As Always, I do not own any of the Characters in this story, they belong to JK Rowlings, this story was written purely for fun, no harm intended.

Harry Potter and the Temple of the Holy Cross

Chapter 2, Friendship and Revenge.

Ginny Weasley had received many letters that summer from Harry, most of them were apologetic. Before leaving for Summer Holiday, Harry broke off his relationship with Ginny for her protection, yet now that the ministry was seemingly emerging victorious over the Death Eaters and successfully managing to keep Voldemort in check, Harry had begun to relax his opinions with regards to the necessity of him keeping a distance from those whom he loved. Despite this, his letters bore out his frustration at the fact that he seemed to think that he was being relieved, passed over. By the end of last school-year he had almost claimed the entirety of the war to himself, now like an old General relieved from duty he sulked about his own uselessness in his correspondence with Ginny.

Ginny was only too happy to take him back, understanding that what he felt was a need to protect her, understanding even that this was a manifestation of his great love for her. However, his frustrations confused and even frightened Ginny. Harry could now relax and enjoy what little time he had left at school before going into his career and carrying on with his life, and yet he was almost mad that he was not in the thick of the fight. His correspondence bore out exactly what he wanted to do for his career, and his hope that the war would not end before he made it to the front as an Auror. Like Hermione with Ron, this frightened Ginny to no end but she kept this and her other frustrations locked away, today Harry would be arriving, it would be the first time she would see him this summer. She wanted to enjoy what time they would have together before shipping off to Hogwarts.

She sat on a small bench in the front yard of the Burrow awaiting Harry's arrival. Her hands shook in anticipation as she wrote in her diary, a diary which Harry sent to her in midst of his summer correspondence with her, and a diary into which she poured her frustrations, desires, and joys. Her writing was interrupted by a sharp sound emanating from the open door of the cottage, she recognized it as a burst of flames coming from the fireplace; someone had arrived by floo. She looked up from her diary with great hope to the open door of the cottage. From the door emerged a dashing young man with glasses and dark, uncontrollable hair. Her heart leapt, a smile grazed her lips, she stood and ran to Harry's awaiting arms.

As she entered Harry's embrace, her feet left the ground, Harry picked her feet off the ground and spun her around in his arms naturally as if she was a life-sized doll after which he greeted her with a peck on the lips. Harry's arms remained in place around her shoulders, her arms around his waste. Harry stared powerfully into her bright brown eyes, with a gaze almost intoxicating to her.

"I missed you," Ginny began.

"I missed you too."

Harry brought his lips again to Ginny's, the two shared a soft, slow, intimate kiss which immediately caught the attention of Ginny's mother who was tending to the kitchen.

"Not in Public Ginny!"

"Sorry." Harry began. "My fault."

Harry's eyes returned to Ginny with a look of laughable embarrassment, his eyes seemed to express a sense of, "oops." Both of them shared a momentary laugh.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Went off for a Walk this Morning," Ginny replied.

"Better not be getting themselves into any trouble," Molly Weasley interjected. "You two will not do anything inappropriate under my roof, understand? I've had enough trouble keeping Ron and Hermione at a safe distance from each other; I don't need two couples giving me problems."

"We'll behave mother."

A short walk from the cottage, running through the burrow, was a small creek which was actually dry most summers, yet this was an exceptional year as the water was almost a foot higher than usual. Walking next to this creek was one of Ron and Hermione's favorite activities over the course of the past few weeks spent together, as it was one of the few things they could do alone. Beside to this creek bed laid Hermione and Ron next to each other, in the grass gazing up at the few clouds which traversed the sky of the beautiful sunny day over the burrow. Hermione was resting the back of her head in Ron's shoulder; Ron's Arm cradled her back while his other arm swung across his own body to interlock his hand with Hermione's opposite hand, which was swung across her own body in similar fashion.

A silence had come over them, not an awkward silence, merely the absence of words which would compliment the already perfect conditions in which they currently found themselves. The partly-cloudy sky, the soft flowing music of the creek, the wildflowers in full-bloom rising out of the creek bed, both feeling the rhythmic expansion and contraction of each other's bodies as they breathed, it was a moment of paradise, everything perfect, everything beautiful. Hermione thought to herself that no amount of words could possibly make better what was already fleeting perfection.

Ron's gaze focused on the clouds which he noticed forming several shapes, he fixated on them, moving their formations around in his mind to create picturesque scenes of action and upheaval.

"Have you ever tried to find shapes in the clouds?" he asked.

This question came much to Hermione's dismay, as to her it ruined the perfect serenity of the moment, yet she dismissed her disappointment and reconfigured her present emotion into one of humor as she let out a giggle.

"No, but I suppose you have."

Her voice was obviously taunting him, it gave the impression that not only was she not impressed by his insight, it seemed utterly strange to her.

"Oh come on now it's fun!" He protested.

Hermione laughed aloud, "You are such a Nerd Ron."

"I guess your right."

Ron's arm pulled Hermione's head closer to his own, he gave her a soft kiss, then let her back down to the ground gently.

"So your sure you want to train as an Auror?"

"Of course."

Hermione's good humor began to fade, the hope of her future with Ron now threatened by his own plans. She resolved as she fell asleep after the nightmare the previous night that she would try to convince him that his plans were not well-founded.

"I was thinking about what you said last night," she began. "It will put you right on the front lines of the war."

Ron caught something in Hermione's voice, something he recognized immediately, something which he knew she was trying to hide from him, a begging, a longing, an intense desire. She did not want him to carry out his plans, yet he did not know of anything else in the way of vocation that would make him happy in life. There was nothing else he could do.

"I know it will be dangerous," He began. "But it's always what I wanted to do." He paused for a moment, a sudden thought entered his mind, a suggestion; he knew that Hermione would never go for it but he thought he would posit it to her anyways. "Look why don't you train to be an Auror as well."

"Ron…" She began in a voice of frustrated explanation, as if they had been over this before.

As he expected, she was not exactly an excited proponent of the idea. Ron's hand that was interlocked with her opposite hand left the grip and entered it's side's pocket and began to fiddle nervously with the gold ring therein, before Hermione could continue her explanation…

"There's still time, with your grades you'll easily get in, we can do it together."

"Ron I've never been the greatest at Defense Against the Dark Arts, you know that," she began. "And I've always wanted to work with experimental charms and…"

"Hermione I don't want our relationship to end."

Hermione was almost offended at this suggestion, as if her faithfulness was in question. Her voice turned suddenly defensive.

"You honestly think that I would ever leave you!" She Began.

"Herm…"

"Honestly, it's not like I want it to end either, and I'm willing to make whatever sacrifices are required for it to continue. I hardly think its in danger of ending."

"Hermione you misunderstood me," Ron began. "I know that we'll survive any temporary separation, but…" his grip on the ring tightened, he summoned his courage and with what seemed to take all of his strength he began the arm movements necessary to bring the ring out of his pocket. "I just want this assurance, I love you and…"

"What the hell are you doing all the way out here!" Came a familiar humorously composed male voice from about twenty yards off.

Hermione looked in the direction of the voice's origin and saw Harry and Ginny walking hand-in-hand along the creek bed. She forgot what Ron had been saying at that moment and came to her feet. As did Ron who let go of the ring before he could bring it out of his pocket.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted rushing to Harry, giving him a friendly hug upon arrival.

"Hello Herm," Harry said.

Ron followed closely behind Hermione arriving in front of Harry not long after she did. After Harry and Hermione broke from their embrace, Ron extended to Harry a hug of his own.

"What are you up to these days?" Ron asked.

"Thanking Merlin that I'll never have to go back to the Dursleys' again," Harry began, "Anxious to get my last year out of the way. Thought I'd never say that, Hogwarts has always been my real home, now it almost hurts to go back."

"We all miss him too," Hermione said.

"I hear the ministry still hasn't located Snape or Malfoy," Ginny began. "But they've been indicted for murder."

"Good," Ron began. "He's seventeen now, that means he's old enough."

"Old enough?" Ginny asked confused.

"You know."

"It's not going to happen," Hermione interjected. "Maybe to Professor Snape, but not to Malfoy, honestly I hope it doesn't happen to either of them."

Harry was taken back by this sudden wave of mercy coming over Hermione.

"You've got to be joking me," He began. "They killed Dumbledore, they've got to swing for this."

"Do they really deserve to be executed for that?" Hermione responded. "Revenge won't bring him back."

"Your right Hermione," Harry began. "In fact I hope nothing happens to them, I hope that I'm the one to find Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, because I want to kill them myself."

"Now you're talking Harry," Ron cheered.

Partially by worry at the sincerity of their ridiculous ideas, and partially by the sincerity of her newfound beliefs in the ineffectiveness of vengeance, Hermione was taken back. Her powerful frustration became quite obvious in her now screwed up face which gazed angrily at both Harry and Ron intermittedly.

"I'm surprised that I'm hearing this from you two, honestly!" She scolded. "Dumbledore is dead, and all your talk of vengeance won't bring him back."

"I guess you just don't understand then." Harry said coldly.

At this Hermione's frustrations converted to rage, as her stare caught Ron's eyes, a realization of his own stupidity entered into his mind and a look of penance grazed his face. Hermione caught this but ignored it. As did Harry and Ron, Hermione loved Dumbledore, and shared their sadness at his death, Harry's presumption that only he truly understood what he was going through was not only offensive to Hermione, it was downright disgusting. She wasted no time in making her feelings known.

"I can't believe you just said that," she began, calmly, coldly, collected. "I loved Dumbledore as much as you or Ron, and I miss him, and it hurts me to go back to Hogwarts as much as it does you. But vengeance will do nothing but kill you too. Harry you're a good person, don't let yourself fall into the trap that you're setting for yourself with your hatred." Her voice turned suddenly forceful, a tear fell from her eyes. "And how dare you even think of telling me that I don't understand."

Hermione's eyes caught Ron's, Ron saw the look of utter disappointment in her, it tortured him, his confident, boasting constitution was replaced with a humbled, ashamed look. Hermione noticed this, in her mind she forgave him, but did not wish to show it just yet, rather she stomped off toward the burrow angrily.

"Hermione!" Ron called after her.

Ginny stomped off as well; only, rather than rage, her face was glistened with tears. This did not seem to bother Harry much, he turned to the creek bed watching its continuity, its flow, its neverendingness.

"I guess we pissed em off eh?" Ron started.

"They'll get over it," Harry replied. "Or not, I really don't care, I just want to see Draco Malfoy's and Severus Snape's heads on a plate."

"What if they're right?"

"What did you say? What ever happened to the Ron Weasley who stood by my side for the past six years at Hogwarts?"

"He's growing up Harry, you should too."

Ron walked off toward the burrow, Harry sat next to the creek bed enchanted by the continuous arrhythmic music of the flowing water. As he stared ahead a sense of aloneness came to him, his friends who had stood by him for six years against Voldemort now could not somehow bring themselves to be courageous in war's the most desperate hour, in his most desperate hour. He had a sudden inkling that his overwhelming feelings of hate and anger might not be approved by the late headmaster; be that as it was, he could not let them go, he clung to them as if they alone sustained him, they alone kept him breathing, as if the very essence of who he was now was contained in his hatred of the dark arts.

----------

As Ron arrived at the cottage, he found his mother still tending to household chores, Ginny was sitting at the table fighting back her tears as she wrote in her diary. Without saying a word, Ron immediately went up the stairway to Ginny's room.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Came Ginny's voice from behind.

Ron ignored her and pressed on continuing to the door which led into his sister's room. He opened it revealing Hermione laying on her bed in tears, upon noticing Ron, she rolled to face away from him. Ron entered the room and sat aside her on the bed, he attempted to take her hand but she jerked it out of his grasp.

"Look uh, I was a right git today," Ron began.

"You sure were."

"I don't know, I guess I just realized on the creek-bank as you were walking off that everything's changing," Ron began. "Dumbledore's gone, we're going off to our respective careers and… I don't know I thought that if Harry carried out some foolhardy plan to kill Snape and Malfoy that somehow I would rest easy, that somehow it would bring back what I'd lost, what we'd lost."

Hermione rolled to face Ron, revealing her tear-glistened chocolate brown eyes. He took her hand, this time she did not resist but stared at their two hands interlocked.

"But I realized," he continued. "That things will change, and that there's nothing I can do about it; that it's time to grow up."

Hermione's tense face relaxed, she looked to his eyes in which tears were beginning to form as well.

"I'm still mad at you." She said as a smirk almost grazed her lips.

Ron smiled, lowered his lips to hers and gave her a soft peck, "and I still love you so much."

Until Ginny caught them together thirty minutes later, Ron and Hermione snuggled together, holding each other in the quiet of the bedroom. For an ever brief period of time they put away their worries for the future.

----------

Fred and George Weasley arrived by floo later that evening announcing that they were ready to take Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to their apartment in Diagone Alley where they would retrieve their books and stay until the first of September, at which time they would make their last journey to Hogwarts via the Express. It took a few hours to pack, during which the twins enjoyed a civil conversation with their mother which was slightly unusual considering that they did not exactly exceed her expectations of them. They did not even graduate Hogwarts but dropped out. However, they had made her quite proud by opening a successful tricks shop which paid them quite well.

After three hours of packing, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry were ready to go. They then traveled by floo to an apartment at Diagone alley. The twins' apartment was adorned with every kind of magical trick or practical joke one could imagine, in addition to every kind of wizard candy known to man traversing the floor and shelves of the front room.

"Welcome to our Shag-pad kids," George proclaimed.

"You're here until you ship off for Hogwarts so—" Fred Continued

"No making trouble for us—"

"And we won't make trouble for you."

"Honestly, shag-pad?" Hermione began in a voice of relentless sarcasm. "Shag-pad, you both are still virgins."

Fred and George looked astonished and offended.

"That's a warning granger," Fred stated. "One more shot like that and no coming clubbing with us tonight."

Clubbing, it hit them quite strangely, wizard night clubs did exist but were nowhere near as entertaining as muggle clubs, and when Fred and George did anything they did it to its extreme, hence Ginny immediately knew that they meant muggle night clubs, which were reputed to be quite wild. There was, however, the absence of muggle identification in their persons, and the fact that they were not yet eighteen meaning they simply would not be admitted.

"Muggle Clubs?" She began. "We're not eighteen yet!"

George pulled out of his pocket four small cards with each of the four's still faces on them and fake birthdates. He held them up as if to display them proudly to Ginny.

"You are now."

George handed one to each of the four, Hermione took hers almost reluctantly.

"How did you get these?" She asked.

"We have our sources, but—"

"Use them sparingly—"

"The guys who check ID's at the bars don't know a fake ID from their ass-holes—"

"But the Cops can spot one easily."

"Hermione and Ginny will be in the other bedroom, Harry and Ron'll be in the Living room, you two will—"

"have to decide whose going to be on the floor."

"Come on we'll show you our flat."

Before Ginny could walk off with Hermione and Ron, Harry stopped her by grabbing her hand forcing her to face him.

"Ginny…"

"I have nothing to say to you." She replied harshly.

Ginny's eyes would not make contact with his, she purposefully avoided his powerful stare. He ignored this and continued to speak.

"Look, I've been thinking, and I know that it's probably not what Dumbledore would have wanted, and… well how the hell am I going to kill Snape and Draco anyways?"

Ginny finally allowed her eyes to make contact with Harry's; hers gave a sympathetic but unconvinced gaze. Harry was worried about this but his eyes remained steady, resolved, looking at hers powerfully, unmoving, unyielding. Ginny placed her hand on Harry's cheek.

"We all loved him," she said.

Harry nodded, his eyes looked down, a moment of weakness, hesitation, replacing his formerly powerful stare.

"I know," He began. "Look, the fact that I can't do anything doesn't change what I want to do, if they are to be executed I want to do it myself. I hate them, I want to kill them."

Ginny's sympathy was replaced with a look of resigned hopelessness, she sighed, and let her hand that was on his cheek fall.

"This hatred will tear you apart too," She began. "If that is what you want, then you are no better than they, a murderer, and I cannot be a part of that."

Before he could stop her, or even knew what was gong on, she exited the apartment through the door. He considered following her but thought the better of it, realizing that there was nothing he could do, no way to make her, or any of the others understand his feelings, he was totally alone.