Today was the last day as a carefree citizen. Today, though, would certainly not be the last days of The Boy Who Lived.
And tonight was our last night together. Before we, the Golden Trio, had to leave on that excursion that would bring probable death, pain and heartbreak. The journey that could save the Wizarding World, or totally and completely destroy it. The moment that would bring us all close, because we weren't going to die without a fight. And the day when Voldemort was finished, or I was finished.
Today, though, was also a day to remember. It might be the last time I see Ginny Weasley, and it might be the last day Ginny Weasley sees Harry Potter.
Mrs. Weasley had prepared the usual dinner, festive and lively. We all dug in happily, but with heavy hearts and wandering minds. I knew that Remus was thinking about our whereabouts with our travels. Ron was most definitely thinking about those dinner rolls. Hermione was wondering when he would learn to stop stuffing his face. Mrs. Weasley was worrying about Mr. Weasley's health. Bill was thinking about Fleur, who was thinking about the wedding. Tonks was busy entertaining Ginny with face changes.
Ginny and I, though, were thinking the same thing.
I don't know what made me do it, but I followed her upstairs to her room. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. She closed the door after me, and I sat down on her worn bed. We heard Ron and Hermione creaking around on the floor above. But they went silent as Hermione probably cast a Silencing Charm, along with a Locking Charm at best. Ginny sat down next to me, leaning against the wall and crossing her feet. I just stared at her, taking in the freckles and that beautiful face. She could feel my gaze, as she looked back at me and shoved my face away with her palm.
But she smiled.
"I suppose you don't have any intentions of doing anything naughty." She commented, nodding at the door. I shook my head in response, fiddling with her fingers.
"Ginny, I..." How could I say this? "I don't want to hurt you anymore." She looked at me curiously, doodling on the back of my hand with her nail. And then she leaned forward so that she was close enough to my ear.
"Then come back later." She breathed. I nodded, stricken with shock but able to comprehend. Her face was completely serious, but I never knew what to expect from the only Weasley daughter in generations.
It appeared that I couldn't sleep in Ron's room with Hermione in there, so I went back downstairs to sit in front of the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had long gone to bed, and the twins were tinkering with an experiment in the broom shack. Remus and Tonks had flooed back to Grimmauld Place in farewell. So I sat and stared at the flames, waiting for midnight to come.
By the time the clock stroke twelve, my eyes were tired from staring at the sparks and ashes. I had sat and thought out the plan for tomorrow; our departure, our first destination and our supplies. We were due to leave right after the wedding, as no time was to be wasted. Hermione had probably already thought everything over four times, but I felt my part needed to be played. I couldn't just be the powerful wizard, I needed to be more.
Ginny had locked her door to signify sleep, so I couldn't enter that way. I walked outside and cast a Levitation spell on myself. From there I floated up to her window, hoping the sill would be cracked open enough for me to get inside. I found the window to be shut, and I tapped it softly. Ginny approached me and smirked, letting me suffer for a moment before loosening the hinges and granting me access to her.
"I would have opened the door for you if you'd asked." She said. I realized she only bore a bathrobe, and her hair was damp. I swallowed and nodded. The robe showed off some of her creamy thigh, and the top part of her chest. The freckles were less there, but they were still prominent. Ginny grinned at me smugly and closed the window.
I walked over and wrapped my arms around her waist. She looked a bit surprised at this gesture, but led her hand into my hair nevertheless. Her other hand found my shirt collar, and she tugged me closer to her face. Her eyes faded shut for a moment, but she left them just like that. I blew the few strands of hair out of her face, and she smiled a bit.
"I'm sorry, Gin." I said, kissing her temple. "I don't want to be away from you. But I know you understand." I paused. "Thanks for that." She nodded, opening her eyes. They found my lips, and she licked her own in an anxious manner. I smiled at her, brushing my mouth against hers softly, but she pressed forward. Her hand traveled to the back of my neck, bringing her closer than ever before.
"I love you," She whispered, only letting a moment between the sentence and the next kiss pass. I looked at her really, for the first time in the week, and said with sure confidence and precision, "I love you." Ginny smiled at me, bringing our lips back together again, but this time it was soft. And it wasn't unlike our first kiss; it seemed to go on forever before one of us wanted to move.
Both of her hands left my body momentarily, only to be brought back to the buttons on my shirt. She undid the first one surely, but left the second to decide for itself. I felt her grin into my kiss as I untied her bathrobe. I didn't look at her body, but let my hands run up her sides, over her back and they pulled me closer to her. She swiftly detached my shirt from my body, and the robe and the shirt fell in unison to the cold wooden floor.
And
you thought it would be funny to leave me hanging in suspense Then
I'd run over to your house and I'd scale the chain link fence That
borders your backyard and then I'd climb through your window. And
I'd whisper that I love you as you fall out of your
clothes.
Somehow the back of my legs found her bed as I pulled her there. My lips found the line of her jaw and wandered from there to her neck. Ginny titled her head back to grant me better access to her skin. I inhaled the scent of her; she smelled faintly of flowers, the ones that stood in front of her window. I could imagine her during all her childhood planting those flowers with her mother.
Ginny's soft, smooth hands cupped my face but didn't position me in any particular direction. The tips of her fingers swirled the hair behind my ears, her breath growing the slightest bit heavier. My mouth continued to melt her into me, her body sagging each time I found her sensitive spot. And then she sat up abruptly, grabbed her wand and cast a Silencing Charm, a Locking Charm, and something else which I didn't have a name for. She smiled at me, bringing her lips back down onto mine and I was lost again in all that was Ginny Weasley.
My hands tangled in her hair, in the fine red mane that stole my sanity. Ginny's hands, however, were content on working on my belt buckle. She had it gone and with my shirt in record time. I couldn't help but wonder if she had done this before. She held my face on either side again, kissing me deeply and earning a gasp from me as I tasted the sweet licorice of her tongue. I somehow managed to control my hands and led them down to the small of her back. I pulled her closer to me, until closer was impossible. Her fingers resumed their mission on my jeans, undoing the top button and exposing the briefs that hid the rest of my body.
Ginny inhaled sharply when I found the clasp of her bra, and thankfully I figured it out after a few seconds. I caressed the portion of her skin there, the one that was lost to me before by the thin strip of cotton. She helped me lace the garment off of her, throwing it onto the floor and she kissed me again. And suddenly timed seemed to stop, and we both opened our eyes with our lips still touching. I saw the green reflection of my own eyes in her soft chocolate brown. Ginny removed her hands from the side of my face and searched for my own. I met them surely, entwining our fingers and pulling back from her lips.
She rested her head on my shoulder, kissing the skin there before taking complete dominance. "It's now or never, isn't it?" she said, her voice small. It was so unlike her to sound small and weak, but right then she did. She wasn't my fierce, blazing, strong Ginny. She was my scared, loving, and hurting Ginny that was willing to say goodbye in the most painful of ways.
"I wouldn't say that, exactly." I paused, pondering her statement. "I just... don't know how alive I'll be when I come back to you. We may never have a chance to do this, depending on this war. But Gin," I said, kissing her shoulder now in attempted comfort. "I will always come back to you." I felt her nod and take a deep breath. I squeezed her hands and smiled against her skin.
But her hands left mine, finding the zipper of my jeans and pulling it down. I helped her remove the clothing and she wrapped an arm around my neck, twining the other around my shoulder. We both gasped at the sensation of skin on skin, my rough chest against her supple breasts. Ginny kissed my neck, easily finding the tender spot on there. I moaned a bit, as all the new sensations of the kisses, the skin, of Ginny were ultimately too much for my body to handle.
As if thinking the same thing, Ginny grabbed the hem of my briefs as I grabbed the elastic of her knickers. We pulled them off in unity, exposing our bodies fully to each other's hungry eyes. For the second time that night, I truly looked at her.
The freckles were everywhere. They scattered her thighs, along her stomach but they were found in greater numbers on her arms and legs. I realized that over the years they had faded on her face, dancing across her nose and cheeks but steering pretty clear of her forehead. Her body was firmly shaped, muscular and bonded. She was curved, but not to an extravagant degree. The faint outline of muscle formed on her abdomen, giving her a more powerful appearance than most people granted her. Her breasts weren't of great proportion, but in all their virtue, they were perfect. Ginger curls masked the singular part of her body that I could feel hot, wet and calling against my leg.
"Oh," I mumbled, looking back up into her face. Ginny looked at me worriedly, but I smiled at her. "You're beautiful." And she grinned as I cupped her face and kissed her with all the passion I could muster. When she broke away, I wrapped an arm around her waist and hooked the other around the top part of her back. I flipped us from our sitting position so that she was lying beneath me, her breath heavy. She reached for my hands and tangled our fingers together once again, preparing herself. I smiled at her again, leaning down to kiss her stomach.
"Was that some kind of omen?" Ginny asked, smirking.
"Maybe. You wouldn't want my noble blood to go to waste, would you?" She slapped me for that one. "I don't have a problem with dying, Ginny." I said, leaning on my elbows in front of her face. "But if I do die, all the money in my Gringotts vault goes to you." I kissed her cheek and rested my head on her chest.
"But what if I'm the one that dies?" she said in a small voice, running her hands nervously through my hair. "What if I end up leaving you?"
"Then I wouldn't have much of a life, would I? Gin, really, I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."
"You say that now... We both know you want kids someday. What if I'm not there to have them with you? What will you do then?" I heard her voice break, and she didn't bother to regain control. Bringing my face back to hers, I looked at her tearing eyes.
"Then I'll have to make do. Ginny, I..." I struggled to find the right words. "I don't want to live without you." I held her as tightly as I could without feeling guilty, kissing her hair and whispering whatever came to mind.
"I don't want to say goodbye to you, Harry." Ginny said finally, holding my face in front of hers. "But I have to." I grabbed her hand, kissing a fingertip before sitting up again. I grasped her hips, letting myself slide into her slowly. Her face scrunched up in pain, causing me to freeze. Every cell in my body was screaming Move but I couldn't. I couldn't hurt Ginny.
"No, keep going." She managed through tight lips. "It's supposed to hurt less if you keep moving." I did as I was told, moving achingly slow for the sake of lessened pain. Ginny shook her head, mumbling, "Faster, Harry." And again, I did as I was told, and I saw the relief wash over her face. We soon found an awkward rhythm together, matching but off beat the slightest bit.
Ginny fastened her legs around my waist, and the increased pressure made me gasp. It made me move faster, plunging myself into her harder than I had dared before. Her hands gripped the bed sheets tightly, her eyes squeezed shut but I saw the pleasure mask everything else. And then suddenly, she opened them, staring straight into me. My mind flashed back to the image of her running towards me those months ago, the hard, blazing look on her face just before I had kissed her. Her hair was now spread out before me in disarray, and I leaned down quickly to blow a few strands out of her face. I kissed her stomach again as I passed it, and her body arched up to meet my lips. She moaned, my body burning for her, and I kissed her neck just there.
And in the end, Ginny Weasley was my undoing.
She clutched me tightly as we rode out the final wave together, our chests rising and falling rapidly. We lay there in silence for a few minutes, her hands fiddling with my hair as I traced patterns on her stomach. She cast a Cleansing Charm after a while, pulling the blankets over our bodies. She just let me lie on top of her, my head on her chest as she silently said goodbye.
And
we'd lay there in the darkness like this dream of you I had, Where
we captured all the fireflies and knew what time we had Could
be counted on our fingertips and that almost made you cry. But
you let me hold you tightly as we said all our goodbyes.
"I love you," I murmured against her skin.
"I love you, too." Ginny said, kissing my head.
"What was the third spell you cast earlier?" I asked.
"A contraceptive charm. Can't go through my sixth year preggers, Harry." I laughed, lifting my head to kiss her.
"What I would give to see you preggers..." I trailed off, smiling at her. "You'd be golden."
"No, I'd be cranky and craving weird things like pumpkin juice with a dash of chocolate sauce. I'd annoy the living hell out of you, that's what I would be doing." She sighed. "But I would give a lot to see me pregnant too."
"Ginny," I said, "I promise you'll have me back here. I promise. Back in this room, we'll do this again some other day. We'll have babies and get married and what if we have a little girl? Wouldn't that be amazing? Another Weasley girl..." Ginny wiped her eyes and smiled a sad smile at me.
"I love you so much, Harry." She said, and she kissed me.
May
I say I loved you more? May I say I loved you more?
Ginny eventually fell asleep under me, her hand holding my glasses so that I could only see the clear image of her face. Everything else around me was blurred, but I committed it to memory in case I needed to ever Apparate here. Her warm body finally lulled me into sleep a few hours later, my hand resting on the womb that would one day bring us a family.
When I awoke, I was still in Ginny's bed, but Ginny was dressed and gathering my clothes off the floor. The sun was barely up, casting thin shadows across her walls. She walked over to the bed and squatted down to where my head rested on the pillows. She had a Cannon's shirt on, worn and it had a ketchup stain by the collar. It must've been one of Ron's old ones. Her jeans were loose, her bare feet pale against the wooden floor. I reached out and pulled her head closer to mine, attaching our lips.
"Good morning," she mumbled against my mouth. I grunted and she handed me my glasses. Her brown eyes stared at me with no particular emotion, but a mix of a few. She pushed back the hair from my forehead. "Mum will be awake soon, so I think you should head somewhere else. She'll have kittens if she finds us in here." I moaned and kissed her again, the sweet taste of candy on my tongue. Ginny put my clothes on the foot of the bed, walking over to her dresser to run a brush through her long hair.
I put on my briefs and jeans, but left my shirt unbuttoned. My fingers were swollen with the heat of her room, and they didn't want to function quite right at this moment. Ginny turned to face me, gripping my forearms and I jumped. Her hands were like ice, feeling awfully cold against my warm skin. But I pulled her into me anyway, forgetting that I was supposed to be leaving.
We didn't speak for a long while, content to hold each other for as long as we were allowed. Ginny buttoned my shirt for the sake of having something to do, her fingers numb when they bumped the skin underneath the fabric. My arm was looped around her waist, the other hand in her hair. She grasped the front of my shirt tightly, reluctant to let go. I felt her stifle the rare tears she shed, her shoulders shaking under me. I titled her chin so that she was looking at me squarely in the eye. I brushed away the tears with my fingertips.
"Think of it this way, Gin: I'm just going on vacation." I whispered, as the Silencing Charms were probably long extinct.
"A vacation where you're likely to die? I don't think so, Potter." She replied, hardly trying to hold back the flow of tears that now erupted from her eyes. "I just wish you didn't have to go. I want you to stay here. What will I do, without Dumbledore or Ron, or Hermione?" She said, digging her face into the crook of my neck. "What will I do without you three? At least you'll have them with you, wherever the hell you're going. But I won't have anybody. My best friends are all going away to fight some greater force that could kill them."
And she looked at me again, her eyes begging. "Harry, don't leave me." she pleaded, her eyes so sad I wanted to fall to my knees in front of her and promise to never, ever leave her side.
But instead, I said, "You'll have Luna and Neville. You'll have Dean and the Patils. Ginny, there's still a lot of people around. Even if we end up, you know, dying, there will be so many people. Your family, yeah?" She nodded at this. "They love you, Gin. You know that. We both know that Fred and George will be able to come up with something funny if we go. Charlie will tell you about dragons, and Bill will tell you funny stories about Fleur. Maybe Percy will come back. Your mum will make you the biggest dinner ever, and your dad will ask you about rubber ducks." I kissed her forehead. "Really, things won't change that much. It'll be just like when I was in first year, and you were at home waiting to join me."
Ginny's tense posture softened, and I kissed her again.
And
it must of been an hour that I clutched you in my arms, And I
must have said the right things because you instantly felt warm. And
you heard my heart stop beating but you wanted not to cry, As
your sympathetic whispers told a tale of bad goodbyes.
I brought my hands to either side of her face and she inhaled sharply. Her hands instantly moved into my hair, tugging at the roots and she opened her mouth to me. To be honest, Ginny and I had never done a lot of good snogging, but when we did, it was the most worthwhile thing I could imagine. She breathed me in, and breathed her out. The smell of her was intoxicating, the flowers seeping in with the taste of her tongue. Her body fit mine perfectly as we pressed closer than humanly possible (but aren't we wizards, after all?) and she refused to let me go when I tried to pull away.
"No, Harry," she said. "That was my official goodbye to you."
"I love you," I said. "I'm sorry I had to end it like this."
"I'm not." Her eyes were defiant, the fierce Ginny coming back to her as I prepared to leave her once again. "Bloody hell, Harry," she said, closing the gap between us once again with her kiss. My body responded accordingly, knotting my fists in her hair and battling her mouth. But my mind screamed for me to leave, because this was hurting her far too much.
And I never really intended to hurt Ginny.
"I'll see you at the wedding, Gin." I whispered against her lips, pulling away. Her fingers stretched after me and suddenly she was eleven again, thoroughly possessed by someone who understood her, who cared about her. But I was no Tom Riddle. I would come back to her.
Breakfast at the Burrow was not unlike dinner; bustling with the assortment of Weasleys and scented heavily with meats and breads. It seemed I was right on time, as I met Ron at the landing walking out of Ginny's room. Ron raised his eyebrows, but I pointed to Hermione and he blushed. She beamed at me when I looked at her, and I gestured at Ron. She motioned me over.
"Hey, Hermione. So tell me what happened last night." I said, low enough so that no one around us could hear.
"I stayed with Ron. We did some, erm, talking. Sorted some things out." I patted her shoulder as she blushed madly.
"That's okay, Hermione. I did some 'talking' with Ginny, anyway. Sorted some things out, right?" Hermione's jaw dropped, but I smiled at her. "Yeah, she's still in her room. Go talk to her, whatever. I'll get her to tell me about Ron."
Hermione shoved my shoulder and said, "Is she alright?"
"I dunno, really. I mean... Hermione, it was really hard for us to say goodbye. It felt like the only way to both of us. She seemed fine when I woke up, but we got to talking again and we both kind of broke down. Anyway, you should go talk to her. I think she needs you." Hermione nodded.
"Don't look so disappointed, Harry. I'll tell you about Ronald later." I chuckled, waving her off. "And Harry?" I looked back as she climbed the staircase. "Thank you." She said, disappearing into the abyss that was Ginny's room.
Mrs. Weasley's breakfast this morning was quick, as she was preparing for the wedding today. She smiled and gave me a brief 'good morning' but was on her way as soon as I had a plate. I could see Tonks and Remus talking in the garden through the window. Fred and George were lifting the tent up with their wands, Mrs. Weasley shouting at them as they laughed. Ron sat across from me, stuffing his face without a word.
"So, congrats, I guess." I said, sipping my tea.
"Oi?" He said, confused, a biscuit half-dangling out of his mouth. He swallowed and nodded. "Oh, right. Hermione told you, I suppose?" I responded with a tip of my head. "Yeah, well... There isn't much to say, is there mate? I mean, weren't you doing the same thing with my baby sister?"
"Yeah, Ron, I was." I grinned, but it faded quickly. "But in seemed inevitable. In advance, I'm sorry. I'm hurting her so much by doing this." Ron put down his fork.
"Look, Harry. I'm tired of you trying to protect everyone--especially Ginny. She's a big girl, and yeah, maybe she's hurting, but you had to do what you had to do. You think what Hermione and I did had no consequences? We're going to go on this journey and have to think about everything but our relationship. And I'm basically murdering my parents. My mum burst into tears when I told her about it. It killed me." He said, a hard look on his face.
"Ron... You know from the start Ginny's been like a sister to me, but now she's more. And she'll always be more, just like I'll always be more to her. We can't change it, and neither can you or Hermione. But at least you two will be together. I'm happy for you, mate, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to be worried about her, and I wish I could take her along with us." I sighed. "But I can't stand to see her die."
"But you can stand to see us die? Hermione and I?" He said.
"You two are different. I wouldn't be myself without you guys. And I just have this feeling that if one of you die, the other would go right after. A chain reaction of the sorts." I replied. I stood, taking my plate with me.
"I feel that way about you and Ginny. She would just curl up and die without you, Harry. I don't want to see her die either, and I think you're doing the right thing by leaving her here. Just... don't leave her, okay?" Ron said, and I knew what he meant without his wording. I nodded and he patted my back.
I headed back up the stairs to change into my dress robes, and as I passed Ginny's room, I heard muffled sobbing. Hermione's voice was clear and soft, and I could almost see the image of them beyond that door; Ginny's head buried in Hermione's lap as her fingers stroked Ginny's hair. I resisted the urge to run in there and comfort Ginny myself, but I had to avoid burdening her as much as possible.
Within the next few hours, guests had arrived and were seated in the chairs on the Burrow's lawn. Most of Ron's extended family was attending, but there was also an incredible number of Fleur's family as well. I saw Bill bouncing with excitement every time I turned his way, an excellent grin on his face as he greeted the foreigners. Hermione had emerged from Ginny's room in an amazing blue dress, earrings dangling from the lobes. Ron extended his arm to her, his robes much more acceptable than they had been at the Yule Ball. His eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw her, but managed to keep his composure nonetheless.
I saw Hermione lean over and whisper something to Ron as they found their seats. She had always been such the planner; was she getting ideas for her wedding? He nodded eagerly at some of her remarks, and her head fell back with laughter at something he said. Seeing the two of them, together at last, brought the smallest of smiles to my mouth.
I did not escort Ginny to the wedding, and she did not ask me to. Neville graciosly gave her his arm, smiling his friendly smile. I knew then that Ginny would be okay while I was gone. I knew Neville and Luna would take amazing care of her. Luna understood her in that way that no one else did, and Neville was kind enough to listen to everything she had to say.
Fred and George waltzed over to me, Luna attached to George's side. This surprised me, as I had never expected either of the twins to escort anyone to this wedding. And Luna, of all people, on the clever twin's side.
"Hey mate. Got your thoughts tied in a knot?" Fred said, slapping my back.
"Oh yes, we saw that awful lost-puppy look on your face from miles away. So what's troubling you, eh? Our baby sister got your guts twisted or something?"
"Wouldn't that be rather painful?" Luna asked, totally serious and curious. The question was so inexplicably Luna that the three of us burst into raucous laughter, hardly taking time to suck in breath before we let it out. I looked up through watery eyes to see Ginny smiling, looking my way, as Neville said something in her ear.
You
swore you saw me laughing, and I swore I saw you smile, As the
time we've spent together was meant to last us quite a while As
I take this piece of you with me, I'll carry to my grave And
knowing that for someone you're an angel sent to save.
Luna had a confused look on her face when we finally stopped, but shrugged it off and said, "A more logical answer would be--"
"The nargles?" George said, winking at her.
Luna seemed stunned. "Yes, of course. What else would make Harry feel that way?" But then she kissed George's cheek and skipped off to join Neville. Ginny was seated near the front, where all the other Weasleys were. I stood in the back, watching Ron and Hermione as their hands barely touched between them, their mouths moving rapidly as they whispered one thing or another to each other.
Bill spotted me from his place at the altar and motioned for me to sit up front. I smiled sincerely at him and made my way in that direction. Ginny's hand grasped my own as I walked by, and she pulled me down to her quickly.
"Ron and Hermione want to stay one more night. They told me to relay the message to you." She breathed in my ear. I nodded in response. I allowed my fingers to brush her shoulder before rising up again and sitting next to her. I saw the ghost of a smile on her face.
The wedding music started and Fleur came out in a brilliant white dress. All the women gasped slightly and most of the men barely kept their composure. The veil covered her face enough so that we couldn't see makeup of any sort, but that didn't keep us from seeing her features.
The dress hugged her body in a way you would imagine a mother to hug her daughter. It was long, the back trailing behind her. Fleur smiled excessively, and for once it was for herself instead of others.
"Dear old Phlegm," Ginny whispered. "It really does suck knowing she's that beautiful."
I chuckled under my breath and watched Fleur grace down the isle toward Bill. He was shock-stricken, and I was afraid her would forget to say his vows, if he could even remember them. But he did, in front of the French minister and his family.
He said them to the world.
Mrs. Weasley was practically bawling by the time they had kissed, Mr. Weasley had small tears dangling off his nose. The twins were already in the back producing butterbeer and firewhiskey before anyone could ask them to do so. Tonks cast a spell that played a song that Fleur had requested before the wedding. I saw Remus offer her his arm and they led each other to the patch of earth that was referred to as the dance floor.
Fred and George were pulled away from their supply of ale by Alicia and Luna. All four of them grinned at each other simultaneously, not caring about anything in the world except here and now. I proceeded to stand, turning to Ginny.
"I don't want to make this harder than it has to be…" I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets.
"Then don't." She replied, taking my arm. She led me into the crowd of dancers and placed me there. She motioned someone over, smiling. "Harry, you know Gabrielle." Fleur's younger sister looked just as amazing as her elder.
"'Ello, 'arry!" she said excitedly.
"Er, hi." Ginny nudged me. "Would you like to dance, Gabrielle?" I asked her. She nodded happily, taking my arm as I took her. My hands went on her waist, hers went to my neck. Ginny looked at us and nodded, smiling smugly before walking away.
Gabrielle Delacour liked to talk more than any woman I had every met in my entire life. I wouldn't have minded it so much if she had been talking about something meaningful. But I honestly didn't know what to say to fall fashion, or modeling for the Prophet, or even what was happening in Paris.
I suppose I just wasn't used to someone like her.
Ginny had always been so incredibly easy to talk to. Whether we were arguing about something in the DA, or strategizing for Quidditch, everything came naturally. All of the Weasleys were like that, eager to talk about the new prank or the new Chaser for the Cannons. The new product or old stories of the twins playing tricks when they were as young as seven, or perhaps Charlie finding a peculiar creature in the tuft of woods behind the Burrow.
"I wouldn't have grown up any other way," Ron always said to these. Ginny would always nod and grin.
And really, who wouldn't have?
When the next few songs are over, I say my farewell to Gabrielle (who looked rather saddened at my departure) and head over to Bill to congratulate him. I walk his way, but I see his parents talking to him happily. I back pedal and find Ron. He is cheerily chugging down butterbeer like tomorrow is never going to come.
Hermione looks exasperated, of course. "Harry," she says when I approach, "Please control him. I'm afraid he's going to have the worst of hangovers tomorrow and we'll never get anywhere when we leave."
"Hermione, haven't you figured out that that's the plan?" I glance at Ron, who is holding back a snicker. "Isn't that right, dear Ronald?" Ron nods, prodding me on. I had never been the one to tease Hermione, but the moment was opportune.
"Oh, you both are just cracking me up. Really. My ribs are going to start aching soon." She says, rolling her eyes and turning away to walk to Ginny. I follow her with my gaze and look at Ron quickly. He doesn't notice I'm there anymore now that Hermione has left. She is grinning when her arm goes around Ginny's shoulder and she whispers something in her ear.
Both of them throw their heads back, laughing. Their cheeks are tinted red with the summer heat, their eyes sparkling. Ginny grabs Hermione's arms and starts swinging in tune with the current song. She complies, following her suit and grabs Ginny's forearms. They dance together; laughing, tripping over their feet and smiling so much their faces are going to hurt soon.
But they can't care.
May
I say I loved you more? (Keep breathing my angel, if you go
down I go with you. Keep breathing, just keep breathing) May
I say I loved you more? (Keep breathing my angel, if you go
down I go with you. Keep breathing, just keep breathing)
I hear metal tinkling against glass and turn my head in the direction of the sound. Everyone calms down enough to gather around the long table. There aren't any chairs, but we stand in our places.
"I'd like to propose a toast," Mr. Weasley began, "To my son, Bill, and his new wife, Fleur." He swallowed. "To the both of you, I'm just so happy. All the joy to you and families," a pause, "New or old." We applaud.
"Hear now, hear now!" The twins say, holding their bottle of wine up like a prize. "To you, big brother, for helping us pull the best pranks on Percy and Charlie!" Most of us laugh except for Mrs. Weasley, who shakes her head in dismay.
The continuation of toasts is long, but stories are shared and we laugh. Hermione sheds a few tears at some of the tales, and those are the ones where Mrs. Weasley is positively wailing. Ron smiles the whole way through, raising his glass each time, even when no one else bothers to do so. Ginny comes to stand beside him, leaning on his shoulder and shouting "Hear, hear!" with the twins.
She grins the whole way through.
By them time the toasts are finished, the twins are all but wasted, most of the French have red faces and Luna has lost her shoes somewhere. She is barely managing to hold up George, but she is laughing and beaming at everything Fred spits out.
Mrs. Weasley finds me. She wraps me up in her warm arms, her eyes still a little red-rimmed, but she is smiling. "Harry, dear, thank you so much for coming. You're having a good time, yes?"
"Of course, Mrs. Weasley." I say, because I really am.
I see Ginny helping Ron into the grass. Night is starting to fall, the sunset low in the horizon. The tall grass that surrounds the Burrow bows to the slight breeze pulling through the air. Her hair is dancing around her gently, making her dress float just above her ankles. She sees me and smiles easily, motioning me over to help her with her brother.
"He's spent, eh?" I say, kneeling down beside Ron.
"Yeah, it looks like it." She replies, taking the bottle of butterbeer out of his hand. Hermione finds us, her eyes bright and cheeks pink. She lies down in the grass right next to Ron, sighing and closing her eyes.
"I'll watch 'im," she says, "Go on, 'ave some fun."
"Okay Hermione, whatever you say." Ginny says. She leaned over to my ear. "Let's not wonder to far, okay?" Ron decided at that moment to roll over and groan something. Hermione giggled and curled up next to his form. When their breathing became in time with each other, Ginny said, "Okay, they're fine now."
I took hold of Ginny's hand, leading her into the tall grass where no one could see us. I smiled at her, resting my hands on her waist. She automatically put her hands on the back of my neck. They were very warm.
"I never got the chance to dance with you." I say.
"You do know this is making it harder than it has to be?" she replies, staring at the ground.
"Yes, and I've decided I'll make it up to you somehow. Every single part of it." I say, and I kiss her. Her lips are soft and sweet, and they taste like butterbeer. Her hand goes to the back of my head and pulls me closer. I oblige, letting the kiss deepen.
When one of us has the sense to pull away—it might have been both of us—we smile at each other, a small smile, and I bring her head onto my shoulder. She sighs, a gentle sigh, and she closes her eyes.
"I'm knackered." She says, adjusting so that our bodies were pressed nicely against each other.
"Me too," I agree. A thought occurs to me. "Ginny, do you want a drink?"
She lifts her head and looks at me with an are-you-really-going-to-ask-me-this-question-Potter look. But she nods and I summon two glasses of wine. We clink our glasses together.
So
let's drink to memories we shared, Down one for all the hopes
and cares. Here's too for being unaware that you're
gone, Because before too long you'll be a memory.
"To today," we say in unison, as if we were thinking the same thing. But we don't lift the glasses to our lips.
We step closer to each other.
My arms go around her, and her arms go around me.
Her head goes back to my shoulder, and my face is buried in her neck.
Because tomorrow will be here too fast, we think, and today is all we have left.