Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of the characters I use in my stories, only the way they are used.
Chapter Seven: Memories and Finality
Ron tugged at his tie, wishing very much that he were somewhere else, anywhere else. Ron did not like big crowds of people, and he really did not like funerals.
About two hundred people stood out among the monuments and markers in the small cemetary at The Burrow, waiting for the funeral to begin. Ron recognized most of the people, some being family, others Ginny's friends, and all but one teacher from Hogwarts.
Of course the missing teacher was Snape. That's pretty low, seeing how even Filch showed up with his carpet of a cat... in a black kitty shirt.
Ron wanted to slap the man silly but contained himself. He was glad that he had his own friends here as well. Harry stood talking to Fred and George, Hermione was talking to Dumbledore, and Seamus and Dean were standing a few yards away sneaking drinks from a small bottle. Draco had gone off to have a cigarette before the service started.
That had caused quite the uproar, Draco showing up. Nobody figured a Malfoy would attend a Weasley funeral. Then they saw him holding hands with Ron and everyone seemed to understand.
Ron looked over to the casket. It was a light pink color, with a rose vine tangling around every inch of it, a picture of Ginny sitting on top of it. It stood on a marble slab (also light pink) that had her epitaph engraved on it
Ginerva Weasley
1991 - 2005
"A pristine rose, cut before its full bloom."
Ron almost snorted at the girliness and all of the roses.
But Hermione said that pink roses were Ginny's favorite thing. Hermione had done most of the work planning the funeral. She had prepared almost everything perfectly.
When asked how she knew all of this, Hermione just said "I had help", but wouldn't say who helped her.
Ron noticed draco heading up the lawn. He was absolutely beautiful. He wore a white tux with pink lining, his hair shone like glitter. His eyes were slightly wet, like he had been crying.
Wow, Ron thought to himself, he looks like he's been bawling and he is still damn beautiful.
Then Ron noticed the girl walking beside him. Pansy Parkinson would have looked amazing if she didn't look like an emotional train wreck. You could tell she had been crying, probably for days.
As they got nearer, Ron raised an eyebrow to Draco with a quick glance toward Pansy.
Draco leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "Ginny and Pansy were very close. This has been extremely hard for her."
Ron could have screamed, but simply nodded. He understood what Draco was saying. Ginny and Pansy had probably been seeing each other. Come to think of it, that is probably where Hermione got her 'help' from. Ron didn't really like the idea of his little sister being gay, but then again, himself, the twins, and even Percy were all gay so what do you expect, really?
Hermione, Harry, Dean and Seamus all gathered around Ron right as Dumbledore walked over next to the casket and cleared his voice.
"Dearest friends, today we have come to remember Ginny Weasley, a promising young witch and a great friend..."
Ron saw all of his memories with Ginny passing before his eyes, the laughter, the tears, her smiles, his frowns, it all seemed to rush past in a blink of an eye. It must have been obvious because Draco slid his hand to join Ron's and gently stroked his hand with his thumb. Ron felt slightly relieved, but the sadness just continued to grow as the memories flooded to him.
Several people went up to speak, his mum, a few teachers, even bloody Filch and his cat. Ron hardly noticed what went on. It was more like a dream than reality compared to his memories with Ginny that overcame him. Dumbledore finally made his way back to the front, tears in his eyes and his wand at his side.
"From now until the end of days may you rest eternally Ginny, rest young and beautiful, rest in peace." With that he flicked his wand and the casket seemed to glow for a minute. When you looked closely, you could see small diamonds strewn like stars across it, and a thin magical glow surrounding it. Dumbledore tenderly retrieved the picture from the top of the casket. Ginny was still beaming in the picture, waving to family members.
Ron's heart was beating like a drum, his head was spinning, his stomach in knots. He knew he had to get away, so he broke away from Draco and left at almost a run. He ran until he found a tree on the far side of the Burrow. He remembered himself and Ginny sitting in the tree, before they had gone to Hogwarts, daydreaming and speculating at the wonders of the magical world they would soon be a part of.
Ron sat at the trunk of the tree and cried silent tears, saying his final farewell to his sister.
Ron didn't notice Draco sit down next to him. When he was finally done crying, he looked up to see himself with his head in Draco's lap, Draco stroking his hair softly. "You okay?"
Ron smiled, "Yeah. Thank you Draco, for uh, you know being here with me."
Draco smirked, but for the first time, it wasn't evil, it was something else. "Yeah..."
That smirk set something off in Ron. He leaned up and kissed him, thanking the gods for Draco Malfoy.
The end of Part One! yay? There will be a Part Two, eventually! yeah.
Review? begs Please?
PS: Oh yes, I know the title of this Story makes no sense, and it won't until the end of Part Two. Just in case you thought I was crazy...
