This wall, located on Hogwarts grounds, is a memorial to all those who perished in the second reign of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. May your contribution to the good of the world never be forgotten. Rest in peace.
She ran her hand over the names engraved into the stone. There were important, memorable people like Albus Dumbledore. Sirius Black. Kinsley Shacklebolt. Severus Snape. There were others who weren't as significant but missed and mourned all the same. Terry Boot. Padma Patil. Ernie MacMilliam. Katie Bell. Those were a few among the hundreds that died. Others were closer to her heart. Percy Weasley. Arthur Weasley. Ginny read the inscription under her father's name,
Parent to many,
Loved by many,
Missed by many,
Forgotten by none.
She continued walking until she reached three names.
Ron Weasley
Harry Potter
Hermione Granger
Because forever isn't long enough
Ginny told Minerva McGonagall to carve that into the stone. Ginny became lost in remembering.
---
Ginny stood behind Ron's bedroom door listening to what Harry, Ron, and Hermione were saying. She heard Ron joke about something and then the three of them fell quiet.
"Ron, Hermione," Harry said quietly breaking the silence. Ginny peered through the crack in the door and saw that Harry was looking up at the other two.
"Yeah," they answered.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For..." he hesitated, "for being there for me. For showing me that love does exist, for telling me that I am worth something. For sticking by side when I pushed you away, for...for everything."
"Harry..." Hermione started.
"No. I mean it. I probably would have killed myself long ago if I hadn't had you guys."
"Don't say that."
"It's true. Do you know I have never told anyone I love them, and apart from my parents, no one told me they love me?"
"Harry, I love you- we love you!" Hermione said earnestly. Ron nodded.
"I know. I love you too. I just needed to be sure." Harry felt tears run down his cheeks but he didn't try to stop them. Hermione started crying also. Ron grabbed both of them in a hug. All three pulled away after a minute, tears pouring down their faces.
"Tomorrow's the day," Ron said. Ginny knew what he meant. Tomorrow was the battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort and his army were going to attack the school. Dumbledore had told the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry that they could stay at the Burrow and come back in the morning. It was supposed to be the final showdown between the light and dark forces. Everybody knew of the prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Voldemort had figured it out the summer after Ginny's fourth year and Dumbledore found no need to keep it hidden. Ginny bit her lower lip, worrying.
"Guys, you know we don't have to perform the spell. I can do the spell myself or I can figure another way to defeat him."
"Harry, we couldn't live without you," Ron said.
"I can't live without you!" Harry shouted. Hermione shushed him.
"We know. We or rather Hermione changed the spell. The side effect applies to all three of us now. Is that all right?"
"Does it reduce the power of the spell?" Harry asked.
"No." Hermione said, "It actually makes if more powerful."
"Harry...is it all right?" Ron asked.
"Ron, it's more than all right. I can't thank you enough." Harry wiped new tears away and tried to laugh but ended up choking on it. Ron and Hermione hugged him again. Ginny saw Ron pull back and take a piece of paper out of his pocket
"I...uh...kind of wrote something for...uh...us." Ron said. He handed the paper to Hermione who then handed it to Harry.
"Ron," Hermione said, "it's perfect. I love it."
"Ron...it's wonderful."
Nobody spoke. They sat on the bed, lost in their own musings. Musings of what would come tomorrow. Of what would end tomorrow. Ginny saw Hermione get up to leave but then Ron and Harry pulled her back down.
"Hermione, it is our last night. Stay with us." She nodded and scooted in between them. Soon all three were asleep. Ginny went back to her room. She waited an hour and then went back to Ron's with a camera. She turned on the invisible flash on and took the picture. She scurried back and waited for it to clear. Looking at the picture she cried. She sobbed. She sobbed for the brother and friends she would lose. She sobbed for the good people the world would lose. She cried until everyone was cried for and then she cried some more.
---
Ginny remembered going back to the Burrow three days later, after the Battle of Hogwarts and after the demise of Voldemort. She looked for what ever Ron had written. She found it.
They say we will last forever
But to me forever isn't long enough
I catch before you start to fall
I speak your words before you think them
Life brought us together
Tragedy made us closer
When days were long
And nights longer
You quickened time for me
You showed the world
In all its splendor and chaos
You protected me from horrors
And introduced me to things worthwhile
We came to one another because one was alone
And two was missing something
But three came together and we were filled
And longer than forever will we stay filled
She found it in a book full of powerful curses. It was stuck in a page with the Currahee Curse. Ginny had memorized the passage underneath it.
The Currahee Curse was invented in the 1780's when the dark warlock, Waylon was terrorizing the world. A pair of brothers invented the curse to rid the world of him. The younger brother transferred his life force, magic, and power to the older brother who then finished the incantation. Waylon promptly disintegrated and the younger brother died.
To perform this curse you must have a strong relationship with the other witch/wizard. The first person points his/her's wand at the other and say, "Currahee." The remaining witch/wizard should feel a sensation like being drenched with water. When this feeling is over the remaining caster should say, "Basamento Alleine Junto."
The curse is theorized to work with more than two people but has not been tested.
She had tore the page out, not wanting any else to see what the three had done. When she said her last good byes to Ron she had stuck it in his coffin. She placed the poem that he wrote in Hermione's coffin and the picture she took in Harry's. It didn't matter that she had lost those objects, she could close her eyes and see the picture and recite the poem. She wanted the three to know that even in death they still had each other.
Ginny wiped a tear away. It seemed no matter how much she cried, no matter how many sleepless nights she had to endure over the past four years, she would never get over the lose of Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She had never told anyone what they had done or what had happened the night before they died. McGonagall had walked into the Forbidden Forest and found them dead and Voldemort's body in little tiny pieces. Ginny vowed she would never tell.
She sighed and turned to walk back to the castle. She saw a student standing fifty feet away, looking around. Ginny strode closer and sighed again.
"Ms. Julie Dursley, what are you doing out at this time of night?"
Julie Dursley looked up at Ginny, frightened. "Professor, I was looking for someone."
"Are you telling me that there are two Gryffindor students out of bed tonight?" Ginny questioned.
Julie looked confused and then said "Professor Weasley I was looking for someone on here." She pointed to the wall. Ginny staggered and bent down.
"Julie, I am sorry. What is the person's name?"
"I'm not sure. My father used to speak about him. I think he is my second cousin or my first cousin once removed or something like that. I couldn't find him anywhere else in the Wizarding World so I thought I might check here."
"Does he have a name?" Ginny asked gently.
"Potter. Father used to speak of a Potter who ruined his life and how he was a good for nothing freak. When I got my letter he called me a freak too. Father didn't like Potter because he was a wizard. He used to speak of him to me only when he was angry but now he doesn't even speak to me at all..." Julie trailed off embarrassed and turned her eyes away from Ginny. Ginny blinked amazed. Now she knew why Julie had looked and sounded so familiar when she had seen her at the Sorting. Ginny grabbed Julie's chin and looked her in the eyes. Harry's eyes.
"Julie, you have lovely eyes. Has anyone told you that?"
"Not really. Father said I got them from my great-great-grandmother but he always hated them for some reason."
"I think I know who you are looking for."
"Who?"
"I think his name is Harry Potter, right?" Julie's eyes opened wide and she nodded.
"That's him!" she exclaimed, "Do you know him? Can I live with him?"
Ginny felt her eyes tear up. She blinked the tears away and led Julie along the wall. She stopped in front of three names and pointed to Harry Potter. Julie looked at it disbelieving and then banged her fist against the wall.
"Oh no! NO! Why? You were my only hope, Potter. I don't have anywhere else to go." Julie looked up at Ginny, "I don't have anywhere else to go."
"Why?"
"My father said that once I left, I could never come back. Not ever. I thought maybe I could find Harry Potter and I don't know, explain who I was and I could live with him. I thought it would be better. But now I don't have anywhere else to go..." She started crying and Ginny pulled her into a hug. Ginny comforted her until she stopped.
"Julie, have you ever heard of The-Man-Who-Vanquished-the-Dark-Lord?"
"Sure. Hasn't everyone?"
"Do you know his name?"
"The-Man-Who..." Julie looked up at Ginny confused, "Professor?"
"His name was Harry Potter." Ginny pointed to the wall, "that Harry Potter."
Julie looked incredulous. "I'm related to The-Man-Who-Vanquished-the-Dark-Lord?"
Ginny nodded. She knew what she must do. She knew what she must do for Harry and for Julie and for the memory of a brother and two friends she had lost long ago. She sat down and pulled Julie into her lap.
"Do you want to hear a story, Julie?" Julie nodded. "It is a story about a boy and two of the very best friends you could ever have..."