Hermione and Ron were in the living room. Ron was fiddling with his deluminator and Hermione had a book in her lap. The sky was cloudy and the fire from the hearth was putting a warm glow on everything in the room. 

"Ron," Hermione looked up at her boyfriend who had a sour expression. "I know you don't like it but I've already made up my mind. I'm going back. I have to complete my education, and there is nothing that you can do to stop me. I'm sorry but that's final."

"But, Hermione, if you go back, between your school and my auror training, when will I see you?" Ron asked pulling balls of light from the lamps.

"I'm going to miss you, and it's going to drive me mad. Not seeing you every day is going to be torture. But not going and getting my NEWTs it just as an insane prospect to me. I need this. I also need you to understand that." Hermione closed her book and looked at him softly. "I'm sorry but we're just going to have to settle with letters until the holidays. But there are still three weeks until I go back to Hogwarts. Please, let's spend them together, it won't be any fun if you spend the whole time moping."

At this Ron got up from the chair from which he was sitting and wrapped Hermione into a tight embrace. Hugging and kissing her was Ron's way of telling her how much he loved her.

They were interrupted by the slamming of the kitchen door. Hermione and Ron broke apart and looked out the window startled. They just barely saw Harry before he apparated. As soon as the faint pop sounded, they could hear Ginny sobbing from her room.

"I should go see what's wrong," Hermione muttered.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "I'm going to go find Harry. If that bloody git is the reason my sister is crying, so help me I will break his arm."

"Ron calm down." Hermione gasped looking at him surprised. 

"Ginny almost died when we were twelve because none of us were paying attention to her. I can't fail as a big brother. Not again Hermione." Ron grabbed his sweater and trudged out of the kitchen.

Hermione wasn't able to say anything back to Ron before he was gone. She made her way up the stairs, towards Ginny's cries. 

Hermione knocked but walked in without waiting for an answer. Ginny was curled up into a ball, on the floor, against the wall.

Hermione ran over to her dropped to her knees and quickly enveloped Ginny in a hug. Ginny then continued to sob into Hermione's shoulder while Hermione gently patted her on the back and attempted to soothe her.

"Shhhh, Ginny, can you tell me what happened?" Ginny who had stopped sobbing was now only reduced to the occasional tear dripping down her cheek.

"Hermione, what have I done?" She said barely over a whisper.

"Nothing we can't work out," Hermione asked gently making sure not to upset her again.

"I pushed him away from Hermione! He wanted to apologize and make things better, but I told him to go away and leave me alone. He kept trying to talk to me, and I just kept yelling at him. Then finally he left. I told him to leave. I said that he's left me before it wouldn't be so hard for him to do it again so he just left. I don't know where he went. IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

"No Ginny it's not. You were hurt." Hermione said. "You are hurt. We're all hurting. This is hard for everyone."

"But he was trying to make things better, he made me sleep and eat. Then he tries to talk to me, and I just pushed him away. Don't you see? Even if he does come back, he won't love me." Ginny sighed all sounds of hope fading from her voice.

"Impossible. All he did last year was thinking about you. He would just stare at your dot. All the time. Sitting in a chair staring."  Hermione said. She pulled Ginny up so they were sitting on the edge of the bed. 

Ginny began to look up Hermione started talking.

"He only wanted to be with you. When the Death Eaters came at the wedding if Lupin hadn't pushed him towards me he would have been killed. He was looking for you. He was running towards you. He needed to know you were safe." Hermione explained as she grasped Ginny's hand.

"It practically killed him when you were dating Dean, and leaving you after Dumbledore died was more than he could bear. He could only think about how badly he hurt you. So he didn't want Ron or me coming with him either, because he didn't want to hurt anyone else. But in the end, you were the reason he kept going. So no, Ginny none of this is your fault, none of it is his fault you both want each other. He left you to protect you. You can't stay mad at him and he can't stay mad at you. You both just need to figure out how to make your relationship work.

Ginny nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked at Hermione. Their eyes meet and Hermione's eye wrinkled with a smile as she nodded. In a silent confirmation. A silent promise.

Harry remembered as he landed in Godric's hollow that he had a funeral to attend. Lavender Brown's funeral was today. So he changed course and went to a graveyard in Ireland. He stood in the back.

He tried to focus on what was happening but all he could think about was Ginny. Harry was so mad.

I try to make amends. I try to tell her I'm sorry. All I want is to see her happy. But no matter what I do it's not good enough. Will I ever be good enough? I can't go back there. Not with her. I can't stand being there knowing she hates me. I just have to stay somewhere else. I'll just stay at Grimwald Place. 

Harry thought to himself as Mrs. Brown blew her nose loudly.

Oh, buts that are too obvious. Maybe the Leaky Cauldron?

People began walking past the grave and dropped handfuls of dirt. Flowers followed suit. Harry stood back watching. He had no idea whether or not people knew he came to every single funeral of the people whose lives were taken by the war.

Ron and Hermione are going to expect me to be in Godric's Hollow or at Grimwald Place. So if I just lie low, maybe stay with George while they look for me. I'll send a Patronus saying I'm fine but not where I am. 

Harry waited for the crowds to disperse before walking up to the gravestone. Only Lavender's mother and her father remained. They paid Harry no attention. Greif was funny in that way, Harry was unsure they could even see him through the haze of losing their daughter. 

He touched three fingers to his lips and placed them on the cold stone. 

"I'm sorry you had to die." He whispered. "It's not fair, we were only kids, fighting in a war that we were far to young for. I'm sorry you can't see the world now. We're free, and I'm sorry that we have to live in a life without you."

Harry then walked away. Unable to say anything. Every person got a speech. Harry felt responsible for each and every death. So he had to apologize and make sure that their spirits knew how terrible he felt.