What hurts the most

What hurts the most

Disclaimer: No, none of these characters belong to me.

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok
But that's not what gets me

The dark clouds swirled together in the grieving sky. The dying sun shone its last breath over the wild lands near the Burrow. The empty green lawns rolled into mighty cliffs which guarded the immortal sea. The wind blew gently over the land, laden with secret rains. But none of this registered on the lonely figure sitting on the rocky beach, the icy tendrils of the sea stroking her feet.

Ginny brushed her streaming red hair away from her face. The rain started falling around her gently, collecting like diamonds on her face. She raised one hand to wipe away the tears that were brimming in her deep brown eyes. She looked at the one she had collected on her finger lifelessly, thinking how bleary everything suddenly looked.

Everything was bleary and colorless without Harry. Heck, she felt colorless without Harry. She felt fresh tears filling her eyes as she thought of her lost love. But this time she just let the tears fall. She crossed her black clad arms around her knees and she laid her head down on them. There were times when she didn't feel like living at all…

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do

Harry wished he could do something…anything to tell Ginny that he was right here. He needed her to let him go so that both of them could move on. She didn't know that her grief was causing him so much pain that it was amazing that he hadn't gone crazy with it. Nor would she ever know that he would give anything in the world to be with her.

He had come so close to having a future with her. But fate had intervened and Voldemort's last spell didn't go awry…this time. There was nothing Harry could do as he saw Ginny walk away from him and towards the sea…

It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I'm doin' It
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone
Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

Ginny wanted to end it for once and for all. She couldn't go back to the house to see Ron and Hermione and know that Harry would never be with them again. It was too hard to get up every morning and get dressed. Too hard to smile at everyone when all she felt like doing was crying. Too hard knowing that she didn't even tell Harry all that she had wanted to.

Maybe now, she could be with him. Maybe now she could join him and never ever have to be without him again. It would be so easy to walk into the sea forever. Into the sea…and into Harry's arms.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

Harry had never felt as angry as he did when he saw what Ginny was about to do. He couldn't believe that she was throwing away the gift he had given his life for. He had wanted her to live in a world without fear, a world where she could be happy, where life might not be perfect but would be the best it could be…normal.

But she was throwing that away. Harry knew that he had to do something to stop Ginny because no matter how much he wanted to be with her, she needed to live. When the time came they would be together. But until then, Harry knew he had to keep her safe…

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

Ginny started walking into the sea, her long black skirts floating around her like a halo. The wind kept pushing her back but she moved forward. She had only one goal in mind and that was to walk into the sea's embrace. The strong wind pushed her shirt back and exposed the growing mound on her stomach while the last dying ray of the sun flashed on the engagement ring on her hand. She was just about to take the last step to where Harry lay waiting for her…

She suddenly felt a strong kick in her stomach. And for the first time in many weeks, Ginny actually placed her hand on her stomach to feel the life she and Harry had created…The wonder and exultation of life roared through her, flooding each corner of her grieving heart with the light of hope..

She placed a hand on her stomach, rubbing it lightly and she knew then that she could never give up the gift that Harry gave her. Just then, she felt a warm hand placed on top of hers on her stomach. Her head snapped up and for a second she swore she saw Harry in front of her…

The wind blowing in his rumpled hair and his green eyes alight with love. But before she could even raise her hand to touch him, his smiling image vanished. Ginny smiled for the first time in a long long while and turned around and walked back up the beach, lifting her face to the gentle caress of the rain…the feeling of the warm hand on her stomach still remained.

Not seeing that loving you
That's what I was trying to do

Harry watched her walk away with a wistful smile. He knew that she would look after the greatest gift that he had ever given her…their child. And just before he turned to move into the warm light that was beckoning to him, he wiped away the solitary tear that had silently crept down his cheek.