What Hurts the Most
Ginny sat on the roof of the Burrow, curled up in a ball and gazing up at the nearing rain clouds. A picture of a stormy night with Harry entered her mind. Puddles formed in chocolate brown eyes.
“Ginny!” Molly Weasley called up through the tall house. “Get inside before you catch cold!”
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don’t bother me
I can take a few years every now and then and just let them out
I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I’m okay
But that’s not what gets me
Ginny buried her head in her arms and openly started to sob. Suddenly she felt she couldn’t take it anymore. She scrambled to her feet and started to dash down the many flights of her old home; the one she moved back into after it happened.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
“Ginny? Is that you?” Percy Weasley stuck his head out of his door. The family had reunited with their son just before Ginny and Harry’s wedding, three years previously. “Is something wrong?”
She just brushed past him, not slowing even for a second. Ginny had insisted on getting married during her seventh year, as she wasn’t allowed to come with Harry, Ron and Hermione. This way she kept Harry with her always.
It’s hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I’m doing it
It’s hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I’m alone
Still harder
Gettin’ up, gettin’ dressed, livin’ with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken
Ginny felt a lurch in her stomach and ripped down another flight of stairs and into the bathroom, gathering her hair up into a sloppy ponytail as she went. The redhead flipped up the toilet seat just before the contents of her stomach were released. Hermione Granger rushed into the bathroom and hugged Ginny.
“It’s the baby, isn’t it?” She asked softly.
“It’s going to be so hard without him,” Ginny whimpered. “My child will never meet his/her father.” She suddenly got that mad urge again, broke free of Hermione’s grasp, and started to run down the staircases again. As the image of the Burrow’s walls streaked by her, Ginny’s mind went to the memory that had been eating away at her heart before her mother had called her.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
*Flashback*
Ginny sighed contentedly. She had finally caught Harry Potter’s attention, and here she was, wrapped up in his arms and staring into the flickering light of the Gryffindor Common Room fire.
“Harry?” Ginny asked hesitantly.
“Mmm?”
“Do you ever think about…the future?” He looked at her, completely confused as to where she was going with this. Slowly, he nodded.
“What do you see?”
A smirk played on his lips.
“What do you see?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She frowned, and playfully punched his shoulder.
“I was being serious.” He sighed, and thought for a moment. Suddenly he smiled. “You,” he said, holding her closer. “I see you. And maybe a few kids, you know, messy red hair, hazel eyes”“ she cut him off laughing.
“Don’t be a dolt.” He frowned, thinking she was saying that they wouldn’t ever get married. She grinned slyly. “I would never allow our children to inherit that messy mop you call hair.” Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
“So… what do you see?” Ginny started to smile, which turned into a giggle. She jumped up from Harry’s lap and started to run towards the Girls’ Dormitory. Harry just looked plain amazed for a second, but then started to laugh and chase her away from the Dorm. She was finally able to run up the stairs when Harry tripped over an untied shoelace. Ginny stopped at the seventh stair and turned back to Harry who was frantically tying his shoelace. He got to his feet and noticed that Ginny had wormed her way onto the staircase. Suddenly, he lit up with an idea. Ginny pretended to look scared when Harry got an evil grin on his face.
“What’re you going to do?” she taunted. “It’s over. I have the high ground.”
That grin looked so much better on Harry than it did on Draco Malfoy. He took a step towards the stairs. Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry took another few steps toward the stairs. He was now three steps away from the bottom stair. Ginny suddenly realised what Harry’s plan was.
“Oh, no. No, don’t you DARE!” she gasped.
Ginny started to scramble up the remainder of the stairs…and at the very last stair, it turned into a slide.
“No, no!”
She grabbed frantically at the smooth stone walls, but her fingers could get no purchase. The redhead zoomed down the stairs and landed on top of Harry, knocking him over. His face was inches away now…
“Harry? I was just wondering where you…” Ronald Weasley came down the Boys’ Dormitory stairs; his jaw dropped when he saw his baby sister lying on top of his best mate’s chest, just in the act of kissing him.
“Ginny?!?”
Her head whipped around, and by the look on her face, she was not happy about being interrupted.
“Harry! How could you?” Ron’s face was contorted into total fury. “She’s my baby sister! I trusted you! You’re supposed to be my friend! I can’t believe you!”
“Ron? Ron, leave him alone!”
The man clad in maroon pyjamas picked his little sister off of Harry, then grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
A flash of ruby light interrupted Ron’s angry rant, and he was thrown against the wall, out cold.
Harry looked up. Hermione was standing on the steps, holding her wand out in front of her and shaking like a leaf.
“Are you two” are you two alright?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Harry stood up and shook himself. “That was, er, unexpected.”
Ginny flicked her wand and muttered,”Ennervate.”
Ron’s eyes flickered open. The memory of what just happened entered his mind, and he scowled. “Ginny, I forbid you to date Harry, after what I just witnessed.”
“And what did you just witness Ron? Me about to kiss my boyfriend? I’ve told you before, Ron, you can’t tell me who to date, or what I do or don’t do with my boyfriends.”
“I’m your brother!”
“Yeah, and Harry is your best mate and my boyfriend! I’m not letting him go now that I’ve finally got him after five years!”
“Ron, calm down. They are dating, so it makes perfect sense for them to kiss.” Ron’s eyes flickered over to Hermione’s, and his face softened.
“When did you get here?” He asked. Hermione looked away.
“I… I was the one who Stunned you,” she whimpered, ashamed. Ron’s face turned from adoring to utter shock.
“Well… I suppose I deserved it…” He turned to Harry. “Look, mate, I’m…I’m sorry. Just don’t… don’t do it in front of me, okay?” Harry grinned, and nodded.
“Thanks for understanding, mate.” Ron nodded, clapped Harry on the back, then went back upstairs and closed the door to the Boys’ Dormitory ever so quietly.
“Well,” Hermione said with a small smile on her face. “I think I’ll go to bed, too. Good night, you two.” And she walked up the stairs muttering something that sounded oddly like, “About time.” Harry turned to Ginny and wrapped her in his arms.
“I love you, Gin,” he whispered. She smiled, and then leaned toward him…
*Flashback Ends*
Ginny was now running through the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley and Nymphadora Lupin sat talking over tea.
“Ginny, what”“
“Ginny, wait, what’s wrong?”
But Ginny ignored them and ran into the yard. She ran past the Apparation boundary and Disapparated. The familiar feeling of being squeezed into a tube surged through her body, unable to breath, and unable to move. She landed on her knees in front of a cemetery.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
The plaque on the gate stated, ‘Godric Hollow’s Cemetery’. Ginny jumped to her feet, yanked open the door, and streaked through, making a beeline for the far right hand corner. She slowed down as she reached a large grave beside a small one. The large one had tiger lilies beside it, and read:
James and Lily Potter
Beloved friends and parents
‘There is no greater love than to lay down your life for ones loved.’
Died October 31, 1981
The smaller one had roses on top of it, and was newer than the larger one. Ginny dropped to her knees in front of it, and continued to bawl.
“I saw you,” she sobbed. “I saw you.”
Harry Potter
Beloved friend and husband
‘He died as a friend and he lives as a legend.'
Died January 13, 1998
A/N: Okay, the quote on Lily and James' grave is from the bible, with a small change to fit my story; found in John, chapter 15, verse 13: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Thanks to cjbaggins! The quote on Harry's grave belongs to my dad, so I can't take credit. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Oh, please review, you have no idea how happy it makes me to recieve all of your comments!
What Hurts the Most by Prongsies_Girl_93
Chapter Notes: Based on Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most", I bring you a story of the ultimate sadness. Ginny can't handle all the pressure, so she allows herself a good cry. Please enjoy, and if you have a moment, please drop a line! Oh, and it would help me to the extreme if you could tell me the parts that need improvement!
Disclaimer: Everything is Jo's, I just enjoy playing with her characters. Oh, and the song belongs to Rascal Flatts.