(Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter)
Chapter One
Wondering and Hoping
It had only been three weeks since the death of Dumbledore. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were sitting on his bed at the Dursley's wondering how this could have happened. How could the greatest wizard ever lived, be dead in just a moment? How could Snape kill Dumbledore if he was working for the Order? Was Harry right all along? Was Snape really a traitor at heart? And what was Draco playing at, at trying to kill Dumbledore? Was this Voldemort's plan all along?
Of course it was his plan all along, said a voice within his head. With Dumbledore now gone Voldemort can get stronger and not have to fear Dumbledore watching him. But, now what? What do I do now?
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Meanwhile in another room in the house the Dursley's were wondering what Harry was doing. Why were there owls flying in and out of the house again when, he knew how much the Dursley's detested his life style? What was their nephew playing at? At that second, Uncle Vernon yells for Harry, 'Harry Potter!'
'Be right there,' says Harry
'No, now right this very minute,' yells Uncle Vernon
'Alright, alright I am coming.'
Harry, Hermione and Ron go down stairs to see what Uncle Vernon wants.
'What?' says Harry
'When, are you going to tell us what you and they have been talking about for three weeks now under my roof? When are you going to tell us what is going on?'
'I didn't know you cared so much about wiz-'
'DON'T EVER MENTION YOUR ABNORMALTIES UNDER MY ROOF.'
'Well, as I was saying about my life. If you must know Dumbledore has been killed. We –'
'D-u-u-m-b-b-le-d-d-o-r-r-e d-d-e-a-a-d,' screeched Aunt Petunia.
'Yes,' said Harry now talking to just Aunt Petunia.
'H-h-o-o-w-w?' cried Aunt Petunia
'He was murdered by Professor Snape. We were on our way back to Hogwarts from completing a mission (not wanting to tell the Dursley's the whole truth) and we were in Hogsmeade when we saw the Dark Mark hovering over the school. We took brooms from Madame Rosmerta she is the owner of the –'
'I don't care how it has happened,' claimed Uncle Vernon. 'More of your kind dead the better for our kind.'
'No Vernon, not better this is much, much worse. Don't you see with Dumbledore gone the only person you-know-who feared –'
'How did you know that?' said Harry in surprise. Harry knew that Aunt Petunia knew a little bit about the magical world because of his mother, but he just realized how much she really knew even though she didn't want to. 'Anyway, can I go now. If Aunt Petunia knows the story she can just tell you. We have to go to a wedding soon and need sleep before morning comes.'
'Yes, go ahead,' said Aunt Petunia so calmly that it shocked Harry. She was saying it more as a mother figure then anything previously said to Harry ever.
At that moment Hermione whispers to Harry, 'Do you want to go out? Do you want to go to Ron's house now?'
Harry nods his head yes
Harry sends Hedwig ahead of them the night before to tell Mrs. Weasley that they are on their way to the Burrow in the morning.
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The next morning since Ron and Harry can't apparate and only Hermione can they use Miss Figg's fireplace to get to the Burrow. (The Dursley's have a electrical fireplace instead of a regular fireplace.)
Mrs. Weasley is there to great them at the Burrow with loads of breakfast treats for them to eat. Mrs. Weasley looks like total crap. With her husband and now most of her sons now in the Order except for Percy who is still not talking to his family and Ron who she still thinks is still too young to be in the Order. Mrs. Weasley is ghostly white with worry about her family at all times these days.
At that second Ginny comes into the kitchen looking like she had just finished crying runs out of the room the second she sees Harry. She is still mad that Harry was so noble that he didn't want to be with her because he was afraid Voldermort would use his love for her against him. Harry saw what happened along with everyone else. With a nudge from Hermione went after Ginny to see if he could do anything for her.
Ginny ran into her room when she saw Harry and slammed the door and hid in her bed. She started crying again while holding a photo of Harry and her at Hogwarts. She was thinking to herself, 'Why did he have to be so noble? Why can't he see that she is still not just a little girl, but a person that could take care of herself? Did he ever truly love me?' she thought.
At that second there was a knock at the door.
'GO AWAY, LEAVE ME ALONE I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE.'
'Are you sure about that?' says Harry
Her heart jumped, 'He ran after me? Does he love me after all? He saw that I was upset and went after me so does that mean he loves me?'
'Are you ever gonna let me in?' says Harry
'Oh, yeah! Come in. What do you want?'
'I wanted to see if you were alright.'
'I am just fine,' says Ginny sarcastically
'Are you still mad at me about what I had said at the funeral?'
Ginny shrugs her shoulders.
'Come on don't be that way towards me'
'Be what way,' says Ginny. 'Pretend that I don't care about you. Pretend that you didn't mean everything to me. That what we had was just some sort of fling.'
Harry just stands there.
'Question, How come you get to be so damn noble? Why can't you just be with me? Love me to hell with Voldermort. Why?'
"I told you why. I don't want Voldermort to hurt you. If he knows how close we are and he probably knows a lot with Snape and Draco on his side. I don't want you to get hurt or worse KILLED.'
Ginny just screams in anger and turns to go on her bed. 'Just leave, that's what your good at.'
Harry who doesn't want to argue with Ginny anymore just turns and walks out the door.
Harry goes down stairs back towards Ron and Hermione and sits down next to Hermione.
Hermione whispers to Harry, 'How did it go?'
'Well besides all the screaming not that well.'
'Let me go talk to her and see what happens. I will tell you what she says later.
'Okay'
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Hermione walks up to Ginny's room and knocks on the door. She opens the door and walks over to Ginny.
'Are you okay?'
'Yea!'
'No your not! Talk to me and tell me what's up.'
'Why, why did he get to end things? Why does he have to be so bloody noble all the time? Doesn't he get that I would never let anything happen to us or me? I hate it. It hurts so damn much.'
'Probably does, but still you know Harry. He is always protective of everyone. More protective maybe of the people he loves. He just doesn't want to see you injured or worse killed, because of him.'
'I know but still does he always have to be like that. Can't he just let himself be happy?'
'No!' says Hermione with a slight smile. 'Want to go downstairs and get something to eat? You must be starving.'
'Yes I am actually!'
'Let's go!'
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Meanwhile down in the kitchen, Ron and Harry were chatting.
'Do you think Hogwarts will reopen?'
'I hope so,' says Harry,
'Me too, it would be nice to be able to see everyone. I really hope that it does, I miss Quidditch, Hogsmeade, Hagrid and –'
'Lavender,' says Harry sarcastically.
'No, I was going to say classes.'
'Ron Weasley missing studying, now that is a first.'
'I never said studying, I said classes.'
'Well I miss it all too. I never thought Hogwarts would ever close. I thought it was going to still be there among other things.'
'Didn't we all.'
At that moment Hermione and Ginny walked into the kitchen. Ginny was putting on an act pretending she was happy but at least she was out of her room smiling for the moment.
That afternoon Fred and George who were not working at the shop that day came over to their parent's house to see their family and Harry and Hermione. They all went outside to get some fresh air. All the sudden a game of Quidditch broke out with Fred, George and Ginny on one side and Harry, Ron and Hermione on the other. Ginny and Harry were the seekers for their team. But instead of using a snitch Fred and George bewitched a golf ball to play with. About four or five Mrs. Weasley called everyone in so they could help get dinner on the table. Fleur and Bill were coming over to dinner so they could talk about wedding plans with the family. Well, it was mostly Fleur and Mrs. Weasley talking about the wedding and Bill talking to the family about other things.
'Guess what!' said Bill to Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron after dinner.
'What?'
'I don't know if dad or mom told you the news yet, Hogwarts is going to stay open. They are going to send your letters with your supply list in August like they usually do and your not going to have to stay home all the time with us.'
All looked at each other in amazement. They didn't even think twice before they started smiling because they knew what it meant. It meant that Professor McGonagall wasn't gonna give Voldemort the glory of knowing that he shut down Hogwarts.
Ron walked over to his mom and dad and whispered, 'When were you gonna tell us Hogwarts is gonna still be open. Bill just told us the good news. But, how are we gonna afford books and robes and stuff with the wedding around the corner?' He said the last part louder then he intended to.
'We didn't tell you,' said Mr. Weasley while giving a side ways glance to Bill who just hid himself behind a corner, 'because we were going to tell you later. And, don't worry about that. We will manage like we always do.'
'At least this time it is just you and me Gin.'
'Yeah!'
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Instead of going into the family room with everyone else Ginny just went up to her room, she had to digest what Bill just said. Hogwarts is going to stay open, the place where Harry and her had shared so much in the past year. All their hopes and dreams that were now gone. Was Harry going to go back to school? She knew about the horcuxes and how determined he was to find them and destroy them so he can finally destroy Voldemort. At that second there was a knock at the door.
'Ginny can I come in for a minute I want to talk to you.' Said Harry
'Do what you want? I don't care.'
'Listen, I know I said it before but I will say it again, I am sorry about what I said at the funeral. To be honest I have been regretting it.'
Ginny looked up and started listening to what Harry had to say.
'I know it was wrong but it is how I felt at the time. I know you can take care of yourself but still I didn't want you to get hurt because of me. I don't want anything to ever happen to you like that I love you, you know I do.'
At that moment, Ginny walked over to Harry and put her index finger on his lips and kissed him. She looked at him like she never looked at anyone else. She loved him she didn't care about his flaws all she knew was that this was the man for her. That she would do whatever it took to keep him that way. She sat on Harry's lap and they started kissing more intensely than ever before. Harry picked her up in his arms and laid her on the bed.
'Are you sure you want to do this?'
Ginny nods yes and grabbed Harry's head so he can kiss her again. They kissed and cuddled all night long. They didn't do anything more because everyone was in the house and they decided that neither one of them was ready at least not at that moment. Ginny knew Harry loved her and Harry knew Ginny loved him so why was it so hard for him to be happy completely with her. Why was he always in doubt when it came to love and being happy? He put these feelings off for a while so that at that moment he can just be happy that he had the girl he loved more than anything in his arms.
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