Chapter 2 - The Great Hall
"Do you think Kara suffered at all?" Jack asked Ginny quietly at her side. Ginny took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time she was asked this question from one of the younger students. She was afraid she was going to start sounding insincere due to repetition. Ginny took another deep breath before answering.

"I believe that Kara died knowing that you were safe along with the others. She may have been scared, but that is what makes her brave. She did what she had to do to protect you and she died knowing that she had done the right thing." Ginny lifted up Jack's chin. Tears were running down his face. "You know Kara better than anyone... Do you think she suffered?"

"I guess it is us who get to suffer." Jack responded a little anger in his voice. "Not being able to stop them from dying."

"For now..." Ginny agreed feeling her own grief toward the loss of Fred. "But some day we will be able to accept that their sacrifice meant something. It is hard to accept now but we have to be strong and make sure that the life we have been gifted means something too." Ginny said the words that she knew to be true but that she was having a hard time believing herself. The pain was too raw.

"Jack!" A woman with blonde hair much like Jack's came through the crowd and swallowed Jack in a hug. Jack clung on as if his life depended on it. "Thank you so much for finding him! Are you hurt?" The woman began to inspect every inch of her son forgetting about Ginny. A man behind her called a medi-witch to them. Jack's father, Ginny presumed, he looked like Kara.

"I'm fine Mom." Jack shrugged off her ministrations. "I want to see Kara." The parents stopped their inspection immediately as if suddenly frozen. They didn't know what to say...

"I know she's gone." Jack said sparing his parents the pain. "Ginny told me she died saving us." Ginny shrunk back into the crowd. Scared and grieving children she could handle. Angry and grieving parents she had already experienced earlier and wanted to stay away from.

"Ginny! Ginny!" Turning around Ginny was bombarded by two Hufflepuff second years. "Katie's gone! We can't find her anywhere."

"Calm down." Ginny reassured them. The younger students had been kept in such tight groups this year. When one went missing they were immediately to tell an older DA member. They looked out for one another and took it very seriously. "Katie's mother came last night. Katie's father is at St Mungo's otherwise I am sure she would have said good-bye."

"Oh..." The two girls looked a little lost. They were a group of three, the only second years to return in Hufflepuff. "Do you know when my parents are coming to get me?" One asked.

"I'm sure they will get here as soon as they can." Ginny assured her. Ginny hoped she was telling her the truth. A lot of students were now orphans or their parents were on the run as known death eaters. Then there were those imprisoned in Azkaban for 'stealing magic' as muggle-borns.

"Miss Weasley." McGonagall looked old and haggard. This past year had not been easy. "Thank you so much for finding those lost Ravenclaws. All students are accounted for." McGonagall studied her cub. "You should get some rest."

McGonagall had helped the DA so much this year Ginny had no words for how thankful she was. She couldn't openly help the group with the shenanigans around the school for fear of being kicked out, or worse, have the Carrow's punish the students in her stead. McGonagall would point any student in need to Ginny and Neville. The DA leaders would help them best they could whether it be getting a letter out to someone or helping someone escape the Carrow's 'detentions'.

Just a few days into the semester it was apparent the drastic changes that Snape and the Carrows had in store for the students. The DA quickly banded back together and Ginny, after seeing a number of young students get the bad end of the Carrows and Slytherins wands, quickly put together some safety precautions to help the younger students get around the castle. McGonagall was very proud of the way the older students called to action. She kept Ginny and Neville after class a number of times to keep updated with the DA's plans. Together they planned escape routes, hallway monitoring between classes and code words for students in case they needed help. The DA implemented them all.

All the teachers tried to help in the small ways they could. Letting them out early to get to the hall monitoring positions. Teaching them healing spells and potions when not being monitored by the Carrows. McGonagall, with the help of the Order, got them supplies such as healing salve, letters from home and much needed lessons in defense whenever possible.

"I'm serious Miss Weasley. You're going to need your rest. There will be plenty of work for you to do in the next few weeks but for now be with your family." The matron was right. Ginny's ducklings were all safe for now and no doubt some would need her help and support in the days to come with their parents gone.

Ginny looked across the Great Hall at the small group of red heads. Her family was going to need her too. Her mother was not likely to recover from the loss of Fred any time soon. And then there was George...

Ginny couldn't help but glace out of the doors as well thinking about Harry. Those eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. She desperately wanted to take that away. She could not deny the feelings she still held for him. The fantasies she had of them together again had kept her going through the year. But right now... right now there were too many things, emotions, to even think about the ones required for him. He would be a distraction to the things she didn't want to face. And he would use her the same way. It's best she stay away.

"Are you alright Miss Weasley?" McGonagall put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I thought it would feel different." Ginny confessed. "The war would be over. We would all go home and everything would go back to normal. Now I don't even know what normal is..."

"War does that." McGonagall surveyed the Great Hall. "We'll find a new normal in time. Let's hope we do it better this time." McGonagall was called away by a medi-witch tending to a 5th year Slytherin.

Ginny sat and watched the hall for a few minutes. Her heart ached when she looked at her family, now broken. Her father and mother were leaning on one another, trying to gain some kind of strength from each other. George lay next to Fred just staring at his still form. Percy stand watching with tears staining his face. Charlie and Bill were nowhere to be seen, no doubt trying to help where they could, like Ginny. Ginny should be over there but she felt useless by her family's side. She had no comforting words like she did for the younger students. The words seemed so empty when talking about her own brother.

Ginny looked back to where Jack and his parents stood by their fallen member. A small crowd had formed around them. The young Ravenclaw's Ginny had just brought down to the Great Hall were surrounding Kara. Each, in turn, took one of her cold hands and whispered some words Ginny could not hear. After each student said their good bye they left with their parents or friends.

Ginny stood up and took a step toward her own family. All her ducklings were safe for now. She would check in with her parents before going to bed. Exhaustion had swept over her.

"Ginny!" A call from the entrance of the hall. Hestia Jones was in the doorway. Ginny gave her a hopeful look, praying she had good news. Hestia shook her head dolefully, Ginny's hopes dashed.

Looking back at her family, Ginny noticed her father looking her way, no doubt his attention drawn from Hestia's call. Ginny gave him a look of guilt before turning toward Hestia. Her family needed her, she knew, but one of her ducklings needed her more at the moment. She just hoped her family would understand.

A/N: I know it is short but I prefer quality over quantity

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