Welcome to chapter two, only a short one I'm afraid. As always, please let me know your thoughts. I think I know where I'm going with this, but reviews and comments always help.
The waiting room of the mortuary was strangely cheerful, bright white walls, spotlights and the occasional vase of pastel coloured flowers was offset by plump armchairs and a coffee table covered in magazines and newspapers.
17 year oldGinny Weasley sat in one of the chairs, nervously shredding a leaflet between her fingers. Her new fiancé sat next to her, twitching a knee as he absentmindedly read a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Miss Weasley, they are ready for you now" announced the young witch on reception. "You may go through, I am so sorry for your loss."
Ginny's legs didn't want to work. If she stood and went into that room she would have to face up to the truth. She would have to accept that her whole family was gone. Dead. Torn away from her by the fire that ripped through the wood and thatch structure
of her childhood home.
Her mind spinning into numbness she forced herself to stand. Harry stood next to her and took her hand. "Come on love. We have to do this. We only need stay for a minute. Just long enough to say our goodbyes."
Ginny allowed him to steer her down the carpeted hallway and into the viewing room. Fighting back nausea she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping against hope that when she opened them again this would all have been a really bad dream. It wasn't. She opened
her eyes and glanced through the glass to the coffins within. Her brothers. Ron, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George. Her parents Arthur and Molly, her sister in law Fleur and, in coffins so heartbreakingly small, her nephew Fred and niece Victoire.
Blindly she stared at their lifeless bodies. Looking but not really seeing, her mind drifting away to that horrible night a fortnight ago, that night when her whole family were gathered to celebrate her engagement to Harry with BBQs and drinks under the
summer stars. That night when Harry and her snuck out after everyone else had gone to bed to walk hand in hand through the fields. That night when, having sated their desires amongst the hay, she had woken to see flames licking into the sky in the
distance, had heard screams through the smoke and realised they were her own.
She blinked, and heard Harry finalising the funeral arrangements with the attendants. She turned, burying her head in his chest and choked back a sob. Harry leaned down and planted a soft and tender kiss to the top of her head as he led her out of the
viewing room, down the corridor, through the waiting room and out into the late August sunshine. Mind still numb, she wondered briefly if she would ever feel again.
Harry wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could take her pain away and apparated them away, back to Grimmauld Place.
Only a short one this time, more coming soon!