A/N: I've returned! Yes, it's true. After a hiatus of about two years, rosie is back. Anyway, as a gift to anyone who wishes to read it, here is a small drabble-ish oneshot I wrote before Deathly Hallows, taking place 5 years after Voldemort's defeat. A bit sad but not really. Enjoy (I hope!), and welcome to 2008!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Actually... no. I don't own that. Never mind.
Dawn
"Happy Birthday!"
Ginny Weasley fell out of her trance and gazed up. She saw her twin brothers Fred and George looking down at her from above the rickety stairs with identical grins on their faces. It was Ginny's 21st birthday today.
"Oh… is it? Happy birthday to me." Ginny got up from her curled-up position in front of the fireplace and cleaned her now empty glass of pumpkin juice with a simple "Scourgify." She stretched out her long pale legs and walked into the kitchen to put her glass away.
"Why the glum look on your face, Gin-gin?" said Fred with a smirk.
"I think someone needs a cup of our famous Instant Smile Solution! Better than a Cheering Charm without the side effects!" said George merrily, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No thanks, George, it's alright. I'm perfectly fine and I don't need some potion to make me happy. My thoughts were just somewhere else." Ginny had been looking through some old photographs from her Hogwarts days, which remained on the dusty table she had just been seated at.
Seeing her happy self surrounded by the entire Weasley family, or laughing with Hermione, Ron and Harry had put her in a dark mood. It was amazing for her to look back now; the greatest times of her life remained in the past of these photos, in one of the darkest times of Wizarding history. Ironic that she couldn't even crack a smile now that Voldemort was defeated and the world at peace.
She had almost forgotten what it was like, the feeling of cheeks tightening and lips stretching to form a smile, her stomach sore from laughter. But she could never stop thinking about the feel of his lips on hers, his warm embrace on dark fearful nights.
"It isn't even dawn. Where's Mum? Down at the maple tree again?" Ginny sighed.
Fred nodded. The maple tree… that's what they all called it. They being the survivors—Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George, Bill and Fleur. They couldn't bring themselves to call the plot of land for what it really was.
Ginny threw on a light jacket, walking out of the door and down the stone path. Her worn slippers didn't provide nearly enough cushioning; she could feel the cobblestones rubbing on the bottom of her feet as she made her way down the hill. The maple tree stood alone amongst the grave markers. Molly Weasley sat on the dark, dewy grass, her finger tracing "Arthur Weasley, loving husband and father" on the tombstone in front of her as tears streamed down her face.
Ginny walked along the graves, reaching out to touch each as she read the names of her beloved friends and relatives, members of the Order. A knot built up in her throat as water began to cloud her vision. Charlie Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin. Percy Weasley, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt. An honorary stone for Sirius Black. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Arthur Weasley.
The young witch took herself over to the largest stone, marking one "Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Chosen One, Bringer of Peace" on a golden plaque. Those names meant nothing to Ginny, just as they meant nothing to the one who held them. She would have rather seen the words "courageous friend, caring lover" on them, and she knew Harry would have preferred that as well. Wiping a final tear from her eye, Ginny Weasley bent down and laid a small kiss on the golden plaque.
"Mum, it's not time to cry anymore. It's been five years. Dad wouldn't have wanted you to be like this. Everyone in this ground fought for a better world for us. And Harry… Harry saved us all. We've got to go out and enjoy the free world, Mum, the free world they made for us." Ginny took her mother's hand and helped her off the ground. She wiped Molly's eyes.
"The sun's out now. It's time to live."