“Expelliarmus! Stupefy!�

“Levicorpus!�

“Obscuro! Petrificus Totalus!�

The din of shouted spells, explosions and cries of pain faded in Ginny’s world. All that surrounded her was the pain, as sharp as a knife, and the irrepressible terror and helplessness.

As ever, she had been keen to go on another Death Eater hunt, grim as they always were. It was ten months after the Battle of Hogwarts and the demise of Voldemort. However, the Order of the Phoenix still had work to do, and its members worked hard tracking down the few Death Eaters who remained. Although she was still months from her seventeenth birthday, Molly and Arthur had allowed her to join the Order and assist in the capture of Death Eaters. Somehow, she had convinced Harry to also agree.

Ginny heard distant running feet, shouting voices, bangs, and crashes from the combat surrounding her. Harry and the Auror Office had tracked down a group of seventeen wizards who continued to follow Voldemort’s ideas of blood purity and Muggle extermination. This was a large group compared to what they usually faced, although not big enough to require the entire Order to handle it.

That morning Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, Percy, Arthur, Angelina, Neville, Luna, Justin, Cho, Seamus, Padma, Parvati, and Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout had met at the Auror Headquarters and Apparated to the seemingly abandoned tumble-down cottage in Surrey. The house stood alone in the middle of nowhere, so the battle had naturally spilled out of the tiny house and into the surrounding fields.

Upon arrival, the Death Eaters jumped to the defensive but it was too late to protect themselves. Angelina and George Stunned two Death Eaters as they were casting protective enchantments on the building. The remaining witches and wizards swarmed out of the front door and began firing spells immediately. There was no time now for defensive enchantments.

Likewise, the Order of the Phoenix had erupted in a barrage of spells. Neville instantly captured a short, bald wizard with a scream of “Tarantallegra!� As the man was wildly dancing on his uncontrollable legs, Neville swiftly bound him to the first two captives and cast an Anti-Apparition jinx. He collected the three wands and stowed them inside his robes.

Ginny cast a Bat-Bogey Hex at a pursuer behind her and Stunned a witch and a wizard attempting to flee. Padma helped her disarm and bind the two escapees. A spell came flying between the two girls and grazed Padma’s wrist. She was not affected by the spell, but a gasp of pain escaped her and blood began to flow from the wound. Ginny pulled her to a safe spot behind a dilapidated chicken coop and inspected the cut. With a wave of her wand the wound sealed itself.

“Thanks,� Padma whispered, all pain now gone. "Tergeo," she said and she siphoned away the blood. She smiled at Ginny as they both re-entered the fight.

Four more foes had been captured by now, although several of the Order had been injured. Perhaps they had needed a stronger force after all. Together Harry and Ginny cornered a tall, slim witch around the side of the cottage. She had a large gash on her cheek but it didn’t prevent her fighting with everything she had. Ginny’s heart stopped as Killing Curse after Killing Curse missed Harry by inches.

“Levicorpus!�

The dark haired witch was hoisted into the air by Ginny’s spell. Harry snatched her wand as the writhing woman attempted to point it at Ginny.

“Incarcerous,� he said calmly as ropes flew from his wand and tightened around the hysterical captive. After Stunning her and taking her to where the other prisoners lay unconscious, Harry pulled Ginny close.

“I love you,� he said into her smooth, red hair.

She smiled. “I love you, too�.

They broke apart and Ginny turned to chase after one of the seven remaining enemies. She rounded the corner and followed the man to a large expanse of land. As she was running she heard a hoarse laugh behind her.

“Sectumsempra!� The spell forcefully pushed her onto the patchy grass and her body erupted in pain. She raised her head and could see no one. Both Death Eaters had vanished, and there was no sign of any Order members around her.

Blood began to spread across the grass and Ginny could feel it’s warmth on her fingers. She heard the battle draw near to her now, but no one could see her body lying prone on the ground. She was hidden by a small mound of earth. She opened her mouth to yell out, but her strength was draining.

“Ginny, it will be OK.� The voice was close. She realised she was now cradled in someone’s arms, the pain as fierce as ever. She opened her eyes.

“George,� she sighed. His presence comforted her, although she knew that she was dying.

“George,� she said again. She was puzzled by his reaction. He didn’t look scared or worried. He did look a little sad, but that was all.

“I love you,� she told him. “Tell...tell every...one. Tell everyone...I love them.�

“I love you, Gin,� he whispered. She raised her heavy arms and attempted to touch his face. The loss of blood, however, had reduced her co ordination and her fingers clumsily brushed both of his ears. She suddenly felt perplexed by something but her mind was too fuzzy to identify the reason why. She lowered her arms and closed her eyes. The arms tightened around her, protective and comforting.

Harry raced around the corner, in pursuit of a short witch. He stopped suddenly as he saw the body sprawled far away on the grass. It was in an odd position, he thought. It was slightly raised off the ground, almost as if being cradled by someone in an invisibility cloak. He jogged nearer.

“Ginny!� he shouted, as he realized who it was. The Death Eater forgotten, he raced towards her figure.

Ginny opened her eyes again. “George.� For the first time she noticed the heat from the arms around her.

“It will be OK, Ginny, I promise,� he said. He was all she could hear now.

Harry was now five feet from Ginny’s still body. Fear gripped him and tears blurred his eyes. She was covered in her own blood.

He crouched over her and froze still as her lips began to move. Her eyes were closed and Harry listened intently to her barely audible words.

“George,� came her laboured whisper. “Tell Harry I love him.�

Ginny felt the lap underneath her shift as the arms moved around her in an even closer embrace.

“I will, Ginny,� said Fred.