Disclaimer: These characters and settings belong to JK Rowling. No profit is being made or sought; I'm just having a little fun.
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It had been three months since the defeat of Lord Voldemort. People were still celebrating. Most couldn’t believe it was over. For eighteen year old Harry Potter it would never be over. Dumbledore had been right. It had been Harry’s love that had killed the Dark Lord. He had rightly guessed that Voldemort was no longer human. The Killing curse had destroyed his mortal body when he had attacked Godric’s Hollow that fated Halloween night so many years ago, leaving him a mere shade. The drinking of the Unicorn blood had kept him alive but had also cursed him, forever leaving him less than human. Though he had recovered his body during Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts he was never again human. The many dark rituals he had undergone and the evils he had committed had taken their toll on him. Finally his body had just become a vessel for the darkness that he had willingly allowed to possess him in his quest for limitless power. When Harry had broken into his mind using the Leglimency that Dumbledore had taught him he had been overwhelmed. The Dark Lords mind was a cesspool of evil. He had immediately realized that this could not possibly be only Voldemort’s memories. No…the feel of it was like something that had bred over centuries. Something that was the very vilest of evils. Something else was present inside the Dark Lord. Harry found his mind being attacked mercilessly and it was all he could do to hold it off. ‘It’ was the only word that he could use to describe this evil. For it was not human and certainly not any other living being. It forced him to watch its memories, things that no living being should ever be allowed to see. Everything from the most darkest of desires to the most unforgivable crimes — a never ending series of terrible deeds. It felt as if a shard of ice was stabbing him in the head...felt like his scar would split open and tear him apart any moment. He screamed out loud, his very soul feeling like it was being violated. Finally when he thought he could not go on anymore he caught a glimpse of her. She was dueling Bellatrix Lestrange and more than holding her own. Her long red hair was flying behind her back and her normally soft brown eyes were stormy with anger. Their eyes met for a mere fraction of a second. “Ginny.” As he whispered her name a flash of warmth ran down his body filling him with strength. A memory flashed before him… They had been sitting by the lake - He with his head in her lap, eyes closed, and she leaning against a tree. She ran her hand through his unruly hair gently. “What are you thinking about, love?” she asked him softly. Harry stretched lazily and answered without opening his eyes. “You.” She smiled. “And why are you thinking about me when I’m right here?” He opened his eyes and gazed up at her. His emerald green eyes traveling up from her delicate chin, up to her pink, slightly wet lips, and finally to her bright brown eyes that were filled with love for him. A smile flashed across his face. “Because I can.” She flashed him a wicked grin and a second later she had bent down, her lips were on his, and she was kissing him fiercely. Her long red hair fell like a curtain around his face and it seemed that they were alone in the world… that nobody was there to see them. What seemed like an eternity later she pulled up. “That should give you something to think about.” Harry looked too dazed to answer. A distant screaming filled his ears and he looked up to see that it was coming from Voldemort’s throat. Harry finally realized what he had to do. What Dumbledore had meant. He closed his eyes and thought about Ginny, remembering every detail about her. The soft, silky feeling of her hair when he ran his fingers through it. The gorgeous smell of summer flowers when he buried his face in her tresses. The feeling of her warm breath against his cheek when they were dancing at the Yule Ball. The feel of her soft, moist lips when he crushed them with his own for the first time. The way her laugh sounded when she was telling him how she had slipped a piece of U-No-Poo into Zacharias Smith’s Pumpkin juice. The way her eyes shone when he finally told her he loved her. And then he pushed further into the Dark Lords mind. Voldemort’s screams got louder and louder until they sounded like an unearthly wail. Everybody stopped the battle to look at the horrific sight. And then the screams stopped and there was complete silence for a moment. Then hundreds of pairs of eyes watched in disbelief as the Dark Lord fell to the ground, lifeless. Harry stood tottering on his feet for a moment until he too fell down and lapsed into unconsciousness. He lay in the hospital wing for two weeks in a coma. When he finally awoke he was no longer the same man. Something had changed. Voldemort had died but he had left him a terrible fate. The seeds of darkness were now sown into Harry’s soul. If I should stay I would only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know I'll think of you Every step of the way. The nightmares had started that very night he had woken up and they were nothing like the ones he had had when the Dark Lord was alive. No… these were much, much worse. It felt like he had fallen into a deep dark abyss that he could never get out of. His nights were filled with the sounds of his agonized screams and his days were filled with fighting the darkness that tried to take control. He had changed. He had killed Voldemort but Voldemort had killed a part of him too. He had forever lost his innocence and his sanity. He had seen too much. Seen things never meant to be seen. Things that would drive a lesser man to suicide. He snapped at everybody around him and had violent mood swings. His friends and loved ones understood and were very supportive. None of them ever said a word to him about it. But they didn’t have to stay around him everyday, day after day, hour after hour. No, Ginny was stuck with that. She had had to deal with his temper and his mood swings. She had to endure his cutting words and insults when he was not himself. And she faced all of it without ever saying a word. She held him in her arms every night and soothed him after his nightmares. But he knew that she was frightened. All through it she had never said a word to him nor let him feel that she blamed him in any way. But he knew that he was hurting her. And he knew it would only get worse. Last night had been the worst. He had been in the middle of a terrible nightmare and had grabbed her roughly in his fear. He had seen the bruises on her arms in the morning even though she had tried to hide them. Seeing those bruises had nearly destroyed him. He had hurt Ginny! The one who he would have died for in a heartbeat rather than let anything happen to her. The one who he loved so much that at times he felt it would tear him apart at the seams. No. He was no longer safe. He had to leave. Things were rapidly getting worse. He knew that she would never leave him, no matter what happened or what he did to her. But he couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let that happen. She deserved to be happy. She deserved to be loved. She deserved better than him. And I will always love you. I will always love you. You my darling you, mmm ... As he made the decision despair tore through him leaving him feeling like he had died. How would he be able to do it? How could he ever live without her? No, he wouldn’t survive. He needed her like he needed the air he breathed. Without her he was as good as dead. He struggled up to his feet using all of his willpower. He had to do it and he would do it if he loved her even a little bit. How could he ever claim to love her and then hurt her like this? Was his love so selfish that he would ruin her life so that he could have her? Ginny sat worriedly in the waiting room for the results of the tests. She wondered what was wrong with her. She had been feeling very sick and nauseous for the past few weeks and finally she had to leave to go get herself checked up. She couldn’t afford to fall sick now. Not with Harry in his condition. She needed to be strong for him. Merlin knows he had done it often enough for the rest of them. He had carried the entire burdens of the wizarding world on his shoulders and never complained. He had sacrificed everything for them. It killed her to see him like this. What had he done to deserve this? Hadn’t he been through enough? Didn’t he deserve even a little break? She hated the world for having done this to him. Nobody had the right to have put such burdens on one so young. Yes, fate sure had crapped all over him. If Fate was a person Ginny would have cheerfully killed him — After torturing him with the Cruciatus Curse for several weeks for all he had put her Harry through. He was getting worse, she could see it. And she could do nothing but sit back and watch helplessly as her beloved wasted away in front of her. But she knew he would get over it. They would get over it. They had gone through too much to lose now. She would not let him suffer like this. She would find a way to get through to him, no matter what the price. She loved him too much to lose him now. She would not survive if something happened to him. Bittersweet memories, That is all I'm taking with me. So goodbye, please don't cry. We both know I'm not what you, you need. And I will always love you. I will always love you. Harry looked at the Photo Album Ginny had given him for his birthday last year. It was a thick album bound with dark green leather, filled with photographs of the two of them. Harry opened the album and flipped through a couple of pages. He stopped before a photograph of Ginny standing in knee deep snow, dressed in a thick emerald green jumper. A few tendrils of dark red hair were escaping from under her woolen cap. Her face was flushed from the cold and she had a naughty grin on her face as she got ready to throw the snowball in her hand. Harry’s throat choked up. She was so beautiful! He loved her so much. He quickly shut the book and began to throw in the rest of his things into the trunk. Halfway through, his vision blurred and he reached up to roughly wipe off the tears streaming down his face. Harry finished his packing and with a wave of his wand he shrunk his trunk down to the size of a small pack of cards and tucked it away into his trouser pocket. He then walked over to the desk and pulling parchment and quill over sat down to write what would be the most difficult letter he had ever written. I hope life treats you kind And I hope you have All you've dreamed of. And I wish for you joy And happiness. But above all this, I wish you love. And I will always love you. I will always love you. I, I will always love you. You, darling I love you. I'll always, I'll always love you. He knew she wouldn’t understand his actions. He also knew that she would be angry and heartbroken. But he knew what he was doing was the only way out. She would get over him in time. He put the letter into an envelope and addressed it to her leaving it on her pillow. He paused for a moment to look around the room where they had spent so many nights together in each other’s arms. Then he whirled around and walked down the stairs and out of the house. He never looked back. He knew that if he did he wouldn’t be able to leave. “You’re pregnant Miss. Weasley,” Healer Hopsworth pronounced with a smile. Ginny gasped, various emotions flashing through her. Surprise, disbelief, worry, and the beginnings of a joy that knew no bounds. She was pregnant with Harry’s child! What would be his reaction? Would he be as happy as her? Suddenly she knew that he would be. She didn’t know how she knew it but she just did. Maybe it was a womanly instinct or some sort of intuition. She didn’t know what it was. She just knew it was so. Harry would be very happy at the news. Maybe it was just the thing to bring him out of his depression. She quickly said her goodbyes to Healer Hopsworth and exited the office. Rapid steps took her towards the apparition point then she stopped. She shouldn’t be apparating in her condition. Flooing would be safer. As she threw in the pinch of floo powder into the fire she couldn’t control her happiness. She couldn’t wait to tell Harry. |
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Ok I just had this idea that I had to get rid of so here’s the fic. It’s one shot and has a bit of Angst. It’s based around the song I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. |