“The tree of liberty must be refreshed, from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is natural manure.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“What do you think of this wand?” Ollivander asks Ginny. Ollivander, Ginny, Hannah, and Jane were meeting in Ginny’s cell to accomplish the final task before they put the little prison revolt into operation; “Willow, unicorn hair, three inches long.” Ginny took it in her hands and swished it around seeing the sparks issue forth and a feeling of power flow into her. In the past week, Ollivander had rearmed the fifty or so rebels she had secretly recruited. Now, with this moment, they were at last ready to fight to take over the installation and free themselves. The plan was as soon as the sun crept below the horizon, Ginny and Hannah were to blow down the door to their cell, leaving Jane behind until the battle was over. Then, they were to move through the keep and make contact with the other prisoners. They would form into two groups and neutralize the guards, subdue Bellatrix Lestrange, and Blaise Zabini, and send someone to alert Harry and the D.A. to pick them up. That was the plan, but Major Thomas had pointed out that “no plan of action survives first contact with enemy forces.” Another useful adage was one called, “Murphy’s Law” which stated that, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.” These together were a pretty clear indication to Ginny that she was heading for an unexpected surprise. Hannah looked out to the window and saw the sun go down and the night descend on the castle.
“Ginny,” Hannah said. “It’s time.”
“Very well,” Ginny replied severely, “Let’s go.” She turned to Jane and said, “Now, you stay here.”
“To which Jane responded, “I’m an old lady, Ginny and I couldn’t use a wand if I had once, so, guess what, I’m staying here.”
“Good,” Hannah said, reflecting their protectiveness of the old Muggle woman.
“On my signal,” Ginny said. “Five…four…three…two…,”but at two they just stopped for someone was opening the door from the other side. Reacting quickly, they stopped, waited, and when the door opened they opened fire, putting two Reductor curse burns in the guard’s chest and torso. They grabbed the guard’s keys and went off down one hall; meeting up with people they had recruited who were coming out of their cells. This is really easy, Ginny thought to herself, confused. Too easy. There should be more guards, but apart from the one her and Hannah had killed, they had encountered no one but the men and women who were her co-conspirators. What is going on here? Ginny thought. Finally, they approached the double doors that led out into the courtyard, quietly Ginny peaked threw a small hole in the doors to see a sight that froze Ginny’s soul.
Out in the courtyard, under the light of the moon, there were hundreds, literally hundreds of Death Eaters bowing before a thin lithe man with red slits for eyes: Lord Voldemort, Ginny turned around and looked at Hannah, who asked, “What is Ginny?”
All Ginny said, her voice trembling, was, “You-Know-Who.” Fear and terror rippled through the crowd behind her.
“All right,” Ginny said, barely controlling her fear. “Move back slowly and quietly as quickly back to your cells. Unfortunately, a huge green snake slithered in through the hole and looked around. Ginny recognized her immediately for what she was, the snake that had nearly killed her father, Nagini. Nagini, like all snakes, had long ago developed the ability to simultaneously smell and taste with their tongues, to compensate for their nonexistent hearing and crappy eyesight. Nagini might not have seen them, but she sure as hell tasted and smelled them. This is why when Nagini left, Ginny said, “Run back into the dungeons! We’ll make our stand there!” As they ran, they heard the doors burst open and knew the Death Eaters were on them…
Today’s the day, Harry thought. Today’s the day I rectify this mistake I’ve made. Today’s the day I get Ginny back to the people she loves, weather or not that includes me. They were in the briefing room in the Weasley attic going over two things: One the impending mission, which Julie had nicknamed Operation: Patriot’s Dawn and two, the fact that the base in Scotland was completed. The base was to be built to accommodate potential expansion and could easily accommodate potential expansion, so over three hundred men and women wasn’t an issue. As a matter of fact, they had begun to transfer all their supplies to the new base, and, once the rescue was done, they’d be heading back to that base.
Now as for the battle itself, that was the tricky part. The Death Eaters had probably cast charms to prevent Portkeys and Apparation, and to keep flying objects like brooms and Phoenixes out of the castle. The only way to disable them was to destroy or at least blow out sections of the walls they were cast on. To that end, they had developed more fuel bombs, but unfortunately they had to be set from inside the facility. Which required them getting past the magically protected gates.
“I have an idea about that,” Hermione said, getting up from the table, “Follow me please.”
Curious, they all got up and followed Hermione to the detention block as she radioed for Hermione to be brought to the interrogation room.
“Why should I help you?” Draco said weakly, as he slumped in his chair. All the arrogance, all the smugness, had been snapped out of him by repeated Veritaserum interrogations and the stress of Marseilles. “I’ve put my parents at risk by them thinking I was AWOL, they’d probably kill them if I helped you.”
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, they had expected this reaction, and Harry nodded, giving her the assent for this offer. Turning back to her prisoner, Hermione said, “We are prepared to convince the Ministry to offer you complete amnesty for past activities.”
“And my parents?” Draco asked.
“We’ll offer them the same if and when we capture them,” Hermione said.
For a few moments, Draco thought, staring away from the gathered senior staff. He turned around and said, “What is it you want me to do?”
“We want you,” Harry said. “To talk your way past the gate guards so they can trigger it to open so a small strike team can rush in to attack.”
Draco sighed, and said, “I’ll do it.”
Ten minutes later, the entirety of the D.A. fleet is loaded with troops, the field hospital, the bombs, and Draco Malfoy and got underway on a direct course for the internment camp. The plan was to have Harry’s transport, the one carrying Draco Malfoy land and the troops on board dismount and wait behind a small hill while Draco walks up and tries to talk his way past the guards. They had no defense of course, if Draco decided to turn tail and betray the attack force, short of retreating, of course, but that would only abandon Ginny to her death. Once Draco had gotten the gates open, Harry himself would lead his unit in and blow the walls. Then D.A. phoenixes would land, deploy, and launch the assault. If all went well, Harry thought. He had that in mind when Lieutenant Sam Wilcox, sister of one of Hermione’s officers and co-pilot of Seamus Finnegan, informed that they were almost within visual range of the castle.
“Have the other ships go into hover,” Harry said. “Let’s land at the bottom of the hill.”
“Yes, Sir,” Seamus said. They moved to land and Harry caught his first glimpse of the castle. He gasped, it was huge, with a massive keep, huge stone wall and, from their low-height swarms of Death Eaters appeared to be running around reacting to something, but it wasn’t them as they were still cloaked. The transport landed at the base of the hill and Harry walked into the passenger cabin. Parvati and the eleven soldiers in the passenger compartment tried to stand up but Harry said, “As you were,” and they sat back down. Harry walked up to Draco Malfoy, back in his Death Eater robes and handcuffs.”
“Now remember, Draco,” Harry said, as he took off his handcuffs. “Get the gates open and we’ll do the rest.”
“I’ll do it Potter,” Draco said, apparently managing to regrow some backbone.
“Just get out,” Harry said glaring at him.
“Okay,” Draco said, losing that backbone already. Draco walked out and up the hill and Harry ordered the still cloaked ship to rise up the hill and get in position to rush the gates as soon as they were open.
From the Phoenix, Harry watched as he walked up and called to the guards. It was a few tense moments as Harry watched Draco talk to them. Then one disappeared below and the gates began to open. They watched as the gates opened until they touched the wall.
“Now!” Harry shouted. They turned around, presenting the passenger compartment to the gate, and Harry, Parvati, Terry and Kevin, and the rest of the unit rushed the gate. Montgomery’s defenders, however, wasted no time defending the place. They opened fire immediately, showering them with green Killing Curses. Kevin and two others were hit, going down immediately, their shields blacked out as the curse burned through, but the cloaks dissipated just enough of the energy that they lived for a few minutes until they died of total synaptic collapse.
Harry noticed all this, but didn’t stop to go to them, he just ordered two squads from the Phoenixes who had landed when it became obvious to all they needed support, to suppress the fire coming from the walls. While the rest continued to fire at the Death Eaters between the outer and inner walls. They got in right as the outer gate closed.
“Parvati!” Harry yelled, over the sound of the battle. “Coordinate the suppression fire on the wall!”
“Yes, Sir!” Parvati yelled. “Chandler, Martin, keep your squads hot and spiting!” The sergeants, a man and a woman, respectively kept firing on the walls as Harry ordered to squads to help set the bombs. Harry and the rest kept firing on the Death Eaters coming in; killing some but the rest were blocking the Reductor curse fire.
“Captain, the bombs are set!” Someone called.
“Move to the guardhouses!” The inner wall had a series of fortified guardhouses in the inner wall. The plan was to hide in them when they triggered the bombs, included the one under the inner gatehouse. They rushed towards them, each squad entering it’s own gatehouse. Harry killed three Death Eaters inside the one Harry and his officers entered.
The guardhouse was a fairly Spartan room with a desk, a window, and the bodies of the three Death Eaters tossed about. Harry turned to Parvati and said, “Parvati?”
“Captain?”
“Is everyone inside the guardhouses?”
“Hang on,” Parvati got on the mirror, and in a moment she said, “Yes, everyone who wasn’t killed in combat is present and accounted for, Sir.”
“Very well,” Harry said. “Blow it.”
Parvati took out a small, black, remote device with a large red button on it. Holding it and pointing it at the wall, she said, “Fire in the hole!” then pressed the button. Harry and everyone else grabbed their ears to save their eardrums. The explosion was deafening, blocking out any and all other noise. There was a flash of orange through the window that Harry saw even through closed eyes. Harry opened the door cautiously to see all the other doors opening in the guardhouses. There were four huge chunks missing in the wall, and the outer and inner gates were gone.
“Sir,” Parvati said. “Everyone’s alive.”
“Contact the other ships,” Harry said. “Tell them-.” then he was interrupted by two green blasts from the direction of the keep. They slammed into two troops, both women, their shield cloaks turning black as they writhed in agony on the ground, dying a moment later. The other troops quickly got suppression fire on the windows of the keep. Harry just stared at the two dead soldiers in front of him, cleared his head and said. “Tell them the doors have been blown off!”
“Yes, Sir,” Parvati said. A few moments later every Phoenix began to land and deploy their troops. They moved in, swept the courtyard, then blew down the doors to the keep. Once inside they split up, Ron and the others were searching the keep and Harry and his units heading downstairs towards the dungeon.
In the dungeon, Harry looked inside the cells. Many of them contained as many as three, four, even five prisoners, all huddled and fearful. They then reached a cell with its doors blown off, and no one was inside, and the body of a Death Eater with Reductor burns in her chest.
Ginny, Harry thought with a dark appreciation, not even bothering to think of where she got the wand. Minutes later, they entered a corridor where a battle had been fought There were dead Death Eaters and prisoners everywhere. Harry looked, overcome with fear, not one of them was Ginny.
“Captain,” Terry said. “Look at this.”
“What is it?” Harry said. Then he looked at what Terry found. It was a green snake, completely severed in half. There was only one snake it could be, Nagini.
“One down,” Harry said. That’s one Horcrux down.
“One what?” Terry asked curiously.
“Nothing, Lieutenant,” Harry said quickly, and they left it at that. Then Harry heard a voice from a side corridor that could only come from one man. A thin, rasping voice that haunted his nightmares.
“Hello, Harry,” a thin, raspy voice said. And a man with gray mottled skin, and red eyes, appeared in the corridor. Harry’s eyes widened with fear, terror, and enduring hatred.
“Get out of here!” Harry yelled to his troops. “That’s an order.” His men needed no further encouragement they were already running down the corridor. He turned to face his nemesis; but only saw a black cloak whip around the corner. Harry chased after him, running down blood-soaked corridors before seeing a room lit dimly with torches.
“In that room, backlit by lanterns, Harry’s heart stopped for a second, for on the ground two girls lay unconscious, Hannah Abbott and the love of Harry’s live, Ginevra Molly Weasley.
All thought of Voldemort driven out of his mind, Harry said, “Ginny,” and rushed over to her side. Her skin was pale, and her head lulled to one side. But she had a definite pulse, weak and thready though it was, and she was breathing, and so was Hannah, so they were both alive. For a moment there, he refused to believe his eyes. But the warmth of Ginny’s hand convinced him she was there. Then the lights suddenly went out and all the light came through a window.
“You,” Harry said darkly, “drawing his wand. Voldemort however was faster, effortlessly binding him to the floor with bands of metal that cut into his skin.
“I am going to kill you, Harry,” Voldemort said. “But first I will explain what got you to this end. You see, I knew the very night Dumbledore died that you and Ginny were lovers.”
Harry’s head dropped to the cold stone floor. He knew it had to be so.
“I had this castle converted into a camp, Harry.” Voldemort said. “Then I sent Draco on to Marseilles knowing he’d be captured. After I planted the data on the camp for Krum to find.”
“You planned this along, didn’t you?” Harry said, his eyes widening. “You knew eventually we’d discover this place. You did it all to get me here so you can kill me.”
“Yes,” Voldemort said. “And now I will.” Raising his wand, he said, “Avada-.” but then a jet of white light hit a patch of ceiling above Voldemort’s head. The Reductor curse smashed threw the stone and brought half a tone of stone and mortar down on the Dark Lord’s head. Voldemort Dissapparated with a pop before they crashed into the ground where he had been. The bands keeping Harry strapped to the floor came undone and Harry got up to see his beloved Ginny with a brand-new wand, staring at him smiling.
“Harry,” Ginny said, weakly. “Now I saved your life.”
“Yes, you did,” Harry said. He got up and helped her stand. They walked over to Hannah and Ginny used her wand to revive her. Hannah looked up at Ginny and smiled weakly, as Harry helped her up and said. “Do you know what happened to Jane?” Harry was about to ask who Jane was when she looked over to a corner and her face fell.
”Oh, no,” was all she said. For in the corner there was the body of an old Muggle woman. Harry, shocked by the needless death and destruction, felt for a pulse, there was none. Looking up she saw both Hannah and Ginny’s faces fall, and Harry, a sense of dread filling him said, “This is Hermione’s grandmother, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Ginny said, mournfully.
“Damn,” Harry said anger and hate magnifying tenfold for Voldemort. Drawing his comm.-mirror Harry said, “I’ll break the news to her.”
“No,” Ginny said forcefully, grabbing Harry’s hand. “I’ll tell her in person.” Harry was tempted to argue, but seeing the fire in Ginny’s eyes, he backed down.
“Fine,” Harry said, putting the comm.-mirror away. “Can you walk?”
“Yes,” they both said in unison.
“Good,” Harry said. “Then let’s get out of here.” As they left the room, Hannah walked behind them to give them time to talk.
“You have to know something,” Ginny said.
“What?” Harry asked.
“I love you,” Ginny said matter-of-factly.
Harry legs suddenly disappeared and he felt light-headed as he walked, his head swimming with happiness, but then he remembered Ginny’s words, and was about to mention them when Ginny said, “About the funeral, you must understand, I thought this was a simple girlhood crush that had finally ended. I thought that I would really fall in love one day and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You did,” Harry said sadly.
“I know,” Ginny responded. “it was a mistake, and it was Hermione’s grandma who convinced me otherwise.” Her voice breaking she said, “I told her to stay in that cell, and Voldemort must have found her there.”
“It’s all right,” Harry said, holding her and kissing her forehead. “It’s okay.”
“How’s the D.A.?” Ginny asked.
“Well,” Harry said, wondering how to start this conversation. “There have been… changes.”
“What kind of changes?” Ginny asked. Then they walked into the courtyard. Hannah stopped and looked shocked. Ginny stopped and said, “What the hell?!” ands started staring at the dropships and the hundreds of soldiers.
“Changes.” Ginny said dryly.
“Captain, Commander!” Parvati said, rushing over. “You’re both all right.”
“Commander?” Ginny asked, surprised.
“I’ll explain later,” Harry said.
“Ginny!” A voice said from behind them that could only be Ron. Sure enough, Ron himself rushed over and hugged his sister, crushing her in his arms. A few moments later they were joined by Hermione, Neville, and Luna ran over. Harry decided not to spring the news of the deaths of Hermione’s just yet, not until he got more data.
“Report,” Harry said. “Everyone else ignored him and kept on talking at Ginny.”
“Report!” Harry said. Finally they stopped and stood at rest, Ginny too.
“Ninety enemy dead,” Ron said. “We captured thirty but the rest bugged out.”
“Our dead?” Harry said.
“Thirty dead, like number wounded.” Ron said. “Our field hospital can’t handle them right now so the more seriously wounded are being taken to St. Mungo’s by mediwizards as we speak.
“Hermione,” Ginny began, and she told her about her grandmother. Hermione, shocked and teared up. said, “Show me.”
“Yes, Sir,” Ginny said. “Hannah! Show Hermione where her grandmother is please!” Turning to Hermione, Ginny said, “I’m sorry, Hermione, but I can’t go in there and see her again.”
Putting her hand on Ginny’s chest, she said. “I know, I understand.” and she left.
“Where our guys?” Ginny asked.
“They’re being laid out in front of the castle,” Ron said.
“I want to see them,” Ginny said angrily.
“Me too,” Harry said, seconding her.
Ron sighed and said, “Follow me, then,” They followed him ntil they found the dead organized in six rows of five in the area where the outer wall used to be. Then Harry noticed Dr. Thomas, her white coat stained with blood, clutching a bloodied body to her and crying.
“Oh, my God,” Harry heard Ginny say, and they both ran over. There was no doubt about it, the young black man Thomas was clutching to her was Dean Thomas.
“He asked me,” Sally said through her tears. “To tell you that he was sorry for punching you, and blaming you for ‘stealing’ Ginny and that he knew she loved you from the start.”
“That’s…” Harry said, tears coming fast. He had never wished for any of them to die. “That’s good.”
“He punched you?” Ginny said, tears coming up fast in her eyes.
“I’ll,” began but Ginny cut him off.
“Explain later,” Ginny and Harry said together.
“Ginny!” he heard Colin call and he rushed up to his friend, clutching the dog tags of everyone in his unit who had died, seven in all.
“Colin!” Ginny said, hugging her old friend.
“I kept your unit warm for you, Sir,” Colin said.
Just a minute,” Ginny said angrily. She marched over to Harry and said, “Start explaining Harry.” So he did. A few minutes later, she said, much calmer, “I’m sorry, Harry, I’m just a little overwhelmed that’s all.”
“I know,” Harry said, kissing her. “I’ll explain after Dr. Thomas checks you out and your parents see you.” Ginny said, tears starting to flow from her eyes.
“They must miss me a lot, huh,” Ginny said.
“You have no idea,” Harry said. Then turning to Dr. Thomas, who still clutched her son he said. “Doctor, the check-up.”
“Oh, right,” she said, still crying. “Sorry. Well, I can get you checked up now. And she took Ginny off. Twenty minutes later they later came back.
“Well, Doc?” Harry asked.
“Aside from some exhaustion, and stress-related injuries, she’s fine. Nothing a good meal and a vacation can’t cure.”
“I think I need one,” Ginny said.
“Let’s get you home,” Harry said, sending for a Phoenix to be prepped for launch.
“Home?!” Ginny said happily.
“Actually too our new base, fifty miles to the south of here,” Harry said. “You’re parents will be waiting for us there.”
“And we’re going to ride on of those transports?” Ginny asked.
“In a Phoenix, yes,” Harry responded. “There’s our ride now.” He said as a Phoenix touched down near there position. He watched her expression go from sadness to curiosity in an instant at the site of the ungainly, yet somehow beautiful Phoenix. “Let’s get out of here.”
They boarded the Phoenix, which lifted off and set a course for the south.
One day later, Ginny stood looking over a railing overlooking a vast warehouse, thinking over the past few hours’ events. In short, Harry had complied with an ICW resolution and the D.A. essentially became it’s military arm, which meant he took his orders from Hamburg now. It also prescribed that the ICW flag flew at this base above the D.A. flag. The ICW flag was a Robinson Projection map of the world with two crossed wands over it on a blue background. Under it was a golden olive branch like on the Muggle UN flag. All in all it was a good flag, though it lacked the distinctiveness of the D.A. flat. Ginny returned. to the present and stared at the flag draped coffins. The One draped in the Union Jack belonged to Dean Thomas, the only British member to die in the assault. The second one, draped in the Stars and Stripes, belonged to Kevin Parker, Julie’s boyfriend. Ginny noticed Julie on the other side of the room, in her dress uniform like Ginny. After them, one was draped in the Canadian flag, one was draped in the French Tricolor flag, and two others were draped in the Australian and New Zealander flags respectively. Ginny herself would command the honor guard for Dean’s funeral ceremony, and Julie would command the one for Kevin’s. Behind her she heard someone walk up, she turned to see a young enlisted woman in white dress uniform walk up.
“Yes, Sergeant?” Ginny asked.
“We’re ready when you are, Sir,” she said in a flat American Californian accent.
“Let’s get it over with,” Ginny said, and followed her downstairs.
She walked outside and to the front of the warehouse where she and the sergeant joined a group that with them included eight honorary pallbearers, six actual pallbearers, and the Anglican vicar they had gotten to officiate at the ceremony.
“Let’s go,” Ginny said. Once inside, the honorary pallbearers lined up in order of rank, Ginny and four others on one side of the casket, and Seamus and four others on the other side. The active pallbearers held Dean’s flag-pall at waist-height above the coffin and folded it into a triangle, then handed it to Ginny. They then unfolded the flag of the ICW and draped it over Dean’s coffin. They got on either side of the casket and picked it up.
“Present arms!” Ginny ordered and the honorary pallbearers, Ginny included, saluted. Once the coffin had passed between them, she shouted, “Order arms!” and they dropped the salute and followed the casket. Outside the caisson had arrived and was being pulled, unlike in Muggle ceremonies, by Thestrals, not horses. The body bearers secured it to the caisson and they formed two lines of rank around it. With Ginny at the head of one column, and Seamus at the other; they and everyone else marched down to the chapel.
Ginny noticed that, like in rehearsals, the color guard consisted of three people. One carried D.A. flag on a medium flag pole, the other carried the flag of the United Kingdom on a bigger flagpole, and the ICW flag was carried on an even bigger flagpole then that. They noticed that Dean’s father, mother, and both sets of grandparents had been seated on the right-hand side. He also noticed that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna had arrived. Being in the chapel, they didn’t salute when the casket was moved in and ser down. Than the vicar stepped up to the podium once everyone was seated, and led them in a prayer from the mists of time.
“Our Father, thou art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us
And bring us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever,
Amen.”
Than the usual stuff; he told us the story of his life, and so on and so forth. Then Seamus walked up to the vestibule and gave a stirring speech and sat back down. When it was over it was time to, once again, render honors to the dead. Ginny and the honor guard, lined up on front and saluted when the body was moved past them. Once that was done, the coffin was secured to the caisson and everyone took their positions and followed it to the ceremony. On the way however, they would pass through an area unique to the D.A. For extending from the entrance to the chapel to the entrance of the cemetery were two rows of flags. On the left hand side a tall flagpole with the flag of the ICW flew at half-mast, along with the flags of every other country on Earth. On the right-hand side, on lower flagpoles, flew the flags of every one of Britain’s overseas territories and crown dependencies, the remnants of the powerful British Empire that once dominated one-quarter of the surface of the Earth. They arrived at the cemetery to see a freshly dug grave with a headstone marked Lieutenant Dean Thomas. The active pallbearers put the casket over the coffin and the family and the senior staff moved to positions opposite the excavated earth mound with the color guard next to the firing party, eight men and women in white suits with painted rifles, a nod to Muggle tradition. Ginny and the honor guard lined up in one row of eight at the head of the coffin. The active pallbearers held held the ICW flag at waist-length and the vicar read the graveside committal service, and then the final phase of the ceremony began.
“Present arms!” Ginny shouted, and every soldier there flew into the salute. The firing party raised there weapons and fired three times, 1…2…3. Then the casket was lowered into the grave and then the bugler, a young French woman played “Taps”. It was all done except for one thing.
“Order arms!” She shouted and they dropped the salute.
“Shoulder arms!” And they turned to the side.
The pallbearers folded the ICW flag and handed it to Ginny, who took the flag and placed it atop the British flag and handed it off to Dr. Thomas, who accepted them with thanks.
(Border)
At the end of the day, after all five had been buried, Harry walked up to Ginny at Dean’s grave. “Hey, I’ve got something to tell you.”
“What?” Ginny asked curiously.
“The ICW has convinced the Muggle governments of America and Britain to supply military trainers to continue Major Thomas’s work, as he’s heading home.”
“That’s good,” Ginny said sadly, clearly still thinking about Dean.
“Hey,” Harry said. “Dean made a great sacrifice to ensure our people’s survival. He doesn’t want to see you sad.”
“I know,” Ginny said. “It’s hard not to.” Then she impulsively hugged Harry, who held her in a tight embrace that reflected all the love they had for each other in their hearts.
“One more thing,” Harry said. “I promised Dumbledore I’d go home until my birthday. I would be honored if you’d join me.”
“When do we leave?” Ginny asked.
“In six days after the last of the funerals,” Harry responded.
Ginny hugged him, and whispered in his ear. “I’d like that.”
Fin
A/N: So what do you think of me killing off Dean? Didn’t expect that did ya. Well, this story’s over but watch for the sequel, It’s Hour Come Round at Last.
