Moonlight's Tears

Moonlight's Tears

"Among the stars and past the moon, I search forevermore, for you. I've never found you, as I watch the sunset, I think, where have you gone, and where are you now? Forevermore...I wonder." -unknown

"Oh Percy, please! You have to be wrong; he couldn't have done this. I know him too well, he told me those days were gone ever since the potion!" Ginerva Weasley said pleadingly.

"Ginny, I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but he was found in the process of hunting people. We cannot simply overlook that fact," Percy, the newest Minister of Magic, replied. The two siblings were seated comfortably in plush armchairs that were part of the decor in his new office. A roaring fire was situated in the fireplace, radiating warmth to the room. The walls were decorated with hundreds of moving photographs; all showing different Ministers, in different time eras, all at different social events. The only thing that really set off the room was the breath taking view of London from the window that served as the fourth wall. Crystal snowflakes were slowly falling onto the picturesque setting, the first real snow of the winter season. The stars were large and twinkling while the moon was full; its face full of unspoken sorrow. Forever silenced with no one to hear him, only his eyes told of the horrors he had witnessed from his placement in the sky, forever looking on to the deeds of man. Percy's sturdy oak desk, which had served several Ministers before him, was littered with official looking documents, quills, and pictures of his wife, Penelope, and their children. Ginny, after spending a few moments thinking of what the moon might be thinking about her situation, looked at these photographs and sighed longingly, her brown eyes filling silently with tears.

"Percy, I just have to see him! I am running out of time and I need to talk to him," she said desperately. Her attempt at trying to convince her brother that she need to see the most talked about and dangerous criminal of her age wasn't going very well. Had Percy just happened to forget that this man was her husband?

"Ginny, I don't know what to say to you. He is currently heavily guarded and refusing to see anyone. He doesn't eat, refuses anything that remotely looks like it might be magical, and I personally think he is trying to deny his existence as a wizard," Percy said matter-of-factly.

"Percy! He needs me! Can't you see that? I miss him terribly, and as I said, I don't have much time. There is something that needs to be said. I...I am...no, never mind. He needs to hear this first. Please Percy, isn't there anything you can do? Pull stings, blackmail someone, do anything, just please let me see him," Ginny said almost frantically. She ran her fingers through her auburn tresses in a gesture of heartache. She looked down at her hands and contemplated a thousand thoughts on how to see her love. She was almost ready to leave when she heard Percy sigh.

"Ginny, the kiss will be performed tonight at midnight at Hogwarts. He is in the clock tower, awaiting his fate. He knows what is coming; he said so himself. The only thing that he has wanted through this whole ordeal is to see you," Percy uttered so the last part so quietly Ginny swore he misspoke.

"All he wanted to do is see me? AND YOU DIDN'T LET HIM! You...You...I thought you were my brother. I...I...I have to leave, I can't stand to even look at you right now," Ginny yelled, boiling over with rage. Her own brother had denied her the right to see her own husband, although that was the only thing he asked to do. Ginny swiftly got up and grabbed her fur-lined cloak. She jammed on her hat and gloves and stormed out of the office. She flung open the door so hard that she heard the hinges crack and the whole door slammed up against the wall. She was half way out the door when a strong pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her into the office once more.

"LET ME GO, PERCIVAL IGNATIUS WEASLEY! OR I SWEAR BY ALL THAT IS GOOD I WILL WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" Ginny yelled so loud that those on the lower floors thought that a banshee had somehow gotten into the building.

"I'm sorry Ginny, but this has to be done." Percy muttered something while pointing his want at her and instantly, Ginny quieted. She tried to speak again, but found that her voice had been silenced with a silencing charm. Casting a horrid glare at her brother she tried to leave but again was prevented from doing so.

"Ginny, stop. You need to hear me out. I might lose my job for this, but taken into consideration that your husband has been the model prisoner and that he has asked for nothing but you, I will allow you to see him," Percy said, smiling slightly at Ginny's eyes; which had become round as saucers. "Now you must be quiet when we go and you will only have one half hour with him. Those are the conditions, Ginny," he said at Ginny's mute protest to the time limit. "Take it or leave it, it is your choice." Ginny looked at the grandfather ticking away in the corner of the room, and saw that it was already eleven o'clock. She wouldn't have a husband in less than sixty minutes. She looked at Percy and motioned a hand at her throat. Percy pointed his wand at Ginny's throat for a second time and muttered the incantation.

"Thank you. Now, I believe you are going to take me to my husband," Ginny said calmly.

"Let me grab my cloak," Percy replied. He walked over to a coat rack in the corner, picked up an elegant crimson cloak, and flung it dramatically over one shoulder and motioned to the door. "Ladies first, my dear." Ginny scowled at Percy's use of manners at a time like this. However, she did go first through the broken door. They descended quickly though the Ministry building, and in record time stepped into the bewitched telephone booth and found themselves in a winter wonderland that any other person would call London. "Now, we are very short on time and need to get to Hogwarts as quickly as humanly possible. We shall apparate to Hogsmeade and then walk to Hogwarts from there. Is there any problem with that?" Percy asked.

"No, that will be perfectly fine. Let's go!" Ginny said briskly. The two walked a ways until they found a dark and deserted alleyway. The two of them looked at each other and as if mutually consenting with their eyes, concentrated very hard on Hogsmeade station. With a pop, the two siblings vanished. They landed in Hogsmeade, one of the last towns completely inhabited with the magical community, a bit dizzy but continued on. The two set off at a hasty pace, and Ginny, looking up, saw the moon. His eyes seemed to haunt their path, watching every detail that was happening from high in the heavens. I wonder what he, my amour, is looking at right now, Ginny thought. The two lovers had always contemplated the stars and heavens. It always came back to a two-sided argument that was composed of two questions; if they had an impact on daily life or they were just placed there for human enjoyment. Ginny personally thought that every shinning star was someone's soul after he or she died. The people who acted the best were the biggest and brightest stars while those that murdered, raped, and pillaged never were presented with a star, but composed the flames of Hell. The moon was just there, standing as a guardian of the heavens and the protector of the immortals. As a reward for his protection, the fates had bestowed the face upon him of a handsome beau. Over the years however, the moon began to realize how harsh and cruel his own paramour was. As he looked down over the earth and saw what humanity had done to his Eden, his face became deeply anguish; forever rueful of the day he lost his beautiful, luscious sights. From that point on, in more ways then one, the moon became a dreaded enemy, especially to those who were magically bound to it. While Ginny's mind was turning, she hardly paid attention to where they were going. In what felt like seconds, she found herself faced with familiar territory. The Hogwarts castle still looked as beautiful as ever; its snow-capped towers and glistening trees sparkled in the soft moonlight. Its unblemished beauty took Ginny's breath away and she found that even after ten years, she missed its comforting homeliness.

"Let's go to the clock tower," Percy said and motioned Ginny to follow him. They entered Hogwarts, and immediately climbed several flights of stairs. When they reached the entrance of the tower, Percy greeted the guards and spoke to them in low tones. When he finished, the guards looked a bit uneasy, but stepped aside anyway.

"Listen to me, Gin, you have exactly thirty minutes. I would give you more but the decree has been heard and has to be carried out down to the last second. Good luck." He leaned down and kissed Ginny's cheek in a brotherly fashion. Ginny then slowly made her way to the door. Her slightly raised shoes made a soft tapping noise on the wooden floor as she walked. Mentally, Ginny counted the steps it took her to get from Percy to the door. The counting was an old habit she used to have a child and it only popped up when she was under a huge amount of pressure. The guards looked at her and grunted. She only smiled sadly and made a move for the door. Once she opened it, all time seemed to stand still. She saw her beloved, chained to a wall like an animal, thin and ragged from lack of food, and his eyes hollow.

"Darling, it's me, Ginny. Oh darling, I know it wasn't you who did this. It couldn't have been. You have always been so careful." Ginny said tearfully.

"Ginerva, is that you?" her husband croaked. "Oh Ginny, I have missed you so. My eyes have longed for a sight as beautiful as you. My arms have longed to hold something so close to perfection," the prisoner said. "Please may my sore eyes rest upon something bettered then withered stone and cold moonlight."

"Oh my love, I have come here with a great burden on my heart. I feel as if I should tell you but I don't know it you would want to know. It is of the cruelest yet one of the most amazing things, love," Ginny said as she fell into her soulmate's arms.

"My darling, tell me please. I know I only have mere minutes left on this Earth. For an innocent man, I would like to die a happy one. Please sweetheart, tell me what is troubling you so," Ginny's husband cajoled.

"My beloved, I fear I am in the family way. I am carrying your child. It's what we have always wanted. Yet, my heart aches for him, for he will never know his father. Oh, my darling, what will we do?" Ginny said and began to cry. Her sobs reached a level of intensity that even the guards outside heard her heart breaking.

"Shhhhhhh, my love. It will be okay. Do you think I would have left you so unprepared? Everything you will ever need is in our vault. The will is at our lawyer's office, kept safe under lock and key. Don't worry, my love - I will always only be a breath away," the man said and stroked Ginny's hair lovingly. The two lovers sat there for a while, just loving each other through gentle caresses. Simple endearments meant for the two alone were whispered in darkness and the two knew that the end was coming near. Suddenly, the windows began to frost, and a chill began to saturate into the air.

"No, no, my love, they cannot do this to an innocent man. They cannot do this. I won't let them." Ginny said determinedly.

"Please, love, don't make this any harder than it already is, just go. Your brother will comfort you. The fates do nothing unless it suits their needs for all eternity. Trust me, it...I will be fine. Now go," her husband commanded her. With a simple but passionate kiss, he pushed her away and into the arms of another.

"Come, Ginny, it is time," Percy said a bit quietly.

"NO, I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS.! HE'S INNOCENT, HE DIDN'T DO THIS." Ginny yelled.

"Guards, please help," Percy shouted to the nearby men. As fast as they could, they each grabbed an arm and dragged her away from Percy. She literally grabbed on to Percy's robes with growing sobs, and kept shouting that her husband was innocent. She dug her nails into his robes and wouldn't let go. It was with a very heavy heart that Percy managed to overpower his sister and step out of her reach.

"Ginny, listen to me. You will be quiet or I will have you escorted out of the room. Behave yourself," Percy shouted, try to speak over his sisters pleas. Immediately, with the threat of removal suspended in the air, Ginny quieted down to a softly weeping young girl.

"Now, the Dementors are right outside this room, they will perform the Dementor's Kiss as sentenced to the prisoner," Percy paused and took out a roll of parchment. "By order of the highly esteemed and noble Oracle of Orion, prisoner number 56478 has been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. The charges are as follows: hunting people, Muggles and magical folk alike, for the intention of food, blasphemies against the Ministry of Magic and the traitorous ways of conspiring with the dark side and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. The sentence is to be carried out on this night, December the 19^th at midnight. Any last words?" Percy said solemnly.

"Tell my wife I love her," the man said. At that, Ginny began to wail and shout again.

"HE IS INNOCENT! HE HAS AN IDENTICAL TWIN, DID YOU KNOW THAT? DID YOU KNOW THAT? IT HAD TO BE HIM! THIS MAN IS INNOCENT." Ginny still screamed.

"Guards, please remove her," Percy said finally.

"NO, PLEASE," Ginny began to shout as they dragged her limp body from the tower, "I LOVE YOU, MY DARLING. DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT! OUR CHILD WILL GROW UP AND KNOW HOW WONDERFUL HIS FATHER WAS. I..." but that was all that anyone could hear for at that moment, the Dementors came in and the solid door shut with a thud.

It was all over in a matter of moments. The Dementors left, heading back toward Azkaban, the prisoner in tow. Ginny tried valiantly to break free of the brawny guard's grasp, but she just couldn't break away. She had to watch the form of her husband being carried away. The loss of is soul had taken effect immediately. Ginny saw with a broken heart that her once vibrant, full of life husband now had eyes that did not see, a mind that did not think, and a mouth that would never feel hers upon it again. Defeated, Ginny had a burst of energy and broke free of the guards. She ran with all her might, down the stairs, across the entryway and out onto the grounds. The peaceful snow was disrupted violently as she ran, and Ginny ran for what seemed like hours until, exhausted, she fell and didn't get up. The tears then came. So preoccupied was Ginny in her agony that if she would have looked up, she would have seen the moon. If she had seen the moon, she would have seen its melancholy eyes, looking down upon where she sat. And from what astrologers said about that night, there was never a star shower so beautiful and more breath taking than on that night. For the moon had reacted the only way he could, he wept. The lone female figure down on Earth however, didn't notice the stars falling around her. She pulled her grief around her like a blanket and just sat there.

"Oh Remus, where have you gone, my love? I don't see your star," Ginny said hopelessly. The stars of the galaxy were losing their luster at a steady pace because of the immense sadness the moon felt watching the human in the exquisite winter wonderland.

In the distance, Ginny heard a lone wolf cry.