The Heart Beats Twice

THE HEART BEATS TWICE

Chapter 1: Things I'll Never Say

If I could say what I want to say,

I'd say I want to blow you away.

Be with you every night.

Am I squeezing you too tight?

If I could say what I want to see,

I want to see you go down on one knee.

Marry me today.

Guess I'm wishing my life away

With these things I'll never say.

--Avril Lavigne "Things I'll Never Say"

His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead of himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.

Ten Years Later...

The January wind blew unyieldingly against her window. The sun glowed bright red over the horizon. Evening had come so quickly. She knew what she had to do. She had put it off till the last minute, for it was not the best part of being a teacher. Grading papers. She absolutely hated grading papers sometimes, but it had to be done.

Ginny Weasley took her wand from her pocket and waved it over the candle on her desk. A flame flickered instantly. She lit a few others around her desk to illuminate her work area. A cluttered area it was. Loose papers, quills, a red coffee mug, a box of tissues, books, rubbish, and a picture frame sat haphazardly on her desk.

The prettiest thing on her desk, perhaps, was the frame. She had many picture frames around her office. They were mostly photographs of her family and friends, but none of them were cherished as much as her favorite photo, the one she placed in her favorite frame.

The frame was made of dark, silver metal that twisted like vines throughout its perimeter. How ornate it was, adorned with tiny, magenta-colored gems in the shape of hearts. But the frame wasn't nearly valued by Ginny as the picture. She couldn't help but stare at it. A happy couple was laughing and waving through the glass. While a sixteen-year-old, red-haired woman beamed, a man with jet-black hair and round glasses stood smiling next to her. How young we were, Ginny thought. Young and carefree. This photograph was comforting to Ginny...or at least...it used to be.

The photo was taken at her brother and sister-in-law's wedding ten years ago. Ginny had worn a gold, silk dress that stretched down to her ankles. The gown was spaghetti strapped and very slimming on her. It fit just right with her curves. Ginny especially admired her hair that day. It was fastened up in a knot much like Hermione's at the Yule Ball. She certainly thought this dress was divine, but in her opinion, she thought the wedding gown was much more extravagant. She hoped one day she could wear a gown just like it.

In the photograph, Ginny and Harry were outside minding the splendid weather. The wedding had just ended and the reception would begin later. The ceremony had been tiresome. Ginny wanted to stretch out her legs, for she had been standing for what seemed like hours. She was one of the bride's maids after all. Harry wanted to go for a walk as well, so they wandered around the backyard of the Burrow together. That was where the wedding was held. They talked about topics Ginny couldn't remember, but that wasn't important. What was important was that she had spent time with him. They had just broken up a week or two before, but that didn't matter to them. They still enjoyed each other's company. And besides, both knew their time together was limited.

While strolling through the tall grass, they frolicked and laughed, as if they were dating again. When they reached the garden pond, Fleur came to them, looking ecstatic. She was so happy to be married and she was taking pictures to capture the moment. Fleur wanted to take their picture, so click! The snapshot was taken and put into Ginny's frame for safe-keeping.

Ginny tried not to look at the photo. It brought back too many memories...memories of when they were happy.

She sat down and raked the desk for her essays to grade. Despite the fact that her work station was equivalent to a rubbish bin, she knew exactly where everything was. She reached over to a pile of papers. A stack of written-on parchment was found fastened together by a purple paperclip. She pulled off the paperclip and began to pursue the first essay in front of her. Ginny read through the essay twice and concluded the grade. Picking up a quill, its coarse stem in between her finger and thumb, she dipped it into her inkpot, filling it with red ink, and sketched a large O on the parchment.

As she went to read her next essay, she heard a sharp tap on the window in front of her desk. Ginny looked up. An owl was tapping on the glass firmly with its beak. She recognized Hermes the moment she saw him. She let him in. Hermes advanced in and landed smoothly in front of her. He held out his leg with a small scroll of parchment tied to it of which Ginny took. Hermes ascended out the window quickly as she skimmed over the letter. It said:

Dear Ginny,

I hope you are well and I hope that you get this letter in time. I also hope you remembered that our family dinner was tonight. Be home at 7:00 p.m. if you will come. And if you are wondering if Harry will be there, I'm afraid he won't. He wrote earlier and said that he was terribly busy. You know, with his search and all. He is truly sorry that he has to miss it, dear. Well, I hope you can make it. I love you dearly.

Mum

"Shoot! It's nearly 6:50! I almost forgot! Good thing Mum wrote to me, like she always does, or I wouldn't have showed up till tomorrow to apologize. Then, she would lecture me...Oh boy, how I do love those lectures," she said to herself sarcastically. She rose from her seat and gathered the essays. She put them back and threw her traveling cloak around her.

While she readied herself to leave, she found herself in a daze. She contemplated back to the letter and the words her mother had written. And if you are wondering if Harry will be there, I'm afraid he won't. Harry wasn't going to be there--again. Ginny perceived her heart sinking for what seemed like the millionth time. She always hoped and expected Harry to at least show up for their occasional family tradition, but for each time, he was, as her mother so bluntly put it, terribly busy.

Harry was gone questing for the remaining Horcruxes to destroy Voldemort. He had told her about it, but vaguely. It proved to be a difficult task, seeing as it was taking Harry ten years to do it. She didn't know why she always believed he'd show when he had caused so much disappointment. Perhaps it was because she was blinded by love. Or maybe it was that his arrival was the only thing she had to look forward to. Whatever it was, now was another story. She wasn't going to accept his absence this time. Harry apparently didn't miss her like she had hoped. If he had, he would be coming to dinner, or at the very least, write her a few letters once and a while.

~

In an instant, Ginny Apparated at the gate to the front yard of the Burrow. Snow glistened on the ground as the wind whipped across her face. It chilled her nose and cheeks to the point that they turned a rosy red. Snow crunched beneath her feet. She opened the gate, trudged through the yard to the wooden door, and turned the knob.

"Ginny! So lovely to see you, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, hugging her youngest. "It's been so long."

"It's been only weeks, Mum. I visited at Christmas, remember?" Ginny replied.

"Well, yes, but weeks can feel like months when your children are away from home, dear," her mother remarked.

Ginny pecked her mother on the cheek and made her way across the kitchen to the dinning room. There, she found the rest of her family. Sitting at the long, wooden table were the other six Weasley children, her father, and some other familiar faces. On the left side of the table were Hermione, Ron, Fred and his wife, Katie, and George with his wife, Alicia. At the end were Fleur and Bill. Charlie with his wife, Daniele, Percy and his wife, Penelope, Mr. Weasley and two empty seats which, no doubt, were for Mrs. Weasley and herself were on the right.

"Hello, Ginny!" everyone greeted her. She felt welcomed by her family. She took the last seat at the closest end to her. Hermione was at her left and her mother sat down at her right.

"Well, since everyone is here, everybody tuck in," Mrs. Weasley proclaimed. Everybody did just that.

As Ginny helped herself to some turkey, she glanced around at all her immediate family members and their partners. She looked to her left and saw Hermione and Ron whispering feverishly. They weren't fighting, exactly. Just talking in low voices as if speaking about a secret, complicated matter. One thing was for sure...they were holding hands underneath the table. They had been dating for the last two years. Obviously, Ron preferred to take things slow. Very slow. Despite the fact that he rushed into relationships, such as the one with Lavender Brown, he took true relationships slow and this was definitely a true relationship. Their relationship took commitment and Ron wasn't ready for that just yet. He was going at his own pace. Good thing Hermione didn't mind too much or their relationship would've been over by now.

The two couples next to them were Fred and Katie and George and Alicia. Fred and Katie (formally known as Katie Bell) had been married for the last three years. Fred had known her from school. When she finished school and came to work at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, he really got to know her. She was only planning to work at their shop for a few months to earn some money. She had no idea she would meet her future husband there.

George Weasley and Alicia Spinnet knew each other at school as well, but they got together a different way. They simply bumped into each other (literally) at Diagon Alley and everything built up from there. They had been married only for one year as of now.

Ginny noticed Percy and his wife, Penelope, down the table at the right. She remembered how much of a prat he used to be. Avoided the family. Rejected them. Ridiculed them. About five years before now, he came crawling back. He finally realized that the Minister was a crackpot fool and the Ministry itself was just a bunch of ignorant people jumping on the bandwagon. Most of the family had taken his apologies with a cold shoulder, but after a while, the family accepted him. Penelope had been a great help with that. She was very becoming to the family. Penelope stuck by Percy's side, yet, still agreed a lot with the family's complaints about him. She softened the Weasley's hearts toward Percy and soon after that, became a Weasley herself.

Ginny then tilted her head to get a clearer view of Charlie and his wife, Daniele. She was an attractive witch with chestnut curls and shining, hazel eyes. She had a pointed nose with a prominent chin and soft, olive skin. Daniele was also tall and lean. She appeared to be about the same age as Charlie. Ginny thought she was decorous and liked her well enough. She didn't really know her. Ginny didn't come around much while she was at the Burrow. As far as Ginny could tell, Charlie and Daniele were in love and inseparable. They had been married for seven years and are still very happy together.

As for Fleur and Bill, they had been married for ten years. Over these years, they had twin boys. They were named Isaac and Jonathan. The boys had silver blond hair and crystal blue eyes like their mother, but wit and charm like their father. They were currently six years old and so adorable, in Ginny's opinion. How she longed for a family with adorable children like Fleur and Bill...but from where she was sitting...it felt like that chance would never come. Looking toward her future was like looking through an opaque window. Dull, dark, and unclear.

"So, anything new we should hear about?" Mr. Weasley asked openly.

Ron cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. The table went silent. He stood up to make his announcement.

"Hey, everybody. Um...I...We have something to say to you all," Ron began. He helped Hermione, who was part of the "we" he was referring to, to her feet. He held her hand and rubbed it affectionately with his thumb. "We have an important announcement to make."

"Well, duh," Ginny said in her usual, sarcastic tone. "Why else would you stand up and ask for everyone's attention?" There were sniggers around the table and a "Hush!" from Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny, shut up. I'm talking. Now, as I was saying, we have an important announcement to make," continued Ron. They were quiet again. "Me and Hermione--"

"Hermione and I," Hermione cut in.

Ron sighed. "Hermione and I...are engaged."

There was a pause and then everyone at the table began to murmur excitedly.

"Congratulations to you both," stated Penelope with a warm smile.

"About time!" Fred and George said.

"Yeah, how many years have you been dating now? Three?" Bill questioned.

"Oh, cut me some slack...It was two," Ron answered with a frown.

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley cried. She rushed around the table to hug her youngest son and daughter-in-law-to-be. Everyone gave their congratulations to Ron and Hermione's engagement.

"Want to see the ring?" Hermione said.

"Oh! Let me see the ring!" Alicia exclaimed as she sprinted from her chair to where Hermione was standing. All the women at the table got up eagerly and followed Hermione to the kitchen to giggle and gape at the engagement ring. The men were left behind, befuddled by the girls' interest in a small piece of jewelry.

"Why do you care so much about a little ring? It's just jewelry," said Ron boldly.

Hermione turned toward him with a hand placed on her hip. "Well, number one, Ronald, it's not just jewelry. It's a symbol of our undying love for each other. And number two...well...you wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, Ron. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'diamonds are a girl's best friend,'?" Katie asked.

"No."

"Well, they are."

"You'll come to find that diamonds are, for some girls, the second most prizing earthly treasure in the world," Ginny suggested.

"What's the first?" Ron questioned.

"Zeir 'usband," Fleur affirmed. "Or in 'Ermione's case, zeir fiancé. Diamonds are ze second most prizing thing in ze world for some. Unless zey 'ave kids. Zen zey are ze third most prizing thing."

"Right. Now, let me see it!" Daniele blurted, snatching Hermione's hand. The women crowded around.

Hermione held out her hand for a better view. It was a gold band with silver crystals cropped on the top. The diamonds were arranged in such a way that they almost looked like they were to depict a sparkling rose. The ring gleamed in the bright kitchen candlelight. They couldn't help but gaze at its glowing beauty.

"Oh, it's darling!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

"Just gorgeous!" Alicia squealed.

"Such a pretty little thing!" Penelope exclaimed.

"Eet is beautiful. Eet's almost as beautiful as ze ring Bill gave me," Fleur added.

"I know! Isn't it lovely?!" Hermione squealed. "It's just as wonderful as the one Harry was going to give to Ginny!"

Hermione, basking in self-euphoria, flashed a smile--but it quickly vanished. She had realized that that was quite the wrong thing to say.

The giggling women went quiet. The whole room was still. Ginny examined the floor. She knew that all their eyes were on her. Her cheeks began to turn red.

"Oh, Ginny...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mention--"

"It's okay. Really it is." Ginny gazed up at Hermione and saw how truly sorry she was for reminding her of her love troubles through her eyes. "I've forgotten completely about his promise to propose to me. His absence...doesn't bother me...anymore."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

"Of course," Ginny responded.

After a few moments of awkwardness, the family settled back into their seats and finished eating.

~

The old clock struck nine as Ginny stepped through the doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She went directly through a series of corridors to her office. She took off her traveling cloak and set it on the back of her red-leathered arm chair. Leaving the room covered in darkness, she swept to the window and opened the latch. Ginny felt the cool, January air rush in and kiss her face. She shut her eyes and slowly inhaled the chilly breeze, letting it consume her. When she opened her eyes again, she peered through the dark sky at the full moon. The moon beamed down on her. It revealed Ginny of the true fears and heartache that filled her mind and soul. A tear slipped down her pale cheek. It lingered around her chin and softly fell onto the window pane. Ginny spoke to the moon.

"I miss you, Harry. Why don't you care? Right before you left on your search, you said that the moment you got back, we'd get married. Picked out a ring and everything. You never said it would take this long."

The moon stood still in silent listening. Ginny began to sob.

"You don't even write anymore. You can't be that busy. What happened to the charming hero I fell in love with?"

Silence. Not even the wind replied.

"I don't want to wait for you anymore. I'm tired of hoping you'll come back each day, but then you don't. You disappoint me. I long for the day when I will say 'I do.' I guess I'm wishing my life away..."

Ginny wiped away her tears and took a deep breath of cool air once more.

"...with these things I'll never say."