The largest battle Hogwarts had ever overlooked was almost over. The remaining Death Eaters had fled, the rest either waiting in holding cells, or were lying dead upon the school grounds. The Order of the Phoenix had been victorious, with the help of both the ministry-trained aurors, and the largest force ever assembled of volunteers from Britain's magical population.

The only two people unaware of this were Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort; the two having been in a heated battle for nearly five hours. Unfortunately, the Order weren't able to help, as Harry had conjured a shield between the duo and everyone else after one of Voldemort's stray curses had hit an auror. Ginny could only watch as Harry was hit again with the Cruciatus curse.

Harry screamed and fell to the ground, dropping his wand in the process. Voldemort, thinking he'd won, lowered his wand and walked over to the fallen Gryffindor, breathing heavily, but Harry had one more trick up his sleeve. Drawing in his remaining strength, Harry reached for his wand and summoned the Sword of Gryffindor. The moment the ancient weapon landed in his hand, Harry lunged at Voldemort and plunged the sword into his stomach.

A cheer went up throughout the battlefield as Voldemort fell to his knees, blood pooling out around him.

But Voldemort wasn't going to go quietly. With his final strength, Voldemort cried out "perpes flamma!"

Harry was too close to get out of the way, and the curse struck him straight on, directly over his heart.

Voldemort fell to the ground, dead, with a triumphant smirk across his face, but it was Harry that everyone was watching.

It was as though it were happening in slow motion. Everyone watched as Harry fell to his knees, his screams ringing out over the battlefield. Though there wasn't a single mark on his body, Harry felt as though he was being consumed by the flames.

Ginny tried to get to him, but a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and stopped her.

"No! Get off me! I have to help him!" Ginny continued to struggle as she watched Harry writher in agony, but Ginny could do nothing but watch as the man she loved, died. She knew what he was experiencing, and was desperate to stop the curse before it got to the next stage.

Ginny knew she was too late when Harry stopped screaming; the second stage of the curse was about to begin.

Harry looked over at Ginny, the pain clear in his bright emerald eyes.

Ginny saw his lips form the words, "I love you", before black smog poured from every pore in his body. His very soul was being destroyed by the curse.

Sobbing, Ginny screamed as the smog filled the well-warded area currently holding her boyfriend. She knew that it was too late; almost nothing would be left of the man she loved after his body destroyed itself trying to fight the dark magic.

The battlefield was silent as everyone held their breath, not knowing what was happening to their saviour.

There was a bright light, as Harry Potter's magic exploded upon its self, sending shockwaves through the crowd.

People screamed as a strong, bright light temporarily blinded them, before the smog spread out and dispersed.

The smog cleared and all that was left was the burnt body of Lord Voldemort, and a pile of ashes…

Ginny sat up with a gasp, tears still pouring down her cheeks.

The final battle had been nearly two years ago to the day, and Ginny was still plagued by nightmares almost every night.

Getting up, she made her way out of her bedroom and into her living area. After travelling for six months in an attempt to get away from her memories, Ginny had returned to Hogwarts and started to teach transfiguration.

Along with Harry, the Light side lost seventy-three other people, many being part of the Order of the Phoenix. Professor Dumbledore and Remus Lupin were just two of the many found dead on Hogwart's grounds.

Ginny had been asked to teach transfiguration, as Minerva McGonagall had been made headmistress. She had reluctantly accepted, not realising that she would be teaching students she had gone to school with.

Ginny turned the kettle on and went to get dressed while the water boiled. Pulling on her teaching robes, she poured herself a cup of tea and sat down in her favourite chair.

She watched the sun come up as she thought about her past, and all those that were no longer with her. Along with the dead, many people had been seriously injured, many having almost no hope of recovering.

Her brother Charlie was lying in St Mungo's after extreme over-exposure to the Cruciatus curse, curtesy of Bellatrix Lestrange. The healers had very little hope for his recovery, but the Weasleys refused to take him off life support.

Padma Patil was still on permanent watch after trying to commit suicide in the aftermath of her sister's death, but even the best healers couldn't look after her all the time, and she had since made several more attempts to join her sister, each one getting closer to actually succeeding.

And then there was Neville, poor, sweet Neville, who suffered one of the worst fates imaginable. He had been part of a group who were sent out on a scouting mission, trying to find Voldemort's hideout. His group had been attacked and Neville, along with the other twelve people in his team had been Kissed by Voldemort's dementors. Neville's soulless body had been sent to Hogwarts, Voldemort having known how it would affect everyone there. Neville had been transferred to St Mungo's, but there was nothing they could do. Neville would spend the rest of his much shortened life attached to tubes, which would magically inject nutrient potions into his body every day.

Ginny looked up and realised the sun had finally risen. Cleaning up her mess, she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Very few students were up at this hour, but most of the staff were already awake.

Sitting down next to Professor Snape, she nodded her greetings and was returned a grunt, which Ginny knew meant 'good morning' in early-morning-Snape language.

She felt a vial get pushed into her hand and looked down to see a small bottle of Dreamless Sleep.

"Thank you Severus."

Severus just gave her a sad smile and the two of them continued eating their breakfast in silence.

Severus had been injured shortly before the final battle. The Death Eaters had discovered that he was a spy and Severus had spent two weeks being tortured. The Order had rescued him, but his torso was heavily scarred and his left leg had been injured beyond repair.

The healers had been able to save the leg, but he could only walk for short periods of time, and that was only with the use of a cane and very strong painkillers. Not that it had stopped him from fighting in the final battle. If there was one thing a Slytherin loved above all others it was getting revenge on those who had wronged them. Severus had been responsible for the capture of nearly one quarter of the Death Eaters during the final battle. He was now the very proud owner of an Order of Merlin, first class.

Ginny finished her breakfast first, and started to make her way out of the Great Hall. As she was leaving she passed two other professors who had joined Hogwarts' staff since the defeat of Voldemort.

Professor Mary Lexus was an ex-auror who now taught Dense Against the Dark Arts. She was only in her early thirties, but due to injuries sustained during the final battle she had been forced to retire.

She and Ginny rarely talked. Mary was the auror who was hit by Voldemort's stray curse that caused Harry to conjure the shield that prevented any help getting to him. Ginny tried not to feel resentment towards the relatively young auror, but she couldn't help but feel that if she hadn't been hit, Harry would still be alive today.

The second professor was Nicholas Teal. Nicholas was from Australia and helped Severus with some of the lower year classes. He was amazing at healing potions and Ginny's older brother Fred owed him his life.

When Ginny had returned from her travels, her brother Fred had still been fighting for his life from an unknown dark curse. The healers were out of ideas on how to treat him, and had called for help from any of their sister hospitals in other countries.

It was from a small hospital in country Victoria that Nicholas was found. It was complete luck that he was found at all, as he had actually been a patient at the time. But after hearing some of the healers talking about the case he had requested he be transferred to St Mungo's, convinced he knew the cure.

Nicholas had been able to remove the curse by combining three different potions together in a combination the healers had never thought of (though it wasn't all that surprising considering one of the potions was a household cleaner that is actually quite toxic if swallowed) and a simple Finite Incantatem on what was left after the curse had been weakened. Fred had walked out of hospital within two weeks of Nicholas arriving.

The two occasionally talked, but Ginny was too afraid of betraying Harry to allow herself to get close to another man.

Ginny went back to her room to prepare for the classes she had that day, trying not to think about her nightmare from last night.

It didn't work and that night Ginny had another dream.

Ginny was so happy. She had just graduated her sixth year, she had a wonderful boyfriend and the holidays were turning out to be perfect.

She and Harry had gotten together shortly into her fifth year and the two of them had been inseparable ever since.

Ginny watched as Hedwig flew in through the kitchen window. She reached out and grabbed the letter the bird was carrying. Hedwig flew over and landed on the perch Ginny's mum kept near the window, despite the fact that Errol had died the year before.

Opening the letter Ginny started to read. Her eyes filled with tears as she read what she now knew would be the last letter she ever got from Harry.

Dear Ginny,

I don't really know how to put this, so I'll just be blunt and to the point.

I'm going away Gin. Now that I've graduated, Dumbledore has decided I need to train and the easiest way is if I leave for a while.

I'm so sorry Gin, but I don't know when I'm going to see you again.

I fear I won't survive the final battle but if something does happen to me, I want you to remember that I love you, and always will. Inside the envelope is a ring. Ginny I want you to look after it for me. If I do survive I plan on giving it to you as a wedding gift.

It was my mother's Gin, and I can't think of anyone else who deserves it more.

Keep safe Gin and I pray that I'll see you again.

All my love,

Harry

Ginny dropped the letter and turned the envelope upside down. Out of the envelope fell a small platinum ring. It was set with an opal-cut emerald, the exact colour of Harry's eyes, surrounded by diamonds, with a further three diamonds trailing down the ring away from the centre.

Ginny held onto the ring and cried. She was found two hours later by her mother, but by then Harry was already gone.

Ginny woke up in tears once more. Reaching into her bedside draw, she pulled out an intricately carved box and put it on her lap.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted the lid. Inside were photos of her and Harry, taken during their time at Hogwarts. She looked through these one at a time, stopping at the final photo.

It was taken the day Harry graduated. He was standing behind Ginny in his graduation robes, his arms encircling her slim waist. The two of them looked so happy, every few seconds Harry would bend forward and kiss Ginny on the cheek.

Ginny put the photos away and looked at the next item. Tied together with a purple ribbon were all the notes Harry had sent to Ginny, either during class, over the holidays or just passed to her in the corridors.

Harry had memorized Ginny's timetable and would send her a note during every history lesson. The old professor wouldn't notice a dragon rampaging through his classroom, there was no chance he would notice an owl.

She placed the letters next to her, intending on reading them later.

She looked down at the last thing in the box.

Lying innocently in the corner of the box was a small chain, attached was the beautiful ring Harry had sent her. She reached out to grab it, but her hand stopped short.

She couldn't do it. She had refused to wear the ring while Harry was gone, insisting that he should be the one to put it on her finger. Just before leaving for the final battle, however, she grabbed it and put it on a short chain to wear as luck.

No that it had helped, Ginny thought to herself. Harry still died and she hadn't been able to look at it since.

Wiping a solitary tear that had made it's way down her cheek, Ginny put the photos and letters back on top of the ring and put the box away.

~---------------------------------------------~

The week passed quickly. Ginny spent most of her time correcting essays or talking with Severus. She had found out that it was Severus who grabbed her just before the explosion and while she had been furious with him at first, she quickly realised he had probably saved her life. The two of them had slowly become friends and would often spend hours talking.

Ginny was sitting in the staffroom; she had just finished correcting a stack of essays and was about to make her way to dinner when she felt someone walk in.

Ginny looked up and felt her heart stop.

"Harry?"

But it wasn't Harry; standing in the door was Professor Teal, looking remarkably like Harry did the last time Ginny saw him.

"Gin? Are you alright?" Blinking her eyes, Ginny felt her heart break just that little bit more.

Shaking her head to get rid of the memories trying to force their way to the front of her mind, she looked away, hoping the young professor hadn't noticed her slip.

"What? Oh sorry, yes I'm fine. I just thought- you looked like- never mind. Was there something you wanted?"

Nicholas looked down at his feet, clearly nervous.

"Oh yeah, I was just wondering if you'd like to go out with me and some friends of mine tonight. Sorry about the late notice, but my friends are totally slack and I only got the message an hour ago. They're all muggles so they don't know anything about- about you or H-Harry Potter. Well actually my friend Sam is a werewolf, but the only contact she has in the wizarding world is me, so she won't be a bother either.

Ginny looked up in surprise.

"How, how did you know I-"

"That you only go out with other people your own age if it's to go visit your brother in hospital? Sorry Gin, but the rumour mill here works faster than a five-year old on a sugar high."

Ginny was actually considering going, until she heard Nicholas shorten her name like that. Harry was the only person to ever call her Gin. She knew she couldn't go out now, not with the memory of Harry still so strong and painful.

"I-I'm sorry Nicholas, but I- I've got heaps of essays to correct and I have to prepare for my classes on Monday and I just don't have the time. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah that's alright, see you tomorrow I guess."

Nicholas left without another word.

Ginny quickly packed up her things and started to make her way back to her rooms, not bothering with dinner that night.

She ran into Severus just as she was leaving the staffroom,

"He wouldn't want you to waste your life you know." Ginny looked up at the potions master, tears in her eyes.

"You wouldn't know what he wanted." With those final words she brushed past her old professor and made her way to her room. Tears falling slowly down her cheeks as she went.

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A/N- minor changes to the story from the original but nothing major :) an update will be out...i dunno, sometime soon i guess :P

reviews much appreciated :)