|AN|: Hello everybody! Yeah, It's been a while. I hope you are still with me ;)

So, this chapter is just an... introduction to the next one which I hope will be really fun. I hope you like the chapter 4 for now though. Enjoy!

To Be Free

Chapter IV

And That's What Friends Are For

Fred's funeral was a quiet ceremony. Too quiet for someone like Fred. At least that's what Ginny thought and she knew for sure George and Harry agreed with her. It wasn't anything that fitted Fred at all. There was neither a stupid joke in the middle of the funeral nor people in brightly-colored clothes as Ginny would see it. There weren't any stories shared among the family and friends or really any kind of celebration of Fred's life. He was buried at home, at the back of the Burrow a few feet away from the lake, under his favorite weeping willow. His, George's and Ginny's. She didn't fail to notice how the name of the tree fit the situation perfectly.

When she was standing in the morning sun with her head rested on Harry's shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks and her hand clutched tightly in his, she couldn't help herself but instead of listening to the minister, she was thinking about Fred. Her brain was playing all kinds of pictures behind her closed eyelids and as an uncontrolled sob broke from her throat she was hit by a nearly forgotten memory.

"Hey! What are the two of you doing in there? We were supposed to play Exploding Snap!" yelled almost six years old Ginny Weasley as she caught her twin brothers building a house at the weeping willow tree near the orchard.

"It's not your business ickle Ginny! You are too little to play with us!" Replied George, looking down at his sister.

"Yeah, don't forget she's a girl Georgie!" Added Fred from somewhere inside the house.

"I know what you are doing," said Ginny folding her arms stubbornly. "You are building a tree house."

"Maybe we are, but little girls like you aren't allowed to help us. Go play with Ronnie," said Fred trying to get rid of his annoying little sister.

"I'm not little! Besides, it's not very nice, you know? Ronnie has Dragon Pox and I can't go in there!" Fred and George sighed simultaneously and looked at each other. They really didn't want to play with their sister. "Hey! Are you having problem with the ladder?" Asked Ginny when she saw Fred fumbling with the ladder and trying to tie it to something without much success. He glared at her and she giggled.

"No I'm not!" He said stubbornly causing her only to giggle once more.

"Yes you are!" She said with joy. "Well I could help you if you want to."

"Freddie can figure it out on his own, right Freddie?" asked George looking at his brother uncertainly.

"'Course I can!"

"No you can't"

"I do!"

"He does!"

"No he doesn't!"

"Okay, I don't!" Finally admitted Fred and Ginny sent him a winning smile. "But I doubt you can, Ginny. It's really grown up stuff." Ginny looked at her brother challengingly as if to say "Duh! I'm a grown up" and started to climb the tree to join them.

"Hey! Don't fall! If you do, mum would kill us!" Yelled George and Ginny glared at him.

"I can climb trees better than you!" She commented.

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can."

"You don't!"

"I do! Give me that!" She said grabbing the ladder from Fred's hands. "Boys are really silly sometimes." She added causing her brothers to glare at her. "You shouldn't try to tie it to the house. Just tie it to this branch here," she said starting to tie it but her hands were too small to do it properly. Fred helped her with a wicked smile.

"Told you, you are too little." He said and she looked at him, offended.

"Maybe I am little, but I'm much more intelligent than the two of you together!" She said folding her arms again.

"Hey!"

"What? It's true! And if you don't let me help you I will go and tell mum that you are mean to me!"

"Okay you can stay!" Said George finally and Ginny smiled brightly.

"But remember, it's really grown up stuff," added Fred seriously.

"I'll remember."

As the memory was fading, she felt Harry letting go of her hand only to move his arm around her and let her lean into him even more. He had no idea how grateful she was for that gesture. She rested her head near his heart and opened her eyes looking at her two eldest brothers lowering Fred's coffin into the ground.

"Here you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Exclaimed Hermione as she stormed into Ginny's room. The girl looked up immediately, slightly startled from the sudden commotion. She was sitting on her bed Indian style, lost in thoughts again. Crookshanks was lying between her crossed legs curled into a ginger ball of fur, purring loudly as Ginny stroked his head and ears. Clothes, books and personal stuff were lying in a pile near her bed. She had neither the time nor been in the mood to clean it up properly after she moved it from aunt Muriel's house.

"Now, I have no idea if you are talking about me or about him," replied Ginny sending her friend a slight smile and pointing at the cat. Hermione smiled back and released a quiet chuckle.

"Well, I was talking to Crookshanks, actually. But don't worry, I don't mind your company." She said with a laugh trying to cause Ginny to laugh as well. It worked, her friend chuckled once and her eyes shone a little bit brighter.

Hermione knew that Ginny didn't have a lot of things to be cheerful about right now, but she missed her only female friend. They were always close, nearly as sisters. They shared a lot of secrets and fears or just simple girly rumors when they were younger, but lately they didn't have time for each other at all. And Hermione wanted to talk with Ginny desperately. She knew something was wrong with her friend. She knew something was bothering her greatly. They've spent only four days together after the battle and Hermione already knew that Ginny had horrible nightmares and something really terrible on her mind most of the time. She glanced at her cat and smiled.

"He seems to be more fond of you that he ever was of me." She said with only a hint of bitterness. Last year, during the holidays, when they already knew they would have to leave soon, Hermione asked Ginny to take care of her cat when she was gone. She never thought it would be almost a year. Ginny of course agreed. She loved animals almost as much as she loved people.

"We just understand each other, that's all." Replied Ginny, "Right buddy?" She asked the cat kissing his head lightly.

"I've never actually thanked you for taking care of him when I was gone. Thank you. If not for you, he would probably have died."

"It was not a problem. He was nice company; something alive to cuddle to in the evenings."

"He let you hug him? He'd never let me do that! He was always hissing at me when I tried to!" complained Hermione. That cat really seemed to like Ginny better than her. Ginny smiled sadly at her friend.

"I think it's because sometimes he was almost as scared about the things that were going on around us as I." She replied causing Hermione to look at her with concern.

"Ginny…" She started, but cut it short seeing her only female friend shaking her head with a sad look in her eyes.

"Not now Hermione, it's not a good time for this kind of conversation," stated Ginny when Hermione sat herself on her bed and started to stroke Crookshanks' head.

"You will have to talk about it eventually. I mean, it doesn't have to be me but you should just talk with someone. Maybe Harry…"

"Harry would freak out." Ginny cut in rather forcefully. "That's what I'm afraid of the most. That's why I haven't even told my parents any of it. I just… I can't stand the thought of seeing the hurt in my mum's eyes or the rage in dad's and… Merlin Hermione, I just can't stand the thought of Harry feeling guilty again for something he hadn't had a chance to stop. And I'm afraid… I'm scared he's going to do something really stupid," said Ginny looking at Hermione with glossy eyes. She was about to cry and she hated it more than anything. She promised herself one day, after detention, that she would never start crying because of them. So long she managed to keep her promise.

Hermione was aghast after Ginny's words. She knew that it wasn't easy at Hogwarts when they were gone but never in her worst nightmares had she suspected it was that bad. If Ginny was constantly scared during last school year, it meant something really bad. Ginny wasn't the type to be scared of anything.

"Oh, Ginny," she said grabbing her friend's hand. She wished she knew what horrible truth Ginny was really hiding, but she wasn't about to ask. She knew that some topics can't be forced out of someone. Apparently this topic was one of those. "As far as I know Harry has a few things to share with you as well and I'm sure it won't be easy for him at all." Ginny wiped angrily the one tear that slid down her cheek. She felt slightly ashamed that she couldn't get over the things that happened to her in Hogwarts while Harry seemed to cope much better, even if he probably has been through things worse than she. "But he will tell you everything, I know it. He would want to be honest with you and free himself from the constant secrets. I think that you should do the same," said Hermione stroking Ginny's hand to calm her down. "Besides, you know, sometimes telling someone what bothers you, sharing some burdening secrets with another person helps. A lot. You feel like this… giant weight has been lifted from your shoulders and suddenly, the world isn't such a terrible place anymore."

Ginny thought about Hermione's words carefully and had to agree with her friend. She already, by only being with Harry, Hermione and her family, felt that the world surrounding them wasn't as gray as it seemed to be inside of the cold walls of the castle. She shivered at the memory of Hogwarts and thought with a pity that somehow for her, the place she loved so much as a child, became one of the worst places that one can be in.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think you are right," replied Ginny, a sudden hard and determined look in her eyes. She remembered that right after the battle, during the euphoria of winning she decided that she would tell Harry everything. She just wanted to get it off of her chest, but after the emotions burned out a little bit she started to have doubts about it. Now she knew. This kind of thing needs to be said and needs to be said soon because it would get harder and harder if she waited any longer. "Where is Harry?" She asked as she took Crookshanks in her arms and handed him to Hermione.

"I think he's helping with dinner," replied the curly haired witch as she brought the cat to her lips to kiss his ginger fur.

"You 'kay?" asked Ron joining Harry on the front porch as he burrowed his hands deep into his pockets. Harry was standing there alone, looking at nothing in particular, obviously deep in his thoughts and Ron was familiar enough with this look to know that Harry was troubled by something. "Well, it's a stupid question, I know. We are all pretty down after the funeral, but… oh you know what I mean." Harry looked at his friend and smiled briefly at Ron's typical ramble. His friend was quiet, known for having troubles with verbalizing his thoughts.

"I'm fine. Just thinking," replied Harry. Ron rolled his eyes at him and for a moment Harry thought that he probably learned this from Hermione.

"That was pretty obvious, mate. I wanted to know if something is bothering you but if you're not open to confessions, that's fine with me," he said with a shrug. Harry sighed loudly and sat himself on the stairs from the porch.

"I'm just thinking about your sister," confessed Harry causing Ron to groan loudly.

"Not that again!" He complained with a whine. "She seems to be the only thing you think about lately!" Ron replied accusingly causing Harry to chuckle lowly.

"Well, she does occupy a lot of my thoughts, but believe me when I say, I have many more things to think about. However, most of them do concern her so…"

"Just say what it's about already so I could help you figure it out and then oblivate myself," said Ron half jokingly, trying to lighten the mood a little bit more.

"I have to talk with her about… you know, basically everything." Harry said in a serious matter again. Ron looked at his friend and nodded slightly.

"That's about right. Well, if you ask me, she deserves to know."

"More than anybody," agreed Harry without hesitation. "I won't say I'm not nervous though." He added and Ron looked at him with understanding.

"That for sure won't be an easy conversation to go through, but still. If you really are serious about her, I don't think that there is any other way than to be completely honest with her. It would be awkward if she heard the stories from someone else who has absolutely no idea what happened out there, don't you think?" He added, but for Harry it was only stating the obvious. He knew from the beginning that he would tell Ginny everything -and he meant everything- but that wasn't the problem. The problem was how she would react and what she will have to say to him. He had a hard time deciding if he was more scared of what he was about to say or of what he was about to hear.

"She'll love you anyway, you know that," reassured Ron. "No matter what you tell her. Well, we did a couple of things that aren't completely legal, but… to tell you the truth I don't think there is a person who could care less than Ginny." He added and Harry laughed a little.

"True, but… it's not exactly what I'm afraid of. You know there are things… things that happened when I went into the forest. Things that even you and Hermione don't know about and… let's just say they are not easy to tell," said Harry and Ron looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and awareness.

"I don't know what happened in there but I am aware of the fact that it was something big… huge even. But I think that Ginny isn't able to be, I don't know, disappointed in you? Mad at you? Or really anything. You know, she fought like crazy to have a chance to be with you again. I don't think she would let that go easily now." Harry looked at his friend gratefully. Even if Ron really didn't know what happened in the forest and what Harry had to say to Ginny, his words helped him greatly. "Besides, from what I've heard from George, she would have a few pretty nasty stories to tell you herself," added Ron and Harry's expression hardened immediately.

"What have you heard?" He asked without hesitation.

"Nothing in particular. He's not very talkative lately, you know that, but… I just assumed she had it bad. Really bad. Maybe even worst than we've ever thought," he replied and watched Harry suddenly go very pale.

"Merlin, what have I done?" Was the only thing he said and Ron at once regretted that he mentioned anything about it at all. "I should have taken her with us, I should have…"

"Oh, shut up you stupid moron!" Exclaimed Ron forcefully. "You couldn't have taken her with us. She still has the trace, remember? We wouldn't have lived through the night."

"So I should…"

"You should nothing, Harry!" exclaimed Ron. "You wouldn't be able to lock her up somewhere and make her pretend that nothing is wrong. You know her well enough to know that if she wanted to cause trouble she would find a way, no matter what you would do." Ron looked at his friend and smiled slightly. "No offence mate, but she's much, much smarter than you." He added causing Harry to crack a smile.

"Yeah… you are right, but it doesn't change the fact that somehow I feel responsible for her, no matter how many times somebody tells me that I'm not…"

"That's because you love her, you prat. As far as I know, that's how it works." Harry raised his eyebrows looking at Ron curiously.

"I think Hermione is starting to rub off on you, Ron. Or you were just infected with the "wise-talking disease" when you snogged the hell out of her." Said Harry jokingly causing his friend to glare at him.

"I'm happy to see that you are in a better mood." He said grimly.

"Ron! Your father needs you!" They heard Molly's voice from the inside of the house and Ron got up with a sigh.

"I better go." He stated.

"Yeah. Thanks for everything, Ron."

"Any time, mate." He was about to open the door when it opened from the other side and he felt Ginny bumping into him forcefully.

"Hey, sis! 'Sup?" He asked helping his sister to steady on her feet. She mumbled apologies under her breath, patted her brother on the arm and moved to pass Ron in the doorway. She stopped after a step, though, and looked at him.

"Would you do me a favor?" She asked him and he shrugged in reply. "Would you tell everybody, especially the queen of the kitchen, that Harry and I would appreciate a few moments of conversation without being disturbed?" She asked timidly and Ron smiled at her and shrugged again.

"Sure thing." He replied and disappeared behind the closed doors. Ginny looked towards her boyfriend and smiled a little, reaching her hand towards him.

"The pond?" He asked, taking it without hesitation and squeezing gently. He brought her closer to him.

"The pond sounds perfect."

|AN2|: So i hope you liked it. I'm planning on posting next chapter really soon but I might not be able to post the beta version so quickly. So what do you prefer, unbetaied (is that even a word?) chapter sooner or the beta version later?
Let me know.

Reviews mean loads to me!