Can't Live Without You

Chapter One

It was the summer of the year before Ginny Weasley's sixth year at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.The school year had ended early due to a terrible turn of events; Dumbledore had been murdered.Ginny still remembered that faithful day,the memories of it tormenting her with nightmares,playing over and over in her head.

Harry Potter and Headmaster Dumbledore had left the school in search of one of Lord Voldemort's horcruxes.Voldemort's followers,the Death Eaters,having heard of their departure,had struck an attack on Ginny's beloved school.Students and The Order of the Pheonix were called to the scene to battle the ruthless army of Death Eaters.A battle between the lights and the darks broke out all over the castle.

Harry and Dumbledore hurried back to the school,having seen the Dark Mark,the Death Eater's trademark,hovering above the school.Upon arriving,they ran into Draco Malfoy at the entrance.Malfoy,it seemed,had a mission from Voldemort himself; to murder Dumbledore,the only wizard in the whole world whom he feared.But Malfoy had neither the courage or the cunning to kill the best wizard of all time,so the potion's master,Professor Snape,stepped in and took over the job.

Snape had once been a Death Eater,but prior to Voldemort's downfall sixteen years before,he'd renounced his ways and turned spy for the lights.Most had believed him,except for Harry and his friends who swore Snape was still working for the Dark Lord.Dumbledore constantly assured them that he trusted Snape,but that was all gone now.Snape had murdered Dumbledore,his employer and friend.Nothing could change his betrayal.

Hogwarts,the once safest place in the Wizarding World,was now no longer that,holding no hope of ever reopening.

Harry then swore at Dumbledore's funeral that he would avenge his mentor's death as soon as he turned seventeen.He informed his friends that he would not be returning for his final year of school if Hogwarts did in fact reopen.He would spend every waking hour searching for the remaining horcruxes,then he would personally murder the Dark Lord himself.He felt he had no other choice.

Ginny was torn.She'd been desperately in love with Harry since she was ten years old.They had even dated for a while up until the funeral,Harry saying they had to break it off for her safety.She couldn't just watch him throw his life away and endanger his life.She couldn't just watch him leave and possibly never return.She knew he could end the war,but she just couldn't imagine what would happen if he were killed.

She wanted to help Harry somehow.She needed to be with him,to be sure he was safe.Although everyone saw her as just a naive child,she was anything but.Yes,she was the youngest in a large family,but she was so much more than that.She had fought along side The Order against those Death Eaters.She herself had had run ins with Voldemort at a young age.She wasn't as weak as everyone thought.She was a Quidditch player,so she was in good physical shape.And she did very well in all her classes,especially Potions,which was rare for a Gryffindor while Snape was teaching it.But no one noticed.

Ginny had been trying for nearly a month to contact Harry,but to no success.He had told her on the train home that he didn't want any contact with her,not because he didn't care,but because he wanted to keep her safe.So he was either ignoring her owls,or the Dursleys were intercepting them.

Ginny locked herself in her room a week after the summer had begun.She didn't want to eat or talk with her family.It was a depression she had never felt.

She cared so deeply for Harry,she'd never felt that way about anyone else.She'd given him her everything.She'd even given him her virginity.No one knew this,of course.Not even Hermione or Luna.It was a special secret just between the two of them.Not that it even seemed to count for anything with Harry.

The day before Harry's seventeenth birthday (Ginny had been counting down) there was a knock at her bedroom door.She ignored the knocking and covered her head with her blankets,but the knocking persisted.

"Go away." Ginny told whoever it was at her door.

"Gin,it's me,Hermione." Came the older girl's voice from the other side of the door.Again,Ginny ignored her.She just wasn't in the mood to be lectured by anyone,and she knew that's just what Hermione would do.

"I have something I need to tell you." Hermione said after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't give a damn,I said go away." Ginny replied,getting annoyed.Why did no one ever listen?

"Ginny,please,can you stop being such an over dramatic teenager and let me in?" Hermione told her,frustration evident in her voice.Ginny jumped out bed and stomped over to the door,throwing it open.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" She asked a surprised Hermione.The older girl's expression softened when she saw Ginny's tear stained face,messy,unbrushed hair,and over sized Quidditch t-shirt that was once Harry's.Ginny figured she must look such a mess,but she no longer cared how she looked since Harry wasn't around for her to impress.That was how it always was,she only ever put on makeup or did her hair or wore decent clothes just for him,all for him to notice her.And since now Harry was no longer around,she had no reason to leave her room.

"Oh Gin,you look terrible." Hermione said,touching the other girl's cheek.

"You don't look so hot yourself either." Ginny replied bitterly,pushing her friend's hand away.

"Look,just because you're mad at Harry doesn't mean I'm going to let you take it out on me." Hermione told her,sounding too much like her mother.

"Whatever Mione,just tell me what you want." Ginny said,plopping down on her small bed.Hermione stepped into the small room and shut the door quietly behind her.

"Well first off,I know what you're going through," She started,causing Ginny to snort. "Something funny about that?"

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Ginny asked coldly. "All you ever do is shag Ron." Hermione and Ron had finally begun to date after they came home,even though they both still denied it.

"That's what you think we do?" The older girl asked,keeping her voice calm.

"I know that's what you do,you're always in his room,alone,right?" Ginny accused.

"Well,that's not what we do.And you are in no position to be accusing me of things you know nothing about.Ron and I are nothing but friends."

"Yeah,right." Ginny rolled her eyes.There was no sense in arguing,Hermione could deny it all she wanted,but Ginny knew different.

"And that's besides the point,it's not what I came here to talk to you about." Hermione said after taking a deep breath,she was obviously losing her patience with the stubborn red head.

"Well then do tell why you disturbed me when I so obviously didn't want to be bothered." Ginny rested her chin on her hands,mocking Hermione.

"You're mother finally got a hold of Harry," Ginny perked up,her eyes going wide.Her mother had been trying to get in touch with Harry as much as she had. "And he's agreed to come for dinner tomorrow for his brithday."

"WHAT!?"

To Be Continued...

I dedicate this story to Lizzie,a reader of one of my stories who told me the idea for this story.It is my gift to her.Hope you like it Lizzie.Reviews would be appreciated,no reviews means slow updates.

Much Love...

XXX

Xx-.k.a.y.y.-xX