-Chapter 34: She Just Left-

Ginny clutched the pendant around her neck, dropped the box of Ron's things, and fell to her knees; she felt like something huge was crushing her chest.

"Gin, are you okay? What's happening?"

"Can't…breathe…" she said. Ginny jerked on the chain around her neck and it snapped off. She gasped for air and felt some relief.

"I thought you didn't wear that anymore."

"I stopped after the war was over but I wanted to wear it for when Hermione came."

"Well if it is going to have that effect on you then I suggest not wearing it. Maybe the charm has gone bonkers."

"Well I've broken the chain," she said, holding up the necklace, "so I couldn't wear it anymore if I wanted to. I don't know about the charm, maybe you're right. It is supposed to make me feel what Hermione feels but I don't see how she could feel something that horrible while she is just with her parents."

"Ron! Ginny! I'm home!" they heard their mother call from downstairs.

"Go on down, I'll clean this up and be down in a minute," Ron said.

"What's for dinner, Mum?" Ginny asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Chicken and ham pie," Molly said as she unpacked her shopping bags.

"What did you get at Diagon Alley?"

"I got Ron a book of spells for household duties and some owl treats. I also found this lovely catalog of wedding things that I thought you and Hermione might like to look at."

"Awesome, I am sure she'll love it!"

Ginny was up early the next morning to wait for Hermione. As the hours on the clock ticked by she started to get worried. Soon it was dark and there was absolutely no word from her. After dinner Ginny paced the floor in front of the fireplace almost all night, hoping Hermione would Floo in. She awoke on the couch the next morning, she smelled eggs. Arthur was in the fireplace getting ready to Floo to the Ministry. He stepped out for a moment, kissed her on the forehead and told her to have a good day. Ginny went into the kitchen to help Molly with breakfast.

"Mum, I am really really worried about Hermione. The day before yesterday I decided to wear that necklace she gave me and I thought maybe it was the charm going bonkers but I felt this horrible crushing pain in my chest for a few moments. I snapped the chain off before I felt anymore but now I am not so sure it was the charm."

"It is very unlike her not to keep a date. Perhaps you should send her an owl."

Ron came downstairs, poured a glass of pumpkin juice and flopped himself down at the kitchen table.

"Anything from Hermione?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to send Quaffle out with a letter."

An owl screeched outside and flew in the window. Ginny ran to it and grabbed the letter from its beak. She looked at the envelope addressed to her in Hermione's writing. She tore it open and the ring fell out onto the floor. Ginny picked it up and stared at it. She quickly unfolded the letter and read it.

She wasn't sure what happened next but only that she woke up lying on the couch. A cup with pumpkin juice touched her lips the moment she opened her eyes.

"Ginny…I…I'm so sorry," Ron said when she sat up.

"Why…why would she do this? I don't understand. Everything was fine when we left Hogwarts. I just don't get it." Ginny started to cry.

"Hermione has always been a bit dramatic. Even a bit mental sometimes."

"Shut up, Ron! Don't you dare say anything bad about her!" Ginny yelled, tears running down her face.

"Sorry Gin," he said offering her another drink of pumpkin juice.

"Perhaps it is just cold feet, dear," said Molly as she sat down next to Ginny, "you know, your father and I had a big elaborate wedding planned out but a month before the ceremony he disappeared for two weeks. Oh I was furious with him when he returned! I was in the garden of my parents' house getting rid of gnomes when he came back. Before he could say a word to me I threw a gnome at him. It turns out he was just afraid of a big ceremony with all of the people around so we eloped that very day."

"I don't know, Mum. What am I going to do? I've loved her for so long…we went through so much together."

"I know, dear. You will get through it though. You never know what tomorrow holds, just hope for the best. Perhaps you should still send an owl to her, ask to see her so you two can talk through things."

"Her note said she would be long gone. I wouldn't know where to send one, she could be anywhere. Besides, it doesn't sound as though she wants to hear from me. If she wanted to talk to me then she would have done so."

"Whatever you think is best, dear," said Molly, holding Ginny close to her.

"I think I just want to lie down for a while."

"Alright. Ron, will you help her up to her room? I will come up with some warm milk in a few minutes to help relax you."

"I…I don't want to go to my room. I can't be in there right now." Ginny started sobbing.

"You can stay in my room, Gin," Ron offered. All Ginny could do was nod.

There was a knock on the door later that evening. Ginny stood up from the couch and watched as Arthur answered the door. It was Harry, he had come to help Ron get the rest of his things to Grimmauld Place. Ginny sat back down on the couch and stared off into space. Ron pulled Harry into the kitchen, away from Ginny.

"You're not going to believe this Harry, but Hermione's up and left out of nowhere. She sent Ginny a letter with her ring in it. I don't know why she did this but I swear if I ever see her again she is in for it, I don't care if she was my best friend because blood comes first. Ginny didn't do anything to deserve this."

"Ron…I knew Hermione left."

"What!?" Ginny said as she walked in.

"Hermione came to me two days ago and told me she was leaving but she said it was because Ginny was going to break things off."

"I never said any such thing! Where did she hear that?"

"She said she came to the Burrow on Friday to surprise you and heard the two of you talking and you said you weren't going to go through with things."

"I was talking about tryouts for the Holyhead Harpies!! It has nothing to do with her! Where is she, Harry? I have to find her and tell her what happened."

"She said she would send me a letter when she got to wherever she was going to but wouldn't tell me where that was."

"What do I do? I have to tell her…"

"Bullshit you do, Ginny! She left you!" Ron yelled.

"It was a misunderstanding though!"

"So what? She should have come to you and talked about it rather than leaving you here heartbroken like this!"

"Ron, she was scared," Harry tried to tell him.

"I don't care! You don't just up and leave someone like that, I don't care how scared you are!"

"Stop talking like that, Ron!" Ginny shouted.

"No, I won't. If she really loved you Ginny she would have fought for you. She may have been brave in that bloody war but she is being a complete coward right now!"

"Ron, calm down!" Harry tried to pull him into the sitting room, away from Ginny.

"No Harry, I'm not going to let her go off and find Hermione just to have her heart broken again. If she doesn't want to be found then let her be alone!"

"Then wouldn't it only make sense for me to fight for her!? I really love her so shouldn't I be fighting for her?" Ginny said.

"That's…no! No! She doesn't want to be fought for. She didn't bother to come to you and talk to you, she just left. She didn't want to work things out; she just wanted them to be over with. Can't you see that?"

"How could you say something like that, Ron?! That is the cruelest thing you have ever said to me!" Ginny stormed up the stairs to her room and fell on to her bed. Ron's words echoed through her head.

"…she just wanted them to be over with!"

Ginny cried. She cried because she was angry with Ron but at the same time she couldn't shake what he had said to her out of her head.

"Ron, that was really uncalled for," Harry said to him after Ginny disappeared up the stairs.

"You didn't see her when she got that letter. You remember that look she got on her face during those panic attacks? This was worse. It is something I never want to have to see again."

"It was just a misunderstanding though, you don't know that Hermione wanted things between them to be over with."

"Did you tell her to fight for Ginny? To at least come talk to her?"

"Yeah, I did but she was petrified, Ron. I told she needed to make sure that it wasn't just some misunderstanding. But I think somewhere in her mind she thought she was doing Ginny a favor by breaking it off before Ginny had to go through it."

"If she didn't want to come talk to her then how do we know this isn't what Hermione really wanted? What if she was going to do this anyways, Harry?"

"We don't know, Ron. And as far as her breaking it off anyways, that's a risk with any relationship. You have to let Ginny grow up and make her own decisions. Listen, right now we need to wait to hear from Hermione. If she says that this is what she wanted and she intentionally broke Ginny's heart then you can go find and hex her all you want but until then you need to stay open minded. Deal?"

"Fine."