Acts of Fate

Ginny had not expected to return to the church of Ottery St. Catchpole so soon. Merely eight months had passed since the wedding and already she was here, dressed in a long, lacy black dress that stretched over her distended stomach. She wore black, elbow length gloves to hide the new scars on her arms, and a thick veil covered her face, hiding her from the piteous comments that would tell her how thin her face was, how pronounced her cheekbones were. Also, if she wore the veil, nobody could see her cry.

During the service, the minister that had wedded them only months before told the congregation of how Harry had died patriotically in the last battle. Ginny didn't want to hear that story again, so she plunged herself back into her last moments with Harry.

It was dark, so dark that Ginny couldn't even see Harry as he climbed out of bed and dressed. She lay there, in the inky blackness, listening to her husband garb himself. The floorboards creaked as he crossed to the window and pulled the curtains open, revealing the soft morning light of the countryside. Ginny sat up, tears running down her face as she looked out onto the rolling hills. Harry turned, and saw her sitting there, looking helpless in the half light.

"I'll come back, Ginny," he said, his voice cracking with emotion as he climbed onto the bed and pulled Ginny to his warm body.

"I don't want you to go," choked Ginny "I don't want you to go." She clung to him pitifully, pulling him down so that he was lying on her. Harry kissed her, tasting her tears on his tongue.

"I'll come back," he said, trying to wipe away his tears. He kissed her again, softly, before he heaved himself up and jumped as somebody knocked on the door.

"Mate, it's Ron. C'mon, we gotta go."

"What did Fred and George try to make you do when you were seven?" It was a new question; every time they met they had to ask new questions to make sure that it was the real person and not a death eater.

"They tried to make me take an unbreakable vow," Ron replied. He opened the door, and quickly took in the tears on both sets of cheeks, and Ginny's paleness.

"Just give us another minute," said Harry as Ron backed out quickly. He turned back to Ginny, who had climbed out of bed and stood beside him. They embraced, and Ginny shook with sobs.

"If it's a girl, call her Helena... and if it's a boy, call him Joshua," Ginny said. Harry laughed, a brief laugh in the cold dawn, and kissed her.

"I'll be back for that," he said, but suddenly his tone became serious and he looked Ginny in the eye. "If I don't come back, I've arranged everything with Molly and Gringotts... you'll always have somewhere to go, and this house will be yours."

"Don't talk like that! I want you to come back!" Her tears started afresh as they held each other tightly.

"I have to go. I'll come back." He stopped and kissed her one last time "I'll always love you, Ginny," he whispered. Harry slid his hands from her waist and walked slowly from the room, leaving Ginny with tears on her face.

"Ginny?" a voice cut into her thoughts. "It's done, come on, we'll watch the burial." Hermione took Ginny's gloved hand, and they walked outside into the biting cold. Rain swept down upon them, and Ginny watched as they carried Harry's coffin to the grave. She broke away from Hermione and stood at the edge of the grave as they lowered the coffin in.

"Can you give me a minute?" she asked Ron, who had set down the coffin, his face wet with tears.

"Sure, I'll tell them all to wait." He walked away as Ginny jumped in to the pit, on to the coffin lid. She lay there, rain beating down on her back. Ron's shadow appeared above her and then he jumped down as well, picking up Ginny and pushing her back to the light.

"It's him in there, I could hear him talking to me."

"Like the voices beyond the veil," said a voice, and Ginny turned to see Luna Lovegood. "He could hear the voices too, and that's why you can hear him talking to you when you lie so close to him," she explained.

"I just can't believe he's gone," Ginny said, tears running down her face. She steeled herself and picked up a handful of soil. As she looked at it, she looked up at the sky, and then down at the coffin.

She threw the soil down into the grave and walked away slowly.