This chapter is for Vamprocker92 who wrote me my first review ever. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

"OW! Bleedin hell woman what was that for?" George exclaimed from the other side of the room, he hadn't been there two seconds ago. A very strong punching hex had taken care of the distance.

"That's for pouring itching powder down my back, you gits!"

"Why the hell did you only hex me for then?" Fred slowly backed away, wand at the ready, ready to throw up a shield. The shield wouldn't have mattered though, not if Ginny didn't want it too.

"You were closer," she responded cheekily but the moment was over and the anxiety came back in full force. Ginny slowly sank down resting her back against the sofa, leaning in to rest her head on Fred's legs. His hands automatically came up to stroke her hair, trying miserably to comfort his sister. Their eyes darted back and forth as George paced around and around.

BANG! They all jumped up into duel mode as Gabrielle Delacour materialized onto the coffee table. There was blood on her robes and she was shaking. As she lifted her head to take in her surroundings, her shoulders relaxed as her eyes met Ginny but the tears still started pouring out of her eyes. Fred tried to reach out to Gabrielle but winced as her eyes seemed afraid of his touch. His eyes met Ginny's.

"Gabrielle," Ginny whispered softly, "are you ok? You need to tell us what happened so we can help you." She may have wanted to hex the 11 year old quarter veela all of last week but that didn't mean Ginny didn't care, besides they were family now. She reached out to the girl who latched onto her sobbing.

"I was trying to 'ide but zee bad man came and took me, 'e kept saying 'ow pretty I was." She stuttered out. Ginny gripped Gabrielle tighter, afraid of the words that were going to come out next. "Zen 'e kept touching my face and my 'air, kissing me on zee cheek. 'E was trying to kiss my lips but zen I saw Bill and I started to scream. Bill was so angry, 'e grabbed me and started cursing at zee bad man. Zere was blood everywhere and Bill made me take 'is portkey. I am so scared Ginny, what if Bill can't leave because 'e doesn't ave a portkey anymore?"

Ginny looked at her with wonder in her eyes, surprised that after such a horrible experience the girl was just worried about her new brother.

"Don't worry Gabrielle, mostly all the redheads that you saw have emergency portkeys here, Bill will be able to get out."

"Oh! Zen, I am not worried, zere are so many of you!" At any other moment Ginny would have probably hexed the girl but what could she say – there were a lot of them. The quartet became alert as noises started to spring up from all over the house.

"Ginny! Fred! George! Where are you? Where are they Arthur? I thought they were here?

"They took Ginny's Portkey they should be – ah there they are, see?" Mr. Weasley may have seemed calm but his eyes became much warmer as he took in his children. Mrs. Weasley wasn't content with just looking, she grabbed and examined each of her children, poking, and prodding to make sure they were all right. Lastly she grabbed Gabrielle who clung to the warmth a mother's touch.

"Your sister and Bill are just fine dear, nothing to worry about now. We'll get you out of these clothes and straight into bed with you, you poor girl. I could have ripped those man's hands apart, touching a child like that. Filthy Death Eaters!" Mrs. Weasley rushed up the stairs taking Gabrielle to get cleaned up and leaving the siblings to interrogate their father.

Mr. Weasley knew what was coming to him, however and he threw up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions. "I know you have a lot of questions but I don't even know the whole story up that led up to this point. What I do know is that you-know-who is controlling the Ministry, which means that none of us are safe anymore, we're targets and we have to be careful. Not even Hogwarts is safe." Mr. Weasley slowly turned to make eye contact with his daughter. She knew that look.

"No! No way, I have to go to Hogwarts, it might not be safe but there are students who depend on me there. I need to help out, I need to keep the younger ones safe, I need to…"

"Gin, Severus Snape has been announced as Headmaster." Absolute silence was the response to that statement. The lights started to dim and objects in the room began to vibrate as Ginny tried to get control of her anger. Fred and George were livid, their nails pushing into the palm of their hands, drawing blood.

"What? What did you say?" Ginny asked.

" Severus Snape has been named headmaster of Hogwarts," repeated Mrs. Weasley as she came down the stairs, "and you, young lady will not be attending this year. There is a school in the states that has agreed to take you in as a transfer student. It doesn't matter what you say, until you are of age."

"Mum, I can't believe this. You're expecting me to be a coward!" Ginny's temper was rising which never was a good thing, especially pitted against the other Female Weasley, "How can you make me go when you raised me to be brave, to care, to help those that need it?"

"I do not have to explain myself to you Ginny and the decision has been made." Mrs. Weasley sighed as she reached for her daughter, Ginny remained stiff in her arms, "Of course we want you to be brave and good and help those that need it. If the war is still going on once you are of age then yes you will be able to help us here but there are spells you don't know yet. There are things that you still need to learn in order to protect yourself." She let go of her daughter who still maintained a stony expression on her face. Shoving past Forge, who were desperately trying to stay out of their sister's path, Ginny ran up the stairs two at a time as one of the lamps in the sitting room shattered. A few seconds later a door slammed shut.

--

Ginny ran into the bedroom that she and Ron used to share as children. She collapsed onto the window seat, exhausted. Not only had the day's events caught up to her but the past few weeks. The week leading up to the wedding had been rough on everyone, the endless chores, a crazy mother, Gabrielle constantly batting her stupid veela lashes at Harry, and Phlegm just being Phlegm. The worst, though, was knowing that the trio would be leaving soon, knowing that she would once again be left behind. Ginny absently traced her lips remembering their last kiss. Today could have been the last time she would see Harry, that might have been their last kiss - ever. The realization hit Ginny tenfold, her stomach tightened, she felt nauseous. She hated to cry but felt the relief that came when tears began to spill over onto the pillow that Ginny had buried her face in.

"It's not fair," she sobbed out, "why doesn't anyone believe that I can take care of myself, that I can help." She knew she sounded like a whiny brat and that her family and Harry had her best interest at heart but that doesn't mean she couldn't feel the tiniest bit resentful. She was a teenager after all; angst came second nature to them. The bitterness that she had kept locked away in a tiny corner of her heart, started to seep out. She hated the fact that Harry had to break up with her, that she had to spend the last week acting indifferent to him when all she wanted to do was savor every last second they had together. She hated the fact that even though she hadn't been a child since her first year she would always be considered 'the baby'.

POP. Ginny jerked her head up in annoyance as she took in the sight of her idiotically grinning brothers.

"What are two so happy about then?"

"Well, dearest sister, we come bearing good news. We know that you're worried about the young ones at Hogwarts-"

"Right," Fred cut in, "but there's no need to get your wand in a knot, the order's getting all the muggle borne out of the way, that's what Bill and Charlie are working on right now. Some of them will be staying with Relatives abroad and others are going to be transferring out to different schools, just like you. I reckon you won't be going on to the states all by yourself." Ginny sat up for the first time, her attention had been caught.

"Well! Go on then, tell me who's coming with me."

"Hmmphh! Is this the thanks we get brother, for trying to cheer up our beloved sister?"

"Perfectly correct you are George, I don't think she deserves to ..." Fred stopped as soon as he saw the wand pressed up in between his eyes which were going slightly cross eyed as they took in the weapon. Ginny never was the patient type.

"Tell me!"

"You're mental Gin, if you want to know so badly then why you don't just go downstairs, she's waiting for you in the sitting room!"