A/N: Same ol' same ol' the characters and all belongs to JKR... the plot
belongs to me, ha ha ha ha ha ha!
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The next few weeks treated Ginny with the same lack of respect, constant bereavement from good old Snape, inconstant attention from her student, and the regular onslaught of Harry memories that came with the territory.
Outside of her classroom stood the tree where he first told her that he loved her. The branches still hung the same way, casting a hazy, dreamy light on those who sat beneath it; she always saw students sitting underneath it and was constantly reminded of him. She brought herself to approach it the next evening, images of their midnight escapes flashing through her memory; their promise rings were still there. They always wondered how long they'd stay, if some creature would run away with them or other students stumble upon them. That was where they both gave up that innocent adolescent part of them and tucked those rings in the nook of the tree just to see if they'd stay. The thread that tied them together had rotted away, but they were both still there.
Ginny held them in her hand for a little while, flooded with emotion, not knowing whether to keep them with her or return them to their resting- place. She reluctantly tucked them in the pocket of her robe, rationalizing her decision with the idea that too many things about Harry were in a final resting place, these tiny little momentos didn't need to stay there as well. She took them back to her room and tied a new string around them, so they wouldn't separate and put them on the chain around her neck.
Often between classes, she would stand by the window, clutching the rings in her fingers, watching the sun cast its soft haze on other young lovers. She watched, knowing that no awful war could separate them, Harry made sure of that. She silently cursed him, without tears, she forced herself not to cry for him now that she held a little more of him near. She started forcing herself to move on and stop thinking about him all the time, but decided later to only tackle one goal at a time.
So there she stood next to her window. The crisp autumn chill kept most indoors, no couples sneaking out of class today, but still she watched that tree. This kind of weather never kept them away, in fact it only made their meetings more frequent since no one would think to look outside. The sun still shone with the brightness of August but the few November leaves left upon their tree told of the changing season.
"I never really liked him, you know," 'Damnit, Snape!' she silently cursed, 'Why must you ruin this for me?' "but no one could object to the fact that he was braver than us all."
"Who are you talking about?" she played dumb. He couldn't know she was thinking about him, that she thought about him before and after every class everyday.
"You know who. I realize that this all must be very difficult for you, especially here." He stood strangely close behind her, not touching her, but she could feel his presence and hear his nearness without looking. "At least, after Voldemort took her from me, I could leave and find somewhere new, somewhere to escape—Hogwarts. This is no escape for you I'd imagine."
"You lost someone to Voldemort?" Ginny was taken aback; she'd never imagined that Snape's cold exterior was caused by anything other than him being a Slytherin. Now she knew the real reason.
"I've lost many, but I know you mean Reagan. We were long, fresh out of school, both Aurors in the Ministry of Magic. That's where I met her, that's the reason I never go back there if I don't have to, everything reminds me of her. I'm sorry Virginia, but that never goes away. Reagan died twenty-eight years ago, before I ever taught here, before you were even born. She always creeps into my mind, everyday. I know you feel like this will pass, but perhaps you don't want it to. Never forget him. Go on of course, but never forget."
"Have you really gone on?" she asked, but he had left. Third years piled into her class, pulling her away from herself. There would be much to think about later
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The next few weeks treated Ginny with the same lack of respect, constant bereavement from good old Snape, inconstant attention from her student, and the regular onslaught of Harry memories that came with the territory.
Outside of her classroom stood the tree where he first told her that he loved her. The branches still hung the same way, casting a hazy, dreamy light on those who sat beneath it; she always saw students sitting underneath it and was constantly reminded of him. She brought herself to approach it the next evening, images of their midnight escapes flashing through her memory; their promise rings were still there. They always wondered how long they'd stay, if some creature would run away with them or other students stumble upon them. That was where they both gave up that innocent adolescent part of them and tucked those rings in the nook of the tree just to see if they'd stay. The thread that tied them together had rotted away, but they were both still there.
Ginny held them in her hand for a little while, flooded with emotion, not knowing whether to keep them with her or return them to their resting- place. She reluctantly tucked them in the pocket of her robe, rationalizing her decision with the idea that too many things about Harry were in a final resting place, these tiny little momentos didn't need to stay there as well. She took them back to her room and tied a new string around them, so they wouldn't separate and put them on the chain around her neck.
Often between classes, she would stand by the window, clutching the rings in her fingers, watching the sun cast its soft haze on other young lovers. She watched, knowing that no awful war could separate them, Harry made sure of that. She silently cursed him, without tears, she forced herself not to cry for him now that she held a little more of him near. She started forcing herself to move on and stop thinking about him all the time, but decided later to only tackle one goal at a time.
So there she stood next to her window. The crisp autumn chill kept most indoors, no couples sneaking out of class today, but still she watched that tree. This kind of weather never kept them away, in fact it only made their meetings more frequent since no one would think to look outside. The sun still shone with the brightness of August but the few November leaves left upon their tree told of the changing season.
"I never really liked him, you know," 'Damnit, Snape!' she silently cursed, 'Why must you ruin this for me?' "but no one could object to the fact that he was braver than us all."
"Who are you talking about?" she played dumb. He couldn't know she was thinking about him, that she thought about him before and after every class everyday.
"You know who. I realize that this all must be very difficult for you, especially here." He stood strangely close behind her, not touching her, but she could feel his presence and hear his nearness without looking. "At least, after Voldemort took her from me, I could leave and find somewhere new, somewhere to escape—Hogwarts. This is no escape for you I'd imagine."
"You lost someone to Voldemort?" Ginny was taken aback; she'd never imagined that Snape's cold exterior was caused by anything other than him being a Slytherin. Now she knew the real reason.
"I've lost many, but I know you mean Reagan. We were long, fresh out of school, both Aurors in the Ministry of Magic. That's where I met her, that's the reason I never go back there if I don't have to, everything reminds me of her. I'm sorry Virginia, but that never goes away. Reagan died twenty-eight years ago, before I ever taught here, before you were even born. She always creeps into my mind, everyday. I know you feel like this will pass, but perhaps you don't want it to. Never forget him. Go on of course, but never forget."
"Have you really gone on?" she asked, but he had left. Third years piled into her class, pulling her away from herself. There would be much to think about later