Disclaimer: I don't own anyone! All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling!

........................

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall, okay, Gin? I just have to run back to the common room and get my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework," Harry Potter told his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley.

"Okay, Harry," Ginny replied, smiling up at Harry. He gave her a small kiss and ran back up the stairs. He darted into one of the secret passages that led to the Gryffindor common room.

"Crucio!" a voice cried out from the dark. Harry barely had a second to look around, his his heart leaping into his throat in sudden shock and fear, before the pain hit him. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Harry's vision was red, and he couldn't see the figure standing above him, grinning madly.

"You took my lord away, and although he is dead, he WILL be avenged," the person hissed. Harry could barely hear them over his own screams of pain.

...............................

"Harry's been gone a while, hasn't he?" said Ginny nervously to Hermione. She looked up from her book.

"Yeah, I guess. Do you want to go check on him?" Hermione asked her friend. Ginny nodded and the two girls stood up. Ron tore his eyes away from his plate and stood up with them.

"I'll come with you," Ron said. Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Ron Weasley walking away from a half-full plate?" Ginny gasped mockingly. Ron punched her lightly and she laughed. Everything seemed so perfect, especially after the last year.

The trio walked up the stairs, laughing and joking. They had half-forgotten about Harry until they heard the screams.

Harry's screams.

Ginny heard them first. "Do you guys hear that?" she gasped. Ron and Hermione listened for a moment, then they too gasped.

"Harry."

They ran up the stairs, just barely reaching the landing before the stairs moved. Ginny turned around wildly, feeling sick to her stomach in fear.

"Harry? HARRY?!" she yelled. Hermione and Ron started to run around, peering behind tapestries and pulling on portraits to see if there was a hidden passage behind one.

An especially loud scream came from behind a tapestry behind Ginny. She whipped around, screaming Harry's name. There was a stop to the screams and another voice, this one a slightly familiar one, though Ginny could not identitfy its owner, yelled, "OBLIVIATE!"

There was a sickening crunch and the same voice yelled, "STUPEFEY!" There was the sound of running feet as Ginny tore away the tapestry with her wand out, prepared to face whatever scene was now before her.

Ginny saw a crumpled heap in the shadows. Her heart pounding, she rushed over and uttered a scream that was very unlike herself.

.......................

The pain subsided and Harry gasped for breath. He heard a voice yell "OBLIVIATE!" The pain disappeared and all was calm. In his dreamlike-trance, Harry heard the same voice yell, "STUPEFEY!"

The world went black.

.....................

Ginny knelt down next to Harry's limp form. "HERMIONE! RON! Help!" yelled Ginny, her voice rough with despair as she cradled Harry's head in her lap. There was a clatter as Hermione and Ron ran into the corridor. Hermione gasped and her wand fell to the floor as she clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. Ron stared.

"Is he..." Ron didn't finish his sentence. Ginny took a deep, calming breath that she unknowningly held as she took Harry's wrist and felt for a pulse. For a second, she was certain that there was nothing there, but then she felt Harry's steady heartbeat, and she exhaled.

"He's alive," Ginny annouced, her voice quivering in relief. "He's just unconscious."

Hermione sank down to the floor, her back scraping the wall. Ron let go of the breath he had also been holding.

"Ron, please get Madam Pomfrey," Ginny said. Ron nodded and turned on his heel and raced out of the corridor. Ginny looked down at her boyfriend, her stomach in knots. Why couldn't life be simple?

Ever since Harry had defeated Voldemort, Ginny had been hoping that life would be ordinary for once. She wanted to be a normal witch. She just wanted to finish her education at Hogwarts and graduate with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, get a job, and have a family (hopefully with a certain Gryffindor who had killed the darkest wizard of all time). She didn't think it would be too much to ask for.

Apparently it was.

.......................

Harry felt himself returning to consciousness. His eyes opened and he saw a blur of red feet away from him. For a moment, he fought to remember something - somebody's name - Ginny.

"Ginny?"

The red blur moved and Harry could make out a blurry face.

"Harry!" gasped Ginny. "Oh, Merlin, Harry, you scared us so badly... How do you feel?" Harry thought for a second.

"Yeah, I feel fine. Where are we?" Harry replied.

"The hospital wing. We - Hermione, Ron, and I - heard you screaming. We think somebody was t-torturing you," Ginny stammered. Harry could tell she was shaken.

"Oh," he replied lamely. "Uh, where are my glasses?"

Ginny reached over him and then pressed something into his hand. "Here," Ginny said gently.

Harry put his glasses on. "Thanks."

The hospital wing door opened and Ron and Hermione walked in. "Harry! How do you feel?" Hermione cried. She ran over.

"I feel fine," Harry repeated. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and leaned ever so slightly aginst Ron.

"That's good. Do you remember, um, well, who was torturing you?" Hermione asked nervously. Harry frowned.

"No. I remember being tortured, but I don't remember seeing who did it," Harry said. Hermione nodded, looking pained.

"Oh no..." she murmured. Before anyone could ask her what was wrong, she said, "Before Ginny found you, we heard someone trying to erase your memory, most likely so you wouldn't remember him or her torturing you. But if you still remember being tortured..." 

Ginny looked alarmed. "Are you saying it's possible Harry might have lost different memories?" 

Hermione nodded. "Yes." 

Eyebrows raised, Harry asked, "Well, how are we supposed to know what I've forgotten if I can't remember it...?" 

Ron also looked slightly confused, but Hermione said, "Simple. You just has to tell us what you do remember, Harry, so we can find out what you don't."

"Sounds good," Ron said. "Okay, mate, what did we do yesterday?"

Harry recounted his memories correctly up until May.

"Okay, I remember the Battle of Hogwarts," Harry said. He frowned. "I remember Bill's wedding, but wasn't that in August?"

Ron's mouth fell open. "Wait, you don't remember hunting for Voldemort's Horcruxes?"

Harry stared at him. "What are Horcruxes?"

"Okay, I think we found what Harry forgot," said Hermione, though she didn't sound particularly satisfied. "Do you remember the job that Dumbledore gave you at all?"

"What job?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore taught you about Voldemort's Horcruxes to help you defeat him, remember?" Hermione said nervously.

Harry's mouth dropped and his eyes widened. "Why would he do that?"

"Because of the prophecy!" Hermione told him.

"What prophecy?"

"The prophecy Trelawney made!" cried Hermione, starting to look extremely panicked. Ron's hair looked brighter than ever above his white face, and Ginny, who looked concerned, also appeared confused. 

"Wait, what is a Horcux?" asked Ginny, who had not been confided in on the meaning of a Horcrux - Harry hadn't wanted to tell her what the Dark objects were, simply saying that there had been seven items that needed to be destroyed in order for Voldemort to die, and he would give her the specifics when she was older, then ducking under Ginny's punch as she raged that Harry thought her too young to be trusted with the information.  However, after almost a week of sulking and glaring at the three best friends, Ginny resigned herself to the fact that she would not know the true meaning of those Dark Objects until she reached a desirable age. 

But no one answered Ginny - there were much more troubling issues at hand. "Harry, do you remember our first year? You know, when you faced Voldemort for the second time?" Ron asked, ignoring his sister's question.

"The second time?!" Harry gasped. "When was the first time?"

"When he, well, you know, killed your parents?" Ron told his friend. He wasn't sure if Harry remembered that his parents were did, and if he didn't, he had just dropped a huge bombshell...

"My parents died in a car crash! Wait, no, that's not right..." Harry trailed off, starting to also feel panicked. A car crash couldn't kill them that easily, his parents had been magical. They could have Disapparitied out of the car, or used a Shield Charm to protect themselves.

"Harry, do you remember killing Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts?" asked Ginny, fearing the answer.

Harry stared in shock.

"I did what?!"

....................................

Ginny groaned and sank into her seat. Harry didn't remember anything about defeating Voldemort. Hermione guessed that whoever had been torturing him had tried to erase his memory of that so they wouldn't get caught, but they performed the spell too quickly, and it had erased other memories instead of the one they wanted. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione tried talking to him to try to help and jog his memory, but he didn't remember a thing. Harry remembered the basics, like how he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, and that Voldemort came back in his fourth year, but he didn't remember anything about his relationship with Voldemort.

Now Ginny was in her bed in her dormitory. She kept thinking about what happened. Then it hit her.

Harry was in more danger. He couldn't remember any personal relationships with the Death Eaters or Voldemort. What if a Death Eater found out that he lost his memory and tried to use that against him to take their revenge?

Ginny took a couple more calming breaths, trying to not throw up. Harry will be find. Death Eaters won't find out. The worse that will happen is Dennis Creevy would creep Harry out when he tries to take a picture and get him to sign it and Harry will have no idea why he's doing that, Ginny told herself. That calmed her a bit, but it still took a long time for her to fall asleep.

...........................

"They have no idea it was me?"

"None. Draco overheard the two Weasleys and the Mudblood talking about it. He owled me and said they haven't a clue who did it."

"Good." A woman in a dark room cackled wickedly.

"I'd love to get those Weasleys back. Especially the woman. Thinking that she could defeat me." The woman licked her lips.  "As if she had the skill to kill me! Why, she couldn't kill a horsefly! She's probably gloating to everyone 'I've killed Bellatrix Lestrange'!"

Bellatrix Lestrange lifted her head to the ceiling and let out a long, mad laugh. Narcissa Malfoy joined in, but her heart wasn't in it.

"I will take my revenge on Potter,'' Bellatrix spat out the name with disgust. "Taking my lord, my love, like he did. But I won't have to pine for him long. I will bring him back, and Potter will die. After, of course, I torture him to insanity!"

Again, Bellatrix laughed madly. Narcissa just nodded as she slipped out of the room. She walked down the unlit hallway before reaching the trapdoor. She listened carefully for any noise coming from the other side before she lifted it up and stepped into her living room. She placed it back down and sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have dragged her sister's body away. If she had left it for the Ministry to pick up then they would have found her out and killed her once and for all. But no, she just had to check her sister's pulse and make sure she was really gone. Imagine her surprise when she learned that Bellatrix was just Stunned. She had revived her sister and told her what happened. Bellatrix, of course, was devastated at the loss of her master, and furiuos that Potter had survived. So now, she was living hidden away in her house, plotting her revenge on Harry Potter.

...........................

"No, you do it!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"No, you!"

"Ugh, fine, I'll do it. Um, Harry?"

Harry looked up from his breakfast. Two nervous looking second years were looking at him.

"Hi," Harry said uncomfortably.

"I'm Lacy - no, sorry, I meant Stacey! - and this is my friend, Rachel," one girl said. The other one nudged her.

"Ramona, Stacey, not Rachel!" she hissed. Stacey blushed.

"Yeah, that's what I meant. Well, we just wanted to say thanks for everything you did last year," Stacey gushed. Harry looked at her, confused. What had he done last year? Then he remembered what Ginny, Hermione, and Ron kept telling him. He defeated Voldemort.

"Oh, yeah. That. Uh, no problem," Harry replied.

"It really was very brave of you! How did you do it? How did you face him like that?" Ramona asked excitedly. Harry told her the same answer that he told everyone.

"I didn't think about it, I just did it," he said.

"Oh," said Ramona, sounding a bit disappointed. Harry guessed that she wanted to hear about a great, exciting, dangerous adventure. From what Ginny, Hermione, and Ron kept telling him, that's how it actually was - dangerous, but exciting, now that they weren't in danger any more.

"Well, bye!" Stacey chirped, sounding a bit uncomfortable with her previous mistakes. She grabbed Ramona by the arm and dragged her away. Harry sighed and went back to his breakfast, stabbing moodily at his kippers.

Ever since Harry had woken up in the hospital wing, admirers had walked up to him several times a day, thanking him for killing Voldemort. It was a total pain, and it always made him feel so awkward. The first time that had happened, he told the girls that they must be looking for somebody else and that he had never killed anybody in his life, much less Voldemort. It had been three weeks since the incident, and the girls were still giving him funny looks.

"Hi, Harry," Ginny said as she slid into the seat next to Harry. He smiled at her.

"Hi," he replied.

"What's up?" Ginny asked as she grabbing some toast.

"Not much. Two second years just came up to me and asked me how I killed Voldemort," Harry replied.

"Oh, again? Geez, people around here have to get lives already," Ginny complained. Harry grinned at her. Ginny always made him feel better, even during the most awkward moments in his life.

.........................

Weeks passed. It was almost two months after Harry's memories had been removed, and they hadn't come back. Ginny had spent hours searching for a remedy. With that plus her homework, she barely had any free time. But she didn't care. Harry wasn't quite the same, and she hated knowing how uncomfortable he was whenever people came up to him, gushing over him about something he couldn't even remember. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and her had decided to keep the incident a secret, so people acted like how they normally would. Kids kept coming up to him, telling him how grateful they were for what he did and asking for autographs. Ginny could tell that Harry was getting frustrated. She couldn't imagine what he was going through.

Ginny slid into a seat next to a stiff Harry and squeezed his hand. "Hey."

"Hi, Gin," Harry replied, relaxing a little and squeezing back. "How's it going?"

"The same as usual," Ginny told him. "I'm having a bit of trouble with the charm Flitwick taught us earlier. Do you think you could help me that later?"

Harry grinned at her. "Sure, I'd be glad to."

Ginny grinned back at him. He was acting more like the old Harry that she knew.

They stayed together for the rest of the day. After dinner, Harry and Ginny decided to take a walk around the lake.

"So, Harry, do you remember anything yet?" Ginny asked again. It was a touchy subject, but she always had to bring it back up, hoping for a new answer. But she was disappointed when, as always, Harry shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. I appreciate how hard you've been trying to help me remember, but I just don't think it's going to happen, Gin."

Ginny sighed. "I guessed that would be what would happen. But I don't want you to live the rest of your life with people fawning over you for something you might never remember."

"I know what you mean," Harry said. They walked along in silence, hand in hand.

The night silence was broken by a loud bang. Ginny gasped as spells hit the powerful magic protection charms that normally kept unwanted wizards and witches out. Spells kept pelting the protective barrier. 

For a second, the couple just stood, frozen, at the edge of the lake, staring in horror. But then Ginny came to her senses, and, tugging on her boyfriend's arm, cried, "Harry, come on!" Harry obliged, and they ran to the castle.

Older students and teachers stood in the Great Hall, talking hurriedly. Ginny spotted Ron and Hermione and she walked over to them, Harry trailing behind her.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Death Eaters are attacking," Hermione gulped, shaking slightly. Ginny's stomach twisted into sickening knots.

"What? How can you be sure?" Ginny gasped. Hermione stared straight ahead of herself, leaning against Ron, who was stroking her bushy hair.

"A couple of students saw them approaching with the telescopes," Hermione said. Ginny took a deep breath to steady herself as the castle gave a tremendous shake and a deafening boom filled her ears.

"They must have penetrated the barriers!" Ginny screamed. She wasn't the only one who yelled. She saw Pansy Parkinson faint over by the Slytherin table, and despite the drastic situation, Ginny snickered. What a complete loser.

"Students! Professors!" Professor McGonagall cried over the noise. "Defend the school!"

She didn't have any more time to speak. A spell shattered a window, raining glass onto the people nearby. People screamed, and people started to run out of the Great Hall, half of them fleeing for safety, and the others boldly preparing to engage the Death Eaters in another battle.

Ginny followed her friends. She heard more screams from outside. She burst through the huge doors and she too screamed as she caught sight of Bellatrix Lestrange, grinning madly, standing in front of a huge crowd in black. Bellatrix raised her wand and yelled, "Incarcerous!"

Ropes flew out of her wand. Ginny used a Shield Charm to block them as complete chaos broke out around her.

It was like the Battle of Hogwarts all over again. Ginny fought hard and she managed take down a couple of Death Eaters before she heard a familiar yell of pain and she whipped around.

....................................

Harry lost track of his friends as he started to fight. It reminded him of the Battle of Hogwarts. He was able to Stun a couple of Death Eaters before he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He yelled as blood gushed from a long cut that had suddenly appeared in his arm and he dropped his wand. He looked down at his arm as a couple of ropes shot out of nowhere and wrapped around him. He toppled to the ground. He heard yells of triumph and he felt panic rise up in him. He had remained relatively calm until now. He started to struggle as a woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, walked up to him and grabbed his hair. But no, Bellatrix was dead... But the fingers that lifted him up by the hair were definitely warm and alive. 

"Hello, again, Potter,'' she cackled in his ear. "How have you been? I hope that you're still with that Weasley woman. I can't wait to hear her screams when she hears of your death!"

"LET GO OF HIM!" a familiar voice screamed. Bellatrix whipped around. "STUPEFEY!"

Harry yelled as Ginny fell to the ground, her wand flying out of her hand. Bellatrix laughed with glee. A couple of people shot spells at her as she summoned Ginny to her and she Apparated away.

........................

Hermione yelled in fear and fury as she watched Bellatrix disappear with two of the people she loved most. She hexed the Death Eater she was dueling and screamed at the world for being so unfair. The Death Eaters started to Apparate away. Hermione guessed that Bellatrix had told them to retreat once she had Harry. Ron shouted over to her, "Why can they Apparate?"

"I think they broke the Anti-Disapparition Jinx!" Hermione yelled back. Soon, all of the conscious Death Eaters were gone. Hermione looked around. She could see a few bodies. She could see Professor Trelawney's limp form, and a couple of others. She almost tripped over Seamus Finnigan. Hermione bent down and felt his pulse. Nothing.

Hermione stifled a sob as she walked over to Ron. He was standing at the spot where Harry and Ginny had disappeared with Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione bent down and picked up two fallen wands. She took a closer look at them. One was Ginny's. The other, Harry's. Hermione put them in her pocket. She didn't want to look at the two wands of her missing friends.

"Harry... Ginny.. She took them, Ron, she took them," Hermione cried. She buried her face in Ron's shirt and started sobbing. After a minute, Ron pulled away.

"Hermione, we have to go after them. Let's round up a couple of D.A. members and go to Malfoy Manor. I bet Lestrange is hiding there," Ron growled. Hermione nodded and they started walking around, searching for old members of Dumbledore's Army.

"How is she alive?" Ron asked. "Mum killed her, right?"

Hermione shook her head. "I guess not, Ron. I'm sorry, but that was definitely Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Yeah. I guess I shouldn't have asked - nobody can try to imitate her, she's too crazy," Ron said, attempting to lighten the situation. Hermione thought he was failing miserably.

.......................

Ginny woke up on a warm surface. It felt like a man's chest.

"Harry?" she moaned.

"I'm here," he replied. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I feel fine," Ginny replied.

A door opened, and Bellatrix entered the room with her wand alight in her hands. Ginny could now see that she was in a dungeon, and Harry was behind her, sitting against the wall with ropes tied tight around him. Ginny took a closer look at her boyfriend and felt a surge of anger.

Harry's face was beaten up. His nose was bleeding heavily and his lip was also cut.

"I see you have awaken," Bellatrix cackled as she saw Ginny's enraged face. "Let the fun begin."

Bellatrix pointed her wand at Harry. Ginny screamed as she realized what would happen next.

"CRUCIO!"

..............................

The pain hit Harry, washing over him in terrible waves. He screamed and started thrashing around, wanting to escape the pain, to die...

Pain wasn't the only thing that came with Bellatrix's curse. Harry remembered being in the Chamber of Secrets, losing Sirius at the Ministy, Voldemort's return in that graveyard.... Facing Voldemort in that clearing in the Forbidden Forest, prepared to die, trying to save the people he loved.

Through the pain, Harry heard Bellatrix screaming at him, "Where is it? Where?! I know you know how to bring the Dark Lord back, tell me, where is it?!"

Harry bit his tongue to keep himself from telling her about the Resurrection Stone. How did she know about that? Did she really know about it, or was she just desperate to bring her master back?

The pain stopped. Harry gasped for breath.

"Well, Potter, if you won't tell me where it is under torture, maybe you aren't the one who needs to feel the pain," Bellatrix hissed. She pointed her wand at Ginny. Harry felt his heart stop in panic and horror.

"CRUCIO!" Bellatrix exclaimed. A red light shot out of her wand and hit Ginny. She started to scream in agony as she thrashed about.

"NO! GINNY! PLEASE, NOT GINNY!" Harry yelled, trying to break through his bonds. "TORTURE ME, NOT HER! YOU DON'T WANT HER! TORTURE ME INSTEAD, PLEASE!"

Harry remembered his own mother screaming almost the same things to protect him. He knew that he had two choices. He could refuse to tell Bellatrix about the Stone, and let her torture Ginny into insanity. Or.... he could tell Bellatrix how to bring Voldemort back, and free Ginny from the curse. Harry knew what Ginny would prefer. He knew that she was like him, she would give herself up willingly to help defend the Wizarding World from evil. But he couldn't let Ginny give herself up. She didn't deserve that. She deserved a long, happy life, with someone she loved.

And that someone would not be him.

"STOP! The Stone, the Resurrection Stone! It'll bring Voldemort back, just stop hurting Ginny! Please!" Harry begged. Bellatrix laughed in triumph and lifted the Crucitus Curse. Falling limp, Ginny lay sobbing next to Harry.

"Harry.. you shouldn't have done that... I would have been fine..." she cried. Harry fought to slip his hand out of the ropes binging him. He got it out and held Ginny's hand in his.

"No. I couldn't have lived with myself if that mad woman tortured you into insanity," Harry quietly soothed.

"If she brings Voldemort back, he'll kill you," Ginny whispered.

"I don't care."

"But I do."

.................................

Tied up next to Bellatrix with the wicked woman's wand against her throat, Ginny watched as Harry found a small stone in the Forbidden Forest. He handed it to Bellatrix, his head down. Bellatrix Disapparated back to Malfoy Manor with the two of them. The remaining Death Eaters all crowded eagerly into the drawing room, staring at Harry and Ginny, jeering at them and spitting in their faces.

"Death Eaters," Bellatrix called. "The moment we have been waiting for the past year! The Dark Lord shall rise again tonight!"

She turned the stone over in her hand three times.

"She's lost it," Ginny thought. Then a ghostly figure appeared before her.

Lord Voldemort.

..............................

Harry felt Ginny stiffen in horror next to him. He groped around for her hand. He found it and squeezed her hand.

Voldemort turned around slowly. He looked at Bellatrix.

"Ah, Bella. You have done what no one else has done. You have brought me back," Voldemort said. He tried to smile at her, but it looked more like a leer to Harry.

"My Lord, it was an honor," Bellatrix breathed, bowing deeply.

"Bellatrix, you shall be honored beyond your wildest dreams, just as soon as I truly return." Bellatrix's smile faded a bit.

"W-what? My Lord, you are here! No one can deny that!" Bellatrix said.

"I haven't returned fully. I have no blood or flesh," Voldemort replied sleekly. "But that can be fixed as soon as I kill Harry Potter."

Voldemort turned to face Harry.

"Ah, Harry! It's wonderful to see you again. I hope you have faired well?" Voldemort jeered. "Bellatrix, may I borrow your wand?"

Bellatrix handed it over, her signature mad grin back on her face. Voldemort turned it over in his hands a couple of times before he pointed it at Harry.

"No!" Ginny cried, squirming next to Harry. He squeezed her hand one more time and took a deep, steadying breath. This was it, he was truly about to die. Voldemort laughed before he cast the curse.

"Avada Kedavra!" he cried. Harry's vision was filled with green light. He heard the doors banging open and screams echoing around the room. He felt a sickening pain on the back of his shoulder, and he yelled as the world went black.

.........................

Ginny screamed as the green light sped towards Harry. The door burst open and Ginny saw the horrified faces of the D.A. as it hit Harry on the shoulder. He yelled in pain and slumped to the floor. Ginny yelped as his weight brought her to the floor with him.

Voldemort burst into pieces, his screams filling Ginny's ears. The Resurrection Stone burst into flames in Bellatrix's hand, and she too screamed as she collapsed. The Death Eaters were in chaos. Their two leaders had just been defeated. They started casting spells at the D.A. as they tried to escape, but the D.A. was too good for them. Most of the Death Eaters were lying on the ground, Stunned, in a matter of seconds.

Ginny felt tears running down her cheeks. There was no way Harry could still be alive.

"Ginny!"

Ginny heard Hermione yelling for her.

"Over here!" Ginny shouted back, choking back sobs. Hermione ran over, Ron right behind her.

"Harry..." Ginny managed to say before she started to cry harder. Hermione looked like she wanted to cry, too, but she managed to stay in control. She aimed her wand at the ropes around Ginny and Harry's bodies and said, "Diffindo." The ropes fell off of them. Ginny slid off of Harry and knelt next his body. Ron bent down and helped Ginny off the floor before hugging her tightly. Hermione stared at Harry's body for a moment before reaching for his hand. Her fingers gently wrapped around his wrist. A tear ran down her face, but then she gave a soft gasp.

"No way... there's no way he could have survived that," Hermione muttered. She let go of Harry's hand and put her hand on his chest. Her mouth fell open.

"Ginny, Ron, I don't believe it!" Hermione said. "Harry's still alive!"

Ginny froze. "What?! He can't be! The Killing Curse - it h-hit him! I saw it! It hit his shoulder!"

Just then, Ginny heard a tiny groan escape from Harry's mouth. She almost fell on top of him.

"Harry!"

Harry's eyes opened. "W-what happened?" he asked.

"Voldemort hit you with the Killing Curse! How are you still alive? Er, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but it's simply not possible!" Hermione cried. Harry looked startled for a moment, but then his expression turned to a look of understanding.

"I think that since Voldemort died, my mum's protection is protecting me from him again. That wasn't him in flesh and blood, so he couldn't touch me. You know, he took my blood, and that's what let him touch me when he was alive. My blood was in his veins, and so was my mum's protection," Harry said. He winced and touched the back of his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, concern written on her face. Harry frown and pulled the back of his robes down a little, revealing a small scar. The scar was identical to the one on his forehead.

Everyone stared at it. Harry finally cleared his throat. "I guess the Killing Curse backfired on Voldemort again."

"Is that why that Resurrection Stone burst into flames?" Ginny asked. She looked over at Bellatrix's limp form. She walked over to it and looked into her face.

Bellatrix's eyes were open and shocked, staring without seeing at the ash in her hand that was once the Resurrection Stone. Ginny felt a surge of anger at everything Bellatrix had done that night and she kicked at her hand. The ash went flying out of her hand and Ginny turned on her heel and marched back to her friends, who were staring at her.

Ron raised his eyebrows at Ginny a little and reached down and helped his best friend off the floor. Harry looked at her.

"Gin, are you okay?" he asked.

"AM I OKAY?! I HAD TO WATCH YOU ALMOST DIE OVER AND OVER TONIGHT! YOU TOLD BELLATRIX HOW TO RAISE VOLDEMORT JUST SO SHE'D STOP TORTURING ME WHEN YOU KNEW THAT IF VOLDEMORT CAME BACK, HE WOULD KILL YOU! AND HE ALMOST DID! AND YOU ASK IF I'M OKAY?!"

Ginny couldn't help it. She was tired and she had spent the night in fear that Harry would die. She kept replaying the Battle of Hogwarts over and over in her head. Ginny kept seeing Harry lying still at Voldemort's feet, and she was so afraid that might happen again. It couldn't happen again. Ginny couldn't live without Harry. Her heart couldn't take any more emotions.

Ginny finished yelling at her boyfriend as tears of relief and pain slipped down her face. Harry walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug. She sobbed her heart into his shirt as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the drawing room windows.

.......................

It had been a week since Harry and Ginny had been kidnapped. Ginny looked up as Harry walked into the Great Hall and and made his way to the Gryffindor table. He saw Ginny and smiled at her. He sat down next to her and gave her a kiss.

"Hi," she said.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked.

"I'm good. How are you? Has the new scar hurt again?" Ginny replied.

"No," Harry said. "It just sort of burned a little after I got it."

"That's good," Ginny nodded.

"So, have you had any more nightmares?" Harry asked cautiously. Ginny's smile wavered.

"How did you find out about those?" Ginny frowned. "Did Hermione tell you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh," Ginny said. They were silent for a moment. Ginny could tell that Harry was waiting for an answer to his question, but she didn't want to tell him the truth.

Ginny had repeated nightmares about what would have happened if Harry's mum's protection hadn't saved him from death. She kept waking up in the middle of the night, panting and drenched in cold, icy sweat.

"Well, did you have any nightmares last night?" Harry repeated his question. Ginny sighed.

"Yeah.".

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um, not really," Ginny said.

"Are you sure?" Harry looked at her, concern written all over his face. Ginny sighed.

"Fine," she huffed. "I've been having nightmares about what would have happened if your mum's protection hadn't saved you from getting killed by Voldemort."

Harry kissed her again, and she had to smile slightly.

"Well, I didn't die. I'm still here, so stop worrying about what life would be like if I wasn't," Harry said. Ginny smiled at him and nodded.

"Okay. So, do you still remember everything about what happened with Voldemort?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded.

When Bellatrix had preformed the Cruciatus Curse on Harry again (it turned out that she had been the one who had removed his memory - Narcissa Malfoy admitted that when she was caught at Malfoy Manor), she had somehow lifted the Memory Charm she had put on him. Thankfully, Harry finally remembered everything that he had forgotten.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Good," Ginny replied. She finished eating as Ron and Hermione walked up. They grinned at the couple.

"Hi, guys. How are you doing?" Hermione asked as she sat down.

"Hey," Harry replied.

"Why did you tell Harry about my nightmares? I told you to not tell anyone!" Ginny exclaimed. Hermione blushed.

"Sorry. I thought he ought to know," Hermione said.

"You were having nightmares?" Ron asked worriedly. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. So what? It's not a big deal!" Ginny told him.

"Yeah, well, still. You should have told me,'' Ron complained, stuffing a kipper in his mouth.

"I would have, but you were too busy making out with your food," Ginny teased. Ron's ears turned his famous red.

"Hey! I do not make out with my food! Anybody can like to eat!" Ron yelped. Ginny laughed at his embarrassed expression.

"Just kidding, Ron," Ginny giggled.

Ron glared at her, but he laughed, too. Harry joined in and wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist. She grinned and leaned in to kiss him, ignoring Ron's protests of, "Hey! That's my sister you're snogging! Stop that, it's disgusting!"

Life was back to normal.

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Kitty