AN: Almost nearing the end nowmy telephone just got busted, otherwise I'd have had this up the day after Part 12 came out. I know, abrupt change to the non-killing, but its best this way, trust me.I think the next part will be the epilogue. A very long epilogue. What can I say - I love dwelling on the happy-ever after part. Draco and Ginny AREN'T behaving and they want to go on angsting, but that simply cannot be allowed.
Well, maybe it can't be allowed.
Enjoy. Review. (They're not mutually exclusive.)
Disclaimer : Characters and setting belong to JK Rowling.
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He stood there, tall and austere, unmarked amidst destruction. His red eyes shone with a light that fed off the fear around him.
Except Harry's.
Harry feared nothing now.
There as nothing left to fear.
"And we meet again." Voldemort hissed.
Harry said nothing.
Voldemort flung Ginny aside and she fell to the ground painfully. Harry's heart clenched but he didn't do anything. Draco was by Ginny's side in an instant ad he helped her up gently. She pushed his hands away and staggered to her feet, needing no support.
Draco understood and stepped back silently. It was not his battle.
The three of them stood in a row, each in pain, each young, so young compared to Voldemort. Draco jnew there was no match.
But he wouldn't do anything.
Well, unless Ginny was involved.
Then all bets were off.
"Step back." Harry said, not taking his eyes off voldemort. His voice was cold and there was something in it Draco recognized.
Power.
"No." Ron said.
Ginny shook her head, chin set, eyes dark.
"It's my fight." Harry said, and it was as if someone else was speaking,
but it wasn't.
It was Harry, distorted by a hate so pure that few would hear it and not quail. Even years later, remnants of it would linger.
"Step back." Harry repeated, and this time, the tow Weasleys did. Ginny did not seek Draco out and he did not expect her to.
Voldemort watched silently. "Touching." He remarked.
And then they were locked in battle.
It was a battle so intense that none of them would remember it later.
If they did, they never spoke of it.
It was a battle of hate.
All of them would remember the hate that poured off Harry.
All of them would never think of Harry in the same way again.
Never.
When it was all over, they saw Voldemort lying on the ground.
He was dead.
They burned him.
And Draco stood to one side, watching.
He had no part in it.
___________
It was a sunny day. Hermione sat next to Ron. He was sitting by himself at the edge of the Weasley property, his new left arm throwing rocks across the ground. Rocks that had been part of the Burrow.
She had not seen him before this. It had been a week since the deaths.
Hermione had cried when she heard of the twins, Bill's deaths. She had cried for the meaningless deaths of the jolly twins she had known, the tall young man in his prime she had met. She had cried for the Weasley family, she had cried for Harry, and she had cried for Ron. She prayed for words to say, the right words to say, the words that would magically heal Ron's soul the way the doctors had healed his body.
There were no such words.
Ron spoke first.
She listened. It was all she had to do.
"It's funny." He said dreamily, staring at the bright blue sky, the sun warm. A beautiful day. "I always wanted to stand out, to not be in anyone's shadow. To be Ron. Just Ron. Not Ron Weasley. Not Bill's brother, or Charlie's brother, or Harry's friend. Not one of the Weasley pack, y'know?
"And now I'm not. I'm the boy who helped destroy Voldemort. I'm Ron Weasley, not Harry Potter's friend. No one will ever call me that again.
"And I suppose that it's not that surprising that I don't want to be that anymore. I was to be one of the Weasley pack. I want to be - defined - by the people around me. Percy's brother."
He took a deep breath. "It's secure. It's safe. I don't know any kind of definition other than that. And now I'll never be that. I'll never be Fred's brother, George's brother. Not anymore."
His voice cracked. "Now it's just me and Mum and Dad and Ginny and Charlie and Percy."
He closed his eyes and bowed his head and when he opened them, he turned to face Hermione for the first time, and his eyes were red and so sad that Hermione's heart broke.
"I'm scared, Hermione." He whispered. "I'm just so scared."
Hermione did the only thing she could do.
She held him tightly, and as he cried in her arms, she held him and stared at the bright blue sky and the fluffy white clouds that floated unseeingly above them.
_____________
Harry watched Ginny, who stood hugging herself, staring at what had once been the Burrow. A slight chilly breeze made Harry shiver and he didn't betray any surprise when Draco Malfoy came up beside him.
Harry remembered when Draco had found out that his father was dead. He, like his father, had shown no emotion. But Ginny had known, as Harry did, and she quietly led him away. That had touched Harry. In the midst of her own grief, Ginny had known how to comfort Draco.
Draco's next words didn't surprise him. He had known, somehow, that Draco would know. He had ceased thinking of him as Malfoy, Harry realised with brief, detached surprise.
"You killed my father." Draco said.
Harry nodded and didn't look at him. "How did you know?"
"You were the only one who would have done it." Draco said. He stared at Ginny.
"I would do it again."
Draco laughed shortly, a bitter laugh. "I don't blame you. He was a bastard." Hus tone betrayed him, even if his face didn't.
Harry knew he had to tell. "He loved you." He said quietly, feeling some awkwardness. "Before I killed him - he knew you were here. He thought he had killed you." Harry hesitated. "When he knew that - he could have gotten away, from me, easily. He had his wand out ad he was stronger - but - but - he - he just closed his eyes and - he wanted to die. He let me kill him." Harry swallowed.
Neither of them said anything for a while, and Harry knew that in Draco's silence was a struggle. In his silence was a thank you. A thank you Draco Malfoy would never voice.
He was his father's son.
As Harry was his.
"You love Ginny." Draco said finally, the two young men watching the woman they both loved.
Maybe equally.
Harry was silent. "Yes."
In the single syllable was the intense, passionate, loyal love of a strong soul who would not love easily.
"I won't tell her." Harry said, staring ahead of him. "She's yours." It was the hardest thing he'd ever said, but he said it easily, and he accepted it, patiently. Harry knew then that he would always love Ginny.
And he would never have her.
Always.
Never.
Harry glanced at Draco then and saw the wavering on his face, the longing and the uncertainty and pride mingled. "I couldn't have her even if I wanted." Harry said quietly. He swallowed again. "She wants you."
Draco's face stilled, slowly, and he was at peace. He met Harry's eyes and they exchanged a thank you.
They both stepped forward and their eyes met again.
He let Draco Malfoy go to the girl they both loved.
He let Draco Malfoy be first, as he would always be in Ginny's heart.
And when he watched Ginny turn trustingly to Draco, and their eyes meet in a love only they could have or understand, he knew he had made the right decision.
Harry turned away and allowed himself a grim smile.
Draco Malfoy was still a bastard, though.
_______________
"Do I look all right?" ron fussed, tugging at the neckline of the graduation robe he wore. He scowled at the mirror and made a face.
Hermione came up behind him and laughed over his shoulder, pulling his hands away and giving him a kiss on the back of his neck. "You look fine." Ron turned and grinned at her.
Hermione herself was looking pretty good, Harry took in with a private smile at how cheesy Ron and Hermione always were together. Her colour was high and her eyes were bright with excitement. Out loud he said. "Gag me."
Hermione laughed at him and Ron just grinned, looking more idiotic than usual. He had grown up at lot over the last year.
He still had a lot more growing up to do.
Harry took a look in the mirror and stoofd in front of it for a moment, taking in his own image. He knew that he looked almost exactly like his father had years ago. Except for the serious green eyes that stared back at him, his mother's contribution
"You look great, Harry." Hermione told him.
Harry smiled. He discreetly left when Hermione gravitated towards Ron like she always did after a minute or so of separation.
He bumped into Ginny, who was in her pink dress robes, completely clashing with her carrot red hair. Harry liked the effect though, he always did. He took her in with eyes that had learned to conceal rather than reveal.
Ginny laughed and straightened before Harry could help her up. She smiled at him, a smile so full of sweetness and genuine affection that Harry's eyes softened. "You look wonderful, Harry." She said happily, brushing a white hand against his neckline. She held her arms out for a hug. "Congratulations."
Harry hugged her, setting a brotherly kiss on her cheek, savouring the feel of her in his arms. "Thank you." He said seriously. He smiled. "You're looking pretty good yourself." He nodded at the sheaf of white flowers in her arms. "Those for Draco?"
Ginny's mouth curved upwards. "Yes. They're white carnations." She said helpfully. She laughed. "I couldn't afford roses. " She nodded at them. "I thought they'd go with his hair."
Harry nodded solemnly. "Good choice."
Ginny was oblivious to any ambiguous meaning. "I really have to find him." She apologised. She gave him another hug and it was her turn to kiss him. "I'm going to miss you next year."
Harry's heart thrilled at her touch and at her words. Maybe she would never love him as she loved Draco, but he knew she had grown to care for him very deeply.
That was enough.
That had to be enough.
Ginny turned and walked away. After she had taken a few steps, she hesitated and slipped back to Harry, who was still there, watching her. She pressed some flowers into his empty hands gently, with love. "Happy Graduation, Harry." She laughed, and then she was gone.
____________
Draco waited for Ginny patiently at the door to the great Hall. He'd learnt to be patient, what with all the waiting he always did for Ginny.
Well, kind of patient, anyway.
And then she was in front of him, a pretty young woman with a fair, sweet face ad laughing eyes. Her dress clashed with her hair, but the overall look was pleasing, so pleasing that Draco couldn't fault it.
"Late again." He remarked.
Ginny laughed at him. "I ran into Harry in the hall." She explained.
Draco's face didn't tighten as it would have a year ago at the mention of Harry. He'd called an unofficial truce with Harry for the past year.
It made for a peaceful life.
But with Weasley number six around, it wasn't too peaceful.
Draco was about to rub his crotch protectively when he realized what he was about to do.
Ginny stepped closer. "I got you flowers." She said, holding out the bundle with both hands. Draco's heart hitched with pride and happiness - pride that she loved him and happiness because he loved her.
He gave her a soft kiss on her lips, a kiss of adoration, not lust. "I love you." He breathed against her lips. He frowned down on the flowers. "I like the flowers, but aren't there customarily a dozen, not seven?"
Ginny just laughed again and they stood together for a moment, just standing close to each other.
It was enough.
It always was.
___________
The graduation ceremony was held outside. It was short and precise, there was no elaboration. The students had wanted it that way.
Harry listened to Hermione's valedictorian speech. It was a brilliant speech, brief, to the point and with a slight tinge of lecturing. There was nothing sentimental about it, it was pure Hermione, right down to the slight disapproval when she talked about grades, and Harry liked that. He looked at his classmates, at their familiar faces.
It was a sunny day, cool but sunny, and Harry looked in the crowd for his red-haired surrogate family. He found Mr and Mrs. Weasley sitting in the fourth row, with Ginny and Charlie and Percy and Hagrid, towering over all of them. As always he had to swallow when he saw how much the Weasley family had diminished. Mrs. Weasley had gotten a lot more grey hair over the last year, and Mr. Weasley looked so much older that Harry was half-alarmed. He looked down at his hands, full of Ginny's white carnations, the yellow ones Mrs. Weasley had handed to him earlier and the one orange rose from Hermione.
When they caught his eye, they all smiled proudly, as if he really was their son. Harry grinned back, but part of him wished his own parents were there.
But he was all right.
He was happy.
___________
The graduation feast was about to start. Harry scanned the crowd, looking for a piece of red, or the sky blue robes that Mrs. Weasley had been wearing. He caught sight of Ginny.
Someone he always wanted to see.
Just not gummed to Draco Malfoy's side.
"You're like me." A voice, strangely bitter, said from beside him.
Harry looked down to see Pansy Parkinson, looking at Draco and Ginny, looking painfully happy, laughing quietly at each other.
They were holding hands.
They looked like they were made to hold hands.
His large, sensitive white hand, cupping her small, finely boned one -
Harry didn't bother denying it. "Maybe." He said.
Pansy kept on looking at them. "We are." She said flatly. "We both love someone who will never love us back. And -" she seemed to forget she was talking and sighed. "You were luckier than me, though." She said, almost conversationally. "She loved you for a while. Maybe not as much as she loved him now, but at least you had a chance, once."
I had a chance.
I let it go.
"Well, at least he's happy." Pansy said. She laughed, shortly. "Too bad he isn't happy with me."
At least she's happy.
They separated then.
Each was just a reminder of the other's pain.