Hey all!

So sorry it's been so long but, as you know, I am a senior student now and this term was assessment term. I'm also moving into an exam period when I return to school, so please don't give up on my stories!

A massive thank you to orihime55, QuirkyQuills, saints stories, PatDarcy, BeebeeTheReader16, RRK, ginnyandharry's love, marzipan18, fons19, Jackie77 and anyone else I've forgotten for reviewing, favouriting etc. – it means the world to me!

Now, without further adieu, here's the new chapter. I hope you like it.

Chapter 4 – The First Farewells

Who's there? No one,
Thinking that I deserved it

The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were having lunch when an owl zoomed in from the window and crash-landed on the table. It corrected itself, looking regal, and ruffled it's light brown feathers. Ginny recognised it at once.

"Mariah?" she said, while the others spluttered over its sudden appearance. The owl turned to look at her. It held out its leg and attached was a letter. She detached it and the owl dipped it's beak in her water and flew to the windowsill.

"Who's it from, dear?" asked Mrs Weasley sounding as tired as she looked. Ginny was still not accustomed to seeing her bloodshot eyes and the dark circles under them. She opened the letter and read it.

Dear Ginny,

How are you? I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your brother, Fred. He was always really nice to me. Just letting you know that Colin's funeral is on Monday…

"Dennis Creevey," Ginny answered, her throat tight. "Colin's f-funeral is on Monday…"

She read through the rest of the details. It was to be in the morning at a church she didn't know, followed by refreshments and food at his parent's house.

…I hope you will be there; you were Colin's first friend. Your family is also welcome.

Love,

Dennis

She closed her eyes, attempting to shut out the pain that was pulsing through her chest. She felt an arm on her back and felt the familiar clogging sensation in her throat.

"I'd better reply," she said, standing up.

"There's some parchment and ink in the lounge room," said her mother. Ginny nodded and went to fetch it. She returned and began writing, thanking him and telling him that she would be attending. She paused.

"Does anyone else want to come?" she asked, looking up.

"I will," said Harry at once. She flashed him a small smile before turning to Ron and Hermione. They looked at each other.

"We'll come too," Hermione said. When no one else said anything, Ginny added their names and finished it. She rolled it up, walked to the windowsill and attached it to Mariah. She watched the owl fly off until it was a speck in the sky.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Two tears slipped out of the corners. She hastily wiped them away and returned to the silent table. She could feel eyes on her, but she ignored them.

"Mariah's an interesting name for an owl," said Hermione, and Ginny wished she hadn't.

"Something to do with his mum's favourite singer," said Ginny, not to be rude. "She said it reminded her of Mariah someone – "

"Carey," supplied Hermione. "I can see the resemblance."

"Yeah, and then it was too late when he wanted it change it."

"Sounds like someone I know," said Ron quietly and she smiled faintly. Her throat was still constricting, and she longed to be out of there. She stood up and left the table without excusing herself. She went outside and headed towards the orchard.

She sat in the middle of it, letting the grass tickle her. It wasn't long before someone sat beside her. She knew who it was.

"He was my first friend," said Ginny quietly.

"I remember," said Harry, "Ron reckoned that you two had a 'Harry Potter Fan Club.'"

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Believe it or not, we didn't. And you weren't the sole topic of our conversations."

She remembered the first time she'd met Colin in Charms. She hadn't been able to get over the fact that he'd been smaller than her. He was still smaller than her. With a jolt, a flash of green light shot across her vision. Her vision swam with tears.

"I was there when he d-died," she said, and the tears began spilling out. "He'd just s-saved my l-life and we were t-talking. In a split-s-second he was g-gone."

Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. While she cried into his chest, he stroked her hair soothingly. He gulped back his own tears; he wished that he had been kinder and more understanding toward Colin. He couldn't help thinking that it was funny how you could never fully appreciate a person until they were gone. When she pulled back, Harry grabbed her face and wiped away her tears.

"Thanks," she said hoarsely, giving him a watery smile. He nodded and gave her a small but reassuring kiss. She looked at him and noticed that there was something dark in his eyes. "What is it?"

"What's what?" he replied, attempting to sound nonchalant.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not," he said. She suspected what it was.

"You feel responsible, don't you?"

He looked momentarily surprised, and then hung his head in shame. He said, "They died for me…if I'd just handed myself over sooner –"

"Then they still would have died," she said firmly, her sadness dissipating and her heart rate picking up. "Don't you get it? They didn't die for you; they died fighting to make the world a better place! They died to make sure that you lived on and got rid of Voldemort!"

He sat there in silence as the impact of her words hit him. He sighed.

"You know I'm right," she said in a final sort of tone, and Harry grinned. They stayed out there, oscillating between talking and sitting in silence, until the sky began to turn from blue to the bluish-purple colour of dusk.

Once inside they joined Ron and Hermione, who had their heads bent together and were whispering quietly, in the lounge room. They stopped talking and looked around when Harry and Ginny joined them.

"Where you two outside this whole time?" asked Hermione, and they nodded. They had turned to leave when Harry noticed Ron nodding impressively out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" Harry asked him.

"You're the first person she's let stay with her in her space," replied Ron. "With the rest of us she kicked and screamed until we left."

"Wait, your sister loses it when someone enters her space, and you still let me go out there?" said Harry, slightly hurt. Ron smiled and shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

GWHPGWHPGWHP

"Gin?" said someone, as Ginny was shaken awake. She opened her eyes and recognized Harry's outline in the dark.

"Wa's wrong?" she yawned, sitting up.

"Nightmare," he said simply. She scooted over and pulled down the covers. He got in and they lay down, inches apart in her cramped single bed.

She stroked his head and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just the usual," he whispered back, "the battle, Tom killing everyone I love."

She nodded and continued stroking his hair. He closed his eyes, and she didn't stop until her hand went limp with sleep. After a series of bad dreams and waking up in between each, Ginny awoke, her eyes stinging. She continued to lie there, curled up against Harry's chest, trying to figure out why she felt so terrible. She looked at the calendar on the wall, and lay back down, burying her face in Harry's chest.

When she could deny the time nor date any longer, she woke him up. They held each other for a bit, and then Ginny went to wake Hermione. She was surprised to find that her bed was empty. Perhaps she and Harry weren't the only ones making trips to each other at night.

The four of them sat at the breakfast table in silence. Ginny played with her toast, breaking off pieces and eating them. They felt like nails being dragged along a blackboard as they slid down her throat. She noticed that Hermione was playing with her cereal, and that the boys were taking an unusually long time to eat.

Her chest was tight and the toast felt like it was stuck in her throat as she pulled on a plain, long-sleeve black dress. It was the only black dress that she owned. She pulled back her hair and debated whether to put on make up or not. She jumped as arms wrapped around her. Then she silently turned into Hermione's embrace. Her vision swam, but she willed the tears not to spill.

When Hermione pulled away, Ginny, feeling warm and grateful towards her. She looked at her wanting to say something, but nothing came out. Hermione gave her a small smile, and Ginny noticed that her eyes were glassy. They left her room together, their arms around each other.

GWHPGWHPGWHP

Ginny was sitting ramrod straight with Harry and Patty on either side of her. Patty was already weeping silently. Ginny stared straight ahead at the light streaming in from the window, making shards of rainbow. When everyone began to stand, Ginny pulled Patty up gently by the elbow. Her legs were shaking as she saw the muggle priest walk past, followed by the black and silver coffin that was lavishly decorated with lilies. Colin's father, Dennis and a few boys with the same mousy hair and small stature's that she assumed were relatives carried it. She gulped as Colin's mother followed tearfully, openly sobbing and being supported by a woman who looked like her sister.

Ginny's eyes didn't leave the coffin as it journeyed to the front. She gripped Harry's hand as it was rested upon a pedestal, and the boys trooped sadly to their seats. They sat down as the priest stood in front.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," he said and everyone followed suit. "We gather here today in God's name to farewell Colin Creevey, so that he may enter the Kingdom of God…"

They all winced as Colin's mother's sobbing became more pronounced. Ginny wished she could put her a silencing charm on her, because Colin's tiny body could not be in the coffin at the front of the room…but Ginny shuddered as she remembered the flash of green light that had brought them here…

She felt cold and numb as the priest droned on. She felt detached from her body, as though she was viewing the scene from above. She wrapped her arm around Patty, who dabbed her eyes, gulped and faced the front. Ginny doubted she could see anything though, because tears began spilling out again. A distant part of her brain seemed to register that it was odd that she was not crying, when Patty and Hermione were. But that didn't matter…nothing mattered now…There were prayers and readings being said, and a hymn sung, but none of that registered to Ginny, who felt light and void of thought and emotion.

Then it was time for Communion. When it was their turn to join the line, Ginny's legs continued to shake, and she held tight to Harry. She felt him squeeze back, and her legs felt a little less like jelly. As they got closer to the front, she saw that you could go up to the coffin. She watched as some people kissed it while others touched it and murmured something.

Her heart was knocking painfully at her ribs, and it was her turn to receive the bread. As it dissolved in her mouth, she approached the coffin. Once she was right up to it, the strangest sensation came over her, and her heart calmed down. She stroked the wood gently, and stood there, unsure what to say.

"Goodbye, Colin," she whispered, hoping that it would suffice. Her lip trembled and as she removed her hand, her eyes blurred with tears. Before she could stop them – not that she would – they were pouring down the sides of her face. She wiped her face so that she could see, and kept walking. She didn't look at the front pew, where Colin's family was seated, but the thought brought more tears to her eyes.

Once she was back in the pew, she let the tears continue pouring down her face. Harry stroked her back soothingly and she gave him a watery smile.

"…And now, Dennis, Colin's brother, will say the eulogy," said the priest once everyone had returned to their seats. He moved to sit down. The small figure of Dennis rose and made his way to the front. He smoothed out a piece of paper, took a deep breath and looked up; his face was glazed with tears. Ginny attempted to calm herself down, wiping her face and blowing her nose with tissues from Patty. She could hear people sobbing, sniffling and blowing noses in the silence.

"C-Colin w-was my older brother, and b-best f-friend," said Dennis, his lip trembling. Ginny found her eyes welling up with tears again. "M-most people, when getting a new s-sibling, are angry and try to hurt them for taking up all t-the attention. But not C-Colin. C-Colin was so excited a-and did e-everything to help m-mum."

Ginny smiled, and tasted the salt of her tears. She could imagine an even smaller Colin bouncing with joy at the arrival of his younger brother, and following his mother eagerly around the house. Even at Hogwarts Colin had never failed to care for his little brother.

"H-he was always there for m-me," continued Dennis after he'd wiped his eyes. "Every day he'd make the e-effort to s-see me and make sure that I h-had f-friends and was h-having f-fun. H-he wasn't s-selfish. He cared for everyone, and was willing to h-help all who n-needed it. H-he was s-small, but he h-had the b-biggest h-heart of all. I'm g-going to m-miss him so much," he stopped and took a deep, shaky breath. After a little bit, he continued, "b-but I am g-glad that I h-had the opportunity t-to know h-him in t-the f-first p-p-place."

He took a deep breath and pocketed the paper. He touched the coffin again, and went to sit back down. Ginny's face was wet with tears, her throat was clogged and her chest hurt. The rest of the mass passed in a blur, and before long they were heading outside to the cemetery. They gathered around the freshly dug hole. Ginny shuddered. They didn't have a clear view; Colin's family were standing in front of them, but it was enough. She held tight to Harry, whose face was wet, and Patty, who was shaking with renewed sobs, as the priest spoke again.

"In sure and certain hope of the resurrection for eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ," he said, "we commend to the Almighty God our brother Colin; and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make His face to shine upon him and be gracious unto him, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him and give himpeace. Amen."

Ginny leaned into Harry's embrace as they began lowering the coffin into the ground. She didn't care if she ruined his nice dress robes, and neither did he. She cried for her friend and brother Colin, who loved and accepted her at Hogwarts before everyone else. She couldn't think straight as she sobbed. She couldn't believe that this was goodbye, that she'd never see or speak to her oldest friend ever again…

And then they were lowering the earth over the grave, and Colin's mother had fallen to her knees. Then people tossed soil or placed a white flower on the newly replaced earth. Everyone departed for the Creevey household and the group of five returned to the secluded spot that they had apparated to before.

"W-what's the address again?" said Harry, his voice hoarse. Ginny told him, and then she and Patty gripped tight to his arm. There was the familiar suffocating sensation that left them temporarily breathless. Then they could breathe again, and they savoured it. They looked around and had apparated at the end of the street. They waited until they saw the cars from the church arriving, and proceeded to walk down the street.

There was a line leading out of the house as people greeted and gave condolences to Colin's immediate family. They shuffled down the line, Ginny in the front, until they came to his parents.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny quietly as she embraced Colin's mother.

"Thank you, dear," she said in a strained voice. Ginny said and did the same to Colin's father and Dennis.

"I'm so glad you could be here," said Dennis as he embraced her, and her heart ached.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. And your eulogy was beautiful. C-Colin would be so proud of you."

He thanked her and she continued giving condolences to Colin's immediate family, regardless of the fact that she hadn't met them. Eventually they made it out to the backyard, which was scattered with tables and chairs. They took seats at a nearby table with Neville and Luna.

"I can't believe it," said Neville softly after they had all exchanged hugs.

"No one ever can at first," said Luna, as dreamy as ever, but looking wan. She also had red rings around her eyes.

They fell silent, and, for the first time ever, the majority of their time together remained in silence. There were a few drabs of conversation now and then, especially when the other DA members approached them, but the sombre mood pervaded everywhere. They got food and drinks when they came out, but they only took it to be polite and picked at their food. After a few hours, Ginny couldn't take it anymore. She desperately wanted to escape the dull mood, the fact that her oldest friend was dead and Patty's vacant attitude. But they didn't go. They didn't leave until after Colin's father had stood up to say a thank you speech and collapsed into tears. The sight of it had made fresh tears leak from Ginny's eyes.

"Shall we go?" asked Harry, his voice hoarse, and Ginny nodded thankfully. They said goodbye to their friends, and Ginny grew worried when Patty remained unresponsive. She contemplated shaking her, when she was met with a look from Patty that clearly said, 'Leave me be. This is how I'm coping.' They moved off and said goodbye to Colin's family. They were nearly to the back door when they heard a voice call out.

"Ginny! Ginny, wait!" She felt a jolt of surprise when she realised that it was her ex-boyfriend, Michael Corner. They stopped and waited for him. When he approached them he looked as though he was going to hug her, but Harry wrapped his arm around her. He rocked back and settled for, "I'm really sorry about Colin. I remember you two were very close."

"Thank you," she said, her voice strained. They stood there in an awkward silence, and Ginny glanced at Harry after she noticed that Michael had blanched after making eye contact. He had and hard and unwelcoming look on his face that almost made Ginny laugh out loud. She nudged him subtly as she said, "Have they held Elijah's funeral yet?"

"No," he said, sounding relieved. "It's tomorrow."

"Could you please give me the details? I'd like to pay my last respects to him."

"Sure," he nodded, and told her.

"Thank you," she said. "Um, I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you."

With an awkward wave they made their way through the house.

"Who's Elijah?" Harry blurted out.

Ginny refrained from laughing and said, "He was a Slytherin and a new member of the DA."

"Blimey," said Ron quietly, and Harry and Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, he was a really good guy," she continued as they made their way down the street. "He was killed by the Death Eaters for saving a group of lost kids."

There was a sharp intake of breath while Harry and Ron blanched. There was pain in Ginny's chest at the memory of a bloody and dying Elijah, and she closed her eyes and pushed it away. No one said anything else and, once out of sight, they apparated back to the Burrow.

GWGWGWGWGWGWGW

The next day Ginny donned the same outfit and made her way downstairs. Harry was waiting for her in the kitchen, looking as breath taking as ever in his black dress robes. He had wanted to come with her, claiming that it was to be her moral support, but she knew he had other motives.

Elijah's funeral didn't take place in a church. It was outside in the cemetery where he was to be buried. The sun had gone in, making the day even cooler than it was. Ginny couldn't help shivering a little, and the tears made it worse.

"In sure and certain hope of the resurrection for eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ," said the wizarding celebrant, "we commend to the Almighty God our brother Elijah; and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make His face to shine upon him and be gracious unto him, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him and give himpeace. Amen."

Ginny thought that she just might come to hate those words. She sighed and glanced around. Unlike Colin's funeral, there were no sounds of uncontrollable sobbing. Majority wasn't even crying. Elijah's own immediate family stood regal with glazed faces as his body was lowered into the ground. Harry, Ginny and Michael backed away as his family and friends swarmed to toss the dirt and lay flowers.

"All right," Michael said, breaking the silence. His eyes were red from crying. "Do you think we should go and give our condolences?"

"We're not going back to their house?" asked Harry.

"Something tells me it's a 'Slytherin Only' gathering," Ginny said darkly. She had recognized many of the families as being pureblood and wealthy. Harry nodded. "So I suggest we go now."

The boys nodded and they made their way through the dispersing crowd. Elijah's parents and siblings looked confused as they approached them. They looked at Harry and their eyes widened in shock. Seeing as they were staring at him, Harry decided to go first.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," he said, clearly uncomfortable. "I didn't know him, but I'm sure he was very brave."

They nodded in thanks and each shook his hand, which surprised Ginny.

Michael spoke next, "I was Elijah's friend. We knew each other for a couple of years, and I'm sorry that the world has lost such a wonderful man."

They nodded in thanks again and shook his hand too. They turned to Ginny, and she wasn't sure where to start.

"Um, I'm very sorry about Elijah," she said lamely, and mentally kicked herself. "I didn't know him for long, but he was always very kind to me. In return, I was there when he passed away."

"You were?" his mother gasped, speaking for the first time.

"Yes," she said, and the images began to swarm across her vision. "A group of Death Eaters used a dark curse called, 'Sectumsempra', which creates wounds that can't be healed by normal means."

"B-But why -?"

"They turned on him because he defended a group of young kids that got lost during the evacuation."

His mother's eyes swam with tears while his father embraced her and his siblings huddled.

"My b-beautiful, brave boy…"

"Unfortunately," Ginny continued, "by the time I got there it was too late. So I held his hand until he…until he…"

They nodded and Ginny fell silent, relieved.

"Thank you," said Elijah's father and she noticed that they had almost identical voices. "No one could tell us how he died…and thank you for being there in our place as he p-passed away…"

"It was nothing," she mumbled, and Elijah's mother broke away and embraced her. His father and brothers shook her hand, while his sisters embraced her.

"We'd better go," said his father, looking at his watch. They parted, and then Michael departed as well. Harry held out his arm, but Ginny shook her head. She looked at her questioningly, but she ignored him and knelt down by Elijah's plot. She sighed. She was glad that his family knew now, and that she had told someone how he'd died.

"Goodbye, Elijah," she said quietly. "I hope you're at peace now, and that there will be more Slytherins like you in the future."

She patted the dirt and stood. Harry embraced her, and she closed her eyes, breathing in his scent as he apparated them home.

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it! I didn't know what branch of Christianity they were from, as it's never specified in the books, so I settled for Church of England/Anglican because that's the dominant denomination in England. The next one should be up soon as I'm now on holidays. Unfortunately, it's more funerals, so be prepared. Don't forget to review and favourite!