.

As the group broke up to find their own enjoyments, Harry looked away from Draco and Pansy entwined together. Clearly they were not going to discuss plans tonight. He looked at his watch - twenty-one twenty-six. At the Burrow, Ginny would be just waking up.

Hermione almost skipped up the stairs as she went to mess up her bed before making it again differently to the previous morning. On her way back downstairs she passed Ginny's room and heard her sobbing inside. Hermione tapped on the door.

"Hello Hermione" she sniffed.

"Hey, you might want to come downstairs," She said, giving Ginny a hug, "there's a certain snowy owl eating your breakfast cereal. The effect these words had on Ginny was electrifying. Two minutes later she had dashed downstairs and was untying a letter from Hedwig, who affectionately nipped at her finger.

She looked at the writing. It was just her name and a x underneath. Yes this was definitely from him. She felt her stomach swoop as butterflies flittered inside.

"Umm, I'm not that hungry, I think I'll just come back down for a snack later." Her fingers trembled as she broke the seal on the parchment.

Gin,

I knew after his death that it wasn't going to be easy. During Bill and Fleur's wedding I felt tortured with you being so close, yet so far away from me. But being away from you is so much harder. I've managed to find out that He's doing nothing in the next two weeks. Nothing has changed, I still feel the same way about you as I did during the time we were going out. I hope I'm still welcome for Christmas.

Love

X

He hadn't dared to put his name at the end in case the letter had been intercepted.

"Mum!" Ginny yelled down the stairs, "Harry's coming for Christmas!"

So what do you think? Please Please Please review and keep reading cos the next chapter is almost written and ready xxx