Sorry that i havent updated in a while but its my sr. year in high school so the teachers for some reason seem to think that means we want to do more homework. i dont know what theyre thinking. chances are i wont be on here during the week cuz i have something going everyday except for friday, unless i work that day but i get off fairly early anyway. so to make a really long story short, look for me on fridays.thank u to everyone who reviewed. i really appreciated it a lot. but enough of the jabbering, u all want to read. ill let u alone.


Chapter 15—Farewell to Hogwarts

Harry looked up at Ron as he finished packing his trunk. "I can't believe we're actually done," he said mournfully sitting on his bed.

"Yeah," agreed Ron. "Wish mum could have made it. She would have loved to have seen the three of us leave Hogwarts."

"But, we're not done yet. I mean there's still the farewell feast. Let's just get down there and enjoy the time we've got," Harry said hopefully. After all the pain that Hogwarts had caused him over the year, he was still reluctant to leave its walls.

"You're right. We can be sad tomorrow," Ron said, rising from his bed. "One more night."

Harry nodded and watched him leave. He sat for a few more seconds before following him down to the common room.

He spotted Ginny far removed from things on the other side of the room. Since she had inherited Fred and George's need for the spotlight, this was strange for her. Harry went over to her happily and said, "Why such a long face?"

"Could it be because my three best friends are leaving me tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, none of that. I won't be leaving you. I'll be at your house all summer. I expect you'll be sick of me by the time you have to come back next year," Harry said kneeling in front of her chair so they were eye level.

"That's just it. I'm not worried about the summer! It's next year! Who am I gunna talk with? You guys are my only real friends here."

"What about the other sixth year girls?"

She made a noise of disgust but didn't answer.

"Well, I'll write to you every chance I get. And I don't think Ron and Hermione are planning on just forgetting about you as soon as you leave the Burrow."

"I know but it just won't be the same."


"Harry, I need to talk to you," Ron said seriously as the girls headed up to their dorm.

"Sure," Harry said, sitting in his favorite chair right in front of the fire. "What about?"

"Promise you won't tell Mione or Ginny?" he asked seriously.

Harry nodded, noticing that his friend looked very nervous indeed.

"I'm going to do it," Ron said.

Obviously this was supposed to mean something, but Harry was lost. "Do what?"

"I'm going to ask Mione. I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"What! Are you sure? I mean, you don't want to rush into these things."

"Harry, I'd hardly call this rushing. It took me six years to realize that I love her and I'm not going to let her get away. And it's not like we have to do it right away. I mean, we can wait a while."

"Well, if you're sure. Have you told anyone else?"

Ron shook his head. "You're the first one, mate. And the last one, till I talk to Mione tomorrow."

Harry grinned broadly. "Well, then congratulations. I knew it was only a matter of time. Granted, it was a looong time…"

Ron nodded sheepishly. "Well, then, I guess I'd better get to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day. Plus, I have to figure out when I'm going to ask her."

"Aren't you coming up, Harry?" Ron asked when Harry didn't follow him upstairs.

"No, I think I'll just stay down here for a while longer."

Ron nodded. "Alright. See you in the morning."

He frowned at the thought of his last night in the castle. He'd waited seven years for this and now he was reluctant to see it go. Of course he knew it was highly unlikely this would really be his last time here and that gave him some comfort. He looked at Crookshanks curled up on the hearthrug in front of the fireplace and sighed.

"I guess I'd better get to bed. It's going to be an interesting day tomorrow, Crookshanks."

Harry ascended the stairs to his dormitory and opened the door. One quick glance around told him that all his roommates were already sleeping. Slowly he pulled on his pajamas and climbed into bed. Twitching the hangings around his bed closed, Harry shut out the night and fell into a deep sleep.


"Up! Get up!" Ron shouted as he ripped open the velvet curtains. Dazzling sunlight blinded Harry, who rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Come on, Harry, we're leaving today!"

Harry groaned. He had never been a morning person and this was not how he usually liked to be awoken in the morning. "What happened to being sad?" he mumbled.

"I thought last night. No more Hogwarts means no more Snape, no more Trelawney, no more detentions, no more exams, and no more homework! You can't tell me you'll miss all of that."

"No, but I miss sleeping. What time is it?" Harry muttered, desperately trying to stay awake long enough to tell Ron off.

Ron laughed. "Seven."

Harry sat straight up. "What! The train doesn't leave until eleven!"

"I know. But I thought you'd want to say good-bye to everyone."

Falling backwards onto his pillow, Harry moaned, "No. I can say bye on the train or in the station, or not at all…"

"Oh, sorry," Ron apologized. "I just thought, you know…never mind. Go back to sleep."

"Its too late now. I'm awake and I won't be able to sleep again," Harry said, rolling out of bed and laughing at his reflection in the mirror. His hair stood up more than ever and his cheek was red where he'd slept on it.

"Wonderful," he joked. "I'm taking a shower and then heading down for breakfast. Will you all wait for me?"

Ron nodded and headed to the common room.

Twenty minutes later, Harry, now awake and presentable, met up with his friends near the fireplace. The common room was rowdy as ever and it was difficult to hear any one person speak. Rolling his eyes, Ron motioned for everyone to follow and they headed down to the Great Hall.

"Just think, this is our last breakfast here," Hermione said sadly as she loaded her plate up.

"Yeah," Ron agreed with an insanely huge grin on his face.

"No more classes," Hermione continued with a frown.

"No more classes!"

"No more homework," she seemed near tears now.

"No more homework!" Ron sighed, barely able to contain his excitement, though Harry strongly suspected that Hermione mistook his glee for sorrow.

"I'll miss the library," sighed Hermione.

"The libr—The library?" asked Ron in disbelief. "Of all the things here, you'll miss the library? What kind of person are you?" he continued, as if she were something from another planet.

"Yes, Ron, I'll miss the library. And I'm a completely normal person, thank you very much."

Harry shook his head at his friends and busied himself with his food. He stopped suddenly. "Do you remember that time you lied to McGonagall for us, Hermione? Back in first year?"

She nodded. "Of course I wouldn't have had to lie if you and Ron hadn't locked me in the bathroom with a troll," she joked.

"You know, what I remember most is Valentine's Day in our second year. Ginny wrote Harry that hideous song!" Ron teased.

"It wasn't that bad," Harry said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Don't lie," Ginny said shortly. "It was horrible. But Fred and George made me do it."

"Yes, but you were still the one who wrote it," Ron said pointedly.

Ginny blushed a deep red. "Well, how about you, Ron. Does the Yule Ball ring any bells?"

Now it was Ron's turn to flush crimson. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ginny was on a roll, so she continued. "I'll refresh your memory. I seem to recall a certain red-haired boy waiting until the last minute to ask a certain girl whom everyone knew he liked to the ball. Then said boy got all mad because that girl already had a date." She smirked at her brother. "If my memory serves me right, that boy refused to dance all night and sat glaring at his crush and her date."

By now, Ron was, if possible redder than his hair, and Hermione was smirking mischievously.

"What's even funnier was Harry's description of the first time someone kissed him. Notice I said when 'someone kissed him,' not his first kiss. See, he didn't kiss her back, and the only thing he had to say about it was that it was, and I quote, 'wet,'" Hermione shot at Harry.

"In my defense can I say that I didn't know she was going to do it?"

"No!" shouted Ron. "You knew full well she liked you. Besides, you were standing under the mistletoe!"


"GOOD-BYE!" shouted Ron as their carriage carried them past the gates of Hogwarts' grounds.

"Aren't you going to miss it?" Hermione asked quietly as she stared back up the lawns at the castle.

"Nope!" Ron said as he settled into the warm seat.

"Not at all?"

"Uh-uh."

"But you've spent the last seven years of your life there."

"Why are you so determined to depress me on a glorious day like this?"

Hermione shrugged.

Shaking his head, Ron changed the subject. "So, Harry, when are tryouts?"

"Two days."

"That doesn't give you much time," Ron said.

"I'd just as soon get it over with then let it all drag out."

"Ron, you never said what you were planning on doing after school," Ginny said.

"Well, I was going to get a job at the Ministry but that's kind of out of the question right now. I think I'm going to take time off until this whole You-Know-Who thing gets sorted out."

"For Heavens sake, Ron, say Voldemort. It's not like he's going to come swooping down on you every time you say his name," said Hermione in exasperation. "And you could help sort 'this whole You-Know-Who thing' out if you studied with me to be an auror. You did take all the necessary classes so it would be a shame to waste it all."

"Maybe," said Ron placidly. Harry got the feeling Ron had said that more to shut Hermione up than because he actually agreed.

"Well, I don't know about you all but I have had enough of the Dark Arts to last me more than a lifetime," said Harry. "I personally think, for me, that Quidditch is the only way to go."

"It is the only way to go, Harry," said Ginny loudly. "Snape kicked you out of his Potions class, remember."

The carriage came to a stop at the station. As they stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, Harry said, "Well there you go. I couldn't be an auror if I wanted to."

Ron led the way to the train where they hoped to be one of the first on board. They wanted to get an empty compartment before all the other ones had been taken. No such luck. The train was already full of rambunctious kids. Luckily, they found an empty compartment near the back and were able to keep any other nosey students out.

As the train lurched into motion, Ginny asked quietly, "Hermione, where are you staying since…you know?"

"With you," she said abruptly. "At least till your brother and I leave for training."

Ron shot her a double take. "Training? For what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Auror training, Ron," she said exasperatedly.

Ron shook his head at Harry.

As the train sped through the countryside, Harry and his friends changed out of their robes and back into Muggle clothes. Soon after the lady with the lunch trolley came by, Ginny had fallen asleep, Ron sat staring out the window, Hermione read the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, and Harry polished his Firebolt. He wondered silently when Ron planned on popping the question to Hermione. As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long.

As two o'clock neared, Ron became a lot more fidgety. Finally, he heaved a great sigh and broke the silence.

"Mione, can I ask you something?"

Harry looked up quickly at Ron before shaking Ginny awake. "Ginny and I are going for a walk," he said as they both left the compartment, Ginny with a very confused look on her face. Harry closed the door behind him and made sure Ron saw him heading away before he turned back around and pressed his ear against the wall. From where he stood, he could see Ron and Hermione inside, but not be seen himself.

"You're going to want to hear this, too," he told Ginny quietly.

Hermione followed the pair with her eyes. "Sure," she answered, returning to her reading.

Ron scooted closer to her and took the newspaper from her hands. Intrigued, Hermione looked at him. Anything that caused Ron to come between her and her reading must have been important.

Harry caught Ginny's eye and smiled knowingly as Ron continued. "You know I love you, right?" he said.

Ginny's eyes went round as Galleons and she reached for Harry's hand.

Hermione nodded, clearly thinking Ron had lost his mind.

"And you know I'd do anything for you?"

Again, Hermione nodded. Ron fumbled with something small in his hand and insanely huge grins played across Harry and Ginny's faces.

Ron took one last deep breath and plunged ahead. "Then will you—," he stopped. Looking away he said, "Never mind. It's stupid."

Harry opened his mouth to tell Ron not to be a git and finish what he started, but stopped as Ron turned back around to face Hermione. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" he blurted.

Hermione appeared taken aback and Harry feared she would turn Ron down. She put a hand over her mouth and breathed, "What?"

"Will you marry me?" Ron asked more slowly this time, sliding a plain ring onto her finger.

She nodded after another moment and threw her arms around Ron's neck. Ginny smirked and loudly said, "It took you two long enough!"

Hermione pulled away from Ron and threw open the door to find the two, ears still pressed against the wall before shooting back, "Now that's not quite fair considering it took Harry six years to ask you out too. We all knew it would happen someday, we just didn't know when."

Harry shrugged in defeat.

The rest of the train ride home was very pleasurable indeed. Hermione and Ron managed to make it the whole way home without bickering about a single thing and with no Malfoy to torment them anymore, the trip turned out to be very pleasurable.

Soon, the train was pulling into Kings Cross Station. Harry spotted Bill's flaming red hair and he vaguely wondered how he would react to Ron's news.

"Bill!" Ginny squealed as she sprinted from the train and threw her arms around her oldest brother.

"Well? How was it?" Bill asked as the rest of the group caught up to Ginny.

"I don't even know where to begin," said Ron exasperatedly.

The stories from the year carried them home and part of the way through dinner at a cheap hamburger restaurant. Hermione finished her food a while before everyone else and sat with her chin in her hand, gazing out the window. Bill looked up at her to ask her what was wrong, but he stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of her hand.

"Is that a new ring?" he asked, reaching across the table to take her hand.

Hermione nodded.

"And who gave it to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ron."

Harry found it more entertaining to watch Ron instead of Hermione and Bill. Ron first went pale as a sheet of newsprint before heading swiftly for a deep shade of magenta.

"And what was the occasion?" he asked. Harry was surprised at the oily tone his voice took. Even more surprising was that Hermione still answered truthfully.

"We're going to be married!" she said excitedly. Ron sank so low in his chair that you could barely see the tips of his flaming hair.

"Oh, are you?" said Bill in mock excitement.

Hermione nodded.

Bill glanced at Ron and back to Hermione. "When?"

"When what?"

"When did it happen? When are you planning on going through with it?"

Ron sat up and answered before Hermione. "Today and not for a while."

"Huh?"

"I did it today on the train home and I don't plan on marrying her for a while. I want to wait till things cool down with…him…before I do anything," Ron said quickly.

"How wonderful!" Harry noticed the fake enthusiasm again. "We'll talk about this at home, you two."

Back at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny both went to their rooms to unpack. Harry noticed that Hermione and Ron both tried to escape also, but Bill called them into the kitchen to have their discussion before they even made it to the stairs. Half an hour later, both Harry and Ginny were back downstairs in the living room while everyone else sat in the kitchen.

"I knew they'd have a time getting this past Bill," Ginny said solemnly after another half hour of listening to Bill explain to Ron and Hermione why they were to young to be married.

"I wondered how he was going to do it," admitted Harry.

"What's even funnier is that Bill will let them do it in the end."

Harry looked at her questioningly.

"He knows they love each other and all that. This is just for show. He can't be too willing to let them go or he looks like a bad guardian. But you just wait and see if it doesn't turn out like I said."

Harry shrugged. "And that's why I keep you around. You point out the obvious for me."

Ginny looked at him incredulously. "You keep me around? Sweetie, this is my house! I keep you around," she joked.

"Either way!"


After much arguing and pleading, Hermione and Ron were given Bill's blessing, just as Ginny predicted. To Harry's surprise, Ron followed through on his promise to wait until Voldemort had been taken care of and set a date for the wedding some three years later. Ron, like Harry assumed that things were coming to a head at the moment and in no time the final battle for good and evil would take place. Not that Harry was at all pleased with this idea.

However, Harry was no stranger to good news. Just two days after his last day of school, tryouts for Puddlemere United took place. Harry felt on the whole that he could have done a bit better, but as Oliver Wood was kind enough to point out, Harry could be no worse than the Seeker on the team now. After three days of waiting, Harry finally got the owl that told him he had been accepted as Puddlemere United's new Seeker, a cause for much celebration in the Weasley household. His actual games wouldn't start till the end of August, when he would be required to move out of the Burrow and into a rather large flat closer to the team's headquarters.

N.E.W.T.s came shortly after the news of Harry's acceptance, and Harry found he could not complain with the results. He'd long since given up entertaining the idea of going on to become an auror, but Ron and Hermione on the other hand had not. They both received enough N.E.W.T.s to go on to start their training, which they did. The preliminary preparation was rushed a bit, given the circumstances, and within the month they were being asked to study abroad.

Only Ginny would have remained at home during the end of the summer holidays. However, because she was only sixteen, Bill was able to convince the Order and his superiors at Gringotts to allow him to stay with her until she returned to Hogwarts in September.

With a heavy heart, Harry entered Ron and Hermione's final week at the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were spending what would turn out to be, according to the weatherman, the last day of sunshine that week on their broomsticks, zooming around the Weasley's pitch. Fresh air and Quidditch had always had an exhausting effect on Harry, so it didn't surprise him in the least when he felt ready to turn in around nine. With a murmured apology, Harry left the living room for the comfort of his own bed.

Harry awoke early the next morning (he supposed it was drawing close to six) from a very strange dream. It had taken place back in the Department of Mysteries, and he'd been watching his friends being tortured using various weapons. He supposed that had to be the weapon that Dumbledore had been so keen to avoid. But that couldn't be right. Hadn't he said it had to do with his heart?

In one swift movement, Harry rose from his bed. He was tired of never knowing, of being left in the dark and always having to guess at things. Enough was enough. If no one was going to tell him of their own free will, he would make them do it. He dressed quickly and tiptoed down the stairs, leaving a note on the kitchen table telling his friends he'd gone to Grimmauld Place and would be back soon. With a faint pop, he Dissapparated from the room.

Harry's heart beat a steady drum roll against his chest as he let himself into the decaying house. This was the first time he'd returned here since his godfather's death. In the past he'd avoided the place like the plague. Now, it seemed a bit surreal to be back of his own accord.

He crept silently past the old picture of Sirius' mother and headed down to the kitchen. He knew someone was usually down there no matter what time of the day or night. Even if he found the room empty, it wouldn't be too long before someone came down to join him.

As he expected, he heard voices coming through the closed door. Hesitating for only a moment, he knocked and stepped in.

"Umm…Hi," he said a bit lamely as Tonks, Lupin, and Snape all stopped talking and turned to face him.

"Hello, Harry," said Lupin cheerily. "And what brings you here this time of the morning?" He stopped and looked at Harry questioningly. "You didn't have another dream, did you?"

"No, I didn't." The lines on Lupin's face softened ever so slightly. "Well, actually, I did, but it wasn't one of my visions. I think it was just a dream, but I need to be absolutely certain." He paused and took a breath, "And I have some questions I want to ask you."

"As fascinating as Potter's story is sure to be, I have business I need to take care of," Snape said as he rose from the table. "Good day to you." With that, he swept from the room.

Harry frowned after his old professor and turned to the other two in the room. Tonks rose apologetically from her seat and said, "I am sorry, Harry, but I have to get to bed. Another long night."

"Where were you?" Harry asked. He knew that Tonks was an auror, but he also knew that the Ministry building was under the control of Voldemort's Death Eaters. He was very curious to know where the Ministry of Magic was operating from, since Hermione and Ron weren't really aurors yet and therefore were not permitted to know either.

"Ahhh, it wouldn't be a secret if you were meant to know, now would it?" she said wisely as she left the room.

"See, that's what I came to talk to you about. Everyone treating me like I can't know things for my own good."

"Sit down, Harry," Lupin said in an almost fatherly manner. He looked at the cup of tea sitting in front of him and offered Harry a glass, which he refused. "Maybe it would be best if you started from the beginning. Tell me about this dream."

For the next ten minutes, Harry related every detail he could remember of the dream. When he finished, Lupin just sat there, much to Harry's dismay.

"What do you think it means?" he asked finally, when it became clear Lupin wasn't going to answer.

"Harry," Lupin said after a moment, "maybe its time that I did some explaining."

Harry settled himself back in his chair as if preparing to listen to a good bedtime story. Lupin chuckled a bit and muttered something about Harry being so much like his father. The humorous mood quickly left the room, though, as Lupin began to speak.

"I suppose you want to know what this weapon is." Harry nodded. "The first thing that you must know is that Dumbledore kept the whole truth from you for a good reason. He feared your reaction, and he still does. But now I see no choice but to tell you. Rather, I see no reason not to tell you. Voldemort knows about it, so even if he were still capable of invading your mind, it wouldn't be anything new to him. Anyway, it seems that your being left in the dark has resulted in nothing but bad things.

"What we were trying to keep from Voldemort was who you were close to, who you cared deeply about, because we feared he might use that against you." Harry sat up straighter. "Anyone you love or who loves you is in danger. Now, don't think we all don't know that. It's something we've had to deal with since the first day we met you. What we're more afraid of is that if something should happen to any of us you'd come after us.

"When you mastered Occlumency last year, you made things a bit more difficult for Voldemort. He could no longer show you fake images of those you loved, as he did with Sirius. I only hope that even if he had, you would not have fallen for it again. Now, he had to actually go after the person in order for you to see. I don't understand why you can still see anything but as it's helped us in the past, I'm not going to complain.

"Well, now you know what this weapon is, Harry. It's not some curse or instrument of torture. In fact, it's something Voldemort could never hope to understand because he's never been exposed to it, not that he won't try his hardest. It's love that can be used against you."

Harry sat in stunned silence for a while. "So, anyone I care about isn't safe? Voldemort could go after them so I'll come to him?"

"I'm afraid so. But the thing is, you must not go, no matter what."

"How can you say that?" Harry hissed quietly. "How can you tell me to sit back and watch my friends get hurt? Of course, I'd go after them! They'd do the same for me!"

"No, you mustn't. That's just what Voldemort would want. You'd be playing right into his hands."

"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" Harry asked angrily, folding his arms across his chest and avoiding eye contact with Lupin.

"The best thing you could do would be telling the Order. We'd go and get them."

"That's not good enough. They shouldn't be taken at all," Harry snapped.

Lupin sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about that, unless you happen to be there at the time. And even Voldemort's not stupid enough to attempt to do that. He's seen the way you get when he messes with your loved ones, and I think you've got him frightened."

"What do you mean?"

"He's finally recognizing you for an equal, not just some little boy. They always said Dumbledore was the only one he ever feared, but I think it is safe to add you to that list now."

The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes, Lupin sipping his tea and watching Harry, who sat idly staring at his hands.

"I'm going to leave," he said finally.

"So soon? I was hoping you'd stay and talk a bit more. It's so dreary around here now that everyone's left," said Lupin.

Harry sat confused for a moment, before realizing that he'd confused his professor. "No," he explained. "I'm leaving the Burrow."

Lupin shook his head. "See, this is exactly what Dumbledore feared."

"But I've got to," Harry argued. "I've got a flat I can stay in once August gets here, and I suppose until then I can rent one."

"Why not stay here, if you must leave the Weasleys?"

"Are you kidding?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I'd lead them right to you all."

"I don't suppose there's any use in attempting to change your mind?"

"None whatsoever. I have to leave them. I can't let Voldemort...No."

"Very well. Perhaps a week alone in a dark apartment will make you come around. You do know this means you'll have to have a secret keeper. We can't have you out there in plain sight of all Voldemort's supporters. That would be too easy for him."

"I want you to do it," said Harry.

"Fine. But what do you plan on telling the Weasleys?"

"I've got it worked out."

Lupin shook his head. "I don't know why you're doing this, but you do know I'll have to tell Professor Dumbledore."

Harry nodded resolutely.

"Then good-bye, Harry. I sure hope you know what you're doing."


Harry looked around his room on last time. Everything he owned had been hastily packed into his old Hogwarts chest and a few cardboard boxes. He bewitched everything to make it feather light and shrank the boxes down so Hedwig could carry them to a tiny flat he'd rented recently.

Before Hedwig took off, she gave a low mournful hoot and turned a pleading amber eye to Harry, who shook his head stubbornly. Slowly Hedwig took off and soared out of sight.

With a sigh, Harry threw a last glance at his bare walls, picked up his wand from his bedside table and strode from his room for what he thought would be the last time.

"You have to do it," he whispered to himself. He knew there was not other way. Harry had to separate himself from the Weasleys and he had the perfect way to do it. He'd only have to hurt one person, well two if he counted himself. The only problem was, the person he'd have to upset was the last person in the world he'd want to cause any pain.

As he thought, Harry reached the landing in front of Ginny's door. Shaking, he pushed the door open and found her lying on her bed reading a book. His first thought was that he should join her, but he held himself back.

"Ginny," he said. She looked up from her book and smiled.

"What's up?"

"Ginny," Harry started again. "I don't want to be with you anymore," he said hastily.

"What? Why?" She suddenly stopped. "Harry, I know why you're doing this and you don't have to. We all know the dangers that come with caring about you. That doesn't change anything."

"No. Its not because of Voldemort," he lied hastily. He thought, searching for the thing that would infuriate her most. "I just…I can't be tied down now that I'm out of Hogwarts. I want to be able to have fun. It's nothing against you as a person."

"Harry, stop. You shouldn't joke about things like that." She stood up and faced him, leaning in to kiss his lips. He pulled away.

"This isn't a joke," he said firmly to hid the shakiness in his voice. His eyes stung as he fought back his tears. Harry thought he'd have to deal with tears from her, but he never expected what actually happened. With all the strength Ginny could muster, she slapped Harry hard across the face. Harry's hand flew to his cheek as Ginny pulled her hand back again. She tried to slap him again, but he caught her wrist, and she tore away from him and sat down on her bed, hiding her face. Harry wanted nothing more than to hold her, to take everything back, but he knew he couldn't.

He headed toward the door. "I'm leaving here," he said. With one last glance back at Ginny, who was now sitting motionless on her bed, silent tears streaming down her face, Harry stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. He listened for a moment, expecting to hear her sobbing or storming after him, but he heard nothing.

Harry drew a last shaky breath and Apparated to his new flat, were he collapsed onto a couch. With trembling hands, he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt down low over his eyes before curling into a ball. Hours later, he finally dropped into a light sleep.

Harry woke late the next morning. He opened his bleary eyes and saw Hedwig sitting happily on her new perch, Harry's things still fastened to her leg. He untied the parcels and threw them atop the small kitchen counter where they skidded to a stop next to a letter. One look told Harry that Ron had already found out about him and Ginny.

To stall a bit, Harry poured himself a glass of milk from the fully stocked fridge. He drained it and poured another glass. Finally, Harry, feeling he'd waited long enough, pulled the envelope toward him and ripped it open.

Harry,

What the hell do you think you're playing at! Why'd you go and lead my sister on like that? Here I am thinking that you two would end up married and all the sudden she's not good enough for the international Quidditch star! I hope you're happy; Ginny won't eat and she won't talk to anyone either. She just sits up in her room staring at the wall. You'd better have gotten all your stuff when you left, 'cause you are not coming back. Maybe Bill should've just left you with the Muggles.

Slowly, Harry crumpled the letter. As he finished the last of his milk, he tossed the paper into the wastebasket. At least he'd accomplished his goal. No one he cared about would ever want to talk to him again after that. But if he'd done what he'd set out to do, why did he feel so horrible?

Harry felt he should be happy that Ginny, Ron, and Bill weren't on Voldemort's hit list anymore. Rather than celebrating, Harry set to unpacking, feeling desperately alone.

"Ready to see if it works, Hedwig?" Harry asked a few hours later as he searched for the remote. Hedwig fluttered over to Harry, who was busy lifting up the couch cushions. She hooted impatiently and dropped the remote painfully on Harry's head.

"Ouch! Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said as the T.V. came to life.

"—ow, back to John at the news desk."

"Thanks, Rich," said a smiley newscaster as he straightened a stack of important looking papers.

"Look! It works!" Harry exclaimed proudly. The old owner of Harry's new flat hadn't been sure that the television would work, but with a little bit of magic and a lot of luck, it was up and running again.

Leaving the news on, Harry started to untape the last box. He straightened back up as a few words caught his attention.

"More killings, this time in Little Hangleton. Eyewitness accounts suggest at least twenty deaths.

Harry lowered himself slowly onto the couch.

"Speculations have been made as to whether or not the killing spree is related to the murders nearly two decades ago. We can only hope the killer or killers can be caught before they cause anymore grief," the reporter finished signing out. Harry noticed in the background an old moldering house. He'd seen it twice before; once in a dream, and once back in his fourth year, the night Voldemort had returned. Apparently Little Hangleton was Voldemort's hometown. But something was nagging at Harry. His scar, it hadn't hurt today.

"Hedwig, maybe its not Voldemort," he voiced. "but, then, maybe it was the Death Eaters.

Harry's brain hurt, it seemed. He desperately wished he had someone to talk to about all this. His first choice was Dumbledore, but he had no idea what the man did over the summer holidays. Harry's natural reaction after that was to turn to the Weasleys, but they weren't speaking to him. Harry ran through he rapidly thinning list of names in his mind and finally settled on Lupin. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be him. In the end, Harry decided he would finish unpacking, and then head over to Grimmauld place in hopes of catching him there.

As he opened the last box, Harry stopped. A framed photo of him and Ginny lay on top of his hastily folded clothes. Slowly, Harry picked it up to examine it more closely. He'd almost forgotten he'd taken that picture. It had been the night of the talent competition at Hogwarts. Harry could see people moving on the stage in the background. Ginny was gathered to Harry's chest, his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulders as he smiled for the camera. Ginny's head was tilted so her cheek rested against his and she too was grinning broadly, Harry's trophy in her hands.

In one swift movement, Harry had tossed the picture into the trashcan. There was a satisfying crunch as the glass shattered in the frame. Rethinking what he'd just done, Harry reached into the trash and pulled the picture back out. Carefully he carried the frame along with the shards of glass into his room. He reached for his wand and muttered "Reparo" before placing it one his bedside table.

Suddenly, a feeling of immense fatigue washed over Harry, who fell back on his pillow and was soon asleep.

Harry had a very strange dream that afternoon. He was back at the Burrow, only something was different about it now. It was silent. Harry wandered from room to room, finding each empty.

In Ginny's bedroom, Hermione's cloak lay shredded on the floor. Ginny's sheets were wrinkled and some thrown on the floor and the lamp that had sat next to her bed lay in pieces on the floor.

Harry's dream self dashed from the room and up the many flights of stairs to Ron's room. Outside the door, Harry found Bill. A sharp jolt of panic raced through Harry's body. Bill was dead. Harry knelt beside him and grabbed his wrist just to be sure. He breathed again as he felt a pulse, weak but steady and a pulse just the same. Harry stepped over Bill and into Ron's room where he found much the same situation as in Ginny's room.

Suddenly, Harry became aware that someone else was in the house. As the dream Harry turned slowly around, the real Harry started awake in bed.

Without hesitation, Harry Dissapparated with a tiny pop, reappearing again on the Weasley's front lawn. Shooing away a few stray chickens, he made his way up to their door. He pressed his ear against the wood and heard a clear voice calling, "Ginny, what do you want for lunch?" After a moment, he recognized the voice as Bill's.

Noiselessly, Harry crept to the nearest window and peered through it, taking care to stay out of sight. Bill was ushering Ginny into the kitchen.

Confused, Harry turned from the window and made his solitary way home again. When he entered his tiny apartment about an hour later (he had decided to walk to give himself time to think) and threw his key onto the counter, he had not yet worked out why his friends were still at the Burrow. According to his dream, the house should be empty now, except for Bill's unconscious body. He flopped onto the couch and turned on a pointless Muggle talk show.

A moment later, Hedwig flew with a satisfied hoot through an open window, dropping a note into Harry's lap. He recognized the neat script on the outside as Hermione's

"Why do you keep bringing me letters from them?" he asked his owl as she landed on his shoulder and nipped his ear in an affectionate way.

Shaking his head, he opened the letter and stared at Hermione's tiny cursive.

Harry,

Something's wrong, and don't think that just because you've fooled Ron and Ginny that I'm going to fall for it too. I've known you for seven years and I can tell when you're lying to me. Why did you leave the Burrow? You know you're safe here so that can't be the reason. Ginny assures me the two of you haven't had a row, and Bill says that even if you had, he still wouldn't have kicked you out. Leaving like that with no excuse except to have fun with your Quidditch team does not seem like the Harry I know.

Ginny mentioned something about suspecting that this all has something to do with Voldemort. She said she thought that might be the reason you were distancing yourself from us. Personally, Harry, I think that ought to offend us more than your lie. How could you think that we care so little about you that at the first sign of danger we would abandon you?

As I write this, the thought strikes me that maybe you worry that we care too much for you and that our love for you puts us in danger, so you fear for our safety. This seems a more logical explanation than the one before it. In that case, you need to know that we are aware of what danger we place ourselves in.

I'm not going to discuss my thoughts about all this with anyone so you don't have to worry about that. I am very aware that if you left here, you must have had a good reason. I've talked with Professor Lupin about it and he says not to worry about you, that you're in good hands, and Dumbledore knows what is going on. In any case, if they are positive you're safe then I can't argue with that, although I won't stop worrying about you until you're back here and Voldemort's gone. I just seriously want you to rethink what you've done to Ginny. She deserves the truth from you. I expect to hear back from you soon.

Love from,

Hermione

Harry shook his head with a weary smile, and Hedwig took off from her perch on his shoulder and landed on the kitchen counter next to a pad of paper. She hooted excitedly and blinked once with her large amber eyes. Harry rose from the couch and snatched up a quill from his bedroom.

Hermione,

You're right, as usual. I didn't really expect to pull the wool over your eyes; it was more a feeble hope. You're right that I lied to Ginny. The reason I left was not for my own pleasure at all. In fact, that was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I guess I can tell you why I left. I know if I don't you'll probably spend a few hours researching and you'll figure it out, no problem. I'm just doing this to save you time and energy.

I talked with Lupin and to make a long story short, I finally found out what the weapon really is that we knew so little about for years. Anyone I care about or who cares about me can be used to lure me to Voldemort, only now he has to use the real people and not some fake vision or something like that.

Lupin is right when he tells you not to worry about me. I'm some place safe and if Lupin's true to his word, only he and Dumbledore know where I am. I want it to stay that way.

I know I didn't go about the whole leaving thing in the best possible way but I panicked. One day I'll tell everyone the truth, but I'm going to ask that until then you keep my secret. I want to be the one who tells them, as it's my fault in the first place.

Now, I'm going to tell you something that is totally off the subject but I need to tell someone now or I'm going to burst. I'm sure you'll tell me to talk to Dumbledore and, rest assured, that's what I plan to do. This afternoon I had a strange dream. My scar didn't hurt so I know it wasn't a vision or anything. You and Ron had just gotten back to the Burrow (judging by the traveling cloak that I saw). I walked around the house and no one was there except Bill, and he was unconcious on the floor outside Ron's room, which was a mess. Ginny's room was also pretty much destroyed, and your cloak was shredded to bits. Then, I felt rather than saw someone in the house, but I woke up.

I got so worried that I went straight to check on them, but I saw Bill making Ginny lunch. What do you think this all means?

Well, I'm off to talk to Dumbledore.

Harry

He folded the letter up and tied it to Hedwig's leg. He took her to the window and said, "I'm going to Grimmauld Place so come there with her answer. I want to get it as soon as possible." Harry could have sworn she nodded in reply before soaring away.


Yes i know that the way that harry broke up with ginny is kinda unrealistic but it is supposed to be like that. thats why it was so easy for hermione to see right through it. also, even tho harry is trying to get away from ginny he still finds it difficult to lie to her so he comes up with something totally out of character. just thought id let u know so u didn't think it was too corney or something like that.