Chapter 3: Ginny's Homecoming

Ginny Weasley sat in one of the compartments on the Hogwarts Express staring out the window, not really seeing the countryside that sped by. Even though she was sharing the space with Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and the Creevey brothers, she was not sharing in the conversation.

It had been a very long year from Ginny's point of view. Enough families had been willing to allow their children to return to Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death for the governors to agree to keep the school open. However the number of students had been reduced by nearly half. But if Ginny had her way other things were going to definitely change in August. In August she would celebrate her 17th birthday and she would be considered an adult in the Wizarding world.

She planned to make it clear to everyone that she was no longer a child and she would not accept being told to stay out of the way, where it was safe. No longer would she play the obedient little girl. She would refuse to be forced to live a sheltered life at school while everyone in her family, everyone that she cared about, was doing their part to make a difference and to bring an end to the terror that currently gripped their world. She did not see a reason to go back to Hogwarts next year and she believed she should not be expected to return if she did not want to go. After all, Fred and George had quit to start their joke shop; and Ron and Hermione had not gone back this year so that they could help Harry. She should be able to make up her own mind as well. Besides, why did everyone think that she could not be an asset to the cause, too? She had proven she could handle herself as well as they could two years ago in the Department of Mysteries. Still, her parents and Harry had remained adamant about keeping her away and safe.

Harry… It seemed no matter what was rolling around in her mind her thoughts always came back to him. Did he honestly think that she would be able put her feelings for him aside when she had felt so much for him for nearly her entire life? Especially when she knew he was putting himself in danger, not to mention her brother and one of her best friends. The rational part of her understood his reasoning for wanting to keep his distance from her. It was so like Harry to try to protect those he cared about no matter how much it hurt; but it was no longer some girlhood crush that drove her feelings for him. She cared very deeply for him and the person he had become. She also knew Harry still cared for her, especially since Bill and Fleur's wedding last year.

Bill had eventually recovered from the werewolf attack and while his face and features would never be the same, the scars had given him a mysteriously dangerous look that women still found intriguing- particularly his fiancé.

It had been a beautiful wedding by most standards, especially if you liked a lot of rich, fancy French food, entertaining hundreds of guests and purple. Until the wedding, purple had been one of Ginny's favorite colors but then Fleur had finally decided on doing practically everything in purple: purple invitations, purple decorations, purple flowers, a purple cake, purple fireworks, purple fairies, and, to Ginny's dismay, extremely frilly, purple, bridesmaid dresses. At least Bill had won the argument to allow the guys to wear traditional black dress robes but each robe still had to be adorned with a matching purple rose. On Bill's insistence, Harry and all of Ginny's brothers except for Percy had been in the wedding party:

It was after the dinner and most of the guests were enjoying themselves on the large dance floor when Ginny finally built up her nerve to look for Harry. She had begun to fear that he had left without saying goodbye when she saw him sitting in a dark corner in the back of the room, nursing a small glass of firewiskey.

"Hi, Harry," she had said as she walked up to him.

"Oh, hi, Gin," he had replied, glancing up at her and then looking quickly away. They had been paired up for the ceremony but he had barley spoken to her during the rehearsal or the actual wedding.

"So what's Famous and Handsome Harry Potter doing sitting in the back of the room all by himself?" she had asked.

"Actually, I was just thinking that I should be heading home," came his reply.

Harry felt he had stayed long enough so he could now leave without seeming rude. He had found himself alone for a good part of the evening since Ron and Hermione had been spending quite a bit of time on the dance floor. Apparently Ron had discovered he actually liked dancing when Hermione was his partner.

She had asked, "Come on, Potter. Don't you realize its tradition to have at least one dance with your partner at a wedding?"

"That's probably not a good idea, Ginny," he said, standing up, not looking directly at her but past her shoulder. He saw that Ron and Hermione were smiling at each other and they were now dancing very close together.

She had said, "Harry, a dance at a family wedding will not be cause for putting my life in danger. I had actually been looking forward to at least one dance with you."

"Really, I ought to go…" he replied.

"Please?" Ginny asked, trying to get him to look her in the eye.

Harry sighed and then finally nodded; after all, hadn't he just been imagining how good it would be to hold her again? Surly one dance couldn't hurt. He took her hand and led her into a slow dance on the floor. They didn't speak but only swayed to the music with Ginny's head resting on his shoulder and her arms around his neck. He moved stiffly at first but as they continued the dance, he had begun to relax and he pulled her closer, savoring the feeling of having her near him.

"I've really missed you," Ginny had said at last, and then she immediately regretted it when she felt him stiffened up again and pull away from her.

"Ginny, don't…" he said. When she looked up at him she had seen an odd mixture of emotions pass behind his green eyes: pain, confusion, deep caring and then something close to anger. He let go of her, turned away and walked off the dance floor.

"What is it, Harry? Did I do something wrong?" Ginny had asked, following him. "Harry! Talk to me!"

When they were back in the corner of the room where the other guests were not likely to see or hear them, he had turned to her with more conflicting emotions crossing his features.

"No, it's not you. It's just that I can't allow it... No matter how much I…" he rambled and turned his back on her.

"What are you trying to say, Harry? Answer me!" Ginny demanded. She grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her.

"Look, when you get back to school you should… er… you need to start dating…other people again, I mean," he said awkwardly and looked away from her. He really hadn't planned on bringing this up tonight.

"I what?" Ginny asked, hoping she had to have misunderstood what he said.

Harry said, "You need to start dating again so people forget about us. Lots of guys fancied you last year so I'm sure there's bound to be someone you like."

Ginny had stared at him, speechless, until the Weasley temper began to rise up within her. "Maybe I don't want to date anyone right now! Besides, shouldn't it be my decision if and when I do begin dating again?"

"Ginny, please, don't make this harder—" Harry had started, and then stopped himself. "Look, it's for your own good. I can't be there for you now. You'd be happier I'm sure and safer if people think—" but Ginny cut him off.

"Harry James Potter! How dare you! You want me to start dating someone, anyone, even if I don't feel that way about them just so I'll be SAFE?" she said, raising her voice, getting angrier.

"Shh! Please, keep your voice down!" Harry begged in a loud whisper. Not only did he not want to draw attention to them, he did not like his odds of survival with so many Weasley brothers around to hex him if he upset their sister.

Ginny had noticed his eyes darting around the room trying to see where each of her brothers happened to be. Normally this would have made her laugh but on that night she had been too angry.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm not a child anymore and no one, not you, not my brothers, not Mum or Dad will tell me what to do with my life! How dare you! How do you think you're making me feel? Just because we haven't been together, it doesn't mean we don't still—" then it was Ginny's turn to stop abruptly. She had halted her rant so quickly that Harry looked back at her.

"Okay. Sure. I'll do what you want," she said suddenly. "You won't have to worry about me being happy or safe anymore. You can go off on your adventure putting yourself in danger, and putting yourself in the path of that monster. But I guess I won't care because I'll have found someone else!"

The conversation was definitely not going the way Harry had planned. He had been thinking about it for a while and it was not what he wanted but it was a way to help ensure her safety. Besides, if she started seeing someone else perhaps it would help him to stop thinking about her so much. He had just not planned to discuss it with her at the wedding. One of his priorities was to see that Ginny remained safe but thinking of her being with someone else had cut into him more deeply than he would have thought imaginable.

"What's wrong? Isn't that what you want? I'm agreeing with you, Harry. You just have to do one thing," Ginny said.

"And what would that be?"

"Kiss me," Ginny replied.

"Kiss you?" Harry asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Yes, kiss me. Kiss me like you don't care about us any more. Then I'll know I should find someone else," Ginny said.

"I never said that I don't care- that's not what this is about! How will me kissing you...? That's the craziest thing! -" Harry said, exasperated.

"It's the only way I'll agree. Come on! Kiss me and prove to me that there is nothing left between us and that I should move on," Ginny said, looking him directly in the eye, hands on her hips.

What was she up to, Harry had thought to himself. He still cared for her; too much, in fact. She had to know that, but he could not allow anyone else to realize it. He could not put her in a position where someone might harm her or use her to get to him nor could he expect her to wait for him. According to the prophecy, he might be the one to be murdered, and as Dumbledore had said, neither he nor Voldemort would stop until one of them was dead. She could not wait around until the prophecy was played out one way or the other. It was in her best interest to convince her to move on and then there would be no reason for anyone to come after her because of him.

He continued to look at her thinking maybe all he had to do was give her a quick, dispassionate kiss, which would convince her. He had moved closer to her and bent his head down slowly. His lips touched hers gently, lingering lightly for only a moment, and then he started to pull away. As he did, Ginny moved into the kiss and reached her arms up to encircle his neck. Harry tried to pull away, knowing that he should; he knew he had to end the kiss before he gave in, but Ginny had continued to lean into him, her arms around him feeling just right. Harry found he could not stop himself from pulling her to him and deepening their kiss.

"Ginny? Hey, Ginny, we asked if you have any plans for the summer," Colin was saying.

"Hmm? What?" Ginny asked, the memory of Harry's kiss still lingering in her mind.

"We were discussing our plans for the summer. You were daydreaming about him again, weren't you?" Luna asked looking at her with her normal dreamy expression.

"Who?" Ginny asked, pretending she didn't know to whom Luna was referring.

"Why Harry, of course," Luna said matter-of-factly.

"Don't be silly," Ginny protested. "Harry and I stopped seeing each other the end of last year. I have no reason to be 'daydreaming' of that prat of all people."

"Whatever you say. I suppose he isn't the real reason you turned down every guy who asked you out this past year, hmm?" Luna replied in the same dreamy tone, watching Ginny.

Finally, Luna continued, "Since you don't seem to want to discuss your plans for the summer, I'll tell you mine. This summer my father and I are planning a trip to search for the Tri-Colored Homplywamper. Rumor has it one was spotted in a forest in Chile last week. We should be able to find it by the end of the summer before it molts and turns invisible again."

The others just stared at her, not sure of how to reply. Neville finally said politely, "Um, that sounds like loads of fun, Luna. You're sure to have an exciting summer."

"Yes, I should think it will be. Did you know the Tri-Color Homplywamper likes to—" but they were deprived of learning the likes of the Tri-Color Homplywamper by the announcement that the train was approaching their destination.

When Ginny stepped down from the train, she was surprised to see only her father there to greet her.

She ran up to him, gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and said, "Hi, Dad. Where's Mum? She's usually so anxious to see us when we get back from school that she comes with you, too."

She thought she noticed a flash of something in her father's eyes but he took a deep breath and smiled at her. "It's so good to see you, Sunshine. Oh, your Mum decided to stay at the Burrow to get ready for your homecoming. Most of the boys are coming over for dinner tonight and you know your mother; she feels she needs to prepare enough food for an army." Ginny couldn't help noticing that her father's tone seemed somewhat flat.

"Dad, is something wrong? You seem a bit down. Is the Ministry making you work a lot of over time again?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"Yes… yes. Overtime. There's been a lot of over time this week," Mr. Weasley replied, which was not a complete lie. The Death Eaters had been partaking in some rather odd activities lately, not to mention since learning of Harry's death, the Order had been meeting every evening and working into the early morning hours trying to come up with a strategy for weakening Voldemort and his followers. So far they had made very little progress.

They loaded her trunk and other school things into the car and pulled out of the station as Ginny waved goodbye to her friends.

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Molly Weasley looked at her living room clock and noticed the hands had moved from "Mortal Peril" to "Heading Home" for both Arthur and Ginny. It would not be long now before they had to break the news of Harry's death to Ginny.

They had agreed that Arthur should go alone to pick their daughter up from the station. Neither thought Molly could keep from breaking down upon seeing her youngest child, let alone keep the bad news from her until they got into the privacy of their home. The Order still believed keeping the news about what had happened to Harry quiet was in the best interest of the Wizarding community for the time being. Therefore they had to avoid any kind of public scene.

Mrs. Weasley was extremely worried about how the news was going to affect Ginny. She had been ecstatic last year when she learned Harry and Ginny had started dating. She and her husband thought there to be no one better for their daughter, and Ginny had been happier with Harry than with any boy she had dated in the past. He was such a wonderful, kind, caring boy, which was all the more amazing given how his aunt and uncle had treated him, not to mention everything else he had been through.

Mrs. Wesley had been surprised when, sometime after Dumbledore's funeral, Ginny had told her they were no longer together. She had not gotten much of an explanation for the breakup but she had some idea based upon Ginny mumbling under her breath something about him being "a too noble for his own good prat." Leave it to Harry to try to protect those he cared about.

Her suspicions that Ginny and Harry still had feelings for each other were confirmed at the wedding. When he thought no one was watching Harry's eyes would be on Ginny, following her every move. Ginny had done much the same thing, surreptitiously watching Harry. No, things had not been over between them she was sure of it, causing her to hope that they would get back together one day. But now, she thought dismally, it would never be.

She heard a car door close. They were back. Ginny walked into the house calling, "Hey, Mum, I'm home!"

"Ginny, dear! It's so good to see you!" Mrs. Weasley cried running to Ginny and hugging her tight.

When Ginny pulled back from one of the longest and hardest hugs she could ever remember her mother bestowing, she noticed her mother's eyes were red and puffy. "Mum? Is something wrong?" Ginny asked. "Have you been crying?"

"Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?" Mrs. Weasley asked, ignoring the questions and glancing over to her husband.

"What's wrong? Oh, no! It's not Fleur and the baby, is it?" Ginny asked, her concern growing. Early in her pregnancy, Fleur nearly had a miscarriage. Her mother had been beside herself for hours over possibly losing her first grandchild, until they had learned everything was going to be okay.

"No, Fleur and the baby are fine. Please sit down, Ginny," her father said, causing her concern to grow even more.

"What is it? Did one of my brothers get hurt again?" Ginny asked, trying to think of what would cause her mother to be so upset.

"No, they are all fine," her mother replied, choking back a sob.

Ginny was at a loss for an explanation. She always half expected to hear some kind of bad news about one of her brothers especially due to the state of things in their world now, all on top of the fact that one worked with dragons and two others were always involved in some strange experiment for their joke shop.

If it wasn't one of her brothers then that meant— and as the thought came, it felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach. Something had either happened to Harry or Hermione, and she was pretty sure it was not the latter.

Ginny sat down on a chair quickly and looked at her parents who had taken seats on the couch directly in front of her.

"Tell, me," Ginny said, unsuccessfully suppressing the panic in her voice. "What's happened to Harry?"

Upon hearing this question her mother put her head in her hands and let go of the tears she had been trying to hold back.

"We are so sorry to have to tell you this, Sweetheart," her father began, tears now forming in his eyes. "Harry was killed three days ago by You-Know-Who. Ron and Hermione saw it happen," her father finished, not knowing whether providing more or less detail about how Harry had died was best.

The color drained from Ginny's face and her mother rushed over to pull her into an embrace.

"No! I won't believe it! Harry can't be dead!" she yelled at her father. "Harry wasn't ready to face him yet! And it happened three days ago? You waited three days to tell me?"

"Ginny, please," her father tried to explain. "We wanted to tell you in person and we couldn't until you came back from school. Please understand, your mother and I are as upset about this as you are and we hated keeping it from you. But as members of the Order of the Phoenix, we also have responsibilities to the Wizarding community—"

"Responsibilities to the Wizarding community?" Ginny shouted pulling out of her mothers embrace and standing up. "I am NOT the Wizarding community! I am family and Harry was a part of our family! I had the right to know—" she stopped, suddenly letting out a sob.

She knew she was being unreasonable, and that her parents were hurting as much as she was. Her parents had practically adopted Harry but she didn't care. All her mind could focus on was that he was gone.

Ginny took a deep breath trying to think, but not really wanting to. "I need to be alone right now. I'm going to my room."

She ran up the stairs, slammed her door and fell onto her bed crying harder than she had ever cried in her life.