I do not own the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to the Hilary Duff album
Chapter One: Underneath This Smile
She couldn’t believe it. No, she wouldn’t believe it.
Ginny Weasley raced desperately along the empty hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The laughter of students was long gone and faded away with time; only to be replaced by a dead silence and a cold wind that blew through the broken widows of the once great school.
The youngest Weasley’s crimson hair whipped across her face as she ran furiously. Ginny ignored the aching stitch in her side. Ginny’s legs protested against their cruel treatment and her chest moved up and down rapidly. She forced herself to run faster through the halls.
Ginny reached the top of the stairs; her heart beating hard against her ribcage as memories flooded her exhausted mind.
‘Everyone was wrong. He wasn’t gone. He just couldn’t be,’ she thought, tears stinging her eyes.
“Harry,” Ginny cried. “I can’t stand them anymore. They just won’t stop tormenting me in class, meals. They’re everywhere!”
Harry ran his fingers through her smooth and silky red hair, making shushing sounds to calm her. He calmly whispered words in her ear and her breathing slowed.
“It’s ok Gin, I’ll always be here for you,” Harry said, letting her bury her head in his chest. “You know that don’t you?”
Ginny looked up into his sparkling emerald eyes and slowly nodded. Her cheeks were tear-stained but she didn’t shed another tear [after his declaration of love]. Their lips were drawing closer and closer, as their eyes [fluttered in anticipation]. Both their lips parted slightly as they touched softly, at first. Then, Ginny’s mouth opened completely and Harry’s tongue began exploring this new area.
“I really like you, Harry,” she whispered.
“I really like you too, Gin.”
The red haired girl continued racing through the halls. However, the portraits didn’t yell at her or scoff in disapproval; one of the paintings had tried to admonish the rule-breaking girl, and she had ripped it off the wall in anger, throwing it down the stairs.
She reached the Hospital Wing, standing motionless as she stared at the farthest bed in the wing. People surrounded the bed, blocking her view of her beloved. Most of them were Weasley’s, their red hair standing out, but Ginny could also see Remus and Nymphadora Lupin.
Lying on the bed was a familiar faced young man. His face was covered in scratches; the one standing out the best was the infamous lightning bolt scar on his forehead. His eyes were still open in determination; the last emotion he had felt before meeting the end of his life when the Killing Curse had met its target.
Ginny didn’t remember falling to the ground, or hitting the hard floor with a sickening thud. She didn’t remember everyone turning around in surprise. Her mother had cradled her daughter’s head in her lap while everyone looked on sadly.
Remus had stayed near the still, and forever would be still, lifeless body of his godson, Harry. He placed his hand over Harry’s eyes and closed them slowly, shedding many tears as he did so.
Ginny woke up nearly three days later. An elderly Madam Pomfrey had said that her body was exhausted physically and emotionally, and she needed time to rest.
However, she refused to eat. Ginny refused to co-operate with anyone, even her own mother. Mrs Weasley had a screaming match with her one afternoon, reducing Ginny to tears.
A week later, Ginny returned to the Burrow which was a gloomy place now. The Weasley’s moped around, and the only sound heard at the dinner table was of knives and forks scraping against the plates.
Everywhere she went, she was reminded of Him; especially at the secret pond behind the big oak tree out the back of the Burrow. It was their spot.
“Come on Harry.”
Ginny held out her hand as she tapped the charmed Muggle CD player with his wand. The soft, sweet music began playing as Harry turned red but took Ginny’s hand.
“I can’t dance very well, Ginny,” he protested, laughing lightly.
“I’ll teach you, Harry,” she said, kissing him softly on the lips. “Don’t worry.”
They danced; Twirling and turning on the spot were the grass was extra green. Ginny could still feel the sun’s rays on her face, and the cool breeze in her hair of that day.
After a few moments of dancing and Ginny’s coaching, they stopped their twirling, breathing slightly faster than before.
The sweating girl wiped the trickle of sweat of her forehead and flicked it playfully at Harry.
“I am so hot,” she breathed.
“In more than one way Gin,” Harry muttered under his breath, but luckily Ginny didn’t hear him.
“Come on Harry, let’s go for a swim, it’ll cool us off!” Ginny said over her shoulder.
She headed down to the water’s edge, sliding her dress off her to reveal a yellow coloured bikini. Harry’s mouth dropped open as she stepped slowly into the water.
“Coming, Harry?” she asked teasingly, twirling around in the waist deep water. “The water’s nice and cool.”
Harry slid his pants off and Ginny noticed that he had a dark green pair of board shorts underneath. He also took his shirt off, and dropped it next to his pants on the picnic blanket.
He gave a whoop of glee as he mastered a perfect cannon ball into the water, surprising Ginny.
They lay on the picnic blanket, still dripping wet, but quite refreshed after their dip in the pond. Harry reached nervously into his pants pocket when Ginny had turned to admire the calling of birds in the tree.
“Gin?” Harry asked, swallowing loudly.
She turned to face him and her eyes fell on the velvet box in his hand. Harry pulled her to her feet as he bent down on one knee. Ginny’s hand flew to her mouth in surprise.
“I love you so much, Gin, with everything that is going on right now, the war and Voldemort, there has never been a more perfect time to ask for your hand in marriage,” he said quickly. “If I don’t come out of the battle that is ahead, then I want to die knowing that you loved me enough to become my wife, will you marry me, Ginevra Molly Weasley?”
Ginny gave a squeal of delight and tackled Harry playfully to the ground.
“Of course, Harry!” she cried out. “Yes, I will marry you!”
Flashback Over
Underneath this smile
My world is slowly caving in
All the while
I'm hanging on
She forced a smile upon her face each day as her life went on without her love by her side. She forced herself to make everyone believe that she had moved on, that she had forgotten the pain that she constantly felt in her heart. But she would never forget that pain. She would never move on.
Underneath her smile, her world was slowly caving in.
“Are you ready, Ginny?”
Ginny Weasley stood, rather stiff looking, facing the mirror. Her straight, red hair had been pulled up into a tight bun and she wore a simple sleeved black dress that came down her below her knees.
“Will I ever be Hermione?” she asked quietly.
Hermione went to wrap her in a comforting hug but Ginny pulled away, “Let’s get this over and done with.”
***
“Dearly beloved, we have gathered today to mourn the death of a dear friend of ours, Harry James Potter,” the priest said sadly, frowning deeply.
The priest was an elderly man with too many wrinkles to count. His black suit was dead straight with no creases at all. A small mop of white hair sat on top of his head, with little wispy bits floating down into his eyes.
The Burrow was packed with people who wished to mourn the death of Harry. He was to be buried near the pond in the special garden that Ginny and he had started just before he died. It was filled with different healing plants as well as Muggle plants. In the very middle of the garden, they had cleared a spot to dig the grave for Harry’s coffin. Ginny had insisted that he be buried there in that spot, she didn’t take no for an answer.
After the funeral, people walked up to the grave to pay their respects, dropping white roses onto the dirt.
She couldn’t do this. Not with everyone else here.
Ginny ran past everyone. She bumped into many tearful people, some she didn’t even know who they were, but she paid no attention to them.
She kept running.
And she never wanted to stop.