If She Fell

If She Fell

Chapter 8: For Good



Disclaimer: I own nothing but bits and pieces of the plot. JK Rowling owns all the good bits.



Ginny quietly knocked on the door of Remus’ house, half afraid of what he would say when he saw her. She left him in confusion that morning, of that she was certain. She hoped he would be understanding and accepting of her decision, if the decision was even up to her anymore. She knocked again. This time she heard footsteps in the foyer and the gentle “tick” of wards dropping. The door swung open and Ginny found herself face to face with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The question was, did he feel the same.



“Hello Gin,” Remus said shyly, ushering her into the brightly lit entry.



“Hi Remus,” Ginny answered, smiling shyly.



“I didn’t think I’d see you again after this morning.”



“I came back,” replied Ginny, “I had no choice. I left something here.”



Remus showed her into the front sitting room, a cheerful room painted a bright and sunny yellow. Ginny sat on the sofa and looked carefully at Remus, her face guarded.



“What did you forget?” asked Remus quietly.



Ginny fingered the fabric on the sofa, bit her lower lip, and looked up at Remus. “My heart,” she whispered. “I didn’t forget it, though, I just left it here.”



Remus stared at Ginny in silence, his emotions welling up inside of him. Did Ginny just say what he thought she did? Remus was almost afraid to ask her to repeat it, but he summoned the courage.



“I love you, Remus,” Ginny replied, “My heart is here, with you. If you’ll have me, of course.”



“If I’ll have you?” repeated Remus. “Of course I’ll have you. Gods, Ginny,” he said, running his hand through his shaggy salt and pepper hair, “I love you more than I ever imagined possible. I thought after this morning you were running right into Harry’s arms.”



Ginny smiled up at Remus, pulling him down next to her on the couch.



“Yes, Remus,” she began, running a finger over the back of Remus’ hand, “I ran this morning. I ran because I was a little afraid. When you said you loved me, I knew I had to end things with Harry. And it scared me. It took me all day to prepare for seeing Harry…”



“How’d that go?”



“He made it much easier, actually. Honestly, he’s not the most sensitive person around,” replied Ginny, moving closer to Remus on the sofa.



Remus draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Harry wants what Harry wants.”



Ginny nodded. “And I want what I want. I want a career. I want a man who understands that. Yes, I want a family, but not right now. I need to be settled in my career first. Harry wants insta-wife-and-mother. I can’t be that. So…”



“I want you to be happy, Gin,” said Remus, gently rubbing her arm; “I know this offer from Albus is a tremendous coup for you. I admit to wanting children, I never thought I’d be in the position to want them, but I do. I can wait, though. I’m in no hurry. We have the rest of our lives to have children.”



Ginny tilted her head up to receive a gentle kiss from Remus. With a sigh, she shifted her position and wrapped her arms around his neck, climbing into his lap to do so. She smiled, her bright brown eyes lighting up as she pulled Remus into a deep kiss.



“Have you finished the bedroom yet?” asked Ginny in a breathless voice.



“Yes,” murmured Remus, nuzzling Ginny’s neck.



“I think we should go there… now.”



Without a word, Remus scooped Ginny up into his arms and carried her up the stairs to the large master bedroom. He gently deposited her on the four-poster bed and looked into her eyes.



“Are you certain, Ginny? Because once I make love to you, I’ll never allow you to do this with anyone else.”



“I’ll never want another man to make love to me, Remus,” whispered Ginny, slipping off her shoes, “only you.”



Ginny stood up and approached Remus, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a passionate kiss. Pressing her body against his, she deepened the kiss. Remus put his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer.



“I swear to the gods, I could kiss you all night,” whispered Ginny,



“Just kiss?”



“Well,” she said with a lascivious grin, “among other things.”



Ginny slipped her wand out from her sleeve and with a swish and a whispered Divestio, unclothed them both.



“In a hurry?” remarked Remus, smiling as he took in her body appreciatively.



“Actually,” answered Ginny, “I am. I just want to be with you… foreplay can come later.”



“If you say so, ma’am.”



Ginny ran her finger down Remus’ chest and pushed him down on the bed.



“Tonight, you’re mine,” she said with a grin.



“I’ll always be yours, Ginevra Weasley. Forever,” he replied, a serious look on his face.



Ginny climbed on top of Remus and leaned down to kiss him, her breasts brushing his chest. She probed his lips with her tongue until he allowed her entrance. Ginny ran her hands through his hair as she nibbled on his lower lip, his hands moving over her bare back.



“Will you marry me, Ginevra Weasley?”



“Of course I will, Remus.”



Ginny sighed with pleasure as she felt his length slide into her. Rocking together, they picked up the pace, Remus gently playing with Ginny’s breasts as they moved like two people who belonged together.



* * * * * * * * * *



Before anyone knew it, it was late summer and the once forlorn and forbidding Shrieking Shack had blossomed under the care of Remus and Ginny. Now called “Moonglow,” the mansion was a soft buttery yellow in color and stood atop the carefully manicured hillock. True to Ginny’s vision, they had unearthed a stream flowing from an underground tributary of the nearby lake, and that meandered around the property until it settled into a large waterfall fed pond with an island in the center. The island was reached via a wooden bridge and boasted a gazebo. This day, the gazebo was decked out in white and yellow flowers and chairs were placed around it. There were tents set up around the property and Molly Weasley was anxiously flitting between them.



“Molly,” said Hermione with a smile, “slow down. Everything’s perfect.”



“You’re a good girl Hermione,” commented Molly, “but it’s not every day I get to prepare the wedding of my only daughter.”



“Everything’s beautiful. The food looks wonderful, the music is beautiful, and the bride couldn’t be happier. Everyone’s here and things are going according to plan. So sit for a moment and relax. You deserve it. I’ll check on the dessert tent.”



Molly sat down on a nearby chair with a sigh. “Thank you, Hermione.”



Hermione smiled and ambled off to check the progress of the dessert tent, as well as to locate her erstwhile husband. As expected, she found both the best man and the groom sampling the chocolate treats from the dessert table.



“Honestly. Severus, Remus, I’m sure you can wait to eat. It’s not much longer, you know,” said Hermione.



“Bossy as usual,” remarked Severus. “See what happens after marriage?”



“Hermione was like that BEFORE you married her, Severus.”



“Thank you, Remus,” huffed Hermione, “I think.”



“Are all the important people here?” asked Remus, nervously pulling on the collar of his matrimonial robes.



“Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur, Albus, Minerva, the rest of the staff, Charlie and Lisette, Fred, George, and their dates, Ron…”



“No Percy?”



“No Percy. I know Ginny was hoping he would let bygones be bygones and show up. But since he didn’t show for Bill and Fleur’s wedding nor Charlie and Lisette’s, I don’t think she held out much hope.”



Remus nodded in agreement.



”I see Potter has shown up, as well,” remarked Severus, looking at the people milling about on the grounds.



“I’m glad,” smiled Hermione. “I hope he someday finds what he’s looking for.”



“As long as it’s not with my spouse, I’m fine with that,” retorted Severus, wrapping a possessive arm around Hermione.



Hermione was startled by a buzzing in the pocket of her dress robes and pulled out her wand. “Oh my,” she said, with a grin, “it’s time for me to attend to Ginny. In about an hour, Remus, you shall be a husband.” Hermione disapparated with a pop, leaving a nervous Remus and an amused Severus in her wake.



Hermione appeared in Ginny’s dressing room to find the younger witch fretting over her appearance.



“Ginny,” smiled Hermione, “you look lovely.”



“I hope so Hermione. I’ve waited for this moment all of my life. The moment when I would marry the wizard I would spend the rest of my life with. I never dreamed it would feel like this.”



“Like what?”



“Like butterflies have taken up residence in my stomach. I am so certain about this. I am so sure of Remus. Yet I’m nervous. Having Fleur and Lisette hovering over me didn’t help. I made them go find my mother and help her get ready. I needed a level head in here with me these last few moments. I made the right choice, didn’t I, Hermione?”



“You’re asking the woman who shocked the wizarding world by leaving the Boy Who Lived in order to marry the Great Greasy Bat of the Dungeons?”



“Who better to know that the heart doesn’t always make sense to the rest of the world?”



Hermione adjusted her pale blue robes and sat on the settee. She gestured for Ginny to sit in the seat across from her.



“Ginny,” she began, “you loved Harry once. But you loved him as a child, as an adolescent. What was charming when you were sixteen is not charming when you’re twenty-six. The things that drew you to Harry then are the very things that drove you apart from him the second time around. It’s not that Harry’s a bad guy. He’s one of the best out there. It’s that you grew apart and Remus meets needs that Harry never could.”



Ginny smiled wistfully as she played with a lock of hair. “I just want him to be happy.”



“That’s all I ever wanted as well. But today is not about Harry Potter. Today is about Ginny Weasley and Remus Lupin and their new life together.” Hermione looked around the cheerful dressing room. “I can’t believe this is the Shrieking Shack. This is the same house in which so much happened, in which so many lives were changed.”



“It’s not the Shrieking Shack anymore, Hermione,” stated Ginny, standing up to adjust her robes. “It’s Moonglow now. Everything about this place that was negative has been erased and from this moment on, it’s all about our life together. This is the home in which we will get married, raise our children, and spend the rest of our lives. I will have the happily ever after, Hermione.”



Hermione performed a few finishing charms on the bride and nodded. “Yes, Ginny, I do believe you will. Shall we get you married now?”



Ginny smiled at her friend and nodded. They exited the dressing room and met Molly and Arthur on the rambling porch. Arthur smiled proudly at his youngest child and held out his arm. With tears welling up in her eyes, Ginny took his arm and descended the steps to the sounds of music. The guests stood on either side of the path leading to the bridge. Ginny had no idea how many people were there to witness her marriage. She had never seen that many people in one place at the same time. Towards the end of the path stood her brothers and their respective mates. Through her tears of joy, Ginny noticed a solitary figure slip into a space next to Ron. As she approached her family, Ginny kissed each one in turn. When she reached the latecomer, she stood on her tiptoes to embrace him.



“Percy,” she whispered, tears now streaming down her face, “you came.”



Percy returned her embrace. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”



At the foot of the bridge, Ginny stopped. Across the bridge was her future. Crossing the bridge was symbolic to Ginny. She was leaving her family and childhood behind to start life anew with the handsome man on the other side of the bridge. She locked eyes with Remus, certain of the steps she was about to take. Turning to her family, Ginny grinned.



“Well,” she said, “I always used to say I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. I guess I’ve come to it now. I love you all so much and because of you, I’m here today, about to cross that bridge and meet my destiny. Thank you.”



She kissed Molly and Arthur, shrugged at Hermione, and stepped onto the bridge, her best friend behind her.



Albus Dumbledore, looking resplendent in his gold and blue robes, greeted Ginny and Remus and led them to the gazebo, Hermione and Severus following as their witnesses, the Weasleys, and the rest of the guests following, to take their places in the seats surrounding the gazebo. He cast the Sonorous charm and began to speak.



“Today we gather here in a ritual of love with two who would be wedded. Remus and Ginevra please come forward

and stand here before us.”



Ginny and Remus approached Albus, standing in front of the altar, which was adorned with incense, a candle, a chalice of water, and a plate with salt on it.



“Be with us here, beings of the Air. With your clever fingers, tie closely the bonds between these two,” Albus tapped the incense on the altar. “Be with us here, beings of Fire. Give their love and passion your own all-consuming ardor,” Albus tapped the candle. “Be with us here, beings of Water. Give them the deepest of love and the richness of the body, of the soul and of the spirit,” Albus tapped the chalice of water. “Be with us here, beings of Earth. Let your strength and constancy be theirs for so long as they desire to remain together,” Albus then tapped the plate of salt.



Albus then held up the rings, passing each through the incense, the fire, dipping them in the water, and laying them in the salt. He waved his wand over the rings, cleaning the salt from the delicate silver bands. Albus smiled at their choice of silver for the rings, a nod to the fact that Remus was no longer a werewolf.



“Place your right hands over this wand and your rings, Remus, your hand over Ginevra’s.”



The couple did so.



Once again, Albus began to speak, “Above you are the stars, and below you are the stones. As time does pass, remember this: Like a star should your love be constant. Like a stone should your love be firm. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, but be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly. Be free in the giving of affection and warmth. Make love often, not that I think I actually have to tell you that,” Albus paused as Ginny blushed, Remus looked at the ground, and Severus snorted, much to the chagrin of Hermione, who had been patting her eyes with her husband’s handkerchief. There was a rumbling of laughter through the guests and when that silenced, Albus continued. “Have no fear and let not the ways or words of the unenlightened give you unease. For we are always with you, now and always.”



“Now and always,” repeated the guests.



“Is it your wish, Ginevra, to become one with this man?” asked Albus.



“Yes,” replied Ginny, gazing up at Remus with love.



”Is it your wish, Remus, to become one with this woman?”



“Absolutely,” replied Remus, smiling at Ginny.



”Do any say nay?” Albus asked those assembled. Silence greeted this question.



”Then, as we all are witness to this rite,” continued Albus, “I pronounce you husband and wife. Please place the rings on one another’s fingers.”



Severus removed one of the rings from the altar and handed it to Remus, who placed it upon Ginny’s finger. Hermione followed suit with the other ring, watching as Ginny slipped the silver band onto Remus’ finger.



“Stop holding your breath, Hermione,” whispered Remus, “I’m not a werewolf anymore. See?” he said, holding up his hand, “No damage, no screaming.”



“You may now seal your contract of marriage with a kiss,” said Albus, smiling at the interchange.



With a grin, Remus leaned down and wrapped his arms around Ginny, kissing her passionately to the cheers of the guests. The music flared up again and Ginny and Remus crossed over the bridge again, followed by the guests.



The party went on into the night, with friends and family enjoying the food and music. Percy was welcomed back into his family with open arms. Ginny danced with all of her brothers. Molly finally relaxed. But Harry stood apart from the revelers, feeling slightly out of place. He had danced once with the bride, an awkward dance that he was glad ended quickly. He also danced with Hermione, but Severus interrupted that dance.



Harry wandered across the bridge to the now empty gazebo. Sitting in a chair, he looked over to the party and wondered when it would be his turn. When would he find someone to love him the way Hermione loved Severus and Ginny loved Remus? Was what he wanted from life so difficult to ask of another person?



“May I have this dance?” asked a quiet voice, shaking Harry from his thought.



He looked up into the pale blue eyes of the mediwitch assistant, Kyla Bennett.



“I don’t particularly fancy going back there,” said Harry, pointing to the crowded dance floor across the bridge.



“We can hear the music from here,” said Kyla, “and there’s plenty of room now that the chairs have been removed.”



Harry stood up, looking at Kyla. “Did Hermione send you over here?”



“No,” replied Kyla, “I came on my own.”



Harry hesitatingly took Kyla into his arms and they began to sway to the music.



“So,” said Kyla, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder, “what are the chances of England beating Romania next week?”



“What are the changes of you being there to cheer us on?”



Ginny, Remus, Hermione, and Severus stood quietly, watching Harry and Kyla dance under the full moon.



“She could be right for him…” said Ginny.



“Yes, she could,” agreed Hermione.



“I bloody well hope so,” grumbled Severus, “I’m sick and tired of the Boy Who Lived Only to Mope and Winge…”



“Shut it, Severus,” said Hermione, elbowing the potions master in the ribs, “just be pleased.”



“I do not do pleased.”



“Yes you do,” smiled Hermione, pulling him into a kiss.



“Well, Remus,” said Ginny slyly, “now that everyone else is occupied, what say we disappear for a bit?”



“As long as we make love often. Albus said we had to…”



“We really should listen to Albus,” agreed Ginny, taking Remus’ hand and leading him towards their house.





The End.





A/N: The ceremony is paraphrased from A Book of Pagan Rituals by Herman Slater.