Disclaimer: All Characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is purely for entertainment only.

Summary: Harry died in the Forbidden Forest and Ron and Hermione must find a way to finish his mission in a world where Hermione and her blood status leaves them both in incredible danger.

Chapter 6

Hermione and Ron made their way back into the house and found Bill, Fleur and George right where they left them in the kitchen, though Ginny had now rejoined the group.

Everyone was silent for a long moment, eyes darting between the couple and then Ginny. Even Hermione was only watching Ginny really, unable to read the redheads face.

Finally, Ron spoke. "Hermione and I talked...we want to help...we want to try and help fix things."

Ginny snorted at Ron's words and rolled her eyes. "What changed? The fact that you had to look us in the eyes after months."

Hermione looked down at her feet, the impact of Ginny's words only making her feel even smaller.

"I don't know what you want us to say, Ginny. I don't regret leaving with Hermione...and I don't understand how you can be mad at me for trying to keep her safe. I won't apologize for that." Ron spoke up.

Bill and George exchanged a surprised look. This was a new version of their younger brother, much for confident and steady then the version of Ron they had grown up with.

"Because you picked her over your own family," Ginny said bitterly.

"I love her." Ron said as such a matter of fact statement it caught everyone off guard, even Hermione who had gotten used to him saying the phrase. It was as if him saying to other people made it even more real.

Ginny too seemed stunned by Ron's words and looked like she was somewhere between tears and rage. "Well, I'm glad you found your happy ending then...the both of you. Not all of us are that lucky."

Ginny stormed out and instantly Hermione understood where Ginny's anger was coming from. It wasn't about Ron leaving or even about them not fighting. It was about Harry. It was about losing Harry and having to look at others having the one thing she wouldn't have. No matter the outcome of the war, there would be no Harry for Ginny. All Ginny had left of him was his fight, and she clearly would fight it at all costs.

"What in the bloody-" Ron started.

"Let her be, Ron." Hermione grabbed at Ron's arm and calmed him.

Bill sighed. "It's been a hell of a night. Why don't we all try and get some sleep and we can pick this discussion up in the morning?"

That seemed like the one thing everyone in the room could agree on and so they all went off to get some rest in separate directions.

Ron and Hermione moved back into the bed room, but they have been using the last few weeks. Said much to the other as they stripped out of their clothes and climbed into bed. Both of them were consumed with thoughts around the conversations they had at earlier that night, particularly around how Ginny reacted to them all the information they have learned about their friends and family, and the predicaments they were now in.

They laid in bed for a long moment before rolled over look at Hermione.

"Are you awake?" Ron whispered loudly, half hoping that she was indeed asleep and the other half hoping that his whisper had woken her up if she was. She wasn't sure if you wanted to talk to her, but he knew that he needed to.

"Yes," Hermione whispered back. She could not fall asleep either. She felt like she was drowning in her own self doubt and the cruel words Ginny had inflicted. She rolled over to face him.

"We can still make a choice tomorrow if we want to go...we don't need to stay," Ron said, his thoughts circling back to what would happen, especially to Hermione, if they were to be captured and how that risk would increase if they helped his siblings try to end the war.

"Ron...we literally just said we were going to help," Hermione sighed.

"But I'm not going to let any of my siblings guilt trip us into that. I don't care what Ginny thinks-" Ron started.

Hermione reached out and touched his cheek, causing him to silence himself. "You do care, Ron. We both do...that's why what she said hurt to badly."

Ron sighed, knowing Hermione was right. "I just...I don't understand how she could say those things to us...how she couldn't understand why we left together."

"I think she does understand," Hermione said. "And that's why it stings her so much."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Harry...she misses him, Ron..." She said.

"We all miss him," Ron said quietly.

"Yes," She nodded. "But it's different for Ginny. Imagine if you had lost me and then you had to see Harry and Ginny walking around together, relatively safe...imagine how you would feel."

Ron lay there for a long moment, staring intensely at Hermione, studying every freckle and line on her face, memorizing her, despite the darkness of the room. If he had lost her he would have gone mad. It was that simple.

"I don't want to imagine that," Ron said finally, surprising her by grabbing her and fiercely kissing her.

Hermione blushed deeply when they broke apart, grateful the room was dark. Ron's words, coupled with his kiss, was intense and she knew he meant them.

"We have to stay...we can't abandon this fight again. We promised Harry we would finish it," Hermione said after a long moment.

"We didn't abandon it. We fought with Harry until the end,and it's different, Hermione. You're a muggle-born," Ron reminded her.

Hermione shook her head, even if Ron couldn't see her. "His fight isn't over yet just because Harry is gone. And so what if I am? We knew this was bigger then any of us...I think we just forgot that these last few months. If we want any chance at a future together...we have to do this. We can't run away again.

Ron said nothing, but pulled Hermione close and kissed the top of her head. After being so close to him for so long, Hermione knew he was communicating that he agreed with her; that it was settled. They would stay.

Ron hardly slept that night and so when the first raising sunlight penetrated through the blinds in the room, he and Hermione were sharing he quietly got out of bed. He did not want to disturb Hermione who always looked so peaceful in her sleep. It was really the only time she truly looked relaxed anymore.

He quickly got changed and made his way downstairs and into the kitchen where he found Ginny sitting at the table, a mug and a bottle of Fire Whiskey in front of her.

Ginny barely looked up at Ron but in the morning light he could see just how much his stare had changed. Aside from the large gash running from her forehead to neck, she had an abundance of other scars littering her face, arms, and hands. There were dark circles under her eyes and her lip was cracked in more than one place. She looked like she had aged decades in the few months since he had seen her last.

"You're up early," Ron said cautiously, unsure how Ginny would react to seeing him.

"Didn't sleep...hardly ever do anymore," Ginny kicked out the chair nearest to her indicating that Ron should sit.

He cautiously slide down into the seat, keeping a careful eye on Ginny.

"Relax, I'm not going to hex you," Ginny gave a tired half-laugh.

"Gin...what happened?" Ron motioned to the fire whiskey. He had no idea where to even start.

Ginny snorted at his question. "I mean...we told you...the world has gone mental and there are only a few of us still willing to fight..."

"No...no I mean...what happened to you?" Ron asked carefully.

Ginny's eyes twitched up to her older brother and Ron braced himself for her to unleash on him like she had been, but instead he saw something else in her dull eyes. She looked defeated.

"I survived," Ginny said simply.

Ron nodded, not really sure how to respond.

"Did you see them dispose of Harry?" Ginny asked after a long moment of silence.

Now Ron's eyes twitched to meet his sister's eyes. He shook his head. He and Hermione had no idea what happened to Harry after they left the courtyard of Hogwarts. They didn't stick around to find out and honestly, the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"They tossed him off the bridge...like he was garbage...like he was nothing..." Ginny's eyes were intense now as she recalled the memory.

"I...I didn't know..." Was all Ron managed out.

"How would you? We turned around and you were already gone..." Ginny told him.

"I had to get Hermione out of there," Ron said. He would never apologize for that. It was the right thing to do.

"You were never going to stay for Harry," Ginny's word were accusing but her voice held nothing but hollowness.

"Gin...we stayed with him until the end..." Ron told her.

"But it's not over. Don't you see? We are still fighting for Harry...you aren't. You're fighting for Hermione," Ginny said.

"As long as I'm still fighting, who cares the reason?" Ron asked. It was true, he wouldn't fight again unless it was to keep Hermione safe or give them a chance of a future together. With Harry gone, she was all he wanted to focus on.

"Because we will never be able to trust you. Not completely. Not anymore. You will always pick her over the Cause...you already did once," Ginny explained.

Ron wouldn't argue that point. His sister was right. If it came down to it, he would do whatever it took to keep Hermione safe. Cause be damned.

Ron's silence was enough for Ginny and she smirked a bit as she picked up her glass of fire whiskey and silence lapsed into the room for what felt like hours.

The pair of siblings was finally joined by George, Bill, Fleur and lastly by Hermione as the sun moved to brighten up all of Shell Cottage, forcing all the occupants awake.

Upon entering the kitchen, Hermione slowly moved towards Ron. He snaked a hand around her midsection and pulled her down onto his lap, making it clear to anyone else in the room that she was his and he was hers, and they were a package deal no matter what.

Hermione blushed from his action. She felt it was almost childish. He didn't need to mark her as his and yet a small part of her found it so comforting and charming. Ron wanted her to feel safe.

"Well..." George finally broke the silence as he slide into a seat next to Ginny and looked in her empty cup that had clearly held firewhiskey by the smell of it. He looked at his sister for a long moment, clearly able to see the circles under her eyes. "Did everyone sleep okay? Or at all?"

Ginny ignored her brother and turned to Bill. "We need to come up with some sort of a plan. Doesn't need to be perfect but if Voldemort is building an army at Hogwarts...well we need to get up there. Mum and Dad won't be safe for long there...if they even are safe now-"

"And what are your expecting to do when we get there, Gin? Without any information we would just be walking in to get killed." Bill rationally cut her off.

"But I'm sure I could take a few with me," Ginny said simply.

Hermione took a deep breath as she watched Ginny. No, this version of Ginny was not someone Hermione liked at all. Ginny had always been strong, but never this reckless, especially when it came to human life.

"We need to understand what he is doing there...figure out how the castle is mapped out now before we do anything. That needs to be the last place we attack. We need to raise our own group to fight first," Bill said.

"Like our own army?" George asked.

"Because that went well last time..." Ginny mumbled under her breath. Thinking of what had happened last time at Hogwarts when they lost Harry.

Bill ignored her and nodded. "We need to try to get as many of us together as we can. There has to be other places that we can gain numbers and get folks from. Not all the camps up north can be heavily guarded...there are too many. If we can get some people out and get them to join us-"

"Yes but even if we do managed to zave them, who's to zay they vill vant to fight Bill?" Fleur cut her husband off.

"They'll have to. If we have any chance of winning, we have to get as much help as we can." Bill said.

"We have to kill the snake...which means we need to either find the sword or Gryffindor or someone get another Basilisk Fang," Ron said finally.

All eyes turned to him and Hermione.

"As long as a snake is alive we can never beat him. It's the final Horcrux." Ron reminded everyone.

"Alright well then we also need to go after the snake-" Bill started.

"Hermione and I will do that," Ron said quickly, taking Hermione's hand and his and giving him a squeeze while he looked at her. "We owe Harry at least that."

Hermione nodded in agreement with Ron. That was the last mission Harry had left them and she wanted to fulfill it.

"Well, while you all do that I think we need to work more strategically. McGonagall is trying her best to free some of those up north. She's negotiating from her post at the school. As long as she is there, Voldemort hasn't killed her or sent her away we have a chance there." Bill said.

"McGonagall is at the school still?" Hermione was shocked.

Bill nodded. "All of the teachers who did not join Voldemort or kept there we suspect to keep order amongst the students. Few of them turned, but they're still a handful we are able to communicate with through some of the portraits. McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Slughorn and Hooch mostly..."

"Maybe they can help us with the layout of Hogwarts then?" George asked.

"Or tell us where the bloody snake is," Ron said.

Bill nodded. "Communication has been sparse, but if we can talk to them, I'll ask."

"George, I think you and Ginny should go to Aberforth's. He and Dean are still trying and figure out a way to track down Umbridge... if we can stop her we can slow a lot of this down." Bill said.

"I'lll kill her if I see her," Ginny said.

"That's fine," Bill responded.

Hermione was surprised by Bill's response. She never taken any of them for people who would be willing to kill, but obviously the last few months to change them all.

"What will you and Fleur do?" George asked.

"We're going to try to circle with Neville. He's been negotiating with some of the families we're trying to take the servant girls . He's trying to delay those as much as he can... paying some of the pure blood families who aren't really interested in fighting. It's been hard for him to get a hold of a lot of money so we're going to go help him do that." Bill said.

"You have to be careful. If you're caught, they'll kill you." George reminded his brother that they were still Weasley's.

Bill nodded, turning to Ron and Hermione. "Are you both sure you're ready to do this? You're ready to go after the snake? If you change your mind, you just have to communicate with us before you leave. That's all we ask. We don't expect anybody to fight more than they feel they can."

Ron and Hermione nodded at Bill, feeling slightly ashamed that he had to even give them the option for an hour, but also understanding why he did. They had not proven themselves to any of the people sitting at that table yet.

"We should leave tomorrow then. Get one more nights sleep," Bill said.