Author's Note: I had this posted before, but realized there were some mistakes, so I edited it. I know it's a bit sappy, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Please let me know what you think in a review!
Golden
By: ChoCedric
Ginny Weasley stared out of her bedroom window at the Burrow, gazing out at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set, and it was truly beautiful. She had always liked watching the sunset ever since she was a little girl; it allowed her the chance to reflect on all the beauty that life held.
Although, Ginny thought with sadness, life hadn't been so beautiful lately. It was now the summer after Ginny's sixth year of Hogwarts, and the year had been rife with fear and tension. The Second War was truly at its peak now, and many good people had died. One of them was her big brother Percy; he'd come back to the family six months earlier, determined to repair their relationship. They'd barely had any time to reconcile before he was caught in a Death Eater attack and subsequently lost his life. The entire Weasley family had dealt with a lot of regret since then; they thought they should have tried sooner to mend the rift with Percy. But what was done was done, and at least they knew that Percy had still cared for all of them deeply, and he, in turn, had known they'd cared for him too.
There was also another reason Ginny was staring out at the sunset, although she knew it was stupid. He'd been gone a year, gone with her brother and her best friend. What made her think that he'd pick this day to return?
The person in her thoughts had messy black hair, beautiful emerald eyes, and a bravery, a strength, she had never seen in anyone before. Yes, the center of her thoughts was Harry Potter. His image filled her mind, his lips turned up into a smile, his eyes shining with hope for the future.
That's weird, she thought as the picture suddenly began to grow clearer and clearer in her mind. Usually, she would see him for a moment, blink, and the image would be gone. But it wasn't leaving this time.
And then, she saw two other figures walking behind him: one with red hair and a smattering of freckles, and one with bushy brown hair and confidence in her step.
"oh, Merlin!" Ginny let out a shriek as she rushed away from the window and sprinted all the way to the front door. The commotion caused her parents, the only other people in the house, to call out, "Ginny, what's wrong?"
"Harry!" Ginny yelled joyously as her face lit up in a huge smile. "He's here with Ron and Hermione!"
And seconds later, there was a knock on the door. As much as she wanted to fling it open and throw her arms around the three of them, she knew that the security questions had to be asked first. She felt deep down that it was really them, but she knew this was needed.
"declare yourself!" Mr. Weasley called out, wand at the ready, along with his wife and Ginny.
"It is me,, Harry James Potter. I am here with Ron and Hermione. We were sent on a mission by Albus Dumbledore to rid the world of Lord Voldemort. My favorite dessert is treacle tart, and Mrs. Weasley makes the best I've had. It's even better than what we get at Hogwarts!" At this, Ginny flung the door open. What followed was a flurry of greetings, tears, and emotional hugs as the three Weasleys were reunited with the trio they had missed so incredibly.
"Oh, you dear, dear children, come into the kitchen. You look starving!" Mrs. Weasley said through her tears. "You look awful, all three of you. Let me fix you something."
"It's all right, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, and Ginny could see true happiness in his eyes as he stared around at the familiar sights of the Burrow.
"Nonsense, Harry. You will eat what I put in front of you without any argument." Mrs. Weasley adopted a stern tone, but she was still smiling.
"Yes, ma'am." Harry answered with a chuckle.
When dinner was served, everyone sat down at the table and began to tuck in. Ginny felt her heart swell as she watched her trio; they hadn't changed at all. Ron was shovelling food into his mouth incredibly fast, causing Hermione to keep sending him glares. Harry ate his food slowly, as though savoring every mouthful.
Finally, Ginny asked the question that she and her parents were all dying to know the answer to. "You're home," she whispered, still unable to believe it. "Does that mean ..."
And Harry turned his emerald eyes towards her, his face growing serious. But even so, she could still see an incredible inner strength there. "No," he said softly. "It's not over yet. But it will be very, very soon."
"When?" whispered Mrs. Weasley.
Harry took a deep breath, looking each person at the table right in the eye, lingering for an extra few seconds on Ginny. "Tomorrow. It ends tomorrow at sunset."
There was a few seconds of charged silence, and then Hermione continued where Harry left off. "Tomorrow at Godric's Hollow, we bring the fight to Voldemort," she said. "Today, we went out into Diagon Alley, and Harry made a point of saying loudly that he's ready to finish it, "at the place where it all started. We all know that the Death Eaters are feeling very confident that Harry will lose, and we knew that some of them were probably hanging around there."
"They'll tell their master exactly what Harry said," Added Ron. "And we're pretty sure he'll know Harry means Godric's Hollow."
"My God," breathed Mr. Weasley. "What were you thinking? That was an extremely dangerous move."
"I know, Dad," Ron said somberly. "But we had to take the chance. It was the only way we could think of to make the other side aware of what we're planning."
"And I've dealt with Voldemort enough to know he'll take the bait," Harry said. Looking at Mrs. Weasley in particular, he said quietly, "I can tell that you think I'm being overconfident, that this is Voldemort we're dealing with here. But I need you to know that I am taking this seriously. I'm aware of what could happen, that this isn't a game. But I've come to learn some things about Voldemort during our mission. He's not as confident in his own plans as he gives off."
"Don't worry, Harry," Ginny said, knowing he was telling the truth by the look in his eyes. "It will be all right. I have faith in you, Harry. We all do." She looked at the rest of the group, who all nodded.
"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "Having your faith means the world to me."
And from then on, they stopped talking about the war. They knew now that they had twenty-four hours, and whatever came tomorrow, they planned to make these twenty-four hours the happiest and most memorable possible.
After dinner, everyone retired to the living room. Mrs. Weasley sat, contentedly knitting while Mr. Weasley flipped through stations on the Wizarding Wireless, trying to find something decent. Ron began to play wizard's chess with Hermione, proceeding to beat the heck out of her.
And Ginny sat on the sofa, holding Harry's hand. She felt her heart constrict - he was smiling so widely at her, with nothing but love in his eyes. How could she have ever doubted his reason for breaking up with her? How could she have ever thought for a second that it was because he didn't care? The way he was looking at her now, it was as if he was memorizing every piece of her, so, so overjoyed to have her here, alive, and safe.
A few hours passed, and slowly the occupants of the Burrow retired to bed. Mrs. Weasley kissed everyone good night, while Mr. Weasley shook hands all around. "Get a good night's sleep, everyone," he said. When Ron and Hermione decided to leave too, they looked at Harry and Ginny, still holding hands on the couch. "Good night, you two," said Ron as he was the first to exit the room.
Hermione gave them a secret smile and a mischievous wink as she hugged them both. "Enjoy each other," she said, causing them to both blush fiercely.
As soon as she was gone too, Harry gathered Ginny into the tightest embrace she had ever been a part of. She could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, could feel the euphoria emanating from him. "I've been waiting to do this for so long," he whispered as he brought his lips to hers. The kiss was so loving, so passionate, so full of raw emotion that it swept Ginny away. "I love you, Ginny. I love you, and I've missed you so, so much," he gasped out as they came up for air.
"Oh, Harry, I've missed you too," Ginny murmured, tears of joy in her eyes as their lips met once again.
They kissed and held each other for a few more minutes, and then Harry gave her a look, a certain look that she'd never seen on his face before. But she knew what it meant, and knew that her face mirrored it. "Come on," he whispered as he got up and began to guide her out of the room.
"Are-are you sure?" Ginny stuttered, her heart beating so fast she feared the other members of the house would hear it. "I want this, Harry, but are you sure this is what you want?"
"I love you, Ginny Weasley," Harry murmured again, looking deep into her brown eyes. "You've been all I thought about this entire year. It hasn't been easy. Sometimes the tension would be so thick between me, Ron, and Hermione that I just wanted to give up. But I knew I had to fight to come back to you, because every time I imagined your face, I knew it was all worth it. I knew I had to make it back to you. And I want to make tonight special."
"Oh, Harry," Ginny choked out. "I love you, too. I want this as much as you do, but won't Hermione ..."
"Don't worry about it," Harry said huskily. "She and Ron will be spending the night together too, no doubt. They've become, er ..." He gave her that familiar, endearing lopsided grin. "Closer this year."
Ginny let out a delighted chuckle. "It's about time," she said as she let Harry lead her to her room, and to her bed.
And it was there that Ginny Weasley made love to Harry Potter for the first time, and it was the most amazing experience she'd ever had. She'd never imagined that loving someone could be this wonderful. As they touched and kissed, she truly knew how it felt to know Harry Potter. And no, it wasn't what she'd imagined at ten years old - this was no longer some silly crush on some celebrity she'd only read about. She'd now come to know the real person, and she didn't think she could love anyone more.
When it was over, they lay satiated in each other's arms. Ginny yawned widely, burrowing even closer to him.
Harry chuckled as he tightened his arms around her. "Go to sleep, love," he whispered. "I'll still be here in the morning. We have the entire day tomorrow, and it's going to be wonderful."
"I know," said Ginny as she closed her eyes. For now, she wouldn't let herself think about what would happen tomorrow at sunset. For now, she was just a teenage girl, wrapped up in the arms of the boy she loved.
xxx
"Good morning, sunshine."
As Ginny opened her eyes, she saw Harry looking at her, and the memories of the night before all came rushing back.
"Why, good morning to you too," she said cheekily. "I appreciate the compliment, but I do NOT look like sunshine. I'm barely awake."
"Oh, don't contradict me, Weasley." Harry grinned and jumped out of bed. "Now get up. I have something great planned for us today."
"Like what?" asked Ginny, yawning as she sat up and stretched.
"It's called a surprise for a reason, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed mock angrily. "Do you really expect me to spill all my secrets?"
"Okay, fine. Whatever you say, sir!" Ginny got out of bed, and the next thing she knew, she was being tackled, her face covered in a nest of messy black hair.
"So that's how you want to play, is it Potter?" Ginny smirked wildly, and she began to tickle him. Hearing the sound of Harry's laughter was the most wonderful thing in the world.
Once the episode passed, they just smiled brightly at each other. "Breakfast, then?" Ginny asked.
"Sure." Harry replied as she took his hand and led him out of the room, only to meet Ron and Hermione in the middle of the hallway. Ron gave them a long, searching look, but Hermione just grinned, poking him in the stomach which caused him to blush and look quickly away.
The two Weasley parents were in the kitchen. Today was a Saturday, so Mr. Weasley didn't have to work. They enjoyed a hearty breakfast, and during the meal, Harry made his "surprise" for the day known.
Grinning, he told everyone that he was going to make them all a picnic lunch. There were some beautiful fields near the Burrow, and his idea was to take them all there and spend a carefree afternoon. His emerald eyes begged for them to go along with his plan.
And they indeed agreed. As they looked lovingly at Harry, the boy who had been through so much, they knew that all he wanted was one day, one golden day of normalcy. And they, being the people who loved him the most, would give him exactly what he needed.
And so it was that hours later, he and Ginny walked hand-in-hand through the fields, the picnic basket levitating beside them. Following behind were the others, and they all had smiles on their faces. It was a beautiful day; the sky was a picturesque blue, not a cloud in sight, the sun shining in all its splendor.
They all sat down on the field, and Harry emptied the picnic basket. They talked of mundane, silly things while they ate. Ginny couldn't stop laughing as Harry made lame joke after lame joke, his emerald eyes the least troubled that she had ever seen them.
After they'd eaten, the others watched with rapt attention as Harry jumped up and proceeded to chase Ginny around the field. "Can't catch me!" he hollered, and they laughed wildly as Ginny chased after him, tackling him to the ground and embracing him.
Mrs. Weasley gazed at the scene, tears in her eyes. "Look at him," she said to her husband as she gazed at Harry. "It's so unfair," she whispered. "This shouldn't be the first time we're seeing him like this."
"I know, Molly," Arthur whispered back. "But he's accepted that this is how it is. Look at this as a blessing, that he CAN be this happy. And he and Ginny ... they remind me so much of you and I."
"I know, Arthur. Me, too."
xxx
The rest of the afternoon continued to be a success. As the hour grew late, however, they all knew what was coming. But Ginny knew she couldn't break, knew she had to give Harry strength for what was up ahead. She kept the image of his smiling, carefree expression in her mind as the sun began to set in the west, and they stood outside the house, ready to Apparate to Godric's Hollow to see this thing through to the end.
As Harry looked into the faces of all those he loved, he gave them all a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for such a wonderful day," he said softly.
"Anything for you, Harry," Ginny said gently, squeezing his hand in reassurance. "It will be all right."
"We're ready, mate," said Ron bravely. "Ready to see this thing end."
"You can do it, Harry. You're one of the best wizards I know," Hermione said, tears in her eyes. "Books and cleverness? There are so many things better than that." Her and Harry shared a reminiscent smile, as though remembering something from back in the distant past.
"Let's go, then," Harry said, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath. Right now, he truly looked like a warrior who was prepared to give it all. And with a crack, they all Apparated to where he had lived when he was just born, where this whole thing had begun.
And indeed, Voldemort had taken the bait. As they arrived, they saw him and his Death Eaters, along with a squad of Order members and Aurors. Mr. Weasley had obviously flooed Minerva McGonagall, who was now the leader of the Order, and made her aware of the plan.
Ginny felt her heart expand, filling with love and pride as she watched Harry march right up to Voldemort with no fear. "I'm here, Tom Riddle," he said strongly. "Let's finish this, shall we?"
Voldemort laughed, a high, cold laugh, and there was no humanity, no mercy, in his eyes as he stared at Harry. "If that's what you want, Potter." he spat, and cast the first spell.
And so, everyone watched as the two enemies fought what they knew in their hearts would be the final battle. They cast spells back and forth, ducking and dodging and weaving around each other. Ginny couldn't believe it - Merlin! Harry's spellwork was so impressive now!
The duel went on for minutes on end, but to her intense heartbreak, Ginny saw that Harry was growing exhausted. Fatigue showed in every line of his face as he continued to try to dodge the spells Voldemort was sending at him.
All of a sudden, it stopped. They both stood in the middle of the battlefield, and Voldemort's mouth formed a twisted, sinister smile as he went in for the final blow. "You cannot fight me, Harry Potter," he said.
And Harry's face suddenly filled with pain, such intense agony that Ginny had never seen before. His eyes, his beautiful eyes started alternating from emerald to scarlet, emerald to scarlet. And Ginny knew what this was - she knew about what had happened at the end of Harry's fifth year, and it was happening again, right in front of her eyes. Harry was being possessed.
But through her terror, Ginny remembered one of the things she'd heard about the experience. In order to get Voldemort out of his mind, he'd had to think of those he loved, Sirius being the focus of his thoughts at that time. She had an immediate inspiration, she suddenly knew what to do to help Harry fight this. In a strong voice, she said clearly, "I love you, Harry."
Comprehension dawned on Hermione too, who was standing next to her. "Fight it, Harry," she said. "We all love you."
"You're better than him, mate!" Ron yelled from Hermione's other side. "We're all so proud of you - you're so much stronger than him! Fight!"
And then, every one of Harry's defenders and supporters were shouting out words of love and encouragement. As time ticked by, Ginny could see it was working - Harry's eyes were green longer than they were red now.
And then, as everyone watched, transfixed, Voldemort collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain. Harry's eyes were now staying their pure, emerald green, and Ginny saw his wand point directly at his own forehead. And the expression on his face ... it was so intense, so full of love and gratitude and so, so many other emotions. The aura, the power, that suddenly emanated from him seemed to rock the battlefield; it was like nothing ever felt before.
Harry began to utter words in Latin, starting out quiet but then becoming louder and louder. A beam of white light materialized at the end of his wand as his voice rose into a shout.
When the words came to an end, the light hovered there for a moment, and then suddenly absorbed into his forehead. Voldemort screamed again, gave a great, shuddering gasp, and was then deathly still.
Silence surrounded the battlefield now; everyone was still trying to take in what had just happened. Ginny saw Harry still standing there, still clutching his wand in his hand. He looked at all those who supported him, his eyes still radiating pure love. The last person he looked at was Ginny, and as she gazed back at him, she knew what was going to happen before it did. She ran to him, ran faster than she ever had in her life, and caught him in her arms just as he was about to collapse to the ground.
She lowered them onto the grass, never taking her eyes away from his. She then held him close while stroking his messy, dark hair. She saw tears running down his face and tenderly wiped them away, paying no attention to her own. "Don't cry, Harry," she said lovingly. "Please don't cry-you've done it."
"We're here, Harry." Hermione said as she and Ron bent over the two of them as well, but everyone else stood back, somehow knowing that this moment was private. Aurors and Order members instead focused on capturing all of those Death Eaters that still remained. The way they saw it, Harry had just defeated the darkest wizard in a century; to be with the people he loved most was the least he deserved.
"Harry," Hermione said in a trembling voice, grasping his hand. "You-you were the last Horcrux, weren't you? That spell you just cast-I recognized it. And because you two were linked through your scar, it destroyed him as well."
Harry looked at her, heartbreak in his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. "I-I'm so-I'm so sorry."
"Shhhh," said Ginny softly. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry-nothing."
"You were amazing, mate," Ron croaked. "I've never seen anything like it."
Harry just smiled gratefully at them, his eyes filled with exhaustion. "Promise me ..." he said, his voice growing weaker, "promise me that all three of you will go on with your lives. You have a whole future now. Ron, Hermione, please be happy together."
"We'll name one of our children after you, mate," Ron teased, but his voice was choked with emotion. Harry gave him a shaky grin, his tears still falling.
His eyes then turned to Ginny, focusing completely on her. "Gin," he said tenderly, "you're the strongest person I know, and that's why I know you're going to be fine. You're going to get on with your life, and you're going to find someone else to fall in love with. I want that for you, more than anything."
Tears were streaming down Ginny's face, but she said, meaning every word, "I'll live on for you, Harry. I promise. And thank you for giving me a memory of you I can always cherish. Last night and today were the happiest of my life. I love you, Harry. So, so much."
Harry smiled gently, his eyes finally closing. "I love you too," he whispered, and seconds later he took his last breath.
And Ginny held his hand and sobbed. Harry Potter, the boy she loved, was gone.
xxx
The days that followed were a blur to all those who had loved him. A massive funeral was planned, and when the day arrived, Ginny put on her best dress robes. Once in the church, she sat with her family at the front. She couldn't stop crying; she missed Harry so fiercely she'd give anything to have him back. But even through all the sadness in her, her mind couldn't stop filling with the images of their last golden day together.
And that, she thought as she watched Harry's coffin slowly lower into the grave minutes later, was what would sustain her. That day had truly been a blessing, something she would always hold onto. He had been a kindred spirit, an angel sent down from Heaven to bring peace to the world. And he'd brought so much more to her life; love.
As the burial ended, everyone started to leave the graveyard, everyone besides her, Ron, and Hermione. They all bent down by Harry's headstone, and Ginny put her lips to the cold marble, kissing it and saying her last words to him.
"Thank you again, Harry, for showing me what it is to fully love. I will pick myself up and move on, because I know that's what you want. I'll always keep my memories of you with me. I love you, and I'll see you soon. Goodbye, Harry."
And as she left the graveyard, Ron and Hermione's supportive arms around her, her resolve remained firm. She would do everything in her power to live her life to the fullest. And she knew Harry would help her every step of the way.