This was her home. Before, it was just a mix and match, asymetrical, half hazard house on a bit of farmland. Before it had been the place where she'd been born, the place she ran and played as a child, the place were she'd grown up into womanhood. Now, it was just the begining of her nightmares. To others it was a historical, almost religous, landmark.
Slowly she bent down and scooped up a handfull of loose grain from the ground. Walking out of the field she headed for the man on the dilapitated fence.
"What do you have there?" He asked her.
"My family." She whispered.
The man looked at her with worry on his brow. "Uh, huh."
With this she knelt down, carful not to drop any of the grain. Carfully she plucked a grain from her palm.
"See, this is my daddy. He was such a wonderful man. I have his eyes, you know. He always said, "Now, sweetheart," he always called me 'sweetheart' "I may not be a rich man, and I may not have been able to give you everything you ever wanted, but I like to think I gave you the sky and sea for your eyes. I know, they'll be my undoing some day, but I wouldn't want it anyother way." He tried so hard to support us all. We tried not to let it show how hard it was for us growing up. When things got really hard, we, my brothers and I, would take odd jobs on the other farms and would put every last cent into Mum's jar. We never told daddy, it was our secret."
He sighed and knelt down beside her.
"And this, this is my mum." she said pulling out a plump grain. "She's where I got my hair. Oh, how she wanted to shower me with nice, pretty things! Sometimes, when I had to wear what was available second hand I'd see her grow sad. They were worn out and usually clashed with my appearence and I often looked a complete horror. She wanted so much for me to feel beautiful and confident. She wanted me to be strong like her and kind like my father. She wanted me to never feel like she did when she was growing up. She once confessed that she had always thought her self to be a failure as a woman. I know others thought her to be 'plump' and harrased and poor but to me she was beautiful and I would be very happy to be just like her one day."
He closed his eyes and let a soft his of air out of his lungs. "Ginny--"
She looked up at him and grew sad then as if she had suddenly discovered something wonderful she pulled another grain out of the pile.
"This is Charlie! Oh, he's my favorite brother! He used to play with me when my other brothers wouldn't. He'd read me stories from all around the world in many langueges. I can still hear him say, "Unet Vas Une Chronus" Which is Norweigien Elf for "Once upon a time." Sometimes, when I really want something for my birthday, he finds away to have it in my room before the day is done. Even when he isn't there! I never ask how he gets the money. It seems rude. I don't know why he hasn't even called me in so long. It was him who taught me to forgive, and how to accept forgiveness."
The man shook his head with aggitation. "If only he'd taught you to hold it together." He whispered.
"Oh, and Bill!" She exclaimed. "He breaks the most sacred of secrets! He's so smart and very intellectual! I've learned so many things from him. Langues both written, spoken. He taught me how to paint and sketch and laugh even at the dumbest thing."
"Fred and George!" She giggled as she set down a conjoined grain. "They're so funny. They used to pull such horrible tricks on me. But when you got down to it, there isn't anybody better to have your back."
She fell into a fit of manic giggling. Then plucking out a grain she set it on the ground saddly."And..." She started, "This is Ron." She stopped and looked at the grains on the ground. "OH! I nearly forgot Percy!" She said and started to pull out another grain.
He held a hand over hers. "Ginny, tell me about Ron. Since you've already shown me him." He asked softly.
"Oh I will, but Percy's older. I can always go back to..." She swallowed. " Percy is very detailed. He likes everything just so-"
"Ginny, why won't you talk about Ron?" He interupted.
"Why are you so interested. Don't interupt me, it's rude." She said and looked at the ground. "Like I was saying he likes everything just so."
Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped forward and slapped her hard. It left a giant welt on the side of her face.
Slowly she turned her face to him, her eyes a little watery. "Why? Why did you hit me? I thought you were my friend?"
"You want to know why?" He roared at her. "I'll tell you why! In fact, I'll tell you why you won't even talk about Ron! Because he's dead! You watched him die! In fact-" He said as he ground the grains into the dirt. "They're all dead! Every last one of them! I'm not your friend, Ginny! I'm your husband. I-I love you... But you choose to dwell in this fantasy where everything is back to the way it was, where your family is still alive. It's a dream that you won't wake from. I can't take you pulling further and further from me." He finished his voice heavy with emothion.
"I...know." She said saddly.
He shot a look at her and saw her break into tears. Suddenly her face became one of spontanious rage. "You should have let me pretend! At least I would have something! At least there would be something more then this dilapetated house and... And," She looked in her hands and threw the remaining grain at his face. "Blood tainted wheat to welcome me home! I could still pretend that I have somebody!"
"You never didn't have anybody. I was ALWAYS there." He said to her.
"And Melinda?" She snapped.
His eyes flashed with anger. He reached forward and grabbed her shoulders. "That was not my fault! It wasn't anybody's fault. Melinda died because she wasn't born healthy. There was nothing anyone could do for her. It happens!" He said shaking her.
"Oh, you're right. We should just move on like nothing happened. It was our DAUGHTER! You didn't even come to the funeral. I had to stroke her strawberry curls, I had to close her beautiful little eyes, and dress her in that tiny blue gown, the same one we bought to bring her home in. Where were you?" She asked accusingly. "Why weren't you there? Didn't you love her? Your baby girl?"
"I was escorting the bodies of your family to their final resting places! It was I who searched ruin after ruin and turned over countless rotting corpses to bring all of your brothers here so you wouldn't have to! I was being strong for you whille my own baby was dying! I never got to say hello, good-bye or I love you to my daughter because I was affording you the final chance to say it to your brothers! While you were here in the hospital holding our daughter as she slipped away, the daughter I never got to see, I was up to my waist in Irish hell-hole searhing face after face for Charlie!" He bellowed as tears ran down his face.
Suddenly, any emotion was wiped from her face. "Take me back. I don't want to be here anymore." She said getting up.
"Okay, we'll go home." He said dusting off his pants as he stood up.
She turned and with dead green eyes she solemnly told him something he did not want to hear."No, take me back to hospital."
He looked at her and his heart broke. Why had he done this to her? Why couldn't he let her live her lies? "Fine." He forced through a tight knot in his throat.
He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Mentally he recited the appartion spell and with no more then an nearly inaudiable pop, there were standing on the steps of St. Mungo's mental wing.
He didn't let her go immediantly and she looked up at his face with question.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He asked her.
"When has it ever been about what I wanted to do?" She asked sadly.
"I still love you, Ginny." He whispered as he held her against him. "I'll be here when you're ready."
With that said he slowly let her go.She glanced at him and turned away and started up the steps alone.
A lump formed in his throught and he started to walk away.
"Draco?" He heard her ask. Turning around, he saw that she was just standing on the steps looking at him stoicly.
"Yes, love?"
"I do still love you." She said and waved as tears poured down her face.
"I'll always love you."
He watched as a nurse came out and hustled her into the hopital.
It was a war unlike anyother. There would be no other like it ever agian...