=== *Racing Time* ===

(A/N) Hi everyone, it's Lizzie! I've finally decided to start my sequel to Lean on Me. It should be pretty good, at least I think so. This fic is different than my last one. This one is a little more about Harry and Ginny's relationship and its really more of an adventure mixed into the romance of it all. This is my very first shot at adventure too by the way. Everyone applaud. There is definitely going to be R/H romance blended in here as well of course. I mean you have to put that in with it. No one could live without a little R/H in their life. Well here it goes. Oh yeah and before I forget, you really don't need to read Lean on Me to fully understand this fic but you get a clearer view of it and you'll probably enjoy it more too. This Chapter is mainly just an introduction or a prologue so to say, that's why its so short. I'll be sure to make the others alot longer than this on, I promise. Read on and remember to review afterwards. Bye. Until next time...

~Love from Lizzie

(Disclaimer) All but the plot, my computer, and Chris belong to me. Everything else is for JK Rowling. Even though I do wish it was all for me.

Chapter 1: Letting Go

Ginny Weasley let her feet dangle a few inches from the floor while she sat comfortably on the old brown couch in the din of Grimald Place. Even despite the fact that the Weasley's have to be living in the dusty old house for the rest of the summer and maybe even the next, she still seemed to be able to smile all the way up to her ears. Surely the reason for her great happiness had to have come from what Harry had told her earlier.

"Ginny, I really need to tell you something later on tonight. It's really important," he had said in a whisper into her ear as he left the kitchen after breakfast. The first thing that had come to her mind had of course been what anyone else would have thought, something terrible was wrong. However once he began to snuggle her on the couch after lunch, and whispered, "I love you." in her ear before he left any room she became comforted once more. Surely there wasn't anything to worry about. In fact it was probably really good news. Now as she was waiting for him to come downstairs she was nearly jumping out of her seat with impatience.

Every thing was going wonderfully between Harry and herself right now. She could feel it in the air around them just how much in love they actually were. Every time Harry touched her, Ginny could feel chills race up and down her spine, starting at the exact spot first touched . And birds, instead of butterflies, would fly in swarms about her stomach every time he kissed her. It was the most wonderful feeling she'd ever felt in her entire life. She had, of course, had other boyfriends, but they had never made her feel as good as Harry did. She loved him so much, and she'd never know what to do without him by her side.

A small creak from the doorway announced Harry's arrival. Ginny smiled at him framed in the doorway and patted a place beside herself. Harry smiled weakly and sat down next to her on the old brown couch. He began wringing his hands together not taking his eyes off his feet. Ginny sat there smiling expecting only the best. Harry bit his bottom lip and turned towards her holding her hand in his own.

"Ginny we've been together for seven months now, haven't we?" he asked. Ginny nodded smiling broadly. Harry gulped loudly and continued. "Well, that is a really long time and stuff and we've gotten to know each other, and we do love each other right?" Ginny nodded again this time a little more skeptically. Harry nodded too. "People always tell us that we're too young to know what true love is, but I know that what we have is true. There's no denying it. I love you so much, Gin, and I always will."

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and turned his face towards her own. "I love you to, Harry, but where are you going with this?"

Harry ran a hand through his messy black hair and this sent up a little white flag in Ginny's head that said quite plainly, "Uh oh." She knew now that she should have never asked.

"Ginny, I love you so much. Really, I do... But..."

"BUT?" Ginny said with a look of surprise. "But, what, Harry? There aren't any "but's" in love" Ginny's hands began to shake and Harry held them tighter.

"Ginny, we can't be together any more."

Ginny ripped her hands away from Harry's clutches, and looked for an explanation deep in his eyes. It had to be there somewhere. "What?" she asked in a whisper standing from the couch looking both shocked and terrified.

"Listen just calm down and I'll explain everything." Harry said beginning to look frantic at the look on Ginny's face.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS?" Ginny screamed in rage.

"Ginny, please just sit down and let me finish." Harry said soothingly, trying to grab hold of her hand.

"Don't-you-dare-try-and-touch-me-Harry-James-Potter." Ginny said through clenched jaws.

"Okay. Okay, I'll stop. Just please hear me out."

Ginny glared at him furiously, but something about the sad pleading looking his eyes made her sit down, still rather harder than she normally would though. She crossed her legs and arms and stared straightforward not daring to look at him again because she was quite sure she would slap him if she did.

"I have no other way, Gin. I have to let you go. I don't want it to be this way, but I don't want anything to happen to you. And I know if we keep going like we are something will." Harry said making repetitious efforts to catch her eyes again.

"You do have a choice, Harry! You have the choice to either stay with me are not. You chose 'not' and I still don't understand why!" Ginny could feel her eyes begin to burn as tears were trying to force their way out. She shut her eyes tightly trying to lock them in. She couldn't let him see her cry, not now, not ever. This is what he was trying to tell her, and she wasn't about to prove him right.

Harry shook his head in a pitying sort of way and sighed irritably. He didn't think it would be this hard to say. He could have told it to anyone else and it would be easier than it was now. If she had been someone else, any one else, sure it would have been hard to say, but it would have been easier than telling her; than telling Ginny. There was no other way though; he had to do it. If he loved her, he had to do it. For her; for Ginny.

"Ginny, I have NEVER felt this way about anyone else. I'm best friends with Ron and Hermione, but they have never made me as happy as have these wonderful months we had together. I love you more than anything else in the world and I'd never want to lose you. That's why I've decided that the only way to keep you safe is to keep you away from me. If Voldemort looks into my mind and sees how much I love you, he'll have found the perfect plan to get me to surrender. He'll kill you, Gin. Don't you remember what Dumbledore told us? He said that Voldemort is going to kill those who I love the most. Well, I can't think of one other person who I'd love more than I love you. That's why I have to do this. That's why I have to leave you. I would rather never see you again and know that you're safe than to stubbornly keep you here with me and let him kill you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Ginny bit her bottom lip, which was beginning to tremble as the stinging in her eyes broke into tears. Not being able to hold it in any longer, she burst into tears. Her hands were shaking traumatically and she had to withhold herself from slapping him across the face. She stood from the couch, which she found out shortly was a big mistake. As soon as her weight shifted to the ground her legs gave way and she fell to her knees on the floor sobbing in a mixture of sadness, loss, anger, and confusion.

"You're doing this for yourself, Harry Potter. This is all for you!" Ginny wailed in the midst of her cries. "You didn't think of me when you made that choice! You say you did, but you didn't! If you had been thinking of me, you would have thought about MY decision, MY choice of what to do! But you didn't, did you? All you ever tried to consider is what would make you feel happy, no one else but Harry. But what about me, Harry? How do you think I feel? Do you really think that I would rather sit back and watch you die rather than fight with you to win? NO, you didn't think about that, did you? DID YOU?"

Harry slumped forward and hid his face in his hand as his own wave of tears flooded his eyes. Ginny watched him shake as he began to cry silently. Finally, she stood once more to her feet and this time she didn't fall back down, even if it was close. She stumbled towards the door and began to leave out when she stopped and turned back towards the door, leaving it cracked open a bit for only half her body to fit through. She could plainly see Harry still sobbing into his palms. "That's what I thought," she whispered then slammed the door behind herself.

~*~

(A/N) Sorry I had to kick the story off in a sad kind of way but it had to happen for the rest of the plot to take place. I hope you like the first part. It took me a while to write it and it ended up being shorter than I expected. Don't worry thought the rest should be longer. This was just a sort of introduction chapter. The rest are going to be pretty long. Keep up the reviews. Love ya lots! Until next time...

~Love from Lizzie

(Preview of Chapter 2)

Harry tells Ron and Hermione what he had told Ginny. They tell him he did it for the best and he did the right thing. Mean while Ginny writes in her journal about how terrible she is feeling at the moment. The big thing happens when she tries to find a hiding place. She finds one all right but she also finds something else. Something more than she was bargaining for.