Title: "A Proper Place": A Prequel to Wednesday Dates (Part Two)

Pen Name: fizzmonkeys aka belladonna_tb

Characters/Pairing: H/G

Word Count: appx 12,200 for both parts combined

Rating: PG

Genre: Angst, Romance, Minor Fluff

Summary: Harry doesn't know what to do when his world is turned upside down.

A/N: It's highly recommended (but not necessary) that you read the companion story, "Wednesday Dates", first so that nothing is spoiled. Also...there will be a story-based fanmix to follow. Many, MANY thanks to my lovely betas, kellsta and queenb23more.

"A Proper Place": Part One

*********

Harry frowned as his eyes opened, blinking in confusion. The light around him was bright and caused his head to ache momentarily as his vision adjusted to his surroundings. The dimly lit room that was there mere moments ago was replaced by an open field of flowing grass and wild flowers.

He was no longer sitting in the chair next to the bed where Ginny was sleeping. Instead, he was resting against the trunk of a tall oak tree. The warmth of the summer day hung lazily in the air while the shade from the trees leaves protected him from the beating sun.

He didn’t remember getting here, much less how more than twelve hours could have passed without his notice.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” a bright voice called, extracting him from his perplexing thoughts. Harry glanced down slightly to see Ginny lying a few metres away from him in a white summer dress; she was stretched out on the ground, a canvas of green grass painted around her. The blades were waving softly like ripples of water in the light breeze while her vibrant red hair lay beneath her head as if it was a halo.

Her arms were crossed under her head like a pillow as the sun beat against her body, warming every inch of her. She wasn’t the same image of the woman he’d just left in the room which confused Harry more. She was the image from the picture: a younger Ginny.

“Don’t you want to lie down with me for a little while?” His eyes had not shifted away from her since Ginny had first spoken to him. Why did it feel like it had been so long since he had heard her voice?

Under other circumstances, Harry probably would have waited, making her beg as she always would by batting her eyelashes and sticking out her lower lip slightly, at which point he would be lost. But today, he would not wait to give in.

Crawling over to her, she started slightly, not expecting him to actually escape the comfort of the shade and join her without coercion.

His body stretched out beside hers, mocking her position and she sniggered quietly before curling up against his side. When her head was settled on his chest, he sighed deeply, happiness and hurt consuming him at once.

“Glad you finally decided to join me,” Ginny yawned lazily as her hand played with a button on his shirt. A short silence passed, neither of them needing to say a word though Harry wanted to. He wanted so desperately to say something to her, but what could he say? Was any of this even real? If he said anything, would it matter?

“You’ve been awfully quiet today.” He felt her hand still against him.

“Have I?” Harry tried to keep his voice steady. Even if this was a dream, it was giving him the greatest comfort to believe that it was real.

Ginny gave a small nod against him. “You’ve barely said a word all day. Is everything all right?”

Sliding his fingers through her long red mane, he answered as best he could. “I’m lying here with the person I love the most. What could be more right?”

Harry could hear the soft giggle in her voice, the rush of breath from her lips when she turned her head upward to better see his face. She sat her chin daintily on the back of her hand and gave him that cheeky grin that he adored.

“You’re such a sap sometimes.”

“Yeah, but you love it.”

This time Ginny gave an appreciative laugh. “Well…you’ve got me there.”

The smile on her face never faded as her eyes took in the breathtaking scenery around them. He couldn’t resist reaching out and brushing her cheek gently. ”It’s so beautiful here, Harry. I never want to leave this place.”

Harry smiled at the dreamy look about her. “Fine, then we won’t.”

Her narrowed eyes met him with suspicion. “Are you trying to be smart with me, Mr. Potter?”

“I’m hurt that you think I’m trying to be funny about this,” he scoffed as if wounded by her words.

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed. “I am quite serious, you know.” She picked up playing with the buttons on his shirt again. “Can’t we stay here forever? Just the two of us.”

He smiled, laughter echoing in his words. “You say that now, love. You’ll change your mind later.”

“No, I really mean it,” she insisted. “I’ve dreamt about staying here with you under this big oak tree. Even when we die—“

“You’re not going to die, Gin,” his words cut her off instantly. Something about this conversation felt real to him now. “I won’t let you.”

Ginny chuckled. “Everyone has to die at some point. You can’t stop everything, Harry.”

He didn’t like where this conversation was going. “I can at least try.”

A quiet laugh rang in her voice again as she laid her head against him. “I know you will,” she muttered into his shirt.

He lay quietly with Ginny for a few more minutes, knowing that something about this moment felt very odd, almost like it was déjà vu.

“I’d better go, love,” she said without warning, pushing herself off the ground before Harry could realise what was going on.

He began to panic slightly. What would happen if she left? Would he then see that this was all a dream? “You can’t go yet, Gin. We haven’t had enough time.”

“I know,” Ginny glanced over at him with a sad smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“I want more.”

“I know.”

Ginny leaned down and kissed him softly. That was always one of the most perfect things: her lips against his. But despite her desire to stay, she didn’t have a choice now.

Pulling away from him once more, she reached down to grab her cloak and backed away from him slowly.

“Oh come on, Gin. You can’t just leave.” Harry tried to laugh it off but the further away she got, the more he sensed a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt hollow.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” she called to him from what seemed dozens of metres away. “I have to go now. I do.”

“Don’t leave me here alone.” The emptiness in him was getting worse. She was now so far away from him that he couldn’t see her face clearly. All he could see was her red hair blowing in the wind, her white dress swaying around her knees. Yet when she spoke, it sounded as if she was standing next to him.

“You’ll never be alone,” Ginny said with a breathy whisper. “I love you, Harry.”

“Don’t go…” he tried one last time but before he knew it, everything was gone, including Ginny.

*********

Harry woke, mumbling inaudibly for a few moments until he sat up with a start.

He groaned as an ache swept through his body and he tried to stretch the muscles in his back and shoulders that felt sore from having slept hunched over for too long. He could feel the dull pressure of the mounting headache as he rested his head in his shaking hands.

With the lingering haze of his dream, Harry’s mind struggled between what he’d just left behind and the reality that he’d nearly forgotten. It was only when he noticed the picture lying next to him and Ginny’s letter not far from there that he realised he must have fallen asleep. It had all just been a dream as he had suspected.

Harry sighed, relief and sadness swirling together as his eyes roamed over the bed before him, seeing Ginny still there. This was the reality that had awaited him while he dreamt of an easier time where they were together without worry. But even in his dreams, she had gone. At least that part only existed there.

His eyes glanced up to her face as she lay peacefully sleeping, cherishing the moment that he had with her. He wanted nothing more than to drive this strange absence from his mind as his dream continued to weigh heavily on him. He just needed something, to hold her, to feel her against him. Maybe that would give him the reassurance that he so desperately needed.

Rising slowly from his chair, Harry leaned over her, pausing briefly before his lips pressed gently against hers. This is what he needed, some reminder of their undying connection to each other. But even in that moment, something felt wrong.

Harry pulled away, frowning. He studied her face, still and pale, until he realised with a sharp pang what his mind already knew and what his heart would not let him believe.

“Ginny?” he asked in shock. He didn’t want to accept the truth, but it was hard to find much hope as he continued to stare at her.

There was no movement, no answer, yet he called to her again with urgency. “Ginny.”

His breath quickened while everything around him seemed to slow immeasurably. He could hear his heart pounding, loud and quick in his ears, the dull ticking of the hand on a nearby clock as each second passed. His throat constricted as his lips formed her name once again yet no sound came out. It wasn’t until then, in the agonizing silence, that he noticed she wasn’t breathing.

“Ginny!” his voice finally escaped, more distressed and raw than before. He’d grown so accustomed to the sound of her breathing that his world seemed to stop when her breath had.

Harry’s aged hands shook her shoulders gently in desperation. He could feel the tears spilling from the corners of his eyes and tried to blink them away quickly. He could not give up now. This was not the end; it had only been a dream. It was not real.

His heart tried to hold fast as his hope began to falter. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder if his dream really had more meaning to it than he had suspected.

At that moment, the weight of another thought hit him so hard that he swayed on his feet, unsteady.

What if she’d woken while I was asleep? What if she’d tried to say something?

The ache of fresh guilt and despair burned through his body, and he sank into the chair again. Harry reached for her hand, clinging to it, pressing it to his trembling lips once more.

How could he have done this? How could he have slept while she lay dying?

A strangled cry escaped his throat as he fell forward onto the bed in tears, consumed with anguish. How could he ever forgive himself?

*********

“Harry?” Hermione’s worn voice came from beside Ron as he, Lily, Albus, and James stood at the foot of the stairs. It was the fourth time she’d called his name, yet there had been no answer.

“I know I heard a door close,” she whispered to herself.

“If it is him…” Ron started, timid.

“It had to have been him,” Hermione answered before he could continue.

“I just thought…perhaps it’s best if we leave him alone. Merlin knows we’ve tried.” He shrugged lightly, keeping his gaze down. “Maybe that’s what he wants.”

“Ron…” Hermione sighed with sadness. She stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist, knowing that he was suffering through so much of this too. They all were. But if they left Harry alone any longer, he would continue to drift further away from his family when they were what he needed most right now.

The five of them stood in silence for a few more minutes, waiting to hear if Harry’s voice might call back to them, but no response came.

“Maybe one of us should go up and see if it actually is Dad,” Lily suggested. “I hate to think of the state of mind he is in right now.” Her eyes were soft with tears as she looked back at her brothers.

“Yeah,” James agreed, clearing his throat. He reached over and gave his sister’s hand a squeeze. “That’s a good idea.”

He turned to make his way through their little crowd toward the steps when Lily’s hand squeezed back. “I want to go with you.”

“Are you sure about this, Lils?” James asked, concerned.

“James is right, Lily. Maybe you should wait down here,” Albus said quietly.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at both of them with more confidence and shook her head. “No, I’m all right.”

James tugged at her hand lightly and she followed him as they climbed the stairs slowly. Nothing but silence passed between them until they neared the second floor landing.

“If it is him, Lily…I-I don’t know what to say.” There was such tenderness and uncertainty in his eyes that she nearly began crying. It was the first time tonight that she had really seen her brother’s strength falter.

She inhaled, taking a long, steadying breath to settle her nerves. She had to be strong enough for the both of them now.

“Let me go up first,” Lily whispered. “You’ll know what to say when the time is right. Just stay close behind me.”

James nodded in agreement and moved to the side, letting her pass in front of him.

The floor creaked as Lily stepped onto the landing. It was dark, the light from the moon only casting a slight glow. She could barely make anything out in the shadows of the long corridor.

“Dad?” she asked hesitantly.

“I can hardly see a thing, James,” Lily said quietly, turning back to him. “I don’t have my wand.”

James reached into his back pocket without a word and withdrew his. With one swift movement, a light appeared from the tip of his wand and they both blinked, letting their eyes adjust to the brightness.

In the near distance, Lily could see someone standing in the shadows, the light from James’s wand barely reaching where the person stood. She couldn’t say with certainty, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was their father.

“James,” Lily whispered and reached back, her hand waving blindly in the air until he caught it. “Light the lamps…please.”

With another flick of his wand, the entire corridor glowed with a soft light, and both James and Lily held their breath at the sight of their father standing before them.

He was facing them, his eyes unfocused and his body standing perfectly still. His face was ghostly pale with tear stains streaked down his cheeks. He looked worn and fragile.

Lily swallowed the large lump in her throat, desperately trying to hold back the tears as she stared at her father. She opened her mouth to call to him, but no words came out. Her voice refused to break through the air.

Sensing that something was wrong, James squeezed her hand again before letting it go and stepping around her.

“Dad?” his deep voice said with such soothing. Lily thought hers would probably sound rather shrill compared to his right now.

When Harry didn’t answer, James called to him again.

Concerned by her brother’s wary look, Lily reached out and put a gentle hand on his arm. She didn’t say anything as his eyes sought the meaning in hers. With a slow step forward, she carefully approached her father.

“Dad?” Lily could feel the anxiety building inside her. Unsure of what they would do if he didn’t respond, she glanced at James who exchanged the same look of uncertainty.

Moving towards their father more, she stopped a few feet away from him and took a deep breath. Maybe they just needed to come about this from another angle.

“Harry?” her voice was surer, steady…almost like her mother’s.

James’s brow was set with deep lines of worry, his expression nearly disapproving. But despite his concerns now, it was too late.

Harry flinched briefly, causing Lily to gasp in response. Studying him for a moment, they watched a deep frown set across his face.

“Harry?” she tried again, ignoring the look of warning that she knew was coming from her brother. This time, her father’s eyes met hers.

They stood quietly, staring at each other for a long moment before Harry finally spoke. “Ginny?” He was still frowning, as was Lily now. She had worried that his frame of mind might not be very sound.

Harry started to smile at the familiar sight before him when Lily shook her head.

“Ginny,” he sighed with relief. “I thought you’d left.”

Lily’s hand drifted up slowly to cover her quivering lips as tears began to well up in her eyes. It was all that she could do to hide the agonized look on her face. Suddenly, she hated the thought of having to make him understand the truth. She wanted him to be happy, even though she knew he couldn’t go on like this forever, even if it wasn’t healthy for him.

“No, Dad,” Lily failed to mask the raw hurt in her voice. “It’s me. Lily.”

“Dad,” James said from where he stood, a few feet behind his sister. His voice was concerned but firm.

“It’s okay, James,” Lily said with a quick look over her shoulder. But as her gaze met her father’s again, she noticed the immediate change in his expression.

His smile faded slowly and paused with a start, vaguely realizing that it was his daughter standing in front of him and not his wife. It wasn’t a dream and yet, it wasn’t real. His eyes and mind were deceiving him.

“Dad?” Lily asked, scared that he might go into shock again.

Harry’s unfocused eyes roamed aimlessly over the corridor until they settled on the figure that had spoken a moment ago. Was it James, like Lily had said? He thought it might be, but he couldn’t trust his eyesight anymore.

Lily observed the confused expression that crossed her father’s face as he squinted uncertainly at James standing behind her.

“It’s only James,” she cautioned, stepping toward him again. She wasn’t far from him now. One more careful step and he’d be within arm’s reach.

“It’s just me, Dad. It’s James.”

“James?” Harry whispered, wondering if he could even trust these voices that were speaking to him now.

He looked down at the woman standing near him. She looked so much like Ginny… but it wasn’t her. There was no possibility that it would ever be her standing before him again.

Harry frowned, hesitant to speak the name that meant the world to him.

“Ginny,” his voice frail, shallow.

“No, Dad,” Lily corrected him patiently, but her words fell short when his gaze drifted away from her.

She watched as he stared at the door on his left, choking on whispers of her mother’s name until he could no longer bear it.

Harry feared the reality of what lay beyond that threshold now. It was a symbol of an end that he never wanted to see.

“Oh, Dad,” Lily bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions under control. She closed the small gap between them and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his jumper.

She was supposed to be comforting him, but as his arms encircled her body, somehow, he seemed to be the one comforting her.

*********

Harry sat unmoving at the kitchen table, the moments passing by in a cloudy haze. He could hear the muffled voices of his family around him, not one sound, not one image distinct in his mind. He’d been quiet for so long that they’d all begun to worry, not knowing what could be said or done, not knowing what he needed. Hermione insisted that it was just a matter of time, to let him work through the grief the way he thought best.

Of course, Harry didn’t mind the silence and solitude, even if he wasn’t really alone. In the quiet, empty space within him was where he found her voice. It was where he could still hear her last words. It was the place in his memory where she still lived and he didn’t want a second of that taken away from him.

Over the course of the minutes or hours that had unknowingly escaped him, he’d become so unaware of his surroundings that he didn’t feel the small tug on his sleeve, nor did he notice when a tiny red-haired girl climbed into his lap and laid her head against his chest. It wasn’t until moments later that he recognized the hushed sound of tears that brought him back to his senses.

Harry took in a long, deep breath at the sight of Kelsey, James’s youngest, as she cuddled herself closer to him. He closed his eyes, hoping that she didn’t already know the news and wishing that he wouldn’t have to be the one to tell her. He wouldn’t be able to bear watching his youngest grandchild discover that her grandmother wasn’t going to be here anymore.

Gathering his strength, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and opened his eyes.

“Kelsey, sweetheart, what’s the matter?” Harry asked gently, yet his voice still sounded grave to his own ears.

She sniffled once and shook her head in response.

“Won’t you tell Granddad why you are sad?” She shook her head again. “Please? I can try to make it better.”

Kelsey sniffled once more and wiped away a few tears with the back of her tiny hand.

“Why are you so sad, love?” Harry whispered when her big brown eyes met his.

“’Cause – ‘Cause…you’re sad,” she muttered and buried her face in his jumper again. A wave of realisation washed over Harry so suddenly that he could barely contain the hurt inside.

“What makes you think I’m sad? I’m all right, see?” he said, putting on the best smile he could and lifting her chin so that she could see that he was fine.

Kelsey sniffled quietly one last time as Harry wiped away a few stray tears from her cheeks. He winked at her while she observed his expression carefully until she was sure that his mood had changed and finally gave a little smile of her own.

“That’s much better,” Harry said, smiling back as best he could and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Granddad,” Kelsey said after a quiet moment, “where’s Nana?”

Worried that she might have overheard and understood what the others were talking about, he answered back timidly. “She’s upstairs. Why?”

“Can I see her?” she asked, her face alight with such excitement that it sent another wave of pain through Harry.

He swallowed roughly, his mouth suddenly feeling rather parched. “No, sweetheart. Nana’s…sleeping. She’s very tired, so we don’t want to wake her.”

“Oh,” Kelsey muttered, her smile fading.

Hoping that his diversion had worked, Harry asked, “Why did you want to see her?”

“’Cause,” she stuttered a little, “I made her a charm.”

“A charm?” he asked, intrigued. “May I see it?” Kelsey nodded in response and picked up the thin string of the charm that hung around her neck, lifting it for Harry to see.

In her tiny hands lay a charm, shaped in the outline of her. He smiled at the detail and attention paid to the small portrait of his granddaughter, who was happily posed with a flower in her hand.

“Did you make this all by yourself?” Harry eyed her with a knowing look.

“Aunt Lily helped me,” Kelsey admitted.

“Oh, I see,” he answered with a small nod as his eyes quickly drifted up to find his daughter sitting a short distance from him, attempting to rock her grandson, Charlie, to sleep.

Harry’s eyes flitted back to the little girl in his lap. “It’s very beautiful,” he smiled, touching the edge of the charm carefully before speaking again. “I’m sure Nana will love it. Would you like for me to give it to her?” His voice was beginning to waver unsteadily as the thoughts of his grandchildren swirled in his mind. They wouldn’t get the chance to spend as many years with her like everyone else had; they’d been cheated of so much time with Ginny.

Vaguely, Harry noticed Kelsey’s nod as she pulled the charm from around her neck and placed it in his aged hands.

“Will you tell her that it’s from me?” she asked hopefully.

His eyes looked from the charm that he was now holding to the big, bright eyes shining up at him and swallowed the thick knot in his throat.

“Of course I will, sweetheart.”

“Can I come see her tomorrow?” Kelsey continued, causing Harry to flounder helplessly for a moment until the sound of his daughter-in-law’s voice caught him off guard.

“Kelsey, what are you doing in here?” Anna said with reproach as she walked towards Harry and her daughter. “I told you that you couldn’t come in here right now.”

Kelsey clung to her grandfather as she watched her mother draw closer. “I wanted to see Granddad,” she insisted stubbornly. Harry laughed to himself as he thought about just how much his granddaughter was like Ginny, so very headstrong at times.

“Granddad’s very busy, Kels. Come on,” Anna said, reaching out to take her daughter but Kelsey refused to budge.

“Dad, I’m so sorry,” she apologized with a sigh.

“It’s all right,” Harry assured her as he loosened Kelsey’s tight grip from around him slowly. Her eyes begged him not to make her go, but the longer she stayed there, the more he had to lie to her and he couldn’t bear another minute.

“You’d better listen to your mum, sweetheart. I’ll see you in a bit.” Kelsey pouted with disappointment.

“Can I have a kiss before you go?” Harry asked quickly before Anna could claim the young girl.

Without a second thought, she stretched up and kissed her grandfather on the cheek and then wrapped her small arms around his neck in a warm hug. “I love you, Granddad,” she said quietly.

His lips quivered as his strength faltered momentarily. There was so much meaning behind her words. Somehow finding his voice, he whispered back, “I love you, too.”

Harry watched the two of them go quietly, after Anna successfully removed Kelsey from his lap. He hadn’t wanted to be the one to answer all of her questions, but now that she was gone, he dreaded it just as much. Her absence left him not only trying to fill the void of her company but also left him without any distraction from his own thoughts.

Instead of withdrawing into the shadows of loneliness that had consumed his every second, he looked around the room. Harry noticed Ron and Hermione first, sitting closely together as they continued a discussion with James. They both looked worn and tired. He could only imagine what he looked like now. Standing across the room was Albus and his wife, Colleen. They were listening intently to the conversation as Colleen tried to do everything she could to comfort him.

Finally, his eyes fell on Lily again. Harry had not noticed before that David, Lily’s husband, was sitting with her. Now observing them quietly from afar, he watched his son-in-law as he would occasionally ask Lily if she was all right or remind her that he or anyone else could take Charlie off her hands.

But time and again, she assured him that she was fine and that she did not mind watching Charlie until their daughter, Sarah, arrived.

Harry kept to himself while the others continued discussing the matters of Ginny’s funeral. He did not pay much attention to what they were saying. Rather, his gaze stayed fixed on his daughter and great-grandson as she held him tight against her, his head resting on her shoulder. Harry watched his tiny body move with each breath while Lily slowly rubbed his back in soothing circles.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Harry heard a distant humming, a melody that seemed vaguely familiar to him. It wasn’t until moments later that he realized that Lily was quietly humming a song to Charlie as he slept, a song so deeply etched into Harry’s mind that suddenly, without warning, the old memories overwhelmed him.

“Your mum used to do that,” Harry whispered, not wanting to draw any attention but his daughter’s.

It took Lily a moment to realize that he was speaking to her. When her confused gaze finally met his, he saw the hidden tears in her eyes. “What’s that?”

Harry nodded in her direction. “When you and your brothers were little, your mum would rub circles across you back and sing that same lullaby to you,” he explained, glancing down at Charlie again.

Quiet tears rolled down Lily’s cheeks and it took her a moment to collect herself before she could speak.

“I know,” she swallowed. “She taught me after Sarah was born. I was having such a difficult time getting her down for a nap one day.” Lily’s smile was bittersweet as she spoke of her mother. “That’s when Mum told me about her little trick. She said it had always worked on us.”

“I only just remembered that,” Harry breathed. “I’d forgotten until now.” He paused, neither one of them saying anything for a moment. Harry could feel the sad truth crashing over like a drowning wave. “How many more memories do I have to lose before I can’t remember her anymore?”

“You won’t forget mum, Dad. There’s no way that it would ever happen. You wouldn’t let yourself…” Her voice trailed off as Harry thought fleetingly of Dumbledore’s pensieve that he had used all those years ago.

He shook his head slowly. “I’ve already lost the chance to say goodbye to her. How can I forgive myself for that?”

Lily sighed with a pitying expression and then turned to whisper something to her husband. Reaching over, David gently took Charlie from her arms and stood, making his way into the sitting room.

Lily hesitated for a moment before moving over to the empty chair closest to her father. She studied him, one hand now folded over the other on the wooden table in front of him, his back hunched over tired and weary. She couldn’t bear to see him in the broken state that he was in now.

“Dad,” Lily said softly, placing her hand on top of his. “You know that Mum loves you, right?” She wondered if this might be where all of his worry was coming from.

Harry gave a small nod in response.

“That will never change, no matter how far apart the two of you are.”

Harry’s voice was grave. “You don’t understand.” He hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to begin with. But the fact that he slept while she lay dying would always haunt him.

“Help me understand, Dad, please.”

He closed his eyes and hung his head. How could he tell her that he was ashamed of himself? Just then, he felt Lily’s hand slip between his, squeezing one of them.

“What if she had been trying to tell me something was wrong?” Harry muttered. Lily frowned, not understanding what her father was talking about. Raising his head slightly, his eyes took on a faraway look.

“I was sleeping while she was...” he could not finish it, could not say the word.

Lily did not say anything for a long moment. She sat quietly, confused by what his words meant until suddenly, she put the missing pieces of the puzzle together.

“You couldn’t have known, Dad.” She held her gaze on him despite the fact that he could not bring himself to look her in the eye. “There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

“I could have tried,” he said firmly, his jaw set.

“Mum wouldn’t have wanted you to. You know that, Dad. I know you do.” A frown set in Harry’s brow as his daughter spoke. “And I know that you didn’t want her to have to suffer anymore.”

She was right. He would not have wished another day on Ginny that she would have had to struggle through. But his selfishness did not want to let her go.

“I don’t want to lose…” Harry choked on his words.

“You still have so much more of Mum than you know. We all do.” She paused, remembering something. “Mum used to tell me that no matter where I went or what I did, she’d always be there with me. I just thought that she was saying that to make me feel better, but I found out that she was right. Even now…” Lily’s voice faded as she continued to watch her father. She knew that one day, he would understand how she felt.

They sat quietly together as James’s voice echoed softly through the kitchen, neither one of them paying any attention to what was going on.

“What do you think, Lil?” James asked. The sound of her name caught her off guard and she shook her head trying to focus.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Where do you think we should bury Mum?”

Lily blinked, her thoughts too muddled to give an answer. “Erm…I don’t really know.”

James nodded and looked back at the others, Albus and Colleen now seated at the table. “I think she should be buried with the family, unless Dad already has a place…” No one spoke as they waited to see if Harry might respond.

“Aunt Hermione,” James started when his father had not said anything. “Do you know if Dad-”

“She’s going to be buried under the oak tree,” Harry interrupted. Several of them frowned in confusion. They had not expected to hear that answer.

“Dad,” Lily’s voice questioned him, “are you sure that’s where-”

“That’s where she wants to be buried.”

James’s frown wore deep into him as he spoke carefully to his father. “Maybe we should bury her in a more proper place…”

Harry looked up at his oldest son, his expression and tone never more serious than it was at that moment. “That is a proper place.”