Ginny watched Harry as he walked away from her after Dumbledore’s funeral and felt her heart shatter. This was the hardest thing she’d ever done in letting him go, but knew that it would be the only way he’d come back to her. “I’m going to be strong,” Ginny whispered to herself. “I’ll keep him in my heart and he’ll come back to me. He’ll come back to me when he realizes that he needs me to help him, when he remembers that.” She watched him come back after walking with the new Minister of Magic to meet with her brother and Hermione. Ron was playing with Hermione’s hair, tugging it gently.
Walking over to where her parents were, Ginny leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek and hugged her father before telling them that she was going up to the hospital wing to visit Bill and keep Fleur company. Not exactly wanting to see the other girl, but wanted to see for herself that her adored older brother was really on the mend. Madam Pomfrey had been adamant about Bill not being moved to St. Mungo’s. Ginny’s brother and his fiance had been sitting with the older Weasley’s for the funeral, but as soon as it was over, Madam Pomfrey whisked Bill back to the hospital wing with Fleur trailing behind them.
“All right, dear. Tell him we’ll be up in a few minutes to check in before going home. Have you started to pack yet?” Molly asked, her anxious eyes sliding over her daughter’s pale face. “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ because I can see it. It’s more than just what happened today.”
“I’ll talk to you later. I need some advice, anyway,” Ginny said, and evading her mother’s question. “No, I’m not all packed yet, but there’s not much left. It won’t take long. How am I getting home?” She slid her hands into the pockets of her robe to hide their shaking from her mother.
“Floo powder, dear,” her mother replied. “I brought some with me. Now, go and see your brother. I’m sure he’d love some more company.” Molly stood and shooed her daughter away. It pained her so to see the unhappiness in Ginny’s eyes and knew that the one person that could help was her oldest son. Ginny had been Bill’s shadow since the day she was born.
Ginny took one last glance up at Harry as she walked by and headed towards the castle. Even though the sun was shining brightly and it was warm, Ginny shivered with cold and only felt dreariness from the day. She still couldn’t believe it. Dumbledore was gone and Snape had been the one wielding the wand that killed him. It just didn’t make sense; Dumbledore had trusted Snape - made him a Hogwarts teacher! A few moments later Ginny found herself standing beside Bill’s bed in the hospital wing, talking with Fleur, Remus, and Tonks.
She was heartened to see that Lupin seemed to come over to Tonks way of thinking; he had his arm across the back of her chair, lightly playing with her hair. It had been a tough day for all them, Ginny supposed.
Fleur sat on the bed beside Bill and gently wiped some of the soothing potion that Madam Pomfrey had left on the bedside table. He was improving, although only time would tell about the scars that slashed across his face and a full moon to show the full extent of injuries. Ginny knew her whole family was waiting and worrying.
“Would you all mind if I had a word along with my sister?” Bill asked, taking Fleur’s hand in his and kissed the back of it.
“Do not wear ‘im, out, Ginny. He tires easily,” Fleur admonished her future sister-in-law.
Once everyone had departed, he turned to Ginny and said, “Come here, lady bug.” Ginny took the hand that he held out to her and let herself be pulled down into her brother’s arms. Bill tightened his arms around her as the sobs broke from her heart. He stroked the back of her head, which lay on his shoulder and made noises to help calm her down. Slowly, Ginny was able to pull herself together. Once she’d stopped crying, Bill tipped her chin up, kissed Ginny on the forehead and said, “All right, I know you’re upset about Dumbledore, but I don’t think that’s enough to make you cry like you just did. Do you want to talk about it?”
Ginny wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her black robe and nodded. “I guess so,” she said and told Bill about the conversation with Harry. “What worries me the most is Harry’s thinking that he has to do this by himself. He let me go because he didn’t want to worry about what Voldemort might do to me. But what he forgets is - I’m the key. Dumbledore told him this on more than one occasion. What’s more, I want to help him. Bill, I love Harry more than anything else in this world and if he’s not going to be a part of it, then I don’t want to be either,” she spoke fervently, making the music of her heart start to swell.
Bill grimaced at her words and marvelled at the music. “You’ve got to calm down. We don’t know where Harry is and you could hurt yourself. Then what good would you be? We’ll figure something out. Ron and Hermione have all ready told me that they aren’t going to let him go on by himself. They’re going to help him go after those Horcruxes and when they’re destroyed, you and Harry will just have to come back together and face Voldemort. Just like Dumbledore predicted.”
Although it made Ginny sad that she wasn’t going with him, she was equally happy that Harry wasn’t going to be alone. Ron and Hermione would look out for him and though Ginny would worry, there was hope that her brother and best friend might be able to talk some sense into him.
Several months later, Ginny was back in her room at the burrow getting dressed in the dress robes she’d be wearing for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. “What an ugly color! How could she have picked this for me?” Ginny muttered looking down at the yellow colored robe. “This is hideous! Come in!” she yelled to the person who was knocking at the door.
“Hi Gin, are you about ready?” Hermione entered the room the two girls were sharing, already dressed in her ice blue formal robes. “Wow! That’s some dress robe, Gin. Aren’t you a picture?” Hermione was trying to be nice, but the color really didn’t suit Ginny.
“Isn’t it lovely?” Ginny said sarcastically and spun around so that Hermione could have the full effect. “Why couldn’t she have picked blue or green? Why yellow? And why this yellow? It’s an ugly puke color! I look ridiculous!”
“Girls, we’re ready to start! Ginny, hurry, you’re the first one down the aisle!” Molly Weasley’s voice called up the long staircase. The wedding was being held out in the Weasley’s backyard.
After grabbing her flowers from the bureau, Ginny hurried out of the room with Hermione behind her. Upon reaching the kitchen, Molly ushered them out the door and down the garden path to where the guests were all seated. Hermione was shooed to sit with Ron and noticed the empty seat beside him. She looked at him questioningly, and frowned at his shrug, before turning back to look at Ginny.
Standing first in line and waiting for the music to start, Ginny’s eyes darted through the guests looking for her one source of true comfort. Harry. She needed to see him. Not only see him, but touch him, too. She’d been having terrible dreams since leaving school and it made true sleep almost non-existent. Now Ginny understood a little bit about Harry’s visions. She’d been seeing Voldemort in her dreams. Maybe if she could spend a little time with Harry, the dreams would go away.
Feeling a nudge from Gabrielle, Fleur’s little sister, Ginny started her walk down the make shift aisle, all the while looking for Harry. “Maybe I’ll see him when I turn around to face the congregation,” she muttered to herself, a stiff and brittle smile on her face. Once she reached Bill, Ginny stood on tiptoe to kiss his scarred cheek and whispered, and “be happy”, before turning around.
Ginny’s eyes darted back and forth until she found Ron and Hermione - and the empty seat beside Ron. He didn’t come. He didn’t come. It was all Ginny could think. It was all she could hear in the loud buzzing in her ears. He didn’t come.
The wedding was a complete blur to Ginny. She supposed it was nice. Maybe the pictures would show how nice it was when she saw them. “How long do you think I’ll have to wait before changing out of this ugly gown?” she asked Hermione, who because of the lack of seats, was perched on Ron’s knee.
“Probably not until...” Hermione’s voice trailed off when Fred came to whisper something in Ginny’s ear, causing her to run up the stairs to her room. “What was that all about?” Hermione asked.
“Harry’s here, but he didn’t want to make a big fuss. He’s waiting upstairs in Ginny’s room. Wants to talk to her.” Fred walked off to find Angelina.
Ginny reached the closed door to her room and softly knocked before pushing it open. “Harry, are you really here?” she said looking at him and reached out a hand to touch his face. “I’m so happy to see you!” Ginny exclaimed and threw herself into his arms for a hug, her heart swelling as she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.
“Yes, Ginny, I’m really here. I wanted to see you one last time before I take off. I have a possible lead on one of the Horcruxes and I may be gone for some time.” He let her go and drew her over to sit on one of the beds. “We also need to talk. We need to talk about Dumbledore,” Harry’s voice broke slightly, but he continued on anyway. “I know you think that this is something we have to do together, but I meant what I said after the funeral. We can’t be together anymore. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. It would be my fault.”
“Harry, when are you going to accept that you’re not in this alone? Dumbledore has told you time and again that love is the key. I know he did, because Dumbledore told me so the morning he died. He’d summoned me to his office and told me.” Ginny grabbed Harry’s hands in her and held them tightly, smiling softly when he squeezed them back.
“It’s not a question of accepting that I’m in this alone. I know Hermione’s told you that she and Ron are going with me to hunt down the Horcruxes and ultimately Voldemort. Breaking off with you was only because I want you here safe and sound so that when we do have to face him together, you’ll be strong and healthy and whole. I can’t afford to worry about you. We also have Snape to contend with.” Harry’s voice was very bitter and his fingers squeezed Ginny’s to the point that it hurt. “The new term starts next week. Have you decided about going back to school?”
“I’ve thought long and hard about this, and yes, I’m going back. I still need to learn as much as I can. My O.W.L. scores were very good. Mum and Dad were happy, of course. I’m going to be an Auror, I’ve decided. I can hunt dark wizards with the best of them, but I still have a lot to learn.”
They talked for a few more minutes and Harry leaned over to softly kiss Ginny and frowned slightly at the shadow that crossed in front of her eyes. “I have to go. Tell Ron and Hermione I’ll meet up with them. They’ll know what I’m talking about. Please don’t do anything stupid this year, Gin. I have to put you out of my mind and the only way I can do that is knowing that you’re safe. Promise me,” he ordered before standing up.
“I promise, but I don’t like it.” Ginny wasn’t sure she liked his use of the word stupid. “You promise me that once you’ve found all the Horcruxes, you’ll come back to me and we’ll go after Voldemort.”
Harry grimaced, but nodded. “OK. Deal,” and he Apparated out of the room.
Ginny walked over to her bureau where a picture of the two of them sat and started to speak to Harry’s image. “You know what? I may love you, and you may be my so-called soul mate, but that doesn’t mean I have to do everything you tell me. Promise or no promise.” Ginny pulled her hand out from behind her back where her crossed fingers had hidden. “We’ll see, Mr. Potter. We’ll see.”
To be continued: