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Happy Birthday, Love... | ||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Angst Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 23 Summary: It's Ginny's 18th birthday and there's only one gift she truely wishes for. Hitcount: Story Total: 5759 Author's Notes: As usual, the characters belong to the wonderful JKR. I am just borrowing them for a bit of literary "What If". |
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“Go ahead Ginny dear, make a wish.” Eighteen candles flickered atop one of Molly Weasley’s famous birthday cakes. Ginny slowly raised her eyes from the spot she had been vacantly staring at and looked at her family gathered around the table. Everyone was there. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true, everyone that could be there was there; except for Percy that is, the stupid git still hadn’t come to his senses. Her eyes then fell on the three chairs that had been purposely left vacant. Ginny had insisted they be left open, just in case. Yes, she had received their letter the day before, and yes she knew they would remain empty, but that didn’t stop her from hoping. ‘Why bother?’ she thought to herself ‘It’s not like it will come true’. Resolving herself to that fact, Ginny reluctantly closed her eyes and made her wish. It was a simple wish, one that every person around the table had made numerous times over the past years, but to Ginny it meant so much more. Opening her eyes, Ginny glanced once again at the empty chair to her left. “Please.” She whispered in a voice that was nothing more than a released breath. A single tear fell into the frosting below as she leaned forward and blew out her candles. ~*~ The family soon retired to the Burrow’s sitting room where brightly colored packages were gathered and placed at the foot of the chair Ginny had curled into. The mood of the room was somber. There was none of the raucous laughter or exuberant tearing of paper from packages that had accompanied all of her birthdays up to her fifteenth year. Instead, a solemn and subdued Ginny stared blankly at the once highly anticipated pile of gifts. “C’mon Squirt,” Bill whispered as he knelt next to her chair, placing a reassuring arm around her shoulders “Why don’t I give you a hand with those.” Bill reached down, lifted the top package from the pile and placed it gently into Ginny’s lap. “We wouldn’t want the troublesome duo there to think that they spent their galleons on something that didn’t blow up for nothing do ya?” Ginny let out a small noise that was half snicker and half sob as she looked up into the scarred face of her eldest brother; allowing a slight smile grace the corners of her lips. The look in his sister’s eyes nearly sent him to tears as he gazed back into Ginny upturned face. He had seen that very same look many times gazing vacantly back at him while on duty for the Order; it was a look that stayed with him and haunted his dreams. It was the same look the Dementors’ victims bore after they had been assaulted with the kiss. It was the empty look of one who was missing their soul. ~*~ With Bill’s help the pile of gifts was soon conquered. Fleur, doing her best to help in any way she could, charmed the gifts and sent them up to Ginny’s room before taking her husband’s hand, pulling him gently into the kitchen. Molly smiled as she watched Arthur, sensing his daughter’s need, gather the rest of her boys and usher them quietly from the room as well. Sipping her tea, Molly woefully regarded her baby girl as she sat staring out the window into the back garden. Eighteen, where had the years rushed off too? It seemed to her only yesterday that the young woman sitting in front of her had been in pigtails chasing fireflies at dusk or skipping stones across the glassy surface of the pond. Of course, those memories were from a time before her daughter’s life had changed, before she had forever lost her heart. They were memories of a time from before she had met him. It had been nearly eight years since they had first met that scared yet polite young boy looking to board the Hogwarts Express. Even before Molly knew who the boy was, she sensed he was special. And when her exuberant sons had come bounding from the train to announce that the he was none other than the famous Harry Potter she knew, even without looking at her, that her daughter’s heart would be forever lost to him. A mother’s intuition knows these things without question. It was with that knowledge that Molly did not need to be a trained Legilimens to know what her daughter was thinking. It tore at her to see her baby in such pain and yet she knew, without a doubt in her heart, that there was nothing she could do to ease her suffering. She could, however, hope and pray that it would all turn out in the end. ~*~ It was still quite early when Ginny found herself climbing the final set of stairs to the landing of her room. She was grateful for her family’s love and their understanding of her need to be alone right now. It was nearly impossible to bear even the quiet comfort her mother had tried to impart with her silent presence in the sitting room. Her need was simple, as it was every night; she needed to be close to him. Quick locking and silencing spells were cast when she heard the door click closed behind her. Once inside, she proceeded to strip unceremoniously down to her knickers before pulling on his old worn house Quidditch jersey and climbing into bed. She had come across the article of clothing the first night after they had left all those years ago and it had become her constant bedtime companion ever since. It had smelled of fresh air and treacle tart with an underlying musky scent that she had come to regard simply as Harry; and even after all the nights that had passed, that scent still lingered in the material. She had decided that night if she could not be wrapped in his arms, she could at least be wrapped in his memories. With a faint tremble to her hand, Ginny reached over and removed her most treasured possession, a picture in a simple frame, from its hallowed position on her nightstand. In it a couple danced, lost in the moment of holding each other close, as the rest of the world moved on around them. The picture was priceless to her and had been taken without his knowledge at Bill and Fleur’s wedding. The events of that evening once again began to play in her mind as she laid the picture on the pillow next to her head. The tears did not come every night now, but the day’s events had been just too much for her and she allowed them flow freely, dampening the pillow beneath her head as she drifted off to sleep. ~*~ The dream took her as it always did on nights like these, slowly at first as if moving through the grey mists of a snowy winter morning until she was once again dancing in the back garden of the Burrow. Charlie was with her, swinging her around in great loping circles, just has he had on that warm summer’s eve. And in her dream, just as it had been on that night, her mind and heart were elsewhere. She knew he had been watching her from the dark corner of the garden he had claimed for his own. He had just sat there unmoving; with the shadows cast by the fairy lanterns hiding all expression on his face save for his eyes; eyes that seemed to glow under the shimmering light of the lanterns. Her gaze was inexplicably drawn to them time and time again, as one of her brothers would lead her around the makeshift dance floor. To her surprise, he didn’t shy away from her looks as she had expected. Instead, those magnificent eyes seemed to glow brighter with each lingering meeting. They had not had a chance to talk since the trio had arrived earlier in the day and every fiber of her being was screaming for her to go to him. Go to him and make him understand why they needed to be together. To talk to him… yell at him if need be, to tell him that she loved him. She wasn’t blind; she had seen the emotion his eyes held as she made her way down the aisle before the ceremony. His face held the same look she had seen for the first time when she ran into his arms that day in the Gryffindor common room. The look that had told here everything she needed to know in that briefest of moment before he pressed his lips to hers. Now that look reassured her that his feelings had not changed but were only set aside for what he felt was the right thing to do. She could not remove her eyes from his piercing gaze throughout the ceremony. And as Bill and Fleur had been pledging their lives to each other, Ginny could not help but feel that she and Harry had been silently doing the same. After the ceremony, he had slipped away not to be seen again until they had all eaten and her father had first led her onto the dance floor. That was when she first noticed him in the shadows, his brilliant green eyes once again seeking her out. Yet, even though they had danced that once, that was as far as he had gone in separating the distance between them. ~*~ They were through a first song and well into a second before Ginny realized Charlie had been speaking to her. She shook her head slightly to try and clear the cobwebs, making her most valiant attempt to tear her gaze away from those mesmerizing green eyes. Only slightly succeeding, Ginny did her best to focus her attention on her brother’s words. “Sorry,” she apologized when she finally caught the concerned look in his eyes. “S’ok. I thought I’d lost you for a second there Firefly.” Ginny giggled, “Now where did that come from? You haven’t called me Firefly since I was eleven.” “Yeah… well, sometimes I can’t help going back to my protective big brother ways.” Charlie smiled, his concern subsiding a little at her laughter. “So tell me, what’s going on between you and Harry? I haven’t seen the two of you get within a dozen feet of each other since they arrived this morning. I don’t need to get the rest of this lot to give him a talking to do I?” “No, my big brothers don’t have to come to my rescue. Things are just…” Ginny sighed, “Actually, I don’t really know what things are to tell the truth. I guess we’re kind of split up, but then… but then he looks at me with those eyes of his and it’s like he sets my insides on fire. He’s not just looking at me, He’s…” “…looking into you.” Charlie interrupted “Yeah, I wish I knew what it all meant.” With another half-hearted sigh Ginny rested her head against her brother’s chest. “Listen Firefly, I know Weasley men can be a tad dense at times but there is one thing that working with Dragons has at least taught this one. Things aren’t always what they seem.” Placing a finger under her chin, Charlie lifted her head until she was once again looking at him. “Harry loves you; even a blind hippogriff can see that. And if you love him like I think you do, just give him a bit to work things out. I’m positive he’ll find his way back.” “I do love him Charlie, and not just some silly little girl ‘I’ve got a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived’ kind of love, but real ‘I don’t know what I’d do without him’ love.” Ginny paused, looking back towards the garden and those wonderful green eyes. “Charlie.” “Yeah, sis.” “Thanks for being here.” “Hey, that’s what big brothers are for, yeah? Well, that and the ruthless tickling our little sisters until they’re begging for mercy.” Charlie joked, giving her a little poke in the ribs. “Don’t you even try it dragon boy unless you want bat bogeys beating about your head.” Ginny threatened through a mischievous smile “I knew I should never have taught you that one.” Charlie laughed “Well you did, and I’m not afraid to show you how good I’ve gotten at casting that particular hex so no funny stuff. Got it?” “Got it, Firefly.” Charlie conceded, pulling her into a tight hug. “If you need anything you know where to find me, yeah?” With the ending of the song, Charlie placed a kiss on top of her head before releasing her and heading off towards the food table. “Yeah.” Ginny whispered under her breath, once again seeking out Harry gaze. “I know he’ll find his way back. I just wish I knew when that would be.” ~*~ It was just after 11:30 when Arthur found himself sitting alone in the kitchen of the Burrow, casually sipping a cup of tea while waiting for further update from the Order. Earlier in the day there had been a drastic increase in the Death Eater activity that had mysteriously stopped abruptly several hours ago. Voldemort’s movements had been quiet as of late, as well as his followers, and the sudden increase in the goings-on of the Death Eaters had all of the Order very much on edge and awaiting further instruction. Word of the situation had come by owl shortly after he had sent the last of his boy’s home and put his Molly to bed, asking him to be on the ready for what ever may arise. No form of preparation though could have equipped Arthur for what happened next. In an act of unconscious habit, he glanced idly at the Weasley family clock, regarding it in the same manner he had taken to doing so often since the beginning of the war. Where as Molly found dread in the unmoving hands that seemed to forever point to ‘Mortal Peril’, Arthur himself found solace; for if the hands were all pointing at ‘Mortal Peril’, none could be pointing at his most feared position on the intricately carved face: ‘Dead’. What he found this time though caused all thought to retreat from his mind as well as his head to spin. All of the family’s hands were once again pointing to ‘Home’ except for one, Ron’s. That hand was pointing teasingly to ‘Traveling’. It is said that Time is fluid, the flow of it bearing directly on the weight of one’s current situation. Where as a happy hour may seem to last merely a second in time, the exact opposite can be said of a stressing situation. It was in those fleeting moments that Arthur knew exactly that feeling. It was no more than the mere seconds of apparition that had passed, but in that fraction of a moment Arthur watched as his mind played over his life. He watched as he grew up and went to Hogwarts for the first time. He happily relived the moments as he met, courted and married his true love and then celebrated as each of his children were born. His heart ached as he once again mourned the passing of friends and family to the horrors of both the first and now second war. In those seconds, ones that Arthur felt move past slow as years; the last hand began to move again, finally settling on ‘Home’ with the other eight family hands. The air of the room hung in utter silence until the creaking of the back door and the sound of hushed laughter broke him of his trance. ~*~ The sound of music and merriment began to fade from her dream as the light from the fairy lanterns slowly swirled, changing to the first light of dawn. Harry had not again strayed from his position in the shadows, though his eyes had never left her. With him still watching she had finally called it an evening and retired to her bedroom, long after the chime of twelve had sounded from the clock in the lounge. Stretching with feline grace, as was her usual waking manner, Ginny rolled over allowing the cool morning breeze lofting in through her open window to play against her still closed eyelids. The house around her was quiet under the glow of the first light of morning. The rest of its inhabitants most likely having a bit of a lie-in with the hope of recovering from the previous evenings endeavors. Deciding it best to seize on the opportunity and attempt the same herself, she lazily opened her eyes to sneak a peek at the time. Her eyes drifted across her nightstand in search of her clock, only to come to rest on a folded piece of parchment that she was positive was not there the night before. A sense of dread filled her belly, like a pooling mass of molten lead, as she pulled herself into a sitting position and removed the letter from its resting place. The handwriting on the front was unmistakable and she groaned under the weight of its implication; the lump in her belly spreading quickly to the rest of her extremities. With trembling fingers she once again, as she did in her dreams so many times over the years, opened the letter and began to read it for the first time. Dearest Ginny, As I watched you dancing last night, I finally admitted something I have been denying to myself since that day at Dumbledore’s funeral; I need you. The weeks we spent together at the end of term were the happiest of my life, and I would give up everything if I could go back and re-live even the briefest of those moments. Unfortunately, that is why things have to be the way they are. I don’t want them to be this way, and I hate having to go a single moment without you next to me. But the days ahead of me are dark and what is the fate of the world compared to your safety. Nothing. You are the reason I continue to fight. And the only way I can continue to do that is knowing that you are safe. I wish I could be with you this morning to watch the sun come up over the back garden rather than leaving this bloody letter, but unfortunately that cannot be. By the time you read this Ron, Hermione and I will be long gone and all I can say to that is I am so very sorry that it has to be this way. I promise you I will come back if I can. And if you will still have me, I vow to spend the rest of my days making all of this up to you. I will contact you when I can but please don’t try and follow us. For that matter we don’t even know where we are going. I have three things to ask of you, three favors to be precise. First, I can’t take Hedwig since she is too easily recognized. Please take care of her for me when I am gone. She was my first friend in this world and holds a place in my heart right next to you. Second, please take care of yourself like I know you can. Even if at the end of this all you decide to go on with your life without me, I can at least live knowing you are safe and happy. There is one last thing I need you to know, and it is something I never thought I could say to anyone until you came into my life. I love you Ginny. My final favor is that you remember that always, no matter what happens. Once again I am sorry and I will miss you more than you can possibly ever know. Forever Yours, Harry As she finished Harry’s letter, the damn of emotions welling up inside her broke, sending her spilling over the edge of sanity. She cried for her anger at being left behind as well as her fear of losing him forever. She cried for her sorrow and for the future that seemed so much more distant than before. Mostly though, she cried for her heart and the joy she felt growing deep inside. He loved her and no matter the cost, she would be here waiting when he returned. Ginny’s dream tears mingled with reality as she silently wept in her sleep. The darkness of her room hiding her tears from all but the night’s shadows and a pair of brilliant green eyes. ~*~ Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger appeared in the rear garden of the Burrow at exactly twenty-three minutes before midnight on the evening of August the eleventh. In an act born through years of trust and love, they fell into one another’s arms. Smiles lit across their war worn faces as they took in the sight of the crooked house standing in front of them; elated at the feeling of finally being home again. They had left Harry only moments before, the promise they had made to their oldest and dearest friend still fresh on their lips. It was over now, and soon, with the help of the Order, the entire of the wizarding world would know of the event that had transpired that day. First though came the fulfillment of their promise, there would be time tomorrow for the celebration. Taking Hermione’s hand, Ron began pulling her gently towards the house. “Let’s head inside, if we’re lucky everyone will be sleeping, that would make our job easier. Maybe we could even catch a proper celebratory snog on a comfortable couch for a change.” Hermione began to giggle in a way that she wasn’t sure she ever had. “You’re incorrigible, you know that right?” “You still love me though, yeah?” Ron questioned as they reached the back door. “Like I have a choice?” Hermione replied seriously before dissolving into further giggles as they stumbled into the lounge. “Yeah well…” Ron began before a familiar voice cut off all trains of thought. Arthur stood in shock as Ron and Hermione stumbled in through the Burrow’s back door. “Ron?” He heard himself ask, the name uncontrollably rushing out. “Hey Dad,” Ron smirked “We’re home.” It took Arthur all of three strides to cross the room, pulling the man standing before him into a bone crushing bear hug. “You’re home? But how… when…” His questions began to flow before they were formed into cohesive thoughts. “Whoa Dad, slow down! We’re not going anywhere.” Ron continued to laugh “Yeah Mr. Weasley, we’re home now. It’s over, Harry finished it.” Hermione smiled, tears of joy shining in her eyes. “It’s over.” Arthur stated unbelievably “That’s… well that’s… we have to wake you Mother. And Ginny…” His train of thought coming to a screeching halt as quickly as it had begun “Oh my, Ginny… Ron, where’s… where’s Harry?” “Harry’s perfectly fine Dad. In fact that’s why we’re here.” Ron stated, placing a firm hand on his fathers shoulder “But we can’t wake Mum quite yet, we promised we’d give him a little while first. I think she’ll understand if we wait a bit.” “But if your sister finds out…” Arthur started “Don’t worry about Ginny, Dad. Like I said, we promised to give him a little while before waking everyone.” Arthur stared blankly at his son until Ron’s words fell into place, causing a smile that threatened to split his face in two. “I see. Well, I guess that is the least we can do for the boy now, isn’t it? I’ll make sure your mother understands the situation once she’s up.” Reaching up, Arthur patted Ron’s hand that was still resting on his shoulder. “I just made a fresh pot of tea. Why don’t the two of you come sit down for a cuppa. I believe we have a lot to catch up on, yeah?” “Yeah we do. And thanks to Harry, we have a lifetime ahead of us in which to do it.” Hermione answered taking Ron’s hand again and following Arthur into the kitchen. ~*~ Ginny stirred unwillingly, gradually opening her eyes to the silent darkness of her bedroom. Her eyes burned as she blinked herself back to semi consciousness, the skin on her cheeks tight from the dried remnants of her earlier tears. The room was much darker than it had been when she had first fallen asleep. The only light left in the room was the flicker of a solitary candle sitting atop her dresser, the furnishings of the room falling into shadows with the coming of the night. Pulling herself up to rest against her headboard, Ginny looked once again to her nightstand for her alarm clock. Squinting against the darkness she could just make out the faint outline of the darker hands against the lighter face informing her that it was not yet midnight. Sighing heavily Ginny wrung her hands into the duvet in front of her; her eyes prickling with unshed tears once more. “Damn.” She swore under her breath “I can’t even properly sleep though the rest of this god awful day.” “And why would you want to sleep through a day as special as this one?” A gruff voice questioned out of the darkness. Ginny’s head shot up as her mind instantly recognized the intruding voice. She roughly ran a hand across her eyes brushing away her unshed tears. Struggling to focus they settled upon a blurry form blending into the darkness of the room. “Harry?” she questioned in a voice that threatened to give over to more tears. Harry stepped forward, allowing the candlelight to outline more of his darkened features. “Sorry I’m late love. There were… things… that I needed to do before I could be here.” “But…” she stuttered, “Your note… it said…” “I know, and I’m sorry. I wanted to be here earlier to surprise you. Unfortunately, something came up. But I’m here now and it is still your birthday.” Her heart caught in her chest as he glided over, lowering himself to sit on the bed next to her. Slowly Ginny raised a trembling hand and brushed it across the roughness of his cheek. “You’re really here.” She whispered, as if not wanting to break the illusion if it were not true. Harry gently took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips. “Yes, I’m really here.” He smiled against the warm skin of her palm. “Now seeing as it is still your birthday, I have a present for you.” As he released her hand she groaned in protest at the loss of contact and reached to pull him closer. The groan turned to a cry when he gently placed a hand against her shoulder, stopping her progress. “There will be time enough for that in a moment. First, open your present. You’ll have to hurry, it’s almost midnight.” “What,” She jested; trying not to give into her fear that it was all just a dream. “Will it turn into a pumpkin if it’s not opened before twelve?” “No,” he chuckled “No pumpkins, but I really want you to open my present on your special day.” Harry reached into his traveling cloak and pulled out a small square box wrapped in bright silver paper. Ginny gasped as he handed her the present before sitting back and staring at her intently. With trembling fingers she began to carefully remove the delicate paper from the small box, being sure not to tear it at the seams. Once the paper was off and placed on the bed next to her she slowly lifted its cover and peered inside. Frowning, Ginny looked back up into Harry’s smiling eyes; a look of confusion washing over her features. “I… I don’t understand. Harry, the box is empty.” Harry’s eyes sparkled as he gently wrapped his hands around her smaller ones still holding the box. Lovingly he whispered “It only seems empty, Gin. Go on… look again.” With confusion still evident in here eyes, Ginny looked back into the box. Harry began to explain “You see, I really wanted to get you the perfect present for your Birthday. It’s taken me a very long time to get exactly what I was looking for, but finally today I found it. I finally found your perfect present.” “I still don’t understand Harry. What is it?” Ginny questioned her confusion still evident in the uneasy waver of her voice. “It’s the only present I’ve ever wanted to give you.” Harry sighed, “A future.” Her tears started before the last word was scarcely past his lips. “Our future.” He whispered. “It’s over Gin. I’m home if you’ll still have me.” This time he did not stop her when she pulled him into her warm embrace, her tears wet against the nape of his neck. Harry cradled her in his arms, rocking her gently; trying to provide her the same comfort her memory had provided him for the past three years. The only sounds passing between them were her muffled words between sobs, repeated over and over like a mantra “I love you” “I remembered” “I never forgot”. ~*~ It was well into the early hours of morning before the two lovers relaxed back onto Ginny’s bed; their legs entwined and Ginny resting her head on Harry’s chest. Both content to have been reacquainted with the feel of the other’s touch and the taste of the other’s lips. “I meant what I said Gin. I’m home for good if you’ll have me.” Harry whispered into her hair. “You need to know Harry, I never let go.” Ginny purred, wrapping her arms around Harry’s chest and pulling herself tighter into his embrace. Harry smiled, feeling more content than he had in years. “Neither did I love. You were the last thing I thought of every night and the first thing every morning. You were with me every step of the way.” “Will you tell me about it?” “Yes, but not tonight. Tonight I think we could both use to get some rest.” Pulling the duvet up around them, Harry placed a kiss into Ginny’s hair. “I’m not sure Mum would approve of you sleeping in my bed, good sir.” Ginny teased, pushing herself up to look into his eyes “Well, seeing as we have not heard any shouting as of yet, I think it’s safe to say Ron and Hermione have already taken care of that for me.” Ginny swatted at Harry’s chest “You had this all planned? You’re pretty sure of yourself Mr. Potter.” Laughing, Harry pulled her back into his arms. “Not in the least, Gin. Now shhh… we can talk more in the morning. Right now I just want to fall asleep knowing you’ll be here when I wake up.” “I’m not going anywhere; I like it right where I am. Goodnight Harry, I love you.” Ginny sighed contently “I love you too Gin, goodnight. And happy birthday love…” ~fin~ |
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