What If?
Flashback
"They're gone" Ginny breathed as she looked around. The scene was chaotic. People trying to find loved ones that had gone missing during the battle, people finding loved ones dead or seriously injured. Every few minutes she would hear screams from someone. She surveyed a little more and found that her brothers had all made it through the battle and were helping others find out how many were dead, and how many were injured. There wasn't very much blood, most of the spells fired had been Crucio or the killing curse. Still, the scene was one of horror.
"Harry" Ginny called out. She wasn't sure if he was ok or not. All she knew was that he had killed Voldemort, and shortly afterwards all the remaining Death Eaters had presumably, fled. "Harry where are you?" she called again. She was looking around some more. They were standing in a huge field that seemed never ending, and when they had arrived for the battle earlier that morning it had seemed like such a peaceful place. Now it was a scene of death and torture. The long grass was matted in some places where people had been standing, or moving around, or even where bodies now lay.
Ginny started walking around, trying to help, and yet trying to find Harry at the same time. She wasn't even sure if he'd made it or not. 'Don't think like that Ginny' she had thought 'Of course he's alive.'
Harry surveyed all of the destruction and death from a hill to the east of where Ginny was. He had succeeded, and yet he had a feeling that it wasn't over, that he would lose something else before it was to end. When he heard Ginny calling for him he smiled. Now he could live in peace knowing that she was ok, and that she was no longer in danger. He could ask her out again, and they would both be happy. "I'm up here Gin" he called and she turned to face him. She smiled and started towards the hill.
That was when he noticed it. A hooded figure standing in the tall grass about fifty feet away from Ginny. Harry stared for a moment and tried to figure out who it was. All the Death Eaters had fled, hadn't they? 'No, Harry they haven't there is one left that wants revenge for his master.' Harry thought. The figure pulled a wand out of its pocket and raised it, aimed it at Ginny back.
"Ginny! Ginny behind you!" he called to her. Ginny turned to face the hooded person and the look on her face as she stood half turned to him, half to Harry, in that last moment imprinted on Harry's brain forever, because in the next second a flash of green light erupted from the hooded person's wand, and Ginny lay face down in the tall grass. Dead.
End Flashback
Harry stood, staring at the tombstone in front of him. It had been two weeks since the battle, and they had just barely had Ginny's funeral. Everyone else had already headed back to the Burrow, because of the threat of rain, but Harry couldn't leave, not yet. He had thought that finally his life would be without the problems that this war had caused. He had hoped that Ginny would understand his reasons for avoiding her for almost two years, but he had never gotten the chance to find out if she did or not.
Why did the only Death Eater remaining in that field have to spot Ginny as a target? Why had Harry not been able to warn her in time? These were the questions he had been asking himself since he could stand to think. The moment Ginny had fallen to the ground, the Death Eater had disapparated. Harry still hadn't found out who it was, but he would.
He remembered numbly calling for help and running down the hill to Ginny's lifeless body. No one had heard his call. No one paid any attention that one last curse had been fired. No one cared that 17 year old Ginny Weasley was dead. Not in that moment at least, but when aurrors had made it to that end of the field and seen Harry sitting there crying over Ginny's body, they had called Arthur Weasley over immediately.
The Weasleys were all devastated that Ginny was dead, who wouldn't be. She was the youngest, and the only girl other than Molly. Ginny had been so beautiful, and she could hex any of her brothers faster than they could call for help. She had had real potential in life, and Harry had always thought she would go far; her life should've been long and happy. Someone had taken that chance away from her, and at the same time, that person had taken the happiness of the end of the war from all her friends and family. Ginny was going to become an aurror, she was going to have a family and be a wonderful mother, like Molly was.
Harry had been planning on proposing to her by next year. He had already bought the ring. He held the black velvet box in his left hand running his fingers across it. He never wanted to look at that ring again. He had bought it a few days before the battle, sort of as a way to keep him hoping for the best. Harry had spent the last fourteen days wishing he'd wake up from this nightmare, and thinking that he should've protected her better.
Harry had spent a lot of time thinking about that wonderful few weeks two years ago when he was dating her. Ginny had been so full of life, so happy. Every boy in Hogwarts stared at her at some point or another. Her hexing skills were known all over Hogwarts then. She had so much going for her. And then Dumbledore died, and Harry got to thinking that Ginny was in danger if she dated him. Voldemort targeted those whom Harry held close, and he wouldn't let Ginny get in harms way.
Now Harry thought that that had been a big mistake, by dumping her, Harry thought now, that he had caused Ginny to be in more harm than before. In a way, Harry thought, it was his fault she was dead now. He would never forget that thought. What if Harry hadn't dumped her? What if he had thought that if she were with him he could protect her? What would they be doing now? What if Harry would've warned her sooner instead of staring at the hooded figure waiting for something to happen? Surely he wouldn't be standing here now looking at her tombstone and waiting for someone to come and tell him to go home.
If Harry would've realized, as Ginny had, that Voldemort was smart enough to know that Harry loved Ginny, and that if she were dead, he would crack, then maybe Ginny would still be alive. If he had listened to her, or even replied to her letters, maybe they would be celebrating right now, like the rest of the wizarding world. If Harry would've talked to her as Ron and Hermione had both strongly advised, maybe none of this would've happened.
He could hear Ginny's voice now. They had been at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and Ginny had finally managed to back him into a corner alone, where he couldn't escape talking to her. 'Harry, you're smarter than that, you've got to know that Voldemort will see right through you. He is not stupid Harry, he will know that you like me, he's got enough spies around to figure that out'
All Harry had said was 'You're probably right, but I'm not going to risk it Gin, I promise, once this is all over, we can be together, heck maybe we'll even get married' and then Hermione had walked in looking for the two of them.
'Dammit Harry' he thought 'If only you had listened to her. She was so smart; she figured it all out on her own. She knew about the horcruxes before you could tell her, she figured out every last one, when you and Dumbledore could not! If it wasn't for her you'd be dead. And it would be Ginny standing here; no Ginny is stronger than you are. She would be back at the Burrow with everyone else probably eating some of Mrs. Weasley's delicious dinner right now.'
Harry pictured Ginny. Ten year old Ginny at Kings Cross station smiling at him as he asked how to get onto the platform, eleven year old Ginny seeing him and running back up the stairs, Ginny thanking him after he saved her from The Chamber of Secrets, twelve year old Ginny, fourteen year old Ginny trying to convince her mother to let her in on the conversation, and not go to bed, fifteen year old Ginny sitting on the floor in front of him and reading the Daily Prophet, sixteen year old Ginny trying not to let Harry catch her staring at him in the Great Hall, seventeen year old Ginny insisting she knew what the final horcrux was, and that look of horror on her face as the hooded figure drew his wand in her last moment of life.
She had grown to be a very beautiful young woman, and she didn't deserve to die. Harry would do anything to switch places with her, anything. He could picture Ginny flying, being one of the best chasers he had ever seen. He remembered the first time he kissed her, and hoped he could remember that moment forever. He continued to thumb the jewelry box as he felt a single tear run down his cheek and fall on the ground above where Ginny's body lay underground, forever. He remembered her smile and wondered if he would ever feel as happy as he was when he was with her. He doubted it, those had been the happiest days of his life, and they always would be.
"I love you Gin" he said quietly as he looked down at the ground in front of her tombstone. There were flowers and pictures and candles, and even her wand lay there. Harry hadn't put anything there yet. He felt if he did it would be admitting she was gone, and she was never coming back. He took in a deep breath and wondered one last time. What if I hadn't dumped her? What if I warned her sooner?
He looked at one of the framed pictures on the ground. One with him and Ginny sitting by the Black Lake one afternoon. He remembered that day so well. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Ginny and Harry had come back early wanting to sit by the lake under their favorite tree, Collin Creevey had walked by and token a picture of them. Harry had seen Collin at the funeral. Collin must've put it there knowing Ginny had loved that picture and asked Collin to give her a copy of it. Everybody had loved Ginny, she had had so much energy, and she was always the tough girl.
As he stood there he hoped that Ginny would come out from behind the giant willow tree to his left and tell him that she had been waiting for him all day, and that he should come back inside with her, but Ginny would not come looking for him. Ginny was dead, and no one could bring her back, no matter how hard they tried.
There was a crack of thunder, and the flash of lightning as the rain started to pour. Harry knew that if he didn't leave soon, Hermione and Ron would come looking for him, and make him leave. He sighed, looking at the picture one last time. He set the jewelry box in front of the tombstone. He would never forget Ginny Weasley.