Once Upon a Quiddich Field
Disclaimer: I think it's obvious that I don't own Harry Potter. But just incase there was any doubt, I'm letting you know now. I definitely, absolutely, positively do-not-own Harry Potter. There, it's settled then.
He so... brave, thought Ginny as she stared over at Harry. At the moment, Harry happened to be telling Ron exactly what had happened on "The Night of the End", as it came to be called, with a determined blaze set in his bright green eyes. It had been a month since the infamous Lord Voldemort had, once and for all, been defeated by Harry. But only yesterday morning had Harry finally regained consciousness.
"And then... that was it. It was all over." Harry let out a relieved sigh at the end of his story. "I'm just sorry I couldn't have done it sooner. So many more people could have... lived if I had been able to kill Voldemort sooner." For a moment, everything seemed fine. Then tears formed at the corners of his eyes. His mouth twitched downward before a low sob escaped his throat. He cracked and sunk his head into Ron's shoulder, unable to control himself, and let his tears flow out at an alarming rate.
Ron patted him awkwardly on the shoulder with a slightly panicked look on his face. It was very out of the ordinary to see his best friend crying so hard Even with everything he had gone through, Ron had never seen him this way. As good as a friend he was, he was still at a loss for what to do. He turned his head toward his sister with a questioning look.
Ginny hurried over to Ron and took Harry in her arms. Ron gave her a nod and then walked slowly back to the Burrow, looking even grimmer than before. Ginny's heart broke as Harry shook against her. He sobbed uncontrollably into her hair while she rubbed her hands along his back. "It'll be okay now," she whispered into his ear, "he's gone."
They stood like that for a long while, Ginny embracing him, allowing him to release some of his pain. When Harry finally regained his breath, they broke apart. Harry looked into her eyes. "Ginny I... I'm sorry."
"Don't be", said Ginny with a cautious smile. "You needed to let all that out." Harry reached out to her and gently wiped her cheeks. Ginny hadn't even realized that a few tears had fallen down her own face. She gazed sadly into his eyes. She couldn't bear to see him hurt. And then, all of a sudden, she flung herself around him again without thinking.
"Harry, I'm so sorry!" she said rather loudly, practically shouting. "I hate that you have to go through all of this. It's not fair that you go through so much all the time, and Vol-Voldemort nearly killed you, and he nearly killed Hermione, and Ron, and he murdered... others, and you had to see everything, and you had to be the one to... to... kill him, and– "
"Ginny!" He looked startled by the way she was talking. She was hardly taking any breaths and looked deeply shaken. "Now look who's apologizing!" For a moment, he looked amused, but then his face became tired looking once again. "Look, I don't want you to worry about any of this. It's over now, okay?" He looked at her intently, and after being assured with a small nod, continued on with what he had to say. "It's all right! I'll be fine now. I'm just glad that you're still alive and here with me right now. There's no one I'd rather be with. After everything I've been through, I thankful for one thing. And that's you." He paused and spoke perhaps the most wonderful words in the world. "I love you Ginny."
At those words, Ginny was truly, and pleasantly surprised. She was swept off her feet and lost for words, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Time seemed to stop as she gazed at him with nothing but pure love. She was about to say something back when her mother's voice rang across the yard.
"Time for dinner you two. I'll need some help setting up, if you don't mind," called Mrs. Weasley. What a way to ruin a moment. "Oh, Harry dear, you can stay out here and rest a bit if you'd like."
He took his eyes off of Ginny's, and then came back to his senses. "No, that's alright, I don't mind helping out. I'm feeling loads better."
"Well, I don't want to bother you, but if you're sure." And with that, Mrs. Weasley shuffled back into the house. Harry turned and began walking towards the house as well. Ginny caught up with him and took his hand in hers. Together they entered the crowded Burrow, full of chattering people, scattered about the first floor. Mostly consisting of the Weasley family, the group also consisted of others like Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks. As they made their way towards the kitchen table, Fred blocked their path with an amused expression on his face.
"Well, what do we have here? George, come over here! It looks as if we have ourselves a couple of lovebirds."
George came strutting over and said, "You know something Fred, I think you might be right." He paused to smirk at Ginny. "So, getting to business, which one of us is going to be your best man Harry? I would pick me if I were you. If you did, I might be tempted to give you some free Daydream Charms for that little crush I know you have on Hagrid. They're in high-demand, but I might be able to snag you one. It all depends."
"Oh, shut up George!", Ginny said, punching his arm playfully. "Come on Harry, let's go. I don't have time for this nonsense." With that, she dragged him out into the hall, where they ran into Hermione. She stopped, looking surprised for a minute at the sight of Harry and Ginny holding hands. But that look almost immediately turned into a wide grin.
"I knew it! I just knew it!", was all she said before dashing out of the house, apparently in a hurry. Ginny turned to Harry, who was wearing a nervous smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but was again cut off by her mother, who had just come around the corner.
"Charlie's put the tables in the side yard, but they need setting. You wouldn't mind doing that, would you dear? Oh, and while you're at it, could you bring the food out as well?" Mrs. Weasley was completely oblivious the stern look she was getting from Ginny. "I'm afraid that we're all very busy. Everyone's already done something, just put out the plates and things. It'll only take a few moments. Oh, and Harry, Remus would like to see you in the parlor." Ginny let out a quiet snarl before heading back into the kitchen.
All she could think about were Harry's words. He had finally admitted his love for her, and she was stuck setting the table. She really needed to talk to him, but now that would have to wait. While taking another load of things to the yard, she dropped a glass, which shattered on the back steps. She cursed under her breath before repairing it with her wand. "Need some help?", came a voice out of nowhere.
Ginny jumped, and looked around. It was only Hermione. "Oh, no, I'm fine. You scared me!"
"Sorry about that." There was silence for a moment. Then, Hermione let herself burst out a question excitedly. "So, are you and Harry together then?"
"What? Oh, well, I suppose so. Well, I haven't really had a chance to talk to him much yet. But he did say...", she trailed off, and then looked at the ground blushing.
"What did he say?", inquired Hermione curiously. And then it hit her. "He said that he loved you, didn't he?" But Ginny never got a chance to answer. Just then, everyone came out of the house and began seating themselves at the table. Ginny quickly put the rest of the things on the table, and found a seat next to Harry.
As Ginny served herself some food, she noticed everyone buzzing contentedly. This was supposed to be an enjoyable dinner, celebrating the demise of the infamous Lord Voldemort. Ginny, however, just couldn't seem to take part in the general happiness that was spread about.
For one thing, it was hard for her to celebrate anything, when her eldest brother, Bill, had been killed only four months ago. He was murdered by a Death Eater when attempting to save Gringotts from a mass robbery. Nearly everyone had grieved for weeks, especially Fleur. The loss of her newly wedded husband had hit her hard. Along with him, she had lost other close one's including some friends from school.
Even though people were beginning to heal, she thought it was too soon to be celebrating. On top of the grief, Ginny was stressed from her lack of communication with Harry. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea. She wanted him to know that she cared for him just as much as he cared for her, if not more. Now, she didn't think she would get a chance to talk to him alone for quite a while. People would be wanting to talk to him for the rest of the night, no doubt.
She stared down moodily at her plate, barely touching her food. Mr. Weasley must have noticed her gloominess, for he said, "Is something wrong Ginny?" She took her eyes off her fork and noticed that everyone was staring at her. "Tonks here has been trying to get your attention but you didn't seem to notice. Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," she said shortly. "Could I be excused?" She didn't wait for an answer as she got up from the table.