May Angels Lead You In

There's no one in town I know

You gave us some place to go.

I never said thank you for that.

I thought I might get one more chance.

Ginny wandered between the gravestones, away from the burial. She knew everyone was watching her go. Could see the smoke of the cameras; hear the quiet murmurs of people whispering about her, pitying her. And yet, she couldn't connect with her own thoughts enough to feel sadness, embarrassment or anger. She still couldn't quite grasp the concept of Harry really being gone. She still thought, somewhere in her jumbled thoughts, that he would reappear again, just as he had in the room of requirement, just as he had after someone had paraded his supposed corpse through the school. But the third time he hadn't moved. She hadn't understood at first, yelled at him, shaken him. He'd saved them all and died in the same breath. He'd never even seen the world being pieced back together.

What would you think of me now?

So lucky, so strong, so proud?

I never said thank you for that,

Now I'll never have a chance.

She stopped suddenly at the grave someone had pointed out on their way into the graveyard. Ginny sank to her knees before it and stared at their names. Yes, they'd lost their lives and been separated from their son, but Harry had been the only man she'd ever wanted a family with. She'd lost everything now. She wished she could be in his grave with him. Just like his parents were. The morbidity of that didn't even occur to Ginny. Nothing seemed real. Ginny stood slowly and looked up, behind the headstone was an angel statue, reading a book, as though it were singing from a hymnal. Harry would have been proud of her for fighting. He'd always been so proud of her tenacity and bravery, even when she was being stubborn there'd be a telling smile on his face.

May angels lead you in.

Hear you me my friends.

On sleepless roads the sleepless go.

May angels lead you in.

Someone came up beside Ginny and attempted to put an arm around her shoulders but Ginny shrugged them off and pushed them away blindly. Not knowing or caring who it had been. She walked away quickly, towards the gates of the graveyard where still more reporters and photographers stood clutching quills and cameras. As they began their barrage of questions, drowning out tearful speech someone was reading from Harry's graveside. She broke into a run, straight through the reporters; those who didn't move were simply shoved aside or knocked over as Ginny picked up speed.

So what would you think of me now?

So lucky, so strong, so proud?

I never said thank you for that,

Now I'll never have a chance.

May angels lead you in.

Hear you me my friends.

On sleepless roads the sleepless go.

May angels lead you in.

May angels lead you in.

May angels lead you in.

Ginny didn't stop, but collapsed. Her throat and muscles were burning fiercely, her breath coming in the most horrible rattling gasps. She was sure she'd suffocated herself and she wasn't afraid. So she closed her eyes and everything was black.

And if you were with me tonight,

I'd sing to you just one more time.

A song for a heart so big,

God wouldn't let it live.

May angels lead you in.

Hear you me my friends.

On sleepless roads the sleepless go.

May angels lead you in.

May angels lead you in.

Hear you me my friends.

On sleepless roads the sleepless go.

May angels lead you in.

May angels lead you in.

Behind her eyelids she saw herself sitting on the end of the sofa in Gryffindor common room. Her legs were laid across Harry's lap and a pygmy puff was racing up and down her legs making that happy squealing noise. She felt so sure of her life. Of what was to come. Even knowing that there was still a battle and much suffering to come, she'd been sure she'd still have Harry at the end of it. She watched him grinning at the pink fluffy thing with eyebrows raised. She'd been so sure. There was no way someone as good, young and resilient as Harry could just be gone.

Her eyes opened again to the loud morning chorus and she looked around the field she'd slept in. Overgrown grass with the odd buttercup and grey, foreboding sky above her, stretching further that her eyes could see.