Broken Glass

Part 1

I was sitting under a tree in the vast lawns of Hogwarts. My gaze directed towards the castle but I wasn't exactly looking at the castle. The images of the war were playing in front of my eyes. Death eaters and the order engaged in duels. Dodging hexes and casting their own. Giants coming through the bridge destroying it in the process. Spiders roaming about killing and eating people. It was destruction all around. Me, Harry and Ron running from between all of it. How we survived it was beyond comprehension for me now. I could see the whomping willow at a distance, standing ever so peaceful. I remember it whomping and crushing and throwing about anything that came it's way that night.

I remembered the shrieking shack and Prof Snape being killed by Voldemort. I couldn't help but tears flowing through my eyes at the thought of him. Just then Ginny walked in.

"What are you doing out here 'Moine?" She asked.

"nothing" I lied while wiping my tears off.

She gave me a smile which didn't reach her eyes.

"You'll go crazy if you keep reliving it" she said sitting beside me.

I sighed and laid back on the grass.

"All of us keep reliving it everyday and every night Ginny.." I said looking above at the astronomy tower. Ginny followed my gaze. There stood Draco not particularly looking anywhere. He just stood there hands on the railing. A few birds flew around him. Seemed like he conjured them through the wandless magic that he had learnt during the war. The birds were black in color and they suddenly burst into ashes. New birds arose midway from the ashes again. She sighed too.

It had become kind of a routine since the time we had come back to Hogwarts after the war. He used to stand at the Astronomy tower. And I would sit here under the tree. We didn't talk. Sometimes our eyes did meet but we would just stare at each other and then look away. Both of our eyes screamed for help but none felt the courage to go to the other.

"Everything looks almost the same though" she said getting lost in thoughts of her own.

"You can say that.. but if you look closely enough you will see the cracks in the walls.. the imperfections in the perfections.." I told her still lost in thoughts now looking into the sky.

"How long will all of us take to move on?" her voice was trembling now.

"I don't know Ginny" my voice remained dry though.

"Mom is crying day and night.. It was very difficult for me to leave her home.. but she insisted that I come back" she was crying now.

I turned my head to her and pursed my lips sympathetically.

"Don't worry Ron and George are there with her." I tried to reassure her.

She sighed. "Remember when Fred and George flew through these very corridors. 'To our freedom' they had screamed." she laughed through her tears. I held her hand and squeezed it in a bid to support her.

She took a deep breath and got hold of her emotions.

"I am fine" she said with a smile.

I looked up again to see if Draco was still there. He in fact was. And this time he was watching us. Suddenly it felt like me and Ginny were doing something wrong sharing each other's pain. He clearly was alone and I knew not many people wanted to talk to him. I left Ginny's hand. I don't know why I felt guilty.

Ginny looked at me and then turned her head to where I was looking. She saw Draco looking at the two of us and even from so far away the contorted look on his face told us that he was holding back his storm. He was in dire need of a hand that would hold his own.