Wish You Were Here

Title: \"Wish You Were Here\"
Author: SiriuslySevered (Co-written with my close friend, Morgan. When she begins posting to her own username, I\'ll let you know... :D)
Summary: Angsty little HP/GW fic. Ginny is stubborn, Harry worries... Happy ending, as needed.
Rating: Not quite \"R\"... More like PG.
Pairings: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Feedback: Leave a review, PLEASE!
Betas: Only Morgan and myself. Be kind.
Author Notes: As this is the first joint effort (and one that is likely to continue), kindly document any enthusiasm, positive or otherwise, in a review. This story may continue in the future, if it proves successful.
Disclaimer: We own nothing in the Potterverse. That privilege belongs to J. K. Rowling.

“Wish You Were Here”
by SiriuslySevered & Morgan


So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange
a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We\'re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,
year after year,
running over the same old ground. What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

-Lyrics by Pink Floyd


~*~


“Just leave me be, Ginny. I need to do this on my own!” Harry protested, his tears of frustration leaving white tracks down his dirty cheeks.

“You can’t keep doing this on your own, Harry. You aren’t a one man army!” He can’t continue to go on like this; he just can’t. There’s too much at stake for him to accept this entire burden on his shoulders.

“Don’t you see? I can’t bring anyone else into this. No one else can die because of me!”

Ginny came forward to sit before him. On the stone floor of the abandoned cottage in the middle of nowhere, the former Gryffindors were locked in a moment of silence and meaningful stares. There was little left in the Wizarding World for either of them except for the war, which had already caused so much damage. Dumbledore had fallen at the hands of Severus Snape, the traitor to their cause. The Headmaster’s death had brought about the close of Hogwarts and the inevitable bloodbath that had been years in the making. Since then, the Order of the Phoenix had lost Mundungus Fletcher, Remus Lupin, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie and Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. The hardest death to deal with, though, had been Molly Weasley. Harry and Ginny had found her dead on the kitchen floor of the Burrow, another victim of the Avada Kedavra.

Poor Harry… He was still mourning the deaths of Hermione and Ron. The three of them had been at the deserted ruins of the Riddle House, eagerly searching for one of the last Horcruxes, when they were attacked by a small group of Death Eaters. In a sudden flash of green light, Harry had found himself the last living member of the Golden Trio. In a fit of rage, he tortured and killed the five dark wizards. Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange had been among those present, but their deaths had not been enough to appease Harry’s incredible guilt. It had been his idea that night to venture out for the last Horcrux. He had told Hermione and Ron to stay at the Burrow, but had not protested when they forced him to take them along.

Harry needed to heal before he could finish the war and save wizard kind. There was no way that he would be able to think rationally in a duel with Voldemort when his emotions were so strong.

Taking Harry’s face in her hands, Ginny brought his eyes up to meet hers. “Harry, you are not responsible for anyone’s death. Not Sirius’, not Dumbledore’s, and especially not Ron’s or Hermione’s. They may have been helping you, but they went willingly!”

At this, Harry wrenched himself from Ginny’s grasp and brought himself violently up from the floor. He backed up a few steps and then paused, suddenly gasping for breath.

“You’ll never understand what this is to me!”

This comment brought the temper in the fiery redhead to life. Bringing herself up from the floor, Ginny reached back with her hand and brought it forward with a mighty slap! Harry reached up to feel his reddening cheek, stunned at her actions. Looking into Ginny’s eyes, Harry could feel the tension between them crackling, as if the two of them were electrically charged.

“Harry Potter, if you think that I don’t understand loss, you’re quite possibly the most stupid wizard to walk the face of the earth!” Ginny shouted.

Seeing Harry’s dumbstruck face brought another wave of anger to the surface in Ginny. She brought her hand back again to slap him, but was stopped mid-swing by an even stronger arm. Taking her wrist in his hand, Harry pulled Ginny to him and took her in his arms. He buried his face in her soft red hair, losing himself for a moment.

“You need to let us help you,” Ginny’s voice came from where she had tucked herself against his chest. Pulling back from Harry, but staying within his reach, she continued, “You can’t shut us out. Do you think Professor Dumbledore meant for you to conquer evil on your own?”

Harry stared intently at the one girl who had never left his heart. Ginny returned the gaze just as intensely and before she knew it, Harry had her face in his hands and was kissing her passionately. After what seemed like hours of lustful wrestling, the two lay on the floor breathless.

“Harry, you have to let me come with you…” Ginny whispered tearfully. Harry sat up and pulled his knees into his chest, salty tears escaping his eyes once again. Ginny crawled towards him and breathed into his ear, “Things would be better if we were together Harry, I swear.”

Harry snapped up, suddenly flooded with anger again. “Ginny, I can’t bring you with me. I just can’t risk losing you too! You’re the one person I still care about in this world and…”

Ginny never heard the end of the sentence; instead she stood up and shouted, “DAMMIT, HARRY! I can’t do this anymore! I just hope you know what you’re doing. Just remember you’re not the only one who is left alone as a result of this battle.” With that she walked out the door leaving Harry alone, her words still echoing in his ears.

“Just remember you’re not the only one who is left alone as a result of this battle.”

~*~

Tears were still rolling down Ginny’s cheeks when she walked into her apartment. Arthur Weasley had rented the two bedroom flat, located in Muggle London, shortly after Molly had been laid to rest. He just couldn’t bear the idea of living in the Burrow without her or his sons. Ginny had sadly watched her father become a recluse in the months following her mother’s death. First he had stopped searching for Death Eaters; then he stopped talking to anyone in the Wizarding world; finally, he stopped leaving the apartment at all. His last remaining connections to life were Ginny and the Daily Prophet (which he read halfheartedly, relying solely on his daughter for news).

Arthur looked up distractedly from his post on the living room couch when Ginny entered the room. “How did the meeting with Harry go?” Ginny looked sadly at her father and, without having to say a word, the dear man hugged his daughter and whispered, “Sweetie, he only does it because he loves you.” He paused then, for even though it was Harry, it was still hard to believe his daughter was loved by another man aside from himself. “Give him time; he’ll come around.”

~*~

Giving Harry time meant Ginny ceased all contact with Harry. At first the owls flooded her apartment with notes of concern: “Ginny, are you ok?” and “Jeez Ginny please just let me know you’re alive!” Finally, after eight months, Harry eventually gave up and began corresponding directly with Arthur, figuring it would be easier than dealing with Ginny directly.

When he wasn’t keeping himself worried sick over Ginny’s health and safety, Harry was in hot pursuit of any leads that he could find to Voldemort or the Death Eaters. Weeks would go by without a word before he would find significant clues leading to the whereabouts of a group of dark wizards. At first, he kept track of the numbers of lives he took for the cause. After the third or fourth raid, he lost count.

The days dragged on monotonously without word from the Weasleys. Arthur tried his best to keep Harry up to date, though his notes were few and far between. When she was still writing to him, Ginny had sent him letters nearly every other day. Remembering the redheaded witch, Harry felt a sharp pain in his chest. As much as he regretted leaving Ginny, he still felt that she was safest with her father, away from the war.

He changed his mind the day that he overheard a pair of Death Eaters sniggering over their Dark Lord’s latest plan to make Harry Potter suffer. By striking the Boy-Who-Lived in his most vulnerable spot, the Boy Wonder would be too distraught to put up a fight. If all went according to plan, the Dark Lord would rule over the magical world.

Harry’s worst fear was then realized. Voldemort knew Harry was trailing close behind him, and was thusly inspired to go after the one thing that would hurt Harry most to lose: Ginny Weasley.

Harry left hastily for London, praying that he would get there in time. Upon reaching the flat, he was halted by three Death Eaters. By the time Harry had brought them to the ground and walked through the door, it was too late. He could feel the dark magic that permeated every inch of the room. Overwhelmed, he became dizzy and fell to his knees. Crawling blindly like a lost baby, he approached the body, desperately seeking a sign that maybe he could still save her.

~*~

Ginny briskly walked home from her job at the Muggle department store. Since her last meeting with Harry she had done not much more than go to work, come home, and think of him. It was hard. Every time she thought she was over him, her chest overflowed with more raw emotion than she could handle. She was so lost in her thoughts of him that she almost didn’t realize the open door to her flat.

Ginny’s eyes widened in panic as she stepped inside. She could smell the thick odor that only dark magic left behind. Her eyes began to water as she walked into the living room, and prepared herself for the worst. What she didn’t expect to see was Harry convulsing with sobs over her father’s body.

Harry looked up with red eyes. “Oh Ginny, I’m so sorry. I knew he was coming after you and I tried to get here as quick as possible. I thought it was you… This, I wasn’t expecting, and… Oh, Ginny!” Ginny couldn’t speak. She’d lost everyone she loved, except for Harry. At a loss for words or actions, she let her body do what felt natural, which was to fall into Harry’s arms and weep.

Harry finally broke the silence. “He’s so powerful; look what he’s capable of. He’s a cold-blooded murderer. Now do you see why I can’t take you with me?”

Ginny looked up at the boy (now a man) that she’d loved for a short eternity. “Harry, don’t you see? He’s killed everyone you loved except for me, all while you were away. The only two he killed in front of you were my brother and Hermione and only because they were in his way of finally getting to you directly. So, no Harry, I don’t see why you can’t take me with you. At this point, I don’t see how you can possibly leave me behind! We‘re all each other has left.”

Harry blinked and looked at Ginny as if seeing her for the first time in years. Things had changed so much since they had left Hogwarts. Then she had been a girl, though now she was a woman. She was beautiful in her own way, and more mature physically and mentally then Harry had ever really believed possible. He drank in her words for a long while and finally breathed. “All right, you can come. In fact,” he smiled wryly, “I don’t think I could ever leave you alone again.”

Ginny beamed and wrapped her arms around Harry, sinking into his embrace. She couldn’t imagine hearing any other words that could bring her more joy than what she felt right then. This assessment flew out the window in the few endless moments when Harry brushed her hair behind her ear, softly whispering into it, “Will you marry me, Ginny Weasley?”

Smiling, she nodded. Though the two of them would face more together than any young lovers were meant to, she knew they would come out of this alive. Together they would heal; together, they would conquer the remaining evil of the magical world.

-Finite Incantatem-

(for now…)