Chapter 2: Mona Lisa

"If in the morning you look up, fake a smile and you sigh. Don't fear the future. In the years to come you'll learn. I used to sit and watch the pouring rain. I used to wish to be back home again. I hadn't the strength then. I hadn't the chance to reveal it. But it's all in your hands"

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Ginny didn't want to wake up. The smells coming from the kitchen downstairs were not helping her cause. Ever since Ginny had moved in with Hermione after the battle, Hermione had every once in a while tried to make breakfast for them. The results tended to be less than stellar. After Ron died, Hermione needed someone to be with, and Ginny felt that if she stayed in the burrow too much longer she would go mad. So, about two weeks after the attack, Ginny moved in with Hermione.

'Ugh,' Ginny thought as she pulled herself in to a sitting position and swung her legs to the side of her bed. It had been five years ago today that the battle the Daily Prophet had dubbed "The Battle of Grover's Field" happened, and that was why Ginny didn't want to be awake.

Trying not to think about it, Ginny gathered up some energy and got out of bed. She put on her robe and fuzzy slippers and made her way downstairs. Upon entering the kitchen, she decided to make herself a bowl of cereal, noting the burned eggs and blackened toast on the counter. Sitting down, she glanced at the uncharacteristically quiet and perturbed Hermione.

"What's going on Hermione?" Ginny asked innocently, only barely hiding the smirk that wanted to escape on to her face.

"Don't Ginny," Hermione stated, annoyed, "You know exactly what's going on. Eventually I will master cooking charms and you will rue the day you started all this poking fun at me." Huffing, Hermione stood up and began cleaning up her mess. After a moment she broke the silence. "You letter arrived about an hour ago," she said as she pointed to the folded parchment addressed to her laying on the table.

Ginny didn't have to ask what Hermione was talking about. Every year since the battle, on the anniversary, she was sent a letter containing a single red maple leaf, a piece of birch bark, and a note simply saying, "I'll be waiting for you." She instantly knew what this meant and where this mystery person would be waiting for her. It would be at the battleground. The first year, the feelings were all still too fresh and she couldn't bring herself to go. For the three years after that, Hermione had constantly reminded her that she didn't know who this mystery person was, and couldn't be sure this wasn't some wacko out to get her. Ginny had always had a feeling that this was way off course. Something about the leaves and the bark got to her, made her think that it would be all right.

Noting the contemplative look on Ginny's face, Hermione began to scowl. "You know, I haven't changed my mind bout your mystery sender. I don't think it's safe."

"I know you don't Hermione, but I get the feeling this person means me no harm. I don't know what it is, but it's been five years. I have to go. Today." With that, Ginny stood up, took care of her bowl, and went back upstairs to get ready.

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Harry paced back and forth, grumbling quietly to himself. "If she doesn't come this time, I think I'll just give up. Why would she come? She doesn't know it's me. Why didn't I put my name on the letters? Why did I have to be a weirdo about it? I'm so messed up! Ack!" Harry finished almost yelling at himself and stomping o the ground.

Glancing up Harry almost gasped aloud. There she stood with the most blatant look of surprise and shock on her face that Harry had ever seen in his life. Staring back, looking almost as shocked as she was, Harry began to take in her appearance. This was not the same girl Harry had last seen. Before, Harry had known Ginny Weasley to be a happy smiling girl without a trace of doubt or sadness in her face at any time. This woman seemed to have the doubt and sadness, not to mention fear, permanently tattooed around her eyes. She was no less beautiful than before, but the beauty seemed different. Where once Ginny had seemed warm and soft, she was now hard as stone and cold as ice. She looked as though she hadn't really laughed or even smiled in so long she had forgotten how. Harry jolted at realizing that this was his fault. If not for the cataclysmic events when he defeated Voldemort, she would still be happy. She would still be a warm and soft looking woman. Now she looked beaten.

"Er..hi," Ginny all but whispered, breaking Harry's reverie. "So, it was you all these years?"

Suddenly feeling awkward, and forgetting the speech he had pounded in to his brain for five years, Harry nodded. "Um, yah it was..."

Ginny looked at him oddly then continued. "Ok, was there something you wanted to say? What was with the leaves and the bark?"

Harry almost laughed. Ginny had obviously not looked around at all yet. "Well," Harry began as he turned around, "I planted these." He pointed at the row of trees behind him. There stood a row of eight red maple trees with a single birch tree behind them in the center of the row. "The maples are for your family and the birch is for Dumbledore." As he finished, Harry nervously looked down at his feet and rubbed the back of his head.

"They're beautiful," Ginny murmured in awe as she made her way to stand by Harry. "Was this all you wanted, to show me these?" Turning to him, Ginny caught the startled look on Harry's face as she broke him out of his thoughts.

"Well, I-I.." Harry couldn't find the words to express what he wanted to say. How did you tell someone that you were sorry you accidentally killed their entire family? You can't just say it like that. 'There has to be some other way,' Harry thought. Struck by an impulse, Harry grabbed Ginny's had and led her towards one of the trees, pulling her to sit on the ground with him under it. "This is your mother's tree. You see, I talk to them sometimes and I decided I needed to designate who they were for." Harry went on to point out the tree on their left as her father's and the rest to their right all her brothers from oldest to youngest. "I probably sit with Ron the most," Harry said as he finished. "Ever since the battle I've come here almost every day and one day I just got this idea. So now, here we are. I wish you would have come sooner Ginny.."

Ginny looked over to Harry only to see a large amount of pain in his emerald green eyes. Except, where his eyes used to shine with almost a fire within, they were now dull and dark. Ginny instantly felt a deep sorrow for the loss of such fire and life in such a wonderful person. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have all of that on your shoulders. Having to live everyday with that fact that you were the soul survivor of such a horrendous attack.

At that a thought struck her. It was scary, but what if it was true... "Harry, do you think it was your fault? I mean really, do you blame yourself for my family and all those other people?"

"OF COURSE IT WS MY FAULT!" Harry screamed jumping up from the ground and beginning to pace. "Who else's fault could it be? I constantly fell in to his traps and wasn't smart enough to learn from my mistakes. I killed Voldemort. I set that wake loose upon all those people, including you family. I killed them all!!" Harry finished, gasping for breath, tears coursing down his cheeks.

"Don't say that Harry!" Ginny pleaded. "It was not your fault that Voldemort died that way. It was not your fault the battle even happened at all. If you want to go as far back as you seem to, I'll go with you. It was not your fault Voldemort became who he was or was even born. It was not you Harry. You did everything you could to save those people, my family, everyone. You face Voldemort with more courage and valor than all the aurors in the field put together. I don't blame you for anything that happened, and if anyone else does, they're mad and shouldn't be listened to. Please Harry," Ginny begged, "Please..." She finished standing, crying too, holding Harry as rightly as she could. After a moment, Harry squeezed back.

"I know you're right," Harry whispered. "Deep down I think I knew it all along. I think I may have just needed someone to blame, and I was the closest person around. OH Ginny, I wish you had come sooner..." He trailed off, burying his head in the crook of her neck, crying silently, shoulders heaving. Ginny rubbed comforting circles on Harry's back, making shh-ing noises, praying that her and Harry could survive this whole ordeal.

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A/N: I know this chapter was short but it just felt like it needed to end there. Twas the flow of the story I guess. I swear, this story is just writing itself through me. I wrote the first chapter half asleep in my bed. Freaky stuff...