A Year Between Friends

"I think Mum thinks that if she can stop the three of you getting together and planning, she'll be able to delay you leaving," Ginny told Harry in an undertone, as they laid the table for dinner on the third night of his stay.

"And then what does she think's going to happen?" Harry muttered. "Someone else might kill off Voldemort while she's holding us here making vol-au-vents?"

He had spoken without thinking, and saw Ginny's face whiten.

"So it's true?" she said. "That's what you're trying to do?"

"I-not-I was joking," Harry said evasively.

Deathly Hallows page 89

Ginny sits on her bed after dinner waiting for Hermione to join her. The brief conversation she had with Harry in the kitchen before dinner still floats in her mind. She plays with a frayed string on her bed spread trying to think of the right way to approach the conversation with Hermione. She looks up when the girl in question strides in to the room.

"What's going on Ginny?" Hermione asks immediately. "You've been awfully quiet all evening." Ginny smiles slightly. That made that easier.

"Harry said something while we were setting the table tonight," she starts. She doesn't elaborate further so Hermione sits next to her on the bed and asks another question.

"What exactly did he say?" There is some panic in her voice worry lacing her features.

"I said something about Mum trying to delay your inevitable departure," Ginny says laughing at the absurdity of it. "Anyway, he mumbled something about someone else killing You-Know-Who while she has you making vol-au-vents."

Hermione sighs and starts messing with her hands.

"I asked if that's really what you were trying to do and he tried to play it off as a joke. We both know that I can tell when he's lying."

"I can't tell you what we're doing exactly and where we're going," Hermione says trying to guess why Ginny brought up this conversation.

"I'm not asking you to. Dumbledore gave you a mission that you can't tell anyone about. I understand that." Ginny sighs and shifts to look at Hermione.

"Then what is it, Gin?" Hermione questions as she takes Ginny's hands in hers.

"I wish you weren't going with them," Ginny says shakily.

"They need me though," Hermione says just as shakily.

"I know. It's been the three of you since first year," Ginny sighs and takes a breath. "I'm scared about going back to school without you. Everything is going to be so different."

"You won't be alone. Luna and Neville will be there."

"I'm not scared of being alone," Ginny says defiantly.

"Then what are you scared of?"

"They're all going to be looking at me to lead them now that you three will be gone."

Hermione feigns shock.

"The great Ginny Weasley is afraid of being a leader," Hermione says overdramatically with a hand on her chest.

"Shut it," Ginny snaps smacking her on the arm but smiling. Hermione puts an arm around Ginny's shoulder and pulls her close.

"We're both going to be right back here when this is all said and done," she says confidently. "We're going to be okay." Ginny knows she's saying this as much for her sake as for her own.

"I know," Ginny states but can't help but have this thought in the back of her head. "But we've known so many great wizards who have been killed. How are we, as teenagers, supposed to survive a war like this?"

"Because thinking anything different is not going to do either one of us any good."

"In the words of one Harry Potter, 'Smart girl, that Hermione,'" Ginny says mimicking Harry's demeanor almost perfectly.

"And don't you ever forget it." They laugh at that before growing quiet again.

"You know, if you had never met Ron and Harry on the train first year, we probably wouldn't be friends right now," Ginny states contemplatively.

"I never thought about that," Hermione says thinking on it now. "You know you're probably right."

"Do you believe in fate?" Ginny questions Hermione after a moment.

"Absolutely," Hermione says with complete confidence. "Fate had to have a hand in me meeting Ron and Harry on the train. Fate had to have a hand in Ron and Harry saving me from the troll."

"Fate had to have a hand in Harry meeting my family on the platform," Ginny adds with a small smile.

"It's hard to imagine my life without Harry, Ron, you, and the rest of the Weasley family."

"And I can't imagine my life without you as my best friend," Ginny says earnestly trying to relay everything she wants to say but won't. She doesn't want it to sound like a goodbye. Hermione looks at her knowingly relaying everything she wants to say in the way she rubs the back of Ginny's hands with her thumbs.

"We should probably get some sleep," Ginny says breaking the moment. "Mum is bound to have tons more for us to do tomorrow. I cannot wait for this wedding to be over." Hermione laughs as she moves to the camp bed set up on the other side of the small room.

"Good night, Gin."

"Good night, Hermione."

HPHPHPHPHP

"That diary sort of died when I stabbed it," Harry, remembering ink pouring like blood from the punctured pages, and the screams of the piece of Voldemort's soul as it vanished.

"And once the diary was properly destroyed, the bit of soul trapped in it could no longer exist. Ginny tried to get rid of the diary before you did, flushing it away, but obviously it came back good as new."

"Hang on," Ron said frowning. "The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn't it? How does that work, then?"

"While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don't mean holding it for too long, it's nothing to do with touching it," she added before Ron could speak. "I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You're in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux."

Deathly Hallow page 105

"He split his soul seven times?" Ginny questions in shock. Harry nods his head. "And then he placed those pieces of his soul into magical objects to protect them from being destroyed."

"Exactly," Harry says. "There are only a couple of ways to destroy them. Basilisk venom is one way." Harry pauses and waits for this information to catch up with Ginny.

"So, the diary," she pauses taking a breath, "that was a Horcrux." Harry nods again. "The part of his soul was able to possess me because I wrote in it."

"You were eleven years old, Gin." Harry says noticing the disgust on Ginny's face. "You weren't to know what was happening."

"But I should have. My dad is always warning us about objects that can speak to you." Ginny swipes tears from her eyes and pushes herself off the grass. She rushes off to the house and Harry can only watch her leave.

"Didn't go well, I see." Harry turns to see Hermione walking up with a knowing smile.

"I hate seeing her upset like that," Harry says hanging his head. "I shouldn't have told her." Hermione places a hand on his shoulder forcing him to look up.

"She needed to know," she says sternly looking him right in the eye. "I'll go make sure she's okay." Harry nods as Hermione makes her way into the house.

…

She finds Ginny lying prone on her bed, arm draped over her eyes. She doesn't say anything as she sits down at the foot of the bed and lets Ginny start the conversation. After a few moments, Ginny sighs and sits up.

"It took me forever to deal with the fact that I was told it was a piece of his memory." Ginny starts rubbing her hands together. "I feel dirty somehow."

Hermione just sits there and lets her talk.

"There was a piece of him inside of me for that whole year, a year that I barely remember."

"It's okay to let yourself be vulnerable again," Hermione says knowingly. "Harry's not like the diary. He's not going to hurt you or use you."

"I know he won't," Ginny mumbles not looking at her. Hermione lifts Ginny's chin with her fingers.

"You let those walls of yours down for me. I know you can with Harry too."

"He thinks he did the wrong thing by telling me, doesn't he?" Hermione smiles in response.

"You should go talk to him."

…

She finds Harry sitting in the kitchen drinking tea and talking to Ron.

"Harry," she says getting his attention. "Can we go for a walk?"

Harry looks to Ron who gives him a nod and waves him on. Harry smiles and joins her at the door. They intertwine their fingers as they make their way to the path to town. After a few moments of silence, Ginny finally speaks.

"You did the right thing in telling me. It was something I needed to know to finally close that chapter of my life completely."

"I hate that it upset you, though," Harry says squeezing her hand. She stops walking and turns to look at him.

"I shouldn't have run off like I did. It's just hard for me to be vulnerable in front of others," she admits quietly.

"But it doesn't bother you to be vulnerable with Hermione," Harry states a little hurt. Ginny sighs.

"She was there for me at a time when you still looked at me like I was just Ron's little sister who had a crush on you." Harry smiles at that. "But I'm willing to learn how to be vulnerable with you."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Harry says pulling her close.

"I know you won't," she whispers back before letting Harry lean in and kiss her. She melts into his embrace and realizes it just might be easier than she thought to let the walls down.

HPHPHPHPHP

"The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom," Lupin went on. "They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close-and then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there.

"At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house in the country. No deaths," he added quickly, forestalling the question, "but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house, but as you know he wasn't there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks's family. Again, trying to find out where you went after you visited them. They're all right-shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay."

Deathly Hallows page 206

"They practically tore the house apart searching for any trace of Harry," Ginny says sitting with Hermione in her bedroom.

"Remus told us," Hermione mentions sadly. "He said that they interrogated you for hours."

"It was pretty intense," Ginny remembers. "I think a couple of the Death Eaters had kids that went to Hogwarts. They knew a little too much about my friendship with you and my brief relationship with Harry at the end of last year."

"They singled you out?" Hermione questions with concern.

"Yeah, a couple of them drug me away from Mum and to a room away from everyone else."

"That had to have been scary," Hermione says remembering her own experience of being singled out.

"They questioned me for about an hour before they got tired of hearing the same answers over again."

"Remus said that Tonks's family was tortured," Hermione says before pausing. "Did they…?" she can't bring herself to finish her question.

"Not that night," Ginny says understanding the unasked question. "But like you know, Hogwarts was a different story." Hermione nods in understanding.

HPHPHPHPHP

However, he did let drop certain snippets. Snape seemed to be facing a constant, low level of mutiny from a hard core of students. Ginny had been banned from going into Hogsmeade. Snape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of three or more students or any unofficial student societies.

From all of these things, Harry deduced that Ginny, and probably Neville and Luna along with her, had been doing their best to continue Dumbledore's Army.

Deathly Hallows page 314

"Phineas Black kept Harry and I rather informed of your shenanigans at Hogwarts last year," Hermione says as they sit by the black lake.

"Who the bloody hell is Phineas Black?" Ginny questions as she tosses a rock in the lake.

"One of the many headmasters of Hogwarts," Hermione says while she scans the Daily Prophet with little interest.

"You stole his portrait from the Black family house," Ginny says nudging Hermione on the arm. "You are a little thief." Hermione just shrugs her shoulders.

"When we heard Snape was headmaster, we thought it would be a good way to keep an eye on things at the school." Hermione folds the paper and turns to look at Ginny waiting for an explanation.

"The Carrow's were spreading such lies about Dumbledore and Harry and muggle borns. Most of the students were beginning to lose hope," Ginny says staring out over the lake as she remembers. "Neville, Luna, and I decided it was time to try and give them some hope. It was nothing major."

"From the way Phineas recounted it, it sounded like it was more of a nuisance than anything," Hermione says chuckling at how unimpressed he had sounded.

"It was mostly painting the walls with messages supporting Dumbledore and Harry," Ginny says laughing at some of the things they wrote.

"Phineas thought you were rather foolish trying to steal the sword," Hermione says giving Ginny a stern look. "Whose idea was that anyway?"

"It was Neville's really. I told him how Dumbledore had left it to Harry in his will. He wanted to take action."

"Neville really stepped up in our absence, didn't he?" Hermione asks with pride in her voice.

"Absolutely," she replies quickly. "If only we had known it was a fake, then we could have saved us a load of trouble."

"Phineas said you were sent to help Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. That doesn't sound like a load of trouble," Hermione says with confusion in her voice.

"We were," Ginny recalls with a smile. "But the stunt immediately put us on the Carrow's list. They seemed to target the three of us the most the rest of the year. Not that we minded in the least. It meant they weren't going after the younger students."

"And I thought we had it rough," Hermione muses as she takes her paper back out.

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"They took my Luna," he whispered. "Because of what I've been writing. They took my Luna and I don't know where she is, what they've done to her. But they might give her back to me if I-if I-"

"Hand over Harry?" Hermione finished for him.

Deathly Hallows page 419

"I see Luna and her father have built a new house," Hermione comments as her and Ginny walk through the hills around the Burrow.

"Luna says her father feels terrible for what he was willing to do to get her back," Ginny replies stopping to look at the house.

"It must have been terrible not knowing what had happened to her," Hermione says trying to get Ginny to talk about it.

"It was absolutely terrible not knowing," Ginny says turning to look at Hermione. "It was terrible knowing that there was nothing that I could have done to keep them from taking her."

"What happened on the train?" Hermione questions quietly. "No one ever talks about it."

"We were sitting together; Neville, Luna, and I. We were talking about something trivial. The train lurched to a stop suddenly." Ginny pauses and looks back at the house. "Neville and I both instinctively placed ourselves in front of her. We knew they were coming for her."

"How could you have known that?"

"Her father was supporting Harry in The Quibbler. We knew it was only a matter of time before they did something drastic to stop him." Hermione nods her head but doesn't comment further. "They found us pretty quickly. Luna had a death grip on my arm but she pushed me aside anyway. I tried to stop her but she shook her head. She didn't want us to get hurt trying to protect her."

"That sounds like Luna," Hermione says with a fond smile.

"They apparated off the train and then it started moving again. Neville and I sat in shocked silence the rest of the way to King's Cross."

"You know, she might believe in things that don't exist, but you have to admit that Luna is one brave girl." They both smile and continue their walk back to the Burrow in silence.

HPHPHPHPHP

They were all sitting in the living room when he entered the little hall, their attention focused on Bill, who was talking. The room was light-colored, pretty, with a small fire of driftwood burning brightly in the fireplace. Harry did not want to drop mud upon the carpet, so he stood in the doorway, listening.

"…lucky that Ginny's on holiday. If she'd been at Hogwarts, they could have taken her before we reached her. Now we know she's safe too."

He looked around and saw Harry standing there.

"I've been getting them to Muriel's. The Death Eaters know Ron's with you now, they're bound to target the family-don't apologize," he added at the sight of Harry's expression. "It was always a matter of time, Dad's been saying so for months. We're the biggest blood traitor family there is."

Deathly Hallows pages 481-482

"This Easter break is so much better than the last one," Hermione muses as she and Ginny watch Ron and Harry play one-on-one Quidditch.

"Almost anything compared to last year is better," Ginny says before laughing as Ron lets the quaffle fly through his hands.

"At least you were home for break," Hermione notes. "Who knows what would have happened if you were still at school."

"I almost didn't come home," Ginny admits. "With Luna gone, Neville needed all the help he could get keeping the younger students safe."

"Why did you?" Hermione turns to look at Ginny.

"McGonagall came to see me the day before the train was to leave." Ginny looks down at her hands before continuing, "She said it was in my best interest to return home. She said there was talk about a raid on Ottery St. Catchpole. She wanted to make sure I was with my family in case we needed to go into hiding."

"I wonder where she heard talk like that," Hermione muses aloud.

"I suspect Professor Snape had something to do with it," Ginny answers.

"I regret every terrible thing I ever said about that man," Hermione admits quietly.

"I feel the exact same way.

HPHPHPHPHP

"You're right," said Harry, "but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything."

"It's been…well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore," said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. "Do you know about the Carrows?"

"Those two Death Eaters who teach here?"

"They do more than teach," said Neville. "They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows."

"Like Umbridge?"

"Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do.

"Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions-"

"What?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's united voices echoed up and down the passage.

Deathly Hallows page 573

"Hey, Gin," Hermione calls softly through the darkness not wanting to wake her if she was already asleep.

The bed shifts as Ginny turns to look at Hermione on the camp bed.

"Yeah, 'Mione," Ginny mumbles as she rubs sleep from her eyes.

"While you were at school last year," Hermione hesitates, "did you ever get detention?"

Ginny sits up to rest her weight on her elbow. Hermione mirrors her.

"What brought this up?"

"Neville told us how the Carrows loved to punish the students in detention," Hermione recalls shuddering. "Did you ever experience that?'

Ginny sighs as she contemplates her answer.

"I wish I could say no. I wish I could tell you that nothing bad happened. But…"

"That would be lying," Hermione finishes for her. Ginny nods her head.

"You were dreaming about it, weren't you?" Ginny questions although she knows the answer.

"It helps that your Mum did away with that…" Hermione stops herself from saying the word.

"Bitch," Ginny finishes. "The word you were looking for is bitch."

"Right, that word." Hermione chuckles lightly. "Ron doesn't understand what it's like. He thinks he does but…"

"Until you've felt it yourself, there's no way you possibly could."

"Since when did we get so good at finishing each other's sentences?" Hermione quarries.

"What, you thought it was just something you shared with Harry?" Hermione can't help but to laugh at Ginny's condescending tone.

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione says after she catches a breath.

"No problem," Ginny says. "Don't be afraid to wake me up if you need to talk." Hermione smiles as they both settle back into their beds.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry swung the Cloak back over himself and walked on. Someone else was moving not far away, stooping over another prone figure on the ground. He was feet away from her when he realized it was Ginny.

He stopped in his tracks. She was crouching over a girl who was whispering for her mother.

"It's all right," Ginny was saying. "It's okay. We're going to get you inside."

"But I want to go home," whispered the girl. "I don't want to fight anymore!"

"I know," said Ginny, and her voice broke. "It's going to be all right."

Ripples of cold undulated over Harry's skin. He wanted to shout out to the night, he wanted Ginny to know that he was there, he wanted her to know where he was going. He wanted to be stopped, to be dragged back, to be sent back home…

But he was home. Hogwarts was the first and best home he had known. He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here…

Ginny was kneeling beside the injured girl now, holding her hand. With a huge effort Harry forced himself on. He thought he saw Ginny look around as he passed, and wondered whether she had sensed someone walking nearby, but he did not speak, and he did not look back.

Deathly Hallows 696-697

"He walked right past me that night on his way to the forest," Ginny says out of the blue one night as they are preparing for bed.

"Who did?" Hermione questions, her mind thinking of other things.

"Harry," Ginny says, "after he finished telling Neville about the snake."

"You said that night that you thought he had," Hermione says finally tuning in to the conversation.

"He saw me trying to comfort that girl who only wanted to go home. He told me he wanted me to drag him away and send him home." Ginny sighs and puts down her brush. "He said it took every bit of courage he had to walk away and not look back."

"Would you have tried to stop him if you knew what he was going to do?" Hermione questions thoughtfully. Ginny turns to look at her.

"I don't think I would have," Ginny admits quietly. Hermione looks at her in shock.

"You would have let him, the boy you love, walk off to his death not knowing that he would come back?" Ginny sighs and nods her head.

"If I had known the reason why he had to do it, I would have let him." Hermione cocks her head and stares at Ginny, seeing her in a new light.

"You, Ginny Weasley, are mature beyond your almost seventeen years," Hermione says getting up and pulling Ginny in to a tight embrace.

HPHPHPHPHP

"Harry Potter," he said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. "The Boy Who Lived"

None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his-

Deathly Hallows page 704

"So he said it how exactly?" Hermione questions in glee at this new revelation in her friend's life.

"Well," Ginny begins suddenly shy, "we went for a walk down by the pond. That's when he stopped and looked at me." Ginny smiles giddily as she remembers.

"Come on, Gin. Out with it," Hermione prods.

"He said, 'you know the last thing I thought of before I thought I was going to die, was you.' He said it was the blazing look in my eye and the feel of my lips on his," Ginny trails off as she sighs happily.

"And that's when he said it." Ginny nods.

"He took both of my hands in his and looked me right in the eyes. He said, 'it was the thought of being with you that kept me going. It was the thought of you at the end that gave me strength, and it's the thought of being with you for the rest of my life that gives me hope.'"

"Who would have thought that Harry Potter had a way with words," Hermione comments laughing.

"Shut it, you. How exactly did Ron phrase it?" Ginny prods and Hermione clams up immediately.

"You've made your point," Hermione says and they both burst out in giddy laughter.

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Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all blasting their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Harry's attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch-

He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with the swipe of her wand she began to duel. Harry watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twirled, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"

… "What will happen to your children when I've killed you?"… "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"

"You-will-never-touch-our-children-again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley.

…Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.

Deathly Hallows pages 735-736

"Your Mum is wicked scary when she's angry," Hermione says as she and Ginny duck into Ginny's room trying to drown out the noise of Mrs. Weasley yelling at Ron and George about a prank they had pulled on Harry.

"I think Bellatrix Lestrange would agree with you on that one," Ginny says as she slams the door closed.

"She had it coming for a long time. After what happened with Neville's parents, Sirius, you, and me. It was long overdue." Ginny nods her head in agreement.

"I think she's finally finished," Ginny mentions as the house becomes quiet again.

"Do you think your Mum would have reacted the same if it had been Luna or I that was almost killed?" Hermione questions contemplatively.

"Absolutely," Ginny answers without hesitation.

"You think?" Hermione questions unsure if she really believes it herself.

"Mum thinks of you and Luna as part of our family," Ginny says shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, neither your parents nor Luna's dad were there to defend you."

A knock on the door makes them jump as Mrs. Weasley enters.

"Dinner's ready girls," she says smiling at them.

"What exactly did Ron and George do to my boyfriend?" Ginny questions.

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley says waving her hand, "just tied him to a chair and interrogated him about his intentions towards you." Ginny's face reddens as she reaches for her wand.

"When I get through with the two of them…" she starts but Hermione puts a hand on her arm.

"I think your Mum set them straight enough for the both of you." Mrs. Weasley smiles and Hermione wraps her in a bone crushing hug.

"What was that for, dearie?" Mrs. Weasley questions.

Hermione just shrugs her shoulders and heads down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley turns a questioning eye to Ginny. Ginny just shrugs her shoulders and rushes after Hermione.