Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters. I am making no money of this so if you want to sue me, you wont get shit.

Summary : Takes place after HBP. The story will be very confusing in the first few chapters but it will be made clear later. So don't be surprised if incredibly strange things happen. Ciao.

Chapter 1 : Return

Harry Potter sat silently in the compartment of Hogwarts Express with his friends. They had been with him in his times of need each in their own way. Ronald Weasley was his first and best friend. Hermione Granger was his other best friend. They had gone through numerous adventures together.

Neville Longbottom, the once shy Gryffindor, had accompanied him to the ill fated trip to the Department of Mysteries where he had lost his godfather – Sirius Black. Luna Lovegood was eccentric but a very loyal friend. She had her quirks but had helped him on occasion.

Then there was Ginny Weasley – the girl he loved and was painfully pushing away. He watched her discreetly across the compartment. She was everything he had ever wished for. He had broken off with her at the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, his mentor. Even now he resisted the urge to gather her in his arms and snog her senseless. But he couldn't, not until Voldemort was destroyed. He had taken too much from Harry and he wasn't about to let him take her as well.

It was torture for him to watch Ginny feeling heartbroken and not to anything about it when he desperately wanted to. She was like a bright shining light in his bleak life. She had brought joy into his life. She was funny, vivacious, beautiful, temperamental and the only one he ever wished to be with.

He was thinking how to give Ron and Hermione a slip. They wanted to come with him and he wasn't going to allow that. At least he had convinced them to leave him alone till he went to the Burrow. He needed to use magic so he was helpless until his birthday. He didn't want to endanger others when it was his job to get rid of Voldemort. It was his destiny and his alone.

Ginny was hurting. Not physically, but emotionally. Harry had broken off with her and why? Because he was too bloody noble for his own good. Sure she knew he would be the one to defeat Voldemort now that Dumbledore was gone but what right did he have to squash both their feelings.

She knew he was watching her now, she always knew. Maybe it was because of the life debt she owed him or maybe it was because she knew him that well. Whatever the reason, she knew he was also suffering. He needed her as much as she needed him.

They few short months they had together made her realize that she loved the prat. Others like Dean and Michael were simply distractions until Harry came. It was pure bliss when she was with Harry. Neither Dean nor Michael had ever made her shiver in anticipation of a kiss, never made her heart scream with joy hearing his heartbeat and never ever made it feel so right.

She wished she could let her fierce Weasley pride slide and beg Harry to take her back. But she knew she could never do that. Both Harry and her were too stubborn for that. She was plenty angry at him and deeply hurt too. She wanted to yell and beat him to his senses but it would do no good. Harry Bloody Potter was too strong willed.

Harry let out a relieved sigh when the uncomfortable silent train ride came to an end. Nobody had talked at all. Even Ron and Hermione didn't have even one of their famous arguments for the entire duration of the train ride.

He got down from the train wordlessly and collected his trunk. He was past tears and suffering for the loss of Dumbledore. He had pulled himself together like he had done after the death of Sirius. He had a mission in life now.

He watched as Mrs. Weasley greeted her children with her trademark hugs. He went over to the sea of red heads.

He was pulled into a hug by her. "Harry dear, take care of yourself. If those horrid muggles give you any trouble, you tell me right?"

He pulled away and replied "Yes Mrs. Weasley I will."

"Come to the Burrow whenever you want dear. And don't forget to attend Bill's wedding on the 21st July." She ordered him.

"I will come Mrs. Weasley, I promise." He said.

He saw Hermione greet her parents and talk in furious whispers. Judging by the looks on her parents' faces, it wasn't a polite discussion. Finally she came back to the group and her parents walked away. She came and was enveloped in a hug like everyone else "Everything okay dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her.

"Everything if fine Mrs. Weasley. Is it okay if I stay at the Burrow for a bit?"

"Of course you can. With the wedding coming, you can enjoy yourself." Mrs. Weasley replied.

Harry walked over to Hermione and said "See you at the Burrow after 3 weeks." She nodded and gave him a brief hug.

He clapped Ron on the shoulder and said "See you mate. Take care."

He studiously avoided Ginny's eyes. He would never be able to pull himself together if he looked at her hypnotizing eyes. "Take care Ginny." He said and walked away. He barely heard a whisper 'you too Harry' from Ginny.

He walked through the barrier into King's Cross station carrying his trunk and Hedwig's cage. He had let Hedwig fly to Little Whining instead of being cooped up in a cage for a boring journey. He spotted his relatives and stowed his trunk into the boot.

He got in the back seat without a word carrying his owl cage. The Dursleys were giving him the silent treatment like they had the previous summer. It was fine with him.

They reached privet drive without any incidents and a silence that had stretched uncomfortably. But Harry didn't care. He got out and pulled his things out of the trunk of the car. He carried his trunk and owl cage up the stairs into his room.

'Home sweet home' he thought sarcastically. "BOY" he heard his uncle bellow from down the stairs.

He trudged down the stairs to the sitting room where all three Dursleys were waiting for him.

"Yes uncle Vernon?" he asked politely. It was his last stay after all and he didn't want to upset them more than necessary.

"Boy, we will leave you alone and you don't disgrace us with your unnaturalness. Finish your stay and don't come back. We never want to hear from you again." Vernon Dursley sneered down his 4 chins.

"And tell your freak friends to keep away. Out of the generosity of our hearts, we have decided to feed you without you doing any chores." Aunt Petunia spat out. Dudley nodded emphatically beside him.

"Yes, thank you uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia." Harry told them before walking back up the stairs.

He sighed as he hat down on his mattress. He had a little over 3 weeks to stay here and he would be free from the Dursleys forever. He wondered if he should tell them that the protection of the wards would fail after he leaves. 'No I'll just leave a note for them. If they bother enough to look in and do something about it, they can save themselves."

Suddenly he was alarmed at another thought 'Snape knows where I live. The bastard… Wait he cant come here now. Nobody can harm me here but he will come later. Bloody bastard.' So he decided to tell his relatives to move out before he left personally.

With that last thought, he fell asleep not bothering to change his dress.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny arrived at the Burrow by a portkey. Immediately all others except Molly Weasley left the Burrow.

Molly stopped them before they left for their rooms "Children, Bill is staying at Hogwarts for a week more and bless her, Fleur is also staying with him. So we need to manage the preparations on our own for some time. Hermione dear, you can help with the decorations inside. Ron, I want you to keep the garden clean and trim the hedges. Ginny, you, Fred and George are in charge of invitations. Charlie and Arthur will get chairs and tables that you all have to arrange. Oh we are having a wedding. My boy is so lucky to have found Fleur who still wants to go through with the wedding." She choked a bit before sending them off to their rooms.

The three of them went up the stairs with their trunks following behind them due to a handy charm from Hermione. At the first landing, Ron stopped them "Go on Ginny. Hermione can you take a walk with me?" he asked with a nervous voice.

Hermione banished Ron's trunk to his room and her and Ginny's trunk to Ginny's room. Ginny was too caught up in her thoughts to even acknowledge Ron. She took off to her room in the same daze.

Ron lead Hermione to a secluded spot near the lake on the edge of their property. "Just a moment Mione" he said before taking his wand out and closing his eyes to concentrate. To his astonishment, he had correctly conjured a beautiful blanket for the first time.

"Well done Ron!" Hermione congratulated him pride evident in her eyes.

"Sit down Mione" Ron said before he started pacing. "I am sorry Mione" he held up his hand to forestall any interruptions and gathered his courage to continue "Please don't interrupt me, its difficult as it is."

He took a deep breath "I only went out with Lavender to make you jealous and prove Ginny wrong. I am sorry that I was a git to you the entire year. I have wanted to do this since third year. We are at war Mione and I don't know how many of us will make it through. I don't want to waste what time we have. We have to gather whatever happiness we can in these tough times. I have waited too long and I have wasted so much time. So Hermione Jane Granger, would you honor by becoming my girlfriend?"

He waited with baited breath observing the various emotions flickering through her brown eyes.

"YES! Yes Ron I would love to be your girlfriend." Hermione shouted before launching into him.

Ron sighed in relief and returned her hug equally fiercely. They talked for hours about anything they could think of. As the Sun began to set, they made their way back to the Burrow holding hands.

When Molly saw them holding hands, she gathered them both in a bone crushing hug "I knew it! I waited for so long for you two to get together. I am so happy for you both. If only Ginny and Harry be together, it would be complete."

They both returned the hug. They simultaneously realized she didn't know that Harry and Ginny had gotten together and Harry had broken it off at the funeral. Looking at each other, they silently decided not to tell her anything.

The one thing Ginny disliked at the Burrow now was that Phlegm, or Fleur was staying with them till the wedding. As if one snotty part Veela wasn't enough, her relatives, god knows how many Veelas were also coming to stay with them in a few days.

That meant more cramped room and lesser privacy. She had always been a private person after the chamber incident and she was dreading their arrival. Of course when you have a brother like Ron who ogles and drools at the sight of Veelas to add to that, it amounts to a huge headache.

'Thankfully Harry is immune to them' she thought 'Why the hell does he have so many qualities, why did he have to be so damn perfect? Oh hell get a grip Ginny. He isn't with you anymore though the git wishes he was. And me too. What a bloody mess. What is a girl to do in a situation like this?'

Just then, Hermione came skipping into her, no their room looking absolutely gleeful. She flopped down on her bed and said "Guess what Ginny?"

"What is it Hermione? Has Phlegm postponed the wedding?"

"NO. No its so much better. Ron asked me to be his girlfriend. Girlfriend." She exclaimed.

Inwardly, Ginny was swearing 'Why did she have to rub it in my face when I am going through a massive bout of self pity?' With a fake cheer she said "Congratulations. It was a long time coming. Finally Ronny got a bloody backbone."

"Ginny Language" Hermione admonished but continued happily "He took me out for a walk to a tree near the lake. He conjured a blanket, he did it correctly too. He made me sit and apologized for his behavior the entire year. Then finally he said that we being at war couldn't let petty things between us and he asked me to be his girlfriend. He said he wanted to have as much time as he had with me…"

'Why couldn't Harry think like that. Bloody noble Gryffindor' Ginny cursed mentally as her heart ached for him. Hearing Hermione go on and on about their wonderful talk, she longed to be with Harry more and more. Harry had been the perfect boyfriend – always considerate and thinking of her comforts before his. How she longed for things to be back the way they were.

For once, Hermione, the ever observant astute witch didn't recognize the waning interest in her audience or the hurt in Ginny's eyes. She rambled on and on about some obscure facts about Ron she had found during the years. She talked well into the night with occasional nods and half-smiles from Ginny. Finally she went to sleep.

Ginny lay awake though, her thoughts muddled about the idiocy of green eyed hunks. She was sure Hermione and probably Ron would give a blow by blow account of the incident to Harry tomorrow. Some vindictive part in her wished Harry would hurt like she did when he read their letters tomorrow.

She debated about writing a letter herself for a while before she stomped it down. 'He was the one who broke off with me and he should be the one to first contact me' was her last thought before she fell asleep.

Harry woke up very late the next morning. His aunt had not woken him up for breakfast. It was already nearing 11. He got up and rummaged through his trunk for clean clothes and took a quick bath. He took Hedwig on his arm and stroked her absently contemplating what to do now.

Hedwig was making soft crooning sounds. He sat there letting his mind wander until his aunt called him for lunch.

Lunch was a tense affair. Vernon was out to work and Dudley was still on a diet. For once in his life, he was given a larger portion than Dudley. None of Dudley's whining had gotten him any more. He politely thanked his aunt and washed his plate before retreating to his room.

He saw Pig and Errol on his bed waiting for him. He fervently wished one of the letters was from Ginny. It was not. It was Ron and Hermione. He sighed and opened the letter from Ron.

Harry mate,

You wouldn't believe it! I asked Hermione out. Bloody hell I did it. I cant believe it myself. Yes! Yes.

We are all assigned work for the wedding, even the twins. Cheer up mate. You will be here soon.

Ron.

Harry was happy for Ron, really he was. But he couldn't help a string of bitter curses that escaped him. It was a painful reminder of Ginny. It hit him like a jackhammer again that he had foolishly broken off with her. Yet he knew it was for the better.

He opened an abnormally long letter from Hermione. It was the same but an insanely detailed account or Ron asking her out. For the first time, Hermione had rambled in her letter.

Thinking about some of the things Ron had told Hermione, he began doubting his decision about Ginny. What the hell was he to do? Beg her to get back with him or continue to push her away. Hell she was a brilliant fighter, he had seen it at Department of Mysteries. But she would become number two on Tom's wanted list if they were together. But Snape, the stinking traitor surely knew they were together and he didn't know that they had broken it off. Oh what the hell was he supposed to do?