AN: Thy does not own Harry Potter, nor its characters, nor the song Forgotten Years by Midnight Oil.


Few of the sins of the father, are visited upon the son,

Hearts have been hard; our hands have been clenched in a fist too long,

Our sons will never be soldiers; our daughters will never need guns.

"Happy 20th birthday, Ginny!" My family, including my brother's fiancé, yelled to me as I entered my home.

Happy birthday? What was so happy about it?

These are the years between,

These are the years that were hard fought and won,

Contracts torn at the edges, old signatures stained with tears,

Seasons of war and peace, these should not be forgotten years.

I sighed; I had just returned from Hogwarts, which happened to be the day of my birthday this year. No one had picked me up. Now I know why... they were trying to cheer me up for what had happened the year before. But I can't forget the pain of it that easily... though I will never forget it.

Seasons of war and peace, these should not be forgotten years,

Still it aches like tetanus, it reeks of politics,

How many dreams remain? This is a feeling too strong to contain.

Although, in a way, I'm glad for what happened last year, I'm also sad. Upset. Torn up inside. I hide it though; everyone thinks I've gotten over it. But how can they think that? How can they think that I could get over it that easily?

The hardest years, the darkest years, the roarin' years, the fallen years,

These should not be forgotten years!

The hardest years, the wildest years, the desperate and divided years,

We will remember; these should not be forgotten years!

I put on a fake smile.

"Wow, guys. For me? Thanks!" I said in mock enthusiasm.

"Of course for you, Gin," Luna came over and put her arm around me. "It's your birthday!"

"I know," I grinned. "How'd you get home before me?"

"I apparated," Luna answered simply. "Unlike you, who decided to take the hour drive."

"Yeah, well, I had to think," I said, suddenly sharp. I saw my family glance at each other, worried. "What?" I said.

Our shoreline was never invaded; our country was never in flames.

This is the calm we breathe, this is a feeling too strong to contain.

Still it aches like tetanus, it reeks of politics.

"Did you think I could get over this in a year?" I shouted. "Did you?"

"Ginny-," My brother came forward, but I cut him off.

"If that's what this party is for, I'm out!" I screamed, storming out of the house, the screen door slamming behind me.

Signatures stained with tear; who can remember?

We've got to remember!

I stormed away from them all; my fiery hair blew behind me as I ran to where he was now.

The hardest...

Forsakin', achin', breakin', years, the time and tested heartbreak years.

These should not be forgotten years!

I reached it in five minutes. He was under the oak tree I had practically grown up under. We'd put him here because we had loved each other, and since I was going to go here, he will go here.

I suddenly found myself reliving those years... the hardest years, the darkest years...

They had been so hard on everyone. We had all lost people. Loved ones, siblings, parents... everyone. And I lost my loved one.

Love... such a powerful word. We had only been in our late teens or early twenties. But... it was so... real...

The blinded years, the binded years, the desperate and divided years.

These should not be forgotten years!

Remember...

"Why did you have to go?" I sobbed at him. "You left me to dwell on your memory, fame, and glory... to live with my family, constantly trying to cheer me up... looking at your best friends find love, watch them kiss... and always having me imagine that being us... if only... if only you hadn't left me!"

I sat there, crying into him, wishing he would stretch out his arms to hug me, to comfort me... but it never happened. And I sat there for hours, wishing for nothing but that. That was my birthday wish.

The hardest years...