Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all that other stuff that goes along with Harry Potter belongs to Jk Rowling. The song Clark Gable belongs to the Postal Service.

Life In Every Word

Chapter Two

I was waiting for a cross-town train
In the London Underground
When it struck me
That I'd been waiting since birth to find
A love that would look and sound
Like a movie

A wand was held to Ginny's chest as she breathed heavily, her face scared and her movements unsure. Harry stood in the corner wanting to help, but he couldn't move. Dumbledore had cursed him so that no matter what, he couldn't twitch a muscle. He wanted to yell to her, to tell her not to fight, but he couldn't. She didn't seem to notice his lifeless figure in the corner, and he wondered vaguely if he had been disillusioned.

"Either fight or we kill her," Snape snapped, and Harry saw that the wand held to her chest was steady. Snape wasn't nervous. Harry assumed Snape had been talking to him, meaning that he could see him. But why couldn't Ginny? Or was she avoiding looking at him? She must be angry, probably because of what happened at Dumbledore's funeral. She hadn't wanted to break up, but truth be told, neither did he.

He tried to call her name, to tell her he was sorry. He was so focused on making Ginny look at him that it took a few seconds for what Snape had just said to sink in. Fight or we kill her. They were going to kill Ginny, he had to do something! But he still couldn't break that damn spell, his limbs were frozen. Why did Dumbledore have to charm him? Inside, he was screaming, crying, doing anything to get them to stop from hurting Ginny, but outside... he was numb.

"Fine, we'll kill her! Draco, do it!"

Harry then noticed Malfoy in the corner, his wand held in his hand, shaking out of control. He, unlike Snape, must be nervous. He didn't move at Snape's orders, but his eye's were darting all around.

"Draco!" Snape shouted. "DO IT! Do it or he'll kill you! He'll kill your entire family!"

For a fleeting second, Harry wondered why Snape was trying to help Malfoy. Wasn't Snape on their side? But wait, if he was on their side, he shouldn't be holding that wand to Ginny's chest. Then it all came rushing back to Harry... Dumbledore's tired body slumping slowly down the wall, pleading with Snape to save him. Snape's eyes, cold and dark, angry. And then Snape whispering the spell, the spell that made everything go wrong.

It had been Snape. Snape was the one who murdered Dumbledore. Harry felt a rush of hatred and anger surge through this veins, but not all of it was directed towards Snape. Some was directed towards Dumbledore. Had the old man been so quick to trust, so ready to see the good in everyone, that it had killed him in the end? Harry felt miserable, because he realized that now he truly was alone, and he needn't have been. Dumbledore could have prevented his death, he didn't have to trust Snape! The old man had been foolish, really, and Harry felt as though he had abandoned Harry just when he needed him most.

Still, however, Harry blamed Snape for much of the damage. Snape still stood there, calm and ready to kill the only woman Harry had ever gotten a chance to love. As much as Harry wanted to fight, wanted to kill that greasy bastard, he knew he couldn't. He still couldn't move, and it was killing him inside.

Snape's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "DRACO! KILL THE GIRL! IT'S YOU OR HER THAT WILL DIE!"

Malfoy still didn't move, but tears were pouring down his terrified face. Suddenly, Moaning Myrtle appeared next to him, patting his back.

"Don't worry, Draco," she was saying. "If you die, we can truly be together."

Malfoy didn't respond to her, he just began to cry harder. Snape was glaring, Harry was still frozen, and Ginny shook, breathing heavily.

Then, suddenly, she turned her eyes directly on Harry. He looked back at her, but something was wrong. She wasn't acting normal, she wasn't acting as strong as usal. She opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her voice that drifted out.

"Harry, promise me you'll do whatever I tell you to," Dumbledore's voice said. She moved her mouth as though it was her saying it, but Harry thought it could have been Dumbledore just pretending to be her. But no, Dumbledore was dead. This wasn't right.

He didn't have time to ponder this, though, because the wand against her chest had begun to glow a deep red. Harry tried to scream out, to scream her name, to move and help her. But try as he might, his body fought with his brain. He couldn't do a thing but slowly watch her be destroyed.

"Promise me," Dumbledore/Ginny said, her eyes still on Harry, oblivious to the wand that was now glowing even brighter.

Suddenly, the dark tower they were in was filled with a sad, beautiful melody, as though it was Harry's very heart that was singing.

Then came a new voice, a voice that echoed throughout the room, but the speaker wasn't there. The voice was distant, and Harry couldn't understand what it was saying. He began to drift away from Ginny, even though he was still frozen. He drifted out of the window slowly, and as he looked around, he recognized the spot. It was the very place Dumbledore had fallen out of. For only a tiny portion of a second, he felt a wave of peacefulness pass. So this was how it would all end. This would be the end of Harry Potter.

Then, he was falling, falling fast. The ground was like a vast sea, coming at him faster and faster. He looked back up at the tower, and saw Ginny looking down at him from above. She looked sad, and she opened her mouth to speak.

"Harry, I'll never stop," she was saying, but instead of her voice being distant and far away, it was right in his ear. He stopped midfall and hung there, listening to her beautiful voice. "The world could be crashing down around me, and with my last dying thought, I'd wonder where you were."

Then he was falling again, and her face was gone from the window. The ground was rushing at him so fast, and he knew it would hurt like hell when he hit it. As he grew closer, he heard that voice he had heard from the tower distantly before, and he realized he could recognize the speaker, and then he understood the words.

"Harry, Harry wake up!" It was Hermione's voice, loud and clear.

The ground was a mere meter away, he was going to hit it.

"HARRY! It's just a dream!"

He blinked open his eyes and sat up, surprising Hermione, who had been leaning over him. She squealed and fell backwards, tripping over the bed that had been crammed into the tight little room.

Harry looked around, breathing a sigh of relief. He wasn't on the school grounds or in the astrology tower, it was just his old bedroom in Number 4, Privet Drive. The room was more crowded than normal, sure, but it was still the same room he had been forced to spend every summer in since he was eleven.

"Bad dream?" Ron asked with an attempted smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, reaching up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. As he did so, he noticed that his cheeks were damp with both sweat and tears.

"You kept screaming Ginny's name," Hermione said as she got up off the ground. She looked worried. "Was it one of your Voldemort dreams?"

"No," Harry got out of his bed and began to pace in the little amount of space between the beds. "No, this was just a normal dream. But it was horrible."

He looked up at Ron and Hermione, who had stayed on the bed, still looking a bit frightened. They looked concerned as well, though, and Harry felt a rush of gratitude that they were with him. He didn't know what he would have done without those two.

"I can't stay here any longer," he said miserably, putting his face into his hands. "I need to kill him for once and for all."

"Well," Hermione said. "Your birthday's tomorrow. After that, we can leave." Then she added, with a slight smile, "And you'll never have to return."

"Yeah," Harry said, a grin forming on his face. "My last night in this damn room..."

"So where are we going tomorrow?" Ron asked, apparently wide awake now.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said quietly. "I want to see my parent's graves."

Ron nodded, lying back down onto his bed. "Don't forget, mate, we have to take our apparation tests."

Harry looked away from his friend. "Er... about that..." Ron sat back up, alert. "I was thinking we could skip that. I mean, we know we can apparate! Why waste time getting some license?"

Hermione looked as though Harry had just proposed to kill her entire family. "Oh Harry, you can't be serious!"

"Er-- I am," Harry said, doing everything he could to avoid her eye contact.

"Do you really want to give the Ministry another reason to hate you?"

"Well, it's not like they'll arrest me! They want to get rid of him, too!" Harry thought he was making a good point, so he looked up at her.

"How thick are you?" Hermione spat. "We need the Ministry's help! We're going to need Aurors if an event occurs where we're outnumbered 20 to 1!"

Harry couldn't think of an adequate response.

"You'll take the test first thing tomorrow," Hermione said bossily. "After that, we can go to Godric's Hollow."

She laid back down on her bed with an air of finality. "And turn the lights off when you go to sleep."

Harry shook his head and Ron rolled his eyes before Harry flipped off the light.

---

Harry woke up around seven the following morning. The first thing he did was mutter a quick spell under his breath to turn on the lights. He smiled to himself, happy to finally do magic at the Dursley's without having an owl fly in the window instantly after. Ron and Hermione didn't wake up from the light, so he took a different route.

"Accio covers," he said, and their covers flew to him instantly.

Ron muttered something and pulled himself into a little ball, and Hermione started grumbling under her breath as she rolled over to look at Harry.

"Boy it's good to be of age," he said with a smile. She attempted a grin, but her face was apparently still asleep.

Slowly, Ron and Hermione rose from bed, rather crankily. They all got dressed quickly, Hermione in a corner away from the boys. Harry performed a charm to get all his things nicely packed into his trunk, and he cleaned Hedwig's cage quickly. The bird chirped happily at him.

They each grabbed their things and got up slowly, Hermione getting rid of the extra beds. Harry looked around the room, his expression unreadable.

This was it. This was the last time he would ever be standing within this bedroom. He smiled happily, because, after all those years of hating the Dursleys and hating where he lived, he was finally free. No longer could he be bound to the miserable depths of this house and this neighborhood. For a second, Harry felt sad. Not because he was leaving this place, no, but because it was sort of the end of an era.

The spell around this house couldn't protect him anymore, and it opened up a whole new slew of feelings. Hogwarts wouldn't protect him anymore, and neither would Dumbledore. His parents were gone, his Godfather was gone, and his mentor was gone. Harry was completely and totally dependent on himself. In this world, it was up to him to save himself, it was up to him to save the wizarding world, and it was up to him to keep the memory of Dumbledore prideful. Harry was finally truly a man.

Although it felt terrifying, at the same time, Harry couldn't help but feel happy. Because it still felt pretty damn good.

---

Hermione, Ron, and Harry dragged their trunks down the stairs, their spirits light, but their trunks not so much. As they stepped off of the stairs, Harry stopped in his tracks, looking back behind him at the tiny cupboard below the stairs.

"Give me a second," he said to Ron and Hermione, who both nodded. He dropped his trunk and turned to the tiny bit of space he had once called home.

He walked to the cupboard, a sad expression on his face. It's just not right, he couldn't help but think. It was unfair that while everyone else was playing on their brooms outside, and eating good meals with their parents before curling up in their warm beds, Harry was sitting in a small cupboard, listening to his fat cousin thunder up and down the stairs, and killing spiders so that he didn't accidentally swallow them while he slept.

Harry slowly pulled open the cupboard door, then stuck his head inside. The cupboard looked the same, maybe a little dustier then it used to be. He looked down at the tiny mattress he used to have to curl up on every night. Harry stared around, a little depressed. This room was all he had of his childhood before Hogwarts. Harry pushed away the thought of what would have happened had Hogwarts never reached out towards him. He tried not to imagine himself, the same age, miserable and still sleeping on a too-small bed in a too-small space.

As he pulled his head out of the cupboard, he looked over at his friends, smiling at him. Without them, Hogwarts would have been just as miserable as this tiny cupboard. What they say is true... it really is the people that make the place. Even if he had never gone to Hogwarts, had he met Ron and Hermione, that cupboard would have been just as wonderful to him.

Well, maybe not that wonderful...

"Come on, guys," Harry said, glancing once more at his old bedroom. "It's time to say goodbye."

They found all three Dursley's sitting in the kitchen, eating an early breakfast and watching the television that was about a centimeter away from their faces. They all looked up at Harry, and he could tell by their expressions that they hadn't forgotten what day it was. Uncle Vernon opened his mouth to speak, but Harry beat him to it.

"We're leaving right now," he said quickly. "No need to worry." Then he gave them a fake smile, and added, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Thanks for all your hospitality."

"Now listen here boy--" Uncle Vernon began, his face glowing ever so purple, but he stopped the instant he saw Harry whip out his wand.

"You can't use that," Dudley said with a harsh laugh, which stopped the second Harry's wand was pointed at his face.

"I'm allowed to do magic outside of school now, I'm of age," he growled. "Besides, there's not even a school to go to now," he turned back to Vernon. "What was it you were about to say?"

Uncle Vernon kept his mouth closed, his eyes wide. Aunt Petunia, on the other hand, wasn't exactly ready for goodbyes.

"What do you mean, there's no school?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Harry shook his head and walked out of the kitchen. "It's not important," he said as he pulled open the front door. He ushered Ron and Hermione out of the door before him, then turned back. "Have a nice life," he called, before slamming the door to Number 4 closed for the very last time.

---

Ottery St. Catchpole, just like the rest of London, found itself in the middle of a cold front. The inhabitants hid indoors, heaters on, even though it was the middle of summer. The only place people seemed to be active in was a part of town that no Muggle had ever dared to enter. A place known as "The Burrow."

Ginny Weasley stood before her home, goosebumps running up and down her bare arms. She was wearing a gold silk gown that was blowing in the wind, along with her silky red curtain of hair. Although she wished the windblown affect would make her look sexy and stunning, her hair kept going into her mouth and her dress was dangerously close to being ripped off from such a strong current. Plus, the wind made it even colder, so her legs were shaking almost out of control, but she refused to go inside.

On the one hand, she would be warm inside, but then she would have to deal with Phlegm's constant nagging and demands, and no one wanted to be around that bride as she panicked. Also, Ginny was still waiting. Waiting for something she had been anticipating since the funeral.

For today was the day of her eldest brother's wedding, the first of the Weasley children to get married. Although Ginny was excited for Bill, other things outshone the wedding, at least in her eyes.

She was waiting outside in the cold because today, her best friend, her brother, and the man she was damn near in love with were all returning home.

She continued to stand, waiting for what she knew would come soon, those pops that would announce their arrival. Although most people tried to avoid being outside alone these days, for fear of being harmed, Ginny knew she was safe. Charms surrounded her home, insuring their safety. It took a lot to break those wards.

As Ginny waited, she could hear people rushing about within the house, hurrying to finish last minute preparations. Ginny knew she should be helping, her mother would be angry later, but she just couldn't concentrate on wedding tasks. Her mind was elsewhere, she had already smashed three plates and seven tea cups.

Suddenly, three pops rang out through the quiet village. Ginny jumped, even though she had been expecting that noise. She felt as though her stomach had risen to her throat, and her heart was beating so fast she feared it would soon beat it's way right out of her chest. Despite the cold, her palms were sweating profusely. She hadn't remembered being this nervous about seeing Harry since she was eleven years old!

She looked up to see Ron, Hermione, and Harry walking towards her. Even though it had only been a month since they had left Hogwarts, Ginny could see the difference. Ron and Harry looked stronger, less gangly, something that only added to Ginny's attraction towards Harry. Hermione looked more mature, as though she had truly become a woman. All three, however, had dark circles beneath their eyes.

Phlegm had insisted her guests wore Muggle clothes, as she called them 'more glamorous', so Ron and Harry both were wearing black tuxedos and bow ties. It was clear how uncomfortable they both felt.

Hermione, on the other hand, looked as though she had never felt more confident. And for good reason! Her normally bushy hair had been charmed straight, and two front pieces were pulled into tiny, intricate braids on the crown of her head, as the rest hung loose. She had donned makeup for the occasion, a rarity for Hermione. Her dress was strapless and floor length, a light pink.

"Wow," Ginny said as they approached, staring at Hermione. "Just... wow."

Hermione beamed, looking down at her strappy heels in embarrassment.

"And Ron... you look..." she paused, and he smiled in anticipation. "A tiny bit awkward." His face fell, so she quickly added, "But so very handsome!" She then slowly turned towards Harry.

"You look gorgeous," Harry said to Ginny before she could say anything. His eyes were wide, and he smiled at her. "More so than usual, anyhow."

Ginny laughed. "You think Phlegm would let me stand near her 'fabulous' alter looking anything but gorgeous?"

They all laughed, Hermione and Ron a bit too hard, as though they were relieved that there were no awkward feelings between Harry and Ginny.

"Come on, we better get inside before we freeze," Ron said, leading the way into the Burrow.

They walked into the kitchen to find sheer chaos. Fleur was sitting in a corner, having her hair done by Gabrielle, her baby sister, but apparently Gabrielle wasn't up to par, for Fleur was screaming at her as tears poured down the young girl's beautiful face. Mrs. Weasley was busy cooking up a storm, trays of this and that overflowing the table. People were randomly running into the kitchen to grab something and then running out.

The second the four walked into the kitchen, everything stopped. Mrs. Weasley looked up instantly. Exhaustion was etched onto her face, something that hadn't gone away since Dumbledore's death. The second she saw who it was, though, she broke out into a huge smile.

"Ron!" she screeched, running to hug her son. "And Harry! You look so handsome!" she pulled Harry into a bone crushingly tight hug. She looked over at Hermione after releasing Harry and covered her mouth. "My goodness, Hermione, you're a woman," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She took a step back to admire them all. "You all look so very grown up."

Ginny laughed quietly, silently thankful that she wasn't part of this little reunion. Just then, she noticed that Gabrielle had stopped crying, although Fleur was still screaming at her. The young girl was staring at Harry, seemingly mesmerized. Ginny felt a hot rage fill her stomach, and, much as she tried to fight it, she couldn't help but feel protective.

Even though they had broken up, there was no denying how she felt. And Gabrielle had definitely grown up. She had turned from the shy young girl who had been afraid to talk to Harry to a young woman, although she was barely even thirteen yet. Ginny nearly peed her pants when she saw the way the girl stared at Harry, as though he was some sort of prize she was close to winning.

Ginny strode purposely towards Harry.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" she whispered seductively in his ear, letting her long hair tickle his neck. She sent a death look over her shoulder towards Gabrielle.

"Okay," Harry said, his voice breaking slightly. Ginny grabbed hold of his hand and gently pulled him out the door. Harry seemed severely confused, but Ginny didn't really care. She had gotten him away from that little girl, and that's all that mattered.

They walked in silence through the garden for a bit, taking it all in. Mrs. Weasley really had gone all out. Fairy lights hung from every tree, and white candles sat atop every surface. The tables that had been magicked in were draped with beautiful silk table cloths that sparkled in the candlelight. The sky was still a foggy gray, but with all the silver and candlelight, it seemed almost mysterious, romantic.

"Wow," Harry said, looking around the yard. "Your mum worked hard, didn't she?"

"You should have seen her. Outside all the time, working her arse off. I'm surprised she's been able to stand up, what with her lack of sleep." She nodded towards the white lily bushes that had replaced the old green ones. "Those took her two days to get in the right places!"

They walked to a bench that had been covered in silk pillows. Ginny say down first, patting the seat next to her.

"So I take it you passed your apparation test," she said, pulling a pillow into her lap and hugging it to her chest.

"Yeah, I wasn't going to take it at all, but Ron and Hermione convinced me to." He looked down at his hands, which were resting in his lap, before adding quietly, "They figured I'd need it."

Ginny nodded, hugging the pillow tighter to her. "Are you scared?" she asked, so lightly Harry could barely hear her.

He looked up this time, straight at her. "I was. But when I think of all the stuff that old bastard's put me through, I know I can do it. And, the thing is," he seemed to be staring into her soul with those eyes. "If I have to die trying, that'll be alright with me."

Ginny looked away quickly. She didn't want him to see how moist her eyes were.

"I don't want you to die," she said quietly, showing the emotion she could usually control.

He looked down as well. "I know."

They sat there in silence for a while, before Harry broke it.

"Ginny, about what happened at the funeral--"

Ginny interrupted him. "You don't have to apologize. I understand."

Even as she said it, she knew it was true. She just didn't want it to be true. All she really wanted was for Harry to take her into his arms and tell her he loved her, she was all he really wanted in life. Screw Voldemort, screw being the chosen one! They'd run off together, and the rest of the world could fend for itself.

As much as she enjoyed these selfish thoughts, she knew that if he did say that to her, she'd deny him. Because she just wasn't as selfish as she wished she could be. She also knew that try as they might to run, it would all eventually catch up with them. That's karma for you.

She could see Harry looking at her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't look up.

"You know I didn't want to do it," he said quietly. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I don't see why you don't believe I can defend myself," Ginny said, still looking away from him.

"Ginny, don't be like this," Harry whined, trying to get her to look at him.

She snapped her head up. "Don't be like what?"

"Like that! Defensive, acting like I'm the one at fault," he said, but the second the words left his mouth, he knew he'd made a mistake.

"You are the one at fault!" she said, laughing at his ridiculous statement. "You broke up with me because you think I'm just a little girl, just Ron's little sister, and that I can't protect myself!" Her voice was loud, and she knew that people inside could probably hear, but she didn't care.

"You know I think of you as more than Ron's little sister," Harry said quietly, looking straight at her, but she looked away. "And I know you can defend yourself, I saw you in the Ministry."

She shook her head. "Then what is it, Harry? Why are you so afraid to let me in?"

"What if he hurts you?" Harry said loudly, making her jump. "What if he hurts you just to hurt me, and I have to spend the rest of my life without you, the rest of my life with this horrible knowledge that you'd still be here if I hadn't been so selfish!"

"Selfish?" Ginny said loudly, standing up. "That's ridiculous! Letting yourself love isn't selfish, you prat. What is selfish is not letting someone else love you simply because you're scared, and you don't want to feel guilty."

He looked away from her, off towards the edge of the yard. "Ginny, I just can't risk it. I can't risk losing you."

"Well that's too bad, Harry," Ginny said, looking at him pityingly. "Because by doing this, you already have lost me."

With that, she turned and walked into the Burrow with dignity and her head held high, but inside, she was slowly dying. Harry stared miserably at her retreating back, thinking a million things up to call after her, but he just didn't have the courage. Voldemort, he could take on. Ginny, she was a whole other story.

A/N: I don't know if I'm going to keep posting on this site. I don't know if I'm going to keep writing. Not just this story. Anything. I don't know if I can handle it. I'm weak like that.

Anyway, reviews would be nice. Criticism would be nicer.