Unfinished Business

Thanks so much for your reviews! I was happy to hear your thoughts of the story and the Harry/Ginny playout… HiddenFlame42, you are so right about the Spiderman thing! That is a good comparison… that scene annoyed me almost as much as the one in HBP! deLusional, RanmasAngel and 5CANDALOUS, I agree so much… it was unfair to the fandom:P I hope you are right, HeatherGranger13 and Bill, I really hope they will somehow get together again… And Firey Spiret, Darke, Moonlitesadness, Artee and Sporky, and unsound mirth, thank you:) I think this will become a three-part story, and this being the second, there will be one more after this… This chapter is Harry's pov.

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Harry smiled. One last happy day, with Ron and Hermione. And... he didn't want to think about it, but Ginny would be there too. He didn't want to see her. It would be too hard. He had said his goodbyes today, to everyone he cared about - Dumbledore, Ginny, and he had thought Ron and Hermione as well, but them wanting to come with him had complicated the whole distancing himself from the world plan... He knew what a risk they would be at, but he also knew there was no keeping them back, and he could not help to feel a little grateful. Harry knew, in his heart, that if Ginny had known of his plans she would have offered to come, too. He could not let that happen. He remembered last year, when they were all going into the Department of Mysteries... he had wanted to leave them all behind, go alone... he did not want them to get hurt, fighting his fight, and he also did not want to worry about them. Somehow, though, it was different with Ron, and Hermione too. He would worry about them, yes. He would plead with them not to come, fearing for their lives, yes. He would lament about how they didn't have to be involved, how they could live out their lives in semi-peace in Siberia while the war raged elsewhere... he also knew how pointless that would be. He doubted it would work on Ginny either, but this was different. It just was. Ron and Hermione were his friends. He loved them above all else. He knew he would hate himself if anything happened to them... but he did not feel responsible for them. He knew perfectly well that Ginny could take care of herself but... he could not, would not let her come. He couldn't explain why, and he thought it better to try pushing it out of his mind… to forget...

He stole a glance in her direction - and noticed with horror that she was approaching. He didn't know if he could deal with her. He couldn't turn her away, if she offered to come... But no, he couldn't let her come, he needed to know she was safe...

Ginny reached the threesome, and, looking Harry straight in the eye, said, "Can I have a word?"

It sounded so innocent, but... Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, hoping for some support, but they quickly looked away and pretended to be interested in something else. Ron started talking about the weather, and Hermione looked immensely interested, as he described to her the interesting patterns the shadows of the leaves on the tree made on the ground.

"Er, okay," Harry said, dreading the worst. Maybe she didn't come to join him. Maybe she now hated him for dumping her, maybe she would Bat-Bogey hex him!

"In private," Ginny added.

Harry's panic rose as he followed her down the path, away from Dumbledore's tomb and into the castle. Ginny took him up winding stairs and through corridors, and Harry wondered wildly what on earth she was planning to do to him, so far away from everybody... they would not be able to hear him scream... He fleetingly wondered if she was a Death Eater in disguise. Somehow he thought not, but he wanted to be absolutely safe.

"Ginny," he said, stopping. She stopped, too, and turned around to face him. He racked his brain, trying to find a suitable question, something only she would know... they had never really discussed safety questions here at Hogwarts. They had thought themselves safe. Fools, we were, Harry thought.

"Uh... what does your mother like to be called by your father when they are alone?" he asked, and felt himself go scarlet. This was the only question he could think of, but somehow, after everything that had happened between them, it seemed inappropriate.

Ginny's eyes widened, and she blushed quite a bit herself, but after a while she seemed to understand where he was going with it. "Oh," she said, "er... Mollywobbles," she whispered. Then she continued climbing the stairs, but after a while he heard her say quietly, "Harry?"

"Yes?" he replied.

She continued, not without amusement, "Who does Tonks fancy?"

"Oh come on Ginny, that was a very obvious question, we saw her and Lupin outsi-"

Harry could almost feel Ginny rolling her eyes. "Well," she said, interrupting, "I think we've established our true identities. Now, are you not going to ask me where we're going?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Good point."

They continued in silence, until at last, in a corridor Harry very rarely went to, as it was nowhere near any of his classrooms, Ginny stopped. "Follow me," she said, and with a quick grin at Harry, she had vanished - straight into the wall. Harry had not seen anything like this besides from Platform 9 3/4, and he wondered what it was doing there. What it was concealing... Well, right now it's concealing Ginny, Harry thought, and in a moment, me. He took a deep break, and stepped into the wall.

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Continuation will follow shortly. Please r/r 