Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They (and anything Harry Potter-related) belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.
Timeline: This takes place after Book 6 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.) May contain book spoilers.
Ratings: PG-13
Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Tonks/Lupin
The Weeping Willow
--Chapter 1--
A cool summer breeze drifted through the leaves in the weeping willow. It was a perfect summer day—gentle breezes, warm sun beaming down, a cloudless blue sky, birds chirping merrily; one of those days when anyone would be crazy to be indoors. Not everyone felt the happiness that such a day inspired, though.
In contrast to the cheerful day, Ginny Weasley sat curled up on the windowsill in her room, brooding and sadly watching the wind play with the leaves in her favorite tree below. Images ran through her head, reviewing the past few years, trying to find clues for some sort of explanation. Everyone was on the edge about Voldemort, with all of the disappearances and deaths happening far too often now. So many classmates were sent home, never to return to Hogwarts. So many loved ones had been lost. Ron and Katie Bell had narrowly escaped being victims of a much larger puzzle. Ginny felt a tear slipping down her cheek and absentmindedly brushed it away. "Dumbledore…poor Dumbledore. He didn't deserve to die, especially in the horrid way that it happened. I can't imagine," Ginny sadly thought. She still carried a bit of hope that somehow he'd be back, even though she knew it was hopeless. Snape, someone Dumbledore knew and trusted, had betrayed Dumbledore; this made Dumbledore's death all the more horrible. Another pang struck Ginny as she remembered the loss of Harry's godfather; everyone still felt the pain of the loss of Sirius. They had almost lost her dad and Bill as well.
Her close friendships should have made things better and easier to bear, but they almost made things worse. Ron and Hermione seemed to have finally admitted their mutual affection for each other; it had been obvious for years to anyone but them. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had finally learned what had been ailing Tonks: Remus Lupin. After confronting each other, they were now slowly building a relationship. Watching the lovers together brought fresh waves of pain for Ginny. For a few glorious weeks, Ginny had finally been with the love of her life, Harry Potter. She fell in love with him the first time she saw him, and she had never given up on him. Ginny closed her eyes, blocking the pain, remembering their first kiss.
The Gryffindor Common Room was buzzing with people. The excitement in the air was almost thick enough to touch. The Gryffindor House Quidditch Team had just won the Quidditch Cup, and Ginny was their star seeker, filling in for Harry while he was in detention. Ginny loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, the feel of the broomstick, and the elation of catching the Golden Snitch. She hadn't thought she could feel any happier when Harry walked in. Ginny remembered running up to Harry, grinning with happiness, a reckless daring coming over her. Before she could make a move though, Harry swept her up in his arms.
The kiss was nothing short of magical—her lips tingling, heart beating faster, head emptied of thoughts except of pure elation. It literally took her breath away. The swirling sensation in her stomach quickly released butterflies as she let herself melt into the softness and warmth of Harry's kiss. She felt so safe, so secure, so loved in his arms.
Ginny opened her eyes, tears spilling out as she realized moments like this would never happen again. Sharp spikes erupted in her chest as she thought back to her moment of lost happiness. Oh, the glorious weeks they had spent together would be forever etched in her mind. Harry and Ginny were so alike, and they fit together so perfectly. She never thought she would find someone so perfectly matched for her. They loved Quidditch and had the same outlook on life. Their personalities complemented each other beautifully. Then, before she knew it, Dumbledore had been cruelly murdered; and Harry realized he had an enormous task in front of him, if he ever hoped to defeat Lord Voldemort. After the funeral, Harry had told her they needed to be apart. At first she thought it was grief over the terrible loss, but it turned out to be something more urgent. She had pretended to understand his noble reasons, all the while her heart was shattering.
Fresh bursts of pain overwhelmed Ginny, and she curled up further into a ball and sobbed. She scrunched her eyes shut, not wanting to see so many familiar reminders of Harry—reminders that once comforted now only brought misery. Her breath came in gasps; she couldn't breathe for the overwhelming hurt. Waterfalls cascaded from her usually warm brown eyes, now cold with grief. The pain was so intense that it was unbearable. Ginny picked up her head to stare wistfully at the weeping willow, a tree that she and Harry had sat under not so long ago, that now reflected her broken life. Unable to bear her grief further, Ginny climbed into bed. Sobs wracked her tiny frame until she cried herself to sleep.