Harry woke the next morning and kissed his slumbering wife on the cheek. She mumbled sleepily and turned to face him.
“Morning,” she said, her voice slightly muffled by her pillow.
He played with the band of gold around Ginny’s left ring finger, tenderly tracing the patters with his finger.
“You still wear it?”
“All the time,” she said, grinning.
He held up his left hand. “Me, too.”
“Good,” she replied, as he kissed her knuckle and heaved himself out of bed.
“Ready for day two?” he sighed.
“Only if you are.”
He smiled as Ginny got out of bed. “Thanks, love.”
“Any time, dear, any time.”
*****************************************************
Within the next hour, everyone had reassembled in the seats they were in the previous day. As scheduled, Susan Bones stood on stage, ready to speak about her aunt. She waited anxiously as everyone sat down and quieted before beginning.
“Auntie Amelia was the kindest, most honest witch I ever knew. She was smart, funny, and generous. She was a great role model.”
She continued with an anecdote about her aunt that demonstrated her kindness and concluded by saying, “She was killed in the war by the Death Eaters, but she didn’t die it vain. She gave me the courage and incentive to fight and to win.”
She took a deep breath and walked off the stage. A loud applause filled the stands as the next person, an old wizard, took his place where she had just stood. He spoke of Amelia Bone’s bravery and great accomplishments. Harry smiled, remembering her before his fifth year, her monocle in place, clearing him of all charges.
People were talking, but Harry didn’t comprehend most of what they were saying. The speech about Dumbledore was coming up. When discussing the plans for the memorial, he wanted to tell the world what a wonderful wizard Dumbledore was, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to find the words. So many people wanted to talk about him, so Harry kindly declined the decision to speak about him. Minerva McGonagall stood at the podium. As she spoke, he smiled.
”Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
Harry smiled at the memory of the first words that he ever heard out of the greatest wizard he ever knew.
Ron and Hermione seemed to be thinking around the same lines by the looks on their faces as he glanced over at them.
Minerva was talking about how Dumbledore was so powerful and kind. Harry smiled again and, even as the memories of the events leading up to his murder flashed through his mind, he couldn’t rid himself of he comfort he felt just at the thought of his great mentor. Beside him, Ginny was fingering her wedding band. She twisted between her fingers. Her expression was one of anxiety. However, as she twisted the ring around and around, her fingers slipped and it fell to the ground. Before she could reach down and get it, she gasped.
“What’s the matter?” Harry asked.
“I-er, dunno,” she stammered. He squeezed her hand concernedly and, after she nodded at him, turned back to the stage.
She looked up at the platform unseeingly. What had just happened? The moment her ring fell off, her mind went blank and she didn’t remember where or even who she was. The moment the ring rested back on her finger again, she managed to regain her composure and remember everything.
She rubbed her temple exhaustedly and focused back on the stage.
“Do you have a headache?” Harry whispered, his voice now filled with concern.
“Er- no. I’m all right,” she lied. She didn’t want him to worry about her anymore than he already was.
He obviously didn’t believe her, but he chose not to press the matter further. He just shook his head sadly and returned his attention to the man that was now speaking. Ginny did the same and sighed. It was going to be a long week if the rest was going to be like these first two days.
Harry wrapped his arm over her shoulder. She rested her head on his and smiled in spite of everything else. They were in this together and would overcome it as one. He kissed the top of her head, thinking the same thing.
Hermione glanced over at them and smiled. Ron looked equally as relieved that the two were getting along all right.
“Ready to tell them yet?” he muttered.
She nodded. “Tonight.”
The afternoon passed in quiet manner. It wasn’t until after witches and wizards went up to tell about their close friends, that day being Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Mrs. Figg, and Emelline Vance.
When they headed back down to the tents that evening, Hermione and Ron pulled their best friends aside. Remus and Tonks followed Harry, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasley’s into Ron and Hermione’s tent.
“Ron, what’s going on?” Charlie asked.
The man in question flushed. “Err, uh,” he stammered distractedly.
“Well,” Hermione began, glancing around nervously at everyone else. “I’m pregnant.”
A moment of shocked silence reverberated against the walls of the tent before Molly squealed joyfully.
“I’m going to have to have three grandkid’s now!” she cried, squeezing Hermione tightly.
“Aw, Ickle Ronny is gonna be a daddy!” Fred exclaimed in his cutesy baby voice.
“Shut it,” Ron muttered. Despite the deep red in his face, he beamed around at his family and friends.
Ginny squealed loudly. “We’re going to have our kids at the same time!”
“I know!” Hermione exclaimed, equally as loud. “They can grow up together and go to school and everything!”
The entire group of females, including Fleur, Tonks, and Molly, dissolved into excited giggles. Harry thumped Ron on the back. “Good for you, mate,” he said, chuckling at Ron’s red face.
“When did you find out?” Charlie asked his brother when the girls’ excited screams had resided a little.
“A couple days ago,” he replied after regaining his calm. “We were going to tell everyone yesterday, but with his arrival, we decided it wasn’t time yet.”
“Well, I’m glad you finally told us,” Mrs. Weasley said, sniffing loudly.
Harry smiled, conjuring glasses and bottles for everyone in the room. Handing Hermione and Ginny the first two, he said, “Iced pumpkin juice for the ladies.” He poured the juice into their goblets before passing out the glasses out to everyone else and filled all of them with mead.
“I propose a toast,” he said, his voice filled with joy, “to the future generation.”
“Hear, hear,” Ron said loudly, raising his glass in the air. They all laughed and talked late into the night, before Harry sighed and said that he should be turning in. Everyone else followed rather reluctantly, though, to his amusement, he saw even Fred and George fail to suppress their yawns.
Harry climbed into bed not long after.
“G’night, Harry,” Ginny whispered peacefully.
“Night, Love,” Harry replied, smiling.
Within minutes, Ginny was snoring lightly. Harry, however, did not fall asleep so easily. The minute he was asleep, he was haunted by a terrible dream.
Ginny was running away.
“Ginny!” he shouted, reaching out for her. She didn’t turn to him or even acknowledge his cry. “Ginny, OVER HERE!” he cried, louder than before.
He squinted his eyes and saw that she was running to someone. He saw a huge silhouette not far from where Ginny was heading.
“Cormac,” she said, her lips moving soundlessly. She turned a little more and Harry could see that she was carrying something. No two bundles. Harry looked closer and saw that in her arms were two infants wrapped tightly in cloth.
“Oh, Cormac. They look just like you,” she said, her voice echoing in his ears.
“What!” Harry shouted in dismay. He finally caught up to where she was standing. Her arms were wrapped around the large figure. He rested his hand on her shoulder uncertainly. “Ginny, what’s going on?”
Finally, she turned to look at him. When she spoke, her voice was clearer than before, but her eyes were still glazed and distant. Her question, just three little words, was enough to make his head spin and his heart stop. “Who are you?”
Harry woke with a start and shot up in bed, panting.
“Harry, what’s the matter?” Ginny murmured sleepily beside him. She rested a hand on his and she stared up at him with concern. He could recall his dream so vividly. In it, her face was so bleak and unconcerned.
He shook his head to rid himself of her uncharacteristic expression. Ginny would never look at me like that, he thought. Still, he felt dread seep into him.
Cormac, they look just like you.
The children, forming within Ginny, were his. Right?
“Harry, you’re starting to scare me. What’s wrong?” she asked from beside him.
Of course the children were his. Ginny would never lie to him like that.
“I’m fine, Gin,” he finally replied, pushing aside the doubt within him. “I had a bad dream. That’s all.”
Ginny nodded wordlessly and kissed him lightly. “If you say so,” she muttered, before rolling over and falling back to sleep.
Harry did the same, though slumber evaded him. His mind was reeling. Why did he feel such doubt? Ginny loved him. She had made it quite clear on many occasions. After a few minutes, he realized that it wasn’t her he doubted. There was something telling him that something was going to happen. But in his last waking moments, Harry swore that he was going to protect her from it, no matter the cost.
*************************************************
The next morning, Ginny seemed very concerned for her husband because of the nightmare from the previous night. He had been so shaken up. Harry was concerned because of just about everything else. They went down to the service, where many more losses were mourned, but it seemed people were getting their long-awaited catharsis. Even Ginny went up to speak about Luna. Harry sighed heavily whenever names he recognized were mentioned. Hannah Abbot, Lavender Brown, Colin Creevey, Luna Lovegood, Natalie McDonald, Dean Thomas.
So many of those that he had called friends- those in the DA, who he had taught personally- so many died before they should have. They fought by his side with such loyalty that he was astounded. He went through the rest of the week with these thoughts. He rarely went back up to talk to everyone else, but in his mind’s eye he saw them- each one of the DA, training so hard and fighting with everything they had.
On the last day, grief was bearing down on everyone, Harry finally went back onto the stage.
“We’ve all suffered,” he said, his voice magically magnified. “We’ve all lost loved ones to death. But when it seems like too much, don’t close your heart. Open it to those that understand. Let them heal you from within and help you through your grief. No matter how much time passes, we’ll never forget those we lost. That’s how it should be. Don’t let their sacrifices weigh down on you with guilt but let the happy memories you have of them comfort you when you need it most. I’ve learned this first hand-“
He paused for a moment, his eyes roaming over Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Tonks, before resting on Ginny.
“Even when the world feels like it’s going to crash around you, you’re never alone. That’s why this memorial was arranged. Look around you. Everyone is here because they understand your grief and they feel the same way. They feel like there’s a whole in their hearts that no one else can fill. I feel the same way at times, but there is hope. No one is ever truly alone. The ones we love- never truly leave us.”
His voice, which was strong throughout his entire gripping speech, finally cracked as he quoted the man who had taught him so much. He bowed his head and walked off the stage. Everyone applauded before shuffling silently from the area.
********************************************
It was over. All tents were packed, and the Aurors had led everyone safely from the premises Harry’s first Ministry project had been completed successfully. Though it had been a rocky start, they pulled through and found what they were looking for. Harry sighed. He was still filled with worry and apprehension at the thought of what McLaggen might do next, but when he had spoken earlier that day, he meant what he said.
He was going to get through his with Ginny. He wasn’t going to try to shut her out or shield her from real life. They would go through it side by side, hand in hand.
A/N: Okay, so there’s a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter. =] Don’t think too much about it (as if that’s possible for hard-core HP fans) It’ll all reveal itself in time. In fact, I have the feeling that you’re all thinking too hard about things that will end up being insignificant… JK. Anyways, thanks for everyone who’s IMing me to encourage me to finish (I’ve also gotten some pretty good manga recommendations, which is always a plus). Thanks for all of the reviews. With luck, the next chapter will be up soon. I’m trying to finish part 3 of Halifax 3 rite now. I submitted part 2 but I figure that I have more readers for this story so chapter7 for this has higher priority over part2…