Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoy the prologue to my new story! Please leave a review at the end to let me know what you think! Just to clarify: the story starts post-HBP. So everything up to HBP happened and then I take over from there and the story becomes completely AU. Enjoy!

Prologue: The Dramatic Entrance

Ginny lay beneath the big oak tree some distance from the Burrow, looking up through the layers of branches to the sky beyond. Tendrils of pink and purple were creeping across the firmament; it was around nine o'clock and the thick of summer. The faint sounds of laughter and tinkling glasses filtered to her from the party in the Burrow yard. Ginny closed her eyes, breathing the fresh evening air deep into her lungs.

"May I…?" Ginny recognized Harry's voice immediately. She heard him clear his throat. "May I join you?"

"Sure," Ginny said, patting the grass beside her. She kept her eyes closed as he lay down…just far enough away so they weren't touching. They lay in silence for a while, their hands inches apart.

"It was a really nice wedding," Harry said finally. Ginny turned her head to find him looking at her. His eyes were incredibly green, even in the darkening twilight.

She smiled. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

Harry didn't volunteer any further comments, and Ginny was at a loss for words. They lapsed into a heavy silence. Ginny was searching her mind desperately for something to say. Somehow, she felt as though they were wasting precious moments.

Wedding preparations had been a welcome distraction in the days following Dumbledore's funeral. There were so many things that she had needed to process…the war ahead, the journey she knew the trio was going to take…. It had been a relief to think about nothing but tulle and tuxedos and cakes until she could fall asleep from sheer exhaustion and not think about anything at all.

She hadn't spoken to Harry in private since the funeral. She'd found ways to avoid him, and she knew he had been doing the same. Things were just easier that way. But now, time had run out.

Ginny sighed. "When do you leave?" she said finally. She looked determinedly at the ground as she waited for him to answer.

"Tonight," he replied. "Probably around midnight."

Ginny couldn't help but snort. "Dramatic," she teased.

"Well," Harry said softly, "You know me. Can't resist a dramatic exit."

"Just make sure there's a dramatic entrance to match," Ginny responded, meeting his gaze again.

He nodded ever so slightly and, hesitantly, reached out his hand to grasp hers. "I'll miss you, Gin."

She swallowed. A million thoughts ran through her head, but she finally answered as honestly as she could. "I'll miss you too," she said.

They just looked at each other for a moment, their hands clasped and their eyes locked. Ginny tried to memorize his face and his stare and the feel of his skin. But too quickly it was over, and he was leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. Then he was standing up, brushing off his dress robes, and turning away. And before Ginny could say anything more, Harry was gone.

Ginny stayed there, curled up in the grass, eyes staring at nothing, for a long while. By the time she got up, her limbs were stiff from lying in the same position for so long. The moon and stars were bright in the sky. She knew that when she went back to the Burrow, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be gone. She had said her goodbyes to Ron and Hermione before the wedding. They had known they would be leaving soon after the reception ended and hadn't wanted to make a scene.

Ginny walked in the moonlight back to the Burrow. The windows in the house were dark. She let herself in by the back door and slowly climbed the staircase to her bedroom. Her whole body felt numb. She slipped under the covers, still wearing her pale blue cocktail dress, and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Draco Malfoy arrived at the Burrow.

Four years later

Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged up the lane to the Burrow. The sun was bright on their faces and their spirits were high. Ron could hardly contain his excitement. He kicked his scuffed-up trainers against the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air ahead of them.

"Ron!" Hermione said, but an amused smile was spreading across her face. Ron was so unabashedly happy that it would have taken a harder heart than Hermione's to chastise him today.

"What is it, you big fun-sucker, hm?" Ron teased, grinning and skipping up ahead.

"Fun-sucker?" Hermione exclaimed, turning incredulously to Harry.

Harry laughed aloud. "Good one, mate! Really great at insults, you are!" he called to Ron. Ron beamed at him from up the lane and sent him a rude hand gesture.

Harry rolled his eyes at Hermione. "Your boyfriend's a regular comedian." He sidled close to her in mock confidentiality. "Are you sure you want to be shacking up with him now we're back? It was all well and good back in deserted forests, but now you've got the whole British male population at your feet. Bigger pond, ya know!"

"I can hear you, you wanker!" Ron called back.

Harry laughed as Hermione shoved him playfully. "I'm quite fine with the comedian I've got, I should think," she said, chuckling to herself. Ron bounded back down the lane to meet them and planted a kiss on Hermione's cheek.

"Come on, you two! You would think by your pace that I was the only one doing any walking all these years."

"After the journey we've had, I'll never walk again," Harry said decidedly.

"Well I, for one, will be happy to put my feet up and have this one bring me tea and sandwiches," Ron said, prodding Hermione on the shoulder.

Harry whistled at the look on Hermione's face. "I sincerely hope you're joking, mate," he said laughingly.

"Yes, Ron, you had better be joking!" Hermione agreed, giving her boyfriend a swift slap on the arm.

"Ow! Ow, woman! Of course I was joking, sheesh!"

Harry laughed at his friends' antics, looking up as the Burrow came into full view before them.

"Merlin, I've missed this house," Ron said, following Harry's gaze.

"Yeah," Hermione replied, when Harry didn't respond. She glanced at his expression and flashed him a knowing smile. "I think we've all missed a lot of things."

Just then, a homely figure came out of the Burrow door and stood before it, raising a hand to its eyes to make out the people coming up the lane.

"MUM!" Ron called, breaking into a run. He covered the last few yards of the lane in moments and enveloped the shocked figure in a bear hug.

"R-r-on…?" Mrs. Weasley stammered, unable for a few seconds to comprehend that it was her youngest son in her arms. "RON! Oh Merlin, Ron! Is it really you!" She broke their embrace to catch his face between her hands. "Praise Merlin, it is you! My darling!" She grasped him in her arms again, and then suddenly noticed Harry and Hermione arriving at the end of the lane.

"Harry! Hermione! Dears! Come here!" She opened her arms, and Harry and Hermione joined the hug.

"Molly, Molly, are you alright?" A frantic Mr. Weasley came barreling out of the house, wand in hand. He stopped dead at the sight before him.

"They're home, Arthur! Our babies are home!" Mrs. Weasley said, tears filling her eyes.

Harry grinned widely as Mr. Weasley's expression faded from panic into surprised joy. He had missed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, there was no doubt about that, but in spite of himself, Harry found his eyes sliding again and again to the Burrow door…hoping someone else would come running out.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Weasley had bustled them all into the sitting room.

"Here you are – tea!" She squeezed between the couches and armchairs, carrying a tray of mismatched tea things. "And, Ron, I've got your favourite biscuits in the oven, dear!" She set the tray down on the table and settled herself down beside her son on the couch.

"I've sent an Owl to all of your brothers, telling them you've returned," said Mr. Weasley. "We'd heard rumours that it was all over, and of course we noticed the changes beginning a few weeks ago…."

"People stopped going missing, that was the most obvious thing…unsavory characters started to disappear…that sort of thing," interjected Mrs. Weasley excitedly.

"But it's such a relief to have the three of you home safe again. And to hear that you succeeded after going through so much! It's absolutely the best news we've ever gotten," finished Mr. Weasley, grinning widely and patting Harry, who was sitting beside him, heartily on the back.

"It's great to be back, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, taking a gulp of his tea.

"So when will Bill, Charlie, Gred, and Forge be arriving, then?" said Ron, rattling off his brothers' names with hearty affection. "And what about Ginny – did you let her know as well?"

Hermione's gaze darted to Harry at the sound of Ginny's name. He rolled his eyes at her and continued to sip his tea with careful concentration.

"Oh, I invited Ginny for dinner tonight, what a coincidence! She'll be so excited – absolutely thrilled – to see all of you! She just went out to Diagon Alley to grab a few groceries for me for tonight. And now we can make it a big family gathering – your brothers will be here, it'll be wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley gushed.

Just then, there was a "bing" from the kitchen. "Biscuits!" she exclaimed, rising quickly.

"Let me help you, dear," Mr. Weasley said, rising himself. "I'll get the plates out." The two of them bustled into the kitchen, and the trio could hear the clanging of plates as the Weasley parents prepared the biscuits.

"Mmm, I've missed these biscuits," Ron said, rubbing his stomach in anticipation. He glanced over at Harry and narrowed his eyes. "Aw, stop brooding, mate."

"Hmm…I'm not brooding!" Harry insisted, setting down his mug as if to prove that he was not utterly and completely distracted.

"Harry," Hermione said, patting his hand. "Why don't you go to Diagon Alley? We both know you're not going to be able to concentrate on anything until you've seen her."

"Yeah, mate," Ron added, taking a big swig of his tea. "Go ahead. Try not to kill her with surprise, though, alright?"

Harry tried to laugh off their suggestion. "Your mum and dad are being so kind. I can't just leave!" he protested.

"Excuses, excuses," groaned Ron. "Look, mate, I'm sure they'll understand. We'll let them know where you've gone. We can even say you're going to 'help her bring back the groceries' if you like," he said smugly.

Harry rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that their suggestion was very, very attractive. He looked from Ron's self-satisfied face to Hermione's imploring one, and caved.

"I guess I would like to see her," he said slowly.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Hermione said, urging Harry to his feet.

"Okay, okay!" Harry said, laughing. "I'll go! Tell your mum thanks so much for the tea and I'll be back with Gin in a bit, okay?"

"Sure thing, mate!" Ron said, giving Harry a mock salute.

Harry grinned at his friends, rolled his eyes at their eager looks, and hurried out of the sitting room. He crossed the protective barrier around the house in seconds and Disapparated.

"Ooookay, biscuits!" Mrs. Weasley said, coming back into the room with a plate piled high with still-smoking pastries.

"Where's Harry?" Mr. Weasley said, placing a stack of assorted plates on the table and settling himself back in his armchair.

"EeesegomaseeGimney," Ron explained, shoveling biscuits into his mouth.

"What's that, dear?" Mrs. Weasley said, fussing over him with a napkin.

"What Ron means," Hermione translated, smiling and shaking her head at Ron, "is that he went to Diagon Alley to see Ginny. He's really been looking forward to seeing her, and he thought she might need help with the groceries."

Mrs. Weasley stopped suddenly. She and Mr. Weasley exchanged a sharp glance.

"Mmm?" Ron said, looking quizzically from one parent to the other.

Harry appeared in a little street off Diagon Alley, shaking his head to steady himself in his new surroundings. He hurried up onto the busy main street. It was thronging with witches and wizards, many of whom were towing little ones along by the hand. It was just as it had been before the war. Many of the shops were different, of course, the original owners having disappeared or moved away in recent years, but the general ambience was so nostalgic that Harry stopped for a moment to take it all in. The sun was shining brightly down on the midday shoppers, the sounds of chatter and laughter echoed off the buildings…Harry even noticed a group of little boys with their noses pressed up against the glass display of a broomstick shop a few storefronts down. He grinned at the sight.

Now, to find Ginny. "Alright…groceries, grocieries," he muttered to himself. He had no idea where groceries were generally bought in Diagon Alley nor even if there was a specific shop or if people just bought from the street vendors. He really ought to have asked Mrs. Weasley before he left, he decided. Ah well, too late now. He would just have to wander until he saw her, he supposed. Shouldn't be too hard, what with that shock of long red hair to recognize her by.

He began to walk, musing as he went. He hoped she had kept her hair long over the years – he had loved how the light reflected off it when it fell in a long, straight sheet down her back. In fact, he hoped she hadn't changed at all. Of course, he knew she would be older, that was a given. And he knew she would be just as beautiful, he had no doubts about that. Merlin, that girl couldn't make herself unattractive if she tried! No, he was sure she would be beautiful, with her red hair and her adorable freckles and her porcelein-clear skin. But he hoped she would still be the happy, fiercely independent person he had left those four years ago. He hoped the long years of war hadn't changed that about her. And most of all, though Harry tried hard to squelch the thought, he hoped that she still felt something for him.

They had been so happy as a couple for that short, sweet time at Hogwarts. He had tried hard to distance himself from her the summer of Fleur and Bill's wedding. He had thought it would dampen their feelings so the goodbyes wouldn't be so hard. But that night under the tree…he had known it hadn't worked at all. They had still been in love, and yet left the words unspoken. As if not saying it made the leaving any easier. As if not saying it changed anything at all.

But now he was back, Harry thought, steering his mind back to happier territory. He was back, and his feelings, at least, were unchanged. Maybe they could pick up where they had left off, and if that was a little too optimistic…well, Harry had had only optimism to live on for the past four years. He had to see her.

He wove his way through the crowd, muttering quick "Excuse me, pardon me,"s as he was jostled by plump matrons and happy couples and wizened gentlemen. And then, quite suddenly, there was Ginny.

She was standing on the other side of the street, examining some sort of fruit at a vendor's cart. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts, a t-shirt, and an old pair of trainers. Her face was turned a little to the side, so Harry could see her profile. She was just as utterly breathtaking as he remembered. She looked so…vibrant, her red hair falling midway down her back and catching the golden sunlight. Her eyes were bright with carefree energy. Just as he remembered.

Harry started across the street, his heart pounding like a jackhammer in his chest. What was he going to say? He didn't know, and at this moment he didn't care. He knew the words would come.

And then, before Harry quite knew what was happening, a man came up behind Ginny and wrapped his arms around her torso. A smile lit up her face and she turned to face him. The man planted a kiss on her forehead and she returned it full on the lips, laughing aloud. She wrapped one arm around his neck and showed him the fruit she had picked.

Harry stopped dead. His breath caught in his throat.

As Ginny and the man moved toward the vendor to pay for the fruit, the man's face turned a little and came into Harry's view. The blonde hair…the long nose…the pale skin…. The man with his arm draped familiarly around Ginny Weasley was Draco Malfoy.

Author's Note: So there it is! The prologue! What did you think? Any thoughts/comments/suggestions at all would be very much appreciated. Please review – I love feedback! Love, mugglehugger.