A/N: well can now safely say this is no longer aoneshot. hope you like this chapter. have a bad habit of writing at 1:00 in the morning so, might be a couple spelling mistakes. please review!

"Harry! Ron! Ginny!"

Mrs Weasley's shout woke Harry with a start. Bright sunlight filled the small bedroom. Harry wondered for a moment where he was, but as he looked down, he got a face full of red hair. Ginny too had woken up. Despite the urgency in Mrs Weasley's voice, Harry felt his worries fade away as he gazed into Ginny's big brown eyes. They smiled at each other but felt no need for words.

"Hurry downstairs! All of you!"

The anxiety in Mrs Weasley's voice was now impossible to ignore. Harry swung his legs off of the bed and began the search for his clothes. Two sets of footsteps banged down the stairs outside Ginny's door.

"What do you think is wrong?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged, pulling on his t-shirt. "Hopefully nothing too serious. Maybe some of the Deatheaters escaped." Checking to make sure Ginny was fully dressed, Harry flung open the door and the two of them hurried down the stairs.

The whole Weasley family plus others were gathered in the kitchen. They were muttering quietly. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood next to the doorway, looking tense and worried. Mr Weasley was home too, which was odd as he would normally be at the Ministry by now.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, pulling her long, tangled hair into a ponytail.

There was silence as everyone turned to gaze at Mr Weasley. "Some Deatheaters escaped last night. They um…they killed Scrimgeour… and the Ministry's been destroyed."

No one spoke as his words sunk in.

"What's going to happen?" Hermione finally asked, slipping into one of the kitchen chairs, her face white and shocked.

"We thought it was all over last night," Mr Weasley said, running a hand over his thinning hair. "But this war hasn't nearly finished. The Deatheaters have lost a leader, which makes them unpredictable; and they're all scared, which will make them act irrationally. The ministry needs as much help as possible. The aurors," Mr Weasley paused. "Well, as you know a lot of people died in the final battle last night. Scrimgeour, before he died, was trying to regroup, reorganize and recruit new members to help win this war."

"Can we help, dad? I mean I know we're young, but we've had experience. And if they're desperate…" Ron trailed off, resting a hand on Hermione's shoulder to stop her shaking.

"No!" Mrs Weasley began, but Mr Weasley shook his head at her.

"We need all the help we can get Molly, dear." He said sadly. At this, Mrs Weasley burst out into noisy sobs, collapsing onto a sympathetic Lupin.

"Who's the new minister, dad?" Ginny asked, gazing at her father, her eyes showing no fear, but Harry knew better. He took one of her trembling hands in his and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Well the senior undersecretary to the minister has taken that position for now. A new minister will be found in the next week."

Lupin had gone white. He looked both shocked and angry. "Dolores Umbridge? Arthur, no."

Harry took a step forward, opening his mouth to protest but Mr Weasley raised his hand to quieten the room. "The ministry is in disarray. There is no ministry anymore. It's gone, destroyed. We have nowhere to meet, we're far from being organized and another attack is inevitable. At least we have a leader."

"Ron would be a better minister than that old cow!" Ginny exclaimed, two spots of anger burning on her cheeks.

"Hey…" Ron began but the noise in the crowded kitchen drowned him out.

"Quiet! Everyone, quiet!" Shacklebolt boomed over the din. "We need as much help as we can get. Harry, Ron, can you help us?"

Harry and Ron both nodded their heads, faces set and eyes determined.

"Hey what about us?" Ginny protested indicating herself and Hermione.

"Everyone who can help is welcome," Shacklebolt said as Mrs Weasley sobbed louder into Lupin's shoulder. "We lost many great witches and wizards last night."

Harry felt his eyes burn as he remembered Luna and Neville's bodies being taken away. He knew now that his plans to return to Hogwarts with Ginny for his last year were out the window. They weren't realistic anyway. This war wouldn't end until every last Deatheater was captured or dead. And how was he supposed to find Severus Snape if he was being a good boy at school? No. He'd join up and help. He'd do what was needed. Not for the ministry but to assure his future with Ginny; to guarantee that he, and the whole wizarding community, could live without the fear of leaving their house or sending their children to school. He wanted the war to end and he'd fight for peace.

"Well," said Mr Weasley, sighing and standing up. "I've got to get back to what's left of the Ministry. There will be a large meeting tonight in one of the conference halls in Gringotts. It's for everyone who wants to sign up and help. I'll see all of you later. Shacklebolt, Tonks? Are you coming?"

----

Mrs Weasley wouldn't let any of them leave the house that day. Harry and Ginny finally retreated to her bedroom after hours of discussion with Hermione, Ron and Lupin. Fred, George, Charlie and Bill had all arrived around noon, and the same discussions were started up again. Which Deatheaters were still at large; what if Voldemort wasn't completely dead; how long until peace finally returned to their world.

Harry was grateful to leave the endless conversation and to just sit quietly with Ginny. They were curled up together in the armchair in her room, not speaking but just enjoying each other's company when there was a knock on the door. They sprang apart as Ron barged in, followed by Hermione. Ron's eyes flicked from one to the other but he didn't say anything, just sat on the bed.

"What is it?" Harry asked, half-annoyed that he couldn't spend this time alone with Ginny.

"You want to find Snape don't you?" Hermione asked quietly.

Harry paused, wondering why she was asking him this. "Yea…" he began.

"Well, maybe the best way to do that isn't by joining up with the Ministry."

Harry frowned at her, wondering what she was saying. But then it all clicked. "You're trying to protect me aren't you?" Neither Hermione nor Ron met his eyes. "I'm not going to back away from this. It's something I have to do!"

"Harry, mate, listen…it's just there are a lot of pissed off Deatheaters out there. And well, they're all pissed off at you mate. So maybe if you didn't…" Ron trailed off, shrinking back under Harry's glare.

"You said you wanted to go back to Hogwarts for your final year. You can still do that," Hermione suggested weakly.

"Were you in on this?" Harry asked Ginny, his voice coming out slightly more forcefully than he would have liked. Ginny shook her head but didn't meet his eyes. "Great! Just great!" He grabbed a towel from the back of the chair and yanked the door open.

"Harry where are you going?" Hermione asked, her voice pleading.

"I'm going to have a shower. If that's ok by you, I mean!" Harry said, slamming the door shut behind him.

i can just feel a love scene in the shower coming on. lol... right well, i know this was different than the last two chapters but it's going to have more HarryGinny so don't worry. Please Review! xxx