I know I should be working on my other fic "The Hogwarts Herald" but I just got Kasey Chambers' CD and this song just called to me. I doubt it's very good at all, and there's not going to be anymore to it, but if you take your time to read and review I would very much love it.

-Toasty



Oh, nobody belongs to me and it takes place after everybody's days at Hogwarts.







These Pines





Ginny layed her copper head on her arms and looked out the window. From the seat at her oak desk she had a spactacular view of her spacious backyard and the thick forest behind it. Through the open window she could feel the faint breeze and smell spring in the air. Her ears picked up the faint whistle of the cardinal and the mockindbird's reply.

From downstairs she could hear Harry moving about, keeping himself busy with one thing or another. Since they had been married it seemed to her that was all he did- kept himself busy.

Ginny closed her eyes and let a sigh escape. The perfect spring day and here she was, acting melancholy. Some newlywed she was.

After a moment of listening to Harry downstairs she picked her head up and looked over the letter she had started writing over an hour ago.



Dear Draco,

I am pleased to inform you that I am

now Mrs. Ginny Potter. Harry and I

were married on February 27th of this

year. I am very



Ginny set her head back down. She was planning on finishing the sentence with "happy", but she knew she couldn't lie. Draco would be able to tell anyway. He always seemed to know things about Ginny that even she didn't know about herself.

Her mind wandered back to her fifth year at Hogwarts. She could still remember the exact time, date, and place Draco Malfoy first surprised her.

It was early morning in late November, and she was trying to make her way to her 8:30 Charms class. Ahead of her she caught sight of Harry and Draco fighting- again. As she watched from behind a bend in the corridor, Ron got in the middle of it and punches started flying. She didn't know who threw the first one, or what it was over, but when Ron was pulled to the Hospital Wing by Harry and Hermonie and Draco didn't even look ruffled, Ginny knew she had to do something.

"Draco Malfoy!" She could have sworn Draco jumped when she exploded from the hall. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The tall blonde just stared at her. For a moment that's all he did. It must have dawned on him after that. "Oh," he whispered, "You're the baby weasel! What's your name? Jenny? Janice?"

Ginny only glared at him. "My name is Ginny, you jerk! God, I hate you!"

He yawned. "No you don't."

"What?" She was astounded. How did he have the nerve to tell her she didn't hate him?

"You don't hate me. Sure," he shrugged, "You're angry with me. I mean, I just beat the crud out of your brother, there's no reason for you not to be angry with me. But geez, don't say you hate me. That's a little drastic isn't it? You don't even know me."

Ginny's jaw almost hit the floor.





The somewhat taller, somewhat more mature, somewhat more married Ginny smiled at the memory and glanced back down at the parchment. She could remember later on when Draco had told her what the fight had been about.



They were sitting on the edge of the Forbidden Forest on a clear spring afternoon. Professor Bogue had let Ginny's French class out early due to the beautiful weather, and Draco was relishing in the fact that his DADA teacher was in the Hospital Wing with the flu. They were well hidden from the rest of the castle and were free to talk as they pleased.

Draco had propped himself up on the trunk of a large pine tree, and Ginny had fallen onto the soft grass, dropping her head on his lap. It was a common position for both of them. They met there often, espically in the spring and autumn when it was warm outside. They would talk for hours, about just anything that came to their minds.

It was in this familiar spot when Ginny told Draco about each of her brothers. How she never really knew the older ones, and how the younger ones all treated her like she wasn't her own person. It was this same spot where Draco had described to Ginny what had happened at his house when You Know Who was still in power. Beneath the sweet smelling pine trees Ginny had cried over heartbreak, laughed at lame jokes, and whispered secrets she swore she would never tell. It was beneath these trees one spring afternoon Draco, with his fingers working themselves through her hair, told her what had happened.

"He called me a death eater."

Ginny looked up at him. They hadn't been talking for a while, and she didn't know where he was coming from. "Who called you a death eater?"

"Your brother. That day you saw us fighting. He called me a death eater."

"Why?"

"Because he thinks it's witty. Because I was arguing with Potter. Who knows?"

Ginny took his free hand and started massaging it. "But you're not. And Ron's a dick anyway." The slim girl smiled as the breeze picked up again and pulled the scent of the pine trees over the two teenagers like a blanket.



Married Ginny frowned. She wasn't exactly happy. To be honest with herself she had to admit that what she felt inside was the complete lack of happiness.

She deftly pushed her chair away from her desk and opened her top drawer. She picked up a worn envelope with a faint "Virginia M. Weasley" scrawled across the front. After glancing at the closed door she removed the letter from the envelope.



Dear Virginia;

I have received an invitation to a wedding thiscomming February

and at first I thought it was a prank. You see, it was for the marriage of one

Harry Potter and, of all people, "Ginny" Weasley.

This is the part where I am blunt, Virginia. You will not be happy.

You will not be yourself. You are not "Ginny", you are Virginia. You know

you don't love him, and yet you still marry him. You are not making the right

decision.

I regret to announce that I will not be able to attend. I will try to keep

In touch, but with circumstances as they are it may be difficult from now on.



As always,

Draco Malfoy





Ginny brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and was amazed to find the tips of her fingers wet. She slowly folded the letter and placed it back in the drawer. Draco Malfoy was nobody to cry over. Espically since she was now HAPPILY married.

The redhead pulled out her hairtie and ran her fingers through her locks to free the waves from their braid. Again her mind began to wander to her Hogwarts days.



It wasn't easy being friends with Draco. Most of the time, in fact, it was pretty close to impossible. But when they talked, when they laughed, when they were just quiet, it was all worth it. Ginny never understood what it was that made her feel so relaxed in their hidden grove. She was grateful for it though.

It was more than once that Ginny had just so many feelings inside of her she felt she would have exploded if it weren't for Draco. It was more than once Draco would bring her back into focus with common sense and a sharp wit. It was more than once Draco had flown her to her dorm window when she had fallen asleep on the grass.

One autumn evening of Ginny's sixth year the two sat together by the trees. "Draco?" Ginny ventured.

"Yes Virginia?" Draco's eyes were closed and his head was leaning back.

"Are you my best friend?"

Draco lifted his head and looked down at her. "I don't think I'm supposed to answer that. I think you are."

"Am I your best friend then?"

The blonde put his head back where it was beforehand. "Of course you are."

Ginny layed her head back down too. "That's good."

"So am I yours?"

"Of course."





Ginny pulled her eyes from the window when she heard a knock on the door. "Ginny?" It was Harry. "Ginny, are you okay? You've been in there for quite a while."

Standing up to open the door Ginny also grabbed the half-finished letter and crumpled it into a ball. "Oh, I'm fine sweetie, just taking a little nap." The redhead opened the door and wrapped her arms around her dark haired husband. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Harry kissed Ginny on her brow and let her go. "Honey, the ministry just called and I've got to go out on a mission for a couple days, will you be okay here alone?"

"Oh, I'll be fine Harry."

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Parvati or Lavendar? They'd be happy to stay with you."

"Harry," Ginny smiled, leading him out the door, "I'll be fine, I promise." The two made their way outside, chatting as they went. When they stopped only a few feet from the forest of pine tress, Ginny hugged Harry again. "Good luck sweetie."

Harry kissed her cheek. "Promise you'll be safe?"

"I promise Harry." Ginny smiled to assure him and with a pop, he was gone.

The redhead sighed and fell to the ground, her back to one of the tall trees. The breeze she had felt from her window had died and the air didn't smell as sweet. She once again stood to go inside. She did have a letter to write after all. And now she knew what she was going to say.



Fin.









These Pines (Kasey Chambers)



These pines are not the ones I'm used to

They won't carry me home when I cry

Am I too far gone to recover

Or can I return if I try

Should I trade my soul for another

Learn not to complain anymore

Should I stay and pretend that I'm happy

Like so many times before



Yeah these pines

Are not mine

They don't smell so sweet

Like the ones in my mind

And I search the needles

'Til I run out of time

But I don't see you in These Pines



Do I stumble or falter my words

When I'm saying everything is all right

I'm not one to release my depression

But these trees bring it out every night

Well I don't talk 'cos I'm trying to listen

To the wind take me home through these leaves

But it's quiet and I don't hear nothing

Cos the wind doesn't blow through these trees



Yeah these pines

Are not mine

They don't smell so sweet

Like the ones in my mind

And I search the needles

'Til I run out of time

But I don't see you in These Pines