It was a late afternoon on a beautiful fall day when Ginny was out on her broom, just enjoying the freedom of flying, and the temporary escape from the terror of the past several months. Within a few moments it seemed, her entire life, and the entire wizarding world had been turned upside down by one Severus Snape. A dull ache still haunted her every time she thought of the kindly old man who had always been there for her family, who had not thrown her out in first year when she had been possessed by Tom Riddle. She shivered still to think about it. Soft-hearted Ginny still felt guilt over the deaths of the chickens and the petrified students. She went slightly higher, just to the tops of the trees that shielded her from the muggle eyes of the village. Flying had the amazing quality of both allowing her to think, and then, of clearing her mind of all thoughts so that she could just enjoy the moments of peace.
Everything had changed so much. She and Harry had enjoyed a brief but loving relationship, ended through his fear of losing her. She had accepted that decision and done her best to move on. And in fact, her best was quite enough. She had loved Harry for as long as she could remember, but through dating him had come to realize that he was simply a boy, and not everything she'd dreamed. He'd been kind to her though, and she'd enjoyed it. But now she was ready for something else, something more spectacular than anything she'd experienced during her years at Hogwarts.
Strange to think that this would have been her sixth year at Hogwarts, and yet she would not be going back at all. No one would. After Dumbledore's murder, the school had closed down. Too many parents were afraid to be parted from their children with Voldemort out in the open and teachers being revealed as the darkest of traitors. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already decided not to go back when the decision was made, and she felt some relief that she would not have to go too. The school brought back too many painful memories.
At the Burrow, things were strangely quiet. The crowd of brothers that she had always known had dissipated until it was just the three of them: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny. Bill and Charlie had been gone for years of course, and Percy was always at the Ministry, while Fred and George were busy at their shop, one of the few places that still remained open and busy, with some of their more serious trade items. It made her sad now to walk through Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, with so many familiar places boarded up. These were dark times. Some said even darker than Voldemort's first reign. Ron spent most of his time at Grimmauld Place with Harry and Hermione, practicing the skills that would allow Harry to defeat Voldemort. A shrill call tore her from her thoughts, and she realized that her mother was calling her for dinner.
