Ginny stared at her own hand, as though she could barely believe what it had just done. Then, very softly, she started to giggle. Harry stared at her incredulously, and then dared a tentative laugh of his own. Ginny exploded.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YO ARE DOING, POTTER?"
"Er, well, I was just, well, y'know, laughing, because you were, er, well, laughing..."
"HAVING A BIT OF A LAUGH AT ME, WERE YOU? THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY, HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN, DID YA?"
"No, Gin, love, I was just..."
"DO YOU REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH MAGIC JUST ABSORBED INTO YOUR CHEST? DO YOU? DO YOU?"
"Well, actually, no, but..."
"IT WAS A LOT, POTTER! A HELL OF A LOT! ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU FALL TO THE FLOOR LIKE AN OLD SOCK! AN OLD SOCK, POTTER!"
"I promise I won't do it aga..."
"LIKE HELL YOU WON'T DO IT AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO TO YOU IF..."
She was cut off abruptly by Harry yanking her roughly toward him in a giant hug. Her tense body relaxed into the hug, and allowed her thin arms to slide up round his neck. Her slender hands held tight to fistfuls of the robes he was still wearing from the battle. Her head glinted copper as she buried her face in shoulder.
"Never do that again," she concluded into his shoulder, and Harry dropped a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
_._._._._._._._
Lily didn't know how long she sat there, flushed and embarrassed by witnessing such a private moment. It was only through the rhythmic breathing that floated through the curtain that she knew that at least one of them was asleep.
She stood up, still embarrassed and ready to disappear at a moment's notice, and poked her head around the curtain.
Harry was sleeping, and Lily realised that this was the first time she had seen him without a tense, alert expression on his face. For once in his life, vulnerable.
Ginny was leaning back in her chair, her eyes closed lightly, but clearly not asleep herself, as the hand that wasn't tightly clamped in Harry's was drumming long nails on the arm of her seat.
Lily shifted her weight very slightly, and the pale eyelids fluttered open. She glanced around, her fingers straying to her wrist, where accustom-made leather holster heldher wand. She relaxed when she saw Lily, giving her a wide, friendly smile.
"Hiya, Lily! Have a seat."
She gestured with her free hand to another monster of a chair, and Lily sat down on the edge, feeling self-conscious. Despite her genuinely friendly expression, Ginny's eyes were watching her every move.
"You are visiting Marnie?"
Lily nodded; glad that she had a valid excuse, though eavesdropping had rather interrupted her visit. Ginny sighed.
"You know, she was absolutely amazing in the battle. Fought like a woman possessed, she was so strong."
Lily smiled at the praise of her friend. It was true, Marnie was the sweetest person alive, but when angered, her fierceness was second only to Lily's own.
"Not as amazing as you, though."
Lily glanced up, surprised. She'd done next to no fighting; she'd only stunned a few Death Eaters, and had nearly blubbered when she'd seen exactly how embedded James's shirt was. Ginny must have seen her 'We both know that's not true' expression, as she grinned and said, "It's officially been declared impossible to move eleven to thirteen year olds any distance in any space of time. You did your job as Head Girl, and you did it proud."
Lily twisted her fingers in her lap, ruining her modest expression with the treacherous blush of a red head.
"It was hardly in the job description."
Ginny threw her an amused look.
"Exactly. When my older brother Percy was Head Boy of... the school we used to go to, all he managed to do was ram a poker up his arse to keep his head company."
Lily giggled, and Ginny smiled too, though the truth always hurt when it came to her dead brother.
"You're so lucky though, having a big family. Now all I've got left is a sister I can't stand."
Ginny couldn't bring herself to say anything along the lines of 'I'm sure she isn't that bad,' and settled for, "Well, you have James, don't you?"
Lily's face brightened, the way it always did when a mop of black hair and a laughing pair of hazel eyes entered her head.
"And Alice and Marnie," Ginny continued, "Madam Pomfrey says she'll be fine now, so it'll get back to normal. It always does."
OK, teeny lie there, Ginny thought, remembering the weeks following every battle of her life, the numbness broken irregularly by floods of blinding emotion and mindless rage. But it can't hurt to believe that ...
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, but I'm afraid I can't send my daughter into a world I know nothing of when she comes out like this!"
A woman talking, her voice high pitched and frightened, and Dumbledore's rumbling murmur, evidently trying to pacify a hysterical Mrs Sangrave. The slim, blond woman who looked so like her daughter was half-running down the ward, her platinum hair unkempt, her faded blue jeans looking out of place with her smart blue silk blouse, her hastily applied mascara smeared. She stopped when she saw her daughter flat on her back in the crisp blankets that were Madam Pomfrey's pride and joy. Her manicured hand rose to her mouth, and tears spilled from her cornflower eyes.
"I'm sorry, Professor. Marnie is leaving your world, and she won't be coming back."
Lily gasped at her words. She knew that Marnie hid a lot of what went on at school from her mother, and now that was catching up on her.
"Mrs Sangrave, I beg that you reconsider. Your daughter is an adult in our world, and as such, she is entitled to choose where her heart lies."
Mrs Sangrave let out a choking sob. "No, Professor. I can't... I can't lose my baby girl. Never."
Lily saw Dumbledore's head bow.
"In that case, madam, I will make arrangements. And I must inform her professors. They will be extremely disappointed. Miss Sangrave was a highly promising pupil, and I know that she could have achieved great things in our community."
"She will achieve great things –in her own community. Now if you don't mind, I would like to be alone with my daughter."
"But of course," Dumbledore said softly, inclining his silver head. Lily wondered how he could be so calm when it felt like the world was crashing down around her.
_._._._._._._._
When Lily got the news that Marnie was awake, she'd charged down to the Hospital Wing with Alice in tow, desperate to spend every last minute with her before her departure. They found her in a towering rage, tears streaming down scarlet cheeks, screaming at her mother, who was also tearful, but solid as a brick wall.
"How the hell can you take me away from everything that's ever made me feel like a belong, Mum? Just because you live in benign world of front lawns and car washing it doesn't mean that I can't have something for me in my life! Do you even believe in magic, Mum? Do you?"
Mrs Sangrave was flinching as though each word was a blow to the face, but she stood firm.
"Marnie, you really believe I'm not doing this to hurt you? I love you far too much to let you walk into danger."
Marnie's blue eyes had widened with fury, and she was choking down sobs as she spoke in a strangled voice.
"I can't just sit down and do nothing, what part of that don't you get? Everything and everyone I love could die tomorrow unless some people have the guts to fight for it. If I'm going to die I'm going down fighting and I'll bloody well take down as many of the bastards with..."
"Marnie!"
"What, mother? What the hell do you want me to do? Sit at home and knit? Do you know me at all? I can't do that!"
Mrs Sangrave's eyes had hardened. "Marnie, we are leaving this place tomorrow and we're leaving this world with it and that is final."
_._._._._._._
Marnie's goodbye was long and tearful, and Lily reflected that she'd never once seen anyone so heartbroken. Her own blond hair had been pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was dressed in her school robes as one last act of defiance. She held her wand in her hand, gripping her wand to her deepest tie to the magical world. She attempted a smile as she stood by her trunk, looking for the entire world like a lost child. She looked up to see her two friends' expressions of sadness and fronts of bravery.
"It won't be for long," she insisted in a choked voice, "The minute I'm eighteen I'll be back. Dumbledore says..." she trailed off, then swallowed, "Dumbledore says there's an organization, for people like us. People who know what's right."
She made another brave attempt at a smile.
"I'll be back. Just you wait and see."
She hugged both of her friends tightly, picked up her trunk, and walked out of her own life.
_._._._._._._._
"Morning," James smiled at his girlfriend as she sat on the bench beside him. She gave him a slight smile of her own and helped herself to toast.
"History of Magic first thing," James said with a grimace, "I can't believe we've still got lessons – it's only a few weeks since the battle, and there's been all this stupid fuss." He said the word 'fuss' with extreme disdain, and he was right.
There had been an excessive amount of fuss. The clean-up operation had been lengthy, and the bulk of the first week after the battle had been spent finding Death Eaters around the castle, still struggling in the supreme conjured ropes of the DA. Then there had been a lengthy speech from the Minister of Magic, who was 'deeply grateful' to the 'young servers of the light' who'd earned 'a high honour.' James couldn't remember the rest of the speech – he'd fallen asleep about fifteen minutes in.
And then there was the mourning of the dead. The Divination professor had been killed along with twelve students, none of whom James knew except by sight. Still, their deaths had been a great shock to everyone in the school, and the memorial service had been an emotional affair. Tears had slid down Dumbledore's wrinkled cheeks as he spoke of 'soldiers of war' and ended a speech with 'Who would've thought that the protectors would be those we think to protect? May it never be again.'
"Hey!" Lily said loudly, as a copy of the Daily Prophet landed in her cup of tea. She picked it up, scanning the front page.
"More attacks on muggle families," she said gloomily, glancing at the headline. Then her eyes caught two words. Sangrave Residence.
Gasping for breath, though no breath came, she stared at the page, random words leaping out at her. Seventeen year old daughter...fought bravely...protected...Hitwizards...too late.
Lily didn't have to read any further. She knew that Marnie was dead.
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