The war was finally over, after so many years and so many losses Voldemort had been defeated but as many were relishing in triumph the Weasley family was mourning the loss of one of their members.
Her life had been cut short by a killing curse not meant for her. The individual it was meant for was the love of her life and a life-long enemy of her family. But their differences only made their bond stronger.
The fair haired boy was destroyed the instant Ginny's body hit the ground and he turned violently on her murderer shooting off as many jinxes and hexes as his want would allow because even though the man had killed Ginny, she wouldn't have wanted him to use the killing curse as revenge.
As the man he had once looked up to and desperately wanted to proof himself to hit the ground bound by invisible cords Draco threw himself over Ginny's body, his body wracked with heart-wrenching sobs.
The most devastating part of this whole situation not being her untimely death- but the fact that the battle had been won and everyone was returning home to their families when she died.
"No!" a wild haired woman shrieked her flaming locks fanning behind her as she raced towards her fallen child "Ginny!"
She tried to rip her daughter's prone form from the man holding her but she couldn't and finally collapsed sobbing beside them.
One by one red headed family members appeared onto the barren landscape and all reactions were similar.
One with ratty hair and heavily scarred arms over his muscled form, Charlie he knew from Ginny's many stories about her beloved brother, yanked the man up and demanded "What happened Malfoy! You're only here because you swore you loved her and would protect her!"
"My f-father," Draco stuttered between sobs unable to even stand to look his love's brother in the eye and he was astounded when Molly Weasley wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly "He was going to kill me for siding with you an. .and she leapt in front of me before I could do anything."
"Lying no good filthy," the twins said in unison, Fred and George he remembered Ginny speaking lovingly of their pranks and he himself trying not to laugh when they pranked Umbridge so well. Both lunged towards him despite their own battered and bruised bodies.
"He's telling the truth," Molly whispered hoarsely causing all the Weasley's present to freeze except for Bill who continued on his mission to Lucius Malfoy's still frozen body to ensure that he wouldn't be able to escape.
"What happened Molly?" Arthur asked his voice thick with unshed tears as he knelt next to his wife and the body of his darling daughter.
"We were walking back to the Burrow. Ginny must have heard Lucius walk up behind us because by the time Draco and I realized what was happening she already had her wand pointing at him."
"He was going to kill me and she screamed and then she was on the ground," Draco sobbed and Charlie hugged the broken man tightly as he finally allowed tears to stream down his face.
"Ginny jumped in front of Draco," Molly said weakly as she brushed Ginny's hair off her face as the sky opened up letting loose a torrent of rain.
The heart broken family heard one more crack that was tell tale of apparition and there appeared the 'Golden Trio'- the youngest of the Weasley sons, the raven haired 'chosen one' and the brains behind the pair with her mass of mousy coloured curls.
They were rejoicing and laughing loudly but stopped when they noticed everyone else's unhappy faces and Ginny's body.
They went over the tale of how she saved Draco one more time before broken heartedly heading into the dry burrow that seemed to have had the life sucked out of it right alongside its youngest resident.
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It had been three days since Ginny had died and today was the day of her funeral. She was going to be buried next to Draco's mother, who had died only weeks ago, because he had begged the Weasley's to let him bury her as Ginny Malfoy- which she would have been if she had survived one more day.
They had agreed much to Ron and Harry's chagrin because they realized how much Draco loved her and she proved her love for him the instant she gave her life for his.
Ron and Harry were the least supportive of this and it had at one point almost destroyed the family.
Flashback:
"Mom you can't be serious!" Ron slammed his fists into the table making Molly jump.
"I am perfectly serious." She said calmly rubbing absently at her tear streaked cheeks. "Ginevera will be buried as Ginevera Molly Weasley Malfoy."
"They proved their love," Charlie spoke up "Ron you have no right to say anything you still believed that she and Harry would end up together."
Out of the siblings Charlie and the twins had taken it the worst, Bill had only taken it as well as he had because he still had Fleur, Percy had thrown himself into the rebuilding of the Ministry with Arthur, Remus, and the professors from Hogwarts. Ron was just being as contrary as possible.
The whole time Draco sat quietly and awkwardly in the corner of the crowded room.
"He's just a smarmy git, he's always wanted to get back at our family and now he has!" Ron cried indignantly. "Ginny was so stupid for getting involved with him! What was she thinking and now she's dead!"
"Look Ronald," Draco leapt up at the mention of his love "You can say all you want against me but if you ever breathe another word against your sister nothing will stop me. She is . . was the love of my life" He stuttered slightly and shook with anger.
"Ginny will be buried a Malfoy," Arthur stated with such finality that Ron gave up his argument. "It's what she would have wanted. She loved Draco and we will all respect that."
Ron opened his mouth to say something again and Arthur cut him off uncharacteristically exploding "Enough Ron! Enough of your immature judgements, he helped, he fought with us and he loves her that's that!"
Present:
Ron had left the Burrow after that argument and hadn't returned, Molly was devastated by her son's behaviour but welcomed Draco with open arms.
Draco, Hermione, Harry, the Weasley's minus Ron, Hagrid, and lots of professors and students from Hogwarts were gathered around the beautiful plot of land overlooking a lake not far from Ginny's beloved childhood home.
Harry had gotten over his prejudices enough that he grew to respect Draco for his part in the battle against Voldemort.
A mahogany casket stood at the front of the group and one by one they walked up to pay their respects.
Draco was jarred by how she truly looked like she would wake up any second and tell him he'd better not have ruined the wedding plans arguing with her family.
But of course she didn't. Her crimson hair splayed over the pillow her head rested on. Draco and Molly had chosen the white, silken dress she would have worn at the wedding as the dress she'd be buried in and Draco glanced at the gold and silver coiled band, ruby and emerald stoned engagement ring that adorned her tiny finger.
He had had it made special- ruby and gold to represent her house and silver and emerald for his. She'd loved it and said she'd never take it off and he knew that during the battle when she used to worry and pace she'd rub it unconsciously and twist it around her finger and in some ways she claimed it soothed her.
Surrounding her were dozens upon dozens of red roses, her favourite flower, left as tokens of remembrance and love by her mourners.
Draco was the last of the group to go up and he tried to stop the tears from falling but he couldn't and he sank to the ground and broke down again.
In the background he heard the strings of a muggle song "There You'll Be" and smiled slightly. He looked up and watched matching evil looks appear on the twins faces. He had known they wouldn't send their sister off quietly and he'd been wondering when whatever they had been planning in secrecy would be put into effect.
He turned clearing his throat slightly and wiping at his eyes with a soft handkerchief Ginny had made him their first Christmas together 2 years ago.
Ginny's parents and brothers had spoken at the beginning of the memorial and now it was his turn.
"Ginny and I were raised to hate each other," Draco started with a blatantly obvious fact "And somewhere along the way we lost that hate and fell in love."
"I think it started when I was in third year. I'd had a fight with her brother Ron and the famous Harry Potter and then I'd cornered her and was making some stupid comments and she cursed me," His eyes glazed over with fondness of the memory "It took two days in the hospital wing to get rid of all her blasted bat bogeys and from that point on I respected her, sure I made fun of Ron but she was pretty much off limits."
"The fury in her eyes when she would stand up to any one of the Slytherins- including Snape on many an occasion was beautiful and I was enthralled. She didn't notice me as more than a bully until the very beginning of my fifth year. She was running late for the train and Dean Thomas was following her trying to get her to agree on a date when she lunged into my cabin so fast she tripped over my cloak and landed in my lap. Dean Thomas popped his head in and without a second thought Ginny kissed me surprising both of us. How Dean never realized who she was kissing is beyond me but I owe him one." He paused to chuckle as did everyone else in the crowd.
"It was the beginning of our secret together because the instant I started kissing her back I realized I was a goner, I would never love another." Draco smiled and ran his fingers along the casket that would hold his love for all eternity.
"We kept it a secret until a month ago, until I proposed, until the battle really started raging." His smile fell slightly "I promised her I would fight on her side and she swore she'd spend every day of our forever showing me that I'd made the right choice."
"She never would have had to I knew it every time I looked at her, every time I heard her laugh, saw that mischievous glint in her eyes and I vowed to protect her."
"We're here today because I failed. I failed to protect her and instead she was the one protecting me in the end. She gave her life for mine and I will never be able to kiss her again, to thank her, to prove to her that she was right in putting her heart in my hands."
"But she wasn't only my love- she was a daughter, a sister, an amazing supportive friend, one of the most insatiably curious and loyal creatures I ever knew and I was lucky to have found a spot in her heart and those of you here today all realize that you are lucky as well for each of you held special places in her vast heart. So together we'll send her off and hope that wherever she goes she watches us and can hear how she touched us."
Draco had hardly finished speaking when giant fireworks illuminated the darkening dusky sky in Ginny's favourite colors- silver, red and emerald.
The twins smiled faintly happy with the final 'prank' they'd ever pull on their sister and everyone agreed that it was an appropriate send off for such a young and vivacious soul.
Draco stood at the end of the line of Weasley's and accepted the many condolences and watched as everyone slowly filtered out of the meadow to go their respective ways.
"Come on Draco," A gravelly voice called and Draco looked up to see Charlie standing next to him "Let's go get some firewhiskey and meet with everyone at the Burrow."
"I..I" Draco was taken aback by the generous offer. He'd assumed that Ginny's family was only being nice to him until she was really, truly gone and then their lives would once again go their separate ways.
Molly who had also stayed slightly behind was able to see the thoughts flying through his head clearly written on his face and reached to take one of his large cool hands in her tiny warm ones and said carefully "You're part of this family now and there's no getting out of it. Now come on let's go home."
"I'll be right there," Draco relented after a moment's internal debate "I just want to say goodbye alone."
So as the stars began to shine overhead and Charlie escorted his mother towards the Burrow Draco knelt next to his love and glanced over her, drinking in her form one last time.
He reached out and took her cold hand in his and held it for a moment "Gin you'll always be it for me. I will never love anyone else the way I have loved you and still do."
As he stood he was overcome by the desire to take her engagement ring with him so as delicately as he'd slipped it on last month he slipped it off and held it tightly in his hand.
"Good-bye," He choked out lowering the casket's lid with a wave of his wand and turning to stride after his new family.