May 2nd, 1999
The first anniversary of the legendary Battle of Hogwarts.
The day that ended the Second Wizarding World War.
The day that resulted in one step closer to equality in the Wizarding World.
The day that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, died at the hands of Lord Voldemort.
It was also the day that Lord Voldemort had died at the hands of Ron Weasley, the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, now known Boy-Who-Saved.
Ever since then, everyone had turned their attention onto him. Everyone bowed to him when they saw him in the streets, and they gave him free food in restaurants, and sent him presents. Every girl and woman in the Wizarding World fell for him, except for his sister, Ginny Weasley, and his best friend, Hermione Granger, who had called him 'a selfish bastard' and she had never spoken, or seen him (or anyone for that matter), since. To everyone, even Ronald Weasley, his best friend, Harry James Potter was now nothing but an old piece of news, something to talk about when they were bored or ran out of conversation material.
Everyone except Ginny.
On a fine, sunny May morning, she was sitting in front of Harry's grave, which was next to Dumbledore's grave, sobbing her eyes out for the last twenty four hours. Her lime green dress, which was strapless and plain except for some patterns near her chest, was torn, creased and fading. Her hair looked remarkably tidy for someone who had been crying (Though that was because she could mutter a Straightening Charm every few minutes. How she does that, I have no clue). Her solid gold earrings were ones Harry had given to her when they were dating. She missed him. There was nobody in the world like him.
Her arms were pale and course to the touch. Her face looked white and dehydrated. Her eyes were the same dark shade of brown, but you couldn't tell since they were blotched with red from all her tears. She had enormous bags on her face, making her look extremely exhausted (which she was) and she could barely stay up.
Harry's grave was dotted with flowers from hydrangeas to carnations to big white daisies, and Ginny had given them all to him from every florist in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley she could think of. Where there wasn't any flowers was just Ginny's tired, still body lying on it. She wasn't crying anymore, but she wasn't exactly jumping for joy either.
Ginny had a crush on Harry since she first saw him. She looked up to him and thought he was the most amazing thing in the world. Her brother was his best friend so she gets to have a good look at him every chance she could. She dated her other boyfriends (Michael Corner and Dean Thomas) partly to make him jealous, but partly because they couldn't take their hands off her.
The day she and Harry started dating was probably the best day in her life. She remembered how he used to comfort her every time she failed a test, or couldn't do a test properly even when they weren't together. He could teach her spells she needed to study for Defense of the Dark Arts (which was why she aced every single assignment). He may have been bitter about it, with all the drama going on in his life, but at least he was there.
But he was gone now.
"Crucio!"
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green lightning bolt hit Harry square in the chest. Lord Voldemort laughed. He cackled his head off.
"The Boy-Who-Lived has lived no more!"
Everyone dropped their wands. Most people grew paler with every moment that passed. Most people sighed. They all knew it was over. The silence in the room was deafening.
"Harry! HARRY!"
Ginny herself flew herself onto him, watching his spaced out face stay that way. She checked for his pulse, but she found none. She cried, breaking the silence. She held him in her arms, screaming his name out. Nobody else made a sound until -
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A jet of green light as quick as light flew towards Voldemort. He fell onto the floor with the same gawked expression on his face as Harry, and for some reason, he immediately turned to ash and disappeared.
"Who cast that spell?" asked McGonagall.
Ron eagerly put up his hand. Everyone who wasn't a Death Eater cheered.
"Long live Ron Weasley!" they chanted, leaving Ginny and Harry's corpse behind as they carried him on his shoulders and left the hall. He looked as bright as the sun.
It was supposed to be the War Memorial ceremony in Hogwarts today, but Ginny had decided to skip it and spend it on Harry's gravestone instead. Ron, obviously had to say some gigantic speech on remembering this time last year. She knew he'd probably not talk about Harry whatsoever, so that was partly why she skipped it. Hermione, on the other hand, had disappeared from the face of the earth ever since she had argued with Ron and all everyone knows is that she had disappeared with another man but no one knew who he was. Even Ginny. So who knows what happened to her.
"What are you doing on a fucking gravestone on a day like this, Weasley?"
It was Blaise Zabini. He had come in a custom-made tuxedo made and designed by Madame Olympique, the Wizarding World's biggest fashion designer. It had a pocket where his right chest would be with a red rose inside. His hair was neatly combed and his shoes, also designed by Madame Olympique, were polished until you could see your own face in it, shining in glee. However, his expression looked grim and bored and his eyes looked almost as red as hers.
"It's none of your business, Zabini!" Ginny yelled, knowing it was inappropriate. I don't care, she thought. "And can you just leave me alone?"
"No," Blaise smirked. His smirk then faded. "I'm seeing Potter too. And if you don't get your ass off that gravestone how am I supposed to do that?"
Ginny stood up, growing paler than snow. "Y-You still remember him?" she asked.
Blaise laughed, "Of course I do, you silly girl! He's a much better man in many ways than Weasley: I mean, he's friendly (for a Gryffindor), a bloody good Quidditch player, and he doesn't show off, unlike that bastard Ronald. Oh, sorry."
"It's okay, I don't like him much either."
Blaise planted his flowers on the gravestone. They were like the ones Ginny had: daisies, bluebells and carnations. Except his was more fresh and more beautiful than the ones she got.
"Long live Harry Potter," he muttered.
Blaise turned around and walked away from the grave, leaving Ginny alone. She watched him with a sweet smile, as if she was trying to say goodbye.
"Ginny," Blaise announced, causing Ginny to wince in fear. He called me Ginny! she thought.
"So... umm... I don't know how to say this... but umm... you look pretty messed up."
"Sure," Ginny smirked, rolling her eyes. "What every girl wants to hear."
"I'm not finished!" Blaise snarled. Ginny then looked up at him. "And I can tell you feel pretty messed up too. I haven't gotten over Pansy - "
"What do you mean you haven't gotten over Pansy? You look perfectly fine!" Ginny lied.
"She died," Blaise snapped. "She died during that fucking battle. She got hit with one of the Killing Curses. And I was there. Right next to her. I watched her die."
Blaise started crying, falling down onto the gravestone.
"I didn't do anything to save her!" he cried. "I just stood there. She died in my arms. If I wasn't such a selfish git..."
"Blaise Zabini!" Ginny yelled, holding him in her arms. "You're not selfish! You loved her. You let her be in your arms. If you were selfish, you would have left her on the floor and let everyone watch and stare at her die while you stood there yelling in pain. So you do not ever call yourself selfish, no matter what anybody else says, do you understand?"
Blaise looked up from her arms, staring at her in a trance. Taking this as approval, she continued.
"I hate to admit it," Ginny sighed. "But we need each other. Your girlfriend is dead, and so is my boyfriend. We're both going absolutely nuts over it and we can't get over it. No one has seen Hermione and nobody's heard from Draco either, and the only people who understand are us."
"You're right Ginny," he sighed. He stood up and held his hand out. "I need you, and you need me."
Ginny took his hand and nodded. They took a glance at each other's eyes and she kissed his cheek. Blaise only smiled and led her up to Hogwarts, giving her his red rose.
"Actually," Blaise smirked. "I do know where Draco is."
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You do?"
"Yeah. He and Granger eloped to Wizarding Vienna. They got together during my sixth year; I know, I saw them snogging in a corridor one night. They broke it off in the summer to keep each other safe. After the battle, they started talking and they got back together. However, they were too scared to hear what everyone has to say if they found out they were togther so they broke off all contact with everyone, but Draco still sneaks some owls to me. But they're coming to the Memorial, together even, if that's what you're worried about."
Her eyes widened in surprise, but to be honest, she knew how Draco and Hermione could've looked amazing together. And it was happening. She then chuckled and he laughed with her, their laughs a beaitiful harmony in the silence.
They may not be who the other one wanted, but they were all they needed right now.
