He'd always had a fear of battle.

The sinking feeling that came with it, knowing that with every battle came the very real possibility that he could lose any one of his friends. Losing his own life was always a threat that loomed overhead, so often that it hardly scared him any longer... But his friends? His loved ones? No. That thought left him barely able to breathe, like he'd been plunged into the deepest, darkest, coldest part of the lake at Hogwarts. And while he tried to push aside those fears, he could not ever shake them away completely.

It felt as if they'd been at war forever. In some aspects, he supposed they had been. Voldemort's revival had been over five years before and those early days felt like lifetimes ago. Harry almost wished he could go back to those days, when despite the threat of Voldemort lurked at every shadow, he'd still had a sense of normalcy when it came to school. For two glorious years, he'd been able to pretend things were still going well- there had been fights, there had been losses, but he'd still clung to that sense of being a kid. But those days were long gone.

Looking across the campsite at his friends, Harry felt his heart twist; Hermione sat with her head against Ron's shoulder, her voice quiet as she read aloud from the worn Tales of Beedle and the Bard. Ron's eyes were closed and he looked like he was asleep, and Harry would have thought he was if he weren't silently mouthing along to every word Hermione spoke. Harry then looked to his right, where he met gazes with the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen. Ginny... His heart leapt into his throat, as it always did even all these years later, and he could not help but to reach for her hand. Her smile was gentle and her skin was warm as her small fingers enclosed around his. For a single moment, all was well, and he felt a fleeting sense of happiness.

If only he could have hung onto that.

Somewhere in the distance, they heard the snapping of a twig, the crunching of leaves beneath feet. Hermione sat bolt upright, the book open in her lap, hazel eyes widening as Ginny put a finger to her lips, hushing them all. "We're safe enough." Ginny's voice came as nothing more than a whisper, barely loud enough for even Harry to hear her. She was right- between herself and Hermione, their campsite was well protected. Ginny had learned some Ministry grade spells from Tonks and there wasn't a spell Hermione couldn't do, so Harry felt safe despite the presence of someone around them. It was as if the person out there knew they were there, even if they could not see nor hear them. It was an eerie feeling, that of eyes upon you. "Maybe we should just go to bed, get an early start." Ginny's quiet voice broke into his rampant thoughts and he nodded along with the others. He opened his mouth, fully prepared to take the first watch, but there went Ginny, pushing him towards the tent the moment he was on his feet. "I'll take the first watch." Her grin flashed and he felt his heart melt, his feelings for her stronger than they ever had been. He relented after a moment, brushing a kiss to her cheek as he passed her by, breathing in her sweet, floral scent.

As he climbed into his bunk, he glanced across the tent to where Hermione and Ron climbed into theirs, and to the universe he offered a silent word of thanks, as he always did before slipping into a dark and nightmarish sleep.

[ x x x ]

When Harry woke, his watch told him he'd been asleep for only two hours, but he felt restless all the same. Rising from his bed, he stuffed his feet into his shoes and slipped from the tent, coming to sit down beside Ginny at the dying fire. "You should be resting, Ron's got the next watch," Ginny spoke immediately, turning her brown eyes upon him. The fire cast her into a golden, hazy sort of light, reminding him of a crown from the way it bounced off her red hair. "You've not been sleeping enough." She reached out a hand, gently touching his shoulder, tilting her head to the side. "I'm worried about you."

Harry could not help but to grin, reaching his hand up to slide into place over hers, so small that it fit perfectly into his. "I'm alright, Gin." He promised softly, tugging her hand towards his lips, which he pressed against her knuckles. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, he would not do for her, he had decided that a long time ago. He hoped, with all of his heart, that someday he would be able to slip a ring on her finger and marry her. He hoped, with all of his heart, that someday she would take his last name and he'd build her a house wherever she wanted. He hoped, with all of his heart, that they might get the happy ending they both had been dreaming of. "I worry about you, too." He knew she had nightmares, he knew that she suffered as much as any of the rest of them. Her weight had dropped and sometimes it looked as if she carried the burdens of the whole world upon her shoulders, though she tried her best to hide it. They all were suffering, these endless days of war had really begun to take a toll upon them all. But more than anything.. He worried about her survival. What if the next battle was the one to take her life? Or what if Voldemort got his hands upon her, like he'd always wanted? Harry knew he'd not be able to live with himself if Ginny ever got hurt.

She was moving then and Harry knew where she was going; he opened his arms to her and she climbed upon his lap, shifting until she was aligned perfectly, her face pressed into his shoulder. Harry held on as tightly as he dared, his hand stroking her long, red hair without another word, relishing in the simple fact he had her there to do so. It wasn't long until he heard her breathing slow and he knew that she'd drifted off to sleep. Holding her close to him, he stayed there by the dying fire until Ron came out from the tent to take over the watch. They met eyes over the top of her head and shared a silent look of understanding, before Ron gave a little jerk of his head, indicating for Harry to go ahead and go. Harry rose up, still cradling Ginny to his chest, but paused as he passed Ron by, meeting eyes with his friend one last time. Ron smiled at him then, his eyes dark in the moonlight, and Harry grinned back, knowing without a doubt he was lucky to have the friends that he did.

Carrying her back into the tent, Harry deposited her down onto the bunk and then climbed in beside her, careful so he didn't wake her in the process. She rolled over onto her side, clutching the blanket close to her as she did. Harry reached out, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead before he lay down as well and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep until it was his turn to take watch.

[ x x x ]

"We're being followed."

It was Ron who spoke, his tenor vocals grim as he swiveled his gaze from face to face. "Two of 'em, I reckon." He focused his gaze on Harry then, a silent question of what to do falling between them. "Lowly ranked, I'm sure we could take them." Harry cast his gaze towards the east, where the two cloaked Death Eaters were sure to be hovering, just out of his line of sight. "The girls could keep moving on, we can catch up..."

"No! We agreed not to separate!" Hermione chimed in, her hazel eyes darkening as they turned from one friend to another. "Besides, Ginny fights better than either one of you." Ginny blushed and Ron raised his hands in assent, chuckling along with Harry over the sheer truth of the statement. "We should just keep going, see if they're really following us or just relaying information." It wouldn't have been the first time someone tailed them for just an hour or so before disappearing- most low level Death Eaters were on strict orders not to engage with them.

After a few more minutes of debate, they agreed on Hermione's suggestion and returned to walking, their destination not much further ahead. They were on their way to a Portkey that would take them just over the hill from the Burrow, where they would finally have a chance to rest and to recharge. There would be Order meetings, warm food, and real beds for all of them in just a few short hours. None of them could help but to feel the tingle of excitement at the prospect of returning home, even if it was just for a few days. Harry had long since proclaimed the Burrow to be his favorite place, besides Hogwarts, and couldn't really ever explain what it meant to him to have a place there. The Weasley's had always treated him like a part of the family... Not just one of their son's friends, but rather another son that they loved with all of their hearts. He was incredibly lucky to have the family he had.

And that gave him all the more reason to protect them.

They had only been walking for a few minutes when Harry felt it; that strange, eerie feeling of being watched. Stronger than ever before. He slowed his walk until he came to a full stop, ears intent on catching even the quietest of sounds. The others came to a stop as well, all of them turning their concerned eyes upon him. "Harry...?" Ginny's voice was soft beside him, but he shook his head, emerald eyes gazing towards the west when he realized what was happening.

They had been ambushed.

Harry grabbed Ginny and yanked her to the ground a moment before the stunning spell would have hit her, shielding her body with his own as an array of curses came hurtling their way. He heard Hermione's frightened cry and Ron's curse as he too dragged the girl he loved down to the safety of the ground, but now they were anything but safe. A moment of pause came and Harry rolled off of Ginny and jumped to his feet, wand in hand and ready to strike. Ron was beside him a second later with the girls following after. Hermione looked pale and worried, but Ginny was on fire with her fierce determination, living up to the words they had spoken about her earlier. She was the most skilled dueler among them, probably among the best of the Order ranks. "Stupefy!" Harry shouted, his curse flying through the air into the trees where their attackers lay in wait. "Show yourselves!"

Laughter floated along the wind as several bodies slipped from the trees, all of their faces shielded by masks. Masks or not, some of their identities were far too well known to avoid, and perhaps they realized that because within moments the masks were discarded, left to hit the ground at their feet. "Harry Potter." Lucius Malfoy greeted with a malicious smile, his stormy gray eyes focusing in on The Boy Who Lived. "You are a hard man to track down these days." It had been some time since they had last stood face to face like this and Lucius had to give the little group props for staying under the radar so well. But, they had finally been found and things weren't going to go so well for them this time around. "Heading somewhere?"

At once, his defenses were up- he felt his limbs tense up, the grip on his wand tightening ever so slightly. "Yeah, we are." He spoke up as Ron stood shoulder to shoulder with him, with the girls on their either side. "We're on our way to defeat your Dark Lord." He knew better than to speak the name, not when Snatchers were out there. "Maybe you can let him know we're coming." His trio of friends smirked, Ginny actually letting out a little giggle beside him, her brown eyes flashing in the sunlight.

Malfoy smirked, a quick chuckle escaping his lips as his arms fell away from where they'd been folded across his chest. He raised up one hand, signaling to the two Death Eaters on his left, and they all heard the guttural laughter that belonged to Fenrir Greyback. "We shall see about that, Potter." He snapped his fingers and then the Death Eaters came at them, six bodies moving so quickly they had next to no time to react.

The battle began and Harry found himself locked into a duel with two lowly ranked Death Eaters, though he could see why these men had been chosen for this mission: they were good. He dodged a curse and as he righted himself, heard Hermione's little squeak of pain as one caught her. He whipped around but had no time to reach her before she was hit hard with a stunning spell, one which sent her backwards several feet. "Hermione!" Harry heard Ginny's voice ring out and then she was dashing off, darting between spells and villains like it was what she'd been made to do. A curse whizzed by her, missing her by inches, but she seemed not to notice as she dropped to her knees beside the fallen Hermione, and though Harry wanted nothing more than to watch the scene, he had a fight to finish.

"Hermione... Hey, Hermione..." Ginny coaxed the brunette back into consciousness, her gentle touch warm against her cheek as she brushed a lock of hair from her face. "You okay?" She asked softly as she helped her into a sitting position, relief rushing through her when she gave a single nod. "Come on." Ginny stood and offered her a hand, pulling her back onto her feet and into the fray.

It was only then that Harry noticed the girl's return to battle and he offered a silent prayer to the universe that Hermione seemed mostly unharmed from the stunning spell. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted, managing to disarm one of the Death Eaters he was fighting with. "Reducto!" He pointed his wand at the fallen one, which promptly exploded into thousands of tiny pieces, ending that one man's time in battle. He took that moment to take in the sight of the battlefield; Ron fought fiercely with Dolohov, while Hermione was taking on some other unknown Death Eater. His eyes sought out Ginny, who was locked in battle with Greyback himself. She was holding her own, though he did notice she'd been injured on her left side, a curse burn of some kind that still didn't seem to be slowing her down. Harry returned his gaze to the Death Eater he still had to face and swallowed, knowing they only had one chance to win this.

The battle still raged but it seemed like they were on the winning edge; there was no one left but Greyback and Malfoy, all others having been disarmed or knocked out, leaving them at the advantage it seemed.

It seemed.

"Potter, I'm giving you this one chance to give up." Malfoy said, stepping forward with his eyes burning into Harry's. "Or else you shall regret it." Harry did not speak but rather held his wand a bit higher, as did all the others, their faces set with their determination. They all stood scattered now- Ron just to his left but behind and the girls to his right and behind him further still. He could just barely see any of them out of his peripheral vision. Suddenly, he was overcome with a sense of dread and he staggered, hardly able to catch his breath. "So be it." Harry turned back to face the two men, Greyback with a bloody face, hurt by one of Ginny's curses, and Malfoy unscathed. He opened his mouth to speak, but there were no words that would come. And then Malfoy raised a hand again, snapping his fingers as he'd done before, but this time no one came at them... They appeared behind them.

They all heard the pop as the Death Eaters Apparated into the battlefield, but there was no getting out of the way, there was no escaping what was happening. Harry turned to see all three of his friends caught in their grasps, struggling against them, but caught all the same. Bellatrix Lestrange held fast to Hermione, the same woman who had carved Mudblood into her arm the summer before. Amycus Carrow held onto Ron, who was red in the face in his attempt at breaking free from the man. It was Greyback who had Apparated close enough to take hold of Ginny, one hand tangled into her long hair, the other gripped around her waist. Harry watched as she struggled against him, but she was much smaller, much weaker when it came to the physical fight. "Let me make a point out of this one, Lucius," Greyback growled, yanking Ginny's hair back to expose the soft skin of her neck. "I want to rip her apart." His words were soft and menacing as he traced the sharp nails of his hand across her throat. Harry felt his stomach clench, his heart racing inside his chest.

Malfoy tilted his head to the side, a chuckle escaping him as he took a single step closer to where Harry still yet stood. "Easy now, Fenrir..." Above them, the sun had begun to set and soon it would be night and the Order would come looking for them when they didn't arrive at the scheduled time. For only a moment he imagined poor Mrs. Weasley, fretting over how late they already were, and could not help but to feel sorry for causing her such worry. He made a mental note to apologize to her, when he saw her later that night. "The Dark Lord would not be pleased if you damaged her." Though Greyback looked disappointed, he released his tight pull on Ginny's hair, returning his other hand back to her waist. "I offer you a choice, Potter." Malfoy turned his gaze back to him, his lips curved with a malicious sort of smile. "Your life for theirs."

"No!"

"Harry, don't listen!"

"Harry!"

At once, three voices rang out into the dying light, and at once all three were silenced by the Cruciatus Curse. The three dropped to their knees as the curse took hold, the only thing keeping any of them upright was the grip from their captors hands. "No!" Harry bellowed, turning to watch as the three of them were hit again, this time causing Hermione to cry out from the pain. "No... Just stop... Let them go, Malfoy." He spun back around to face the man who was smirking yet again. "Let them go and I'll come with you." He heard his friends gasps, he heard their voices, but he could not bring himself to look at them. Maybe this... Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. He closed his eyes for only a moment, recalling the hundreds of memories he had with those three, and knew he wouldn't have traded them for anything.

Not even his own life.

"That is the right choice, Potter..." Malfoy spoke slowly as the male hung his head, falling silent while his friends called out to him from behind. He met eyes with Greyback but still did not speak as he held out a hand, gesturing for Harry to come closer to him.

Ginny wasn't going to watch this happen, no... She wasn't going to let this happen. Ginny cast a quick glance to her left, where both Hermione and Ron still knelt on the ground, their limbs still held tightly by their captors. To her right was her wand, just barely out of her reach... If only she could get herself flat onto the ground, she might have been able to reach it. Her attention returned to her own captor, the werewolf only held her by her hair and it was just by the ends now, giving her an idea that would probably cost her life. Well, at least she could die knowing she tried everything she could to save the others. She met eyes with Ron and offered him a little grin, hoping that as her brother he could read her mind, and then... Well, then she began to struggle.

It took only a few seconds for Greyback to hit her with the Cruciatus Curse, just as she had anticipated, and it was then that she allowed her whole body to go limp. Greyback, not thinking she'd fall forward like that, let her hair slip from his grasp and her body hit the ground at his feet. The fall was so natural, so easy that there wasn't a single person on that battlefield that thought she was faking. Ginny kept her eyes closed, her right arm extended out towards her wand, just inches from her fingertips. Now, she just had to wait for the perfect moment.

"Come Potter, come with me and I will not allow any more harm to come to them." Malfoy broke the silence that fell after Ginny's outburst, his hand outstretched once again. "The Dark Lord is waiting for you, to settle things once and for all." Harry bowed his head, taking a step forward, managing to somehow perfectly place himself in front of Ginny who still lay on the ground behind him. She cracked open an eye, seeing this, and knew that this was her moment. Taking a deep breath, she curled her fingers around her wand and leapt to her feet. In an instant, she had managed to blast Greyback back, his pained howl echoing among the trees.

All hell broke loose then as Ginny aimed her next spell for Amycus, who took the hit as he fumbled with his wand and his hold on Ron. At once, spells and curses were flinging everywhere, and Ginny turned her focus onto Hermione, who had yet to be let go by Bellatrix, who's crazed laughter was louder than any of the shouts. "Hermione!" Ginny cried out at the same moment Malfoy shouted something at Bellatrix, a single word that would haunt her for the remainer of her days:

"Now!"

Time seemed to standstill then, when Bellatrix pointed her wand at Hermione and cried out the curse. The flash of green was blinding, the thud of Hermione's body on the ground was deafening. Something cold and dark twisted Ginny's heart but then suddenly, it became white hot with rage. Suddenly, she was burning from the inside out, and the only way to douse it was to feel that woman's blood on her hands. "Crucio!" She screamed the Unforgivable Curse, but missed as she stumbled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Crucio!" She tried again but was blasted back by a dose of the curse from Bellatrix instead.

Harry could not believe what had just happened... No, he'd not dare to believe it. It was all a dream, a nightmare really, and he would open his eyes to find them all back at their campsite. He would open his eyes and Hermione would be alive and well. Tears were flooding his eyes as he opened them, forcing himself to look upon her fallen form, still and silent there on the ground. It was Ginny's screaming that brought him back to the present, reminding him that there were still people he had to protect. "Ginny!" He called out, taking the first step to rush towards her, but Malfoy placed himself between them, and thus another duel was about to begin.

Behind all of that, Greyback was beginning to stir; his blood was boiling, his anger threatening to spill over. He was tired of that little, bloody girl, always thinking she had the upper hand on him. He looked out onto the battlefield and saw her sitting upright, back to him, facing the fallen form of her friend. All the others were caught up in the battle, none of them would notice him creeping back into the fray. And while he knew the Dark Lord wanted the girl alive, he'd blame it on a stray curse. Voldemort couldn't be that mad that another blood traitor would be dead, after all. And so, he slowly got to his feet and retrieved his wand, aiming it directly at the young woman's back. Then, he opened his mouth and spoke the words that would end her life and make his a whole lot easier. "Avada Kedavra."

Of all of them, it was Ron that noticed Greyback; he caught sight of him a moment too late, when he'd already pointed his wand at Ginny. He opened his mouth, her name dying on his lips as he rushed forwards, the flash of green light blinding as it hurdled towards him. Ron closed his eyes and thought of Hermione, who had gone on without him, and he could not help but to smile. At least they'd not be alone, huh? And then, the curse connected, and everything was gone.

The battlefield went silent as Ron's body dropped to the ground, his blue eyes forever closed. Ginny's eyes widened, her voice lost to her as she reached out a trembling hand to touch her brother's shoulder, as if he'd magically wake up from her touch alone. He was warm to the touch, but still, looking much like he did when he was asleep. Ginny raised her gaze from the body of her brother to that of her friend just across the way and that was when she felt something break inside of her.

Harry felt the world spin around him; he had seen the second flash of green but had not known the victim it had claimed until he turned around. There was Ron laying on the ground by Ginny, the placement of his body telling Harry just what he'd done to protect his sister. He spun back around to face Malfoy, but before he could speak they all heard the voices in the distance. It was the Order, come just moments too late. "Let's go." Malfoy snapped and all the others vanished with little pops. "Until next time, Potter." He hissed and then he too was gone, leaving Harry and Ginny alone with the bodies of their fallen family.

It was as Remus, Tonks, and Arthur arrived that Harry was dropping down beside Ginny, who wasn't even crying as she sat there beside Ron. As her father approached, he caught sight of his fallen son, and a shocked cry left the man's lips. A sound that would forever be ingrained into Harry's mind. He put his hand onto Ginny's shoulders but she seemed to not even notice, so still and silent was she, staring down at Ron's fallen frame. He couldn't blame her. What words were there for her to say, anyway?

There was no making sense of the situation, there was no making right of it. In the blink of an eye, his worst fears had become a reality. He had lost the first two people he'd ever loved, the first two people he could have ever called family. They were gone... Lost to him forever. How was he supposed to go on now? How was he supposed to fight this war without the two of them? A tremor of real fear rushed through him and Harry grabbed for Ginny, needing the feel of someone in his grasp. She turned into him, pressing her face into his chest, still silent but her warmth comforting. This... This was why he had to live on, he supposed. There were still people who needed him, even if Ron and Hermione were gone.

Somehow, he'd have to make it through. He just wasn't entirely sure how.