It had been a week since Ginny had had tea with Mrs. Diggory and the Order had set out a rescue plan for Harry. Moody, Tonks and Kingsley and some others were currently picking Harry up because Kingsley had received word from the ministry that Harry had performed the Patronus charm in front of a Muggle and they planned on expelling him from Hogwarts! Hermione had been appalled at this piece of information and had vehemently protested its accuracy. Ginny was in agreement and she knew for a fact that Harry would not use magic without it being necessary and so she was pacing in front of the doorway, anxiously awaiting his arrival. Hermione and Ron had decided to wait for Harry in her bedroom, as they had homework they needed to finish up.

As Ginny paced, she thought about the one thing that still bothered her about her meeting with Mrs. Diggory-her comment she had made about Ginny belonging with Harry. She kept replaying the words in her head, "How beautiful would it be to fall for your best friend?" Ginny thought it was very odd how would suggest that. She still hadn't opened Cedric's present because she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what the card said. It remained in the draw where she had hidden it.

When Harry finally arrived at Grimmauld Place half an hour later, Ginny launched herself at him and engulfed him into a viper-like hug. He held her loosely, and quickly moved out of her grasp before her mother enveloped him in a motherly embrace. Ginny watched her mother smile bleakly, "How are you doing, dear? You're looking as thin as ever!" Harry smiled briefly before saying, "I'm alright thank you, Mrs. Weasley. How are you?" She nodded and shrugged, "I guess the same as everyone else." Her mother smiled kindly and she told him, "There's a meeting going on. Ginny will show you to your room." Ginny watched as Harry caught sight of Sirius looking at him through the crack in the door and a genuine smile lit up his face for the first time since his arrival.

However, her mother turned back into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. Ginny smiled at him and said, "Hey Harry." He smiled back somewhat sadly at her, "Hey Gin." It wasn't his genuine smile that he had just given Sirius. It was like an, "I have to force a smile," smile. He'd been happy to see Sirius though, that she could see.

Ginny walked up the stairs in silence with Harry and they passed Kreacher on the way, who patted Mrs. Black's portrait and muttered to her comfortingly. Ginny whispered to Harry, "He's the Black family house elf. Nobody likes him much and he can't stand serving us." Harry nodded without a word and she suddenly felt like he was cold shouldering her. As they reached the closed bedroom, Ginny turned to him and asked irritably as she looked him in the eyes, "What's up with you, Harry? We heard you were getting expelled and now you're acting so…so off." He was about to reply when Hermione opened the bedroom door and flew her arms around him, "Harry! Oh thank goodness you're alright!" here she let go of him and said breathlessly, "Just so you know, I've done researched and I've found that you can't be expelled."

Harry nodded wordlessly and responded, "That's great and all…but I haven't received mail from any of you this entire holiday. That's the answer to your question, Ginny." The way in which he said it so icily made the hairs on Ginny's neck stand up. Ron interrupted, "Hey mate, no need to talk to my sister like that!" Hermione rolled her eyes and said remorsefully, "I'm sorry Harry. Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything. The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organization which Dumbledore formed when You-Know-Who first rose to power. He didn't want the ministry getting word of it." Ron nodded in agreement and so did Ginny before her brother continued, "We honestly wanted to write but because some mail is being checked by the ministry it would have been safer for you to not know anything." Harry glanced sideways had Ginny, who had her arms folded and a frosty expression on her face. She did not like this angry Harry, but at least now she understood why he was acting this way. Before she had thought that it had just been her alone.

Suddenly, Fred and George apparated into the room and Fred announced, "We thought we heard you Harry! Let's go and hear something a little more interesting!" He pulled a pair of extendable ears out of his pocket and Harry asked, "Wha-?" but Fred shook his head and beckoned for them to follow him outside onto the landing. They all crowded in around the stairs and Fred gently lowered the one down.

They were using the extendable ears to listen in on the conversation the Order meeting was holding. Ginny heard Snape's voice and Harry looked up instantly, a surprised expression on his face and asked, "Snape is part of the Order?" Ginny nodded and Ron muttered, "git!"

Suddenly Crookshanks managed to chew the ears off. The conversation had something to do with Harry joining the Order. Harry grinned at Ginny as Ron said, "Hermione, I hate your cat!" and Harry somewhat laughed, but then his smile disappeared, as if it had never been there before. She so badly wanted to lean forwards and hug him, but she stopped herself. Harry had just been rude to her and she wasn't about to forgive him so easily. Then Ginny felt light headed and suddenly and Cedric's face swam across her vision. It was so clear that she felt like she could reach out and touch him. Seconds later, Ginny felt herself falling forward to the ground and passing out. She heard voices around her calling worriedly, "Ginny! Ginny!" before she blacked out.

When she woke up again seconds later, she found her head in Harry's lap. He was grimacing down at her as her vision blurred back into focus. She remembered seeing Cedric's face and she whispered throatily, "Cedric?" Harry tensed and shook his head, "It's Harry." Ginny groaned, "I know. But I saw Cedric." Harry's eyes widened in shock and Ginny tried to sit up. Hermione pushed her down and whispered firmly, "No! Ginny stay where you are!" Her mother was suddenly at her side and Ginny murmured, "I'm fine, mum!" Her mother shook her head and asked panic-stricken, "What happened?" Harry replied, "We dunno. She just…fainted." He hadn't said anything about Cedric and Ginny was grateful. She didn't want to sound more crazy than she already felt.

Her mother whispered worriedly, "Perhaps we should carry her to her bed. She needs to lie down." Ginny protested, "Mum, I'm fine!" Her mother ignored her and replied, "Ron, Harry, just help me lift her up, please?" They did as she asked and lifted Ginny up and carried her to her bed. When she was placed gently on the bed, her mother lifted the duvet from under her and tucked her in. Now that she was in the comfortable bed, she drifted quickly into sleep.

Ginny awoke from a dream. Cedric had been talking to her and telling her how much he missed her. He was a ghost in the dream and he had tried to reach her and touch her face, but his fingers had slipped through her and he seemed confused, like he didn't know he was a ghost. He tried again and his face grew panicked as he couldn't reach her. Every time he reached out his hand, she moved backwards involuntarily. She woke up because she had been fighting against the invisible force pulling her back and screaming Cedric's name.

She also heard Harry knock and his voice call, "Can I come in?" Ginny replied, "Yeah I guess," as her heart pounded in her chest. Harry looked at her blankly and said, "Dinner's ready." Ginny nodded and said softly, "Thanks, but I'm not hungry." Harry's eyebrows rose up as he sat down on the bed beside her, "Gin! You've got to eat! I saw the way you couldn't eat last year, and I understand that was because his death was recent then. But I'm worried that you're getting too thin and his…absence is eating you up. I can see your mum is worried, too. You know Cedric wouldn't have wanted that!"

Ginny sniffled and she whispered, "Can I tell you why it's so hard Harry?" He nodded, aimed his wand at the door to close it and cast a silencing charm. Ginny inhaled deeply before whispering, "This is a secret I thought I was going to take to the grave and you've got to promise you can't tell anyone. Not Ron or Hermione even." Harry nodded and simply watched her, "I promise." She gasped as her body shook, trying to get the words out. He watched her worriedly as she stammered, "R...Remember the night b...before the third task?" Harry nodded cautiously and said seriously, "Yeah, I remember." She gulped for air as she exposed a secret she never thought she'd share, "Well, Ced and I were walking up to our common room after he surprised me and some of his friends with a picnic when...he kissed me." She looked at Harry for a reaction, but she didn't find one so she carried on, "I pulled him into a secret passage he and I continued to kiss him. A few weeks before he had admitted his feelings for me were stronger than friendship. I hadn't believed him at the time. I thought he had just said that because it was what I wanted to hear. Anyway when he kissed me that night, he told me he'd liked me ever since the World Cup." She couldn't think what else to say as she burst into a fit of tears she had been holding back ever since the first week of his death. Once she had gotten the first few words out the rest flowed easily and her body racked with sobs.
Harry pulled her close and laid them against the frame of her bed, not saying anything. He didn't tell her it was alright because it wasn't, and she appreciated that. That's why she knew he would understand, more than Ron and Hermione. He had lost people close to him, and so he knew it wasn't okay. Ginny swallowed hard and continued, "Ced told me that we would be together once the tournament was over." She finished with a sob. Harry stroked her hair as he let her wet his shirt with her tears.

Harry seemed to be speechless as he floundered around for words and his voice cracked, "Ginny..." The door creaked open and Hermione was busy saying, "Harry, Ginny dinner's ready," until she saw the way tears were flooding down Ginny's cheeks. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise but she didn't comment as she said, "Okay I'll tell them to keep it warm for you." Harry nodded gratefully as Ginny sat up, "No it's okay. We should go and eat now."

Hermione nodded, closing the door behind her. Ginny dried her eyes, feeling a little like a weight had lifted, hiccoughed and glanced at Harry gratefully, "I'm sorry for being so silly about this. I can't even imagine how you felt being there." Harry shook his head, "Don't apologize. I'm glad I could help. I don't really like talking about it either so I understand."

Ginny sighed and whispered, "There's one more thing. Cedric bought me a Christmas gift, with a card and his mum gave it to me when I went to visit. I haven't opened it yet though." Harry frowned and asked gently, "Why?" She shrugged and whispered, "Because I'm nervous. It's like his one last gift to me and if I open it I'm afraid I'll get over him and move on." Harry shook his head sternly and whispered, "You can never get over death, Ginny. You can and are allowed to move on." Ginny nodded and sighed, "I suppose you're right. Would you mind being here while I open it, please?" Harry nodded and smiled, "Of course." Ginny smiled gratefully at him, got up and scratched in the door for the present. She pulled it out and handed Harry the picture. He laughed a little and pointed, "You were so cute as a baby!" Ginny smiled and replied, "I was so chubby!" She opened the white envelope and on the front of the card was a gigantic Christmas present all wrapped in red and reading 'Merry Christmas.'

Ginny opened the card hesitantly and began reading:

Dear Ginny

I'm not sure when I'm going to give this to you. It may be this year, or it may be next year, depending on a few varying factors, but I hope that it will be some point in the future. You see, I've liked you for a while now (as more than a friend) and I figure that it's important to show people we like how much we care about them.

Anyway, in the event that I do give this to you, I would like to tell you that you are such a free spirit and I hope you always stay that way. Don't let the world, or circumstances change you. I've always admired how you are your own person and you don't let others dictate to you. I wish more people could be like that. I suppose it probably comes from having six older brothers and learning how to stand your own ground from a young age, so in some ways you can thank your brothers for giving you a hard time.

If for some reason, I do give this to you in the long run, I'm sorry I couldn't be with you sooner. At the moment I'm struggling to fulfill my obligation to be at Cho's side because my mind is always straying back to you, and what you are busy doing in the day. I feel terrible because I'm not being a very good friend to her right now and she needs me so much, but I promise one day I will be with you, no matter how long I have to wait.

Anyway Merry Christmas and I can only hope that it's full of love and joy, and that one day I'll be a part of yours.

With Love

Cedric

Ginny felt a small tear drop down her cheek, but it was nothing like her crying earlier. She had a smile back on her face, a genuine smile and she pulled the lilac colored box with the feathery texture from its draw. Inside was a long, golden chain which had the shape of the goblet from the tournament at the bottom.

Ginny frowned and looked at it more closely. On the cup was inscribed, "You are my Triwizard Champion." She found herself beaming from ear to ear, and Harry watched as she slid the necklace over her clothes and tucked it in her shirt before she asked happily, "Let's get some food shall we?" Harry smiled and nodded, "That's the Ginny Weasley I know."

Authors Note: Sorry this chapter took so long! It ended up being about five hundred or more words than I originally planned but it's done. I know the ending is a bit corny, but Ginny needs some way to move on from Cedric and having a memory of sorts to keep forever is the best way I could think of. By the way this is the longest chapter I've written since the first two (four pages!) so I hope you guys enjoy it. It took me most of the weekend to write.