A/N: I tried to have this chapter up sooner than I usually do. So, mission accomplished? Anyway, I established quite a bit of new information in the last chapter. This chapter will pale in comparison. Also, I have a lot of storyline left. Should I cut this off, and make this a trilogy, or just stick with "Life Goes On?" Just wondering. Your input is greatly appreciated.

"Ugh! If I have to wash one more ink pellet stain, I'm going to-"

"Oh, come off it, Ron! You don't have a choice! We got lucky, and you know it."

"Oh, yeah, really lucky. Let me tell you, this is just how I wanted to spend my afternoons for well over two weeks."

"Honestly, Ron, it could be worse! Professor McGonagall could have kicked us out. And we only have one day left of this. So it would be greatly appreciated by all if you would leave off complaining!"

"Yes, Hermione, because you're really enjoying what we're doing. This is your idea of fun, isn't it?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged frustrating glances as the foursome finished up the second to last detention that they had received. Ginny's eyes widened in a silent plea. Harry gave a nod, and Ginny smiled with malice.

"You two need to shove it! We have been listening to you for something along the line of two hours. Can you never stop bickering? Is that not an option? Because I know Harry and I are absolutely sick of it. Must you always fight?"

Ron and Hermione looked stunned at Ginny's outburst.

"Sorry, Gin," Ron said apologetically with a bit of shock in his voice to match that in his eyes.

"Yeah, Ginny, we didn't mean anything by it," Hermione added fervently.

"Right," Ginny said, "I know. This is just how you two pass the time. And that's fine. It's who you are, and we love you guys, but c'mon! We've been doing this for two weeks and every night it turns into a bickering match! Can we just, not fight?"

Harry thought to himself with a smile that perhaps this is how the hatred he had seen between his fifteen year old parents had developed into love. This thought warmed him. If his parents loved each other half as much as Ron and Hermione loved each other, then they were lucky people.

"Listen, let's just finish up and get out of here, all right?" Harry asked, creating a neutral ground for continuing their work of cleaning the Potions classroom. Since Professor Jenkins was a bit of a joke, students had taken to pulling multiple pranks and it resulted in a mess. And so every day for two weeks had been spent cleaning up after these students. They were all trying to take over Fred and George Weasley's spot. It hadn't been done the year before, and it wouldn't be done this year either. It just made for a horrendous detention.

But Hermione was right. It could have been worse. After she, Ginny, and Ron had returned, Ron's expression told Harry that the room had been sealed. Dumbledore had moved into his portrait and sat solemnly, listening to McGonagall's administration of punishment. As she had walked into the office, McGonagall had glanced at the portrait, and Harry would have sworn Dumbledore nodded at her and that she had nodded back. Harry thought that this was, perhaps, to indicate that Harry and his friends were not planning to stay through the year. This was probably one of the reasons that they had not received harsher punishments.

Harry had related to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione what had happened between himself and Dumbledore; he looked at Hermione, a realization dawning on him.

"Hermione, how did you know that the portraits in the Headmaster's office were there? You weren't shocked at all."

"Oh! I bet I can guess!" Ron said, "You read it in Hogwarts, A History or some other really large book that Harry and I will never read. That's it, isn't it?"

Hermione, instead of looking annoyed, sobered immediately, "No," she said quietly.

"Hermione," Ron said apologetically, putting an arm around her on the couch near the armchairs in the common room, "I wasn't trying to poke fun at you. I was trying to get ahead of you. I just reckoned that that's what you were going to say."

"No, Ron," she said with a watery smile, "I know. It's just…I'd been to Dumbledore's office. Last year."

"What?" Harry and Ron said. Ginny said nothing.

"Ginny did you know?" Harry asked.

"Yes, she knew. I couldn't tell either of you at the time. I was woken up last year on the morning of March 1."

"That's my birth…oh," Ron trailed off.

Hermione nodded and continued, "It was Professor McGonagall. She said that there had been a serious accident and that I should go to Professor Dumbledore's office. She took me there. At the time, I had thought it was Harry. Somehow, someone had gotten to you, Harry. I wasn't paying particular attention to the décor, you know. But then, Professor Dumbledore came in and said that it would be a good idea if I could find Harry; that perhaps he wasn't the person to explain it to me. I almost passed out then. I didn't know what to think, so I demanded that he tell me. He got out the words, 'Mr. Weasley has had an unfortunate accident this morning," and I was out of the room, dashing to find you, Harry. The portraits weren't really the foremost thing on my mind, you understand. I thought- I wasn't sure if Ron was even alive. I told Ginny afterwards, because I couldn't tell either of you without betraying how deeply I felt for Ron. It didn't really seem important anyway."

Ron pulled a now-shaking Hermione into his arms, "It's ok, Hermione. I'm right here."

They sat in silence for a bit until Harry said, "I think it was Dumbledore who told McGonagall that we were out of bed. He could move out of his portrait. I think he just wanted to get me into the office."

"That sounds about right. He would need to talk to you. Those are important things he had to say. I believe him, Harry." Ginny was perched on the arm of Harry's armchair, her arm around his shoulders.

Harry sighed, "I don't want to believe him."

"But you do," Ginny said with certainty, "You know Dumbledore wouldn't make all that up just to cover for the man that killed him."

"Umm, I know this is a really important conversation," Ron started in a whisper, "But, ummm, well," he gestured with his head at a sleeping Hermione resting against his chest.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, "We should get some sleep. Detentions start tomorrow."

Harry and Ginny stood up as Ron followed, Hermione cradled in his arms. Harry and Ginny were halfway up their respective staircases when they heard Ron clear his throat.

"Yes, well, that's all good and fine, but I can't get up that flight of steps without sliding all the way down, thanks."

Ginny giggled, and whispered a charm that had Hermione's sleeping form moving eerily up the staircase, "I'll get her to bed, then. I know you probably wanted to, Ron. But she's a heavy sleeper. You wouldn't have had any luck."

"Ha ha," Ron said dryly.

They all made their ways up to bed not too thrilled about starting detentions the next day.

And so they all completed their detentions, a bit irritable, but surely not aiming to cause any more trouble that would land them in a detention. It dawned on Harry as the sweaty and less than chipper foursome made their way back to the Gryffindor common room with only one more day of servitude left, that perhaps that was the actual reasoning behind detention. Funny how he had never truly wanted to stay out of trouble to avoid detention before.

Passing the last day of detentions with no incident, Harry became aware of the fact that teachers kept bringing up exams. It was almost time to take the exams that they had missed last year. This also meant,

"We'll be leaving soon, won't we?" Hermione asked the night after the last detention at dinner.

"I expect so, yes," Harry said, chewing his steak slowly in his mouth.

Ginny said nothing, and became very preoccupied with her food. Harry tried not to notice.

"Is it still…I mean can we…is the plan still to make a stop at my house? Just for a couple of days, I mean," Hermione asked quickly.

Harry nodded immediately. He had thought about this, and though it meant setting them back even further, he knew why Hermione needed this. She may never see them again. Harry told himself firmly that this would not be the case, but he understood Hermione's need.

"Have you written them? The exams are next Friday. We leave that night." It seemed so much more concrete when dates were given. Harry felt a shudder at the thought of leaving security behind to travel in search of the most terrible wizard in history.

"I should write to Mum, soon too. I reckon I should write before I get my test scores back. That way I'm not in a location where she can send a Howler when she gets them," Ron said dismally.

"Oh, nonsense, Ron. Here," Hermione pulled out the familiar study schedule that she drew up every year, "follow that, and you'll be fine."

"Will you help me, Hermione?" Ron asked in a tone dripping with false sweetness, "Because really, as if these wonderful schedules weren't enough, I'm going to need your brilliant mind to get me through this."

Hermione moved towards the tall, redheaded boy seated next to her, planted a kiss on his lips, and pulled back smiling, "Hmm, nice as that all is…flattery will get you nowhere. It's up to you, my dear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the library."

With that, she stood, leaving a crestfallen Ron in her wake, Harry and Ginny laughing hysterically on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh, bugger off you two!" he said.

"Ron, you should follow her," Ginny said, "Go on, that way the entire library can see you get completely shut out by your girlfriend."

Ron stood up in a huff, leaving Harry and Ginny laughing still more heartily. Harry sobered a bit as he thought of the imminent exams.

"Oh, here, she's left one or you as well, Harry," Ginny said, picking up the colorful schedule on the table.

"I should study," Harry said, but it didn't seem so important when he was faced with such a daunting task as finding the remaining Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort.

"You should study, yes, "Ginny said, "But I know you, Harry, and you will fin d something that, to you, is immensely more important than tests."

She smiled, and with a peck on the lips said, "I have to go too. I have Quidditch practice."

Harry had completely forgotten that Ginny was now Quidditch Captain. He had turned down the spot, much as Hermione had turned down the Head Girl slot. He knew it would be unfair to take it. Ginny had already held tryouts, and the team was looking dismal.

"Oh, have fun," Harry said, trying to keep the jealousy in his tone to a minimum.

"Yeah," Ginny snorted, "It's like watching a bunch of apes on broomsticks. You're really not missing anything. Harry," Ginny added as an afterthought, "go on. I know you're not going to study, so you'd better think really hard about what you're going to do instead."

Harry gave a small chortle as he gathered his things to leave the Great Hall. He would too study! He'd show her!

The sheet of paper in front of him was full of words. None of them meant anything to him. How did he let this happen? He had had almost nothing else to occupy his time but studying, and what had he done for a week and a half? He had read and reread the book Hermione had given him for his birthday, searching for clues. He has found none! And now here he was, in Potions staring at an exam with no idea how to answer the questions. He looked down the table at Hermione, frantically filling in answers and Ron, chewing on the end of his quill before writing an answer. And here he was. Harry slapped himself in the head. He could do this! He summoned up every bit of memory he had, and bent his head to try as best he could.

"I don't want to know how I did," Harry said as he collapsed in the common room after his, Ron's, and Hermione's last exam. Ginny had not returned yet from hers, and Harry could only be grateful that she wasn't there to see him at the nadir of his academic career.

"Hey, you lot! How were your exams? Mine were cake!"

Harry groaned as Ginny's voice, usually the most wonderful sound in the world drifted towards them.

"I think, for the first time in my life, I did better than Harry," Ron said happily, "Cheers!"

"Oh, Harry, I'm sure it wasn't all that bad," Ginny said, moving behind Harry to massage his shoulders. Harry unwittingly began to loosen up as her hand worked miracles on his back.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he said wearily.

"Oh, Ginny, stop that! You're ruining this for me!" Ron said grumpily.

Hermione laughed, "Well, you did your best. That's all that counts. I hardly had to badger you at all to study, Ron."

"Well, I would imagine that his study sessions are a bit more fun this year than they have been before, Hermione," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

"Harry! You know that when I'm studying I put all my effort into it!"

"Yeah, but when you're helping Ron study, what does that effort go towards? Snogging is not a class in Hogwarts, Hermione, but I'm sure you studied well," Harry retorted, laughing.

"Oh, come off it," she grumbled.

Ron was looking just red enough for Harry to know that he was right on. He put his head down, enjoying the feel of Ginny's touch, not wanting to think about what he would have to say now.

"You…you umm, sent the owls that you needed to send, Hermione? Ron?" Harry asked quietly. Ginny's hands became stiff, and Harry reached back and pulled her to sit in his lap. She didn't speak or respond. Just sat in his lap, stiff as a board.

"I did. We leave tonight, then?" Hermione asked quietly as celebrations and loud cheers at the end of exams raged behind them.

Harry thought, quite off topic though the thought was, that the celebrating would soon stop when students realized that they now had to return to regular classes on Monday. But he, Ron, and Hermione wouldn't. They would be off that night. Without Ginny. The thought made his heart ache. But he was absolutely sure she was better off here. Safe.

The foursome grew quiet with the knowledge, and Ginny moved into Harry, as though wondering if she would ever have the chance to do so again. He kissed her temple, and wrapped his arms around her. Tonight he would leave the safety and unconditional love behind. Who knew what would lie ahead, but uncertainty.

A/N: So, that's this chapter. Mostly transitional. Very little substance. The question remains, however. Start a new chapter, or start a new story? Your input on that and on this chapter would be greatly appreciated in the form of…A REVIEW! Review please!

IMPORTANT: I AM POSTING A STORY THAT I WROTE FOR A CONTEST. IT IS CALLED "TEARS OF APOLOGY" AND IT HAS TO DEAL WITH HARRY FINDING SIRIUS'S JOURNAL ABOUT THE DAY THE POTTER'S DIED. PLEASE CHECK THAT OUT AS WELL. THANKS!