From the Inside
Monumental moments in Ginny Weasley's life at the end of the war.
"You didn't do the thing."
Ginny turned from the window from which she was gazing, and looked at Harry.
"Pardon?"
Harry motioned to the bed as he pulled his shirt on, "You didn't do the thing you do…when we started…or rather before we got too carried away – "
Ginny smiled at him as she walked over to him, tousling his hair.
"Yeah, I know I didn't do the thing, which by the way, is a contraceptive charm. And I noticed that you didn't question that decision at the moment…were you just really anxious to make love to me one last time?"
Harry gave a wan smile, "I'm thinking the latter."
She laughed, "I thought as much!" She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. She leaned back again, sinking into her desk chair. "I hope that wasn't our swan song."
Their eyes connected for a moment before he turned away.
"We have to face the facts, Gin."
"You are going to survive this." Ginny stated bluntly.
"Yeah, that's what we're all hoping, but there is a good chance I'm not! This might be the last time we ever see each other, and I wanted to remember every inch of you, and what it felt like to be inside you and all around you." Harry stood up, grabbing his sweatshirt.
"I understand that, I do, Harry. I just…I want us to have this chance again. I want to hear that you defeated Voldemort with my brother and Hermione, and I want to marry you and live together and have children, and by God have a lot of fun making them!"
Harry grabbed her and hugged her fiercely. "I swear to you, if I come away from this, we are getting a white picket fence and a hugely embarrassing wedding and we will have a dozen kids if you want them…"
He pulled away from her and slowly looked down at her belly. "And neither of us cast that charm, so we might be making that family already."
She took one of his hands in hers, placing just below her belly button, "If that's true, you better come back to me. I swear Harry, if you die, I will dig you up, bring you to life, and kill you again!"
As he could only with Ginny, Harry burst out laughing as he hugged her, while they both felt like crying.
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The finale battle was that very night. Ginny and Luna were huddled together at the Burrow, and neither one of them could stand doing nothing. They apparated outside Hogwarts, where the dueling wands were tearing apart the school from the inside. They ran along the tree line, trying to stay out of sight.
"Stop or I'll shoot!" A voice came from the shadows as they had reached the castle.
Luna and Ginny both froze briefly, before they started to laugh. "Shoot? What are we, in a muggle movie?"
The figure in the shadows sighed as he stepped forward. It was Draco.
"What are you two doing here?" He asked harshly.
"Helping the cause, obviously." Luna snapped at him, her wand drawn.
"It's too dangerous here for you."
Ginny looked at him angrily, "Oh, and why should we be listening to a Death Eater?"
Draco was unable to meet her eyes, "Look, Professor Snape has me keeping watch. We're trying to filter out as many innocent bystanders as possible."
Ginny and Luna gave each other a look, before quickly walking to the castle.
"My entire family and all my closest friends save for Luna are in there fighting – there is no way I'm no helping!" Ginny exclaimed, as they walked past him.
Draco blocked them by tightly grabbing Ginny's arm, "What does your lover-boy Potter think about your fighting?"
Ginny glared at him, "He wants me to be safe but he knows he can't stop me if I want to do this." His grip on her arm tightened as he pulled her closer to him. Ginny felt uncomfortable as goose bumps formed on her next and cheek, where she could feel his strong, slow breaths. His eyes played on her face and hair then wandered down, before Luna quickly brought her wand up to his chin, lifting his face so he was looking straight at her.
"Take you mitts off my best friend." She stated in a strong, clear voice.
Severus Snape came rushing by them at that point. He glanced at them, scowling, "Draco, stop flirting, I need your help as I've lost track of your father."
Draco risked a glance towards Snape and grimaced, though he did not release his hold on Ginny's arm.
"Draco how is your wife, Pansy?" Ginny asked icily.
He quickly dropped her arm, his face becoming a mask. "She's fucking my father," he took a step back, "I'm not going to be able to protect you from what you're getting yourselves into."
"We don't need your protection, Malfoy." Luna said.
He walked up to Snape and the open door to the school before turning to them one last time, as he bitterly stated, "Fine, have a nice death."
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Time seemed to lose itself in battle. Ginny and Luna had arrived at the school sometime around 1 pm, but the somewhere in between running for your life, grieving over the dead you found on the way, and throwing spells and jinxes at anyone cowardly enough to wear a mask, Ginny had no idea what time it was, how long she had been there. The sky was overtaken with smoke and clouds and mingling colors of curses ravaging their victims' bodies. She wondered if she would ever remember what blue sky or a clear night looked like. She had seen a moment of Harry an hour or so ago, or maybe more. His face had been full of alarm, for a split second, before a grateful smile came to him. Somehow they knew, that even if these were their last moments, they would be in this together.
She hadn't seen Ron, Hermione, or any of her family yet. She had even somehow became separated from Luna. McGonagall and Sinistra had both come across her, and after dodging two badly aimed curses, told her about some rooms in the dungeon that hadn't been breached. Almost blindly, she ran down the floors as her life depended on it.
She nearly ran into Luna, who came running out of a storeroom in the dungeons.
"Oh, Ginny! I – I – I can't…she's, I just – !" Luna's words came stumbling out incoherently.
Ginny grabbed her friend's shoulders and tried to steady her. "Luna, what is it?"
Luna took a very deep breath, "Cho Chang is dead." She slowly pointed through the open door from which she had emerged.
"Are you positive?"
Luna nodded, going straight from sobbing to the hiccups. "I heard her screaming and ran down the corridor, just in time to see Lucius Malfoy running away, and she was just lying there…it was like Cedric Diggory all over again – just a waste!"
Ginny gave Luna a quick hug. "I know it hurts, Luna, but we have to keep going. We need to put Cho's body somewhere safe and let stronger witches and wizards than us go after Lucius."
They hurried into the room to find Cho slumped up against a table, her eyes were open, glassy, and had already rolled upwards. She was, as Luna feared, dead. Ginny spoke to Luna hurriedly.
"Go find a teacher." Luna nodded before she tore out of the room. Ginny quietly squeezed Cho's hand as she gently closed the girl's empty eyes.
"How, touching, Ginevra." A cold voice came from behind her.
Ginny whipped around, wand at the ready, to see Lucius Malfoy standing there, as he sent her wand flying from her hand.
Lucius expected women to tremble before him. He had to give it to the youngest Weasley, she had gumption.
"You've disarmed me, are you planning on doing to me what you did to Cho? She was a young, innocent girl, and you are a spineless coward." Ginny bit out.
He gave a tight smile. "I have to say, Ginevra, most people would be praying for their life right now."
She looked straight into his eyes. "Well you see, I'm not very religious."
He quickly grabbed her by the hair, "When this is over, you will wish you were and that God was watching over you." His anger resonated through the air.
She bit back the pain from his grip, "Could you be a little more clichéd?"
He had the nerve to laugh at what she said. "I can see why my son is so obsessed with you." He brought his hand up to her face, and for a moment Ginny feared what wandless spells he knew, but instead, he just touched her lips with his index finger, and slowly dragged it down her chin and stopping at the neckline of her shirt. He hooked his finger on her shirt, which made her shiver, before he pulled his hand away.
"You are a sadistic bastard." She spat at him.
He gave her another tight smile, "Now, Ginevra, it doesn't do any good to call me names. I have worked very hard to cultivate this image, and consider such words to be compliments. Therefore – "
He suddenly threw her against a wall, her head knocking hard against the stone, making her vision discombobulated so she never saw him get close to her. She heard rustling, and looked up, just in time for him silently cast a charm on her, which prohibited her from moving. He leaned over her, grabbing her jeans by the waist.
"Thank you for that compliment," He leaned his face to mere inches from her own. A cold smile spread across his face as his eyes pierces hers, "and by the way – this is really going to hurt."
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