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Ginny slowly made her way to Jemina and fell down on her knees. She just sat there, staring at Jemina without saying another word. She had tons of thoughts running through her mind and mixed emotions in her heart... She didn't know what she should feel or do or say. She was just numb for a few moments. Neville, Luna, Eleanor and Noah who were all crying moved away to give Ginny the space she needed.

As he moved, Neville placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder and whispered through his tears. "I am so sorry, Gin."

That snapped Ginny out of her thoughts, and she shrugged off his hand on her shoulder and chuckled. "Why are you saying sorry? Can't you see her? She's still smiling. She just has scars and wounds all over her body. But she's still alive... Here, let me show you."

The Gryffindor didn't realize her tears were streaming down her cheeks as she took out her wand and started casting the Healing Spell on one of Jemina's open wounds. "Cicatrize."

But the wound didn't close, and a scar didn't form over it. Ginny though just swallowed the lump in her throat and tried again. "Cicatrize. Cicatrize. Cicatrize!"

However, her spells didn't work no matter how many times she tried. It broke the heart of every wizard there in the Great Hall to see and hear how Ginny was in disbelief over Jemina's death. The remaining members of the Nosebusters and Dumbledore's Army cried harder at her actions. Whether you were close to Jemina or not, her death would pain you deeply. Jemina was precious to each and every one of them there.

"Miss Weasley..." Professor Sprout's voice came from behind her. She held Ginny's hand that was continuously trying to heal Jemina's wounds and stopped her in what she was doing. She and Professor McGonagall saw what was happening and decided to step in. Their hearts also ached for Jemina who they knew fought bravely just in coming back even if she was a Muggleborn... so, they couldn't stand seeing Ginny, the one who Jemina loved, like this.

"That is enough, Ginny." Professor McGonagall spoke in a soft voice, placing a hand on her student's shoulder. "We are so sorry, but... Jemina is gone."

Ginny closed her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to believe it. Did Tonks feel like this a while ago when Ria died in front of her? Like she didn't want to believe it even if the truth was right in front of her? She just shook her head and sat there. No, she wasn't gone. Her body was cold, her smile was empty, her eyes were closed but Ginny was telling herself over and over that she was still here.

Aberforth was sitting at the side, watching the scene with a sad expression. Jemina was a good kid. She should've had more time. But what did he expect from the deities and fate? They did as they pleased, playing around with people's lives. Playing with Jemina and Deanna's lives and fate when they didn't deserve that.

Pansy, Theo, Blaise and Daphne suddenly arrived at the Great Hall after hearing the news Jemina died. Their hearts fell when they indeed saw Ginny Weasley with a body and slowly made their way towards them. Jemina, the person besides Deanna, who was so kind to the Slytherins, was dead. They would forever be grateful to her for accepting them. Neville who was the first to see them smiled sadly, and the four smiled back at him though the smiles never reached their eyes. They stood there in silence with Dumbledore's Army and mourned with everyone else.

"That spell of Deanna's..." Professor Sprout said gently. "The Healing Spell works only on people who are still living. It is hard, and I truly am sorry, but she's gone."

It was silent for a few moments after Professor Sprout said that. Ginny's tears were coming harder than ever. It was slowly sinking in... Jemina was gone. Jemina was done. Jemina had passed on. Then, a sob escaped her lips followed by another and she buried her face into Jemina's chest. She finally let herself cry as she accepted the inevitable. Jemina was dead.

She should have never let Jemina go alone. She should have stayed with her until the end. She should have kissed her a hundred times and told her she loved her for every star she counted in the sky. She should have made Jemina feel the love she deserved even if they were only together for a short amount of time. Their time was stolen from them. They didn't even get the chance to make their dreams come true. They wanted to be a Quidditch player and a professor. They wanted to make their dreams come true together. How can they do that now Ginny was left all alone?

"Then, do you see me in your future?"

"There is no future without you, Gin. I may be uncertain of everything else, but I have no doubt you are in my future."

She lived fine before meeting Jemina. But the moment the Hufflepuff showed up in front of her on the verge of death, it started then. A life without Jemina was impossible. Ginny had no future without Jemina. The Nightingale was in Ginny's future, there was no doubt about that. Is that why the future seemed so bleak and dark now?

"I can wait until the day you can talk to me again. I've waited for 5 years... I can wait for a little more. Because I have loved you since we were 11. I'll be waiting for you, Ginevra Weasley. I will wait as long as it takes."

"The wait will be worth it."

"I told you, it would be worth it." Ginny sobbed out, her chest burning with this immeasurable pain of losing Jemina. "You said you would wait, and I told you, the wait will be worth it. But why did you go and leave me?"

Jemina had always been there. Patiently waiting for Ginny. For her to be noticed, for her answer, for her to come back, for her to say those three words back. She was still waiting. But she was just waiting in another world now. She waited for 5 years, and she would gladly wait again no matter how many years would pass. But Ginny wanted her to stop waiting. She didn't want Jemina to wait for her there in the skies. Ginny wanted her to come back. Was it too much to ask?

Ginny Weasley let out another cry and held onto Jemina's body tighter, breaking the hearts of Deanna, Harry, Hermione and Ron who just arrived and heard her sob. Deanna turned around and left without another word, Jemina's death weighing on her heavily. She knew Jemina was now a star in the sky, and she couldn't help but blame herself for letting that happen.

Everyone there could only hope... hope Ginny's bruised and wounded heart would somehow be healed. It was seeming impossible at the moment, but there was nothing wrong with hoping. Hope was the only thing they had left.

If only the Healing Spell, Cicatrize, could also work for broken hearts.

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A bright and blinding light shone on her, making her face contort at the radiance. It was too bright that she saw it behind her closed eyelids. Then, her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked them slowly to adjust to the light.

Jemina Nightingale opened her eyes and looked in front of her, seeing herself in what seemed to be a white and clean version of the Great Hall. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was pushing George and feeling the weight of the wreckage on her body then pain all over. She was surprised when she didn't feel pain anymore, anywhere in her body and inspected her arms and face to find no wounds and bruises. There were only the scars that remained but no new wounds.

And then it hit her. Oh, right. She died. She was dead. Jemina smiled sadly, feeling a pang in her heart when she remembered Ginny. She felt sorry that she wouldn't be able to keep her promises. The dreams they had of the future would never come true. She had to leave Ginny alone when Ginny told her to wait for her. She could only apologize though and wait for Ginny to come here one day. It would be a long time before that day would come, but Jemina was patient. Especially when it came to Ginny Weasley.

"Jemina."

The Hufflepuff looked behind her at the call of her name and saw a beaming Fred Weasley. Oh... He was also dead. She felt sorry then for Fred who had to go so soon when he had big dreams of spreading laughter and happiness. She felt sorry for the Weasleys and especially for George, Fred's twin. It must be so hard for them to know they had lost a member of their big family and that there would be an emptiness that could never be filled. Her heart ached more for Ginny. She didn't just lose Jemina but her brother too...

Fred walked towards her and held out his hand. "I'm Fred Weasley."

"I'm Jemina. Jemina Nightingale." Jemina smiled back at him, but as she reached her hand out to shake his, her eyes widened when the tall redhead pulled her in for a hug. Jemina stood there awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to do, before she patted Fred on the back lightly.

"Thank you... for saving Georgie." Fred spoke softly, forever grateful for this girl who gave up her life to save his twin. She didn't know how much it meant to him. Despite the fact that Jemina did not really know George, she still pushed him out of the way and saved him. "Thank you..."

Jemina's eyes softened at that, and she continued giving Fred comforting pats on the back. She would have done it for anyone else. If sacrificing herself meant she could do something good like saving another life or taking down Death Eaters with her, she would gladly do so over and over again.

Fred then pulled away and looked at Jemina with a small smile. "It's nice to finally meet the woman who captured my sister's heart. Though I am sorry... You had to cut your growing relationship with her short to save my brother."

"It will be fine." Jemina smiled sincerely at the Weasley, his red hair and brown eyes reminding her of the redhead she loved deeply. She spoke only the truth. She and surely Ginny as well, weren't fine. But they will be. Somehow. "We'll be fine in the end. Ginny has our friends and your family. I am sad, of course, but I'm not worried at all. She will be fine..."

Fred couldn't help but grin at that. "I approve of you! When you and my sister have your wedding... well, if you can get married up here, I'll be your best man. Don't you worry... You will get married to my sister, right?"

The Muggleborn laughed loudly at his words. Ginny was right, Fred could indeed bring laughter even in an unfortunate situation. "If Ginny will have me, I would love to marry her."

"Then, it's set! I will make your wedding happen at all costs!"

The two of them burst into laughter once more when...

"A wedding, you say? Between Jemina and Ginny. Well, I'd love to see that."

Jemina's eyes widened when she saw Ria and Remus walking towards them with smiles on their faces, making them look younger despite their exhausted expressions. "Ria... Professor Lupin."

"Hello, Miss Nightingale and Fred." Remus smiled at the two. "It's unfortunate but... It's a pleasure to see you two here. Some familiar faces."

"It's worse than better, but it's still good to see you, Lupin-Black, Ria." Fred greeted them back.

"Always a pleasure." Ria grinned at the two younger wizards. "So, what is this we're hearing about a wedding?"

Jemina blushed when all eyes turned to her at Ria's question. Why did they look so serious? They were just joking about the wedding (though Jemina wasn't joking when she said she wanted to marry Ginny).

Remus frowned all of a sudden and raised an eyebrow at Jemina who wanted to run at that moment, feeling fear at her former professor's expression. "Don't tell me you were planning a wedding without us? Don't you need an Auror as your bodyguard and a werewolf as your ceremony official? I do make great speeches."

Jemina let out a sigh of relief at that, making Fred, Ria and Remus grin at her before the four of them laughed once more and continued talking about weddings, memories and jokes.

Of course, they missed their loved ones dearly and wanted nothing more than to come back and have a second chance at life, but it was all over for them. They were dead, and they accepted it. The only thing they could do now was lean on each other and wait... Wait for the day they could be reunited once more with their loved ones.

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"Gin..."

Ginny ignored their calls, her face still buried in Jemina's chest and her hold on the Hufflepuff not even loosening a little. Hermione, Eleanor, Noah, Neville, Luna and the Weasleys were still beside her, trying to talk to her but to no avail. Nobody, not even Molly and Arthur, not even her brothers, not even her friends... Nobody could comfort Ginny's soul and so, they let her grieve while staying by her side.

She wasn't crying anymore. She was numb, like the will to live was taken from her when Jemina died. She felt dead... She didn't even notice how Ron arrived, how Noah and Neville left and how Hermione came and went... Everything else seemed like a blur to her who couldn't let go of Jemina.

"NO!" Noah's loud shout was heard all of a sudden, alarming everyone in the Great Hall.

"Gin, stay here first. We'll go and see what's happening." Eleanor squeezed her on the shoulder before they ran out, leaving behind the injured, the dead and Ginny. As much as she was also curious about what was happening, Ginny just didn't have the energy to get up.

"Harry Potter is dead!" Voldemort announced gleefully before laughing. Ginny's eyes widened at that. Harry too? That made her lift her head up from Jemina's chest. Was it true?

"NO! NO!" Noah's sobs were heard again, and that pretty much confirmed it for Ginny.

The redhead let out a shaky sigh and closed her eyes. Harry was gone too... It meant they were even more vulnerable than they already were, two of their leaders had already died. That meant she couldn't mope around now while everyone was battling for their lives out there. She knew Jemina wouldn't want that.

Ginny looked back at Jemina with a sad smile before she bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "You've always fought even when you were wounded and in pain. Rest well, Commander Badger. I'll continue this fight for you."

With a fire burning in Ginny's eyes and her soul, she picked up her wand and rushed out of the Great Hall and to the Entrance where Neville was standing in the middle while facing the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army.

"Yeah. We lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, in here." Neville pointed to his chest. "So's Fred... and Remus and Ria. And Jemina who has endured all torture and pain just to give us hope. All of them. They didn't die in vain."

Ginny let a small smile come onto her face at that. He was right. They weren't going to let Jemina die in vain. They weren't going to let the deaths of their friends and loved ones go to waste.

"But you will." Neville bellowed at Voldemort who was chuckling lowly. "Because you're wrong. Harry and Jem's hearts. They beat for us. For all of us. This is not over!"

Then, everything happened all at once. Deanna moved in front of Neville and met Voldemort's spell with her own while Neville got out the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat that he was holding. Harry who had been pretending he was dead this entire time jumped out of Hagrid's arms and cast a fire spell at the snake. Ginny along with everyone in the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army were shocked but relieved while Voldemort and his Death Eaters were flabbergasted and angry.

The battle raged on once more with Harry's revival, and Ginny smiled before they went back into the castle and started fighting the Death Eaters that advanced, making her friends smile at her. For Jemina, she would continue to fight until they finally won this war.

The fire was rekindled once more, and they were going to make sure this one wouldn't die.

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