Chapter 6 - The Summerlands

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Ginny stood and regarded the scene before her. Bodies laid everywhere, everywhere were curses shooting in all directions, bodies falling all the time. She had finally arrived in the real battle field. Four week of training had completed, and there they were, fighting for a future. She and her classmates stood in the Minister's bureau, a room not yet occupied by the Death Eaters in the Ministry building.

Fudge, when finally opened his eyes to believe the Dark Lord's rebirth, had, rather than protect his people, but passed information to the Death Eaters, out of cowardice. Of course, he was sacked, and now, Arthur Weasley stood as temporary Minister. All the Weasleys were proud of their father, but at the same time, worried. The job now made their father one of the people most wanted by the Death Eaters.

The doors banged open, and the Hogwarts graduates looked at the figure before them. Mad-Eye Moody stood before them, looking more terrible than ever. HE growled at them, making them all flinched,

"Good morning, and CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Now, that I have your attention, you shall listen. You are here to fight. I hope you all realize that you are to fight the most evil wizard ever lived since Rasputin. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! I will have no soft spot for any one. If any of you wishes to leave now, leave, because you've only got this chance. Leave and we won't think any less of you. Anyone? Good, I see a brave heart in everyone of you. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! You will give your life to save another, you will do everything in your power to fight off any Death Eaters. You have permission of the Ministry to use the Unforgivables when necessary. Don't overdo it. Use it for EMERGENCY ONLY. Leave the rest to the experts. You'll find casting Unforgivables is very draining, they will drain your strength and earn you a week in the hospital ward. We do not want that. That ward's got enough people already. And CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Understand? Any questions?"

All of them shook their heads. They had this procedure explained already. They were ready, ready as they ever will be. Ginny felt as if she didn't go out there now, she never will. Her nerves were not doing a good job of keeping still.

Moody lead them all out of the room and assigned them each a section of the Ministry. Ginny marched off to her section, dodging curses everywhere. She was happy to see Harry near her. He turned and spotted her, but only had time to flash a grin at her, before turning to back to find Draco Malfoy with his wand on him. Ginny drew her wand and aimed at Malfoy,

"Stupify!"

Malfoy fell to the ground, and immediately another Auror banished him to the prison room, a protected ward in the Ministry, where many Death Eaters were kept for war trials.

Both Harry and Ginny concentrated on fighting , but it seemed all their efforts were for nothing. The more Death Eaters they knocked down, the more people they seem to lose on their side. Ginny's wand worked mechanically, shooting curses at every figure in black robes and mask.

Suddenly, the two teenagers found themselves face to face with Lord Voldemort, stronger and more powerful than ever.

Ginny walked over to Harry, and take his hand. A curse was being shot from somewhere. She wasn't aware if it hits them or not. Ginny could feel their power melds, and starts to flow though both of them. She could feel it traveling, tingling right in her very veins. Some vague part of her mind knew that she wouldn't get out of this alive. But she knew what she needed to do, both of them knew. Dumbledore had taught them the spell ages ago. And this was the time when they needed to use it, to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

"I love you, Harry. I'll see you in the Summerlands," She said, not recognizing her own voice. No regrets, no longing for might-have-been. There isn't the time or the need. But still…they could have had so much. A tear slowly run down Ginny's cheek, unchecked.

"Love you too, Ginny. We'll meet up with Ron and Hermione soon." she could tell by the steadiness in his voice that he, too knows the only outcome of what they were about to do. Still, the reassurance steadies her. She knew, Harry would always be there for her, he loved her.

Ginny turned to look into the red, piercing eyes of Voldemort. She reached over and took Harry's hand in hers. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Everything.

Voldemort raised his wand, Ginny knew which spell he was casting. The fatal words,

"Avada--"

Ginny and Harry, hands held tight, pointed their wands square at Voldemort's chest, summoning all the power they possessed, and uttered,

"Reverso Avada Kedavra Destrucsivo!" just as Voldemort finished the Killing curse.

Ginny could feel the energy, the power extracted from her, like a blinding hot knife fighting its way out of her body. She let the pain travel. She could feel Harry's pain through their hands connected too.

As the last spark of power drained out of her, out of the corner of her eyes, Ginny could see Bill, Charlie, Percy, the twins, and Dad looking at the two of them in horror. Summoning the last of her strength, Ginny flashed them a grin, hoping they knew how much she loved them, and felt herself falling, down, down, down.............

~*~

He could swear he saw her grin. He could swear he heard her, telling him that she loved him. From the look on his brothers' and his father's faces, they must have heard it and saw it too. The two of them finished the spell, and Voldemort let out a scream, filled with pain and horror. Then it stopped. Everything stopped. The only noise left was the three wands falling onto the ground. Then they too, were silence. Then, the air filled with the most beautiful sound Bill had ever heard. The phoenix song. Fawkes flew over to where Ginny and Harry laid, flew over them in a circle, then bursting into flames, the ashes not black, but a pure gold and red color, Gryffindor color, scattered all over the two bodies. Bill knew, this would be the last time Fawkes would burn. He would never return from the ashes, and neither would Harry or Ginny.

Bill can feel the tears running down his cheeks, and he could see the others crying too. He went over, untangled his sister's body from Harry's, smoothed back her red hair, dropped a kiss on her head, like he used to when he tucked her in bed. He press the still warm body to him, memories coming back to him, clearer than ever. Memories of the little red head in pigtails riding her first broomstick, her running in the meadows behind the house, her hair fanning out like the breeze, her laughter rang in his ears.

She would never laugh again, but the grin still fixed on her face, her eyes opened, triumphant. Bill reached over, closed her eyes for the last time, and whispered,

"Wait for me Gin, wait for me in the Summerlands. We will come, we will meet again, all of us, Mum, Dad, Charlie, Percy, the twins and me. We will come."

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain;

I am the gentle autumn's rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there. I did not die.

FIN

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So here endeth Until We Meet. I know it's rather sad and depressing, but I just had to get it down. *sigh* REVIEWS anyone??