Grief Explained

Weeks after the funeral, they were all still grieving. George had stopped sleeping in their room and had taken refuge in the living room couch. Mr. Weasley always seemed to still confuse his once twins but if he was doing it intentionally to feel like he still had both, no one was sure. Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to be grieving the most, still washes his son's clothes every week even if no one had actually the guts to wear them.

Harry watched all of this everyday. He was alternately guilty and pained. The little happiness he felt over having defeated Voldemort faded every day he watched the Weasleys mourn over their loss. He had began spending most of his days outside, flying in Ron's broomstick all over the place and trying to forget the worst inside the house.

It was in one of these days that Ginny found him, suspended in the air and hovering over the fields. "Do you not plan to go down for lunch?" she asked, looking down at the house.

"Hey there," Harry replied with a small smile. She was still radiant, Ginny. Even if the loss of her brother had taken most of the light out of her eyes.

"Mum's asked me to call you. Reckoned you'd be here, Hermione saw you take off. Come on down, Harry."

"Do you think they could ever forgive me? That you could ever forgive me?"

"For what? For saving the whole of the wizarding world? That's hardly a sin, you know."

"I didn't mean that. I meant being the reason for your loss. Every day, I think about all those times I could have stopped that brewing war from happening. I think about how I could have saved him. Or how I could have given all of you enough protection."

"We don't blame you for what happened, Harry. We could never do that. Without you, we might lose all of our lives that night."

"All of your sacrifices. I try to find every single way to repay them. But every single time, I seem to make you bear more sufferings."

"Will you quit that Harry Potter?!" Ginny shouted at him.

Startled, Harry turned to see her glowering at him. Her radiant face was red and her jaw was so set she seemed to have forgotten how to unlock it.

"Do you not realise how we were so close to losing you? Do you not know how we were so frightened of that? Mum, Ron, Hermione, me! We love you. Fred loved you. He was willing to sacrifice his life for you. We knew what we were getting into the day we accepted you in our family. We knew all the possibilities when we went to Hogwarts and decided to fight with you. And for your information, we wanted to help every bit as much for ourselves than for you! Now come down and eat with us!"

It was the first time Ginny spoke of those things. Harry was shattered. He started to fly back to the ground with all of Ginny's words in his mind. It's time to return all the favors. The Weasleys were his family already. He would grieve with them and show them everyday how much he loved them.