Harry’s head hurt as he sat up in his bed at the Dursley’s. He had not slept well in weeks. There had been too much to think about and there was too much going on.

The floor in Harry’s room was so completely covered with papers that the hardwood floor was no longer visible. Written on every paper on the floor was detailed plans and things that needed to be done in order to defeat Voldemort. Harry had also managed to scribble down some thoughts and ideas that he thought needed to be heard.

Looking at the alarm clock positioned on the nightstand next to his bed, Harry realized that it was way too early for him to be getting up�”3:21.

As Harry glanced at his alarm clock, the picture on his nightstand caught his eye. In the picture Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all waving and blowing kisses at Harry. They had sent it to him 4 days after they all got home from Hogwarts.

Harry still could not believe that Dumbledore was dead. Every time the thought came to his mind, Harry always tried to think of something else. But then his mind would normally shift to Ginny and he’d rather think about Dumbledore than ponder his feelings on Ginny again. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Harry thought as he tried hard to fall back asleep.

After a good 20 minutes Harry drifted back into a deep sleep where he dreamt that he found the four other horcruxes. Harry awoke at 8:00 that morning to reality�”the Dursley’s screaming for him.

“HARRY GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW. THERE IS ANOTHER OWL IN THE KITCHEN!” Uncle Vernon yelled from the kitchen as he pounded a broomstick into the ceiling which was the floor of Harry’s room.

Harry let out a large yawn as he managed to get himself out of bed and grab a bathrobe. He wondered who the owl was from, although he hoped it was Ron, Hermione or someone from the Order.

Harry walked into the kitchen to find a purple-faced Vernon and a frightened Petunia. Both gave Harry looks of disgust as he walked over to the owl he immediately recognized and untied the letter attached to his foot. The owl took off as soon as Harry had taken the letter.

Harry did his best not to acknowledge the presence of his aunt and uncle as he unrolled the letter and began to read.

Dear Harry,
I hope that everything is going well with your
aunt and uncle. Well mum made me write a letter
to you to make sure that you are doing okay,
although I already know how you are. Hermione
and Ginny both say hello also. It has been absolute
madness here the last week or so with all the
preparations for Bill and Fleur’s wedding taking
place. We are all really excited to see you. Only
4 more days until Fred and George will pick you
up! So just respond with a quick hello so that I
can show mum you’re still alive.

Best Wishes,
Ron

Harry rolled the letter back up as the smile on his face began to fade. He turned to leave the kitchen but before he took another step Uncle Vernon stopped him.

“When will you be leaving?” He asked as if it couldn’t be soon enough.

“Four days,” Harry replied and turned to leave again.

“Wait�”Harry?” Aunt Petunia said. Harry turned, stunned that she had spoken so politely to him. Apparently Uncle Vernon was too.

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t�”didn’t Dumble�”Dumbledore say you had to stay here until your birthday?” She asked as she looked at the floor. Uncle Vernon was now giving her a look of disgust.

“Well, that was before he died. And I’m gonna be at the Weasley’s. I’ll be safe there,” Harry was surprised that she actually cared.

“He died?” She asked. Her voice sounded a little shaky.

“Yeah, he did. And I was lucky enough to witness it,” Harry said in a sarcastic yet monotone voice as he left the room. There was no way he was going to sit there and talk about Dumbledore’s death with Aunt Petunia. Why did she care anyways?

When Harry was finally safely back in his room, he sat down and wrote a letter back to Ron. It was short�”only a few sentences that said he was happy to see them and that he was doing fine.

**************************

The next few days went by slowly as Harry put all his effort into listing every possible thing that could be a horcrux. His list was so long and explicit that Harry wished he could give up right then and there. But he knew he couldn’t.

It finally came the day that Fred and George would be stopping by to pick Harry up. They had told him that they would be arriving at around 1:00 in the afternoon, so at about 12 Harry began to gather all his things together. There was no time to organize all the papers on the floor, so he simply put them all in a large pile and placed them near the top of his trunk.

At 1:03 to be exact, Harry heard a knock on the front door. He raced down the steps so that he could beat one of the Dursley’s there, threw open the door, and hugged the two Weasley’s standing before him.

“Hiya, Harry! How are you doing?” Fred asked.

“Okay,” Harry replied. “Let me go grab my trunk.”

Harry ran up to his room and began to drag the trunk into the hallway. George was there and he took the trunk with a quick sweep of his wand and brought it down the stairs. Harry walked back into his room again and grabbed Hedwig in her cage. As he turned to leave, he realized that this was probably the last time he’d ever be in this room. He nodded to it, as if saying thank you, and closed the door behind him.

Harry marched down the stairs and placed Hedwig on top of his trunk. He turned to see if Petunia or Vernon were around so that he could at least tell them he was leaving for good. Harry noticed Petunia standing in the kitchen washing dishes. He walked into the room and looked at her for a minute before he said anything. She looked back.

“I, um, just wanted to let you know I was leaving,” Harry said as he turned around. He noticed Vernon looking at him as if he had just won the lottery.

Aunt Petunia stopped Harry before he could take a step further. “Now, you take care of yourself. I know my sister would be so proud of you.”

Harry left the room quickly�”as he was puzzled over Petunia’s odd behavior over the course of the last few days. She had been treating him as if he was her own.

When Harry was safely out the door and walking towards the car that Fred and George had, he turned around and took one last glance at the house. “Goodbye, Privet Drive.”

He could not have sounded any happier.

*************************************
When Harry arrived at the Burrow, Fred and George took Harry’s things immediately into the house. When Harry walked into the house, it was like walking into a madhouse. Papers, bowls, plates, and food was scattered everywhere on the first floor. It was like Fleur had turned the Burrow into her wedding office. Harry looked around for the sign of people but found none.

“Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are outside near the woods doing whatever,” Fred told Harry as if he could read his mind. “Mum and Dad are upstairs talking about Fleur…they probably got into some argument again,” Fred rolled his eyes.

Harry’s heart at skipped a beat when Fred had said Ginny’s name. For the entire week Harry had been dreading the fact that coming to the Burrow meant that he would be seeing Ginny. He didn’t know what to do about her.

It wasn’t that Harry didn’t like her or care about her�”because he did�”it was just that he did not want to see her getting hurt in the war. Suddenly, Harry began to worry. What was he going to do when he saw her? What was he going to say? And it was as if fate had a way of stepping in�”because at that exact moment�”Ginny walked through the door.

Harry froze.

Ginny froze.

They both looked at each other for a minute before Ginny said, “Hi, Harry.”

Harry ruffled his hair awkwardly as he said, “Hi,” in return.

Seconds later, Ron and Hermione walked into the house. Hermione ran over and gave Harry a hug, and Ron said hello a few minutes later.

Hermione sensed the silence between Harry and Ginny and quickly thought of a way to get Harry out of the sticky situation. “Harry, can I talk to you alone for a sec?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and walked out the front door. Hermione followed a few seconds later.

“Yeah?” Harry asked as he began to walk into the open field next to the house.

“Harry, what’s the whole deal with Ginny? I mean, like, I understand what you said to her�”but do you still have feelings for her?”

Harry didn’t say anything. He had been afraid of this.

“I don’t mean to make you feel bad or anything, it’s just that she has been rather upset. She just cares about you so much�”I don’t know if you really realize how much she loves you. She wants to help as much as possible�”and you are now not even including her in your life.”

Harry looked up at Hermione and anger took over him, “Don’t say that to me. Don’t say I’m not including her. Hermione, you have no idea how hard this is for me. I care about her just as much as she cares about me. But we can’t be together. Voldemort will go after her if we are together. If I had to go to her funeral, I would�”I would die. If I was able to control everything that was going on, then we would be together. But life isn’t like that for me, I can’t put her in danger just to make me happy,” Harry finished and looked at her. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken so sternly to Hermione.

“You wouldn’t just be making yourself, Harry. You would not be being selfish�”she would do anything to be with you. She knows what being with you means. She’s not stupid, Harry.”

“Hermione, I know you’re really trying to help right now, but you are just making things more complicated. If this is how Ginny feels, then she can talk to me herself,” The instant Harry had said this he regretted it. Now he was going to have to talk to her one-on-one.

“Okay, fine. She’ll be talking to you. Trust me.”

And with that, Hermione turned and walked back into the house. Harry sat down on the ground underneath a tree. He had come to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur’s wedding�”for something happy. And now, it was just turning into another stressful event.


A/N: I really appreciate reviews so please leave me lots! The reviews can be positive or negative--whatever floats your boat.

Harry had enough on his plate with the horcruxes and all and he really did not need anything else. But, of course, he had to deal with the whole Ginny situation.

Harry stood up from under the tree that he had been sitting under while trying to work everything out. He felt so bad for what he was doing to Ginny…for what he was doing to himself.

As Harry began to walk towards the house, a familiar red-head came out of the house and started to make her way towards him. Harry froze. Not now, he thought.

Ginny’s eyes were red and swollen�”she had obviously been crying. Ginny’s heart hurt�”it burned�”as she looked at him. She wish there was some way she could convey to him that she really was in danger either way. But, deep down, she knew that Harry wouldn’t listen to it.

“Harry…sit,” was about as much as she could get out at the moment. Ginny’s voice was still shaky�”her breathing uneven.

Harry didn’t protest. He sat right back down. Ginny though, continued to stand. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak again.

“Harry…I don’t even know where to begin. When you broke up with me…if I knew at the time that you would going on this journey…then I would have protested a lot more. I understand where you are coming from, that’s why I didn’t say much. But, I want to help. I don’t want you to leave here without me…I want to be part of this, too.” She looked at Harry for about a minute and then turned away. She looked out across the meadow and sighed.

It was Harry’s turn to speak.

“Ginny…now I don’t even know where to begin,” he let out a small chuckle. Ginny didn’t seem impressed. “I’m sorry. But I don’t want to go to your funeral. It’s just not going to happen.”

“Harry, I love you. And you of all people should know that love is special. It should mean something to you. I want to be with you. I need to be with you.”

“It doesn’t mean shit to me. You loving me doesn’t protect you from Voldemort. It doesn’t make it any harder for him to kill you. If anything, it makes it easier.”

“But…but…don’t you love me too?” Her voice was extremely shaky. Tears were forming in her eyes.

By now Harry was standing. At this he turned around and put his head down.

“No,” he hated lying to her. But he had to. It was the only way she was going to be safe.

Ginny looked at him. He was facing the other way. Before Ginny could really register what Harry had just said, she broke down. She turn around and ran towards the house, crying hysterically.

Harry rotated and looked at her running with her long, red-hair blowing behind her. He wondered if that was the last time they would ever speak and as the thought began to hit him�”tears began to form in his eyes. What have I done?

The ability to walk was suddenly taken from Harry�”it was as if he was paralyzed. He sat back down and just stared. He knew he had really screwed things up this time. But the more he thought about it, he realized that it was for the better. Ginny wouldn’t be in danger this way…especially if she never spoke to him again.

“I’m sorry,” he said aloud to himself before he got up and started heading back towards the house. He knew the second he walked in he would be bombarded by Ron and Hermione and probably the rest of the Weasley brothers. But he was ready.

***********************
Harry walked through the front door and realized that his predications were fairly accurate�”Fred and George came running up to him.

“Harry, what happened? Ginny came into the house, like, screaming. She said it was you.”

Harry shook his head. “I have to protect her. No one understands. I don’t even really understand. All I know is that she’s not safe if she is going out with me.” Harry moved into the living room and sat down on a couch. He found it hard to believe that he had only been at the Burrow for 3 hours and already he was causing trouble. He let out a sigh.

Ron came down the stairs about 5 minutes later. He looked at Harry. It was Ron’s turn to sigh.

“Harry, do you know how upset she is?” Ron asked.

“Yes.”

“You told me you still loved her.”

“Well, I lied,” Harry hated lying to his best friend. He really did.

“Harry, I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not that stupid. You’re just saying you don’t love her so that she doesn’t bug you about coming.”

Harry stared at Ron.

“I tried to tell her that, but she said that you would never lie to her. You would never say something like that unless you meant it. Harry, you have to go talk to her.”

“No,” he said firmly.

“You’re screwing this up for yourself, too. She’s not going to take you back two years from now when all this time she’ll have thought about how you don’t love her.”

Harry didn’t say anything. He got up and walked up to the room he was sharing with Ron. On his way up, he passed Ginny’s room. He could hear Hermione’s soothing voice trying to calm her down, but her cries were too loud. His heart sunk as he heard Ginny’s voice. This was so much harder than he thought it would be.

When Harry had finally made it up to Ron’s room, he laid down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. Harry dreamed of a life where there was no Voldemort. A life where his parents were still alive. A life where he had grown up with as much love as anyone. A life where he could be with Ginny.

A/N: Ok I know this chapter is really short but its for the stories own good...I promise! Please please leave me reviews if you wish for me to continue! Leave me any critiscism as well!

Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of breaking dishes.

He quickly changed into something clean after noticing that Ron’s bed was empty and raced down the stairs. As Harry rounded the corner on the bottom of the stairs, a dish came soaring towards his head. He ducked as fast as he could before the plate shattered into a thousand pieces on the wall behind him.

Harry spun back around to see who was having the fit. It was Ginny. He should have known.

“S-so-sorry,” Ginny mumbled as she tried to stop crying.

Was she really this upset?

Harry could not bare to see her like this. But he knew it was for the better. He had such an urge to go up and hug her�”to tell her everything was going to be alright. To tell her how much he loved her. But he couldn’t. Harry turned and walked out of the house before he would do something he would regret.

When Harry stepped outside, he noticed that the big, white tent was now set-up in the meadow behind the house. The wedding was tomorrow. And Harry’s seventeenth birthday was the day after that.

Harry had to accomplish so much within the next week that his head began to hurt at the thought of it all. He still needed to talk to Ron and Hermione and find out if they were really coming with him. But first, there was the wedding to deal with.

The whole day before the wedding was complete and utter madness�”everyone was running around trying to get things done in time. Harry bumped into Ron and Hermione several times as he tried to help Mrs. Weasley by organizing the silverware, plates, cups, and bowls. Harry also ran into Ginny a few times, but neither looked at each other. This is your fault a voice in Harry’s head said. Harry let out a sigh and continued grouping one fork, knife, and spoon together.

***********************
Harry had never attended a wedding before and this one proved to be one to remember. The area where the service was held was decorated in white and gold. There were gnomes that came to sing and a centaur was there to shoot some arrows at the end. There were fireworks and flowers everywhere.

When Fleur walked down the aisle towards Bill at the beginning of the service, Harry could see the happiness in her eyes. He could see how excited and nervous she was. Harry prayed that when the war was over Ginny would forgive him and he would be able to do this. She was the only one he had even considered marrying.

Harry was looking forward to the reception throughout the entire service. When he walked into the tent, he was completely amazed. The tables were beautifully decorated in blues and silvers and there were flowers everywhere. The dance floor was huge and there was a band at the front. Harry took a seat at his table and looked around at who he was sitting with.

Ron and Hermione were on either side of him, Fred, George, and Charlie also sat at the table. When the five of them had all been seated, they noticed an empty chair. Then, Ginny came up to the table and looked around at who was sitting at it before she took her seat.

As her eyes scanned the table, they abruptly stopped when she looked at Harry. Harry looked back. Ginny turned around and began to walk the other way. Harry rolled his eyes and called after her.

“Ginny, sit down. This is silly. I’ll sit somewhere else if you don’t want to sit with me.”

Ginny turned around and looked at him.

“It’s not that I don’t want to sit with you. It’s that I don’t want to look at you,” Ginny replied sternly. Harry could sense the pain and anger in her voice.

“Can we talk?” Harry asked her.

“Now you want to talk? Nope. Sorry. There is no more room for you in my life, Harry Potter.”

Harry watched as she walked away. It was so hard for him, and she just didn’t understand.

*****

Later that evening, the band played a slow song. Everyone was dancing with a partner and smiling. Harry was sitting at his table with his hands crossed. Ginny was sitting across the room in the exact same position.

Should I ask her to dance? What’s the worst thing�”I get rejected?

So Harry decided he had nothing to lose and he got up from his seat. Ginny saw him walking over so she turned her head the other way.

“Ginny, I know you don’t ever want to talk to me again, but will you at least dance with me? You don’t have to talk, I swear.”

Ginny looked at him anxiously. Did this mean he did love her after all? Was Ron right? She didn’t say anything as she stood up and took his hand. He led her to the center of the dance floor where he put one arm around her back and took her hand in his. She wrapped one arm around his neck so that her head rested close to his shoulder.

Harry could have stayed in this position forever. He was holding the one person he wanted to spend every second with…but he couldn’t.

Ron and Hermione, who were dancing, noticed Ginny and Harry and both of their faces lit up.

Hermione looked at Ron and smiled. The whole thing with Harry and Ginny had made her forget about who she loved. She placed her head on Ron’s shoulder and Ron shifted uncomfortably. The feelings between Ron and Hermione were so strong that you could almost see the tension between them.

Ron knew that if he didn’t think of something to talk about soon, he was going to kiss Hermione.

“Does this mean they’re back together?” Ron asked.

“I think you asked a bit too soon,” Hermione said nervously as she watched Ginny’s facial expression turn angry. What did Harry say? Hermione and Ron spun around so that they could watch Harry and Ginny bicker. “They’re acting a lot like us, lately,” Hermione said as she smiled at Ron.

“Harry, I don’t care if you don’t love me. I still want to go,” Ginny protested.

Harry looked at her. “No, Ginny. You’ll get hurt. That’s the whole reason I pretended I didn’t love you.”

Whoops.

“What?”

A/N: Ok guys, i hope you like this chapter! please please please review. comments/thoughts/critiscism is welcome!

Disclaimer: If I had created Harry Potter, I'd be living in a mansion and would have dropped out of school by now.

Ginny stared at Harry in disbelief.

Did she hear him correctly?

“Harry, what did you just say?” She asked as calmly as possible.

Harry had gone extremely pale. He looked like he was going to pass out.

“We need to talk outside…now,” Harry mumbled. He could not believe he had let it slip. He was in big trouble now and he knew it.

Ron and Hermione could tell that Harry had said something terribly wrong because all of the color on his face had disappeared and Ginny looked like she would drop a bomb on him. They both watched as Harry and Ginny walked out of the tent to go talk. “Should we follow?” Ron asked.

“No, Ron. This time Harry is on his own.”

********************
Harry looked at Ginny. She was waiting for an answer and he could tell.

“Sit,” Harry said as he pointed towards a bench.

Ginny sat.

“I’m going to explain everything. And I don’t want you to talk at all. Not until I’m completely done.”

Ginny nodded. Harry took a big breath in and out before he can began to speak.

“From the moment Dumbledore died, I knew what I had to do. Everyone that has ever been close to me has died. My parents. Sirius. Dumbledore. If there was one person I wanted to live in this world, it would be you, Ginny. I lied when I said that I didn’t love you. But I was saying it to try and protect you. I hoped that if you thought I didn’t love you then you wouldn’t want to come with me when I go to find the horcruxes and Voldemort. The truth is, I love you too much. I care about you so much that if anything ever happened to you I would blame it on myself forever. If Voldemort knew we were together, he would take you from this world just like he took my parents, Sirius, and now Dumbledore. Like I’ve said before, if that had been your funeral I was attending, I would not be able to live. The point of all of this is�”I can’t be with you. I love you and wish that it could be the other way. I wish I didn’t have to do all of this so I could just be with you. And you can’t come. You’d get hurt. If you died, I would too. I wouldn’t be able to finish off Voldemort because one main reason I want to defeat him is so that I can be with you. So, you see Ginny, I do love you. But I can’t be with you.”

Harry had tears in his eyes. He sat down on the bench and looked the other way.

Ginny looked at him, tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Harry…look at me,” he turned his head, “I…I understand. I do. But you understand that I’m going to worry every second of every day until the day you return home. Are you sure I can’t help in some way?”

Harry shook his head. He couldn’t look at her anymore�”it was hurting too much. Harry got up and walked towards the Burrow. He needed to go to sleep.

Ginny watched as he walked away. She started crying and she knew she wouldn’t stop until he was safely home from his journey.

*************************

Hermione could hear Ginny crying. Screw her own advice. She quickly ran out of the tent and found Ginny sitting on a bench crying softly to herself. She told Hermione everything Harry had said.

It was so touching, it was so Harry�”that Hermione started crying too. When Ron found both of them he asked what was wrong, and once again Ginny told what Harry had said, Ron got teary eyed and looked at Ginny.

“I promise, Gin, that he’ll come home safely. I’ll protect him so that he can live to be with you,” Hermione looked flustered at what Ron had just said.

“What about me?” Hermione said, tears running down her cheeks, “You’re going to protect him so he can be with Ginny…but what about me? You’d die for him but you wouldn’t live for me?”

It was the first time they had spoken aloud about their feelings for each other. An awkward silence filled the air and Ron looked at her. He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything.

It really was a shame about this war. You could finally begin to tell what it was doing to people�”how it was hurting families�”how it was hurting friends.

The three of them sat in silence for the rest of the night. When finally, Ginny spoke.

“Are you guys really going with Harry?”

“I know I am. I have to help him…he needs my help,” Ron said.

Hermione nodded. “Yeah. He needs our help.”

“So I’m going to be here all alone worrying about all of you? That’s not fair. You can’t do that to me.”

“Ginny, if I was the one in charge I would let you come. But it’s Harry’s decision and he doesn’t want you to get hurt,” Ron said.

“But what about you guys? Doesn’t he care if you get hurt?” She asked.

“He does. But he knows we can defend ourselves. He trusts us. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you…it’s that he doesn’t trust himself with you,” Hermione stated.

Ginny nodded. She stared hopelessly into the dark sky and watched as a shooting star soared by overhead. Ginny closed her eyes and made a wish that Harry would still be alive after he fought Voldemort. Ginny thought it was the perfect wish…but she was missing one minor detail.

Harry woke up the next morning not feeling so well. He felt like someone had torn out his heart…even though he knew he had done it to himself. Harry knew that it was now time to start planning everything out because the wedding was finally over.

Harry knew that yesterday should have been a happy day, but it ended up being one of the hardest to get through. He yawned as he pulled himself out of bed and looked over at Ron sleeping. He wondered if Ron had talked to Ginny at all.

Just as Harry opened the door to leave, Ron woke up and called after him.

“Wait, one sec, Harry,” Ron mumbled as he released a yawn.

Harry waited. Ron got out of bed and walked over to Harry.

“I talked to Ginny.”


A/N: well guys, there it is. i know it really wasn't a cliffy like always...but at the end of the next chapter you will have your mouth wide open. so please review! critiscism is welcome as always!

A/N: alright guys...here's the next chapter. this chapter is depressing...so if you don't like depressing things, i don't recommend reading it!

Disclaimer: JKR is amazing. It all belongs to her.

Harry woke up the next morning not feeling so well. He felt like someone had torn out his heart…even though he knew he had done it to himself. Harry knew that it was now time to start planning everything out because the wedding was finally over.

Harry knew that yesterday should have been a happy day, but it ended up being one of the hardest to get through. He yawned as he pulled himself out of bed and looked over at Ron sleeping. He wondered if Ron had talked to Ginny at all.

Just as Harry opened the door to leave, Ron woke up and called after him.

“Wait, one sec, Harry,” Ron mumbled as he released a yawn.

Harry waited. Ron got out of bed and walked over to Harry.

“I talked to Ginny.”

Uh-oh, thought Harry, I know where this is going.

“I convinced her to stay here. I promised that I would make sure you come home safely…because if you don’t Ginny will never forgive herself and�””

“I can’t listen to it anymore,” Harry said looking at him, “I can’t listen to you say her name or talk about her…it just hurts. A lot,” Harry said as he turned and left.

Ron started at the spot where Harry had been standing moments before and shook his head slowly. This was all beginning to take a toll on Harry and it was then that Ron realized it was better for them to leave sooner rather than later.

*******************
It was the day Harry, Ron, and Hermione had picked to leave. Harry’s birthday had been a few days before, so he could now use magic whenever. The group had woken up early to finish packing the small bags they were each going to take. They were first heading to Godric’s Hollow and then Harry would decide where to go from there.

As Harry left Ron’s room for the last time…maybe forever, he felt a sudden sadness. He was leaving the one place other than Hogwarts that he could call his home. He felt upset and mad that Voldemort was causing him all of this unneeded pain.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stood in the kitchen hugging the whole Weasley family and Lupin. They were all being lectured about being careful when Harry noticed Ginny standing back from everyone. Just from looking at her, Harry began to cry.

She looked back at him and their eyes locked. She walked up to him so that they were inches away from each other and looked deep into his green eyes. Then, suddenly, she pulled him into the tightest hug she had ever given. She wrapped her hands and knuckles into his shirt near his shoulders, grabbing him, and cried as hard as she had ever cried. What if this is the last time I ever see him? She thought.

Harry hugged Ginny and held her tight. When they broke apart, Harry felt like half of his soul had been ripped away. He looked at her for a second more before he couldn’t look at her anymore. He turned around and walked out of the house, just like that. He was gone.

Harry waited outside for Ron and Hermione for about another two minutes before the two appeared. They were going to be apparating with Harry because he had gotten his license. As Ron and Hermione grabbed onto Harry to leave, a thought washed over Harry. What if I’m gone for so long that Ginny doesn’t love me when I come back?

He suddenly stopped moving, stopped talking and stared.

Why isn’t she coming with us? How stupid could I be? I mean, she can protect herself…can’t she? I need her…otherwise she won’t love me when I come back…

Hermione could see the battle Harry was waging inside.

“You have to leave her,” Hermione said looking at Harry, “She’s not going anywhere. She’ll be here when you get home.”

Harry shook his head as he began to cry again. Hermione gave him a hug.

“Harry…we need to go now…” Hermione said as she saw Ginny opening the door of the house and running outside.

And with that, they were gone.

**********************************

Ginny woke up, stretched her arms, and got out of bed. She pulled back the window shades and looked into the darkness. She suddenly remembered everything that she had wanted to forget.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been gone for nine months. Ginny had been completely lost without any of them and spent everyday crying for most of the time. She helped her mother with things from time to time, but there really was not that much to do since everyone was out fighting.

Ginny felt the tears coming already but held them back as best she could. Ron had come home for a day two weeks ago. He had said that they had one horcrux left and that Harry missed her. He said that Harry was tired of it all and just wants to fight Voldemort so it can all be over.

Ginny had cried even harder when Ron left because she wasn’t sure if it was the last time she would ever see him. The war was really beginning to take a toll on her and she just didn’t know what to do anymore.

She didn’t know what was going on. For all she knew, they could be fighting Voldemort right at that second. Little did she know what was really going on…and suddenly she received some news. She left the house as fast as she could.

*

The doctors at St. Mungo’s were running around like crazy. Voldemort had been defeated. Harry had finally gotten rid of him. Surprisingly, there were not many deaths…only a couple. And, Harry…well, he wasn’t okay.

He wasn’t dead though. He was just badly injured. Very badly.

Ron and Hermione paced the halls of the hospital…Ron limping and Hermione flipping out. They had called Ginny and told her she needed to get there immediately. Seconds later, Ginny arrived.

“Oh my god…where is he? Is he okay? What happened?”

Ron looked at her.

“Sit.”

“Ron I need to see him…I don’t care if he’s unconscious.”

“Ginny…” he didn’t know how to say it.

“Ron, will you let me by please?” She asked trying to shove her way past him.

Hermione put her hand to mouth and tears started flowing.

“Ginny, you can’t see him. He won’t remember you,” Ron said, tears filling his eyes.

“What?” She looked at Ron.

“His memory is gone.”

*****

A/N: Alright guys. There it is. REVIEW! I want to know what you guys think.

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update...I've been really busy with school. Expect the next chapter sometime within the next week.

Disclaimer: I wish I created Harry Potter. But I didn't. It all belongs to JKR.

Ginny had been passed out for a good 20 minutes. When she finally woke up, Ron and Hermione were sitting next to her.

It took her several minutes before she could ask the questions she had to ask.

“What happened?” She said.

“There was a lot of fighting…a lot of curses were being thrown. Harry hit Voldemort with a special killing curse and just as his body began to crumple…he sent one last curse at Harry. One that knocked him out and caused him to lose his memory.”

Ginny couldn’t cry because she was in such shock.

“The doctors don’t really know anything about his condition. He woke up and had some memory. He knew who Voldemort was, he knew he killed him, and he knew he was a wizard. I assumed then that he would remember me. I walked in…and he asked me who I was,” the tears overtook Ron and he began to cry uncontrollably.

Hermione spoke now, “Ginny…it was the most upsetting thing that he couldn’t remember us. We asked if he remembered you and�””

“�”he said no,” Ginny said. She couldn’t cry. She was still in shock. “Will he ever get his memory back?”

“They don’t know,” Hermione said. Ron had got up and left. He just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I think this is worse than him dying,” Ginny stated. And it was then that it hit her. Harry was alive…but he didn’t even know who she was. She began to cry and she didn’t stop for days.

**************************

Harry was still in the hospital. Ginny was sitting at home at the breakfast table contemplating whether she should go see him or not. It had been a week since the final battle and everyone had proclaimed him a hero. Everyone also knew that he had lost his memory and they all found it extremely upsetting.

Hermione walked into the room and looked at Ginny and gave her a weak smile. Hermione felt so bad for Ginny�”everyone would have preferred death over loss of memory. It hurt Hermione to look at Harry and not have him remember everything. He would never again remember everything from their first year at Hogwarts to their last. He wouldn’t remember the quidditch matches or all the nights they had snuck out. He wouldn’t remember Dumbledore. And he wouldn’t remember how much he loved Ginny.

Ginny looked over at Hermione.

“I’m going to go see Harry today…I need to see him. Even if he doesn’t remember me. Would you like to come?” Ginny asked.

Hermione knew that Ginny needed her moral support so she agreed.

“We’ll go this afternoon after lunch,” Ginny said.

**************************

Hermione decided to wait outside the room for Ginny.

Ginny walked in and noticed that Harry was sound asleep. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him. She pulled up a chair next to his bed and grabbed his hand. She rubbed it softly and then suddenly Harry opened his eyes. Oh, those green eyes.

“Hi…” Harry said, obviously confused.

“You really don’t remember me,” Ginny stated more aloud to herself rather than to Harry.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said. His voice sounded the same. He looked the same. But he wasn’t the same.

“I’m Ginny,” she stated.

“You’re Ginny?”

A wave of hope washed over her. Did he somewhat remember her after all?

“The doctors found this letter that I must have written to you in my pocket. Here,” Harry handed Ginny an envelope.

On the front it said “Ginny” in Harry’s handwriting in beautiful cursive letters. Tears came to Ginny’s eyes and she got up and left.

As she walked away, Harry felt a pain in his chest. His whole body suddenly began to shake and machines began beeping like crazy. Ginny turned around and screamed for help. Hermione rushed in, along with lots of doctors. Ginny and Hermione were shoved out of the room and forced to wait patiently for the doctors to tell them what had gone on.

About 10 minutes later a doctor finally came out. Ginny rushed up to him.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“We don’t really know…he’s just unconscious now. It looks like he fell into a coma. The memory part of his brain is doing something weird, though. His heart-rate is under control now though. We’re just going to have to keep monitoring him.”

Ginny let out the breath she had been holding in. At least he was still alive. She looked down at the letter she was holding and opened it up. Hermione looked at her questioningly.

“Where’d you get that?”

“The doctors gave it to Harry…he must have written it before he lost his memory.”

She unfolded the letter and began to read it as tears fell down her cheeks and onto the paper.

Dear Ginny,
If you are reading this, then I’m either dead or in serious condition. I’m so sorry that you have had to go through everything this past year for me to end up like this. I just want you to know how much I love you. The day I left, I seriously considered coming back to get you. Hermione talked me out of it because she knew what was best. I just love you so much and I’m sorry we won’t be spending the rest of our lives together�”you know that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even though I’m weak or gone, just be happy. Smile. You have everyone else�”there are so many people that care about you and love you. Just never forget me, Ginny. You mean the world to me.

Love always,
Harry

Ginny looked at the letter and read it several more times. She folded it back up and put in away in her pocket. Hermione could tell that the letter was basically his good-bye and she didn’t want to say anything to Ginny that would ruin it.

“Good-bye,” Ginny said as she looked through the window into the room where Harry was unconscious. She turned and walked out of the hospital…just like that. She would never return.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I promise the story will get more exciting--and hopefully happier ;). Please, please, please review. I really enjoy hearing what you guys think of the story...good or bad.

Because I'm just so nice, here is an excerpt from the next chapter:
Yet, despite her praying for Harry to die, she still believed that one day he would walk up to her. The vision of him hugging her was with her everyday and sometimes she just would sit and ask for a miracle. But she knew she wasn’t going to get one.

A/N: Guys, I am so sorry I have not updated sooner. School has just taken over my life. So here is the next chapter--enjoy!

Disclaimer: JKR=genius.

Time had past. Two whole years to be specific. Ginny had never gone back to the hospital to visit the one person she loved the most…she couldn’t. Harry had still not woken up, he had been in a coma for the last two years. The doctors had declared him in a vegetated state�”which means he will never get better.

Ginny poured herself a cup of tea and sat down at her table. She lived in a little apartment by herself not to far from the Burrow. Ron and Hermione were finally engaged and were currently living together. Ginny finished her tea while reading the Daily Prophet. The newspaper used to always have Harry’s name in it…now it was rare that it said something about him. It was a touchy subject for everyone.

Ginny glanced over at the wall over the fireplace. There were two picture frames�”one had the final letter Harry had written her in it and the other was a picture of Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, all smiling and happy.

Every time Ginny looked at that picture, she wanted to scream. She hated Voldemort for doing this to Harry. And she hated herself for not going and visiting Harry everyday. She felt guilty about it sometimes. But he had told her to be happy…and she definitely was a lot happier away from that hospital. Although, you couldn’t really call Ginny a happy person.

When the doctors had declared the fact that Harry would never get better, Ginny prayed that he would die so that he wouldn’t be suffering anymore. Everyday she prayed that he would die so that she could give him a proper goodbye and get on with it all. With him still alive, it just made everything harder. That feeling of guilt for not sitting with him everyday haunted her every time she laughed or smiled�”which was rare.

Yet, despite her praying for Harry to die, she still believed that one day he would walk up to her. The vision of him hugging her was with her everyday and sometimes she just would sit and ask for a miracle. But she knew she wasn’t going to get one.

The whole Weasley family worried about Ginny. Mrs. Weasley had to go over to Ginny’s apartment a lot to force her to go outside. Ron and Hermione visited her often, but no matter how hard they tried, she would never act happy.

Today Ginny was feeling extremely guilty. What if I just stand in the hall and watch him through the window? She decided it was a good idea.

She apparated to the hospital and stood outside. As much as she wanted to go in, as much as she wanted to see Harry, she couldn’t go in. He’s basically dead. Why do I even bother?

Ginny left immediately. She had been so stupid to even try and visit him. She needed to talk to Hermione though, she needed someone to talk to.

Hermione was sitting on the couch when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and was surprised to see Ginny out of her house.

“I miss him,” Ginny said as the tears started to come.

“I know, me too,” Hermione said as she embraced her friend in a giant hug.

“Why can’t they just take him off life-support so we can have the funeral and get it all over with?” Ginny asked.

“He has no living relatives to take him off it. And no, Ginny, you don’t count.” Hermione said looking at her.

“I just want him back. I wish he would get better.”

Hermione looked at the floor. There was really nothing she could say to this. Ginny looked at Hermione and how she had moved on from it all. Ginny just couldn’t do that.

“I have to go,” she said quickly, and with that, she appeared back in her own apartment.

Ginny went to bed early that night and dreamed that Harry had never lost his memory. That he had never gotten hurt.

*************************
At St. Mungo’s, the machines attached to Harry began to beep fast. Doctors rushed in tried to save him as his heart slowed down. The beeping stopped.

“I think we’ve lost him,” a doctor said.

************************

A head appeared in Ginny’s fireplace just as she was waking up the next morning. It was healer from St. Mungo’s .

Ginny looked at the uniform he was wearing and a sudden fear shook her body.

Did Harry finally die?

“Good-morning Ms. Weasley. I think you might want to come by the hospital when you get a chance. We need to speak with you,” the healer said very calmly.

Ginny nodded slowly. She turned her head and stared at the floor. Then she looked back at him. “Is Harry okay?” she asked tentatively.

“Not really. We’ll speak to you when you get here,” the healer replied. And then, the head vanished.

Ginny took a deep breath and prayed that Harry was no longer suffering. She went into the bathroom and brushed her hair beautifully and tied it back just the way Harry used to like it.

She then put on the bracelet Harry had given her and put on her favorite pair of jeans and Harry’s old sweatshirt. She wanted to look nice for her final good-bye.

**********
Before going to the hospital, Ginny stopped by Hermione’s and quickly explained what the healer had said.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Hermione asked.

Ginny wasn’t really sure. She bit her bottom lip.

“How about I just tag along, and if you decide you need some support I’ll be there with you. And if not, I’ll wait for you outside,” Hermione suggested. Although Hermione really wanted to know about Harry’s death, she decided that Ginny would end up telling her all the details anyway. And the healer had contacted Ginny, not her.

Ginny nodded her head and waited outside on the steps for Hermione. A few minutes later Hermione opened the door and they both left for the hospital.

*********
When Ginny walked into the lobby, her whole body started shaking. She walked down to the room where Harry had been and looked inside. It was empty.

Hermione stared into the room, “I’ll wait for you here,” she said as her eyes glazed over and she stared. She was rubbing her own shoulders when Ginny turned away.

Ginny kept walking towards the healer’s office as her breathing got heavier. Harry was finally gone. She felt the tears but held them back. To her, he had been dead all these years so the news really wasn’t too shocking.

She walked into the office and knocked softly on the door with the back of her hand. The healer at the desk looked up. It was the same one who had contacted her that morning.

“Ah, Ms. Weasley,” he said, “Please take a seat,” he motioned towards the two chairs in front of the desk.

She sat down and stared at him.

“Now, I want you to try your best to remain calm while I talk to you. If you have to get up and take a break for a few minutes, please do so. But do not go and tell anyone else what I am about to discuss with you.”

Now Ginny was scared. Why couldn’t they just tell her how Harry had died? She nodded at the healer. She just wanted to get it over with.

“As I’m sure you noticed, Mr. Potter’s room was empty when you walked by. You see, last night, his heart stopped beating. We were all positive he was dead. Since about two years ago, when you were here the last time, the memory section of his brain has been doing something weird. And we were not sure what. It was almost flickering, as if it was turning on and off. So yesterday, when his heart stopped beating, we pronounced him dead.”

Ginny breathed a heavy sigh of relief. No more suffering.

“But, about two minutes later, his heart started beating again.”

Ginny looked puzzled. Does this mean Harry isn’t dead?

“And when we performed a test on him to see how his memory was doing, it showed no more flickering. It showed that everything was there, that everything is working properly. So, Mr. Potter has his memory back.”

Fireworks were going off in Ginny’s head. She wanted to run outside and scream. She couldn’t have felt happier at the moment. But, the healer quickly took that happiness away.

“There is a small problem, though. Actually, a large one. Mr. Potter hasn’t woken up. And we quite frankly are not sure that he will ever wake up. He is once again back in a coma but that could last another 20 years. We really aren’t sure. We just wanted to tell you that he has his memory back just in case you wanted to visit him. It’s a known fact that people in comas can often recognize when people they know are talking to them. So, if you want to pay Mr. Potter a visit, you may.”

Ginny nodded. Yeah, it was good news that Harry’s memory had returned, but deep down, Ginny knew he would never wake up. She stared blankly at the wall. “Why is it that I cannot share this with anyone?”

“Well, you can. But just be careful because we do not want hundreds of people visiting him.”

“One last question,” Ginny said as she looked up, “why did you pick me to tell? Why not Ron or Hermione?”

“Because we know that he cares the most about you. We found that letter he wrote to you when we were operating on him. We know that if there is one person he would want to here, it would be you. Oh, and Ms. Weasley, his room was moved down the hall, to a more quiet place.”

Ginny nodded and got up and left. She felt the tears coming. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to go visit Harry.

When she stepped outside, she saw Hermione waiting on a chair.

Hermione saw the tears on Ginny’s face and embraced her in a hug. She didn’t bombard Ginny with questions because she knew it was hard for her. Hermione didn’t even know that Harry was still alive. Ginny felt it was best she told her soon.

“Hermione…” Ginny said quietly.

“Yes, Gin?”

“Harry…he’s�”he’s�”he’s not dead.”

“I know you’re sad he’s gone. Me too,” Hermione then suddenly understood what Ginny had just said. “Wait, what?”

“He’s not dead. But he will probably remain in a coma for the rest of his life. But his memory is back,” Ginny mumbled as fast as she could.

At first, Hermione was excited by the news. But when the reality hit her, she understood. He would probably never speak to Ginny again.

“I’m going to go talk to him for a little while but you can leave,” Ginny finally said after a few silent minutes.

Hermione nodded and left.

Ginny stared up at the huge hospital and took in a deep breath.

She was taking a huge risk by walking in their. She still didn’t know if she had the courage to do it. But, she gathered everything she had and marched right up to his room. Ginny looked in the window and small smile spread across her face.

Ginny placed her hand on the doorknob and as she began to turn it, she stopped. She closed her eyes for a second before finally opening the door all the way. She leaned her shoulder against the opened door and stared at Harry.

“Hi,” she said.

***
A/N: Hoped you liked this one. Please review.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update...I've been really busy with school and track. I'll probably update the story one more time before Christmas break--over which I will hopefully finish writing the story. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: It sucks that I don't own of these characters.

Ginny held tightly onto Harry’s hand. She hadn’t held it for so long and she missed the feeling. She laced her fingers in between his and rubbed her cheek against the back of her hand.

“Harry…” she whispered in a soft voice. She didn’t even know where to begin. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here these past few years…it’s just hard…I’m sure you’d understand. I get up everyday and am reminded of what type of a condition you are in and it just…it hurts.”

Ginny looked away. The pain in her chest deepened every time she looked at Harry lying there unconscious.

“I don’t really even know what to say to you. I really haven’t been doing anything…no joke,” a small smile spread across her face, but she quickly wiped it away. “You know, I sat and prayed for you to die for a while, so that all this suffering would end. I’m sorry about that. I don’t want you to die. But it’s so hard for me because you’re alive and we can’t be together.”

The head healer who had talked to Ginny before was walking by Harry’s room. He stopped and looked in the window and smiled as he saw Ginny talking and holding Harry’s hand.

“When you were off fighting, everyday I prayed that you would come home alive. I never prayed for you to come home alive and with all your memory. I should have…because otherwise then you would have remembered me when you first woke up. Apparently, you have your memory back now. Oh, I just hope that’s the case. I still believe that you’ll walk up to me one day. And I’ll always believe that until they pronounce you dead.”

Ginny was talking to Harry as if he was awake. As if he was listening.

After spending around two hours just sitting there talking to him, she finally got up and left. As she was leaving she blew Harry and kiss and closed the door behind her.

She pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes to prevent the tears. Oh how she missed him. Sometimes Ginny wondered how she made it through everyday knowing that he would never wake up.

*************
It was the day of Ron and Hermione’s wedding. And it proved to be the hardest day of Ginny’s life. Hermione had asked Ginny to be her maid-of-honor, and of course, she was thrilled. But the more she thought about it, she realized that she would never make it through the ceremony without breaking down. So, she told Hermione she’d rather sit in the front row instead of standing in front of everyone.

The ceremony was beautiful. Ginny couldn’t help but think of how she had always planned on doing the same thing with Harry. And she knew that the chance was very unlikely.

The hardest part was at the celebration. Everyone was dancing and having fun. Ginny sat at the table, staring at her hands uncomfortably. She looked across the room and expected to see Harry staring back at her, just like at Bill’s wedding. But he wasn’t there, and it was hard.

Ron noticed Ginny sitting sadly, and told Hermione he was going to try and get her on the dance floor. He walked over to her.

“You owe me a dance, Gin,” Ron said, happily.

“I don’t owe anyone any dances,” Ginny mumbled without even looking up.

“It’s my wedding. And I would really like to dance with my little sister. My only sister.”

“You make Harry wake up, and then I’ll dance with you,” she said bitterly as she grabbed her purse and stood to leave.

“Ginny, you can’t keep letting this bother you. You visit him everyday, he knows you care.”

“It’s not him that’s bothering me. It’s that all of you can be so happy and smile and dance and party and get married without your best friend. The one person who wanted to be here most,” Ginny said as the tears filled her eyes again. She had been drinking on top of it, so it was not a good mix.

“We weren’t going to wait 20 years for him to wake up, just so we could get married. Life goes on.”

“Well, it doesn’t for me,” Ginny said.

And with that, she turned around and left the wedding.

Hermione had watched and heard the whole thing and felt disappointed at Ginny. She picked up her dress so she wouldn’t trip, and walked over to Ron who was now sitting at a table.

“Don’t let this ruin our night,” Hermione whispered in his ear.

Ron looked at her and smiled and led her back onto the dance floor.

*************
Ginny had eventually apologized to Ron and Hermione for the way she had behaved that night. They both said they did understand where she was coming from though.

A few months later…

Ron and Ginny were immersed in a deep conversation on the couch when there was a knock on the door. Hermione yelled, “I got it,” and walked across the kitchen. She opened the door and was surprised to find the healer from the hospital standing outside it. He whispered a few things to Hermione and the smile wiped across her face.

It was a good thing Ginny didn’t know who was at the door or she would have come running up begging to know Harry’s status. Even though it was always the same.

Hermione nodded and closed the door.

“Who was it?” Ron asked.

Ron could hear Hermione begin to cry and he quickly jumped up and jogged over to her. She was holding a napkin with some words scribbled on it in her hand. She quickly explained the situation to Ron. He went pale in the face.

Ginny walked into the kitchen and looked at the two of them.

“What now?” she asked.

Hermione shook her head. She couldn’t tell her. And apparently Ron couldn’t either.

“As long as Harry is not dead, then I’m not gonna get upset. Nothing can upset me. Besides for that.”

Ginny had been visiting Harry everyday since his memory had supposedly returned. She talked to him about everything and it was helping her cope with it all so much better. She went out all the time and wasn’t afraid to smile anymore.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other.

It was Ginny’s turn to go pale.

Hermione knew she had to be the one to say it…I mean it wasn’t as upsetting as she was making it out to be…it was just…upsetting.

“Gin…Harry woke up last night.”

“THAT’S GREAT! WHY DO YOU ALL LOOK SO SAD?” She screamed with happiness.

“Because he was only awake for a few minutes. The doctors didn’t even realize he had woken up until they found this on the nightstand.”

Hermione handed Ginny a napkin. On it was scribbled a few sentences in a messy cursive. Harry’s handwriting.

Ginny’s hand went to her mouth as she let out a gasp and read the napkin.

Ginny�”
I know that you have been coming everyday…I hear your voice…I’m weak, Gin. I can’t control my mind or my body. This might be the last time I ever wake up. I can’t fight against it anymore. Just know that I love you and always will…always keep your head up, Gin.

Love,
Har

He hadn’t even been able to finish signing his name. That was the saddest part.

Surprisingly, Ginny didn’t break down or cry. She stared at the napkin for a few more moments as she read it over again before crumpling it up and putting it in her pocket.

“I don’t understand why you’re crying,” Ginny stated.

“Because he said he might not wake up again! That he’s going to give up!” Hermione almost yelled.

“You and I both know Harry, Hermione. And we both know that he’s not one to give up.”

“Ginny…I understand that…I mean you are right, he has never given up. But, if he’s fighting against himself to stay alive…and that he’s been doing that for the past three or four years…he’s weak. Like he said. He’s going to have to give up whether he wants to or not.”

Ginny looked at Hermione.

“You know that I always used to think on the negative side of this whole situation. But for once, I’m going to try and be positive. For once, I’m actually beginning to feel better about this…and if I lose him now…” her voice trailed off.

She turned her head and looked to the side. She couldn’t even finish her sentence.

********************
Harry’s fingers twitched in his bed. The doctors observed him carefully as his fingers continued to curl and uncurl. They couldn’t figure out what was going on but they began to panic. They thought it was only right that they notified Ginny Weasley and her brother of Harry’s situation. They thought it would be best if they were with Harry when he died.

********************
Ginny was at the hospital instantly and she ran through the hallways to get to Harry. She opened the door and noticed several doctors unplugging machines and equipment from him.

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked, the look of worry spreading all over her face.

“He has nothing left. Almost everything has stopped functioning except the vital organs.”

Ginny turned around and put her hand up to her mouth to try and force the tears back in.

“How long does he have?” She asked nervously.

“It could be an hour. It could be 10 years,” one of the healers responded.

The healers finished what they were doing and left Ginny and Harry alone. He was no longer plugged into anything but an iv and a heart monitor. The healers had given up him.

Ginny stroked Harry’s arm as she cried softly. She knew the day was going to come. But she didn’t expect it to be so hard like this. Not that she expected it to be easy either.

Ginny placed her head on his chest and continued to cry. “I love you, I love you, I love you…” she kept repeating. She suddenly felt an arm wrap around her back. She turned around to see whose arm it was and froze.

A/N: dun dun dun. I guess you'll just have to wait to find out what that is all about. Please Please Please review--critiscism is more than welcome.

=] much love.

A/N: Okay guys, this is my warning: this chapter is a little jumpy...there is a lot of time passage...and not a lot of details...but my beta really wanted me to get back on track with the plot; i had to speed things back up. I promise though, the ending will leave you hanging once again ;)

Disclaimer: Naturally, none of it belongs to me. It's a sad thing too.


Ginny had to do a double-take. She looked back at Harry’s face. His eyes were closed, but there was a slight smile across his face. Ginny turned back to look at Harry’s arm which was around her shoulder.

Ginny began to cry the hardest she had ever cried. “Oh, Harry!” she mumbled repeatedly.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his bed. Ginny’s tears were happy tears, and a giant smile spread across her face. “You’re alive! And you remember me!” she said as she nuzzled her face into his neck.

Harry wasn’t strong enough to speak, and Ginny knew that. She quickly called the healers in and a few of them just couldn’t figure it out.

“We were so sure he was going to die soon,” one of the healers said as she shook her head.

“It’s a miracle…an absolute miracle,” another one said.

A third one was crying happy tears as well. She had been working in Harry’s unit for three years now and felt attached to him. “He really is the boy who lived…”

********************************
Ginny was in such high spirits over the course of the next few days that if you saw her, she was always skipping.

Everyone knew that Harry was awake, but he couldn’t talk yet. Whenever Ginny would go to visit him, he would always smile when he heard her voice. He could make small gestures and movements, but he was still too weak to talk or open his eyes.

Ginny went to visit him one afternoon, four days after he had woken up. She walked into his room and noticed that he was sound asleep because of his deep breathing. She smiled to herself and sat down on a chair by a table in the corner of the room. She took out the daily prophet and began to read it. On the front page, in big bold letters, it read, “Harry Potter Wakes Up After Years of Being Unconiscious.”

Harry let out a soft cough. She lifted her head up and turned to look at him. He was awake and his eyes were open for the first time.

“Harry!” Ginny bellowed as she scrambled across the room to give him a giant kiss.

She looked into his green eyes. Oh, how she had missed those green eyes. He looked tired…but his eyes showed a longing.

“Gin…” he said in a low, raspy voice.

“Harry…I don’t think you understand how glad I am that you’re awake. That your memory is back. I missed you so much…there aren’t even words to describe it.”

Harry nodded at her like he understood and kissed her.

They sat in silence holding each other for the rest of the day.

****************************
Over the course of the next few months, Harry grew stronger. He could now walk and talk and he was going to be allowed home sometime soon.

Ginny and him were sitting, talking, on his bed like they always did when a healer knocked on the door.

“Mr. Potter, I have the results of your recent tests,” the healer said.

Harry looked at Ginny and then back at the healer.

“And you’re all set. You can leave any day now.”

Ginny gave him a kiss of congratulations and stood up from his bed. “I should probably go tell Mum so she can get a big dinner ready for you,” Ginny said happily.

Harry was looking at the ground, a look of sadness on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Ginny asked.

“Well, I don’t really have anywhere to go, you know? I mean I know your Mum would be more than happy to take me in at first…but I can’t stay with you guys forever.”

“Well, first of all, Harry, I really don’t think she’ll mind. And second of all, we can deal with it if that time comes. But Mum said you could stay with me…so you know what that means,” Ginny said giving him a wink.

Harry smiled back, “Okay, well I’m just going to stay here the rest of the day…say good-bye to all the healers that have helped me and everything…but I’ll meet you at the burrow at let’s say…5:00?”

Ginny nodded. It was so like Harry to go around thanking everyone. She couldn’t help but smile.

********************
Mrs. Weasley had set the table and everyone from the family was there. Ginny was bouncing around the house, she couldn’t have been happier. I mean, the love of her life was finally coming home.

A few minutes past 5:00, there was a knock at the door. Everyone waited in the family room while Ginny ran into the kitchen to open the door.

She carefully turned the knob and when she opened the door, Harry had a huge grin on his face. Ginny jumped into his arms and Harry held her tight.

The rest of the family walked in and everyone began hugging Harry. Hermione tackled him and showed Harry her wedding ring.

“Oh, Harry, I wish you could have been there! We really wanted you to have seen it!” Hermione said as Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Ginny smiled at the two of them while Harry did the same thing to her. She looked up at him and gave him a huge kiss. “I love you so much, you know,” Ginny said.

Harry nodded and kissed her back.

*******
After a fun-filled dinner in which the entire Weasley clan shared different memories from when Harry was unconscious, Harry looked exhausted.

It had been a long day for him, as it was his first day out of the hospital. Harry yawned loudly as he sat at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet as Ginny did some dishes in the sink. She found it much more relaxing to do the dishes by hand.

“You tired?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” Harry said as he nodded.

“Mum said you can sleep in my room tonight…she put another mattress in it…although I don’t think that is really necessary,” Ginny said as she turned around and smiled at Harry.

He smiled back. It was only 9:00 but he was absolutely dead.

Ginny finished the dishes and her and Harry walked up the stairs hand in hand.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley watched them climb the stairs from their seats in the family room.

“I do hope that they get married someday,” Mrs. Weasley announced to Arthur.

“I believe they would have gotten married Ginny’s seventh year if it hadn’t been for…well, you-know-who.”

Voldemort’s name was still hard to utter.

Molly nodded and went back to reading her book. Arthur sighed and was thankful that finally, after so many years, everyone was safe.

**********************
Harry lay down on Ginny’s bed, breathing heavily. He was tired just from walking up the stairs. That wasn’t a good sign.

Ginny laughed at him and quickly ran into the bathroom to change into her pajamas.

When she came out, Harry was dead asleep. She smiled and pulled a blanket over him. Then, she walked around to the side of the bed and lied down close to Harry. A few moments later she felt his arm wrap around her and his warm body against hers. She couldn’t have been happier.

*********************

Several months and years later:

Harry had mapped out an intricate plan. He had everything set up perfectly and everyone knew what was going on. Harry was stressing out a little because he wanted it all to be just right.

He stood in the woods behind the meadow near the Weasley’s house, pacing back and forth. Ginny would be walking towards him at any minute.

Harry had made a scavenger hunt for her throughout the house and gardens. Every little note he left led her to another place in the house until she would finally end up at him.

Mrs. Weasley was washing dishes in the kitchen, her face full of excitement. She knew what Harry was doing and watched curiously as Ginny continued to pass through the kitchen from time to time.

Ron and Hermione were sitting in the family room, holding hands and talking to Hermione’s pregnant belly. When Ginny walked into the family room holding a rose and heading towards the back door, Ron spoke.

“Whatcha up to, Gin?” Ron said, even though he knew perfectly well what was going on.

“Oh you know Harry…so sweet of him. He’s left all these little notes all over the house. I knew he’d make our anniversary special,” she said as she waved bye to them and headed out the back door towards the woods.

Harry saw Ginny making her way across the field towards him. She was looking down at her feet in what he thought was the cutest manner ever.

Harry’s heart began to race and finally she looked up. She saw him and started sprinting towards him, her eyes lit up and beautiful.

Ginny jumped into Harry’s arm and whispered, “I love you, Harry James.”

“I love you too,” Harry replied as he kissed her ear. Then he pulled away from the hug and grabbed her hand and began leading her deeper into the woods.

“Where are we going?” Ginny asked.

Instead of answering her question, Harry said, “You know that the moment I met you I knew we were meant for each other. The way you helped me all those years…the way you sat by me when I was almost dead…it all means the world to me. And, I know we fight sometimes, but I always love you, even when I’m mad as hell at you. And I know that we can make it through anything. And I know that I can love you forever.”

Ginny and Harry both had tears in their eyes. Just as Harry finished speaking, they walked into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, “Will You Marry Me?” was spelled out in roses floating above the ground.

Ginny’s hand went straight to her mouth and she turned to Harry. A smile was on Harry’s face and he then got down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Ginny?”

Ginny had lost her voice. Pictures of the two of them soared through her mind and she remembered all of the good times they had spent together. But, there was one little piece of doubt that suddenly woke up, as if out of nowhere.

“No,” Ginny said, and then she turned and ran away.


A/N: Ta-da! Another cliffy ;). I'm really sorry for the fast pace of this chapter--but I really needed to wake Harry up in order to get on with the plot and the chapter was not long enough so I had to add the proposal. The next chapter should be up soon. Please Please Please review. Here is an excerpt from the next chapter--(because i know how much people love these)

Ginny was curled up on her bed, the teddy bear Harry had given her was wrapped in her arms.

A wave of sadness filled Hermione as she looked at Ginny. The picture of Ginny and Harry that had rested on her nightstand so perfectly before, was now laying shattered on the floor.

I look forward to hearing from all you. Much love.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update...I have been really busy with school because I've had mid-terms the past week and I have had track practices everyday for the past two months so its been hard to find time to update. I was rather amused how so many of you got upset with me for having Ginny say no. The girl had her reasons. And rather stupid ones if you ask me....;)

Disclaimer: This is getting old. I don't own it, so don't sue me.

Harry stood on the spot, his feet frozen to the ground. He watched her run back towards the house and it was then that Harry realized something; he had never felt so confused in his entire life.

Tears were streaming down Ginny’s face as she entered the house. Everyone was waiting in the kitchen, waiting to see her ring.

But when she walked in, hysterically crying, everyone knew something had gone wrong. Mrs. Weasley’s face dropped from a smile into a frown. She felt heart-broken. What had happened?

Ginny didn’t even look at anyone as she sprinted up the stairs.

“I’ll go figure out the situation,” Hermione said calmly as she began to walk towards the stairs.

Ron went over to the window and looked out to see if he could fine Harry. And there Harry was. He was squatting with his face buried in his hands.

“She must have said no by the look on his face,” Ron stated in a monotone voice. He was disappointed. Why would she have said no?

Harry was asking himself the same question. He replayed everything he had said. She had seemed perfectly happy with everything he had said…until he asked the question. The question was what startled her. But why?

***
Hermione knocked on Ginny’s door.

“Please go away. I really don’t want to talk to anyone,” Ginny managed to say through her tears.

Hermione didn’t listen. She opened the door anyways and stood in the doorway, looking at Ginny.

Ginny was curled up on her bed, the teddy bear Harry had given her was wrapped in her arms.

A wave of sadness filled Hermione as she looked at Ginny. The picture of Ginny and Harry that had rested on her nightstand was shattered on the floor.

“Gin, I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I want to help you. You need to tell me what happened,” Hermione said, speaking in a very motherly manner.

Ginny shook her head and picked up her wand and pointed it at the door. The door slammed shut on Hermione’s face and locked. Hermione would try again later.

****
The Weasley family was sitting in the kitchen, talking quietly, when Harry walked in.

He didn’t look at anyone and headed straight for the stairs.

Ron called after him, “Harry, can I talk to you outside?”

Harry didn’t respond or even acknowledge Ron. He just kept walking right upstairs. A few moments later, everyone heard Harry slam the door to Ron’s old room.

Ginny heard Harry slam the door, and a part of her felt bad. But she had made the right decision, right? Once again, another wave of doubt washed over her, but this time she was trying to figure out if she had made the right decision. The more she thought about it, the better she felt about saying no.

*******************
Harry and Ginny both refused to come out of their rooms. And the entire Weasley family was sick of it.

Hermione was fuming at Ron for not trying harder to talk to Harry.

“WELL, YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN GINNY TO SPEAK EITHER, HAVE YOU?” he bellowed back.

Hermione snorted at him and turned around to finish helping Mrs. Weasley set the table for dinner.

“We have to get them to come out. They don’t need to talk to each other…but we need to know what happened,” Mrs. Weasley said calmly. The truth was, she was concerned. Why would Ginny break Harry’s heart? She knew how much Ginny cared about him, and it just didn’t make sense.

“You don’t need to know,” a voice from behind the kitchen whispered.

“GINNY!” Hermione gasped as she ran around to the family room.

Ginny was sitting on the couch, her arms folded across her chest. She clearly hadn’t brushed her hair, or bothered to change. Her eyes were big, puffy blobs and her entire face matched the color of her hair.

“Oh, Gin,” Hermione whispered as she went over and gave her a hug.

Ginny began to cry softly onto Hermione’s shoulder, but quickly gained control of herself and stopped the tears.

“It started to smell in my room. So I had to come out,” Ginny mumbled.

Hermione smiled at her, “I know you really don’t want to talk about it, but can you just give me a brief outline of what happened? I won’t share it with anyone if you don’t want me to, but you got to get it out of your system.”

Ginny nodded, “Can we go for a walk?”

Hermione grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She opened the door for her and lead her outside.

**
Once they were in the meadow next to the Weasley’s, Hermione stopped walking and turned to face Ginny.

Ginny looked out across the field and felt the tears coming. She stopped and took a big breath, “I said no.”

“Yeah…we sort of figured that out,” Hermione said sarcastically while smiling at Ginny, “Why?”

Ginny hesitated. Hermione could tell that this reason was not something Ginny was comfortable with.

“He…Harry…he deserves better,” Ginny said as she turned completely away from Hermione.

“Ginny. Are you kidding me?” Hermione was so surprised.

“Hermione, think about. I’m his best friends little sister. And he’s a hero. He can get anyone he wanted…”

“But he chose you.”

Ginny was startled by this. It took her a moment to recover. “No. Not really. He never really had the option to meet anyone else because he met me first. That day at the train station when I was 10, it determined our relationship that we have now. And I just think that he deserves someone else. Someone better.”

“Gin, you have seriously got to be kidding me. I know for a fact, that even if Harry and Ron were not friends, fate would have led you two together. He is everything you want…everything you need. Ginny, you have to go talk to Harry. He needs to know that this is the reason that you said no. He will be able to prove you wrong.”

Ginny shook her head and looked at Hermione, “I don’t have the courage to talk to him.”

“Well, I do,” Hermione said. And with that, she stormed off into the house. Ginny didn’t stop her.

A/N: Sometimes, I get upset at myself for ever getting into fanfiction. You get sucked into the characters and the way you want things to turn out...and it doesn't really occur to you that things might just not turn out that way. Too bad I'm not JKR. I hoped you like the chapter. Please please please review. And here is a preview from the next installment:

"And you want to know something funny, the only reason I could find was the fact that I fell in love with her, which is not even a reason,” Harry uttered.

“Actually, that’s just it,” Hermione said.

Mucho love =]

Extra Note: I'm getting a lot of complaints of people saying this chapter is too short. I KNOW! I have been so busy with school lately and so I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Please leave me reviews and try not to say the chapter was too short--i know. I've been busy. And I'm sorry.

Hermione walked angrily into the kitchen. Everyone stared at her as she headed for the stairs.

“I take it that it was a really bad excuse,” Ron called after Hermione.

“Don’t even start,” Hermione replied as she stomped up the stairs to where Harry had locked himself in.

Hermione pounded on the door.

No response.

She pounded harder.

Still no response.

“HARRY DO NOT MAKE ME USE MAGIC TO GET INTO THIS ROOM. I TALKED TO GINNY.”

Harry didn’t say anything, but she heard the door unlock. She opened the door a crack and peered inside.

What a mess.

She opened the door all the way and stood in the doorway.

“Harry…it’s disgusting in here.”

Harry was sitting on his bed, staring at the wall. Pictures were spread out everywhere around the room.

“She’s stupid, Harry, absolutely stupid. I finally convinced her to tell me why she turned you down and, oh, it’s the most ridiculous reason ever.”

Harry shifted his gaze from the wall to Hermione. “I have spent every hour of the past few days trying to figure out where I went wrong. And you want to know something funny, the only reason I could find was the fact that I fell in love with her, which is not even a reason at all.”

“Actually, that’s just it,” Hermione said, laughing in an angry manner.

“What?” Harry said.

“She thinks you deserve better. She said no because you chose her. Because you didn’t choose someone else.”

Harry didn’t even finish listening to what Hermione was saying. He got up and bolted out of the room, down the stairs, through the kitchen and outside. He was looking for Ginny.

Hermione came down the stairs a few seconds later, smiling to herself. Everyone ran up to her, bombarding her with questions.

“What happened?”

“Why did Harry come down the stairs so fast?”

“Where’s Ginny?”

“What’s going on?”

“EVERYONE RELAX,” Hermione yelled. And she sat them down at the kitchen table and proceeded to tell them all what was going on.

************
The second Harry had opened the back door, he saw Ginny. She was sitting on a bench near the woods. It was around the same spot that Harry had been standing at just a few days ago.

Harry stopped running when he saw her, and began walking at a slow pace. His hands were in his pockets and he kept his head down, trying to think of everything he needed to say.

Ginny saw him coming towards her and she felt her whole body stiffen. Is he going to yell at me? Or is he going to tell me I was right all along?

Finally, Harry reached the spot where Ginny was sitting. He swallowed hard and looked at her. She wasn’t looking back.

“Ginny,” was about all he could mumble before he realized that he really didn’t know what to say.

She didn’t look at him or say anything. She kept looking at her feet. She was sitting on her hands and kept shifting her neck.

Harry breathed in before he spoke, “Gin…to be honest, I don’t really understand what Hermione told me. I kind of took it in really fast, and I’m afraid I missed the whole point.”

He tried hard not to bring up the fact that she had completely rejected him with no explanation. He was hoping she would bring that up on her own.

Ginny knew it was her time to talk. But, she now found herself at a loss of words. She somehow managed to find them a few moments later because she knew she had to tell Harry exactly how she felt. He deserved to hear it.

“Harry, this is a lot harder for me than I think you understand,” Harry wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t. “I love you. I really, truly do. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you,”

Harry was so utterly confused. He shook his head as if he wasn’t hearing it. What?

“But,” there is always a but, “I feel like you deserve better. I feel that if you were given the chance, you could find someone else. Someone more perfect for you. The day we met at the train station…so many years ago…it is what is leading us here. If we hadn’t met, we wouldn’t be getting married. I said no because I don’t think I’m worthy of you. Of your love. I’m just Ginny,” tears filled her eyes and she was now standing. As she poured out her heart to him, she couldn’t help but feel sorry that she wouldn’t get to experience this anymore.

“Ginny, what’s the matter with you?” Harry asked.

Ginny was taken aback, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. What is the matter with you? What EVER gave you that idea?” To be honest, Harry was offended.

Ginny didn’t respond. Nothing he had done had ever given her that idea. It was all in her head. And at that moment, she realized it.

“I love you more than anyone in this world. You sat by me in the hospital when the doctors thought I was going to die. We’ve had the most amazing times together…and all I want is for that to continue. I want to have kids with you, and watch them grow up, and fall in love, and have kids of their own. And I want to share it all with you. That day we met at the train station, it wasn’t a mistake. It was fate. Fate, Ginny. And it’s sad that I spent the last few days, locked in my room, because I thought you didn’t love me. And here we are, you telling me you want to spend the rest of our life together, but you can’t because of a stupid voice in your head telling you that I deserve better.”

At this point, Harry didn’t know what else to say. He put his hand to his mouth and then put it back down by his side. He couldn’t deal with this anymore. And as he turned around to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He faced Ginny. And with tears pouring down her cheeks, he pulled her into a tight hug. She cried on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her tightly. After they swung back and forth in their hug for a few minutes, Ginny sniffled and whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry. I was being silly. I do love you, and I do want to marry you.”

Harry smiled at her, pulled the ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and proposed all over again. This time, tears of happiness flowed down Ginny’s cheeks as she uttered, “Yes.”

Harry kissed her and hugged her again. Then, hand-in-hand, they walked back towards the Burrow. Ginny couldn’t wait to show off her new ring.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! Once again, I'm sorry for the long delay.