Chapter 9-

"H-he's dead." Ginny repeated. The shock was settling in and she was beginning to pale. Harry moved closer to her and put an arm around her to comfort her, and to make sure if she fainted he'd catch her. Ginny leaned into him slightly, her eyes eerily vacant of emotion.

Before Harry could relay a silent message to the family telling them not to say anything he was cut off.

"About bloody time. That ferret was long past his due for The Kiss." Ron said while helping himself to a second helping of spaghetti. His eyes were downcast since he was watching the parmesan cheese he was putting on it so he missed the flash of Ginny's eyes.

Ginny suddenly pushed away from Harry and before anyone could say a word, she backhanded Ron.

Ron, whom was shocked, put a hand to his cheek and was even more surprised when he found tiny beads of blood on it. "What the Bloody Hell was that for?!?" He ranted, standing so that he was looking down at Ginny.

"For being an unfeeling jerk! For being heartless!" Ginny said, angry tears in her eyes. "I know it was your call to kill Draco! I know you're the one who killed him!!" She turned to Harry and reached into his jacket. She turned back to Ron and aimed a gun between his eyes. "How does it feel Ron? To be the one at gunpoint? How does it feel to be someone other than the murderer? How does it feel to be the frickin victim??"

Ron looked down the barrel of the gun aimed at him then to his advancing sister. "I'm not a murderer." He said, his voice shaking more than he realized. "I didn't kill anyone!"

Ginny kept advancing towards Ron, ignoring the protest of the family. She took the safe guard off and aimed at Ron. "And you never will."

But before she could pull the trigger she was grabbed from behind and tackled to the ground. She began to frantically claw at her assailant. "Ginny! Calm down!" Harry begged, more than a little unnerved at her sudden outburst.

Harry tried to keep her down. He had both of her hands above her head and had his weight on her legs so she couldn't move. It was taking every once of willpower he had to keep her there.

Ron backed up until he was next to the wall. "I didn't kill him. I didn't I swear." Ron repeated. He slumped so that he was sitting on the floor while leaning against the wall his hands over his ears. "I didn't kill him! It's not my fault!"

Fred and George jumped from their seats and went to Ron who slapped at them to get them to go away. The twins exchanged a look and looked down. They knew what he was going on about, and it wasn't Draco. They were the only one's that knew.

Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley were both trying to console one child but neither were successful, as they couldn't get close. Harry waved Mr. Weasley away while pulling Ginny to him and rocking her slightly. Ron wouldn't let Mrs. Weasley within four feet of him before screaming for her to 'let him alone'.

Silently everyone left the room leaving only Harry, Ginny, and Ron. Harry was glaring daggers at Ron over Ginny's head and Ron couldn't quite meet his eyes. Ginny's sobs brought Harry's attention back to her as he soothed her. "Shh, Gin. I know love.." He crooned, hoping that something he said would get through.

"H-He never knew-" She began, hiccupping. Harry gave her a quizzical look while stroking her hair but realized she had more to say, she was just trying to find the strength to say it. "H-he never knew that..that he was the best brother I could ever have!" She sobbed, burying her face in Harry's shirt once again as body racking sobs took over.

Harry peeled her back enough so that he was eye to eye with her. "Ginny, he knew. He knew how much you cared for him, how much he meant to you. He really did." Harry assured her.

He may have only seen the two of them together a little while, but from what he had seen, there was nothing but love and caring between them. At first it had unnerved him, he had even gone so far as to be secretly jealous of it. But as he watched them together, he knew that it was nothing to worry about. No, if anything, he was grateful Draco had been there for Ginny when he could not. He might even have been thankful for the years he and Ginny spent apart, for they helped her become who she is now. The years also changed Draco as well, turning him from a cruel and heartless person to warm and caring.

Ginny's sobs suddenly stopped, and Harry looked down to see if she was alright because of the sudden halt. Even Ron looked at her.

Ginny looked up at Harry with red eyes and her lower lip trembling. "I never got to say goodbye." At that she threw her arms around Harry again and cried herself into exhaustion. She fell asleep moments later.

Harry stood up without so much as a glance in Ron's direction scooped Ginny up and began to carry her up to her room. But when he was only half up the stairs, Ron's voice halted him.

"Harry I-" Ron began, his voice sincere.

Harry turned, Ginny still limp in his arms. He saw Ron standing at the foot of the stairs, his face showing the genuine regret he felt. Harry was about to give in and tell Ron it was alright, but Ginny shifted in his arms slightly at that moment and brought Harry's gaze back to her. Her tear streaked cheeks and pale face hardened his resolve. He turned cold eyes back to Ron.

"Save it Weasley. You over stepped the line, and this time, you broke Ginny's heart in the process. For that I can't forgive you."

Ron nearly took a step back at the iciness of Harry's voice. It cut strait through him like a knife, and pierced his heart. He had lost his little sister...again. And this time, he had lost his best mate as well.

Harry turned on his heel, and walked up the rest of the stairs. He was so consumed by his fury at Ron that he didn't even realize he had jostled Ginny awake.

"Harry-?" She murmured, her lips against his neck as she stirred. She lifted her head to look at him, her brow furrowed and her lids heavy from sleep.

Harry looked down and realized what had waken her. He gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry love, go back to sleep. I've got you."

Ginny eyed him for a moment and opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off the best way he knew how-with his mouth.

When he pulled back he kissed her nose, flashing her a quick smile. "Shut up and go to sleep."

Ginny was too tired to be offended and did as he said. Harry smiled and later when he was staring at the ceiling, his arm keeping Ginny protectively to him, he let his mind wonder to what awaited he and Ginny in the future. Life? Death? At this point there was no way to tell what it would be, and the thought worried him more than a little.

"Whatever it is, we'll handle it together babe." Ginny whispered, grasping Harry's hand. Harry sighed. He'd never get use to her surprising him. With a smile he thought to himself, he wasn't sure he'd have it any other way.

The next morning Ginny awoke with the feeling she was being watched. She opened her eyes slowly, noticing the bed was empty. She looked around the room, her vision glazed from sleep but her hand on the gun she slept with no less.

Something wasn't quite right, of the Ginny was sure. She scanned the room again. There. The closet door wasn't quite shut. Unless Ginny was mistaken, something inside it kept shifting.

Eyes locked on the crack she quietly slipped from the bed. As she avoided particularly creaky spots she found herself grateful she was in familiar territory. As Ginny crept towards the closet the think inside slunk back farther, attempting to conceal itself.

Ginny grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open.

"What the-" Ginny began, then laughed.

"Meow?" the intruder called, backing up to the wall.

"Oh my gosh, all that over a cat."

Suddenly arms came around her from behind and a medicine soaked cloth covered her mouth and nose. "Not quite." The voice sneered.

Male. The voice definitely was masculine, but she couldn't place why it was so familiar. All she knew for sure was that she could not inhale at all. If she did she would be unconscious in a matter of seconds. Who knew what her assailant would do with her unable to defend herself.

Ginny tried to land a blow in the man's stomach, twisting a little so she could land it solidly, but he predicted her move and blocked it. He twisted her arm behind her back and jerked it up, making Ginny grit her teeth and take deep breaths to block out the pain.

Aurors were known for their skills of being able to block out all pain, and Ginny was one of the best at that technique. But as her head began to cloud, she knew she had made one major mistake, a mistake that could cost her life.

When she had taken deep breaths to steady herself, she had momentarily forgotten the cloth covering her mouth and nose. Subsequently, she breathed in the medicine. Her last coherent thought before she passed out was that she hoped Harry was safe.

Harry sat out by the pond in the Weasley's back yard tossing a small black box between his hands. He appeared lost in thought, and in this case, looks were anything but deceiving. He had been up since before dawn, thinking over the last few nights and the toll they had on his Ginny.

"I don't know how she can hold up any longer. How long will it be before it gets to her? How long until it sinks in?" Harry said aloud. But he realized the answer to that as soon as the words had left his mouth. She does know, she has realized. But that made no sense, other than the tears over Draco's death, she had showed no signs of any emotions. The combination of the case and the losses in her own life were devastating, but she had managed to stay strong through most of it. She hadn't broke down but once, and he knew that wasn't enough. He knew that all the tears she'd shed last night didn't come close to what she felt. How long before she breaks down? She doesn't break down, Harry remembered, she breaks.

Something drew Harry's gaze to the window of Ginny's room. What he saw stopped his heart.

Shadows were moving around in the room, seeming to struggle with each other. One of which was most definitely Ginny, her red hair glowed, even in the early morning light. Harry squinted to better see them and soon realized who the other shadow was. "Shit! Ginny!" Harry yelled, jumping up and running top speed back to the house.

He raced up the two flights of steps his mind bent on getting to Ginny. When he finally reached the landing he stumbled over something but caught himself before he fell. He kept running until he reached her room. He threw open the door panting from the long run.

He came just in time to see Ginny, limp in the arms of The Crucifier, dissapparate. He fell to his knees, not even recognizing his own scream.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry about the delayed update, but I've been busy with school and haven't felt like writing. I know this chapter is short, but the next few should be long again, I know how much you enjoy it when they are! Thanks to all my loyal readers who have stuck with me thus far, I owe it all to you! I mean after all, what's a story without readers? I love you guys! .