A/N: Wow this chapter nearly doubled with the rewrite. One thing i had noticed in my reading of the original was I left out Draco Malfoy. Which was a huge glaring omission on my part considering some of the background role I imagined him playing in the plot. But with this flushed out rendition I'll be including him more.

Thank you Darkendlight74 and michaelc100 for reviewing.

Chapter 2

Ginny glanced over at Harry again from her position on her bed. He sat much as he had over the past few weeks, curled up tightly in a chair, staring vacantly out a window. Only this time instead of the living room where he was normally found with Ron and Hermione on the couch next to him, Harry sat in the chair that was in Ginny's room.

Their relationship had taken a sad turn since the end of the war. Well, if she was honest the bad turn actually started at Dumbledors funeral, when Harry had broken it off for her safety. Her heart still twinged with pain as she remembered that conversation with him. She could tell from his eyes that he hadn't wanted to break up with her. Ginny knew the few weeks they had together, he had been very happy.

But Harry had insisted that Voldemort would find out about the relationship between them and use her to get to Harry, and with the job Dumbledore left him, he couldn't allow that. His task was more important than either of them and he worried about her. Harry wanted her safe and happy. He didn't want to paint an even bigger target onto her, knowing the Deatheaters would have no qualm in kidnapping and torturing her for information or to get to him.

But she thought it was all dragon dung. She was already a target due to her family being considered blood traitors and muggle lovers. But she couldn't bring that up to him. Ginny knew how hard it was for Harry to say what he had to. She knew he had something important to do, something that could possibly save or doom the wizarding world depending on whether he failed or not, and she had chosen to let him go.

After the war had ended, she had wanted so desperately for things to go back to the way things were before. Though she knew it was impossible for it to happen. They had both seen and done too much, Harry more so than she, and they weren't the same people they were the past July, when she had given him his birthday kiss.

They had come together, in a sort of way a few weeks after things had calmed down. She knew it was different from before though. Where Harry had been more carefree than his normal reserved self while they were at school, he now held back considerably. His touches were more hesitant, his smiles more reserved, his kisses softer and more chaste. She had felt him pulling away from her even as they came back together. She could see that he wanted nothing more than embrace her fully, to fall into their love, but something held him back and Ginny didn't know what.

She knew Harry was falling apart from the beginning. Once he had returned from wherever he was with Ron and Hermione and came back to the great hall where everyone was seated, relaxing, recovering from the battle, she could tell right away. His eyes were slightly glazed, though she told herself it was from lack of sleep. He shook slightly, probably from shock of what had happen the past twenty-four hours. He had seemed set apart from everyone though he was right there in the thick of things, Ron and Hermione on either side of him as always.

She had fought her urge to just reach over to him and wrap her arms around him and kiss him passionately until neither could breathe any longer. To tell him through it that she had missed him, that she was glad he was there, alive. And that she loved him so much. But she settled for simply taking his hand that was folded in his lap in hers and squeezing it gently, to let him know she was there.

Time passed slowly over the months after, and she tried to be there for him through it all. She wanted desperately for him to open up to her, to tell her what was wrong, what he was thinking, what he was feeling so that she could embrace him and help him through whatever was weighing on him. She knew however that it wouldn't happen anytime soon, if at all.

Harry Potter was an extremely private person. He didn't like people knowing about him, he didn't like opening up. Ginny knew his upbringing had taught him to keep his life secret, and experience in school had taught him that any bit of information would only be used against him to cause him further pain. It had been difficult during the weeks they were together to get him to open up and tell anything new about himself. Considering Harry was practically a Weasley and had been a part of her family for the past seven years they surprisingly didn't know that much about Harry at all.

Well, at least Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys. She had a feeling Ron probably knew the most, followed closely by Hermione. But whether anything they knew came directly from Harry himself or they gleamed from reading between the lines was anyone's guess.

However, after much persuasion using methods she was sure would get Harry's ass kicked if her brothers found out about, she was confident enough to say that she probably knew the most of the real Harry Potter than anybody else could ever find out about. Ginny felt as if she knew Harry's heart. However, none of that would help her now in this case.

She looked up from her homework over to the window where Harry sat. Once again, she felt herself fighting the urge to just go over there and hold him and kiss him silly till he submits to her questions and answers them. But she knew that was not the best way to get Harry to talk. Something he hasn't done since he left to live at Grimmauld Place. His silence had unnerved her, and she found herself longing to hear his voice.

The three weeks before his birthday were some of the worst for Ginny. While over the previous year she hadn't known where Harry was, or what he was doing, she at least had some comfort that he was with Ron and Hermione, and that he wasn't alone and would be ok. But this time was different. He had left and they had stayed. Harry was alone for the first time in who knows how long, and panic had set in because experience had taught them that bad things happened to Harry when he was alone.

They hadn't heard from him the entire time he was gone. Not once. All their owls had been returned with no responses. It worried her to no end, and she had a constant sick feeling in her gut. She didn't know what to do. She thought several times about just leaving and taking the Knight bus over there to see him. To hell with his request for privacy. She wanted to march into that house and shake him silly for worrying her and not responding to them. They were his family, and they were concerned about him. But she knew that wouldn't work with Harry either. He wanted privacy and requested to be left alone. He wanted time to heal on his own and as much as her instincts said otherwise, that he wasn't healing, that he couldn't do it on his own, that he was just sinking further and further out of reach, she would at least give him the opportunity to try. Because she loved him, and like he did when he broke up with her the previous year, she just wanted him safe and happy.

Though that was a big mistake on her part. On all of their parts. She lowered her eyes back to her homework, unable to look at Harry as she thought about his disastrous birthday party. Everyone else had been outside waiting while Ginny had been in her room putting the finishing touches on her gift to him. She had heard the loud crack of someone apparating nearby, her heart racing knowing they were there, but grew slightly alarmed at the silence that descended the outside. She had stopped what she was doing and ran down the stairs to the living room, arriving just when Ron and Hermione had walked into the house carrying a practically limp body.

Ginny closed her eyes. She would not think of that. Taking a few deep breaths, she steadied her emotions and looked over at Harry again. He hadn't moved an inch. If it weren't for the random blinking, he did she wouldn't even know if he was still alive just staring out the window.

Since he's been back things have gotten a tad better but progressively worse at the same time. While he still seeks solitude, he at least doesn't purposely go out of his way to avoid them. He seemed to accept that he is not to be alone in a room any longer, including the bathroom. An inspection of his body once under the effects of the dreamless sleep potion had shown some disturbing marks that appeared self-made, causing both Ron and Hermione to go into a panic that he would eventually kill himself. She was glad Harry had been in a drug induced sleep at that moment as the swearing coming from Ron frightened her.

On the positive side Harry would allow Ginny to sit with him while she read on the couch. That had been a pleasant surprise the first time that happened. Ron and Hermione were on the floor in front of the fire playing a game of chess when Ginny had entered and sat on the couch closest to Harry with a book. Not long after, much to their amazement Harry had gotten up from the chair he had sat in all day and moved to the couch, laying his head gently upon her lap. She could tell by the pause in their game that Ron and Hermione were trying to play it cool and not make a deal out of it, but they too had been surprised. Ginny had simply moved her hand to gently pet the side of his head, running her fingers gently through his dark locks, breath hitching when his eyes fluttered closed as she soothed him, soon falling asleep.

This had turned into an almost nightly occurrence so long as there weren't extra people around. Thankfully the majority of the family had decided it would be best to give them all space, so only the four of them were in the house with Ginny's parents most days. Harry had also been able to put on a little bit of weight, or at minimum put off dying of starvation a while longer. He was forced to sit at the table with them every meal. The assembled group would try to act normal, eating, talking, a few laughs to try to take the pressure off of Harry as he sat at the end of the table between Mrs. Weasley and Ron who would attempt to get some food in him each bite a struggle.

Those were the improvements.

Things have gotten progressively worse as well. He barely acknowledges any of them. He walks around as a zombie, if he walks at all. Most days Ron has to man handle him in and out of bed or to the table. He just sits curled in a chair near the couch until someone moves him to another location. He was silent, not having spoken a single word since the day he left The Burrow. Harry has always been a mostly silent person, but this was taking it to extremes at times.

Ginny missed his voice, she missed those whispered conversations they would have when they were alone. When he would reveal some secret about himself that nobody else knew, that he entrusted her with. To watch him stare off nervously behind her, and his breath hitch unsurely as he revealed his secret. Hearing his voice quiver slightly in fear of her reaction. To see him focus on her face after and give a small smile at her positive response to what he was saying no matter what it was. She missed it so much at times it caused a painful ache in her heart.

She had been surprised this afternoon to hear a silent knock on her bedroom door. It startled her even though it was barely heard. She couldn't fathom who it would be. She was sharing a room with Hermione who just walked in, and her brothers, despite 16 years of her being there, have yet to figure out that you KNOCK on your sisters door.

She got up from her bed to open it and was surprised to see Harry standing there on the other side, still in his pajamas even though it was only mid-day. She knew that Ron had a particularly hard time getting him out of bed this morning. He had just lay there on his camp bed in Rons bedroom staring at the wall. Ron had to physically pick him up and drag him downstairs to breakfast. which had alarmed her the most because she knew how Harry felt about being treated as an invalid.

"Harry, hey, what are you doing here?" She had said softly. She looked around him to see if his minders were near and just dropping him off for some alone time for themselves. She didn't believe they would actually do that being as they haven't let Harry out of their sight in weeks but she couldn't fathom why he'd be there. But no one was around. Harry didn't say anything back, of course, just continued to look at her.

Feeling a slight blush crawling up her cheeks that she hadn't felt in a long time, the kind of blush of having Harry look at her like that with such intensity, she moved aside to allow him to enter. He walked into the room slowly, his eyes still on Ginny seemingly to drink her in. She closed the door behind him and moved over to her bed and sat down with her homework spread across it, trying to act calm and collected at her unexpected visitor.

"Please, have a seat" She had said. Harry walked silently across the room to the armchair she kept by the window and curled up into it, turning his head to once again stare blankly out the window. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in, unsure of what to say or do now, but decided to go ahead and continue on with her homework.

It was only a few moments later when she heard Ron and Hermione shouting for Harry. She stood up as she heard them run up the stairs, and with a quick glance in Harry's direction to see if he noticed the commotion, she quickly opened the door to put a stop to it.

"Ginny, have you seen harry?" Hermione asked her, out of breath. Ginny just glared at them.

"Yes, he's in here now please stop shouting" She spat out quietly and slammed the door in their faces.

"Can you believe that? Shouting at me and keeping my friend from me" She heard Ron mutter angrily through the door. Ginny leaned her forehead against the wood, listening as Hermione dragged her brother back downstairs.

She took a few more calming breaths before turning around once again, seeing no indication from Harry that heard the confrontation. He just sat there so calmly as if nothing had happened. Ginny's heart constricted again as she let out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding and went back to her spot on the bed.

That was how they remained for the next hour. Ginny sighed in frustration. She didn't quite understand the transfiguration assignment her mother gave her. Yet again she was wishing her mother would just butt out and let her finish her summer in peace. Though the previous year royally sucked for her, she did her best to keep up with her studies and she didn't feel as if she were that far behind. She may not have been a Hermione in school, but she wasn't a Ron either. She took her studies seriously and was well ahead of the others in her year. There was nothing she couldn't have caught up to easily enough at the start of school, especially with Hermione going back with her.

Or at least that had been the plan in June, before she went with Ron to collect Harry. Now everything was up in the air. Ginny knew that Hermione wanted to go back to school and finish her seventh year and take the NEWTS. They had started off the summer going over the 7th year text books, and Hermione had spent a fair amount of time badgering Harry and Ron into coming with her. Harry hadn't given any solid answer yes or no but eventually Ron did, tempted with the idea of a nice normal year at school where none of them could possibly die. Or get seriously maimed.

But Harry's retrieval at the end of July seemed to put a pin in that. Even Hermione had stopped talking about going back to school. Ginny knew there was no way Ron would go with Harry's current condition, and she had a gut feeling Hermione was probably in the same boat. And though he hadn't said anything, at all in general, Ginny would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about how Harry felt or even knew that he was the reason his friends were putting their lives more on hold. If Ginny were honest, the prospect of him realizing that scared her beyond reason. It's the only thing she was thankful for in his current state, that he didn't seem to realize the effect he had on his friends' lives.

Ginny closed her book then and sat back on her bed glaring at the assignments around her. She would finish it later or ask Hermione to help her tonight. With another sigh she began gathering everything up and stacking it neatly on her nightstand. Her eyes drifted from her homework over to Harry again and was startled to see him staring back at her with an intensity that almost took her breath away. While she appreciated it, it was a bit unnerving when he hasn't done it in weeks. His eyes that had been so unfocused for so long suddenly seemed to bore directly into her causing her heart to pound in her chest. She smiled at him trying to ease him.

"Ginny," He whispered. His voice was hoarse from weeks of disuse. Her smile quickly faded, and her eyes widened. She didn't dare take her eyes off him, wanting him to speak again. She was afraid to respond to him, afraid it may spook him back into the silent reverie he's entrapped himself in for the past month. They sat there for a few moments, just staring at one another.

She watched as he blinked slowly, sleepily at her. His arms wrapped tightly around his own body. As she waited with rapt attention, she couldn't help but acknowledge the exhaustion in his face, the way he seemed to sag into himself. She hated the way his high cheekbones caused sharp angles on his face and the way his emerald eyes didn't seem to shine anymore.

She also couldn't help but still love him so much.

"Ginny, I need you to let me go." He said, a little more clearly. Her eyes narrowed at these words. She wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"What do you mean?" She was suspicious of what the meaning was but she wanted him to tell her, to clear it for her. In his frame of mind, she didn't think she could guess at his intent. She would need him to spell out what he wants from her. Harry lowered his eyes briefly and glanced away back out the window in thought for a moment before turning back to her face.

"I can't stay here. I need to go. I need you to let me go"

"I don't understand" She replied, "Let you go where? What's going on" Again he went silent. "Please Harry, tell me what's wrong." She watched as he swallowed, looking down at the floor now as he thought of what to say. The silence felt like it dragged on for hours when it had only been seconds.

"Ginny" he said simply again, his voice cracking. Her breath hitched, alarmed to see tears starting to stream from his sad eyes and down his boney cheeks. She'd never seen Harry cry, never. Not even when Sirius died. She had figured the Dursley's had beaten the act out of him, leaving him incapable of the act. Somehow seeing the act felt sadder than believing he couldn't. "I need you to let me go. I have to go, please" He pleaded softly.

Quicker than Ginny thought he was currently capable of, Harry stood up from the chair and climbed onto the bed next to her, crushing a few forgotten pieces of her homework, but she didn't care at all. Harry was now so close to her she could feel his warm breath upon her skin as he exhaled, looking intently into her eyes again, his own wet with tears that trickled down his waned face. She reached her hand out to stroke the tears away with her thumbs, feeling his cold skin. Harry brought his hand up to cover hers, pressing his face into his palm and closing his eyes for a moment. Her chest tightened as she fought the urge to pull him closer and wrap her arms tightly around him, never to let him go.

"Harry, I-...I can't."

"Please, I have to go. I can't stay here. I can't be here. But I can't just leave. You're the only thing tethering me to here" He cried. Her heart gave a little leap at the revelation.

"Harry, I don't understand. Where would you be going?" She couldn't help herself, she couldn't hold herself together much longer, she knew her emotions were going to fail her. The whole situation was so sudden and overwhelming. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, his hand still on hers covering this cheek. "Why must you leave Harry? Please, please just talk to me." She begged.

Harry didn't answer her right away, dropping his hand away from hers, giving a sniff. She watched him warily, afraid of how his breath labored and his inability now to make eye contact with her now. His face was flushed slightly, and she could see him breaking out into a sweat as he got worked up. She didn't know what to do right then. This was the most life she'd seen from him in months now and it frightened her.

"I'm dying here." He finally choked out. "I'm drowning. I need…I need to go. Please, let me go" He begged. Ginny finally wrapped her arms around him and drew him to her. He sobbed into her chest, begging to be free and let go. She brought them down to lay on the bed and she curled her body protectively around him, pulling him closer to him, crying as hard as he was as her fingers wove into his dark locks.

"Please, let me go, please" he kept saying over and over again, muffled by her body and tears. It broke her heart that this man, who was the bravest man she had ever known, was completely broken. And it broke her heart even more knowing that no matter what he was going through, he loved her enough to stay.

They lay in that position for what felt like hours. Ginny couldn't be sure of the time they spent like that, only knowing that nobody had come for them. Eventually Harry fell asleep, exhausted, tucked safely in her arms. She took that time to think about his request. "Let me go," he had begged. Although she didn't want to admit it, she knew what he meant. He wanted to leave the Burrow. Leave the Wizarding world.

He had said she was the only thing keeping him here. Could she though? If she said no to him, would he stay anyways? And if he stayed, would he eventually be happy again? Begin to live once more? Or will he stay as he was, and eventually give up and completely stop living, and eventually just pass away.

That thought scared Ginny the most. She knew in her heart that no matter what, if she kept him here, told him "No", he would stay. He wouldn't leave her. Harry would stay at The Burrow. But she also knew that he would give up on life. What little will to live he had, whatever was keeping him here right now, she was afraid that by denying his request to free him, she would just be killing as well. It was a no win situation for her. If she let him go, he could possibly just be leaving to die, if she kept him here, he would just give up and possibly die. Either possibility sucked. But she wanted him to live. She wanted him to be happy. And her heart was telling her that in order for him to find himself once more, she would have to risk him and let him go.

Her decision made, she drew closer to Harry, kissing the top of his head, running her hands through his mop of jet black hair that would just not lay flat. He stirred and tiled his face up to hers from where it lay against her chest until their eyes met. Pain showed so much in his eyes. She wished she knew what was going on in his head, how this great, brave man somehow got this broken.

"Okay" she whispered. It was all she said, it was all she could say. But Harry knew what she meant, and he brought his lips up to hers and placed a soft kiss upon them. She closed her eyes, gently pressing her own lips upon his. She knew what he meant to say. "Thank you." the kiss said to her.

They were broken from this silent world of their own when Hermione walked in to inform them that dinner was ready. But neither looked at her nor responded at all, eyes focused only on each other in the moment. Hermione must have taken that as a hint to leave, and she did, quietly closing the door silently, once again leaving Harry and Ginny to each other.

"Should we go to dinner?" She whispered in his hair as he laid his head upon her chest once more. He put his arms around her and held her closer to him.

"Let's stay here together." He whispered. "Just for a while longer."

And they did.

"Where is he!" Someone shouted, waking Ginny up from sleep. She sat up quickly, heart racing looking around disoriented. Ron was standing over her, his face as red as possible and anger seeping off him in waves. For a moment she was scared as she tried to get her bearings.

"What?" She said confused, trying to get her heart back to a normal pace.

"Don't 'what' me, where is he? Where is Harry" He spat at her. Ginny looked around him and saw Hermione standing behind him, white faced with arms crossed over her chest, looking shocked at Ron but not doing anything to stop him.

"What do you mean by "where is he?"

"He's not here. We looked everywhere, and last we saw he was with you. We looked in before we went to bed." Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her up and out of the bed.

"Ron! Stop!" Hermione cried out, finally coming to her aide. Ron dropped her arm and walked a few feet away from the two girls, giving Ginny a moment to look around her room, finally landing on the bed. Her brain worked backwards, trying to sequence her memories together. Last she remembered she was embraced by Harry there. They must have fallen asleep, and the others decided to leave them there.

The conversation the previous night came crashing back to her. He wanted to go. Surely, he didn't mean right away. He couldn't be gone. She didn't even get to say goodbye. Ginny felt like she was going to be sick.

"He's nowhere Ginny. We can't find him. Please, where is he? Where did he go?" Hermione cried. She sat down on her own bed opposite Ginny's and placed her head in her hands as she began to cry. Ginny sat as well on her own bed. She knew he was gone. And she knew they would never find him again until he was ready.

Ron turned back towards the two girls and stared intently at his sister, his anger not abating at all, if anything it was getting stronger. He loved his sister, but Harry was his best friend, and he was in trouble, and she was getting between him and finding Harry.

"Well?" He yelled. She just stared at Hermione, who looked up and was staring back at Ginny intently, knowingly.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Hermione whispered.

"What?" Ron yelled again. Ginny took a great shuddering breath in and looked up at her red faced brother.

"He's gone. Harry's gone. He left. "She said simply.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He didn't say where he was going."

"He was in your care and you just let him up and leave?" Ron was in her face again. She didn't have a response, because he was basically right. Harry had begged her to let him go and she did. She had given him the permission he desperately wanted. He didn't say anything else before leaving, which she supposed was a good thing. She may have given him what he wanted and let him go but she knew if he had waited to say goodbye, she would quickly change her mind and keep him there. Her heart was broken that he just disappeared, but Harry must have known as well that lingering would have made his leaving more difficult for them all.

"Ron, stop, this isn't helping" Hermione pleaded. Ron gave a great shout of anger and knocked everything off the nightstand next to Ginny's bed that held her school work. She felt the raw anger and pain coming off of Ron and wanted to reach out to comfort him, but Ron just stormed out of the room then after one more glare at Ginny. Hermione stayed there a few more moments, seemingly trying to collect herself before finally getting up and following him.

With a shuddering breath of air she wasn't aware she had been holding in, Ginny felt her world crumble. She couldn't breathe and the loss of Harry hit her so painfully she didn't know if she'd be able to recover.

Ginny lay back down on her bed and curled up on the spot where Harry laid, only hours before, and let the fear, sadness, and longing take over her. Her body shook as she let free the pain she felt at the loss of Harry. And prayed silently to whoever listened to keep him safe, and for him to eventually find happiness.

She could hear Ron and the rest of the family downstairs talking loudly and yelling at each other. Trying to organize searches to try to find Harry. She knew it was pointless. Harry was gone and for now, he didn't want to be found. She rolled her body up bringing her pillow closer to her when her hand brushed a piece of paper and something silky in feeling.

Sitting up, Ginny removed her pillow and looked down to see Harry's invisibility cloak, an old piece of parchment and a note on top addressed to her in Harry's semi messy handwriting. Her heart stopped again. She was beginning to wonder if she was just going to have a heart attack one of these days caused by Harry. Ginny reached out for the note, carefully picking it up from on top of the cloak. She didn't want to read it, knowing it was probably the last words any of them would hear from Harry Potter in a long while, but at the same time, she was desperate to. She looked down at the parchment and read the simple words;

Dear Ginny.

Thank you for freeing me. I know it was hard for you and I asked too much. I will always love you.

Love Harry.

Ginny turned the note over, hoping for something more. But there was nothing. That was all there was to the letter. She looked down at the items beside her. His cloak and what looked like upon closer inspection, to be the Marauders Map.

She knew then that Harry was officially gone, and he wouldn't be coming back, for a very long time.

Summer ended not long after that. While Ron and the others threw themselves into finding Harry, Ginny threw herself into the school work from her mother.

On September 1st Ginny boarded the Hogwarts Express quietly, on her way back to school for her seventh year. It was a subdued ride with an odd mix of students from three houses and various years, including many of those who had missed the previous year due to the war but wanted to come back to complete their education. Most of Harry's year had decided to come back, and this large group of people took over a single car, packed in together like sardines, but none wanting to be away from their friends, and all wanting to be there for those who were missing.

Luna sat next to Ginny with her arm linked with the red heads in comfort. The conversations around her sounded forced to her ears, as they all tried to keep things light. But it was hard not to acknowledge the seeping hole in the group of Harry, Ron and Hermione not being there again this year. It had saddened Ginny when Hermione had told her she would not be returning as previously planned, but Ginny wasn't surprised. Hermione had accepted that Harry had disappeared, but she worried for Ginny's brother and Ginny couldn't help but love Hermione for that. Ron was still so angry with her, refusing to talk to her most days and only yelling at her when he did. Ginny didn't begrudge him that. She let him vent his frustration and then would return to her task.

Halfway through the train ride though everyone suddenly got quiet as the others moved aside for someone to walk through the car. Ginny didn't bother looking up, she hadn't moved her gaze from out the window since she sat down. But Luna's soft greeting to Draco Malfoy caught her attention and finally she looked away, up to the tall blonde boy who stood nearby.

"May I sit." He asked politely, everyone holding their breath to hear Ginny's reply, fingers probably on their wands ready to whip out if he made a wrong move. She paused first, a few people offering to shove him off the train for her, but seeing no hostility in the boy she just gave a small nod. Draco moved to sit by the window opposite her and turned his pointed face to stare out the window as she had been doing previously. Soon conversation picked up again slowly, quietly, everyone seemingly waiting to jump into action if Malfoy did anything. But all he did was sit and stare.

"He's not here." Ginny said softly after about an hour, her first words since boarding. Draco looked over to her and gave a slight nod.

"I know." Was all he said.

"He's not coming back." She choked out. "I don't think ever."

Draco just watched her for a few moments as tears began to well in her eyes before he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a handkerchief. She took it gratefully, giving a soft chuckle at seeing it monogrammed. It seemed like such a rich pureblood thing to have.

"Ever is a long time Weasley. But it's open ended." He told her. "I suspect Potter will return at some point. I'm sure you've noticed over the years but he's kind of really hard to get rid of."

Ginny cracked a smile at that, the first one in weeks, thinking of all the times everyone thought Harry would be killed, only to have him show up again, banged up and bruised but alive. "You've got a point."