Ginny watched silently as Harry turned away from her and walked the path back to the school. Despite Harry ending their relationship she knew she wouldn't cry. She understood that he still cared for her and was only distancing himself in order to protect her. He was being typical; self sacrificing and unnecessarily noble, but then… she knew that was part of him and it was one of the reasons she cared for him. Of course she did not intend to follow through with what she had told Harry. He was too emotional right now, but to Ginny, there was no way he was going anywhere without her. The funeral had ended and slowly people were rising from there seats and drifting back to the Great Hall for the wake.

Ron and Hermione rushed past her to talk to Harry but she did not follow. She watched as the Golden trio talked and heard her brother's laughter and a brief smile appeared on Harry's face. Ginny allowed herself a small smile. Harry would be fine. With a sigh, she stood and allowed the throng of people moving around her to carry her up to the school.

Upon her arrival in the Great Hall she saw a large buffet table along the right side wall and house-elves serving drinks. The walls were decorated with black velvet drapes and at the front of the hall there was a large portrait of Dumbledore himself. She worked her way over to it and read the inscription below

A.W.P.B. Dumbledore

Headmaster, Hogwarts School 1956 – 2005

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided"

"I highly recommend you sample the lemon drops, they're my favorite," the portrait Dumbledore said to her with a smile. She smiled back at him and headed towards the buffet table only to realize she wasn't very hungry. Still, she pocketed a handful of lemon drops for later.

She looked around the room hoping to catch sight of Harry but could find him no where. Then she heard a voice behind her.

"…won't help out eh? …ways to persuade him." She worked her way closer to the source and say Rufus Scrimgeour talking to her brother Percy, it was Percy who had spoken.

"Don't worry, minister," Percy continued in his usual pompous manner, "He will come to see things our way. Very soon the reality will hit him that his dear protector is dead and he'll come crying to us, begging to help us out in exchange for our protection."

"Well let's hope that day is sooner rather than later. The magical community will be greatly shaken up by all this," Scrimgeour said waving his arm, indicating the wake.

"Do you know," he continued, "the boy actually said some gibberish to me about Dumbledore not really having gone."

"It has been my opinion for quite some time, minister, that the boy is indeed deeply disturbed. After everything he has been through one can hardly blame him. I expect he wants to feel important by having us beg for his help. Yes sir, that's what I believe, he just wants to feel like the big man."

At this point Ginny could listen no further, she stepped out from behind the group of ministry officials she had been hiding behind and walked straight over to Percy. She swung her hand back and with all the strength she could, slapped him hard across the face knocking his glasses askew.

She panted heavily waiting for him to look up at her. She did not notice, nor would she have cared, that half the room was now watching her avidly. When Percy finally looked up at her, a mixture of shock and anger on his face she spoke:

"How dare you! Harry is not some puppet you can parade around to make YOU look good! He wouldn't be seen associating with you if his life depended on it, and, you know what," she paused for dramatic effect, "neither would I!" With fire blazing in her eyes, her throat hoarse from shouting she stormed off with out a backward glance at her brother. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her parents watching her; Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes. Ginny felt a twinge of guilt at causing more problems between the family and Percy, but honestly Percy deserved it!

As she walked through the great hall, all eyes were on her and people cleared the way to the doors to let her through. Just as she arrived at the doors though, she caught a whiff of cheap perfume and heard a voice speaking in her ear.

"Hello, I presume you are Ginny Weasley. I've heard marvelous things about you! I was wondering if I could have a word with you about your relationship with Ha…"

But Ginny did not hear what Rita Skeeter said next as she had not paused to listen and had instead continued on into the entrance hall. As she walked, she began to wonder where Harry might be. Knowing him he was most likely brooding she thought to herself with a sigh and silent chuckle.

She paused on the stairs as she suddenly realized that she didn't want to go back to the common room yet. It would be too depressing to be surrounded by all the mourners and far too awkward to see Harry. Still, she was very tired and would need a place to sleep. It was another five minutes before she decided where she would go and headed off to the seventh floor.

Harry had returned to the common room with Ron and Hermione. For a while they had attempted to keep up a light hearted conversation, but as more people arrived in the common room the harder it became to fight of the morose atmosphere. Finally they had all decided to go to bed. Harry had tossed and turned for about half an hour before he realized he wasn't going to get any sleep.

Quietly, he slipped out of bed and dressed pulling on the invisibility cloak as he left. He wandered the halls not really paying attention to where he was going but careful to avoid any teachers, visitors or ghosts. He spent this time going over what he had decided that day and working out the details, how he would get where he was going, what he would need, etc.

Suddenly Harry found himself no longer walking but laying on the cold stone floor. He lay still for a moment to make sure he wasn't injured before sitting up. He looked around the floor and saw what it was had caused him to fall: an empty sherry bottle. That was when he realized where he was. He was sitting just outside the room of requirement.

For a brief moment he felt hollow, he simply sat there unable to move or even think. If he entered would he find the vanishing cabinet that lead him to Borgin and Burkes or would it still not let him enter? Idle curiosity caused Harry to slip out of his state of shock and slowly he stood and raised his hand to the handle.

Harry found himself in a blank room. There was a fire going and a small but comfortable looking armchair and nothing else. The walls and floor were bare. Harry had not known what to expect, the room was supposed to give you what you needed, he hadn't been thinking about anything he needed. The room, it appeared had read his urge to brood. So Harry plunked himself down in the armchair and stared into the fire.

Once again he began to plan his quest for the horcruxes in his mind, but as he stared into the fire he remembered the time Sirius had come to the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room and smiled inwardly. Sirius had been the closest thing he had ever had to a parent and when he died he felt he had lost his only other chance at having family. Then he had befriended Dumbledore and once more he felt like he had a father-figure watching out for him and once again he was deprived. He understood now that he was alone, he had no family but he still felt a ray of hope. He still had his friends; Ron and Hermione and the Weasleys, Neville and Luna and Remus and Tonks… and Ginny. He groaned with frustration as he though of Ginny. He cared for her so much yet circumstances kept them apart. He couldn't let anyone else die because of him, especially not her, not if he could prevent it.

Suddenly a noise jerked him away from his thoughts of Ginny. He heard the door opening and someone entered, only then did Harry become aware that he had been crying. Before he could even move to wipe away the tears he heard the intruder speak.

"Harry…"

It was Ginny.

AN: Ok two mistakes i made are that the books are actually set earlier than current time meaning DD died in 1996 not 2005 but i was worried that that would confuse ppl not as versed in HP ways as I. Also according to a reviewer on they were to go home on the train after the funeral but i choose to ignore that fact and have them go home the next day. Hope you all enjoyed!