Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

I'll Always Love You

By: ChoCedric

Harry felt detached from reality as he sat in a row with the Weasleys and Hermione. Yesterday they had laid Albus Dumbledore to rest in a magnificent white tomb, and today, they were burying the other casualty, someone who Harry had loved with all his heart: Ginny, his Ginny, the amazing, loving, warm, compassionate, vibrant Ginny Weasley.

Harry took no comfort that she had gone down in a blaze of glory. She'd fought a Death Eater by the name of Avery, and the man had mercilessly struck her down with a killing curse she hadn't seen coming. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have fought at all, he thought miserably. She wouldn't have been right in the thick of it.

From here, Harry could see Ginny's body lying in the casket. She looked radiant, even in death, with her angelic red hair like a halo around her face. But her beautiful eyes were now closed to the world forever, and would take in nothing more. Harry didn't know how he could appreciate the beauty of the world without her by his side.

Ginny had shown Harry what it was truly like to be just a regular teenage boy in love, not some celebrity who was worshipped and idolized for something he couldn't even remember. But now, with her gone, the weight of his destiny, of what he had to do came back to him full-force. Goodbye, normality, he thought bitterly as he stared, transfixed, at her.

Ron sat on his left side, looking dazed; he'd hardly spoken a word since she'd fallen. Hermione was already crying, sitting on Ron's other side. On Harry's right was Arthur Weasley, his face ashen, tears silently streaming down his face while Molly, sobbing noisily, buried her face in his shoulder.

Harry felt truly awful for it, but he couldn't give a speech. But Arthur and Molly understood, and he knew Ginny would too. The way he'd felt for her couldn't be described in words; it had even been that way when she'd been alive. The simple gestures they exchanged with each other showed more than a simple word could ever say.

Harry felt truly awful for the Weasleys despite his own pain. They didn't deserve to have gone through what they had, what with Bill still recovering from the vicious injuries he had sustained from Fenrir Greyback. But the amazing thing was that they hadn't blamed him at all. They still considered him a part of the family, and Harry couldn't have been more blessed.

"It's not your fault, darling," Molly had sobbed just this morning. "We knew you loved our Ginny, and that she loved you, too. We received letters from her telling us the joy you brought into her life."

"And she went the way she would have wanted to go," Arthur said gently, looking pale and drawn. "She had a strong spirit, our little girl."

Harry snapped back to the present as, at that moment, the tufty-haired man who had spoken yesterday at Dumbledore's funeral went up to the podium, and the ceremony started. He spoke of how tragic it was to lose such a young, brave person, and Harry felt that his words were not enough. Ginny wasn't just young and brave; she had been everything to him, and everything to her friends and family.

Harry sat there numbly as the speeches went on and on. Bill, who walked shakily with Fleur's guidance, said a few words about Ginny, explaining about some memories he had of her when she was a very little girl. The whole time, Harry stared into the coffin, not able to take his eyes off of what was contained within.

What broke his heart the most, though, was Arthur's speech. He had never seen the man break down before, but he got all choked up as he spoke about his loving little girl. "She was an angel to all," he said, his voice breaking. "We will miss her terribly, but we know she'd want us to go on."

After the ceremony was over, Harry, Ron, Bill, Fred, George, Charlie, Percy (who had come back to the family now), and Mr. Weasley all gathered around the casket. Ginny would be buried at the Burrow; the casket was a Portkey which would take them there. Not everyone who had been to the funeral would attend the burial, only her closest friends and family. Hermione, Fleur, Remus, Tonks, and Mrs. Weasley stood close behind.

The men around the casket felt themselves lift off the ground, and were transported right to the Weasleys' home. The others walked to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds and Apparated. As soon as everyone had arrived, they saw the hole where Ginny's body would lie.

As the tufty-haired man said some final words about Ginny, the tears which Harry had been holding back finally burst free, falling down his face in rivers. Mr. Weasley went to him, holding him as he silently sobbed. "It wasn't your fault, Harry," he said softly. "And she loved you. Whatever you do, hold on to her love, and her memory. It will get you through."

Harry's emerald eyes were full of anguish, and sobs could be heard from everyone as the casket was closed and lowered into the earth. God, it was so final. Ginny, his Ginny, his beautiful, strong, brave Ginny was gone. He would never see her warm eyes light up again, never hear her fierce laugh, never feel her sweet lips on his ever again. Racked with grief, he held the father of the girl he had loved, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Weasley ... I'm so sorry."

Later, when her grave had been filled, Harry knelt by it, putting his hands on the cold ground. The girl he adored lay down there in an eternal sleep. "I will always love you, Gin," he whispered as he laid a lily on the grave. "And I'll do what I have to do to make sure Voldemort is defeated. I'll never forget you. Thank you ... for everything."

And with Ron and Hermione slowly guiding him towards the Burrow, where the wake would take place, he gave the grave one last glance. "Goodbye, my angel," were his last words to her. "Goodbye."