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Before the Storm | ||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Angst, Fluff, General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 11 Summary: Tomorrow, Harry must face Voldemort for the last time, ending the rivalry between them, one way or the other. How do he and Ginny spend their last night? Hitcount: Story Total: 3614 |
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Author's Note: For James. You put up with proofreading all my fics in fandoms you're not a part of, so I thought I'd better write something you like for a change. Hope it has enough fluff to keep you happy! Before the Storm “It’s beautiful.” Ginny sighed, turning her head to look at the young man lying beside her. “Isn’t it beautiful?” “Yeah,” Harry said softly. “It is.” The sky above them was a deep midnight blue, swept with grey as clouds moved lazily across it. The sea of colour was scattered with tiny stars, and Ginny played dot to dot with her eyes, tracing the constellations that she knew and inventing names for the ones that she didn’t. A slight smile played across her lips for a moment, and she shuffled sideways, scrunching up the blanket that the two of them shared as she snuggled closer. She rested her head lightly on his chest, and, after a moment, he put his arms around her. This was perfect. She was so scared of what might happen tomorrow, of whether they would live or die, but for now, she could put it out of her mind. She was with Harry, and she was happy, and that was all that mattered in the world. “I used to do this all the time,” she said, her eyes fixed on Mars, shining brightly above them. “I’d go out into the garden and lie on the grass and just watch the stars. Mum used to freak out when she couldn’t find me in the house. Probably thought I’d been abducted or something.” She smiled. “Haven’t been able to do it for ages, though. It hasn’t exactly been safe.” Although her tone was light, it sharpened on the last word, momentarily revealing the bitterness that she had been trying to hide. “It’s not safe now either,” Harry said, his eyes slipping down to meet hers. “I know.” Her expression was curiously neutral as she spoke, not quite a smile, not quite a frown. It was just… peaceful. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing’s safe any more.” They lay there in silence for a while, Ginny listening to the sound of Harry’s heartbeat, cherishing every pulse, knowing deep in her heart that each one could be the last. He was playing with her hair, curling a long strand around his finger absentmindedly, and Ginny pressed herself deeper into his arms, her eyes still fixed on the sky. The beauty of it almost overwhelmed her as she continued to map out the constellations, burning each one into her memory. It all looked so… delicate. She knew that each star was bigger and more powerful than she could possibly imagine, but all she could see of them were tiny pinpricks of light. It seemed to her eyes that the slightest breath of wind could blow them all away. “We should have done this before,” Harry whispered, and Ginny shifted around to look at him at the regret in his voice. “We’re doing this now,” she said softly. “That’s enough.” She moved forward to kiss him lightly on the lips, before settling back down against his chest and closing her eyes. “I don’t want to go back to the castle,” she said, her words disguised in a sigh. “Let’s just stay here forever.” “You know we can’t. Big day tomorrow.” “Yeah,” Ginny said, her eyes still closed. “I’ve got a feeling Snape’s gonna give us a surprise test, and if I fail…” she trailed off with a giggle. “It won’t be pretty.” She paused for a moment, her mind buzzing with thoughts. “Even if we do stay,” she said finally, “it won’t last, right? The sun’ll come up, and then tomorrow’ll be today, and then…” “It needs to be done,” Harry said sadly, gently stroking the side of her face with one hand. “The longer I leave it, the stronger he’s going to get. I can’t risk any more people, just because I don’t think I’m ready. It has to end.” “I know. Then things will be better, right?” Harry didn’t reply. The silence hung in the air for a moment, and then Ginny moved, lifting herself up until she was leaning over him, looking down into his eyes. “Things will be better. We’ll be able to get on with our normal, Snape-hating lives.” “You don’t know - ” “No, I don’t know. But I believe it. Don’t you?” He seemed to consider her for a moment, a thousand emotions passing though his eyes as Ginny waited. Then, slowly, but with a strange sense of certainty, he nodded. Ginny smiled at him, and he smiled back. “We should do this tomorrow night. After the party. Just come down here and relax for a while.” She sighed, and then added in a whisper, “We should do this every night.” “We will,” Harry said, and she settled against him again, her lips coming down to rest on his. The kiss was soft and gentle, brimming with the words that neither of them could voice, and Ginny was scared to pull away. As much as she wanted to believe the reassuring words that they’d just shared, she still couldn’t quite rid herself of the overwhelming fear that this was to be their last night. This could be their last kiss. Eventually, though, it had to end, just like the night around them. The broke the kiss as one, their faces remaining close for a moment as Ginny looked deep into his eyes, trying to memorise every detail. Then she gave into the inevitable and moved away. “We should probably head back. Try this ‘sleep’ thing that I’ve been hearing so much about.” Harry nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” They both got slowly to their feet, gathering up the blanket from the grass in a comfortable silence. Ginny looked about, trying to add every little detail to memory - the smell of the grass, the sound of the owls in the trees, the feel of the fallen leaves underfoot; she never wanted to forget a thing. Harry stood beside her, his expression thoughtful as continued to look up at the sky. They were on the brink of turning this night into a memory, but neither wanted to take that final step. “Can I stay with you tonight?” she asked tentatively, causing him to break out of his thoughts. “I don’t want to be alone.” He simply held out his hand, and she took it, smiling at the silent understanding between them. Then, they both turned and started to walk towards tomorrow, whatever it would bring. |
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