Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Chapter Five

Sixth Year

Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts was probably the best year of his life … until it came to an end.

The next month was hard for Harry, not only because he was grieving for his godfather, but he was also left alone with the Dursleys (his so-called relatives) and away from Ginny, his girlfriend (that thought always made him smile). When he finally got to the Burrow everything was so much better, but it was a little awkward to say the least. Trying to understand his friend's discomfort, Harry and Ginny acted as normal as they could whenever Ron was around … which was too much for Ginny's taste, but she did love the fact that she was still comfortable with Harry even when Ron was there.

Then Mrs. Weasley had caught Ginny and Harry snogging two weeks after he got there, and she gave them a serious talking to (after she was done hugging and beaming at them saying she knew this was going to happen). Though that wasn't the worse of it by a long shot, Harry then had to endure a highly embarrassing talk with Remus about the facts of life. Though he was glad Remus was available because the only other option he had was Mr. Weasley and that would have been a hundred times worse seeing who his girlfriend was. And of course, he had to put up with all of Ginny's brothers ribbing him for this, and the twins were particularly bad as they had started pulling nasty pranks on him.

However, it was all worth it to them, because even with all that craziness he was happier than he had ever been in his life. Ron was fed up with the two by the time term started, but at the same time he knew that neither one looked happier than they did at the moment. So having more free time on his hand because his best friends were too preoccupied with themselves, Ron started hanging out with the other guys in the dorm and thinking that it was about time he got himself a girlfriend, too. The only good thing that Harry (and Ginny too for that matter) could say about Ron's relationship with Lavender was that at least it got Ron off their backs. They were able to enjoy themselves more fully without (Harry) feeling guilty.

So that's how most of the year passed together. Yes, Harry had private 'lessons' from Dumbledor, where he learned about Voldemort's past. It was difficult for Harry to tell Ginny and Ron about this, with everything that Ginny went through in her first year, but Harry wasn't about to keep anything from her now knowing she could handle it. It didn't become any easier telling them about Voldemort's past, but in some ways, it did help Ginny. Seeing and hearing how evil Tom had been, seeing how many people he had manipulated helped her to come to terms (more than she already had) with what happened to her. When they learned what a Horcrux was and how many of them Voldemort made, they finally understood why Dumbledor was giving Harry all this information. It was the key to defeating Voldemort once and for all.

Then there was the other thing that had bother Harry all year, and that was his theory that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, and that he was up to something. Harry was glad that Ginny had agreed with him right away when he first came up with this theory, and even Ron came around after her thoughts on the matter. However, whenever he tried to tell an adult … well, they all seemed to dismiss his theory which was highly annoying. Especially when Harry had tried to tell Dumbledore that something was going to happen at Hogwarts the night that they were going to try to find a Horcrux. In the end he was right, so when Dumbledore and he came back to Hogwarts, there were Death Eaters waiting for them. Then Dumbledor was disarmed by Draco and killed by Severus Snape … the Horcrux they got, which had weakened Dumbledore was a fake … and now the war rested squarely on Harry's shoulders.

O

"Harry, what are we doing here?" Ginny raised her eyebrow at him, they had stumbled into this room at the start of their relationship and spent many nights enjoying a nice snog there, loving how the room could be changed into anything they wanted at a thought (Harry was even able to hide his potion book here though the room that was conjured that time was a complete disaster, packed with all kinds of lost things). Ginny, however, doubted a private rendezvous was what Harry had in mind today.

"I've got to tell you something that I know you're going to hate," Harry started nervously, quite terrified of his livewire girlfriend.

"You're going after Voldemort, aren't you?" Ginny looked at him suspiciously. "To hunt for his Horcruxes."

"Yes," Harry said, but there was no real shock there, she knew that he would as soon as she found out Dumbledore was dead.

"You're not taking me, are you?" Ginny said both shocked and angry about that. "What about Ron? Does he get to go?"

"Gin …" Harry sighed knowing she wasn't going to like what he had to say next, even less than what he already said, but she had to understand he didn't have a choice. "I can't take you because you won't be seventeen …."

"What does it …" Ginny started glaring at him but then gasped. "The Trace."

"Yes," Harry said grimly, and Ginny sat down holding her head in her hands. She couldn't argue with his logic this time. It would not be good if anyone could detect where Harry was, which is exactly what they would be able to do if she was around them (unless they didn't use magic and that was just a ridiculous idea). "If you're around …."

"Promise me you'll come back for me," Ginny said gravely but looking into her boyfriend's eyes.

"What?" Harry said completely confused.

"As soon as I'm seventeen … or as soon as it's all over, whichever comes first. Promise you'll come for me," Ginny said still looking into his eyes, he could never lie when he was looking into her eyes.

"I promise … the second you're seventeen," Harry said truthfully though part of him wished that he didn't say that; wanting to protect her. And then he leaned down to her and kissed her hard.

"What was that for?" Ginny said breathlessly and smiled a few minutes later.

"I have to break up with you and I thought …" Harry started.

"What?" Ginny's eyes went wide, and she could feel her heart squeeze. "No Harry …."

"Gin … I didn't mean for real …" Harry quickly said, not liking the panic in this girlfriend's eyes.

"Oh … don't scare me like that," Ginny said punching his arm. "What do you mean then?"

"We need to have a public break up," Harry said. "One where there is no hope of redemption."

"Why?" was all that Ginny said but he could see her suspicion and knew she wasn't going to like this either.

"Because you need to be protected when I'm gone," Harry said evenly, bracing himself for the fight.

"I don't need your protection when you're gone," Ginny glared at him, hating being treated like a little girl.

"Please Gin, do it for me," Harry said giving her his best pout but she stayed resistant. "You're a target Gin. They must know how much you mean to me and I'm sure they'll try to get you … knowing that I would go to any length to save you … and I would."

"So, I'm a liability if I go with you and a hostage waiting to happen if I stayed," Ginny frowned feeling completely useless; knowing that she was Harry's weakness. "Why do you even bother putting up with me?"

"Because my life would be pure shite without you," Harry smiled and he lifted her chin so she could look into his eyes. "Ginevra Molly Weasley you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't want you to ever doubt that. I love you so much."

"I love you too Harry James Potter," Ginny smiled weakly at him before kissing him.

They spent the next hour coming up with a good break up that seemed likely and would hopefully be enough to convince everyone that Harry no longer wanted anything to do with Ginny. It was a lot harder than any of them thought (because Ron and Neville were involved with this too) but it also worked a lot better too. The first stage worked exactly as it was planned. Harry found Ginny snogging Neville, which made Harry wanted to kill Neville at the sight of that even though he knew it was an act. Harry's anger just made it all the easier to yell at Ginny, at least in the beginning. However, as things heated up, they both forced themselves to say things that they never thought they would say to one another, and it hurt even more that Harry couldn't go over to her and comfort her like he (and she) most desperately wanted to.

Ron, who didn't know whose side he would be on when they were in the planning stage of this and said that he would just wing it, was now glaring at Harry. In truth he thought that he would have been on Harry's side (seeing as Ginny was the one cheating) but he couldn't stand the look on his sister's face (knowing that it was fake and yet she was hurt all the same) so he comforted her. All in all, it worked out for the best, Harry thought as he sat alone on the Hogwarts Express. It now seemed that he didn't want anything to do with any of the Weasleys, though he still didn't know how they were going to explain Ron's absences the next year.

It was hard on both Harry and Ginny, even though the things that they had said to each other were completely untrue, the words were still hard to hear from the one you love (and it even filled their heads with all sorts of worries about this). Harry had it much worse, having nothing to do but think about that (and the whole Horcruxes issue) while staying at the Dursleys, however, Ginny didn't really have it much better. When Moody had come and got him weeks later, a few weeks before his birthday, Harry was more than ready to see her again.