DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the HP characters, however any original characters that I choose to throw into my stories are MINE!!! Don't touch:)
Chapter 1- The Funeral and the Hogwarts Express
Ginny watched Harry slowly walk away from her, into the slowly setting sun. As she turned back to stare at the magnificent white burial chamber before her, her brother caught her eye. He gave her a questioning look that said "Where is he going?" Ginny shrugged and proceeded to glue her eyes to the back of Luna Lovegood's head, two rows in front of her.
A battle was being raged withing the poor 16-year-old's heart. She loved Harry more than she could say, but she knew what was coming. She knew the battle that lay ahead. Ginny knew that Harry had to face this alone, and no matter how her heart cried injustice, she couldn't change that. "He already used you against me once..." Harry had said. The words had almost cut her to hear. She was sure Harry hadn't meant to hurt her, but it didn't help that she had no idea what he was going to do, or how he was planning to do it.
A few hours later, Ginny found herself surrounded by people in a small compartment on The Hogwart's Express. To her left sat Neville Longbottom, across from him, Luna, with an empty seat next to her. Luna was expressing her belief that Hogwarts should not close the following school year, and that it would simply be ridiculous for them to close the school, and leave the students "out in the rain". Ginny hadn't listened to a word that Luna or Neville had said. She was staring out the window, at a rather dark summer day. There was no bright sun as there should have been this time of the year. The weather seemed to agree with her emotion distraught.
"What do you think, Ginny?" Neville asked, obviously trying hard to incorporate Ginny to the conversation. Ginny had no idea what they were talking about.
"Um... I agree with you, Neville." She said. This sent a rather large smile across Neville's face, which went rather unnoticed. Ginny turned once again to the window, and resumed her strange gloomy wondering.
What would Ginny do, she wondered, if Harry didn't survive this war? The next thought in her was what would happen if he did. What if Harry vanquished the Dark Lord, and came back to her, unscathed and happy. Would they still feel the same way as they had not but a month before? Would she still harbor the immense joy at the very sight of him. Then what would she do when he came back to her? When would that be, if ever? Would it be a year..? Could she stand to wait that long for him? She had already waited nearly six years for her to notice her as someone other than his best mate's sister. What if she didn't wait for him? Would he be angry if she dated other people? Would she be angry?
"... Harry hasn't really got a choice." Ginny caught only the last end of Neville's statement.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"I mean that he can't really help it now, can he?" Neville said. Ginny continued to look confused. "He hasn't got any other choice but to kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"So you believe everything that The Daily Prophet has said?" Ginny said, a little more upset than she had meant to have it come out.
"What?" Neville said, not sure why Ginny was practically yelling.
Without knowing how she got there, Ginny was on her feet. "You think that Harry is 'The Chosen One' and that he is just some piece of meat to be dangled before You-Know-Who like bait!" Ginny roared, giving Neville a look to kill.
"No..." Neville said, weakly.
"I've got to... go... somewhere." Ginny said, and she stormed out of the compartment door, almost slamming it hard enough to crack the glass.
Ginny leaned up against the door, and listened. Apparently, the two weren't watching to make sure her shadow left, because they started straight into a discussion of her. She saw their shadow's lean in closer, and they spoke more in hushed tones.
"She's never talked like that to me before." Neville said, sniffling slightly.
"I think she's just under a lot of stress." Luna said. "She can't really be very happy about the recent events."
"What do you mean?" Neville sounded very interested.
"Well... Harry was her boyfriend." Neville's shadow's head dropped. "And she had liked him since she first met him. What is she suppose to do? Pretend that nothing happened?"
Neville's shadow shook it's head. "I guess I just wanted to..."
Luna's shadow grabbed Neville's shadow's hand. "I know." She said. "But she probably would just like some space at the moment. Give her a few days."
Ginny held back the urge to curse an approaching Slytherin and began to wonder the corridors, avoiding prefects and anyone who might try to talk to her.