well here is the next chapter. hope you like it. please do read and review.

"I'm sorry dears," Mrs. Weasley said as she walked into the kitchen. "I had to fix something."

"That's alright," Ginny responded. Ron looked at her oddly for a moment.

"Well, what would you like to eat? I am correct in assuming that you are hungry aren't I?" She stood at the front of the table.

"I'd like some eggs and bacon," Ron announced. "Thanks Mum."

"No problem dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled. "And what about you Ginny?"

"I'm not really hungry," she stated.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley whacked her wand on the table. "You need some food in you."

"Fine," Ginny grudgingly gave up. "I'll just have what Ron's having."

"Alright," Mrs. Weasley turned away and started saying incantations for the items that she'd need.

"Do you think she's alright?" Ron asked quietly.

"What?" Ginny whispered back.

"She seems slightly…odd, and she didn't even yell at me for my hair," Ron muttered. "It's almost like she might be in her own little world."

"Oh…" Ginny didn't want to say anything about her mother's breakdown. She didn't want to worry Ron anymore than necessary. "I don't know. She seems alright to me."

"If you say so," he mumbled, as Mrs. Weasley put down the plates of eggs and bacon in front of them.

"How did you sleep Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she sat down next to him.

"er…fine," he said through mouthfuls of egg.

"Really?" Mrs. Weasley continued.

Ginny thought it slightly odd that her mother kept asking these pointless questions. It just didn't seem normal. Ron appeared to share the same idea, because he was starting to look slightly puzzled.

"Er, yea. I slept comfortably," he answered.

"Well how nice," Mrs. Weasley commented as she started to eat.

Ginny and Ron looked worriedly at each other. She didn't appear to know what was going on. Her eyes were unfocused and had an eerie sort of detachment about them.

"Mum, are you alright?" Ron asked when Mrs. Weasley had been quite for a few minutes.

"What dear?" She asked as she turned to him. She seemed to have come out of her reverie, and started to stare at his haggard appearance. "My word! You look like you were raised in a pig sty!"

Ginny could only stare at her mother wearily. If she was this bad now, what was she going to be like after Ron left them?

"…er…" was all the response Ron could make.

"Well what are you doing down here?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she hurriedly stood up from the table and snatched their plates, regardless if they were done or not.

"Hey, I wasn't--" Ginny started to protest as her empty fork stabbed the table.

"Now go up stairs, take a shower, and get properly dressed!" Mrs. Weasley continued throwing the dishes into the sink, ignoring her children's protests.

"…Right," Ron muttered as he started to scoot his chair away from the table.

"I'm going to the store, we need more food," Mrs. Weasley announced, then disaparated.

Ron stayed sitting in his chair, he could only stare at the now empty spot where his mother had once stood.

"What is she talking about?" He turned to face Ginny. "We have plenty of food."

"Maybe she wanted to get something for Harry?" Ginny voiced.

In all honesty, Ginny had no clue where her mother was going. She couldn't fathom an idea. She just supposed that she needed to get out of the house, breath in the fresh air. But where on earth was she going?

"I doubt it," Ron laid back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "There's something wrong," he sat up straight, and stared at Ginny, "and you're not telling me what it is."

"No," Ginny lied quickly. A bit too quickly. "I mean, I don't know what's with her."

Ron eyed her doubtfully, and then let out a long sigh as he got closer to the table and rested his head on his arms. Ginny just remained in her set, gazing at her brother.

"Ginny, I know something's going on," she stiffened a bit, but he hadn't noticed. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But at least let me know if our mother is alright."

He remained resting his head on his arms, but his tone made it seem as though he were actually at Ginny's feet pleading.

"She's--" Ginny couldn't lie to him. He'd see through it. Just like when she said that Harry hadn't hurt her with the sudden break up. Ron saw right through that. He tried to help, but she wouldn't let him close enough. She preferred to cry alone. After awhile he stopped trying. As far as Ron, Hermione, and Harry were concerned, she had gotten through the break up. Of course, that was what she led them to believe. In actuality, she was still in love with him, and could not understand his reasoning. No matter how hard she tried to make sense of it. It always escaped her, and left her with a sense of abandonment.

No, she wasn't going to lie to her brother. Though she could give him half truths. He would be more appt to believe those, and wouldn't keep asking her questions. Yes, that was it, she would just omit part of the truth. All right, most of the truth. But still, it was better than telling him the actual reality of the situation. She didn't want her big brother to worry so much about his mother's well being. If he did, he might not go with Harry, or he might still leave with him, but his heart wouldn't be in it. And that just wouldn't due. No, she wasn't about to let him realize just how far into depression their mother was teetering. That would be a burden that she alone would shoulder.

She took a great breath, and carefully constructed a half-lie for him. It was the best she could do.

"Honestly, I don't know," she regarded him carefully as he picked his head up and started to watch her. "I can tell that something is…off, but I don't think it's too big of a deal."

He stared at her for a moment, she knew that he was searching her face for a hint that would betray her, but she remained collected and wouldn't let anything slip through.

"Well if you're sure," he was testing her; she knew it. He was trying to get her to falter in her carefully constructed half-truth. He was determined that something was wrong.

"Well like I said, I'm not sure, but to me, it just doesn't seem that important," she took a breath. "She's probably just a little worried about all this. Just like every other witch and wizard out there," she ended. Now all she had to do was wait with baited breath to see if he ate what she fed him.

He did.

"Alright," he sighed as he moved his hand through his hair. "I guess if it is normal behavior. I suppose I was just looking more into it than needed."

"Yea," she breathed, relieved that he hadn't learnt the truth.

"Man, I'm still hungry," he grumbled as he pushed his chair and got up from the table.

"There's always cereal," Ginny offered, earning herself a scowl.

"Yea, right." Ron started to make his way back up the stairs, "I'm going to get dressed. Harry should be coming soon, and Hermione."

As if Ron had summoned Harry himself, he popped into the living room of the Burrow.

"Hey Ron…Ginny," he said somberly.

"Damn it," Ron swore, making his way back down to his best friend. "I was hoping to get dressed before I saw you. But I guess no such luck, huh."

"Eh, just go get dressed. Actually, while you're at it, you ought to take a shower too. I can wait to talk to you," Harry answered as he took a seat on the couch. Ginny quickly got up from the table and joined him.

"Well if you insist," Ron quickly ran up the stairs and off towards the bathroom.

"So how are things here?" Harry asked, almost strained.

"They're no better than anywhere else," Ginny replied as she leaned against the armrest, away from Harry.

"Right," he mumbled. "How are you?"

Ginny looked back at him, and noticed that he was only sitting about two feet away. Oh how she would love to just throw herself on him. Just to feel a spark of life again, she hadn't felt very alive for a long time. Of course, she resisted her urge.

"I'm doing as well as expected, Harry," she answered looking down at the floor. She wasn't about to let him realize how much he had hurt her. He didn't need that on his conscience. He didn't need to be worrying about such insignificant little things.

"Oh," she felt him move slightly on the couch. Suddenly he put his hand on her thigh in a reassuring gesture. "Ginny, I'm sorry that it had to turn out this way."

"Really Harry, I'm fine," She stubbornly told the floor. She wouldn't look up. She wanted to yell at him, tell him that it didn't have to turn out this way that they could still be together. But she was resolved to not let him see how devastated she was. So she continued to stare at her feet.

"No," with his free hand he took her face and lifted it up to face him. "No, you're not."

"Harry," she couldn't breath. She feared that her emotions would betray her at any moment.

"I know that you didn't want this," he continued to hold her face still, although she was determinedly staring downwards. "But this is how it has to be. I can't be with you. I don't want you--"

"Being used against you," she finished quietly. Gazing up into his emerald eyes, all of her questions started to creep up her throat. "I know."

She struggled to keep her face passive, but it was a futile effort.

"But why!" she suddenly blurted out, startling Harry, so he let go of her face. She couldn't keep it inside anymore, it just bubbled up and exploded from her. "Why must you run away from me? I will be no safer without you!"

"Yes! Yes, you will," he tried to explain, but she wouldn't have it.

"No! I'm to attached to go back now!!" Tears were starting to spring into her eyes. "I'm all ready a liability! So why not just keep me? Even if you brake up with me, they will still be able to use me to get to Ron."

"Because…" He couldn't think of an answer. Ginny was right of course. It didn't matter if he broke up with her or not in that consideration. So far, he had only succeeded in making them both miserable. "Because I thought it would make me feel better just thinking that you might be safer."

"But I wouldn't be!" She persisted as she unconsciously started to move closer to him, closing the gap. "I'm not asking to go with you guys. I know you'd never let me. But couldn't we just…"

"Gin, I want to just as much as you…" he took her hand in his. "But I just don't think it is the right thing to do. What if I don't come back? Then you'd have wasted all that time…"

"It wouldn't have been wasted," she breathed, now mere inches from his face. "And you will come back."

"But I don't want you to get anymore hurt than you have to," he was clearly grasping for an excuse.

"I couldn't get anymore hurt than I am right now," she looked down at her hand that was in his. "Harry Potter, I am already in love with you. Pushing me away will only hurt me more."

She couldn't believe that she had actually said it. It just slipped out.

"Ginny," he released her hand, and cupped her face. "I will always love you, but I just don't want you wasting your love on me."

"That makes no sense, and you know it," she protested, as tears started to fall freely down her cheeks. "I can't just tell myself to stop loving you, and you trying to distance yourself like this, will only make us both miserable. And for nothing!"

Suddenly she decided to act on the impulse that she had been fighting down during the entire duration of the their conversation.

She closed the last few inches between them and impulsively started to kiss him. Her hands went up to his hair, as his entwined themselves through her hair and crept towards her spine.

She didn't know what she was doing, but she didn't want to stop. She was forcefully pushing him backwards, all the while kissing him more passionately. He started to run the curve of her spine lightly with his fingers. He couldn't stop kissing her, even when he was lying down on the couch. Or when he realized that he was making out with his best friends sister, who he was supposed to be convincing to break up with him.

His hands found their way to the bottom of her shirt and started to creep up, just as hers started to unbutton his. His thumbs were caressing the soft skin just below her bra when he suddenly cut off from her.

He sat up so abruptly that she had to catch herself before falling backwards.

Pulling down her shirt, she eyed him wearily.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he whispered.

"You're right, we should have found my room first," she tried to smile.

"Ginny…"

"Harry I know," she let out an exasperated sigh. "But can't you see that this is real?"

"Yes," he grudgingly answered after a minute. "That's why I said we shouldn't be doing this."

hope you liked it. if you have any question just ask them in the review. i'm working on all three stories, so i probably wont be updating really quick. thanx for reading!!