Life As We Know It

"Come one Gin! We are so late! Would you please hurry up?" called the young brunette who was holding a vinyl bag full of clothes.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming, just gathering some things in the loo. Don't get your knickers in a twist!" replied the redheaded who was running down the wooden stairs with an equally big bag.

"You were the one who promised those old ladies we'd help them out today. Chloe and Ian and Tia are waiting for us! We're gonna be the last ones to arrive." The brunette scowled while handing her friend a hot cup of coffee.

"Thanks." the redhead murmured in appreciation. She had always loved coffee. She swore to everyone she knew that she couldn't function without coffee in the morning and today was just like every other day. The ladies who worked at the children's home were holding a charity auction, and her best friend Lacey and she were on their way to help around. She spent a lot her time there helping the elderly ladies out with the children. She loved working with children, hence why she was studying hard at the university to become a pediatrician. With her hot cup of coffee in her hand, she started to ponder about the decisions she made in her life while waiting for Lacey to start the car.

It had been seven years since the war. Life had progressed so differently since then. Things had changed. People also had changed. Nothing was ever the same after the war. After Harry defeated the evil bastard, he became a completely different person. He was cold and distant and he just pushed away anyone who tried to help him, even her. A year after that, he suddenly announced that he was moving to the United States. He said he was going to finish his Auror training and start a new life there. Everyone in her family tried to convince him to stay. They thought he would be better where they could see him. She knew they only wanted to help him. They came up with a variety of reasons to keep him in Britain. They said that Teddy needed him. They said he was needed to reconstruct the Wizarding World in Britain. They said if he stayed, George might heal more from the pain of losing Fred. They said his future was going to be much brighter than his past. They said everything they could to convince him to stay.

But none of it mattered to him.

She knew. She knew that he was too broken to stay. She knew that there was nothing they could say that could change his mind. So just like that, she let him go.

She remembered the day he left. He came over to say goodbye to everybody in the family. It was a rainy morning and she had awoken especially early just to see him leave. The whole family was there that day to see him off. He said goodbye to every single member of the family. But she knew, he was purposely avoiding her. He had been doing that ever since the war ended. Every time she was in the room, he would always excuse himself to another room. When he did speak to her, it was always in a polite, guarded manner. She hated every single minute of it.

She couldn't figure out the reason behind his shunning her. She missed those times when they used to tell each other everything in her 6th year. They were always so open with each other. He told her his secrets, his deepest fears, his earnest desire to survive. She told him her anxiety and worry that he was going to leave her one day and not come back. She missed the honesty and sincerity they used to have. But they had lost it and they were never going to get it back.

She thought she'd made it easier for him by staying in her room when he came to say the emotional and dutiful farewells. Her mother knocked on her door, trying to wake her up, wanting her to be there when he came but she refused. She stayed in her room with the door locked. She had placed an extendable ear down in the living room the previous night so that she could hear the conversations they had with him.

"Here Harry dear, I've packed some treacle tarts and pumpkin pasties and some licorice wands for your trip. I thought you might want them since that dreaded country doesn't seem to have much of our food. I want you to send us letters once every while. We want to know everything. And if you ever need anything, remember we're only an Apparate away." Molly Weasley's voice echoed through the extendable ear. Of course her mother would be the one to pack food for him. Treacle tarts had always been his favorite. She could see his face stretched into a small smile, showing his appreciation. Then one by one, her brothers went up and said goodbye to him. They each offered him their best wishes for his future. It was especially hard for Ron and Hermione. They were the last to say goodbye. She could tell Hermione was crying from her voice. Ron was trying to be tough but he was failing miserably.

Harry's reply was simple. But she could tell that it held so much more meaning than it sounded. "Thank you guys. I wish you the best, for everything. You deserve it. Especially the both of you. I'll never be able to repay what you did for me. But I'll try my best. You know where I'll be if you need me."

Then with one last goodbye and a pop, he was gone.

She stayed in her room for the rest of that day, crying. The pain was just overwhelming and she had to let it out. She loved him with all her heart and he just left without saying anything to her. She couldn't understand his reason. She wanted to know why he was pulling away. She wanted to know what he was battling inside his mind that kept him away from her. She wanted to know everything yet she knew nothing.

Three years had gone by and everything was starting to fall into place. People were slowly beginning to move on. Lives were being rebuilt once again. Everything and everybody were changing, except for her. She stayed the same. She finished her final year at Hogwarts and started to work as an intern for Madam Pomfrey. He rarely contacted them throughout the years. At first, they received his owl once every two or three months, telling them little bits about his training and his life in America, but mostly asking about them. Typical Harry, he didn't like to talk about himself much and he'd rather have the spotlight on other people. They all wrote to him of course but only one letter came back. Then slowly, the replies took longer to arrive. Six months, then a year, then none. She reckoned he only contacted Ron and Hermione often since they were his best friends. Slowly and painfully, his memories began to fade from everyone's minds.

Then one day, Ron finally dug up the courage to ask Hermione to marry him. Her mother was happy off the roof. She got to plan another wedding. It was the second happiest event since the war, aside from Bill and Fleur's daughter Victoire being born. Everyone was beginning to gain back their happiness. She was made the maid of honor in the wedding. He was supposed to have been the best man but he was on a mission at the time so he couldn't come, or so Ron told them. She felt silly for having hope that she could see him at the wedding and maybe, just maybe she could break down his barrier. All her hope were destroyed when she became the last one to leave the wedding hall, alone.

As she was walking back to the Burrow, she decided that she needed to get away. She hated the life she was living. It was always just … routine. Wake up, Apparate to Hogwarts, work with Madam Pomfrey, Apparate home, eat, sleep. She followed the same routine everyday and she was getting sick of it. That night, she decided that she was going to leave and go to Scotland. Once she got home, she changed into something more comfortable and flooed straight to her friend Luna Lovegood's house. She knew her friend would be able to help her get information for her trip. Luna did help her find out all she needed to live in Scotland.

Over the next few days, she and Luna went to Scotland to find a place for her to live and settle in. About a week after that, she boldly told her family that she was moving out to Scotland at the dinner table. The reaction was, simply put, pandemonium. They objected to it completely. Her mother seemed to think she was kidding and reassured everyone she was just joking and they all went back to their eating. She only smiled at them that night before going bed. The next day, she Apparated herself and her belongings to her flat in Scotland, leaving only a single letter behind explaining her need to get away. She couldn't stand seeing everybody in her life move on and be happy and while she was not. So she did the only thing she thought of, she ran away.

Life became better once she moved away from the family. She felt more liberated. She felt like she was beginning to get herself back. She managed to get into a prestigious university and befriended a lot of great people. She had a job at the bookstore near her flat and spent her free time at the children's home as a volunteer. She became best friends with another witch in her class named Lacey and the two became roommates. She was also dating the football star of the school, Ian Gray. Her life was good. She still thought about them, her family, and him. But she realized she had to move on and live her life the way she wanted to. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who understood her decision to move away and they contacted her frequently. They were the only ones she was not afraid to keep in touch with. Last she had heard, Hermione had given birth to a baby girl and her name was Rose. She Apparated to hospital one day to see Hermione and the baby, carrying a big basket full of gifts. She was truly happy for her friend and brother.

"Ginny! Were you daydreaming again?" Lacey snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face to get the redhead's attention. "Well, you and Ian must had some hell of a date last night."

"Shut it. We didn't do anything. I was just… thinking. Is the car ready?" The redhead shook her head and retorted.

Lacey nodded and the girls started to depart from the flat but a tapping noise caused Ginny to turn around. It was a midnight black owl. Lacey crossed to the window let in the owl, which flew directly to Ginny, and after she got the letter off his leg, he flew back out the window. She unrolled the parchment and motioned for Lacey to go out to the car and she would follow. Her eyes widened and tears started to pour out as she dropped her purse, causing Lacey to come back in. She slowly handed the letter to Lacey and as she read, her mouth dropped open.

Ms. Ginevra Molly Weasley,

We at the Department of Affairs of Abandoned Magical Children regret to inform you that your brother Ronald Bilius Weasley and his wife, Hermione Jean Granger Weasley are announced dead this morning at 11:52. We are writing this letter to you to inform you that you are, according to 's testament, one of the legal guardians of the child Rose Elizabeth Weasley. You are required to appear in court where an emergency hearing will be conducted to determine the best interests of the child in question. The hearing is scheduled for November 29th, at exactly 1:00pm. Your presence in court is important otherwise the child in question will be delivered to the orphanage.

Our condolences,

Department of Affairs of Abandoned Magical Children.

"I … don't understand how this could happen. Why did they die? What happened to them? Why am I the guardian? What about the family? What time is it? I have to go. I have to go to the hearing. I can't let them take Rose. I have to go!" exclaimed a frantic and tearful Ginny.

"You go! I'll tell everybody. Gin… I'm sorry." Before Lacey could finish her thought, Ginny was already gone. She looked at the clock: 12:57. Ginny had three minutes to get to the British Ministry of Magic. Why was the world spinning out of control like this?

Ginny ran through the British Ministry with a tearful face and thousands of questions in mind. What happened to Ron and Hermione? Was her family ok? Why had they died? Who killed them? Could this be a joke? Was someone just playing a sick and twisted prank on her? She frantically ran to the Department of Affairs of Abandoned Magical Children to make it in time for the hearing. When she reached the place, the witch at the front desk gave her a weird look but she couldn't care less. What she needed right then was to find out what had happened.

"I'm Ginny Weasley. I just received a letter. It said that my brother and his wife…" Before Ginny could finish, the witch pointed at the room right next to the desk, indicating that was where she was supposed to go. She opened the door and went in to see nobody in the room. Nobody except for one person.

Harry Potter.