Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated to J K Rowling, Warner Bros studio or the actors who portrayed the characters. Harry Potter does not belong to me. No money was made in the making and/or distribution of this story. All characters, places and events is completely fictional and made for the purpose of entertainment. Any similarity with real life situation or person is completely coincidental.

AN: First of I want to thank my best friend - who will remain nameless by her request - for Beta reading this for me. She is the only reason this makes sense.

This is my first entry to the 100 Prompt Challenge - Harry Potter Style. The Prompt was #77 Platform 9 3/4. If anyone is interested in the master list, don't hesitate to ask!

I hope you all enjoy this, don't forget to review to let me know what you thought!

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Platform 9 ¾

~o~

"We are going to be sooooo late!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione's panicked words, and simply pushed the trolley carrying their trunks forward. The train station was packed, students and parents alike crowding the small platform. They were cries of goodbyes, good luck, and I'll see you at Christmas all around the two of them, but Ginny ignored all that, having already said her own goodbyes the night before.

It had taken some doing to convince her parents and siblings not to go and see her off for her last year at Hogwarts. It wasn't just the fact that her seventh year marked a milestone in her life, but ever since the end of the war Molly Weasley had been more clingy than usual over her only daughter. Not that anyone could blame her. The poor woman had, after all, lost one of her own children, and Ginny being the youngest and the only one still living at home, had to deal with her mother's mood.

Truth be told Ginny hadn't resented the attention too much. She had lost her brother too, and the loss hadn't stopped there. There were other family members that had died as well, and friends that had fallen. At the end, it hadn't been just her mother who needed the illusion of her still being a child. So Ginny took the time and the attention, knowing that she couldn't lie to herself much longer once September first rolled around.

"Come on, Ginny. We need to get our stuff inside and get a compartment." Hermione said, annoyance clear in her voice. "There are almost twice the usual number of students this year." Without waiting for Ginny, she took her trunk from the trolley and made her way inside the train.

Ginny watched her brother's girlfriend go without a word, and without following her. She did get her own trunk off the trolley, but instead of getting on the Hogwarts Express, she sat on the old, battered trunk, watching as all the madness unfolded around her.

Hermione might have exaggerated about the amount of students, but there were more than usual. All the students that had missed last year were invited back. Muggleborns for the most part, but Ginny saw plenty of faces that should have graduated last year on the platform now. She didn't look for the two faces she longed to see the most, because she knew they weren't there. Her brother Ron – annoying prat that he was – was now working full time with George at the joke shop their older sibling had once shared with his twin, Fred. And Harry – her noble git – had been recruited to join the Auror office at the Ministry. She couldn't blame them for choosing not to return to Hogwarts for their last year, even though she knew Hermione was furious with them still. Ginny understood why they had decided against going back.

"Ten minutes! Ten Minutes!"

She ignored the shouted warning, remaining seated at the top of her trunk, her hands clasped tightly on her lap. Even above all the noise and the chatter, Ginny could hear the sound of her heart beating furiously against her chest, like it wanted to get out. She was half tempted to let it.

There was a feather under her nose, seemingly out of nowhere, and for a moment Ginny froze in place, before turning confused eyes on her best friend. "Luna, what are you doing?" She asked, pushing Luna's hand, and the feather it was holding, away from her face. For some reason, now all she could smell was strawberries.

Smiling gently at Ginny, Luna slipped the feather inside her cloak, and sat at the edge of Ginny's trunk. "Daddy thought you looked like you were bitten by a garliak." She explained, her serene tone winding around Ginny's small frame making her relax. "I have to agree."

Lips twitching with amusement, Ginny turned her head toward the blonde girl. Knowing the routine by heart she asked, "What's a garliak and what happens when you get bitten by one?"

"They are a cross between a dozzy and non magical insect. They are naturally disillusioned, and found most often at cross roads. They seek wizards who are facing great turmoil, and if they bite them, the witch or wizard becomes paralyzed with indecision, unable to choose which way to go." Luna explained, her attention flitting from her friend for a moment when she heard her name called, she quickly raised her arm in a wave, before turning once more to Ginny. "If the wizard isn't shaken from their paralysis within two hours, the garliak will sneak to their brain by their ears, and eat it."

Ginny blinked, then shuddered when a colorful image of an insect-like creature eating her brain formed inside her mind. She knew better than to believe such creature actually existed, but it was a great way to freak her out all the same. "I'm guessing a strawberry smelling feather is used to wake the wizard from the paralysis."

Luna nodded, patting Ginny's shoulder gently. "Yes, thankfully dad always carried one with him. You are lucky he noticed you before he left."

Ginny sighed sadly at the mentioned of Luna's dad. She had an odd, soft spot for the man, despite everything that happened during the war. "I wish he would speak to me." She said, then regretted the words.

It was Luna's time to sigh, and it remained Ginny that despite everything, her best friend was still human instead of being the ethereal being the redhead thought Luna was more often than not. "I wish he would too," She confessed, moving her gaze over the platform but her father was long gone. "He misses you. But he is too embarrassed by what happened. Especially when he found out that you and Harry were married."

Ginny chocked on her own saliva. "Luna, we are not married!" She said, her voice raising slightly.

"Hmm." She smiled at her friend, disbelief and amusement on her face. "Either way, I think you should come home for Christmas. Daddy would like that I'm sure." Standing up from the trunk, she leaned down and kissed Ginny on the head. "I'll see you later, Ginny." She took two steps, then stopped and turned back. "Ginny, you should make a decision before another garliak can bite you. There might not be another wizard with a strawberry bathed feather around next time."

Without waiting for Ginny to reply to her, Luna turned once more and walked to the train. For her part, Ginny didn't have more than a few seconds to wonder about her friend before sensing another figure looming over her. She knew it was Harry before she turned, and the smile she gave him was both full of surprise and confusion. "Harry, what are you doing here?"

He took a seat on the trunk, where Luna had been sitting mere seconds before. "You didn't think I would miss seeing you off, did you?" Uncaring about who was watching them, he took her hand in his, squeezing it gently.

"We already said goodbye." But she didn't sound mad about his appearance there, and was in fact, smiling up at him.

"Give me a break," He said, bumping her knee with his own. "I'm not going to see you for months."

"Five minutes! All aboard, Five minutes!"

Harry winced as the man shouting the time passed in front of them. He turned quickly to look at his girlfriend, ready to help her get her things on the train, but Ginny didn't show any signs of getting up from the trunk. "You okay?" He asked her, entwining their fingers together.

"Hermione is really pissed at you two for not going back." She said as a way of reply, but she was watching Harry's face carefully, like she was trying to find the answer to a complicated problem.

At that reminder, Harry grimaced. "Ron is getting the worse end of the deal, thankfully." He grinned a little at that. As the boyfriend, his best friend was suffering far more than Harry ever would. "She'll get over it. She wanted us there, but she knows, at the heart of it, it wasn't what we needed to do."

"Yeah, I don't really see the two of you back there, either."

Harry didn't retort right away, but knowing Ginny he knew there was a reason why she brought up the subject. "Do you see yourself back there?" He had asked her twice about Hogwarts, both times hoping she would tell him she was staying, but she hadn't said that and despite wanting to spend all the time he could with her, Harry hadn't dare ask her to stay for his sake. They each had to do what they had to do, and if it meant being apart for a few months, they could manage it. They had been through worse.

"I thought so." She confessed, her free hand moving inside the pocket of her cloak. "But now that I'm here..."

"You are having second thoughts?" He piped in when she let the sentence trail off.

Ginny shook her head, then nodded, then shook it again. "I don't know, I just.." She took a deep breath. "I have been feeling this way for a while." The words came now in a rush, and she was grateful to finally be able to let them free. "I thought this was what I had to do. Go back to Hogwarts, finish my education, blah, blah, blah. Yet, the closer September first approaches, the more restless I become. How could I return to Hogwarts when my friends couldn't? How can I go back to that place and act like nothing ever happened? Like my friends didn't die in there, like my brother – " There her voice broke, and she had to take several breaths to stop the sobs that were threatening to come out. Had to blink furiously to stop the tears pricking at the back of her eyes from falling. "I can't do it. Hogwarts was a dream to me. Since the moment I was old enough to understand that's where Bill would disappear to for months at a time. It was all I ever wanted.

"Then Tom ruined it. He killed the dream for me, and yet I forced myself to go back year after year. But it wasn't the same and I never could get back what he stole from me. I can't do it again." That confession pained her. To admit such weakness was not easy for her, and Harry was perhaps the only one who would ever understand just how much it cost her. What it really meant. "I don't want to go back." After letting all that out, it took her a few moments to battle back the emotion, and even then, she could feel the tremors coursing through her body.

"You don't have to go back." Harry said softly, resisting the urge of gathering Ginny in his arms. That gesture would be more for him than her, and he understood her enough to realize that she needed his comfort, but also needed to know she could hold herself together by sheer will. So he did the next best thing and brought the hand he was holding to his lips, kissing it reverently. "I don't care what Hermione says, or your mother." The last was a stretch and they both knew it. But then, who wouldn't be scared? The woman had taken Bellatrix Lestrange in battle after all. "You have to do what's right for you, Ginny."

"I don't even know what that is anymore." She murmured, but since the train let out a loud whistle then, she wasn't sure Harry heard her.

"ALL ABOARD!" The last shout rang out, and seconds later the train started it's march. Both Harry and Ginny watched it move pass them in silence. For a moment, the entire world stood still, then the sound of wizards disappearing from the station was heard. In a matter of minutes, they were the only two remaining.

For all that time Ginny had remained quiet, looking into the distance where the train was turning into a tiny dot. "Hermione is going to kill me." She said in a half groan, half laugh once they couldn't see the train any longer. Part of the weight that had been on her shoulders for the past few weeks, lifting. "Hell, she'll have to wait until Christmas."

"That's the spirit." Harry said, wrapping an arm around Ginny's shoulder and bringing her closer to him. "What are you going to do now?"

She shrugged then slipped out two pieces of parchment from the pocket of her cloak. Handing them to Harry, she rested her head against the nook between his head and shoulder. "I have a couple of offers," She confided.

"My, aren't you full of surprises this morning?" Harry said in a dry tone, but he took what Ginny gave him, realizing quickly they were letters. "What the – " His green eyes narrowed in consideration when he recognized the handwriting on the first letter. Clearing his throat he read the letter quickly.

Dear Ms. Weasley,

First of all congratulations on your 17th birthday. I can only wish that this new journey into adulthood brings you nothing but good things, with none of the sorrow of the past.

I hope you remember our conversation this past May, as I'm writing to you this time in the hopes that you might reconsider and take the offer I made of joining the Auror Office. As I promised, I have reserved a spot for you, and will continue to hold it open for you for the next several weeks. Should you choose to accept it, present yourself at the Dpt. of Law Enforcement by September 11.

If you don't, please know that I wish you nothing but the best in whatever journey you wish to embark upon. Like I said in May, Ms. Weasley, I expect great things to come from you.

My best regards,

Kingsley Schacklebolt

Minister of Magic

Harry tilted his face towards his girlfriend, to find Ginny watching him with apprehension. "Kingsley asked you to become an Auror back in May and you said nothing?" He wasn't entirely surprised about that. Ginny was extremely powerful, and he remember back when he taught DA, she was always one of the first students to successfully master the spells he taught. Once Harry had left to search for the Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione, it had been Ginny herself who had taken over the club during the war. His Auror partner, Neville, had been right beside her, and he had told Harry everything they had been through during those months. If even half of what he said was true, Harry could understand why the Minister of Magic himself would want her in office.

But damn if it didn't bother him the fact that neither the Minster nor his girlfriend had talked to him about it.

Ginny looked guilty for a moment, but she nodded. "I know I should have told you about it. It's not like I wanted to keep it a secret, I was just..." She shrugged. "I don't know what you were going to say. But I knew that if I talked to you about it, I would have to say yes to the offer. For the wrong reasons."

His brows pulled together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you told me you didn't want me to join because it was too dangerous for me or some rubbish like that, I would have joined just to prove a point."

Offended, he poked her side. "I would have never said that. I like my head just where it is, thank you."

She snorted. "I know. But then you would have told me to accept so we would work together."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, because she was right. He was half composing his speech to Neville about changing partners in his head, and he had known about her offer for a minute. "True. And you would have joined, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but again, for the wrong reason. Working with you would have been fun but that's hardly a reason to become an Auror, Harry."

"You don't want to."

She shook her head. "I don't. I never saw myself hunting dark wizards for a living. Maybe it's weak of me, I don't know, but after Tom, I want to stay as far away from all of that as I can."

Harry took her hand once more, squeezed it. "That's not being weak, Ginny. Being an Auror is just not your calling, and there is nothing wrong with that." He wasn't sure he had said anything really deep, yet he felt Ginny relax against him.

"Read the second letter." She asked him.

Harry switched parchments. The second letter was shorter still and right to the point.

Ms. Ginevra M Weasley,

We've received your application, and after careful consideration and an extensive selection process, we feel you are a potential candidate for the team. The next part of the process requires physical representation.

Please report to Harpies Club House on September 4 at 10:30 am.

We look forward to seeing you,

Gwendolyn Jones

Shocked, Harry couldn't manage a single word. Scared that she might have broken him, Ginny poked him. "Say something."

"You applied to a Quidditch team and didn't say anything?" Now he sounded outraged.

"No, no." She shook her head quickly. "I didn't. God, I didn't even think I would be good enough to play Quidditch professionally for Merlin's sake!" She exclaimed quickly, and there was so much disbelief in her voice that Harry couldn't help but believe her. "It was McGonagall. She applied for me, sent a recommendation letter too. Slughorn did, too, for that matter. Sent a recommendation letter I mean."

"Are you going to try-out?"

Ginny chewed her bottom lip, then shrugged. "I'm going to make a fool of myself." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"You are not." Wrapping an arm around Ginny's shoulder and bringing her closer, he kissed the top of her head. "Ginny, you are the best damn chaser I have ever seen. They are going to take one look at you and sign you up on the spot."

"You don't know that." Despite her words, Harry saw the hope in her eyes.

"I do know that. You were born to play Quidditch. Not only can you play chaser like no one before, but you are a pretty awesome seeker as well. Plus, I have seen you playing keeper, you might be better than Ron there too. Though if you tell him I said that, I will deny it." She chuckled, and Harry grinned. "Ginny you need to go to that try-out. If you made the team – and you will – then great, if not, at least you would know without a doubt." He kissed her head again, as she wrapped her own arms around his middle.

"What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burn."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Mum is going to kill me when she finds out that I'm not going back to Hogwarts, maybe she will go easy if she thinks I have a plan for my life."

"You do." He said quickly. "You are going to play Quidditch, and you are going to move in with me."

Ginny groaned, and pulled herself away from Harry. "Not that again. If I tell her I'm moving in with my boyfriend, mum is not going to kill me, she is going to kill you."

"I told you, I'm not scared of your mum." Ginny was about to roll her eyes once more, but she saw the shape of a silver, wispy animal making it's way to the platform over the train tracks. "Is that," Harry started, standing from the trunk to get a better look. "Hermione's patronus?"

Sure enough, seconds later Hermione's otter was standing in front of them. They didn't have to wait long to figure out why she sent it, as her voice boomed as loudly and scary as if it had come from a Howler. "GINNY WEASLEY. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! WHAT WERE YOU PLAYING AT? MISSING THE TRAIN? YOU BETTER FIND YOUR WAY TO THE CASTLE, BECAUSE MERLIN HELP YOU IF YOU ARE NOT THERE WHEN THE TRAIN ARRIVES! AND HARRY, I KNOW YOU ARE THERE WITH HER. DEAN SAW YOU THROUGH THE WINDOW. IF YOU TALKED GINNY OUT OF COMING BACK TO SCHOOL THERE IS NO PLACE YOU CAN HIDE THAT I WILL NOT FIND YOU! YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I TELL MRS. WEASLEY ABOUT IT!"

The silver otter dissolved then, Hermione's voice still echoing over the platform. Ginny was the first one to break, throwing her head back and laughing. It feel good, almost freeing. A quick look at her boyfriend, and she only laughed harder at the gobsmacked look on his face. "Yeah, my big, brave hero." She said between laughs, standing up from the trunk finally. "Come on you." She said.

Shaking his head, Harry took Ginny's trunk. "Where are we going."

"The Burrow. I need to tell mum I'm not going back to school before Hermione does, and you need to tell her I'm moving in with you."

Despite his early words, Harry paled. "Oh, maybe we should do as Hermione did and just send her a patronus message." He suggested hopefully, reaching towards Ginny.

Ginny just snorted, wrapping her arms around Harry. "That's my brave Gryffindor." Raising herself slightly, she kissed his cheek. "Let's go home."

Steeling himself for the upcoming confrontation with Mrs Weasley, but knowing it would be all worth it in the end, Harry squeezed Ginny's small frame. He sent a last look at the platform 9 ¾, knowing it would be the last time he was going to be in there in a long time, then disappeared them both towards home.

~o~

FIN

AN(2); If you made it this far, thank you. I hope you enjoyed this story. Questions, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are more than welcome. You can reach me here via review or by sending me a PM. I can also be reached at twitter (My username is iLadyGuilt ) or in Ask. FM where I'm under LadyGuilt.

Once more thanks for reading, and virtual cookies for all those who review!

LadyGuilt