-Chapter 13: Not Just a Pendant -

The girls barely saw each other the next week because of O.W.L.s. The day after Ginny finished them she and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room planning a romantic night to be spent in the Room of Requirement. Harry came in asking for Ron, the girls told him that the last they saw of him he was being dragged away by Lavender.

"Okay well when he gets back tell him I am with Dumbledore. He thinks he has found a horcrux and promised I could go with him to get it. I'll be back sometime late tonight." Hermione and Ginny both hugged him and wished him good luck. When Ron returned they filled him in and the three of them waited patiently until Seamus burst into the common room screaming.

"Dumbledore is dead!" Seamus yelled. "McGonagall ordered the three of you to get to the hospital wing immediately."

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione ran as fast as they could to the hospital wing. When they arrived Bill Weasley was in a hospital bed, his face was a bloody mess. Molly, Arthur, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey were standing near his bedside. Fleur was sitting in the bed next to him cleaning his wounds and softly speaking to him in French.

"What happened!" Ginny near screamed as she looked at Bill.

McGonagall explained what she knew. Death Eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts, the Order was immediately alerted and most were out fighting Death Eaters at that very moment, someone spotted Harry and Dumbledore in the clock tower with Draco, Bill had been attacked by Fenir Greyback, and there were several eyewitness accounts of someone hitting Dumbledore with the killing curse. After a few moments of silence the doors burst open and Hagrid and Harry came tumbling in. Harry's face was marred with dirt, tears and sweat.

"It was Snape!" he screamed. "Snape killed him! I saw it, I saw the whole thing! Draco couldn't do it so Snape did!" Harry collapsed and cried. Everyone was stunned.

"Surely not," McGonagall finally spoke.

"I saw it! I saw that bloody bastard do it. I heard him say the spell and point his wand and kill him!" Harry was still on the floor, he pushed away anyone who tried to help him up. "I followed Snape out of the tower. He was following the Death Eaters. They set Hagrid's hut on fire. I would have got to him if Hagrid hadn't dragged me back up here. I would have killed him!" Harry sobbed into the stone floor. Lupin and Tonks came through the door, out of breath and covered in sweat.

"The Death Eaters are all gone," Tonks said. "Snape left with them. How is Bill?"

Lupin examined Bill's wounds and spoke, "I think he will be alright. It's not a full moon so there is very little chance of Bill contracting anything. Those scars will not heal very well though. He'll never look quite the same, I'm afraid."

Molly cried, Arthur tried to comfort his wife but there was no consoling her. Hermione pulled Ginny close to her side and kissed her forehead. While she cleaned his wounds Fleur told Bill she didn't care what he looked like and that she was going to marry him no matter what. Molly cried even harder.

...............

After Dumbledore's funeral Harry and Hermione returned to the Burrow with the Weasleys and Fleur. Molly was adamant about getting wedding details in order for Fleur and Bill to distract anyone from the "horcrux nonsense" Harry kept on about.

"Fleur, where do you want your cousin Jacques?" Hermione asked while they were arranging the seating chart at the kitchen table.

"Put 'im at ze table with Jean-Luc and Elyse. Zey get along nicely."

"Hermione, shall I pack a lunch for you when you leave next week?" Molly asked. Ginny snapped her neck and stared at Hermione.

"Excuse me? Leave? When were you planning on telling me this?"

"Oh dear. I am so sorry, I thought you would have known by now!" Molly exclaimed. Ginny, furious, got up from the kitchen table and stormed to her room. "Go after her dear, Fleur and I will handle this," Molly said to Hermione.

Hermione didn't know why but she felt terrified when she knocked on Ginny's bedroom door. She felt an overwhelming sense of dread and a bit of betrayal. Ginny didn't respond when Hermione knocked a second time so she let herself in.

"Get out!" Ginny screamed. She sat up in her bed and brandished her wand. When she saw it was Hermione she tossed her wand on the desk and laid back down, her back towards the startled brunette.

"Ginny," Hermione started as she walked to the bed and sat down. "I was going to tell you, I swear to you I was going to tell you tonight. It will only be for a few days, I promise. I have to see my parents. I am not going forever, a week at the most, I swear to you. I didn't want you to be nervous about it and that is why I waited to tell you. I'll be right back, before the wedding."

"Oh...You could've told me." Ginny sniffled and sat up. "It's not that big of a deal…I thought maybe you were leaving for good with Harry and Ron. You...You do need to see your parents. I'm sorry I overreacted but right now I think is when we need to be the most open with each other, you know? At least this isn't too dangerous."

"I can't guarantee there will be no danger. I have to get them into hiding. I've been studying up on memory charms and I think that may be the best way to hide them. I'll take them to some place far from all of this and alter their memories. I do promise you that if there is danger and I can that I will come to wherever you are."

"Well I will be here at the Burrow so that shouldn't be too hard to find."

"You still wear the necklace I gave you every day like I asked?"

"Of course, love, all the time. I've never once taken it off."

"This pendant is not just a pendant. You know how when you disapparate you think of a destination?" Hermione gently picked up the pendant resting on Ginny's chest.

"Yes, that much I know."

"This has a charm on it and all I have to do is think of it and wherever it is located is where I will appear. That is why I want you to wear it."

"And why couldn't you tell me this when you gave it to me?"

"Because I didn't want you to think I would just spontaneously leave you."

"So," Ginny smirked, "does this mean that if I am in the shower and you apparate to me…"

"Yes, it does. And leave it to you to bring dirty thoughts into any conversation!" Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh but that's why you love me," Ginny said seductively. "And thanks to that thought I'm feeling a bit frisky Miss Granger, care to help me out?" she purred into Hermione's ear, the brunette melted.

"I can't say no to that."

Hermione pulled her wand from her pocket and aimed it at Ginny's door, silently casting the Imperturbable charm.