Two figures stood before Dumbledore's White Tomb. The grave held a great significance for both of them, though neither had anything to do with the Death of their beloved Headmaster. Often they would come here to think.
-
Ginny Weasley wept silently. Anyone who saw her would believe she shed those tears for Dumbledore, but they did not know. Ginny had long ago accepted his Death. She no longer cried for him; she cried for Harry.
She cried out of sadness, yes, but she cried out of bitterness as well. Every time she thought of Harry, behind the melancholy was a great feeling of anger and frustration. i He is a great fool, /i she thought, i but then, he was just trying to protect me. /i
At first, when he let her go at the funeral, she just took it and accepted it. He was being noble and trying to keep Voldemort from harming her.
But then she came to realize something. Voldemort uses people close to you to get at you, doesn't he? That's how Harry put it. So what difference does it make whether or not they are "together?" They still care about each other. Voldemort may not know love, but he is still clever. He would find out about them somehow. Ginny knew she wasn't safe either way.
She was angry with Harry, and she resented all his stupid decisions.
-
Remus Lupin's thoughts stopped, as they so often did, on Fenrir Greyback.
i It's his fault, /i he thought. i Every single thing is all his fault. /i
Because of Fenrir Greyback, Lupin couldn't have a normal childhood. Every month, he would go through all the pain of transformation. Because of Fenrir, he put all of his friends at risk. He destroyed an entire house built just for him.
Remus Lupin couldn't find a job. No one would hire him because they were afraid. They didn't know about the Wolfsbane potion and they didn't care; He was dangerous. But he was poor, and not in good health. Sure, one learns to cope, but he could hardly take care of himself. How could you not hate someone who did that to you?
These were the things he had always thought about, but lately Nymphadora had been coming into the picture as well. Or Tonks, rather. He was trying to start calling her by the name she preferred.
It was a funny thing, really – Tonks being in Love with him. He hadn't expected it and protested for the longest time, but then found himself starting to care for her. He was glad that at the funeral, because of him, she could finally be herself again. Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted her to be unhappy. Remus wanted to protect her and make her happy, but he knew how difficult that would be. And so he began thinking about Fenrir Greyback even more.
How could you not resent the person who ruined your life?
-
The two turned and acknowledged each other with forced smiles on their faces. Neither could begin to imagine how hard it was for the other.
