Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, :( I would be happy if I could be half the genius J.K. Rowling is...

Chapter One: Hello

The summer months passed by in odd ways that year. It seemed as if everything ran in torturous slow motion, but sped along faster then a Quidditch player intent on catching a snitch. How these two fit together, Ginny would never know.

The excitement of Voldemort's defeat was visible at every turn in the road, and yet the pain that had come along with it was still there as well. Reminding her of her brother's death. The pain always felt like a sword had pierced into her inmost being...It always felt the same, a stab of searing pain in her chest, the inability to breath, the tearless sobs, and then the silent tears that wouldn't stop falling. She, tough, strong, confident, Ginny Weasley was so completely vulnerable in those moments, it was like she wasn't even her anymore.

But this was happening less and less often, and it felt like the world was finally starting to turn again, though it had never really stopped. It had just sped along without her.

It was early August, and in a month she would be returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for her final year of education... Still, she couldn't help but feel frustrated at the thought of returning. She didn't belong in that place anymore. She didn't fit. Everything had changed too much over the past year, she had changed too much. Putting her back there would be like taking a piece of one puzzle and trying to force it into another one. It didn't fit, and the more you tried to make it, the harder it was to fix.

She knew her mother had been clinging to the hope that if Ginny returned to school, things might suddenly return to normal. But nothing would ever be the same again. Not for any of them. And Ginny knew that clinging to some small hope that Hogwarts might fix the mess they were in, was dead wrong. It was as dead wrong as all of her friends were dead. As Mad Eye was dead, as Collin Creevey was dead, as Lupin and Tonks were dead, as Fred was dead...As everyone was dead. As Harry's love for her was dead.

Everything, it seemed, was dead. Hope, love, joy...Because certainly, they could get through the days much easier then they had a month before, but there was never happiness in the days, there was only time.

And Ginny was believing less and less every day that thing people said about "Time healing everything."

Time hadn't healed her family, time hadn't healed the broken pieces of her life, time hadn't healed her relationship with Harry. Time had only made things worse. It had only left her broken in pieces, and so in love that it hurt to even breathe,

For the first week after Voldemort's death, Harry had been practically hiding from the world. And who could blame him? But Ginny missed him. The second week after the battle, Ginny had sought him out, tried to speak to him, tried to see him, but he was avoiding her like the plague.

If he'd only tell her why. If he'd only explain what had caused his feelings to change. If he'd only just talk to her...Even if they were harsh words. She would rather cruel words than silence. The silence was unbearable. She couldn't move on if she didn't know what she was moving on from. And after that second week, she just gave up.

He'd been making excuses to her mother about how he was busy helping clean up the mess at Hogwarts, and cleaning up Grimmauld place, and starting work as an Auror. And yet Ginny knew he couldn't possibly always be working when he said he was. Her father worked at the ministry...From him she knew what days he worked and what days he didn't. Hagrid still lived at Hogwarts...From him she knew when he was working there. Her mother followed every aspect of Harry's life that he would open up about...From her she learned what days he cleaned up his new home. And there were always missing days. Free days. Where she knew Harry couldn't be busy, because he would have Ron and Hermione over...But when mum asked him why he didn't come to dinner anymore, he'd give the 'I've just been so busy, Mrs. Weasley,' excuse.

Harry was even avoiding her mother. In fact, he seemed to have almost shunned the whole family, save Ron and Mr. Weasley (Who he saw on a day-to-day basis).

And it wasn't as if he was outright rude, of course he wasn't, he was Harry. He was just distant. Too distant...And way beyond anyone's reach, especially Ginny's.

Finally, on the first of August, Mrs. Weasley was making dinner when Ginny came downstairs into the kitchen. "Hey, mum, do you need help?" She offered,

Mrs. Weasley glanced up at Ginny, shook her head, and said enthusiastically, "No thank you, dear, go change. We're having company for dinner."

Trying not to be too insulted, Ginny glanced down at her over-sized t-shirt and worn jeans, and decided her mother was probably right, as she turned to go she called over her shoulder, "Who's coming?"

"Harry, dear, now hurry and change. Oh, and brush your hair!"

Ginny stopped in her tracks, turned to face her mother again, and folded her arms. She knew her mother's request for her to change was because of more then having company. Whenever Harry even made a brief appearance in the house Mrs. Weasley wanted Ginny to look nice. She seemed to be putting every effort into fixing any broken relationship between the two, but Ginny wanted nothing to do with this. She'd convinced herself she was furious at Harry, and maybe she was, but she was also very in love with him.

"I thought Harry was busy this week...Actually, I thought he was busy every week, to be honest." Ginny said, not bothering to conceal the bitterness in her voice.

"Hush, Ginny, he has important things to do."

"Of course he does, he always does. He's Harry Potter. He doesn't have time for people like us." Her words were harsh, but she was hurt.

Mrs. Weasley was always at Harry's defense when Ginny would make comments like this, "He's been through a lot, Ginevra!"

"Yeah? So have we, mum!" And she stormed off to change, only to please her mother. She didn't care what Harry thought. That's what she told herself, anyway.

When Ginny came downstairs, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had all arrived together. Ron still lived at home, so of course he'd come, and Hermione was always over for dinner these days, so mum hadn't even bothered to mention her presence, since it was just common knowledge she would be there. Harry was just the opposite. Ginny had half expected him to back out at the last minute.

Ginny entered the living room to see Mrs. Weasley giving Harry a hug and going on and on about how she needed to get some good food into him, and was telling him how worried she'd been he wouldn't know what to feed himself.

Ginny was grateful her mother was keeping Harry busy when she entered the room, feeling awkward about seeing him for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

She examined his face while her mother kept him occupied. He looked tired, he was pale and had dark lines under his eyes. But he was smiling a smile that seemed so genuine as he spoke to her mother, that she couldn't help forget for just a moment that she was angry with him.

Perhaps he wasn't shunning them after all.

She stepped forward and said a quick hello to her brother, before giving a hug to Hermione. The girls exchanged some small talk, before Hermione leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You have to say 'hello' to him, Ginny."

Ginny glanced over at Harry and forced a casual voice as she said, "Hi, Harry." She said, before turning back to Hermione. She mouthed, 'happy?' to her,

She heard Harry mumble a hello.

"Mrs. Weasley, mind if Ginny and I talk until dinner?" Hermione asked, in a cheerful voice.

"Of course not, dear, go right ahead. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Thank you!" Hermione said, as she and Ginny hurried up the stairs into Ginny's bedroom, where Hermione had been staying with her for a couple of weeks now.

Hermione didn't waste a second, she pointed her wand at the door and said, "Muffliato," before starting to speak, "Ginny, you need to talk to him tonight. He misses you."

"Sure, he does, Hermione. And I miss Voldemort." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, Ginny! Don't be ridiculous!" Hermione sounded exasperated.

"I don't want to talk about Harry, right now!" Ginny said indignantly, "You're a good friend! And I know you mean well, but I don't want to talk about him!"

Hermione sighed, "If you would only give him a chance..."

"I've given him a thousand chances!"

"But you love him!" Hermione said, earnestly.

"He doesn't love me."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but just then, Mrs. Weasley called that it was dinner time.

"We should go," Ginny said, hurrying out of the room.

Author's Note: Well? There's chapter one! What do you think? I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest, but I'm having fun writing...And that's what counts, right? Please review!