Wow I actually found some time to write while I was away for the weekend and it's a nice long part for you all. I hope it answers your questions. Sorry to say no one guessed who Ginny was with. So you get this part earlier than I thought.
Harry sat in his room continuing to fight with himself. He knew he should go and talk with Ginny. He needed to talk to her. To find out what was going on between them. He had almost thought after sleeping in her room and spending most of yesterday with her that they were well on the road to getting back together if not actually there. But now, heck he didn't even know if she was available.
His mind kept playing over and over, she clearly still had feelings for you, she knows she needs to talk to you, but she had a relationship while you were away, but then she had every right too, you did dump her after all. Could she just want to tell him that it's over and she loves him now only as a brother. Harry punched a pillow at the thought. He had come back from the dead for her. He wanted her, a future with her. He knew he owed it to her to hear her out, but he wasn't ready to hear he that the future he wanted dreamed of wasn't going to be.
It was after about 30 minutes there was a knock on the door and Hermione called out. "Harry, it's just me."
Harry knew she would have spent the last half an hour trying to work out just what was wrong with him today. "Come in." He grunted back. Sometimes he just wished Hermione would be as thick as Ron when it came to peoples moods.
She opened the door and then shut it behind her, standing there studying him for a while before sighing. "Care to tell me what your up here brooding about?"
"Not really no." He answered back, glancing up at her before looking a back at the floor.
Hermione huffed. "I'm tempted to leave you up here and forget about you, but Ginny wants to talk to you, and you hardly gave her the time of day this morning."
Harry grunted. "I know." He mumbled.
"Anyway, I came up to tell you that some of the DA are coming around." Hermione told him taking a seat on the bed next to him.
Harry almost flinched at the news. Was Ginny's 'someone' going to be among them. "Who?" He asked daring to look at Hermione wondering if she would give anything away.
She looked back at him. "Oh, Neville and Luna of course. Then Shemus, Dean, Lavender and the Patil Twins. They all want to see George, and well us of course it's not like we got to catch up just before the battle. I think I might write a book. All their stories. It's wonderful to hear how much everyone has put in to the war effort this year."
"Hmmm, hanging out at school while we hid out." Harry mumbled and then felt guilty. He had seen the way most of them were living in the room of requirement when they arrived. "Sorry, I'm just a little moody."
"I had noticed." Hermione muttered back. "Are you going to tell me about it?"
"It would be putting you in the middle, and... well I imagine your already there." Harry sighed as he answered her. Shrugged his shoulders, looking back at the floor again thinking 'what the hell' the conversation may be easier if Hermione told him what she knew first. "I went down stairs to get some pain potion last night, and I heard you and Ginny."
He heard her gasp, and knew her mind would be working over time. "How, how much did you hear?"
"Not much, but enough. Is she still with him? Whoever he is?" Harry asked.
"What?" Hermione asked. Then stopped. "This is what Gin wants to talk to you about. It isn't my place. But just what did you hear?"
"Just that she's been with someone and doesn't know how to tell me." He answered honestly. "I suppose I've been making a right fool of myself thinking she would want me back after all this time."
"Oh, Harry." Hermione couldn't help but throw an arm about his shoulders. "You need to talk to her, but believe me. It's not what you think It's just she wants to be the one to tell you."
Harry ran a hand through his hair knowing it would only make it messier. In fact he imagined if Molly hadn't been grieving for Fred she would have sat him and Ron down by now and given them a haircut.
"Oi, Mione, Harry, George, they're here." Ron was heard calling up the stairs.
Harry stood up, he did want to see all his class mates and Luna. He had after all spent 6 years with them. He just prayed that one of his old room mates was not expecting to kiss Ginny in front of him as their girlfriend. 'Your over thinking this' His mind rung out, then 'It could have been Colin?' 'They always got on.'
Hermione followed him. "Why don't you just ask to speak to her. They're going to be here a couple of hours."
"I don't know." Harry shrugged as they started to make their way down the stairs.
"Hey there Harry." Harry heard George behind him. "Lee and Angelina are heading over as well. They are just trying to rope Katie into coming as well. Well Lee is trying to sweet talk her anyway."
Harry nodded. "It'll be good to see them." He answered trying to sound like he meant it.
George nodded rubbing his hands together. "Lee, you and I should probably sit down and talk about what we're going to say on Tuesday."
Harry felt the weight of speaking engagements coming up fall on him again. He had almost forgotten about them with his internal fight with the monster in his chest. As they reached the Kitchen Molly was smiling at them all. "Outside in the fresh air everyone. It's a nice day and I've organized with your guards Harry to extend the wards slightly." She told them pulling out bottles and bottles of butterbeer. "It's so lovely to see all your friends coming to support you."
Harry decided then he would try and speak to Ginny, and hopefully soon. But was engulfed in a huge round of hugs as he stepped out the Kitchen door, along with slaps on his back by his doom mates.
"Oh, Harry it's so good to see you." Lavender cried as she pulled away from him, and wrapped an arm round Ron. "And you Ron. I've missed you."
Harry heard Hermione coughing. Before attaching herself to Ron other side, kissing him on the cheek. "How are you Lavender?" She asked in a voice that was a little too sweet for Hermione, Harry wondering just how much she was holding herself back from telling Ron's ex-girlfriend to back off.
After being hugged by the twins Harry noticed that Neville, Luna and Ginny were standing a little off to the side. Luna with her arm around Ginny, comforting her all most It was then Harry noticed that the Patil Twins were glancing at Ginny and whispering, then looking at Harry. Before they got caught up in talking to George.
They all took seats around the outside table, and were joined by Lee, Angelina and Katie. Harry noticed the hug Angelina had given George went on a little longer than normal and she seemed unable to stop looking in George's direction as she greeted Harry.
Molly had produced Butterbeers for all and some baking. After wishing for some of Molly's baking all year Harry's stomach strangely rebelled from the idea off eating any. The conversation had taken the turn of what the DA had been doing all year. Dean during his short time at school, and Shemus, Neville and Lavender had taken over from there. The stories all had Ginny featuring a lot until they reached a point where she had been caught and punished for trying to save a couple of first years from a detention inflicted on them by Crabbe and Goggle. Harry had been pretty amazed to hear that the Syltherins had pretty much been given the run of the school under Snape and the Carrows.
Ginny who Harry couldn't help but glance at every now and then was looking more and more uncomfortable. Harry went from avoiding catching her eye to trying to catch it. Hermione had been right they needed to talk.
"I still want to know just how you got all that information Neville and Shemus?" Pavati questioned. "It was almost like Crabbe was handing it over."
"I know, we saved so many people that way. George you and Fred were always there to help us as well." Padma added. "Giving them safe passage."
"Yes, it was wonderful, it's a pity that it doesn't always run in the family." Lavender added looking disappointingly at Ginny.
"Lav, we've been over this." Shemus' voice was almost a warning. "It wasn't at all what it looked like."
"Everyone had their part to play." George added looking up at Lavender. "Ginny's was just a little different. But you have to be thick if you don't know she was the one getting the info Nev had."
"But she wasn't even talking to any of us." Pavati half cried.
"It's amazing how notes can be passed or dropped in bags." Ginny mumbled. While Harry's mind really was working over time now.
"Well it just wasn't safe for Ginny to be seen with any of us anymore." Luna stated, in her almost sing song voice dreamily. "She was safe with Blaize, he pretty much saved her life at the end." Luna smiled and took Ginny's hand.
Blaize? Harry mind worked even harder. As in Blaize Zabini? Could it be that Ginny had been seeing a Slytherin? Not that Harry had ever had much to do with him. He had after all been in the wrong house as far as Harry was concerned. He frowned looking up at her with the question probably written all over his face.
Ginny looked like she was somewhere between wanting to blow up and wanting to cry, until her frustration must have gotten the better of her. "We all suffered last year. We all struggled with the punishments dealt us. But if anyone was in danger we got you out. I stayed." She finished looking at the girls from Harry's year. "I almost died, but I stayed until Neville and Shemus made me leave." It was on that note that she left the group and took off towards the pond.
Harry didn't know what to do he watched her go, and looked back at everyone, the air had such a heavy feeling of silence in it he pretty was sure you would hear a pin drop. It was Ron who broke the silence, his mind clearly working a little slower as per normal.
"Where was Ginny getting information from and what was Blaize doing saving her life?" He asked.
Hermione who had stood up and looked like she was about to follow Ginny looked back at Harry, and instead walked over to him and whispered in his ear. "She wants to be the one to tell you remember. Go and talk to her. She hasn't had it easy." Then turning around looked around the group. "It's over now, and time for the truth to come out. Nev you and Colin came up with the plan, explain it please."
Harry decided he should probably listen to Hermione and he wasn't sure he what he was feeling, but knew now that it had started Ginny would probably be more worried about what he was thinking. Harry wasn't sure he even knew what he was thinking but followed the path she had taken, hoping she had stayed within the wards. He wasn't too keen on having his bodyguards flanking him when he found her.
It didn't take him long. There was something about Ginny and finding large trees she could sit against. She was picking up the odd stone in her hand, half feeling the weight of it before throwing it into the pond. She glanced up when Harry approached. "I wanted to tell you earlier." She told him, wiping a tear from her eye as she did.
Harry took a seat next to her. "I know I'm sorry." He said looking at the dirt. Was he really ready to listen to this? But voices of the mixed reactions he had just heard about Ginny's role in the underground had been confusing to say the least. "I'll listen now, well I have too. Hermione's getting Neville to explain back there, but told me I need to hear it from you."
Ginny let out a deep breath and lent back against the tree. "Things were bad at school. Well you saw what they were pretty much living like at the end. By the time I left the roll was down by half. But I made a mark at the beginning. Trying to steal the sword of Grffindor, standing up to the Carrows, It was pretty stupid of me really considering my family. I became their target and my hair, well it stood out." Ginny then flicked her wand and to Harry's surprise her hair suddenly turned jet black. She hadn't even had to verbalize the spell. "This helped a little. But they caught on to that as well."
Then even more to Harry's amazement she sat up and pulled off her top, so that she sat there in only what Harry imagined was a sport's bra, it certainly wasn't lacy. He was sure his eye's just about popped out until he noticed the scars, then felt a little ill. He knew they hadn't been there last year, he would have felt them the odd time his hand had slipped up her top in a snogging session.
She nodded at the look on his face. "Crabbe and Goggle were trying out a new whipping curse they had just learn t from the Carrows on some first and second years. I tried to stop them." She explained. "I ended up with these and I got this when Alecto Carrow joined them." She then pointed to what must have been a deep wound from the look of the scar on her shoulder. "They took great pleasure inflicting pain on a blood traitor Weasley. When they had finished with me it was late, they just left me there lying in the corridor, Blaize thought I was dead when he found me there was so much blood."
"Gin." Harry half gasped at the image she had just painted.
She held up a hand to stop him from speaking more. "I was lucky. Crabbe and Goggle bragged about what they had done in the common room. Blaize came to find me, he took me straight to Madam Pomfey and stayed with me, explaining to Neville and Colin what had happened when they arrived. When I came round they tried to get me to leave. They had even called George and Fred in to get me. But I refused. I couldn't go home and not do anything, sitting there waiting for any news, wondering if you were alright."
She sighed. "Blaize came to see me everyday. Colin noticed, Professer Snape even turned up and was strangely nice. He questioned me to think about who I hung out with, and suggested I be a little more wise in my dealings from now on. He suggested that Blaize might be a better choice of friend. Odd really, but that planted the seed for Colin. I was too come back from the Hospital wing with a change of heart, cut all ties with the DA and claim that I was going to live with Percy as soon as I turned 17. I'm still amazed anyone actually fell for it, but the twins and Lavender clearly did. The next part of the plan was to use Blaize for information. I didn't need to use him, he gave it freely." She finished with a roll of her eyes.
"So how long were you with him?" Harry asked still not sure he wanted to know.
"That's the odd thing, I never really was. Yes, to everyone at Hogwarts we were a couple, they saw us holding hands, sometimes even kissing. But it was an act, well on my part anyway. I don't think he would have minded if it was real." She tried to explain. "Rumors had started about us with him visiting me in the hospital wing, and we fueled them. I wouldn't have anything to do with anyone in the underground except by notes passed on to Colin and Luna secretly in class and Blaize convinced the Slytherin's I had seen the error of my ways and was now so in love with him I couldn't care less if you were dead."
"So I have a Slytherin to thank for your life?" Harry half asked. "I have one I wish I could thank for my own life in Serverus Snape."
"Blaize was the first Slytherin in his family. The rest have all been Ravenclaws." Ginny answered. "I don't know how he got all the information he did. But he had a handle on everything. I suppose it helped he shared a doom with two of the dumbest thugs ever to live and Draco was to busy being a Death Eater in the real world this year to attend school and tell them when to shut up. But he turned up after me when you escaped the Malfroy manor, Blaize heard Malfroy briefing Crabbe, Goggle and the Carrows. He must have run so fast. It was Neville he saw first with Shemus. Before I knew it I my hair was once again black, I had full robes and a hat on, and was being bundled off to the Room of Requirement. We got there and Lee was climbing through from the Hogshead to get me to safety. Fred had told Lee that he needed to find Nev, Luna or Colin. They were the only ones that knew I hadn't given up and changed sides. I'm sure you could see today that the Patel twins probably would have let me be captured." Ginny stopped, picked up a stone again, weighed it in her hand and then once again threw it into the pond.
Harry now realised why she had wanted to tell him, why she had been worried about someone else telling him, it truly hadn't been what it looked like. "I heard you last night, telling Hermione you had been with someone this year. I didn't hear it all, just that. That's why I was a prat this morning." He tried to explain. "I...I suppose I'd spent all year thinking about you, to think you had been with someone else gutted me. Even though I knew I only had myself to blame."
"Colin thought you were in love with me, he used to point it out in the photo's. He used you to convince me that I either had to cut myself off from the DA's more clear work or leave. I wanted to believe him that I had to stay alive for you to come back too." Ginny turned to Harry, reaching out a hand to touch his leg.
Harry grabbed her hand, turning towards her himself using his free hand to run the back of his knuckles down her cheek. "He was right, I didn't know how clear my emotions were when I was with you until yesterday when you showed me that album. If I can fall into depression because I thought you were with someone else, I don't know what I would have done if you had died. That's why I didn't want you to fight. Not because I thought you weren't up to it. I knew you were, I just didn't want to be worrying about you. It clouded my focus." He finished in a whisper. "I'm starting to wonder if you will always cloud my focus."
Ginny half smiled at him. "I've been dreaming about you since I was 10, I think you might cloud my focus a little more." She whispered back before leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. What started as a quick peck, then became a longer one and before Harry knew it they were well and truly snogging until Harry tried to pull her into his arms and had a fast and shape reminder of his bruised ribs.
"Blast." He muttered pulling away.
"Ribs." Ginny asked.
Harry nodded, then looked at her, slowly running a hand over the bad scar on her shoulder. "You should probably put your top back on before someone finds us and thinks we've been doing a lot more than talking."
Please R&R