CRUSHING DARKNESS (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

Ron's POV

My eyes fluttered open to see warm sunlight streaming in from the wide window. I looked over at Harry and saw that he was still sleeping. He somehow looked more peaceful, more at ease then ever; so I decided not to wake him just yet. Perhaps it was because he did not have to worry about Voldemort anymore, or maybe it was because he was back at Hogwarts, but something was different about him. He seemed to be more relaxed.

I stumbled out of bed and changed into a fresh shirt before making way down to the common-room. But when I got there, I froze in the doorway as I saw Ginny and George standing there. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces from the looks of it and George had pulled Ginny into a hug. She had her head on his shoulder and he was brushing her back gently. His face was resting on top of her head.

At that moment, Ginny looked so fragile and innocent. It made tears well up in my eyes just to think she had to go through this pain so early. I knew she'd be able to get through it of course. Harry, Hermione and I would make sure of it but still Fred had been her favorite brother and only George could feel the way she felt.

I walked over to them and gently pried her off George and started rubbing her back soothingly.

"Hey sis, it'll be alright." I told her softly. She looked back at me through grief-filled eyes.

" I hope so," she whispered. "Is Harry awake? Hermione just went down and we were waiting for you two to come."

"I'll go get him," I said, letting go of her and walking back up the stairs to our dormitory.

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Harry's POV

The clearing in the Forbidden forest was the perfect place for the graves. The branches of the trees protected the area from the rays of the sun. A small lake glittered nearby and its surface was calm, bathed in a soft golden glow. Everything was silent. Not even a bird chirped. They might have been silent to honour the dead as well.

The ceremony had begun and I could only hear snatches of what was being said. My mind was elsewhere. All these people had risked their lives to protect me and then died themselves. I finally understood the meaning of something Dumbledore had told me a long time ago. When someone loves you so much and believes in you and in the end when they sacrificed their life for you. It left a lasting mark. Of Love. That was what had made me strong before and even now it had made me stronger. The people who died had truly believed that I would never let them down.

My trail of thought was interrupted when Ginny stepped up and started talking. Her voice was filled with aching, grieving beauty and her eyes were filled with tears. I could make out the slight quiver in her voice and I noticed how her fists kept clenching and unclenching at her sides.

"This war has taught me many things," she began. "I learned that no matter where you are or what happens, you'll always be loved. This might seem irrelevant to you but to me it means something. Your friends, your family. They come together in the end. "

Her eyes searched for mine and as they landed on me, I tried to smile encouragingly at her. i saw her nod her head discreetly and she continued. "When you believe in something and you want something good to happen, you'll have to give up something as well. That's what life is all about. I lost my brother: Fred Weasley, in the war and I can't imagine life without him." Her voice broke off then and she looked down at her hands. I could tell this was hard for her. But then she raised her chin up.

"But you know what he'd say if he saw me right now? He'd say, "Hey Gin. Quit moping. Just because I'm gone doesn't mean you have to lose it. Go out there and create more mischief and prank some people!"

I smiled a little, knowing that was exactly what Fred might have said. If I knew anything about Fred, it was that he hated it when people were sad and he did whatever he could to make people laugh. So did George, and that was what I liked about the twins. They always managed to diffuse the tension in every situation. The fact that Fred would want his little sister to cheer up and prank some people for him seemed highly probable to me.

"So it won't be easy, but I'll try to get through it. I love you Fredde," She finished and I realised it was my turn next. I watched her walk back to her seat and when we were near enough, she smiled at me and I smiled back.

When I got to the front and saw everyone looking up at me, my breath caught in my throat. i spotted George sitting with his arm around Ginny and Angelina on his other side. Mrs Weasley was siting on Ginny's other side and was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue and Ron and Hermione were sitting next to each other. Taking a deep calming breath, I began to speak.

"I agree with Ginny." I started. "When you have to get something good, you have to sacrifice something too. We got more then just freedom after all this. We got new friends. We got a great Headmistress," I paused and smiled at the woman who along with Mrs Weasley had been like a second mother to me, and she smiled back at me proudly. "We got a new and improved Hogwarts, and we got the satisfaction of seeing Voldemort crumble."

I could see them all nodding at my words. Everybody's gazes were locked with mine and that was when I felt thankful to know people like these.

"You guys have been the best friends, teachers and family anyone could ask for. I really don't know how to express all my gratitude, but thank you all so much." By this point, my eyes had started to prickle and I felt another wave of gratitude washed over me. It was true; if it hadn't been for all these people, I did not know where I would have been.

"Many of you might still be under the impression that Severus Snape was a Death eater, but I want to clear that up. That's the least I can do for someone like him. He was the bravest man I have ever known and he is partly the reason for me being here. Dumbledore was right to trust him all along. He loved my mum. I saw that myself, and I saw what he had to go through. No wonder he hated my dad. I just wish I had known all this before. That way I could've understood him and he might've not hated me." I finished sadly and walked over to where my friends were sitting.

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A/N

Thanks a bunch for reading!! :)