Summary: Harry and Ginny build up a relationship as they find a secret place near the Forbidden Forest. H/G drama/romance. Read and review if you love Harry Potter (ha ha, now you have to!).

A/N: Am I wrong, or is this like the perfect song for Harry and Ginny? Lyrics "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. Not very good writing, but it was one of those plot bunnies, ya know? Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Simple as that. Tee hee.

Somewhere Only We Know

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

He stood by the river, hands shoved in his pockets, breeze making his eyes narrow and his jacket whip around his hips. He stood in absolute silence, but one could nearly see the buzz of thoughts hiding behind his eyes.

She found him there. By accident, of course, and her eyes widened in surprise as she made out his form. "Harry?" she asked, step faltering as she stopped walking and stood a little apart from him.

He turned, gave her a little smile. "Ginny." Gaining courage from the look, she moved beside him and watched the water with him.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, glancing at him sideways before mimicking his posture and sliding her hands in her Muggle here sometimes. To think. It helps me figure things out, you know? I've been doing it since last year, after the fire."

"I've been coming here too. It's a wonder we haven't seen each other at all. Doesn't it hurt, to see all this empty land where the trees used to be?"

Harry looked at her, smiled. "That's the beautiful thing. The trees will grow back. See?" He pointed to a tiny shoot coming out of the dry, cracked ground. "Life is already returning here." He gazed out across the river, where he could see the faint outline of ancient trees. They were the only ones that hadn't burned down when a stray Death Eater had burned a wide swath in the Forbidden Forest during Harry's sixth year.

"The trees that were here once are dead. But they made way for new life, and their ashes will only help the new ones grow." He felt Ginny looking at him curiously, and he reddened a little, embarrassed to be caught babbling about trees.

"That's a good way of looking at it," she said. She turned slightly toward him, and he met her gaze warily. Ginny had a way of seeing past the surface, much like his best friend Hermione. "Why else do you come here?"

"Hm?"

"You don't just come here because you like the view, anymore than I do. What are you thinking about when you come here?"

He looked away and his gaze lit on a large, flat rock by the river. He strode over to it and sat down, gesturing for her to do the same. Then he nodded a little to himself and spoke.

"Death." At her shocked murmur, he held up a hand. "Death is a natural part of, well, life. Name me one person who has never thought about death before." She was silent, and he went on. "This war...it's going to cause so much death. I can feel it. It pulls at me, as if all the souls that will be lost are calling my name, saying it's my fault." He held up his hand again and frowned at her. She shut her mouth.

"I know what you're thinking. No one will blame me. No one but myself. Every day Voldemort goes free...every day is another victory for him." He was nearly whispering now, and Ginny had to strain to hear him. She couldn't believe he was opening himself up like this, and she couldn't believe he blamed himself.

"I feel lost, Ginny. So lost and confused and I don't know if can do this. I just want it all to be over."

"That's what we all want. Harry, we all believe in you, we know you can do this. We are all supporting you—Ron and Hermione, Mum and Dad, Dumbledore—everyone believes in you."

He stood, pushing himself up off the rock and toward the river bank, pushing his other hand through his hair. "I know!" He whipped around, holding out his hands in a hopeless gesture. "That just makes it worse! What if I fail? What if I die? What are you and your family and Dumbledore going to do then?"

She shook her head and went to him, catching his hands in hers and looking into his blazing green eyes. "You won't fail." It was said with absolute, final certainty, and for once Harry let himself believe it.

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

He stood again by the river, this time back turned against it, watching the earth. Where the tiny sprout had once stood was a baby tree, trunk and branches bent to the ground. He felt as though it condemned him, demanding to know why he hadn't been there when it had fallen. He felt a choked sob pull at his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut behind his glasses.

He heard a sound behind him and turned, wand already in his hand. When he saw who it was he let his hand drop and huffed out a relieved breath. "Gin." She leaned on that same rock, arms folded, eyes slit against the wind, watching him.

"Harry. It's been a while."

"Yeah." He felt sorry for that. During his seventh year he had come here often, to this exact spot, and met Ginny. Sometimes they talked, about everything and nothing, and sometimes they just sat in silence and watched the river. Slowly but surely he had fallen in love with her. Now, nearly a year later, he was back.

"I wanted to come back. Here, to Hogwarts, to the Burrow...I just needed some time."

She snorted. "I suppose everyone deserves their period of self-pity and disregard for others." He flinched. He saw now that her eyes were narrowed in anger, not because of the crisp breeze.

"Ginny, it wasn't like that."

She marched up to him and slapped him straight across the face. His eyes watered and he felt his cheek with a shaking hand. Her hand shook also as it dropped back to her side.

"Yes, it was like that," she said. "It was selfish! You just...disappeared. You wouldn't answer our owls, you didn't visit, we had no idea how you were or if you were even alive!" She pressed a fist to her mouth and looked past him, over his shoulder to the baby tree, bent and broken against the ground. "You could have been dead, Harry. You could have been gone and we wouldn't have known."

He felt helpless. "I...just needed time. When Remus died..."

"We were all hurt by that! We all loved him, and we all love you. We could have helped you. You ran, Harry. You were a coward."

He turned away, head bowed. She was right. She was always right. He turned back to tell her so, to tell her how he had dreamed of this place, of coming back and being with her.

But she was gone.

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?

"Two months." She had snuck up on him again somehow. He didn't look around, and his posture was an echo of that day two years past when she had stumbled upon him.

"And twelve days, eight hours, and approximately thirty-two minutes." He added, waiting as she came up to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. It was always a little disconcerting, how tall she was.

"I knew you would come here."

"Why are you here? You graduated more than a month ago. It's summer. You should be at the Burrow."

"I knew you would come here," she repeated simply. "Harry, what I said last time...I didn't really mean it."

"Yeah, you did. It doesn't matter."

"Why didn't you ever visit the Burrow when I was home? All Mum could talk about these past months have been your visits."

"You want the truth?" She nodded and he gave her a self-deprecating smile. "I was avoiding you. I was afraid that if I saw you and spoke to you, you would tell me more truth about myself. I was being a coward again."

"I don't think you're a coward, Harry. Not really."

"I know. I know that now." He surprised her by slipping his hand over hers, and they stood side by side, connected. "There. That's right."

She felt shaken by his statement. She also felt the truth of it. That's right. It was true. Holding his hand made her feel as if everything was right with the world. She gave his hand a little squeeze and closed her eyes, wishing they had more time.

She cleared her throat. "You're leaving, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

He nodded. "They've found him. He's holed up in northern England with about a hundred Death Eaters. We'll go up and try to catch them all." He faced her and took up her other hand. "This could be it, Ginny. This could be the end. For him or for me."

"For him." She pulled a hand free and touched his cheek and he realized with some surprise that they were both crying. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, grateful for what little time they had.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Sorry for not being here enough, for avoiding you, for leaving last year..."

"It's all right. You don't ever have to apologize. You're here now."

He set her away from him, wiped his face with both hands, and gave her a solemn smile. "I have to go, Gin." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, and she shut her eyes.

When she opened them she was alone.

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
So why don't we go

Somewhere only we know

She was waiting for him this time, and when he approached she flung herself into his arms. She brokenly chanted his name as he held her.

"We won, Ginny." He held her tight and pulled her to the rock, sitting down and settling her in his lap. She hid her face against his shoulder and wept. "We lost some good fighters, but it's over."

"My family?"

"They're fine. You dad has a couple broken ribs and Ron's busted his arm, but Molly and Hermione are taking care of them." She smiled against his chest.

"Tell me what happened."

He was quiet for a moment, then he told her. Told her about apparating in front of a heavily guarded castle, about the group of men protecting him as he went into the mansion Voldemort hid in. He remembered the way his enemy had mocked him, threatened him, and threatened his loved ones, before he had died by Harry's wand. His arms tightened around Ginny convulsively as he remembered the flash of green light, the terrible screaming.

"I've never been so scared. I was so worried about the fighters in the halls of the house, trying to stay alive a little bit longer. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done...killing."

"It's over," she told him, returning his own words to him. "Now it's time to heal." She pointed off a ways. "Look." A new tree poked out of the ground, about five feet away from the dead one near the rock. "New life, Harry."

He couldn't wait any longer. He had to tell her. He turned her face to his and kissed her mouth. She shivered and put her arms around his shoulders. "I love you, Ginny. I want to start my new life with you."

"I want that too. I love you so much." She pressed her forehead to his and laughed. "Oh, I want that so much."

He looked around, at the river, the new tree, the old forest in the distance, feeling complete and happy for the first time in years. "This is my favorite place in the world. It's full of memories of you and me, together, just by ourselves. A place only we know."

She stood, pulled him to his feet, and hugged his waist. "Come on, hero. Let's go to the Burrow and celebrate."

An instant later they were gone, leaving the sun and the river and the promise of brand new life.

This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?

Somewhere only we know?