The one thing that Ginny Weasley had always governed her life by, had always put her trust in, was freedom. She had to be free; she had to be able to smell fresh air, to touch things, to see bright colours and know that she could do anything. One of the main reasons her first year at Hogwarts had terrified her so was that she was trapped, not by walls, but in her own head. She’d been a prisoner of her mind. Now that she had been set free however, she didn’t feel quite so fond of it.

No matter how much she told herself that he had let her go because he wanted to protect her, she couldn’t help but feel that by leaving her behind here, he was putting a wall between them; a wall that blocked out the sun and cast long, never-ending shadows on the ground. Harry had done what he thought was right… so why did it feel so wrong?

Ginny shivered, and pulled her dressing gown a little tighter around her knees. She was sitting outside in the tumbledown garden at the Burrow, staring up at the silvery moon. She could feel the wind wafting her long red hair against her face, and could smell the fresh, night time air, but she did not feel free. If anything, she felt as though walls were pressing in on her, preventing her from doing anything to resolve the situation at hand. By tomorrow morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione would all be gone – and who knew if she’d ever see them again? They would all be out fighting Voldemort… while she’d be stuck at home looking after her mother. She had never felt more trapped and useless in her life.

“Ginny?� She jumped at the sound of the voice behind her, and spun her head around to see who it was. A tall, gangling figure, dressed in too-short maroon pyjamas, was standing in the kitchen doorway.

“Ron!� she said, startled, jumping to her feet. “I didn’t see you.�

“What are you doing out here?� Ron asked, intrigued. He shuffled over to where she was standing. “You should be in bed.� Ginny looked up at him mutinously.

“I’m nearly 16,� she argued. “I can do what I like.� She noticed then that he was giving her a very peculiar expression; it seemed like a mixture of amusement, sadness and pity.

“Do you really believe that?� he asked her quietly. Ginny gazed steadily into her brother’s blue eyes. Then she looked away and sighed heavily.

“Of course I don’t,� she scoffed scornfully, dropping back to sit on the ground once more. “I can’t do anything. I’m about as useful as… well, nothing. There’s nothing I can do anymore.� She half-expected Ron to jokingly agree with her, to tell her sarcastically that he’d been saying that for years. She didn’t expect him, however, to sit down on the dry grass beside her, his arms folded on his knees.

“You’ll get your chance, Ginny,� he said, uncharacteristically sombre. “You’ll be able to do your bit soon, don’t worry.� He was looking upwards as he said this, and Ginny followed his gaze to the small window right at the top of the house.

“Worried you’ll never see it again?� she whispered. Ron didn’t say anything, but gave the tiniest of nods.

“I’ve only just realised how much I love this place,� he muttered quietly, dropping his gaze to his knees in embarrassment. Ginny watched him thoughtfully for a moment.

“At least you get to go with Harry,� she conceded finally. “At least you get to be involved somehow. You get to make your stand.�

“It’s not a bravery quest, Ginny,� Ron said sharply, his head jerking up again. “I’m going to support Harry, not to prove myself.�

“I know that,� Ginny said quickly. “I’m just saying… you have an opportunity to do that. I don’t.�

“So who’s got the worse deal?� Ron asked, jokingly. “You, who has to stay here with the chickens, or me, who has to go out and help my best mate try and defeat the worst Dark Wizard the world has ever seen?�

“Have you ever tried to give twelve bloodthirsty chickens their feed at a ridiculously early time in the morning?� Ginny joked. Then she sighed again. “I hate Voldemort.� Ron shuddered at the name.

“I should be able to say it, shouldn’t I?� he murmured dolefully. “I’ve got to face it sometime.� Ginny put a comforting hand on Ron’s arm, which she was surprised to discover was shaking.

“There’s no shame in being afraid,� she said quietly. Ron stared upwards at the window again.

“He’s not afraid,� Ron muttered slowly. “Well, he probably is, but he doesn’t show it. I don’t think I’ve ever respected anyone in my life as much as I respect Harry.�

“We can’t all be like Harry, though,� Ginny told him, squeezing her arm. “We don’t all find it so easy to let go of the people we love,� she added sadly. Ron was silent for a moment, then threw his arm comfortingly around his little sister’s shoulders.

“Who says he found it easy?� he asked her softly. “Every day I catch him watching you, and every day I see the pain on his face, Ginny. He wants to be with you so badly, but he knows that he can’t. But he doesn’t find it easy.�

Ginny could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and fought to keep them back. The memories of those sparse few weeks before Dumbledore’s death, when she and Harry had been happy together, seemed like nothing more than a distant dream. Now, however, she lived in a constant nightmare of worry, fear and anxiety.

“I- love him, Ron,� she said suddenly, and all at once she could not hold back the tears any longer; they spilled down her cheeks as she let out a sob. Ron seemed a little taken aback at first, but pulled his sister into a hug. He could feel the material of his pyjamas getting soaked through as she sobbed onto his shoulder, and found, with a faint pang of embarrassment, that he almost began to cry himself.

“I’ll bring him home to you, Ginny,� he whispered softly. “Don’t cry. I never could bear to see you cry. Remember when Fred cut all the hair off of your doll? Who was it that tried to magic it back on for you?� Ginny pulled away, and gave a rather wet snort of laughter.

“Ron, you-“

“The fact that the doll’s head exploded does nothing to diminish the goodness of my intentions,� Ron added hurriedly. “Anyway, what about that time mum wouldn’t let you go swimming in the river? Who helped you sneak out one night and came and taught you to swim?�

“You did – before you nearly drowned.�

“Again, it was the intentions that were important,� Ron told her defiantly. Ginny giggled.

“You’ve always been there for me, haven’t you?� she said finally. “Bill and Charlie were off doing their own thing; Percy was too serious; and Fred and George always had each other. It was always me and you, wasn’t it? And wherever we went, you looked after me. Even though I always knew you wanted to go and play with Fred and George.�

“No I didn’t!� Ron protested. “I liked playing with you. You were the only one I could boss around.� Ginny gave him a playful push.

“We were always brave explorers together,� she sighed reminiscently. “You’d find an adventure for us, and I’d follow up behind. That’s what got us into this mess, you know: you found Harry’s adventure and I couldn’t help getting sucked in.�

“You don’t regret it though, do you?� Ron asked quickly. She looked at him, sincerity blazing in her eyes.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world,� she said quietly.

“Me neither,� he agreed. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be tomorrow than by Harry’s side. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight,� he added, squeezing her shoulders, “than sitting here, talking to you.�

“We should talk more often.�

“We’ll make it our New Year’s Resolution.�

“Speak for yourself; my resolution’s going to be ‘Stay alive’,� Ginny told him dryly. “And you have to have two: ‘Stay alive’ and ‘Keep Harry and Hermione alive’.�

“My daily resolutions,� he assured her. Ginny looked up at the moon again. Her brother was right; she would get a chance to do her bit, to play her part. Now, however, she was content to just sit, quietly, remembering the past, and contemplating the future.

“We’ll be alright, won’t we?� Ron asked suddenly. “You and me. We’ve always been pretty good friends, right? Except for the odd, er, blazing row…�

“Yes, apart from that, we’ve not done too badly,� Ginny smirked, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re the best big brother ever, you know, Ron.�

“I know,� Ron grinned cheekily. Ginny poked him. “Alright; you’re the best little sister ever.�

“Promise you’ll write?�

“As often as I can.�

They looked at each other, smiling. Now they knew where they stood; in their minds, each had said goodbye, and although there was a sense of finality in both faces, each showed a tiny glimmer of hope too.

“You should get to bed,� Ron said finally, giving her arm a gentle pat. Ginny nodded, yawning.

“Are you coming in?� she asked, clambering to her feet. He shook his head.

“I might stay out here a little while longer.� She nodded; she knew that Ron had to straighten things out in his head too.

“Bye then, Ron.� Ginny bent down, and kissed him on the forehead. He smiled up at her, and she turned away, slipping quietly back into the house. She climbed the stairs slowly, hoping not to wake anyone, and finally reached her room. She shut the door gently, and shuffled across to open the window. Looking down into the garden, she could see Ron sitting cross-legged, staring around at the Burrow. She smiled, before retreating back to the warm depths of her bed. Tomorrow the battle really began, but tonight remained their final night of freedom.