Ginny lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts shifted like the leaves on the trees that were just starting to change color for the fall; but what took over most of her mind was Harry. It had been too long since she had seen him. Ginny knew that seeing him would only make her hurt more, but she pushed that knowledge to the back of her mind so as not to bring up memories that were not wanted. Though, try as she did, the waterfall of memories from that day came flooding back.

She knew Harry had his reasons for breaking up with her, and she respected his decision, but she wished with all her heart that he had not. As she gazed out of her window at the sky that was slowly turning to dusk, Ginny thought of all the times that she and Harry had shared together; all the feelings they had had for each other. Her sense of longing returned and she almost forgot what was going to happen that night.

“Ginny, dear, everyone is about to leave.�

Molly Weasley had opened the door a crack and looked at Ginny. Molly knew that behind all of the ‘I’m fine’s’, that Ginny felt betrayed by Harry. “Come downstairs,� she said and closed the door at her nod.

Ginny sat up and looked around. She found her old sweatshirt and pulled it on.

On her way down the narrow stairway of the Burrow, she ran into Ron who seemed to be hurrying back upstairs for some reason. She stopped in front of him, making it impossible for him to pass by.

“Where do you think you’re going?� she demanded, glaring at him.

Ron stared back at her with sibling-like contempt. “I forgot something, alright? And besides, it’s none of your business what I do.�

Ginny’s eyes narrowed but she moved to the side and let him pass. Things had been rocky between them since coming home from Hogwarts. They had barely talked and when they did, it often led into a row that sent Pig into a shrill hooting and flying circles around the room.

She ambled down the rest of the stairs and wandered aimlessly into the front garden where a large group of people was scattered across the scraggly grass. Hagrid stood beside Bill, Fleur, Fred, and George a few feet away from the porch. Mad-Eye Moody was pacing at the edge of the lawn watching a shifty eyed Mundungus Fletcher. Lupin, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley all whispered almost inaudibly to each other while Kingsley stood close by, watching silently.

Ginny sat down next to Hermione on the steps and looked up at the stars.

“Are you scared? To see him again?� Hermione had never beaten around the bush much.

“It’s okay of you are. I would be too if I were you. But it has got to happen sometime.�

The last sentence came out almost like a question; as if she needed to reassure herself of the fact.

Ginny smiled at the thought of Hermione being unsure of anything. “I’m not scared exactly,� she said after a moment. “Just unprepared,�

Immediately after the last word left her lips, Ron barreled out of the door and almost ran over the top of the two girls, but he stopped himself just in time. He seemed slightly out of breath and he was clutching a broomstick in his left hand.

“Sorry…� he muttered as he pushed past them and strode over to where his father stood. Ginny glared after him and then looked back at Hermione.

“When did Mad-Eye say you were leaving?� she asked.

Hermione frowned. “I’m not quite sure, all he said was that we are on a tight schedule. You know Mad-Eye.�

The noise had risen to a low rumble by the time that the yard had grown quit dark. Ginny saw Mad-Eye stop in his tracks and look at a pocket watch he drew from somewhere in his cloak.

“All right all of ye,� he called out. “You know the plan, and you all know the dangers that may await us tonight. It is time to leave so if any of ye claim cowardliness, say so now, as there is no backing down once we get there.�

Everyone looked at each other and Ginny felt relief when nobody spoke up. It was silent for a moment more before Mr. Weasley spoke.

“Well now that that is settled… if some of you would be so kind as to carry one of these sacks, they hold the things we need for the plan, it would be much appreciated.� He looked grateful as Bill stepped up and grabbed one of the sacks and walked back to Fleur. Fred or George, Ginny couldn’t tell which, snatched up the other.

“Alright, mount up! It’s time to go!�

Everyone in the yard jumped onto an assortment of broomsticks and even a few thestrals that Ginny couldn’t see, but knew were there. After a few hurried goodbyes to Molly and Ginny, they flew away into the steadily darkening night.

Molly hurried back into the kitchen, but Ginny stayed out on the lawn. She watched the place where some of the people she cared most about had disappeared. She knew it was going to be a long and worry filled night.

Chapter 2 – Arriving

It had been just over an hour and Molly was on her third cup of tea when Ginny finally came back inside. She was tense as she sat down upon one of the wooden chairs. She looked at her mother, who stared out the window with glazed eyes; Molly’s body seemed to be on automatic, periodically lifting her mug of lukewarm tea to her lips. Ginny’s eyes wandered sporadically around the room: from the dishes left unnoticed in the sink, to the chairs strewn haphazardly around the table. They eventually landed on her watch and she jumped when she saw the time.

“Mum,� Ginny looked at her mother with eyes that shone fervently.

Molly looked up at her quickly and then back out the window. “Yes, of course dear. Let’s head outside.�

No sooner had they stepped onto the back porch when a blue light appeared and grew until a rusty old oil can landed with a soft thud in the grass. Ginny stopped short. That was supposed to be Ron and Tonks’ Portkey. Why hadn’t they come back with it? A million scenarios ran through her mind, but all she could do was stare at the can.

Molly, however, had hurried over to the can and picked it up.

“They must have been late,� the audible worry in her voice mirrored Ginny’s thoughts.

“Must have been,� Ginny wasn’t quite sure if she had even spoken aloud. “Mum, I’m going to get some tea.� She said louder. She turned and slowly walked back into the house. She set some water on the stove and looked out through the kitchen window at her mother who was staring at the Portkey that should have brought her youngest son home.

Another blue light grew in the dark yard a few feet from the can just as Ginny was pouring her tea. But as she saw the lonely shoe fall to the ground, her breath caught in her throat. Fred and her father were missing as well.

“Something has gone very wrong,� she said to nobody in particular.

Molly came in slowly and sat down. Her face was hidden in shadows, but Ginny knew the fear that was etched into every feature. They gazed at each other for a few minutes before looking away. Mother and daughter waited in silence for their loved ones to come home. They were caught off guard by a very loud noise in the yard and they jumped up to see two forms in the yard land hard on the ground. Ginny wasn’t sure who screamed, but before she knew what was happening, the two women were rushing out the door to help Harry and Hagrid.

Ginny didn’t hear what her mother said as they approached them; she could only watch as Harry stood, swaying and unstable. His voice brought her back to the moment.

*“What d’you mean? Isn’t everyone else back?� He was panting and worry started to spread across his face. *“The Death Eaters were waiting for us,� he went on.* “We were surrounded the moment we took off – they knew it was tonight – I don’t know what happened to anyone else, four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort caught up with us…�

Ginny heard his plea to be understood. She looked over every inch of him as he said this, making sure that he wasn’t hurt. But it seemed that only his feeling of security had been shattered. She wanted to reach out, tell him it was okay, but her mother acted faster and pulled him into her arms.

*“Thank goodness you’re all right,� Molly said, voicing Ginny’s very thoughts.

*“Haven’t got any brandy, have yeh, Molly?� Hagrid’s gruff voice seemed even more grating and unsettled.

Ginny turned back to look at Harry and didn’t notice her mother hurry away. She caught his eye and started to speak, not really knowing what she was saying.

*“Ron and Tonks should have been back first but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them,� she pointed at the two useless Portkeys that had caused her so much worry. *“And that one should have been Dad and Fred’s; they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and,� she looked down at her watch, surprised at how fast time was going now,* “If they made it, George and Lupin ought to be back in about a minute,� This news didn’t seem to lessen Harry’s fears, or her own for that matter, but she felt the need to say it. As she watched Hagrid down a whole bottle of brandy, something caught her eye.

Another blue light illuminated a nearby part of the yard and everyone turned to see if it arrived with its passengers. As they watched, everyone held their breath in anticipation of what was coming, and a sigh passed every pair of lips as they saw two bodies spin to the ground.

But the breath that had moments ago been a sigh of relief, caught in Ginny’s throat as she saw her brother’s body covered in blood.

Lupin was struggling under the weight of George's body as he tried to hold it up. She saw Harry ran over to help him and followed the small crowd as they hustled into the house and laid the limp form of George on the sofa. Ginny kneeled down next to her mother to watch her attempt to heal the gaping hole in the side of his head. She paid no attention when she heard the others leave the room in a flurry of words and a rustle of robes brushing across various objects in the room.

Molly was trying to stop the seemingly unending bleeding, but it was a very slow process and she never wavered from her duty. Ginny knew that whoever had cast the curse must have known their spells. If they had hit George's heart, like she was sure they had meant to, he would have been dead before anyone could have helped him. But her worries about what could have been slowly diminished when she saw that George was starting to look okay. Molly had healed the gaping wound and was siphoning off the rest of the blood that had started to dry into his long, red hair.

Ginny couldn’t help but feel respect for her mother. Molly had been through so much and yet she still stayed strong for her family and friends. So many other parents that Ginny knew would have broken under the stress that Molly dealt with on a daily basis. As she watched her brother healing under Molly's loving care, she knew that everything would be alright.

Chapter 3 - Mad-Eye


Ginny turned around as she heard someone walk into the room. As Harry strode hesitantly towards her, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that it was not one of her missing family members. He stopped a few feet away from the couch upon which the unconscious George lay and gazed down with a muted look of horror at the scene in front of him.

*“How is he?� she heard him say and she looked down at her brother as if to verify for herself that he was, in fact, okay.

As she looked back up at Harry, she caught the tail end of her mother’s reply, *“…could have been so much worse…. He’s alive.�

*“Yeah,� Harry muttered. *“Thank God.�

Ginny remembered hearing a commotion a few moments before Harry had come back in. *“Did I hear someone else in the yard?� It was hard to hide the hope in her question.

*“Hermione and Kingsley,� he answered.

She couldn’t wrench her eyes from his. *“Thank goodness,� she whispered. As she stared at him, all the memories that she had tried to block from the previous year came flooding back and it took all of her willpower to restrain from flinging herself into his arms and crying in a way that she never did.

An uproar from in the kitchen dragged her back to reality and she looked around to see her father storming into the room. Fred rushed in behind him, and Ginny was relieved to see that they were unhurt.

She watched the exchange between her family, trying not to feel detached and shunted to the side. It seemed to her that everyone thought she was still a little girl, too delicate to be put in any kind of danger. She was almost sixteen and as capable as any of the others at fighting for what she believed in. It wasn’t fair.

When she saw Harry motioning to her to go outside, she quickly stood and shook out her aching legs. As they walked out through the kitchen, she found herself rambling again to fill the overwhelming silence that had taken over the house. As she looked up at him, she saw through his stoic façade to the panic hidden behind his eyes. She could see the fear overwhelming him and took his hand in hers, hoping that it did something to comfort him, and praying he knew that she was there for him.

Nobody said anything as Harry and Ginny joined the group that had gathered outside to wait for those yet to return. They waited for an immeasurable amount of time, flinching at the sound of each other’s breathing and trying not to let the worry control them.

All of the sudden, a broom appeared directly above and flew towards the ground.

*“It’s them!� Ginny heard Hermione scream.

Tonks leapt off the broom and landed in Remus’ arms. Ginny watched as they held each other close. Ron stumbled over to them and she could feel the air thicken with relief at their safety. Hermione threw her arms around Ron’s neck and Ginny watched them with amusement as they hugged awkwardly. She didn’t pay too much attention to what they said until Ron looked at her.

*“Are we the last back?� he asked.

*“No,� she answered, *“we’re still waiting for Bill and Fleur and Mad-Eye and Mundungus. I’m going to tell Mum and Dad you’re okay, Ron- “

She ran up the steps and into the house, trying to escape the anguish that seemed to have overcome everyone outside, though she knew that it would be no better in the house.

She walked cautiously into the sitting room and found her parents there, sitting together in a chair across from where George and Fred were laughing and joking around. Everyone looked up when she walked in and they stared at her expectantly.

*“Ron’s back. He’s okay.� She was surprised at how good it felt to be the one saying that something had gone right.

Her parents jumped up and hurried out to the yard and Ginny turned following closely behind. She stood off to the side for a moment, facing away from the group. She looked up at the dark sky and imagined that she could see the thestral that carried Bill and Fleur swooping out of nowhere. It wasn’t until she heard her mother cry out that she realized she wasn’t imagining it at all.

*“Mad-Eye’s dead,� the words seemed to echo throughout Ginny’s head and she felt her emotions shut down. He couldn’t be dead. There was no proof. Nobody noticed when she quietly slipped away into the house.

She grasped for the first time that the kitchen was unkempt and needed to be cleaned up. With an almost uncanny Molly-like urge, she started to straighten the chairs. She was clearing off the dishes that cluttered the table when she heard the toast.

*“Mad-Eye,�

Ginny dropped into one of the chairs and put her face in her hands. With no one around, she did not hold back as the tears trailed a slow route between her fingers. Raised voices in the sitting room made her sit up quickly and wipe her face off, but no one came into the room. Deciding that she had had enough of a breakdown for a while, she got up and started to do the dishes by hand. The voices in the other room were getting louder and she was contemplating whether or not she should go and see what was going on when Harry stormed into the kitchen. Ginny froze as he tore through without noticing her and was out the back door, slamming it behind him. She didn’t move at first, until Molly came in.

“Oh, thank you dear! I had been meaning to do up those dishes. Here let me take over,� she tried to grab the plate that Ginny was holding out of her hand. “And you can go relax.�

Ginny pulled the plate out of reach with a reproachful look at her mother. “Go sit down, Mother,� she snapped.

Used to Ginny’s fractious attitude, Molly slipped back into the sitting room.

Frustrated at her mother’s interruption, Ginny thrust the dish violently into the hot water and glanced up through the window almost unconsciously. She saw Harry standing in the yard and knew something was wrong right away. Forgetting her job, she ran into the sitting room.

“Hermione, can you come in here for a moment?� she said when everybody looked up at her.

Hermione’s brow furrowed as she stood and followed Ginny back into the kitchen. “What is it? Is something the matter?� she asked in a hushed voice.

Ginny led her to the window. “I think there is,�

Hermione sighed angrily. “I told him! I told him not to let this happen again! But does he listen?�

“What don’t I listen to?� Ron sauntered into the room and stood behind the girls.

“Not you,� Hermione retorted. “Harry.�

“Ah,� Ron looked out the window and swore quietly under his breath. “Well, we might as well go out and see if he’s all right. Let’s go Hermione. You stay here Ginny.

He and Hermione turned to go out the back door and Hermione looked back at Ginny quizzically, only to follow Ron again at her friend’s shake of the head.

Ginny tried to keep her anger at Ron in check, but it was times like these that she felt it bubbling like a poison in her blood, provoking her to say something malevolent. She took a deep breath and tried to think upon the fact that he was only the way he was because he cared about her. She watched as Ron thumped Harry on the back and Hermione peered into his face. She forced herself to turn away as an ache of longing threatened to overwhelm her. She shut down her thoughts and went back to finishing up the dishes.