Ginny lay in Draco's arms looking at Harry's tomb through puffy, but dry, eyes. She had finally stopped crying with Draco's consoling words in her ear.
"I saw it all happen Ginny and none of it was your fault. If he had to go, he would have wanted it to happen by saving someone he loved to repay all of the people who sacrificed their lives for him." Draco whispered to Ginny while he stroked her hair gently. "I do have one question to ask you Ginny. Why is it I see you eating, but I feel like I'm hugging a skeleton?"
Ginny looked up at Draco and hesitated. She didn't know whether to tell him the truth, or to lie to the only person she had spoken properly to all week. They had both lost people in the war some were dead, some were disowned, some just distanced. Ginny stood and walked over to Harry's tomb and put her hand on it. Then she turned to look at Draco over her shoulder.
"I'm pregnant," she said simply.
Draco looked at Ginny, surprised. He stood up and walked over to Ginny and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to his body.
"I'll help you in any way that I can Ginny. Whatever you need I'll give to you. I know you're supposed to have this child though, it's like it's meant to be that he would die and leave a child to fill his place." Draco said caressing Ginny's hair again.
Ginny looked up into Draco's grey eyes and saw the passionate care he had for her flicker in them. She nodded and rested her head against his chest while she pulled him closer. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to eat because I just feel empty without him, but I know I should for the child's sake, not to mention all of my friend's very vocal concerns." She smiled with a look of mock accusation at Draco. "Anyway," she continued, "I try and make a big show of it and just end up being sick."
"Now that I know what the truth is, why don't we try that food thing again? But this time let's take it slow until you get used to it."
Ginny nodded and pulled away from him then started walking towards the castle. Draco watched her, in awe that Harry had left such a big present behind without knowing it. Laughing to himself, he began jogging to catch up with Ginny and grasped her hand in his.
"You know what?" Ginny asked, looking at Draco. "I think in some way that Harry would approve of this."
He looked down at her and smirked. "I never thought I'd say this but I hope he would. I really actually do."
With that they walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table, spurring up even more whispers and looks than Ginny had already been receiving.
"I don't know what he was doing Ron, but he was calming her down, I know that much. If he can get her to feel better than she's been feeling then I don't see a problem with it," Hermione said, trying to convince Ron not to slug Draco for putting his hands on Ginny.
"Hermione, do you not realize that you're talking about Draco Malfoy? He was a Death Eater until his parents died. He only came to our side to stay safe, so he wouldn't be sacrificed like they had been." Ron paced around his dormitory being careful to avoid Harry's bed. Hermione studied Ron, noticing his cautious evasion of the spaces once occupied by Harry.
"He's not coming back Ron. No matter what you say, Harry is not coming back. You need to realize this, just like Ginny does. Ron, you need to talk about it and accept it."
Ron spun around to face Hermione with a confused look on his face. How the hell did they get from talking about Draco to talking about Harry? Why was it that everyone wanted to talk about their feelings?
"What are you talking about Hermione? I've accepted that he died, how could I have avoided that fact? I saw his dead body just like you, and I saw him buried. Then, as if was made to be a reminder of his death, my bank account grew to an unreasonable amount. So what is there to talk about?"
"I just don't understand how your best friend - practically your brother - dies, and you… you get angry that he left you money. How can you be so cold about it all?"
Ron walked over to Harry's bed. It was covered in flowers enchanted not to wilt amongst notes of love and gratitude for Harry. "It's so much easier to be mad at him than to be sad to have lost him." Ron wasn't shouting anymore; his voice was quiet, but steady. "The first night all I did was cry and replay the battle over and over to see if I could have saved him. Then the next day they told me his fortune had been split between Ginny and I, and all I could feel was jealous. Jealous because even in the face of his death, I felt… Second, or something. I mean," he continued quickly, "he was my best mate, and I know he never tried to make me to feel like that. It's just now not only can't I ever repay him all the debts I owe - fucksake, half my family owes their lives to him - but I'm left with a pile of his gold to feel guilty about too. After that I saw how miserable he had left Ginny and I was so bloody angry at him for having left her…and me. So instead of crying, I'm just avoiding… things."
Hermione had walked over to Ron and pushed him to a sitting position on the bed, she sat next to him holding his hand. "Ron, you are avoiding him, and in the worst way too. You haven't accepted his death, you're just pretending you're in a feud that will eventually become all better, but it won't. Let go, let yourself cry, let yourself look at his things and enjoy life the way he would've wanted you to."
Ron looked at Hermione with tears glistening in his eyes. He took her face in his hands and pulled her into a sweet kiss. Once he pulled away again he said, "How do you do it Hermione? How are you so damn strong and you can deal with this so well and still have the patience to take care of Ginny and I?"
Hermione smiled, "He would've wanted us to be happy Ron, that's what he gave his life up for. Whenever that strength doesn't come to me though, I just picture him finally being with his parents, and joking with Sirius, and learning from Dumbledore. I think Harry was put here to make the wizarding world peaceful again and to bring love and unity to, but wasn't granted any peace of his own in the process. I think, at the very least, he is at peace now."
"I just want to say goodbye and tell him I love him and thank him for all that he's done," sighed Ron.
"You know for some reason I think you'll be able to. I don't think Harry could leave that easily, but don't get your hopes up Ron."
Ron looked at Hermione quizzically and nodded. Just how can I meet him half way so I can talk to him? He thought.
"Do you care that they stare at us?" Draco asked Ginny when they went back to his private room after breakfast.
"I'd rather have them talking about us, then have nothing but pity for me. The only thing that bothers me is I don't want people thinking that I'm just running to you because I lost Harry. I hope they don't think I was with you the whole time I was with him either though."
"Why are you running to me Ginny? You're pregnant with his child, and you ran to me out of every person in the world."
Ginny hesitated at the question. "I'm not running anywhere Draco. You were never there in the past so you leaving now wouldn't hurt." Immediately after saying these words she wished she could take them back. "Oh shit Draco, I didn't mean it wouldn't hurt if you left, just… I don't know… it's hard to explain."
"I think I understand Ginny. You feel like everyone from your past has left you in some way. I understand that personally."
"And that's exactly why I came to you, or accepted it when you came to me. We've been through the same things that have caused us to change in so many ways, so we met in the middle."
Draco reached over and tucked a stray hair behind Ginny's ear. He let his hand linger on her cheek and gently caressed it with his finger. "You know what I said Ginny; I'm here for you through it all."
Ginny nodded and smiled, it was the first real smile she had smiled in a week. "I just can't believe I'm having a bab…" Ginny was interrupted by knocking on the door.
Draco stood up and walked to the door. But before he could open it, Hermione stormed in and marched over to Ginny.
"You're having a what Ginny?! Whose? It better not be his," Hermione hissed as she glared daggers at Draco. "You better not have done anything to hurt Harry!"
"Whoa, Hermione calm down! How did you hear that?"
"With your brothers' Extendable Ears. I wanted to make sure you were all right with him and when I heard… I did hear right? Right? You're pregnant?"
"Hermione please sit," Ginny coaxed her friend while she stood up. "Yes, I am pregnant, and no, it's not Draco's, it's Harry's. He must've gotten me pregnant right before he died, the slick guy. You don't have to worry; Draco has been amazing and has told me he'd help me through it all."
Hermione let out a breath of relief. "How did you two get so close though?" she asked, pointing at the pair.
"Well, he lost his parents, and I lost Harry, and we've found some… common ground, I suppose. Plus, he was the only one who knows exactly what happened that day."
"The day Harry died, right?" Hermione asked. Ginny nodded in response. "Ginny, what did happen that day?"
Ginny paused for a second and looked up at Draco who nodded for her to tell the story. They had agreed it'd be easier for her to let go if she told people what had happened. She started telling the story of the battle. Her voice carried on, but her mind drifted into her own flashback.
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