Hello is a greeting and farewell a goodbye. We say these phrases so often; it doesn't have much importance to daily life. They are only hard to accomplish if hello is for the first time and farewell for the last...

RATED R FOR REFERENCES!

Disclaimers: -and to her utter dismay, the author discovers yet again that Harry Potter doesn't belong to her, but to J.K Rowling-

Chapter Three: Hello and Farewell: Part one

You may not know this, but usually, in the winter, the sun does not rise until the day is late. Okay...so you may think now, what a stupid thing to say! Of course I knew that, what was the point? But, you see, some people are not aware simply because they are too busy with their lives to notice. This however was not the case for a certain ethereal figure, which on the day that would change the wizarding world forever, watched the sun rise. The truth was, he had all the time in the world now to see the vibrant orange rays peak over the horizon of the cornfield and begin to lazily light up the grass on the hill in which the figure sat on. The character wrapped the billowing cloak around his colourless body and features. You would have thought he did this because it was winter and he was cold, right?

Wrong.

The almost gauzy figure could no longer feel the cold of the harsh winter frost, or the pleasing heat from the sun. In fact, no longer could external feelings be experienced any more. It's hard to explain, but it was like his whole body was numb, or immune to what the weather would usually do to his skin, and to his mind. In a way, this was good for him, because all there was to focus on was the emotional prospect of the situation he had been thrown into.

He didn't effectively, with lack of a better word to describe it, know what to do. It now felt like he was a stranger, in this world the figure did not belong anymore, yet; somehow, he was stuck here. The stranger was lost, and all he could do was watch the sunrise as it began to show the dark clouds that had formed over the night. All he could do was wait; wait for the time when Ginny and the rest of her family would wake up to the new day.

There was a knock on Ginny's bedroom door where she was getting ready. She wore garments that included a black, melancholic dress which ran down all the way to her ankles and had a low neck line, a hat which a fishnet veil hung over the front so no one would see her face and shoes which were also black. The reason being for these rather depressing items of clothing was that today was the funeral of the great Harry Potter.

Of course, he hadn't been the only one who died; this service was not just for Harry, but also for everyone who had tragically lost their lives. The list included a few of the Hogwart's teachers; Professor Flitwick, Professor Trelawney; also Remus Lupin had lost his life while saving his only love, Tonks. Many other people had also died. Families had lost fathers, sons, mothers and daughters who had all fought bravely or had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If all these deaths weren't enough pain for the Weasley family, Charlie was missing. Everyone had reason to believe the remaining Death eaters had captured him; attacks were still frequent across the country.

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing down her dress before going to answer the person at the door who was now calling her name and knocking for the third time.

"Ginny, Mum says we're going in ten minutes." A some-what agitated Ron said at the door, Harry's death had been a major blow on him too. Dark circles hung under his eyes that showed how sleepless his nights had been. He had been Harry's best friend after all. "So, make sure you're ready by then."

Ginny gave her brother a slow smile, one that was strained and seemed to be a stranger on her features.

"Fine," Ginny said, before closing the door. Ron stuck his foot in the door, causing her to give him an odd look.

"Um, Gin just wondering, are you alright?" How many times had she been asked that question lately? She knew they were just concerned but still, answering it with either a nod or a grunt was getting quite irritating. However, today Ginny decided to use a bit of variety to answer Ron properly.

"I'm okay, considering." Her gaze fell down to her shoes that were newly polished and her hat tipped slightly over her forehead. Ron was silent, as if he didn't know what to say.

"Are you going to be okay out there?"

Ginny's answer was merely a grunt.

"I mean, both me and Hermione are here if you need us as well as mum and the others."

Another grunt.

"This is going to be tough for all of us, so try to smile."

Another grunt, yet again.

"Oh yeah, and one last thing Gin."

"What?" Ginny snapped, just wanting him to leave her alone. Suddenly Ron's gaze fell to her dress and a frown creased her brows.

"Don't you think that dress its, well…" Ginny watched as her brother's face grew steadily a more crimson colour and he became more uncomfortable before finally whispering. "It's a bit…a little…revealing."

That was the last straw for Ginny, who suddenly threw the door at Ron, slamming his foot in the process. All the way down the hall, Ron's howls could be heard as he stumbled down the stairs. His yelps gave her perhaps a tiny bit of satisfaction, only a little. Ginny trudged back towards the mirror to examine her morbid appearance, mostly to look at the dress. Fair enough, the dress did come down rather low at the cleavage, but at the time, that had been the idea. Back at a point when all she was worried about was what she looked liked, for Harry. A moment in time when everyone put their worries about the war behind them, just for the night…

"Damn, out of butterbeer." Ginny muttered under her breath while examining the jug, which had once carried everyone's most favoured drink. Sighing heavily, she bent down under the table to search for a full jug to please the queue that was forming in front of her. Ginny didn't know what she had signed herself up for when she volunteered to do the drinks stall for the seventh years going away party. Being a sixth year, she wasn't supposed to be here at all, but she and the rest of the students in her year had been given the chance to help out. The name, Ginny Weasley had been the first one on the list.

The reason being, this was the year Harry Potter was leaving Hogwarts, so that would make him illegible to be at he party. Or would it? Harry hadn't exactly been around much lately for reasons that escaped Ginny, in fact, neither had Ron or Hermione. Sometimes they would be there, but most of the year, they just weren't. Ginny presumed it had something to do with Voldemort, because whenever she asked Harry, Ron or Hermione they would all suddenly look terribly afraid of something and say, 'Its nothing that could put you in danger'. Put her danger? More like put her in total misery! She hadn't had a proper conversation with Harry really since they broke up. Ginny wanted more than anything to get back together with him.

Unfortunately, she was beginning to think her efforts into dressing up for him were going to waste. Harry hadn't turned up. Ginny had gone out especially to find the perfect, sleek, long dress, which did up around the neck and was extremely low cut, just something to give him the initiative. It was making any boy who looked her, effectively drool, but not the boy she wanted, and why would that be? Oh yeah, that's right, he wasn't there.

Ginny straightened up, heaving an especially heavy jug of butterbeer onto the table. Doing her best, she tried to pour the right amount while ignoring where Seamus's eyes were looking. Let's face it, it would creep anyone out.

"Here's your drink." She said, giving Seamus a dirty look as well as his butterbeer, "Enjoy." She smirked before moving onto the next customer, who happened to be another staring guy.

Eventually, an hour passed; everyone seemed to have found something stronger than butterbeer from someone else and Ginny was allowed a break. Frustrated, because Harry still hadn't turned up, she leaned back against the wall behind her and the drink's table.

Why wasn't he here? What could possibly be taking so long? And WHY was the music so loud?

The loud bopping that came from somewhere in the room was causing her ears to ring and the claustrophobic lighting was making her feel faint. Ginny also felt dizzy and perhaps a little sick, she needed to go lie down, perhaps just go to bed. Since he honestly wasn't coming…

Suddenly the music stopped abruptly.

The room fell into a mixture of angry shouts at why the party had come to a halt and whispers as three people came into the room. One, which Ginny's eyes were permanently fixed on; Harry, Ron and Hermione were officially in the building.

Ginny let out a strangled gasp, Harry, even at the Yule ball, had never looked so…so…handsome! Of course, there was his beautiful eyes, his great smile, but now he filled out his dress robes in a way which now was making her drool, and…and…

"MY GOD, he has sexy hair!" Ginny whispered with delight and absolute amazement on how he'd managed to keep it flat. A smile tweaked the corners of her mouth, oh was she going to have fun tonight.

Ron and Hermione were the first to spot her.

"GINNY!" Hermione shouted as the music started up and she ran over to embrace the girl, "It's so good to see you!" Hermione was still screaming, since the music was loud again. Ron casually walked over and gave Ginny a manly nod.

"Doing alright sis?" he asked, Ginny nodded, although not really realizing what he'd said, being too occupied of trying to get a good look at the sexiness that was the boy of his dreams. Ron's tall height had blocked her view.

Deciding to go and say hello to him herself since Harry hadn't come over, she stepped from out behind the drinks table and pushed past Ron and Hermione to get to the jet-black haired boy, standing in the middle of the dance floor. Harry suddenly averted his stare to the floor as Ginny walked out. She frowned, as she got closer, there was no mistaking that he looked incredibly awkward for some reason.

"Hello Harry." She grinned cheerfully, trying to get his attention. Harry quickly looked up before going back to the floor and mumbling something that sounded like a hello back.

Then there was a silence, an awkward one. Well what had she expected? They were ex boyfriend and girlfriend after all.

"So…how you have been?" she asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"I'm…err..." There was something in his behaviour that struck as odd. He'd never stuttered or stumbled when he talked to her before…even after the break up in the few words they had exchanged. "I…I'm"

"You're…" Ginny prompted, sounding as if she was a mother trying to teach a toddler how to speak properly.

"I'm fine!" he spoke up, quite loudly and Ginny gave him a satisfied nod and even in the dark, she could see his cheeks were flushed. He was…embarrassed? What about? Ginny gave him a slightly puzzled look before he pushed his gaze back to the floor and mumbled something no one could have picked up.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked kindly. It seemed suddenly there was an enraging battle going on in his mind and he was struggling with himself to say the right thing.

"Youlooknicetonight." He said, all at once and Ginny still didn't get it.

"Harry, I can't hear you, can you…"

"I said…I said!" and suddenly, frustrated it seemed, Harry turned and ran into the other direction. His face was ablaze with curious embarrassment leaving Ginny utterly perplexed. She turned to her brother and Hermione, who had been watching the scene with amused interest.

"Sis, did you have to make him all flustered? This is his first time back at Hogwarts in a while after all." Ginny gave Ron a look that simply said, 'what are you going on about'. Ron puffed out his chest, proud of getting one over his sister and stepped forward.

"I mean, what can a guy do if the girl he has been talking about non-stop turns up to a party in an incredibly, um," Ron coughed, as if to hide the awkwardness from his tone, "Revealing item of clothing." Hermione was now giggling senselessly at this comment.

A look at apprehension dawned on Ginny's face and she looked back in the direction where Harry had run. She had forgotten all about how awkward Harry sometimes got with girls; it had just slipped her mind when she had gone dress hunting. The biggest grin spread across from ear to ear. Oh, this was going to be fun…

Ginny suddenly found herself in a church, a muggle one in a small village. No longer was she at the seventh year party with Ron and Hermione, but at Harry's funeral. She was once again reminded that Harry was dead, dead and gone. Suddenly afraid Ginny's head revolved around the room to realize that everyone was looking at her for some reason.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Ginny thought desperately, as the gazes still hadn't left her.

Someone on her left nudged her sharply in the arm, and Ginny discovered it was Hermione.

"It's your turn to go up!" Hermione whispered, pointing to the stand. Ginny looked from her friend to where she was gesturing to while her brain was processing this information. Eventually, Ginny rose from her seat and began to make her way towards the stand, to speak a few words about her beloved Harry. Ginny glided down the church aisle, the eyes of the people who were attending the funeral never left her moving form. Not even when she faced them while at the stand, did their attention waver.

Ginny looked upon them all, waiting for her to start. Fear coursed through her like nothing before, her heart was thrashing wildly in her chest. It felt too much all of a sudden. Ginny swallowed a large lump before even thinking of beginning.

"I…I first met…" The curious muggle invention that was named, a microphone suddenly screeched in protest as Ginny was too near. The gathering broke out into murmurings and Ginny stared at the device in horror before moving her head back slightly.

"I first met Harry at…" The wires of the microphone were suddenly wrapped around her feet and Ginny stopped to shake them off. She didn't want any more public humiliation than she was already facing.

"I first met Harry at Kings cross…" Ginny's attempt to free herself from the wires had failed, because suddenly, as she took a step back, her feet became more tangled and found herself flipping backwards and landing on the ground with a large thump.

Everyone in the church gasped and the murmurs became loud enough so they echoed round the church. Meanwhile, Ginny lay on her back as tears suddenly blurred her sight. This was not how the funeral was meant to go. All she wanted was to make her last farewell to Harry, the way he'd wanted it, she'd got it in a quiet muggle town where there was no wizard press to be seen. And now, she was messing it up, and big time.

Ginny then found herself fleeing as the tears free fell until she burst through the doors. A few people jumped to their feet from their places, in an attempt to pull her back. Ginny, however carried on running in a flurry of black material and ginger hair that whipped behind her. Stumbling through the gravestone and tombs of the muggle dead, Ginny almost broke down the rust covered iron gate to be free of the gloom-filled grounds. She passed down country lanes and roads with beautiful cottages aligning them; having no clue where she was actually going.

So, that was the reason she didn't see the vaporous, eerie figure standing right in front of her. This was the reason why they collided.

A/N: Hope you liked my Elvis reference! Chapter four is in the middle of writing  I bet you can't wait to find out who the stranger is…Review!