Ginny Weasley stared up at the ancient assortment of stars scattered
throughout the timeless sky. They never used to be so old, before now.
Just like she and Harry, they never used be so old. They used to be young and full of life, but no longer. (Ginny is 24)
Harry has gone now; fighting against the evil that has so disgustingly plagued the wizarding world.
As Ginny sits alone under the stars, somewhere, far away, another sits looking up at those same stars. It is hard to believe they are still up there, those stars. So much has changed in the world, so many have been lost--some to death, others to a living death in Voldemort's service. Lives lost; lives changed irrevocably. So much has changed... Yet the stars have not. They are constants. They can always be counted upon to be as they have always been--even when the world below them is in chaos.
Harry rolled up the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. Hedwig had been his constant companion from his first day at Hogwarts. Through all the turmoil, through all the loss, somehow Hedwig had remained. He reached up and stroked the beautiful owl's feathers. "Find her, Hedwig. I don't know where she is, but please find her."
Hedwig looked at Harry, sadness and determination in his eyes, and flew away. Harry watched Hedwig as he flew, his white feathers shimmering in the moonlight, against the backdrop of the immutable sky.
*****
Ginny looked up as she heard the beating of wings over her head. Her heart leapt in her throat. Was that...? Could that be Harry's owl? As the owl landed in front of her eyes brightened with joy. It was Hedwig!
"Oh Hedwig! It's been so very long!" She reached out and stroked the feathers of the noble bird. "Have you brought me word from Harry?" She took the roll of parchment. She stared at it for a long moment, wanting to read it, desperate to read it, yet fearing what news it might contain.
With a slightly shaking hand, she unrolled the parchment. She smiled as she recognized Harry's hand. Before she read a word, she touched the letters, as if trying to touch the one whose hand had formed them. Then she read:
Dearest Ginny:
I don't know if this will reach you. I know Hedwig will do her very best to find you... But so much has changed...who can know where you find yourself these days. I only hope it is somewhere safe, somewhere where none of this evil that surrounds me can touch you.
I was just thinking about you, about us, and our days at Hogwarts. So very long ago... a lifetime ago, really. It has been 3 years since I saw you last. But my fingers can still feel the softness of your hair; my lips can still feel the warmth of your lips... And your smile... that sweet, gentle smile that can light up the darkest room... That smile still lights my eyes, still gives me hope when all around me is dark.
I cannot tell you where I am. I cannot trust that this message will only be seen by you. You know Voldemort has spies everywhere--and you know how much he wants my life (notice I did not say my death, for he wants far more from me than my death). Just know that I am safe, for the moment. And thinking of you. And wishing I was there with you. Wishing that my fingers were tangled in your soft hair. Wishing that my lips were tasting your warm, sweet lips. Wishing that I could hold you in my arms as I now hold you in my heart.
Love always,
Harry
Ginny was now aware of the tears running down her cheeks. Oh how she missed her beloved Harry.
... ... ... ...*rustle rustle* (the sound of footsteps)
Ginny turned, wondering what was making the soft noises in the grass.
"Stupify"
Ginny fell to ground in a deep void of pain. Shaking violently still clutching Harry's letter in her hand.
A hooded figure stood looking down at Ginny. A soft laugh sounded from beneath the hood. "Ah, Ginny." the voice was low and drawling. "How foolish of you to be out here so.alone."
"And what do we have here?" He bent down and reached for the letter in Ginny's hand. As he did so, the left sleeve of his robe slipped back, revealing the unmistakable sign of one of Voldemort's Death Eaters: The Dark Mark.
He also recognized the hand immediately. He threw back his head and laughed. It was a cold laugh, almost an evil laugh. The hood of his robe fell away from his face. As he read the letter, his lips twisted into a slow, malevolent smile. His steel-gray eyes glittered in the moonlight. And he laughed again.
He looked down at Ginny again. "You were always such a fool, Ginny!" He spat the words. "I offered you so much! Everything you could possibly want, I could have given you-and more!" The words were bitter, angry. "But no. you had to have perfect Harry Potter." He crumpled the parchment and threw it to the ground.
He pushed the hood back over his pale hair. He reached down and touched Ginny's arm. With a wave of his wand, both he and Ginny disapparated. As they disappeared, a warm breeze rustled by, sweeping the parchment away.
When Ginny awoke from the bliss that was still causing her to shake a small bit she noticed that she wasn't on the small hilltop by her house anymore, in fact she had no idea where she was or why she was here, until her eyes fell the pale figure peering down at her, amusement in his eyes.
"Dreaming of him, no doubt," the pale figure sneered. "I could tell by that sickening smile on your face." The bitterness that tinged his words was obvious, even to Ginny's disoriented ears, yet the amusement never left his eyes, as if he were laughing inwardly at some secret joke.
He laughed softly. "How very entertaining that you still dream of him after all these years. Pathetic! But entertaining." He took a step closer to her, reaching his hand out to touch her slightly flushed cheek. "And apparently he still dreams of you, "Dearest Ginny." His lips twitched unpleasantly. "That will make things so much easier for us."
A door opened and another hooded figure came into the room. "Well, done, my son" a soft voice purred from beneath the hood. As he approached, he pushed the hood back from his face. There was no mistaking the face.or the family resemblance. "Miss Weasley." he began, his voice much like his son's, but slightly deeper, slightly more deadly. "How very good of you to join us. It has been far too long since we have had the pleasure of a.Weasley in our home." His tone clearly indicated that having a Weasley in his home was anything but a pleasure.
All Ginny wanted to do right then was get away from where ever she was. She tried to squirm a little ways away from the two pale figures but found that she could not. Looking up, with hatred, her eyes met Draco's instantly. Like people say, old habits die hard.
Just like she and Harry, they never used be so old. They used to be young and full of life, but no longer. (Ginny is 24)
Harry has gone now; fighting against the evil that has so disgustingly plagued the wizarding world.
As Ginny sits alone under the stars, somewhere, far away, another sits looking up at those same stars. It is hard to believe they are still up there, those stars. So much has changed in the world, so many have been lost--some to death, others to a living death in Voldemort's service. Lives lost; lives changed irrevocably. So much has changed... Yet the stars have not. They are constants. They can always be counted upon to be as they have always been--even when the world below them is in chaos.
Harry rolled up the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. Hedwig had been his constant companion from his first day at Hogwarts. Through all the turmoil, through all the loss, somehow Hedwig had remained. He reached up and stroked the beautiful owl's feathers. "Find her, Hedwig. I don't know where she is, but please find her."
Hedwig looked at Harry, sadness and determination in his eyes, and flew away. Harry watched Hedwig as he flew, his white feathers shimmering in the moonlight, against the backdrop of the immutable sky.
*****
Ginny looked up as she heard the beating of wings over her head. Her heart leapt in her throat. Was that...? Could that be Harry's owl? As the owl landed in front of her eyes brightened with joy. It was Hedwig!
"Oh Hedwig! It's been so very long!" She reached out and stroked the feathers of the noble bird. "Have you brought me word from Harry?" She took the roll of parchment. She stared at it for a long moment, wanting to read it, desperate to read it, yet fearing what news it might contain.
With a slightly shaking hand, she unrolled the parchment. She smiled as she recognized Harry's hand. Before she read a word, she touched the letters, as if trying to touch the one whose hand had formed them. Then she read:
Dearest Ginny:
I don't know if this will reach you. I know Hedwig will do her very best to find you... But so much has changed...who can know where you find yourself these days. I only hope it is somewhere safe, somewhere where none of this evil that surrounds me can touch you.
I was just thinking about you, about us, and our days at Hogwarts. So very long ago... a lifetime ago, really. It has been 3 years since I saw you last. But my fingers can still feel the softness of your hair; my lips can still feel the warmth of your lips... And your smile... that sweet, gentle smile that can light up the darkest room... That smile still lights my eyes, still gives me hope when all around me is dark.
I cannot tell you where I am. I cannot trust that this message will only be seen by you. You know Voldemort has spies everywhere--and you know how much he wants my life (notice I did not say my death, for he wants far more from me than my death). Just know that I am safe, for the moment. And thinking of you. And wishing I was there with you. Wishing that my fingers were tangled in your soft hair. Wishing that my lips were tasting your warm, sweet lips. Wishing that I could hold you in my arms as I now hold you in my heart.
Love always,
Harry
Ginny was now aware of the tears running down her cheeks. Oh how she missed her beloved Harry.
... ... ... ...*rustle rustle* (the sound of footsteps)
Ginny turned, wondering what was making the soft noises in the grass.
"Stupify"
Ginny fell to ground in a deep void of pain. Shaking violently still clutching Harry's letter in her hand.
A hooded figure stood looking down at Ginny. A soft laugh sounded from beneath the hood. "Ah, Ginny." the voice was low and drawling. "How foolish of you to be out here so.alone."
"And what do we have here?" He bent down and reached for the letter in Ginny's hand. As he did so, the left sleeve of his robe slipped back, revealing the unmistakable sign of one of Voldemort's Death Eaters: The Dark Mark.
He also recognized the hand immediately. He threw back his head and laughed. It was a cold laugh, almost an evil laugh. The hood of his robe fell away from his face. As he read the letter, his lips twisted into a slow, malevolent smile. His steel-gray eyes glittered in the moonlight. And he laughed again.
He looked down at Ginny again. "You were always such a fool, Ginny!" He spat the words. "I offered you so much! Everything you could possibly want, I could have given you-and more!" The words were bitter, angry. "But no. you had to have perfect Harry Potter." He crumpled the parchment and threw it to the ground.
He pushed the hood back over his pale hair. He reached down and touched Ginny's arm. With a wave of his wand, both he and Ginny disapparated. As they disappeared, a warm breeze rustled by, sweeping the parchment away.
When Ginny awoke from the bliss that was still causing her to shake a small bit she noticed that she wasn't on the small hilltop by her house anymore, in fact she had no idea where she was or why she was here, until her eyes fell the pale figure peering down at her, amusement in his eyes.
"Dreaming of him, no doubt," the pale figure sneered. "I could tell by that sickening smile on your face." The bitterness that tinged his words was obvious, even to Ginny's disoriented ears, yet the amusement never left his eyes, as if he were laughing inwardly at some secret joke.
He laughed softly. "How very entertaining that you still dream of him after all these years. Pathetic! But entertaining." He took a step closer to her, reaching his hand out to touch her slightly flushed cheek. "And apparently he still dreams of you, "Dearest Ginny." His lips twitched unpleasantly. "That will make things so much easier for us."
A door opened and another hooded figure came into the room. "Well, done, my son" a soft voice purred from beneath the hood. As he approached, he pushed the hood back from his face. There was no mistaking the face.or the family resemblance. "Miss Weasley." he began, his voice much like his son's, but slightly deeper, slightly more deadly. "How very good of you to join us. It has been far too long since we have had the pleasure of a.Weasley in our home." His tone clearly indicated that having a Weasley in his home was anything but a pleasure.
All Ginny wanted to do right then was get away from where ever she was. She tried to squirm a little ways away from the two pale figures but found that she could not. Looking up, with hatred, her eyes met Draco's instantly. Like people say, old habits die hard.