Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any of this. It belongs all to JK Rowling!

With These Thoughts

By: 62442almystery

A/N: This is in response to timeturner's "Out of Your Realm" Challenge.

The bitter smell of death hung in the air. Ginny stood there, eyes closed, hoping against hope that Harry would defeat him. She kept repeating those thoughts in her mind as spells were cast, both by the Dark Lord and Harry. Harry's only advantage had been that Voldemort didn't know that Harry knew about the Horcruxes. After a few more minutes, Ginny covered her ears with her hands because she just couldn't take it any longer.

Several Avada Kedavras later, she removed her hands from her ears as she heard an old, frail body hit the ground, and knew that it must have been Voldemort. However, before she was able to open her eyes fully and before her heart was able to rejoice about it, she heard another thud, and a much healthier, younger body hit the ground… The body belonging to Harry, her Harry… Harry Potter… The Boy-Who-Lived…

The wind could be heard whistling in her ears and making her flaming red hair blow across her face. The sweet scent of rain hung in the air, as a young, worn out Ginny Weasley trampled across many a dead leaf. She was trying to walk forward, trying to find her dead, beloved one's grave. Looking left and right, she finally remembered where he had been buried and started running towards his grave, hearing the harsh, crunching noises of the unforgiving leaves below her. Why couldn't they let her mourn in silence? In one hand, she was clutching a basket of roses to decorate his grave with, and her other hand was clutching a golden locket he had given her before leaving to find the Horcruxes. The locket had a picture of them kissing on one side and dancing on the other.

Finally, she reached it and kneeled before his grave. She slowly put the basket down on one side, and she moved the locket in front of her so she could have a clear view of it. Tears started slowly forming in her coffee brown eyes as she remembered how happy they had both been during that time. She couldn't believe he had died. Ginny tried not to think of it, tried not to think of how he and Voldemort had both died at the same time with the same curse. However, it was just too much for her to think about and she let her tears slowly roll down her soft, pale yet once beautiful cheeks. Her kneeling position changed to both of her knees on the ground, and her head in her hands. She was so lost in her own tears that she didn't hear someone else's sniff end and footsteps move toward her. The footsteps got even closer, and finally, when they were only two steps away, Ginny's head shot up and turned immediately, and she started glaring at the person who had dared disturb her, but when she saw who it was, she let her gaze soften.

Ginny turned around and looked at Hermione, watching her wipe away what few tears she had left. Hermione walked slowly towards Ginny and hugged her. Ginny put her head on Hermione's shoulder and started crying again. "Why did this have to happen to him? He never did anything wrong in his entire life!" Hermione put her hands on Ginny's shoulder and moved her back a little and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Ginny, I know it's hard for you right now. It's hard for me, too. Ron didn't deserve to die, either, but he did. We both will pull through this, I know we will. Remember what Professor Dumbledore said, 'The ones we love never truly leave us.' "

Ginny nodded and wiped the tears from her face. "You're right Hermione, but it's too hard. There will never be anyone else that can fill his place," Ginny whispered.

Hermione's head moved up and down slowly in a nod, "You're right Ginny, just like no one will take Ron's place again. No one should take their place in our hearts, either. But we have to move on with life, no matter how hard it is. They wouldn't want us moping about all the time."

Ginny heaved a sigh and took the basket and took a rose out and put it in a special spot by his grave. Her hand moved back to the basket, and she slowly, one by one, put each rose in a particular position by his grave while Hermione watched with silent eyes.

When Ginny was done moving the roses, she picked the locket up and once again gazed at it with longing eyes. She was sure she could have just stared at it, sitting there, forever, lost in her own world, but Hermione pulled her out of it by softly saying, "Ginny, I think you need to put that away now."

Ginny stared at her for a few minutes, but then finally gave in and with a deep breath she started clawing at the ground, letting dirt fly every where.

"Gi-ginny, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, politely, yet in a sad, grave like tone.

Ginny heaved a sigh and then said without stopping her digging, "I have to bury this. It's going to haunt me if I don't."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't think of anything, so she closed it and let Ginny do her job.

Five minutes later, a very dirty Ginny stood up shakily and looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back at her and saw that she would definitely need some emotional support. No, what Ginny really needed was someone to love her, and someone she could love back.

Hermione glanced at Ginny again and saw that she was shaking all over. Hermione swiftly walked over to her in a few quick strides and grabbed hold of her. Ginny's shaking immediately seized, but her tears were just getting started. Hermione squeezed Ginny and turned Ginny's face towards her own. She gazed deeply into Ginny's eyes and got lost in them, and it seemed Ginny did the same.

For several minutes, they just looked into each other's eyes, trying to understand each other's dilemmas, which were so similar in nature, and trying to solve them, while at the same time trying to solve their own.

Having had enough of the silence, Hermione broke it by saying sweetly to Ginny, "Are you okay?"

Ginny said, "I-I don't know. I need something, I just don't know what. I really want to try to carry on with my life, but I just don't know how."

"I know, it's the same for me, but we can both help each other move on."

Ginny didn't understand what Hermione meant, but before she knew it, Hermione came and hugged Ginny again, only this hug was different in nature, a hug that she had never before received from Hermione.

Ginny decided to go along with it, and she put her head on Hermione's shoulder and let her tears roll once more. Hermione moved her arms around Ginny and put one arm around her neck, while the other one patted her back, letting her know that it was okay.

When Ginny's tears wouldn't come out anymore, Ginny pulled back a little, and so did Hermione. Before Ginny could turn around, Hermione let her impulses take over and she grabbed Ginny's hand and moved her back to her original position. Ginny's eyes widened, but Hermione still wasn't through with her.

Hermione's head slowly and carefully moved nearer to Ginny's head, and soon it was only inches away from her lips. Hermione's eyes lightly shut and her arms moved once again around Ginny's body. Her lips finally found Ginny's and they closed in on them. Hermione let the feel of Ginny's lips take over her, and she let her worries wash away.

Before she could do much, though, Ginny stepped away quickly and gasped and covered her mouth. Hermione looked at her questioningly.

Ginny opened and closed her mouth several times, only letting faint noises come out of it. Finally, she asked meekly, "Did-did we just…"

Hermione nodded, slowly letting a frown form on her once lit up face. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking straight, I don't know what came over me, I just had this sudden urge… I guess we shouldn't have…"

Ginny quickly interrupted her, "No, no, it's f-fine. I quite," here, she paused for a few minutes, thinking of the right words, then continued, "enjoyed it." She gulped and looked at Hermione again.

Hermione's lips turned back into a smile and she took hold of Ginny's hand and smiled. She had finally found what she was looking for. A person whom she could love, and who could love her back equally, and who had gone through everything she had gone through. They had both found someone who could understand each other, and both had lost their first true loves.

They both understood that at the graveyard they were leaving their old friendship along with their past behind, however, at the same time, they were picking up a new relationship.

With these thoughts, they walked out of the graveyard in silence…