ONCE AND FOR ALL

(Chapter Twenty Three)

The sun had been set for several hours before the last guest finally left the Weasley home. Harry had watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried in vain to appear cheerful as they bid each visitor farewell. Once that was over, Mrs. Weasley ordered everyone left off to bed and she too retreated to her room with her husband. No one had really spoken much all day, especially Ron, whom Harry would be sharing a room with tonight.

Harry carefully and slowly packed a few things away in a draw that he would need for the next day he was staying at the burrow, not speaking the whole time.

Ron was getting his bed ready across from Harry while Hermione sat in a chair beside Ron's bed, reading a book.

Harry stole a quick glance at his best friend and felt another pang of guilt. He had never seen his friend this way, had never wanted to see his friend this way and it was tearing him apart. Not only was Harry loosing ones he cared for, but now because of him, his very closest friends were as well. Ron didn't deserve that, none of the Weasleys did. Such good people didn't deserve that kind of pain and Harry had brought that down upon them.

He had seen Charlie in a vision right before he died, before Voldemort killed him. He had seen it and denied it, afraid that it would be a trick as his vision with Sirius had been. He had also been practicing occulmeny so much that it had become hard to tell the difference between what was a dream and what was not.

Harry moved to his bed to straighten the covers on his bed before crawling in. Thoughts raced madly through his head. Guilt kept washing over him and he grew angry until…

"It was a vision!" Harry said with aggression. Ron and Hermione looked up from what they were doing.

"The night my scar hurt," Harry said. "I had a vision, I was there, I saw it and didn't stop it, I'm sorry. I could have saved him!" Harry rambled on.

Before Harry could say any more, Ron stepped toward him.

"Shut up Harry!" He shouted, red in the face and Harry stopped talking right away. "Not every thing is about you!"

Hermione then stood up quickly as well, taking a small cautious step toward Ron. "Ron, don't," She warned quietly, but he ignored her and continued.

"It was the Avada Kedavra curse; there was nothing anyone could do! He just died! So get over it and stop thinking you can save everyone because you can't, and more of us are going to die, I just never thought it would be-be-I hate Voldemort!" Ron shouted furiously and kicked the bed post.

Harry stood still a few moments. There was no sound in the room except for Ron's heavy breathing. Harry let it soak in for a moment before quickly exiting the room. He heard Hermione call his name softly, but he did not stop.

Harry made his way briskly down the stairs, trying to be as silent as he could in his fit of guilt. Every thing had suddenly fallen apart for Harry. Things had slowly progressed from bad to worse over the last few years. For Harry, he felt like everyone was always making decisions for him. Telling him what to do, what's best, what's right and wrong, and that he's too young. Well, he had enough. It didn't matter what Ron thought, this war was about Harry and every person that Voldemort killed, the blood was on his hands.

Harry knew what he had to do to take care of his problem and everyone else's problem. He knew that if he killed Voldemort all of this would be over. He was going to take care of this once and for all.

He had made up his mind. Harry strode into the living room over to the broom closet. He opened it quickly and pulled out one of the Weasley's brooms and pulled a sweater on over his head.

Harry finally slowed his pace and cautiously and quietly walked through the kitchen toward the door. Just as he was about to turn the brass knob-

"Harry?"

Harry held his breath and snapped his head around to see who the soft feminine voice had come from. It was Ginny.

The pretty red-head sat at the kitchen table by herself wrapped in a blue bathrobe and clutching a steaming cup of tea. She looked to Harry curiously and opened her mouth to question him again but-

"Ginny, Shhh…" Harry stopped her from speaking and moved toward her.

"What are you doing?" She whispered to him while catching a glance of the broom that was held tightly in his hand.

Harry quickly looked up the stairs to make sure no one had heard them than he spoke to her.

"I'm leaving," he said clearly and simply. Ginny furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Leaving? But why, where?" She asked bewildered.

"Listen Ginny…I know the prophecy. It says that I have to kill Voldemort, I'm the only one who can and if I don't, he will continue to kill more people."

She sat before him speechless. Harry gave her a few seconds to let the information settle.

"I'm going to kill him," Harry said determinately, but his expression turned soft when he saw the tears starting to form in Ginny's eyes.

"Harry no, you can't!"

Harry quickly held up a hand silencing her. "I have to," He explained. "Before more people I love are hurt," Harry said sitting down beside Ginny at the table.

"What if something happens to you?" Ginny asked desperately.

"It won't."

"Are you going alone?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

"Harry, you can't!"

"I can," he retorted standing up. He made a short movement toward the door but he suddenly stopped and turned back to Ginny looking at her pensively.

"Ginny?...There's one more thing," Harry said quickly and nervously. Ginny offered him another curious look.

"What?" She asked softly.

Just then Harry moved down toward her. Completely caught off guard, Ginny found her self in the middle of a beautiful kiss with the boy she had fancied since she was ten.

It ended too quickly however and by the time Ginny opened her eyes Harry was out the door leaving her with too many new emotions to deal with.

Please keep reading and reviewing! I hope you liked it!