Author's Note: This is my first published fanfic for the Harry Potter fandom; but I'm hoping it won't be the last. If you like this and think I should write more, vote on the poll on my profile.

I want to dedicate this to my friend, username DracoXloveXme1, who helped introduce me to Fan Fiction. Thank you, and enjoy. :)

Ginny never cried in public anymore; in fact now she rarely ever cried. But that night, in her dormitory, she let the tears fall. She had to cry now, so she could be strong later. She knew they would all have to be strong, now more than ever, with Dumbledore gone.

The days following Dumbledore's death were the strangest in Ginny's life.

Classes and exams were cancelled. After all that studying and preparation for the O.W.L.s … it had all been wasted. She supposed that she should be glad they had so much free time now – only it was almost impossible to enjoy it.

Ginny wanted to go to bed and sleep for the last few weeks of the term, if only to get away or to pass the time. But when she tried, she couldn't sleep. The truth was that when she lay alone in bed, her mind was too busy, her heart too anxious.

First, there was the obvious matter that was plaguing everyone at school, in fact most of the wizarding world. Dumbledore was dead.

Ginny tried to push away the memory of his body on the grounds. She tried to think of him as he had been in life. How had he impacted her life, in particular?

She thought back to when she arrived at Hogwarts. The first years weren't afraid of him, exactly, but they were awed. Yet he was so kind, even jovial. If they overcame their shyness, they loved him. That was an understatement; everyone, children and adults alike, idolized Dumbledore.

Ginny could still remember her first close contact with the headmaster. It was right after Harry rescued her in the Chamber of Secrets. She had been terrified; though she no longer had to worry about dying (for the moment), she was certain that she would be expelled, disgracing her family and her father's Muggle liaison movement. But Dumbledore had been kind and understanding and more than fair. Ginny never thanked him for letting her stay, she realized now.

Dumbledore had also spoken with her and her friends after the episode in the Department of Mysteries. He had personally made sure that each of them was all right.

He had been absent for most of this year. When was the last time she had seen Dumbledore before he died? When was the last time she had seen Snape?

If someone as trusted as Snape could betray them – who else might? Was anyone she knew really trustworthy? Pettigrew turned in the Potters, Marietta told on Dumbledore's Army … and now Snape had murdered Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had trusted Snape.

If someone as great and brilliant and powerful as Dumbledore could make such a grave mistake … it seemed as though there was no hope for them.

Despite the sullen twilight hanging over the school, the students and staff went through some motions of normal life. Each day Ginny tried to take advantage of the time off by sleeping in, but eventually she would give up, pull herself out of bed, put on school robes rather than bothering to choose an outfit, and go to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She spent almost all of her time with her brother, her boyfriend, and Hermione. Mostly they just hung around the common room together. Hermione found that even books could not hold her attention, much less make her happy. For the first time in living history, Ron and Harry turned down an offer to practice Quidditch or even go flying.

They didn't talk very much. There was much that they wanted to say, yet, through the silence they seemed to understand. Ginny rested her head on Harry's shoulder; he would kiss her hand, and often looked at her like he couldn't believe he was so lucky, or as though she might disappear. She tried to just be there for him – they all tried, for each other.

Twice a day they went to the infirmary to check on Bill. They were just starting to get used to seeing him with a scar on his face. Fleur was always there; she had decided to stay with him in the hospital wing, and no one had objected.

Ginny had always seen Fleur as flimsy and superficial. But she loved Bill even when he was ugly and possibly dangerous. That wasn't just romance or heat; that was deeper, true love. It was the first time there had been any indication that Bill and Fleur's feelings for each other were more than the fleeting emotions of courtship. There was something Ginny could respect.

For the first time, she started to look forward to the wedding.

As far as they knew, no one had never seen Luna – sweet, pensive, serene, optimistic Luna – cry before. But now, standing among the crowd that had come to Dumbledore's funeral, Ginny saw a single tear trickle down Luna's face. All at once, Ginny pulled the girl into a hug. Later, Ron swore that at that moment Luna's eyes had widened even beyond their normal capacity.

Ginny released her and said, "You're a good friend, Luna."

Luna looked at her. "Don't you know, Ginny? You're my best friend." It was true, Ginny had been her first real friend.

Hermione caught up with them as they walked around the grounds after the funeral.

"It's so strange, to think we may not come back," Luna said, looking longingly at the school.

Hermione almost smiled, hearing Luna say the word "strange." But both she and Ginny understood. Neville and Luna were the only ones who had responded to the call for help, the night Dumbledore died. Really, Dumbledore's Army had helped those two more than anyone else. They had all improved their magic, but Neville and Luna – they became more confident and outgoing, and they built real friendships. Their lives hadn't really started until they came to school. In fact, that could be said of all of them – Neville, Luna, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione.

"If we do, do you think we'll ever have a normal year?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smiled sadly, with a reminiscent look in her eye. "My most normal year was my first year, but that was when I was just getting used to this world, and we were trying to solve the mystery of the Sorcerer's Stone. Next year, you came, and there was the whole Chamber of Secrets saga. My third year, we had the dementors on the grounds, Sirius kept breaking in, and I had a hard time with my double-booked classes. Fourth year, there was the Triwizard Tournament, and then Voldemort returned. Fifth year, Umbridge had her Reign of Terror, and we were all nearly expelled. I suppose most of this year was fairly normal, up until this semester."

"We've spent almost as much of our lives here as we have at home," Ginny realized.

Hermione was still for a moment. The other girls could tell she was thinking – not calculating, more like considering.

"I'm coming back here," Hermione vowed. "One day, I'll come back – even if it's not as a student."

"Do you know, you're the closest thing I've ever had to sisters?" Luna said conversationally. Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances; they were surprised at the frank statement, but they knew what she meant. None of the three had ever had a sister; in fact Luna and Hermione had no siblings at all. Sometimes Ginny thought that might be part of the reason she was such good friends with them. Harry probably felt this way too – Hermione and the Weasleys were the closest things he had to family.

She wasn't surprised when Harry told her they had to break up. She agreed, only because she knew that Harry would be devastated if she died, and so would her family, and her classmates. She had to stay alive, for their sakes. After all, she was the youngest in her family, and the only daughter.

Ginny wished they were somewhere private; then she could give him a kiss good-bye. But as she watched Harry stand up and leave, she felt something. Conviction, maybe. She would kiss him again. She accepted his decision, but she wasn't giving up on him.

She had waited for five years. She could wait a little longer.