A/N - Hi guy's here's a little side project I'm working on between writing Slytherin Angel. If you haven't read it yet please do so. This is a Harry/Ginny story as they are my fav characters.

A huge thank you to RubyGloom15a who has kindly offered to be my beta for this story.

As always please review and let me know what you think. I have quite a few chapters for this story written already so will try to post fairly often.

SUMMARY - This story starts towards the end of OOTP but is an AU story. Beaten and abused, Harry finds out that he has been lied to by his friends and the headmaster. He finds out that Sirius has left everything to him, and that his parents had a will that had been sealed. He also finds out that he has a soul mate. Follow Harry and Ginny as they train to finally defeat Voldemort and keep out of Dumbledore's manipulations. Read how Ginny helps Harry overcome his past.

WARNINGS - Please be aware that this story mentions and suggests physical abuse and rape. However does not go in to any detail.

Chapter one

Harry had just left the headmaster's office after hearing his divination professor give her one and only real prophecy. The same prophecy that had been smashed without being heard at the department of mysteries, just hours ago. The one that Voldemort had been after. The one that his godfather and only parental figure he had ever known, had just died for. When he had made his way to the hospital wing to check on his friends.

The hospital wing was run by Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school's matron, who was well equipped to deal with all kinds of magical and mundane injuries, from broken limbs to re-growing lost bones.

Neville and Luna had been treated and discharged, and had already left the hospital wing together, Neville saying that he wanted to walk Luna back to her common room to make sure she arrived safely.

Ginny had also been treated and discharged although she had stayed to keep her brother and Hermione company. They had both been treated but had been told they would spend the night under the watchful eye of the school nurse, Ginny was currently sitting in a chair between their beds. When the doors to the hospital opened, she turned in her seat to look at the boy she had fallen in love with.

He looked broken, which wasn't surprising after what had happened mere hours ago. She could see the pain and guilt in his eyes. His shoulders were slumped like he carried the weight of the world on them. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that I lead you in to that trap and you got hurt." he whispered.

His voice sounded hoarse, like he had been screaming for hours. He looked at each of his best friends in turn, before looking at Ginny. Ginny the girl who had been the only one that had pulled him out of his frequent bad moods during the year. Ginny the girl who he had gotten to know now that she was able to talk in front of him. Ginny the girl that had started to worm her way into his heart, the girl he had been drawn to since his second year when he had rescued her from the chamber. The girl that he'd had feelings for since he was thirteen.

Ginny was extremely pretty, with long, deep fiery red hair. She was petite and curvy, and had the most beautiful bright chocolate-brown eyes Harry had ever seen. She rarely wore make-up and jewellery, in fact the only time Harry had seen her wear either was when she had been at the Yule Ball with Neville.

Harry remembered when she used to blush, which was often around Harry in the early years at school, she would go so red that it was said to match her hair. He loved the way she got a hard, blazing look when she was mad at her brothers, or anyone else that had annoyed her.

Harry knew Ginny was a forceful, independent girl who knew her own mind. She was energetic, and had a lively personality. During the first few years of their friendship, she became shy and withdrawn in his presence; however, she seemed to have overcome that during this school year. She had relaxed around him and reasserted her usual self, which Harry was very glad about. One of Ginny's traits that Harry liked was that she rarely got weepy; contrary to Cho Chang, who started to cry at the drop of a hat, throughout the year after her boyfriend was killed.

Ginny also had a knack for imitating the mannerisms of others very accurately, much to the amusement of those around her, as she managed to mimic Dolores Umbridge's signature fake cough perfectly.

Harry noticed that growing up with six older brothers had toughened her up, and Ginny was not afraid to stand up to anybody, friends and enemies alike. He remembered when, she had stood up to Draco Malfoy on their first meeting in Flourish and Blotts when he insulted Harry before her first year.

Yes Harry was defiantly fascinated with Ginny, and his feelings for her had only grown over the past year. Yet he'd had to pretend that those feeling were directed elsewhere- mainly towards a certain Ravenclaw. Not that he would ever act on any of his feelings anyway.

He would never be able to act upon the feelings he had for Ginny or any other girl. After what his so-called family had done to him, he was sure that any girl would be disgusted with him. He was disgusted with himself- plus how could he have a relationship with anybody when he couldn't stand being touched. Physical contact had always been painful in the past. Even now he would cringe and try to shy away every time or Hermione tried to hug him.

Ginny looked at him and he could see no pity in her eyes. But he could see pain, compassion and understanding. She gave him a watery smile. "Harry you have nothing to be sorry for." she stated.

"Yes he does." Hermione spoke drawing everyone's attention.

Hermione was a fairly attractive girl, with bushy brown hair, a bossy sort of voice, and brown eyes.

"I told him that it could have been a trick." she continued. "I told him that we should try to contact someone. To make sure Sirius was definitely missing."

Harry flinched at the mention of his godfather. But Hermione carried on, "he didn't listen to me. He never listens! He never thinks. And now because he didn't stop and think and wait for help, we're in hospital and Sirius is dead!"

"Hermione!" Ginny yelped, an angry warning look in her eyes.

"She has a point Ginny." Ron said from his bed.

Ron had inherited the typical Weasley family traits: Red hair and a freckled complexion. He had blue eyes, a long nose, and was very tall and lanky, with big hands and feet.

"If he had just waited we could have got some help and none of this would have happened. Sirius would still be alive." Ron continued.

Harry stood there rooted to the spot. He knew it was his fault his friends had been injured. He knew it was his fault that his godfather was dead. But he had the best intentions when he had said that he wanted to go to the Ministry and rescue Sirius. He hadn't known the vision he had seen was a trick. He had even said that he would go alone.

He'd had a similar vision about Mr Weasley and that one had turned out to be real. His life had been saved because of that vision. Why would he have thought that his vision of Sirius being tortured would have been any different?

"You didn't have to go!" Ginny spat. "He told you to stay here; he said that he would go on his own. It was you who insisted on going with him."

"Well someone had to be there to keep an eye on him." Hermione returned angrily.

"You were the first person to fall!" Ginny hissed. "How were you supposed to keep an eye on him if you weren't even conscious?"

Harry who had been silent looked between each of his friends again before he once more whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." before he turned and left the hospital wing.