Disclaimer: Nope, Harry Potter is not mine. And not even the title of this chapter, it's Dido's.

A/N: Hmm, let me think to some good explanation for the delay. First of all, my beta-reader was busy. And then my connect card stopped working, and I had to live without internet for a week, OMG, I don't really know how I managed to survive. Anyway, we are almost there, next chapter will be the last one. As I've already said, this chapter has the name of song, and I love that song. Oh, I'll stop this stupid blah, blah, blah right now and let you read the chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.

To lockofcurls: Thanks a lot for beta-reading this chapter, you did a very good job.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

Harry couldn't believe what Ron had told him on Christmas day. Ron finally managed to kiss Hermione and now she wasn't even talking to him. Ron had his own theory: it was all Ginny's fault. She interrupted them, and Hermione must have felt ashamed of her seeing them kissing. Harry couldn't help smiling at that conjecture. Hermione was reserved, that was true, but Ginny was her friend. Ginny was the first to know that Hermione was going to the ball with Viktor Krum, and the fact that she ran after her, was at last a little bit suspect for Harry. He tried to talk to Hermione, too, but she barely answered him.

"Hey, Hermione. Happy Christmas! Did you sleep well last night?" he asked her, smiling.

Hermione glared at him. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Harry. I actually did, thanks. And you?"

"I was sleeping well till Ron woke me up for telling me that yesterday-"

"Mind your own business," she snapped, heading for the kitchen for helping Mrs. Weasley.

When Ginny entered the living room her murderous glare didn't restrain Harry from asking her something. "Ginny, Happy Christmas!" he said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," she answered darkly.

"Hermione told you the news? Ron finally-"

"No, Harry. Hermione didn't tell me anything about Ron and her. When she came back to my bedroom I was already sleeping," she snapped.

"Really? But I thought that you came down in the middle of-"

"You thought wrong," she cut him off.

"Okay, sorry," he said defensively. Ginny nodded and headed from the kitchen too, but she halted almost immediately when she spotted Hermione.

Christmas day passed almost pleasantly, except for the fact that Hermione and Ron were too embarrassed for speaking to each other and Ginny simply avoided them both. Harry was trying to bridge the distances between them, but it was a hard task. Whenever he tried to talk to them, they snapped, yelled or ignored him, so he was really pleased when Charlie started to talk about the last shipment of dragon eggs from Hungary, because he captured everybody's attention. For a while, Harry didn't have to do anything but sit there in the living room with his best friends and the family the he loved.

That evening, Ron, Harry and Hermione went to bed quite early. They had decided to leave for Grimmauld Place in the first hours of the morning. Harry took a bit to explain to Ron that first hours of the morning didn't mean around ten. Hermione didn't hear when Ginny came to bed and she didn't even look at her bed before exiting the next morning. So, at about 8 AM, the morning of Boxing Day, the trio was in the living room of the Burrow with some Floo Powder in their hands and some in their pockets.

"There won't be spiders, will there?" asked Ron slightly anxious.

Hermione suppressed a laugh. Ron looked at her and smiled too, instead of snapping something nasty. "No," she said softly. "And if there will be, just remember the spell that you used against Aragog, okay?"

Ron nodded turning pink because of the nice voice that Hermione was using towards him, totally different from her usual bossy tone.

"Shall we go?" asked Harry, yawning. Hermione and Ron looked at him and nodded. Harry entered the fireplace first, followed by Hermione and Ron. One by one they disappeared between green flames.

"Ouch," Harry lamented when Hermione fell on his back.

"Sorry." Hermione sat up and tried helping him on his feet.

"Ouch," repeated Harry, when someone of bigger fell again on his back.

"Sorry, mate!"

Harry grumbled as he rubbed his back and stood up.

"Oh," muttered Hermione.

"What?" Harry asked, looking around for the first time. He didn't need to hear her answer for understanding what she menat. The house looked exactly like they saw it last time except for something like 2 inches of dust on everything.

"There's something wrong," said Hermione.

"What?" asked Ron without understanding.

"Look," Harry said, kneeling on the floor near some small footprint that leaned to the kitchen. "Someone has been here."

"Recently," added Hermione. Hermione pulled out her wand, immediately imitated by Ron and Harry.

"I knew that we shouldn't have come here," whispered Ron.

"What?" exclaimed Harry, looking at him. "You told me that looking in the library was useless, and that we should have come here."

"Well, I really didn't think those things, I wanted to stay on Hermione's side while she told that," said Ron simply.

"Thanks a lot, Ron," said Hermione sarcastically. Ron would have liked to say something for defending himself, but the noise that came from the kitchen stopped every conversation. Harry raised his wand in front of him and walked bravely towards the door of the kitchen, followed by Ron and Hermione. He pushed the door open with his wand and pointed it at the small figure that was trying to open an old pot of marmalade.

"Petrificus Totalus," he screamed while Hermione tried to stop him. "No! Harry, it's Ginny," she said quickly. Ginny fell on the floor with a heavy noise, her body petrified.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why did you do that? Couldn't you wait? Luckily, you just petrified her," she said, walking towards Ginny.

"What the hell is she doing here?" asked Ron, rolling his eyes.

"Why don't you ask her?" said Hermione, muttering the anti-spell.

Ginny blinked. She looked Hermione for a long moment, unsure on what to say to her. She opted for the most obvious thing.

"Thanks," she whispered, blushing.

"Sure." Hermione offered her a hand and blushed too.

"And thanks Harry," she added sarcastically when she stood.

"Well, you shouldn't be here," snapped Harry.

"And that's a good reason for petrifying me?" asked Ginny.

"I didn't recognize you," said Harry defensively.

"Anyway I hope that you brought some Floo Powder," said Ron sharply, "Because you are going home right now."

"Oh, of course," said Ginny sarcastically.

"I'm not joking."

"Me too. I'm not going home." Ginny stepped in front and faced her brother.

Ron took her for an arm and dragged her back in the living room. "Ron, let go," screamed Ginny, trying to free herself from her brother. "I don't wanna go home."

"You are going home right now," repeated Ron rudely. "Take out the Floo Powder."

"I don't have any," she snapped.

"Don't be clever with me," said Ron who was starting to loose his small amount of patient. "Take out the Powder and go home," he said stressing every word.

Ginny finally managed to free herself from her brother. "No," she said, "There's nothing dangerous here. And I wanna help you."

"You cannot help us, you are too young," said Ron quickly.

Ginny glared at him in such a way that it closed Ron's mouth. "I won't accept any kind of excuse, I'm almost seventeen and I'll do whatever I want."

"Does your mother know that you are here?" asked Harry.

"Of course not, I'm not stupid," she said matter-of-factly.

"And you don't think that she will get angry when she'll find out?"

"Never mind that," answered Ginny.

"Hey, no wait a minute, when did you get here?" asked Harry, suddenly realizing that he missed something.

Ginny smiled. "I got here tonight. When everybody went to bed I took some Floo Powder and came here, then I slept on that sofa," she said pointing to an old sofa near the fireplace. "And I waited for you."

"So you were trying to have a breakfast, when we found you," said Ron who was calming down.

"Yeah, but you interrupted me," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, listen," said Ron seriously, "I think that if you come back right now, mum won't notice that you weren't at home."

"Ron, you're not listening to me," she said frustrated. "I don't mind. I want to stay here and help you."

Ron sighed. "Harry, talk to her."

Harry opened his mouth for saying something, but Hermione spoke before him. "Well, I think that we can do with another couple of eyes., if you ask me. She can stay."

"We didn't ask you," said Harry, trying to stay calm.

Hermione looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?" she asked sharply.

"Well, never mind," he said hastily. "Ginny, you can stay."

"What? But-"

"No buts, Ron. Hermione is right, she can be useful," said Harry.

Ron snorted, while Ginny didn't even try to suppress a satisfied smile. "Okay, where do we start?" she asked Harry.

"Hem, I don't know," he started.

"I think that we should separate, each of us will search in a different room," sad Hermione.

"What should we look for?" asked Ginny.

"Everything that can help us with the quest for the Horcruxes," said Hermione.

"I see. And why do we have to search in Grimmauld Place?" asked Ginny.

"Because Regulus Black knew a lot about them. He destroyed one of them, and since this was his home, there must be something here," explained Hermione.

Ginny nodded.

"Okay, now that everybody knows what to look for, can we separate and start the research?" said Harry impatiently. "I'll look upstairs, I'll start from Sirius' bedroom. Ron, I think that you can look here." Ron nodded. "Hermione, there's a huge library upstairs; I think you'll feel like at home. And Ginny you can look in the other bedrooms."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Then Harry, Hermione and Ginny climbed up the stairs, while Ron headed for the kitchen. Upstairs, Harry entered the first door on the right, while Ginny the second one. The library was the last room of the corridor. Hermione entered it and she really felt at home. It was huge, with so many books that she couldn't have read them all in her entire life. She started to walk next to the bookshelves reading at the small signs hanged under the volumes.

"Transfiguration… Ancient Runes and Other Languages… Plants," she read out aloud, "Potions… Dark Arts." She stopped when she read the last label. "Dark Arts," she repeated. She looked at the books and definitely knew that she was in the right place. They were all huge, with black covers and titles like 'The Dark Arts Through Ages' or 'Guide to the Unforgivable Curses'. She started to search for a 'Guide to the Horcruxes'-like title or something close, but she didn't find anything like that. So, she decided to pick up the first book of the bookshelf and read them all, after all that was what she always did. She picked 'How to Use an Unforgivable Curse Without Being Detected by the Ministry' and sat down on the floor, with the book opened in front of her.

It must have passed hours before Ginny entered the library and started to walk towards Hermione. "Did you find anything?" she asked, causing Hermione to jump for the surprise.

Hermione looked at her. "No. What about you?"

She sat down next to her. "Nope. And I looked into all the bedrooms, but I found nothing."

"What about Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione back to the book.

"Harry is still in Regulus' room and he doesn't look like he wants to come out soon. About Ron," she added, rolling her eyes, "He's downstairs and I don't know what he is doing, not that I care."

Hermione nodded, then she opened her mouth for speaking and only at that very moment she felt that she had held her breath. "How do you feel?" she asked her unexpectedly without looking away from the book.

Ginny looked at her and for a while didn't say anything. She just sat there with a bunch of feelings that buzzed into her head. "What do you mean?" she eventually asked.

Hermione didn't reply, for the first time in her life she didn't know what to answer.

"I don't think that you would like to know how I really feel," said Ginny bitterly.

Hermione close the book and finally looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I'm feeling bad."

"Ginny, I-"

"There's no need to say anything, Hermione. I felt my heart breaking last night," said Ginny, her face coloured.

Hermione recalled all her courage for speaking. "Ginny, you know that we-"

"I know," she interrupted her again, "It's not my fault if I feel this way. It's not my fault if when I saw you kissing my brother I felt a piercing pain going through my heart. It's not my fault if I can't stop thinking of you," she said with a shaking voice.

Hermione stared at her with her mouth half opened. She would have wanted to tell her that it was Ron that kissed her and while he did it she was thinking of her. But she was afraid that if she said that, it would have come true.

"Tell me that you don't feel this way towards me and I'll stop it here," said Ginny firmly. "Tell me that you are in love with Ron and I won't bother you anymore."

Hermione felt the urge to stand up and run away.

"Tell me that if I kissed you right now, you wouldn't feel anything," said Ginny, coming nearer to her and placing her hand on Hermione's who didn't move backwards.

"Tell me that-"

"I don't know," Hermione almost screamed. "I don't know Ginny." She stood up and looked at Ginny with her face red. "I'm so confused! I'm feeling so many ways towards you and can't understand what I want."

Ginny looked at her with her hands on her mouth.

"I didn't kiss Ron, at least not at the beginning. He kissed me," said Hermione seriously. "And I liked it, but there was a part of me that couldn't help thinking of you. And I'm afraid of thinking about it, I'm afraid about what I feel."

Ginny sat up too and took Hermione's face between her hands. "I know," she whispered, "I know. I'm afraid too and I'm confused as much as you are."

A tear fell down from Hermione's cheek. "What do we do?" she asked softly. "I think that your plan didn't succeed at all, Ginny. Staying at the Burrow, close to both you and Ron, didn't help me at all, it just made me more confused."

Ginny nodded. "Me too."

"Ginny, even if I loved you, we are not supposed to be together."

"We can be together, if we want," whispered Ginny.

Hermione shook her head and sniffled. "No."

"No, you don't want or no, we can't be?" she asked, looking intently into her eyes.

"I don't know," said Hermione, lowering her eyes. Ginny took her chin and made her look at her again, Hermione smiled. Then, slowly, Ginny came closer to her, she closed her eyes and brushed Hermione's lips with her own. This time, Hermione closed her eyes too.

"How do you feel?" she whispered before pressing her lips on hers.

Hermione's heart fastened while she returned the kiss, Ginny placed a hand on her back and rubbed it gently, Hermione hugged her, she had butterflies in her stomach while she felt her body against hers. She caressed her flawless skin, she was soft and warm. She was kissing her and was thinking about her, only about her.

After what seemed ages to Hermione, Ginny slowly let her go. She took away her head from Hermione's and kissed her softly lots of times on her lips and cheeks. Hermione kept her eyes shut, and breathed deeply as a small smile spread across her face.

"How do you feel?" asked Ginny, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She opened her eyes and saw that Ginny was staring at her, waiting for her answer. She didn't want to lie to her, but she didn't want to say that she enjoyed it either, she didn't feel like saying anything at that very moment.

"Hermione! Ginny! Ron!" Hermione mentally thanked Harry a million times for calling them at that very moment. She turned her face towards the door and started to walk away.

"Hermione," Ginny called her weakly, stretching a hand for touching her.

"Harry is calling us, Ginny. Maybe he found something of important," she said without even looking back at her. Ginny followed her out of the library.

"Did you two find anything?" asked Ron in the corridor.

"No," said Ginny curtly while Hermione shook her head. They pushed open the door of Regulus' bedroom and entered it.

Harry was sitting on the floor between a small mountain of pieces of parchment, letters and books. "Look," said Harry, showing the piece of parchment that he had in his hands. "I found something."

They rounded him and looked at the parchment which was written with a tiny writing, barely legible. "Look here," said Harry, pointing at a small word. They all looked at it.

"Horgor?" asked Ron with his nose stuck in the parchment.

"Horcrux," Ginny corrected him.

"Looks like Hermione was right," said Harry slowly. "We found something here."

"Yeah, but it's almost illegible," pointed out Ginny.

"Wait," said Hermione, pulling out her wand and taking the parchment into her hands. "Engorgio." The parchment enlarged and with it also the words.

"Oh, that's better," she said satisfied.

"What does it said?" asked Harry, sitting up and hurrying at her side.

"It's a letter," stated Hermione. "Look. 'Dear Regulus, the Dark Lord already knows what you did,'" she started to read, "'And he has already sent someone on your track. You have to hide, never mind the other Horcruxes, just run for you life." Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Why did you stop reading?" asked Ron.

"It's touching," answered Ginny.

"Touching? Regulus Black was a Death Eater," pointed out Harry.

"Ex-Death Eater," Hermione corrected him. "And as you can see there was someone that helped him and cared for his life." She glanced through the letter for the signature, but she didn't find anything.

"Will you go on reading?" asked Harry impatiently.

Hermione nodded and proceed with the letter, after about a dozen of lines she stopped again, this time her eyes widened and everybody noticed that her hands started to shake.

"Hermione?" asked Ron softly.

She looked at him. "We found it," she said.

"What?"

"The final piece." She turned the parchment towards them. "There's a list of all Voldemort's Horcruxes."

Harry, Ron and Ginny came closer to the parchment and mentally read the list. There was the diary, the ring of Salazar Slytherin and all the other objects with their precise locations.

"That's it," said Harry, smiling. "That's it," he repeated and hugging Ginny. "Voldemort has his days counted."

"He won't die if you'll destroy all his Horcruxes, Harry," Hermione pointed out.

"I know Hermione, but at least next time that I'll kill him, he won't come back to life," said Harry matter-of-factly.

"Well, you are right," sighed Hermione.

Their serious discourse was interrupted by Ron's stomach which rumbled noisily. "Sorry," he said, checking his watch. "Well, I think that if we found all the things that we had to find, we can go. Lunch will be almost ready at home," he said.

"Okay," answered Harry.

"Oh, Ginny, if you don't have any Floo Powder with you, you should stay here, I'll come back and pick you after lunch," said Ron, smirking while they climbed down the stairs.

"Actually Ron, I have some Floo Powder with me," she said, smirking back. "Do you really think that I'm that stupid?" she asked sharply.

Ron flushed red.

"You go first, Ginny," said Harry, smiling.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Girls first," answered Harry simply.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, but she moved towards the fireplace and glancing at Hermione she let the Floo Powder fall and said "The Burrow" out aloud. After she disappeared between the green flames, Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione.

"Tonight we have to talk," he said simply.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Midnight in Ron's bedroom, okay, Hermione?" he asked her.

"Okay."

"Don't tell Ginny," added Ron.

"Sure," she answered. "Harry, what do we have to talk about?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I want to leave as soon as possible. Now that we have the list I want to finish what Dumbledore has started. I think I'll leave tomorrow morning."

"You won't leave alone, Ron and I will come with you," said Hermione seriously.

"I don't ask you to-"

"No, you don't ask us. We are coming because we want to," said Ron, cutting him off.

Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said.

"You are welcome, mate."

"Hermione you go," said Harry, nodding towards the fireplace.

Hermione nodded and while her figure was swallowed by green flames all her thoughts were for Ginny, she was sure that she would have missed her, but at the same time she was so happy to have some time for thinking far away from her.