Things Change
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or anything, but I definitely own this piece of writing! J.K Rowling owns all the characters and stuff. I do, however, own any characters you don't recognise, and the plot is ALL MINE!
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The spring sunshine fell over the cemetery like golden liquid, spilling through the branches of the willow that hung over the grave and dappling sunlight over the grass. Ginny stood in front of the tomb, her eyes travelling over the inscription etched into the smooth stone;
Charles Henry Weasley
Or 'Charlie' to the rest of us.
1967 – 1996
We miss you
Ginny smiled slightly, her eyes sad as she knelt before the grave and grabbed the vase that lay atop the grass. "These need changing" she murmured, taking out the old and wilted flowers and replacing them with a fresh bouquet. She put the vase back on the grass and leant backwards to examine her work, wiping the soil off her hands and nodding in satisfaction.
"That should do" she said, stuffing the wrapping in the bag that hung over her shoulder. Sighing, she slid her legs out from under her, sitting sideways in the grass and leaning back on one hand. She looked up at the gravestone, once again reading the words long ago carved into her mind and feeling a tear spill from her eyes and down her cheek, dripping off her chin and landing somewhere in the grass, lost forever. She wiped it away with her sleeve, sniffling and trying to hold back more tears.
"I miss him Charlie," she finally managed to say, giving up and letting the tears have their way; they fell in little rivulets down her cheeks, shining in the sunlight.
"All this time and I still miss him!" she cried. "And why?! I don't know – we only had a few months together, and even then it was just stolen moments. It doesn't make sense…no sense at all…"
Sniffling, she pulled a tissue from her bag and wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down. At last she seemed composed; or as composed as she could be at that particular moment, as a few tears were still falling down her cheeks. She swallowed, before opening her mouth to speak.
"I still love him, you know" she said to the stone, smiling a sad smile, knowing she would get no reply; not even to that statement. "I don't know what it is – or was – about him that made me love him. Just…everything, I suppose. I even loved the mean, evil part of him, in the end. He was like…"
She paused, looking for the right word.
"A drug would be the best word, because that's what it was like in the beginning. Every time he kissed me, it was like he was flooding through my system, intoxicating every last part of my body. Oh I hated it at first, believe me – well, the idea of it anyway – but…"
She hesitated again, looking up at the sky as if contemplating something. "Is it really possible to fall in love with someone you hate? Because if it hadn't been for Voldemort then Draco and I…would we have ever fallen in love? After all, it was Voldemort who made me do all the things that led to our relationship, nothing else. His voice in my head…It controlled me. For the second time in my life Tom Riddle took over my head and pressed his will onto me!"
Her voice rose on the last line, echoing slightly as it bounced off of the gravestones dotted across the grass. Ginny swallowed, trying once again to compose herself as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I just want to know if anything we shared was true. But I don't even know about myself; how could I ever know about Draco? What do you think Charlie? Did he love me? Yes or no?"
A breeze stirred the branches of the willow tree, causing the long, hanging boughs to nod up and down as if to say "Yes, he really loved you".
Ginny smiled sadly, patting the ground in front of her and sighing. "Thank you Charlie," she said, watching as the branches stilled and once again became lifeless. "I'm glad you understand. Maybe one day I will too"
She looked to the sky once again, at the pink glow beginning to seep into the bright summer blue on the horizon that signified twilight would soon be arriving. She stood now, looking once more down at the tombstone.
"There is one thing I do know," she said quietly, her eyes on the dates in the stone. "Things change Charlie. People change".
Stretching out a hand, she trailed the tips off her fingers over his name, memories flashing through her mind.
"I've changed"
She let her hand drop back down to her side, looking at the inscription one more time before the sound of footsteps running across the grass towards her made her turn.
"Mummy, mummy!" cried the little boy, colliding gently with her leg and looking up at her, his hands clinging to her hips. "Jody's scaring me!"
"That's not true!" exclaimed the girl behind him, trying to catch her breath as she stopped running after him. "Charlie's just being stupid, that's all"
"Am not" Charlie said indignantly, turning and giving Jody a look.
"Are too"
"Am not"
"Are too"
"Children!" Ginny cried, holding up her hands to calm them down. "Now, Charlie, what's going on?"
"Jody was being a pig and said that there were ghosts in the graveyard and that they were going to get me!" Charlie cried fearfully, looking around anxiously and digging his fingers into Ginny's hips.
"Did not!" Jody cried angrily, putting her hands on her hips and glowering at her little brother.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Children!" Ginny said again, a little sharper this time. Both of them fell silent, scowling at each other. "Now, Jody, you know I don't like you scaring your brother, and if you do it again I won't be very pleased—"
She held up a hand as Jody opened her mouth to speak, fixing her daughter with an authoritative expression. She turned to Charlie, gently prising his hands off her hips and crouching down to his height.
"— but on the other hand, I don't like you calling your sister a pig Charlie. So, neither of you are in trouble for the time being, okay? Now, I want you both to apologise to each other"
Both children nodded reluctantly, scowling at one another. There was a pause, both children looking around and Jody shifting from foot to foot, until Ginny raised and eyebrow and said, "Well?"
"Sorry" they both muttered, not looking at each other.
"Well, I suppose that'll have to do," Ginny said, smiling and kissing his Charlie's forehead affectionately before standing up. "Now, let's go and find your father"
Holding onto Charlie's small hand, she began to walk away from the grave, putting her arm around Jody and smiling as her daughter nestled close to her, slinging her own arm around Ginny's waist. They walked this way for a few minutes in silence until the gates of the cemetery came into view, Ginny's husband leaning on the post. Gently pushing the children ahead, Ginny smiled as she watched them run the last few yards towards their father, Charlie jumping into his arms as soon as they reached him. Jody stopped next to them, talking animatedly.
'How could I ever survive without them?' Ginny thought, watching them a second before looking back at the grave, the willow tree's branches dangling around the tombstone. She put a hand to her throat, feeling for the Udjat necklace around her neck and wrapping her fingers around its comforting weight.
"Come on mum!"
Jody's shout distracted her and she turned around, letting go of the Udjat again. She reached the gate quickly, ruffling Charlie's thick hair from where he sat in his father's arms.
"Same time next year then, Gin?" Thom said, kissing her cheek and taking her hand with his own free one.
"Yeah," she replied, intertwining their fingers like she always did, "Same time next year"
Raising his hand to her lips, Thom kissed it tenderly, before letting go and turning to Jody up ahead. A breeze swirled around Ginny as she watched them go; it played gently with her hair, like a lover's fingers…it seemed to be talking to her…what was it saying?
"I loved you Ginny," a voice whispered on the wind, speaking to her and her alone, "I still love you"
Ginny looked around, confused, as the breeze swirled her hair around and then flew upwards, fallen leaves swirling up and up and up into the heavens. "Draco?" she whispered into the empty air. Her only reply was the sound of trees rustling as the breeze continued its journey towards the bright blue sky high above.
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A/N And now we come to the end *violins start playing mournfully in the background* ; D
Beauty Eclipsed (Wow, thanks for your really nice review; it made me feel all warm and fuzzy to think that I'd written something like that, lol; thanks for all of your reviews) Lady Coia (I'm glad that this chapter made you smile, I was hoping people would like it. Yeah, Thom really does love Ginny doesn't he? Thanks) cashew (haha, the first line of your review made me laugh – no, it's not wrong. And as much as I love Thom, they do belong together. Now, on the whole 'confrontation' front – if the story line had developed a little differently I probably would have put that scene in, but it's just that this will always be Ginny's secret – something that she wants to keep private, just for herself, kind of like Rose in Titanic – just not as Titanic-like, lol. Otherwise I would have put it in. Anyways, thanks for reviewing; Laters) jewels03 (hey, thanks for the compliment and the review!) fcuking cathy (No, sorry, I can't continue it for much longer – it's finished! The story just wouldn't work if I tried to stretch it out any longer. And I don't actually know if Dumbledore can read minds or not, but in this fic, I'll just say that he can't, lol) locker1198 (OMG, how can you NOT love Thom?! Thom is amazing, I love him! Sorry, but he's one of my best ever original characters. And he's not perfect, he's just very sweet. Every girl should have her own Thom, lol. And no, after this, there will be no more chapters, apart from a final author's note) swimfan (thanks, and thank you for your review)
Now, for the sappy stuff : P
This story has been a major part of my life for the last however many months, and it has seriously shaped my writing style and the way I write in general. Because of the chance I've had to write this story, and to put it up on the internet for others to read, my writing has improved and I've become a better writer than I ever could have been without it. I've achieved something I've wanted to do ever since I started reading fanfiction, which has got to be…what, about three or four years ago? I've actually finished a story, and to be honest, even though it hasn't been anything major or whatever, I've still got reviews, and people have told me how much they like my story. It's a nice feeling. Hopefully you guys are gonna get me over the one hundred mark with these last reviews : P. I know this all sounds corny, but who cares? I mean every single bit of it, and if I want to say it, I'll say it.
There's also something else I want to do; thank everyone who's ever reviewed this, because it means a hell of a lot to me. I'll always be grateful for the effort you put into writing a review and telling me what you thought.
So, thank you too;
Eclipse2010, Adriana Huffle, Scarlett 6, mrs muffin man, Dragix, cashew, BoggledMuggle313, Crystal Snowflakes, sue, Nalia, Okeanos, HiddenintheAbyss, Meadow A, forestfire, Storm079, tay, Lady Jade7, ennui2, Mel, Crystal Megan, Bijuu, Alyssa Rose, Tara-Yo, Beauty Eclipsed, fcuking cathy, Lady Coia, Aibi, Crystal Star-23, MeEm, Wizzabee, Vu, Aquakinesis, Brenna, ElveNDestiNy, Dirrty Girrl, swimfan and locker1198.
You guys all helped me to complete one of the things I'm most proud of in my whole life; thank you so much.
Love,
Shakespeare's Muse xx