Nineteen Years

Great thanks to my friend Amy (aka: xSunlitDaysx), who helped me when I needed things altered, and gave me a second opinion on what I wrote.

Also, thanks to my new beta: Liz Hollow.

!!Warning! Contains Spoilers to the 7th book. If you plan on reading it, or have not read it and do not want it spoiled, STOP READING!!

After the Final Battle, the book just skips 19 years, and fast forwards to Harry and Ginny, sending their children to Hogwarts. I, however, was not satisfied with the complete unknowingness that J.K. Rowling handed us. It was as if one had paused near the end of the movie, and then just skipped to the end, and the bits and pieces that came together for the end never made their full impact on the watcher/reader. So here I am, to fill in the blanks of Harry and Ginny's relationship.

Mind you, I can't just have them immediately snogging their brains out, that's too sudden. That's why I chose the funeral as my first chapter. From here, their relationship will rise and fall, and at the end, they will be at platform 9 & 3/4, sending their children to Hogwarts.

I do not own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does.

It was a week after the Final Battle; Voldemort was gone, yet no-one in the wizarding world was celebrating. Today was a day of mourning for those who had bravely sacrificed their lives for the fight against evil. It seemed as if the world was mourning with them, for the sky above was an overcast gray, threatening to rain, threatening to cry.

The funeral was held outside, and the caskets were all lined up. People were in front of them, giving their respects to the brave.

A sick feeling coiled itself in Harry's stomach, seeing all these caskets, knowing that their death was, in part, because of him. Harry knew that he must die and follow them there one day, but that would be somewhere far in the future, because Harry now had a reason to live. And that reason was standing next to him, in the form of a redheaded girl.

"Ginny..." Harry began, wanting to tell her that he loved her, tell her that he was sorry for her brother's death, that he understood the unbearable pain of losing someone close to you. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the words, and so, fell silent. However, catching sight of 

Fred's casket, Ginny began to cry, lightly at first, then harder, so that she was sobbing and gasping, fat tears trailing down her face.

"H-he was my br-brother Harry!" Ginny shook, her voice filled with sobs, "M-my brother! He wasn't sup-supposed t-to die!"

Harry, instead of putting his feelings to words, embraced her, and conveyed that he understood. He held her for a long while, while she sobbed into his chest. After a while, the sobs subsided, and Ginny lifted her head from his chest.

"T-thanks Harry," Ginny said, a little embarrassed for her sudden outbreak of tears. "It's just that… it was Fred, you know? It seems like he'll pop out any minute… and that this is just one of his elaborate jokes…"

Her voice trailed off, remembering the past.

"Want to sit down?" Harry offered, seeing Ginny wobble a bit. Ginny nodded her head slightly, and Harry began leading her to a nearby chair. On the way to the chair, however, he spotted Andromeda, in front of the caskets of Remus and Tonks, with tears flowing down her cheeks, clutching a five-month-old Teddy.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Teddy asked, innocent and unknowing.

A few more tears fell down Andromeda's face. "Mummy and Daddy are gone, sweetheart."

"Gone?" Teddy questioned, unsure of the strange word.

Harry looked away with tears in his eyes, and kept walking. He began wondering where the "nearby chair" went. And then, he froze, and could only stare at the grave next to him.

Ginny looked at Harry with understanding eyes, and whispered, "I'll be fine, you go on. I'll find myself a chair." And with that, she left, leaving Harry in front of Snape's casket.

For a while, Harry just stood there. And then the words came.

"Severus Snape. When I came to Hogwarts, I hated you. I had done nothing wrong, and still you found fault with me in Potions class. Yet, you protected me against Quirrell and braved a three-headed dog for me. In my third year, you tried to protect me from Sirius, a would-be murder. In my sixth year, when fleeing Hogwarts, instead of letting harm come to me through major spells, all you did was disarm me. In my seventh year, you gave us Gryffindor's sword, and tried your best to protect me from Voldemort. And all this time, you've loved my mother, and protected me for her."

With that, Harry fell silent, unsure of what else to say. And then it struck him, the perfect words.

"Severus Snape, you are the bravest man that I ever knew. Thank you."

Yay! First Chapter! Not much Harry/Ginny going on right now, but I promise it'll happen…

Do you like the last quote? ;)

Review? I promise that it'll make me write better, faster, ... and all that good stuff! Please review!