Waiting

Waiting


Chapter 1


October 31, 1999
It’s been three long years since Harry Potter killed Lord Voldemort. It was a terrific day and a terrible day, for Harry Potter also died. Well, nobody is completely sure if he’s dead or not because no body was ever recovered. Many believe he’s still alive, though some aren’t so sure. Ginny Weasley believes her love is alive. That’s why, on the anniversary of the defeat of Voldemort, she goes to the site he disappeared at and waits for him. This year she hopes to be lucky.

At midnight she still waits in the forest he vanished in. It’s a clearing in the Forbidden Forest that no animal or magical creature dares venture into anymore. Nobody is entirely sure why not even a bird flies over it, but they avoid it. It radiates something… dark that keeps even the adventurous away. Ginny is the only one who goes near it now a day. But she does not dare enter it.

There is the sound of a twig snapping behind her. Whipping her head around, Ginny looks for the cause of it. There is nobody there. Tears start to leak from her eyes. She almost thought it was Harry coming back to her. She dares not wipe the tears away. It would be like wiping Harry from her life.

A chuckle rings throughout the clearing. It’s deep, obviously male, and o so comfortingly familiar.

“Why do you cry Ginny?” came a voice that brought a smile to Ginny’s face.

“Where are you Harry? Why don’t you come out?” Ginny asked in a broken whisper, a frown marring her face.

There is silence for some time. Looking around for the source of the voice—for it seemed to come from everywhere—Ginny finds something staring at her. Eyes like emeralds stare at her from the other end of the clearing. The tears leak out faster as she looks into the emerald depths of those eyes. She starts sobbing when she sees how broken and lifeless those eyes look despite how lighthearted and almost joking his voice sounded.

“I’m not worthy,” came the barely audible reply seemingly hours later.

“Please.”

“No Ginny,” Harry said, his eyes disappearing into the darkness of the trees. “Don’t wait for me anymore. Go home. Live again.”

His presence disappeared and Ginny dropped to her knees and sobbed. Until the sun’s light leaked over the trees and into the clearing did Ginny finally get up to go home. She wasn’t entirely sure what she would tell her family when she got back. Should she tell them anything?

Walking from the forest, Ginny wondered if she would ever see those beautiful emerald eyes ever again. Those eyes she longed to look at her in love since the first time she had ever seen Harry. But she doubted she would ever see them again. But she had to hope.

When she got home she was greeted by silence. There was nobody there. Good, she would get some time alone to think.

Everybody got back around three. Everybody, to say, was her mother, father, and Ron. Ginny had always thought Ron and Hermione would get together, but they only dated for a couple months. Hermione ended up marrying Dean Thomas and Ron is still single.

Smiling, Ginny greeted her family. They waved and started putting away groceries. Nobody seemed to notice her mood except Ron. But honestly, it was like he was the only one who cared about her anymore. Everybody else went on with their lives except her and Ron. Ginny guessed that he was sad that his best friend was dead, even if the two were in a big argument about Harry dating her and therefore not on speaking terms.

“You okay, Gin?” Ron asked softly, sitting next to his only sister.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Ginny said, not noticing Ron at first. “It’s nothing, really.”

Ginny hoped Ron would drop it as she didn’t really feel like talking. Ron did, and she smiled gratefully at him as he went to help their parents.

That night Ginny couldn’t sleep. Visions of Harry’s beautiful eyes haunted her every time she closed her eyes. She couldn’t get over how sad and broken they looked, even if he did sound somewhat happy. Turning over to her side, she wandered if she would ever see those eyes like emeralds again. Eventually she fell into a restless, nightmare filled sleep. The terrible thing was that her nightmare came true.

When she came downstairs the next morning her family—all of it—was sitting around the table. Ginny’s mother was sobbing and tears leaked out the corners of Fred and George’s eyes. Ron sat there looking pale and grief stricken. Nobody was eating. They were far to busy mourning someone or something. But what was what Ginny was wandering.

“What’s wrong?” Ginny asked. “What happened.”

Nobody answered her. Instead, Fred handed her the Daily Prophet. When she read it she felt as if she wanted to die. There, on the cover of the newspaper, was a picture of the bloody body of Ginny’s love. Harry had shot himself in the head with a muggle gun. There was a suicide note found near the body but only family were aloud to read it. The reading of the suicide note and his will would be read the next day.

All day Ginny sat in her room and cried. Every time someone tried to comfort her she would scream at them to leave and insist she was okay. But Ron never came, and for that she was grateful. Her youngest brother left her alone when she needed to be alone. And the next day when they all went to the will reading he held her hand while they sat and waited.

“Please be quiet now,” said a goblin at Gringotts after everyone had arrived. “The will reading of Harry James Potter is about to begin.”

Along with the Weasleys were Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, and, surprisingly, Snape and Malfoy. Malfoy seemed upset about Harry’s death, as did Snape. Both had tears streaming down their cheeks only to be roughly wiped away. Ginny didn’t understand why and hoped that the will provided the answers. If not, then hopefully the suicide note would.

Once everybody was quiet the goblin, Griphook, began reading the will.

“I, Harry James Potter, of sound body and mind leave all my worldly possessions to the following people.

“I never needed money and you all certainly wouldn’t let me help you out in that area but now you have to accept it. To the Weasleys I give 10,000 galleons. May you put it to good use.

Remus, my surrogate godfather! Don’t think I’d forget about you. And stop crying! I’m in a better place now. Plus, I can’t possibly get into anymore trouble then being dead now can I? To you I leave the Potter volt. Everything in it is yours now. Oh, and you can have the Maurador Map as well.”

Remus smiled sadly and wiped away his tears. Harry can make anybody smile, even in death it seemed.

“Tonks! I didn’t forget about you. I know you and Remus are engaged. The volt will be in your name to and you can have that invisibility cloak. If changing your appearance doesn’t work for you then you can always try being invisible.

“Professor McGonagall. I wasn’t really sure what to leave you. So I’ll leave you some kind words, five hundred galleons, and some advice. You were like a grandmother to me and I’ll never forget you. I just hope you never forget me. As for the advice—loosen up! There’s no need to be strict all the time. Have some fun!

“Professor Snape; the one I didn’t think I’d ever like. I guess now I can reveal to everybody that you and me are actually very close. In fact, I love you Severus. I know I’ve told you this before and that you never answered back, but I still want you to know that I truly love you. Do you still love me, even if I died? I leave you the engagement ring you gave me in hopes that you can love again. Let’s face it, there isn’t going to be another me but there should be somebody out there nearly as good as me.”

Everybody turned to look at Snape who was smiling sadly as he twisted the ring on his finger. Ginny burst out sobbing. Ron wrapped his arms around his sister and whispered soothing words into her ear. Molly gave Snape a small, sad smile before turning around.

“We’ve only recently become friends but I’ve grown really close to you Draco. I still remember when you walked in on me and Severus making love that one night. After that we started talking and, well, we became friends. I don’t think you ever really forgave me or Severus for what you saw though. Now let’s see, for a boy who has everything what could you want? I’ve got it! To my best friend for the past year I leave you everything quidditch I own and my MP3 player. You always were fascinated by the muggle thing.”

Draco smiled and paid nobody any attention as they turned to him. Ron looked hurt. Ginny wondered if the reason Hermione and Harry stopped talking was because of Draco. Neither of them said why they suddenly hated each other or why Draco and Harry actually behaved civilly around each other. It seemed as though that mystery was now solved.

Griphook put down the will. Nobody in the room was happy the ones who were the least of all were Ginny, Draco, and Severus. Ron was mostly just hurt that Harry had a different best friend.

“Now it is time to read the suicide note left by Mr. Potter,” said a ministry official.

“I’ve been missing for three years. Mostly it’s because of shame. I used the Avada Kedavra curse to kill Voldemort but I’m sure you all know that. I bet you all hate me for it. Severus, I’m sorry. I love you babe but the feeling that the curse brought me made it unbearable for me to live. Maybe if I lived you would have helped me through it. But you hate me now, don’t you?

“I’m worthless Ginny. I’m a fag in love with my potions teacher. Does that not disgust you? I never loved you and I’m sorry I dated you when I was engaged to Severus. I love you, but as a sister. But I know somebody who does love you, even if it is a bit odd. I won’t say any names though, but he does truly love you. Sorry I lied to you.

“Well, shooting myself may have not been the smartest thing to do, but now I’m finally at peace with myself. For killing myself it’s like retribution for killing Voldemort. He may have been evil, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to die. Nobody truly does.

“Love always, Harry James Potter.”

Everybody was crying after the suicide note was read. Everybody except Ginny, who was trying to figure out who Harry was talking about while Ron rubbed circles into her back. He said the love was odd, but he also said it was a he. What could be odd about it? Was he old or something?

Deciding that she would love only Harry, she made herself stop thinking about it. She went home with her family and locked herself in her room. She didn’t get to sleep until after midnight.

But sometime in the middle of the night someone snuck into her room. Ginny awoke as somebody shut her door. Fearing for herself, she lay there and hoped they went away. The person crawled on her bed and settled over her. Warm breath caressed her neck and a hand reached up and caressed her cheek.

“Ginny…” came a soft, male voice.

Too tired to try and get away, she lay there and pretended to sleep. But the person never left. The hair over her face was pushed away gently before a kiss was placed on her cheek. They pushed her face up to face him. Gently, he kissed her lips. Ginny couldn’t help it, she began to kiss back. It felt so wrong, yet it felt so right. The stranger pulled back.

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long Ginny. But I can’t wait anymore. Will you give me a chance?” he said softly.

“Who are you?” Ginny asked just as quietly as he had.

He cast lumos. Ginny gasped as she saw who it was over her. In the light of his wand was her brother, Ron. So this is what he meant by odd, Ginny thought, finally understanding.

“I love you Ginny,” Ron whispered. “As more then a sister. And I’ve been waiting for you to get over Harry for three years.”

“Oh gods, Ron. It’s just so wrong,” Ginny said.

“Please Ginny. I love you,” Ron begged. “I can’t live without you.”

Ginny shook her head. “No Ron. I-It’s wrong. It’s disgusting and wrong. I love Harry. Only Harry.”

Ron didn’t say anything else. The light went out and he quietly left Ginny to herself. The next day, when Ginny woke up, she entered the kitchen. Like the day of Harry’s death, everybody was sitting at the table looking as though somebody died. The only difference was that Ron was mysteriously absent.

“What’s going on this time?” Ginny said, sitting at her usual seat.

This time no paper was handed to her. Her father pointed upstairs. Slowly and cautiously, Ginny went upstairs. Only one door was open, and that was Ron’s so she went there. What she saw brought tears to her eyes.

Ministry officials were picking up a body; Ron’s body. One of the officials walked up to her and gave her an envelope addressed to her.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” the official said before following the others downstairs with the body.

Once Ron’s body was downstairs, they officials apparated away to prepare the body for a funeral. The last official to leave told them that the funeral would be November tenth; the day after Harry’s would be.

The family mourned for the loss of another member, but none more so then Ginny. There were no tears of sobs, but she mourned him. She isolated herself from the rest of her family, choosing to sit in the living room instead of at the dining room table.

“What’s that in your hand, Ginny?” Molly asked her only daughter.

Ginny looked at what was in her hand. It was the envelope that the ministry official gave her, crumpled from her squeezing it. She opened it without a word. It only took her a second to read it, but when she finished reading it she threw it to the ground and ran upstairs sobbing.

Confused, Arthur picked it up and read it aloud.

“I just can’t wait for you anymore Ginny. Will you love me as much as Harry now that I’m dead too?”

A/N: Yes, a very sad little thing. I think this turned out okay. Another story really just meant to vent emotions.

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