She lived in the big house by herself, except for when Tom came. There were many rooms; with lots of windows, but the only thing outside was fog. There were no doors, but she didn't want to leave anyway. She wasn't sure if he had brought her here, or had simply found her.
In the beginning, he came often, to explain to her, claim her, love her. But he could never stay often, because, he told her, if he did, then he would die, and neither of them knew what would happen then.
So they were confined to hours, only one or two. Sometimes, they would just talk, or spend evenings playing chess. And sometimes they didn't talk at all.
Ginny didn't know how she had come here, but she loved Tom, and that was all that mattered. The only thing she had left was foggy memories of a blond man shouting at her, then a flash of light.
Towards the end, he barely came at all, only to share hungry kisses and then leave again. She knew he was fighting, but she didn't know who. She knew he was worried, and she knew it would end soon.
Then one night he came to her, and there was fear in his eyes. When they made love, he was the most passionate as he had ever been, never taking his eyes off of her face.
She knew he had to leave soon, so she held him close and said, "It all ends tonight, doesn't it?"
"Yes," he whispered. She felt him smile against her shoulder. He was always so confident.
"What happens if you lose?"
He brought his head up, anger in his eyes. "I will not lose."
"But if you do."
His gaze softened, and he brought his forehead to hers.
"I don't know."
And then he had to go, and fight someone she couldn't even remember. All she could do was wait. He had told her that he was fighting for the good of everyone, but there were people who were afraid of change that opposed him.
But she knew that they were strong, because sometimes he would come to her angry, railing against them. He might lose, and that would mean he would die. And if he died, she didn't know what would happen. Would he ever come back?
Hours passed.
She was sitting at her desk when he appeared. She stood and faced him, and she saw something indescribable in his eyes. And she knew.
"You're here."
He swept her into an embrace.
"Yes. And this time it's forever."
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
"Harry. Harry!"
He came to Hermione's side, standing over the hospital bed. Ginny's bed. She had been asleep for eight months, unmoving, but not dying. And he had come to see her as soon as he could, to see if she had woken up. Instead, there was a tiny smile on her face.
"She's smiling."
Hermione grasped his hand. "Maybe she knows he's dead."
"Yes," Harry said. "Maybe she knows this time, it's forever."
