Chapter Text
Ginny's eyes darted around frantically, scanning the chaos of the battlefield for any sign of her loved ones. Amidst the rubble and wreckage of what she considered her second home, she finally spotted her brother, Ron, his Weasley red hair unmistakable. By his side were his two closest friends, one of whom was Harry - the boy who had captured Ginny's heart.
Harry stood tall and proud, his once-windswept black hair now long and unkempt. His face was a mask of determination, his eyes blazing with a fierce green light that seemed to cut through the darkness of the battlefield. Despite his disheveled appearance, Ginny couldn't help but feel drawn to him at that moment.
As the fighting paused for a brief moment, Ginny watched as Harry leaned in close to Hermione, speaking to her in hushed tones. Though Ginny would normally have been irritated greatly by their intimacy, she couldn't find it in herself to care at that moment. All that mattered was the safety of her loved ones and the hope that they would emerge from the battle unscathed.
After losing them in the crowd for a while, she spotted Ron and Hermione again, but this time she began to walk to them, in time to see Harry reappear from under his Invisibility Cloak. His tone was filled with an air of certainty and gloom as if he had just made a difficult decision. However, what happened next was completely unexpected. Hermione, who was known for her unwavering strength, broke down in tears and threw herself at Harry. He responded by wrapping her in a tight embrace, in a way that was so familiar and comforting, it was almost like they were the only two people in the world. Overhearing Hermione's words, "I'll go with you," she realized something significant was happening between them.
This time, she felt jealousy growing inside her chest, just like (from his expression) was happening to her brother at the sight. But like every other time, she pushed it down and kept walking, this time towards her mother. She had to protect her family.
.
The Order and the students gathered in the Great Hall, Voldemort’s forces coming through the front doors:
“You have fought bravely, but the Boy Who Lived is dead, you have no chance to win. Now is the time to kneel in front of your Lord, or die trying to fight”.
Ginny was frozen, looking at Harry’s body in Hagrid’s arms, limp and – she thought, with a strangely clear thought– probably already cold. In the silence of the Great Hall, she heard a blood-chilling scream, full of pain, almost as if a part of the person who screamed was torn away: Hermione. She was being pulled from the ground by Ron, who had an ashen and tear-stricken face, while she practically glowed and shaked from the magic coursing through her.
She knew that Hermione was a powerful witch, in fact, the most powerful girl in school, but she had never witnessed such a display of brutal and raw magic from her friend before. Hermione’s appearance was feral, yet at the same time beautiful in a primal and wild manner. Her long, brown, and curly hair was matted with debris and blood from the battle. Her dark eyes glowed golden with the force of her pain and her lithe body contorted while her brother held her tightly.
.
Harry was alive. Beautifully, heartbreakingly alive. Before the last confrontation with his foe, his eyes scanned the crowd, passing her and settling on Hermione. Their matching expressions of relief were plain to see, but not easier to stomach for Ginny, who felt – again, for the millionth time- ignored in favor of her friend.
.
The battle was won. It was over. Ginny couldn’t even begin to understand it clearly.
While You-Know-Who’s body collided to the ground, after Bellatrix Lestrange’s one (at Hermione’s hand) you could hear a pin drop in the silence of the Hall.
As the chaos of the battle subsided, Hermione found herself standing in the Great Hall, dazed and disoriented. She scanned the room frantically, searching for any sign of Harry. And then, in a moment of surreal calm, she saw him. He was looking around, almost confused, when his eyes finally landed on her. In that instant, his expression softened, and his eyes widened in relief.
Hermione was still like a statue, mirroring Harry's battle stance exactly. But as soon as their eyes met, they both broke the silence, calling out each other's names in unison. And then, in a mad run, they met each other in the middle of the hall, falling to their knees and looking only at each other.
They cried and laughed at the same time, locked in a tight embrace with their foreheads pressed together. Someone was snapping photographs, capturing this moment of pure joy and relief. And all around them, the Great Hall exploded in screams of sorrow, grief, and relief.
All his attention was focused on Hermione, the one person who had been there with him through it all.
Harry hadn’t looked at Ginny once, and it hurt, but Ginny shoved it down, and continued looking at the – perfect, heartbreaking, loving, horrible- scene.