37Life never has a happy ending - Marcel Aymé
Life never has a happy ending, Ginny thought, watching as Harry slowly walked away and made his way towards Ron and Hermione. Hermione was crying on Ron's shoulder and he was gently rocking her as if she were a child.
Life never has a happy ending, she thought again, looking around her, at all those people who had come to mourn Dumbledore. She noticed that Hagrid was hugging Professor McGonagall, who was desperately crying.
She looked at Harry once more. He had his back turned to her but Ginny could notice that his shoulders were shaking. As if he had realised that she was staring at him, he turned his head. He looked at her; sadness and determination mingled in his eyes, just like when a few moments before he had broken up with her (broken up, broken up... those words echoed in her mind) for a greater good. He looked at her and then turned his head again.
Ginny bit her lower lip. Adieu Harry, she thought.
Life never has a happy ending.
Life never has a happy ending, Harry thought, as he was pretending to listen to Fleur's worries for the wedding.
'Yes... of course... I understand...' he was saying, trying to glance at Ginny, who purposely avoided his eyes.
How much he wanted to hug her, to touch her, her cheeks, her nose, and her hand, to kiss her, to kiss her everywhere, to hold her and never let her go.
But he couldn't. Because he loved her too much to make her suffer again.
But he couldn't. Because he had a mission, he had something important to do, and he couldn't just think of his own happiness.
But he couldn't. Because his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore… so many people had died because they trusted him and he couldn't disappoint them.
'Harry? Harry? Are you listening?' Fleur asked.
'Erm... what? Oh, yes, yes, sorry,' he quickly said, trying to focus on Fleur.
Life never has a happy ending.
'Life never has a happy ending,' Ginny murmured, looking at the crackling fire.
'What?' said Neville, who was sitting next to her.
'Life never has a happy ending,' Ginny repeated, louder.
'Well...'
'Harry, Ron and Hermione are Merlin knows where, maybe dead, maybe already dead,' she said, trying to remain calm, but her voice sounded false, even to her own ears. 'My whole family is in mortal danger. The school... the tortures... you.'
Ginny looked at the scars that Neville had on his face.
'Ginny... we cannot lose hope. We must think that...'
'Neville, please. I'm not a first-year. You don't have to be fake with me. Please.'
'Touché,' Neville said with a hollow laugh.
'Life never has a happy ending,' Ginny said in a statement-like tone.
Neville bowed his head and then took her hand.
'Life never has a happy ending,' Ginny repeated, squeezing his hand, and this time she couldn't choke back her tears.
'Life never has a happy ending,' Harry declared, looking on the Marauders' Map at a dot labelled 'Ginny Weasley'.
Hermione looked up from the book she was reading.
'Oh Harry...' Hermione said, tears glistening in her eyes.
Harry blushed. He hadn't realised he had said it aloud.
'Sorry. I...'
Hermione shook her head.
'Don't apologise. Please. You don't always have to be so strong.'
'Sorry,' Harry repeated.
Hermione sighed.
'There must be a happy ending, somewhere. There must be happiness. There must be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know it might sound a bit cliché, but...' Hermione paused and shuddered. 'We will win, Harry. We will be... happy... and protected... and safe... again. There must be a happy ending somewhere,' she repeated, 'even if we can't see it now.'
'How can you be so sure?' Harry asked, feeling an awkward lump in his throat.
'I'm not sure at all,' Hermione said, trying to smile through her tears, 'But I must believe it. I must believe it.'
Harry nodded, but couldn't help hearing the echo in his mind.
Life never has a happy ending.
Harry had just arrived at the Burrow when he caught glance through the crowd of a small figure.
'Ginny,' Harry called, making his way towards her.
He looked at her. She was dressed in black; her eyes were swollen, probably because she had cried a lot.
'Harry,' Ginny said quietly.
For a moment it almost looked like she wanted to smile, but in the end she didn't.
'I am... I... Fred...' Harry stammered.
'I know' Ginny said, putting a hand on his arm.
This is crazy, Harry thought. I'm supposed to comfort her, not the other way around.
'This is unfair' Ginny said.
'What do you mean?' Harry asked.
'I mean, we won the war. There was supposed to be happiness. We were supposed to be alright. We... you and me... this so unfair,' Ginny said, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
Harry hugged her tightly, drowning his face in her red hair. Who was holding the other? Was he holding her or was it the other way around? Those tears on his face, were they her tears or his own? That sigh, was it hers or was it his?
'It's so unfair,' Ginny repeated. 'It's unfair that Fred is not here. And Remus and Tonks. And Colin. And Sirius, Moody, Dumbledore, Cedric, your parents, and Neville's parents... everybody.'
Ginny released herself from his embrace and looked at him.
'I was so naive. I thought that once the war was over we would have our happy ending. That everything would be alright. I was so stupid. I was so wrong. Happy ending does not exist. Life never has a happy ending.'
Harry looked at her. He wanted to tell her something. He wanted to reassure her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright.
But those would have been lies. The very same lies he had been repeating to everybody in those days, because it was what he was expected to say, how he was expected to act.
But when he was with Ginny he didn't need to do anything like that. He didn't have to act strong, stronger than he actually was.
Ginny accepted him just the way he was. She was strong enough to carry his grief along with hers.
He looked so lost that Ginny almost smiled and squeezed his hands. Then suddenly she seemed to remember something.
'I have to go now' she said apologetically 'They need my help inside. Sorry.'
Harry looked at her black figure and couldn't help agreeing with her.
Life never has a happy ending.
Harry swallowed. He had never been so nervous in his whole life. Well, maybe he had been. But he had never experienced that kind of 'positive' nervousness.
'Harry' a voice said.
He looked up and saw Hermione, who was smiling broadly at him.
'Hi,' Harry said. 'How are things going inside?'
'Normal,' Hermione replied. 'She'll be ready soon. She looks beautiful in white, you know.'
'I never doubted that,' Harry said, smiling.
'Harry,' Hermione said, 'do you remember when... well... Ron left us during the War?'
Harry looked at her, surprised. Neither Hermione nor Ron ever mentioned that episode.
'Yes,' Harry answered.
'And... well... that night when you said that life never has a happy ending... do you remember it?'
Harry nodded.
'Well... I just wanted to ask you... do you still believe it?'
'Ginny' a male voice called.
'Neville,' Ginny said, with a smile. 'What are you doing here?'
'I just... wanted to see you before you become Mrs Potter,' Neville said, chuckling. 'I thought there would be plenty of people here,' he added, looking around. 'Why are you alone?'
'I asked everybody to leave me alone for a moment.'
'Oh, I... I guess I'll leave, then,' Neville said.
'No, no, please. Come here' Ginny said.
Neville sat down next to her.
'I wanted to ask you something,' Neville said.
'You're secretly in love with me and you want to ask me to leave Harry at the altar,' Ginny said, laughing.
'No, not really,' Neville said, chuckling, 'I just wanted to ask you... Remember that time, during the War... we were in the Common Room and you said... that... life never has a happy ending? Do you remember?'
'Yes. I do remember,' Ginny said, nodding.
'Do you... er... do you still think so?'
'Ginny! I'm home' Harry said.
Nobody answered.
'Ginny!'
He saw her descending the stairs.
'Sssh,' Ginny said, putting a finger on her mouth, 'He has just fallen asleep.'
'Ah,' Harry said. 'Can I see him?'
'Yes, but be quiet,' Ginny said, taking his hand and leading him towards James's room.
The bedroom was dark, but Harry could make out the small figure of his son sleeping.
'He is so perfect,' Harry whispered, standing on the threshold.
Ginny nodded, with a proud smile.
'Ginny... do you remember... what we said during the war... that life never has a happy ending?'
'Yes' Ginny said.
'I really believed it, you know. I was sure that... there wasn't any happy ending.'
'So was I' Ginny murmured.
'And I still feel like I should think so, you know, out of respect for all the people who died and didn't have their happy ending. But now... looking at him... at you... at us... I think...' Harry trailed off, looking unable to finish his sentence.
'So do I, Harry. So do I' Ginny said, grinning.
Harry smiled back at her and kissed the top of her head and they stood there, with their hands entwined, looking at their son sleeping, maybe dreaming.
Sometimes life does have a happy ending.
A/N This was written for Gaby-Black's 'French Challenge'. We were supposed to choose a quotation out of the ten that she proposed and to use in the story a couple of French words that are used in English. The words I used where 'Adieu', 'Touchè' and 'Naive'.
As always, a big thank you to Gaby-Black, who edited this story.
Reviews would be highly appreciated :)