This is for Macceh's "Three AM" challenge.
He woke up to the sounds of motion, although it was from a less than satisfying sleep. Even with a thick blanket covering him, he still felt rather cold. His vision was blurry so he blinked, until he remembered his glasses, and put them on, feeling rather slow.
Just as the door to his bedroom was opened, he said, "Babe, where are you going?"
She looked back at him with those beautiful brown eyes on the verge of tears. "I... I..." she stuttered out.
"Sound it out now," he said, seemingly amused at her slight discomfort. She glared at him through watery eyes, "Never mind."
He finally stood from his bed, completely awake despite the lack of rest, and met her at the door.
"I'm sorry, I guess it just wasn't time for jokes. But I worry about you, and now I see you leaving bed at weird hours... I just want to ease your pain."
The war against Voldemort was finally won but the price was too high. Even survivors paid the price by losing their loved ones. There was no one unphased by Voldemort's terrorist actions, magic or muggle.
She looked down at their feet with her arms crossed over her chest. "Harry I can't... I can't live like this. Pretending everything is the same, but it's not! I lost my family already, I don't want to lose anyone else... I'll do anything."
Harry felt his heart break as she spoke. Her voice gave him chills, those expressive eyes he could stare into for the rest of his life, but the words escaping those delectable lips sent a crucio to his heart. Still, he couldn't help himself as he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"Do you really think three in the morning is the appropriate time to be discussing this?"
She looked up at him with her injured spirit shining in her eyes, along with the glistening tears that finally fell. "But..." "No buts, unless it's yours back in bed. I love you, and I know it's been rough, but can't that be enough? Can't love be the reason to stay, and try to make this world a better place? I know it is for me. To wake up to your beautiful face is enough reason to live, or, it is for me at least. I want to be that inspiration to you. Come back to bed, let me try my best... to comfort you"
By this point, he was whispering in her ear, punctuating his words with a kiss on her neck. But it seemed her tears wouldn't stop falling, if anything they began to fall even more rapidly and Harry continued his vigorous attempts to kiss them all away while slowly walking them over to the bed. She let herself become entranced by his affections but quickly regained her sense.
"Harry... Harry..." she said, vainly attempting to gain his attention, but he was engrossed in her, just as she was intoxicated by his proximity. She moaned softly as he kissed a particular spot, but then separated his head from her collar bone so that she could speak. They were both breathing slightly heavily, Harry seeming to try to memorize her face, gazing upon her as if she was all he needed.
"I'm sorry," was all she got out before she attacked his lips with her own. A surprised Harry Potter reciprocated passionately, wondering if she truly felt she should be apologizing for exciting him so much.
One of her hands came off of his back and she brought it up to his chest.
Harry gasped as he felt a cold and sharp feeling penetrate his heart. He finally broke their kiss, and looked down and saw one of his razor sharp kitchen knives sticking out of his chest. He collapsed to his knees with tears leaking from his pain filled eyes.
"But... Why? Haven't I loved you well?" he rasped out in an agony riddled voice.
Harry held onto her waist as if for dear life and felt her shrink in his grasp.
"No... Don't even try to blame this on me! You did this! I've loved you all these years and you married her. Now I hope you both die, feeling the pain you've caused me."
Her hair straightened and turned red, she became thinner, and more athletic. She pushed Harry off of her and Ginny Weasley was revealed to him. She walked over to Harry's closet and after a slight struggle, she pulled out a weakened body with beautiful brown curls, a generously feminine form, and facial features that Harry drank in like a blind man grasps for new eyes.
The body was thrown in his direction, barely conscious from blood loss and a knife wound similar to his own in her chest. Her weak arms attempted pathetically to embrace him but together they managed.
Ginny looked on in disgust. "Do you even care," she asked,"that my heart is breaking even more?" She started towards the door to leave the room.
As she neared the exit, Harry felt a hand on the handle of the knife embedded in his chest. He looked down at his wife questioningly then understood her intentions.
Harry pulled the knife out and threw it at Ginny's back with his last big of wandless magic. It struck her heart with incredible precision and kept going through her until it exited the other side and was stuck in the door.
The other inhabitants of number twelve Grimmauld Place remained clueless of the proceedings until all three bodies were found the next day, a romantic tragedy told for years after.
It was said that Ginny had already died of heartbreak, that a vicious spirit had taken over her body and exacted it's revenge on Harry Potter for ridding the world of Voldemort's chaos.
It is also said that Harry and Hermione Potter died connected by their lips, and that their magic sang a melody so beautiful that there wasn't a single dry eye at their funeral, not even the typically stoic Kingsley Shacklebolt. They say that a pheonix even came to cry over their dead bodies before bursting into flames and from the ashes rose nothing.
A/N- By the way, I don't know if there are any inheritance cycle fans reading this but the title of this is a sort-of tribute to my friend elvin blade's fic called 'For My Rider'. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
