Title: Last Minutes

Author: ErisGrey
Summary: This is, basically, my take on Ginny Weasley's last minutes. One-shot.
Rating: K+ (Since I am afraid of rating too low.)
Pairing(s): H/G, R/H
Feedback: Yes, please…especially on the rating (too high?) I'd really like to know.

Characters: Ginny Weasley, Voldemort (Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and a few others are mentioned, but they don't appear)
Author's notes: My very first story, a simple one-shot. I hope someone would actually take their time to read this…and perhaps even (dare I say it?) review. And I would like to say that perhaps this have been done before. If it has, then I am sorry for my lack of originality. If my spelling and grammar is bad, blame it on my nationality, please. And for those I have not scared away with this author's note…I hope you enjoy this little piece of fan fiction.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

Hands grabbed her arms roughly. They had never been known for their gentleness, it was expected. She didn't notice that the huge, oak doors slammed open. She did notice the doors, however, they had, in a way, comforted her. She had gone through them several times, and every time, she had felt the calm comfort of the rooms within. Harsh words fell to the ground, having no effect on her. She was surprised at herself; she wasn't as afraid as she had believed herself to be. She should be screaming her defiance, fighting to get out of their grip, at least try.

Her eyes glazed over as she remembered him. They had shared everything the last year, after her brother had fallen in battle. She had seen it, he had fought like a lion, and it had taken four of them to defeat him. When her brother had gone down, his fiancée, Hermione had gone insane, taking down twenty of their enemies, before she herself fell. She had mourned them, of course, along with him, her beloved.

A shove sent her sprawling on the floor, in front of his feet. His blood-red eyes became narrow, but his lips curled in a smirk that made her shudder involuntary. His voice was like silk wrapped around steel. Words both wonderful and terrible came from his mouth. Then he said it. He gave her a choice. Thirty minutes, she had been granted. Thirty minutes to decide her own fate, and possibly that of several others.

Her heart clenched. Could she make this choice? Could she betray the memories of her family and friends? Could she betray him, her soul mate? Thirty minutes ticked away on the large, stately grandfather clock close to his throne. Her life ticked away along with the seconds, and she knew it.

Again rough hands grabbed her arms, forcing her to get up. She felt so weak, hardly able to move at all. She was chained to the wall, her wrists hurt immensely. She wanted to run; she wanted to go back to him, her lover, the reason for her life. She wanted to fly away with him, like they had done so many times before.

Her eyes stared into the wall, not really focusing on anything. She could feel a strange numbness taking over her. They had given her a choice, a horrible choice. The seconds was running away like panicking ants. They were followed by minutes. Thirty minutes was all she had been given. Her choice had been clear from the moment they gave it to her. She closed her eyes; perhaps she could forget everything for a moment, using the regular logics of 'out of sight, out of mind'. She thought about her lover, how he had been fighting when he saw her being captured. He was a hero, one of the bravest men she knew. And he had suffered; he had suffered just as much as she had when her brother had been killed, for he had been as good as his brother too. He had suffered when her family was killed, he had cried with her, comforted her, and he had been there for her.

Betrayal was out of the question. Thirty minutes, dropping by like the sand corns in an hourglass. Could she run? Could she escape in any way? She wanted nothing more than to hide her face in her lover's chest, feeling his warmth, hearing his comforting whispers, feeling his arms around her. But that would not be. Never again. Her insane plans faded into non-existence and she began reminisce.

Her family had been large, she being the only girl hadn't helped much either. Now, she was all that was left. The name of her family would disappear; live only in the memories, and perhaps the history books. Would her name be praised, or would it be uttered as a curse? The choice was already made, she realised. It had been made from the moment she had entered the world. It had lived in her, and he knew it, the monster knew it, but he wanted to play with her mind. She opened her eyes again, looking at him. She saw the hands of the clock, the thirty minutes she had been granted were over. They had vanished into history, and soon, she would too.

An answer, he demanded an answer. He got it; it had been thrown at him with hate and triumph. In her thoughts, she begged her beloved to forgive her. She silently begged her dead mother and father for forgiveness; she hoped they wouldn't be angry at her for letting the family die. She hoped she had made the right decision. It had been made, and this time, there was no turning back.

A green light, it was ironic. The thing that was about to kill her, reminded her of the best that had ever happened to her. The last thing she saw before death claimed her was the smiling face of Harry Potter.

-THE END-