A Different Sort of Kiss
Summary: Everything for Ginny Weasley was lost in the war. Her friends, her family, maybe even her sanity. When everything goes wrong, what should a young woman do? This story takes place during Christmas of Ginny's sixth year; seven months after it started, years before it will end.
This was originally written for the Winter Snows Challenge #3, A Kiss for the Ages, but by the time I got around to submitting it, the challenges had closed.
Rating: G-PG
Warnings: none
Chapters: 1
Published??/??/??
Updated??/??/??
Completed: Yes
It was Christmas time yet there was no happiness. It was daytime yet there was not light. It was a time or horror, a time that no one could escape from.
Ginny was sitting in the Gryffindor Tower, the most lonesome place there could be. Not many students had returned to Hogwarts this year, and those who did were enjoying their time with their family at home. They were enjoying the safety.
There was no safety in the life of Generva Weasley. Everyone she loved and cared for had been lost in the war; Hogwarts was her only home now.
Early on, her youngest brother, Ron, had died. He was with Harry trying to find a Horcrux. He was destroyed by a spider, of all things.
Not a month after Ron's death, another one of her family members had been selected by the Grim Reaper. One of Bill's attacks had backfired and he was destroyed along with two other members of his group.
Ginny's father, Arthur, had been killed by Voldemort, himself, while on a mission to the Riddle House. It was the Avada Kedavra curse that had killed him.
Mrs. Weasley had died of mere madness. After loosing two of her sons and her beloved husband, she had almost given herself to a Death Eater who took the chance to kill her. Her love was too powerful for even her to manage herself.
Fred and George had been put under the Imperious Cruse by Wormtail, who had been on a mission to get some of the recipes for the twins' protection devices. Each of the twins ended up killing each other; it was a sad day for them both.
Hermione had died in a most noble way. She was protecting Harry; she was trying to use the same strategy as Harry's mother had. In all the commotion she had forgotten that Voldemort now had Harry's love running through his veins. The plan did not succeed, but it gave Harry enough time to escape.
Not a week had passed since the very last person in this line of deaths has died. Her one true love had perished at the sight of his foe. Harry Potter. He had gotten five of the seven Horcruxes and he only had two left. Nagini was his biggest obstacle, her being number six. He had succeeded in killing the large snake, but in return lost his life.
Now that Voldemort was mortal, it would be reasonably easy for what was left of the Order to kill him. Not many people from the original Order had survived, but it grew everyday, and now-a-days it had almost fifty members.
Ginny had nothing left. She and Charlie were all that was left of the Weasley family, and even he was off fighting Voldemort. She felt so useless, yet so scared. There was nothing left for her here. Everything and everyone she had ever loved was gone. Once Dumbledore died, everything had gone downhill.
The Gryffindor Tower only had one other occupant. He was a fourth year and someone Ginny didn't even know by name. She hadn't bothered to make friends this year. She spent most of her time doing homework and sitting in this chair.
She had thought about what she was going to do tonight over and over again. She couldn't stand having a heart. Hearts were for Muggles. No wizard living at this age could dare have a heart if they didn't want it to be broken. And if it was at all possible, Ginny's heart had been broken more times than she could count. She didn't want to count.
It was passed lunch time, but she was not hungry. She had gone over her plan in her head many times, she would be leaving the common room soon— but not for food.
She got up out of her chair and walked over to the window. Outside it was misty and dark. She had seen no sunlight since the day the war started. At first it was seemed like the sky was depressed too, but after a while it became evident that it was not a coincidence. Some wizard, somewhere, was controlling the weather; he was keeping it sad. It was no puzzle, though, who this wizard was. Who else would want everyone in the wizarding world to be sad? Who else would want a layer or mist covering the world that soon would be his?
This is for you.
Ginny whispered into the night. She hadn't been specific about who it was for, but she knew that person would get the message, no matter how it was stated.
She walked over the portrait hole and took one last glance around the tower. She slowly stepped through the hole and walked down the corridors.
She walked down one flight of stairs.
I loved my family and I loved my friends. He took them all away from me, and now I have nothing. There is no other way.
A second staircase.
The Burrow was the only place I once called home. It glowed with the tenderness my family gave. He took that away. There is no other way.
A third staircase and fourth staircase brought her that much closer to her destination.
Hogwarts held my family, it held my friends, it held my life. He tore it all from me. There is no other way.
Five staircases, then six.
Dumbledore was a leader for us all; He was our father. He killed him like it was easy. There is no other way.
One last staircase brought Ginny to the bottom floor. She was now in the Entrance Hall— a large room the contained almost nothing but a large door. She was ready. There was no other way.
Quietly, she opened the door and took her first step into the musty air. It didn't take longer than that for her to find her destination. Two of them were guarding the door. She walked up to the one on her right. She didn't need anyone now.
She stood up on her toes and whispered.
I am ready.
The black creature looked down at her and removed its hood. It lowered its head down to Ginny's level and kissed her— right on the lips.
It was only a single kiss, but it would change everything.