Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter, and no financial gain comes from this.

This story was originally posted on SIYE, but it took a turn in later chapters that didn't really fit with the guidelines of that site. I've decided to repost over here, if there seems to be enough interest. Thanks for reading.

A Misunderstanding

Ginny sat in the Great Hall of Hogwarts with her arm around her bereaved mother. The final battle was over, and Voldemort lay dead just meters away, but at a terrible price.

Fred. Stupid crazy beautiful infuriating joker Fred was dead, killed in a massive explosion. He died, she had been told, while laughing at a joke told by Percy, or more correctly laughing at the fact that Percy had attempted to even tell a joke.

The family was elated that Percy had come to his senses and joined the fight just in time to be useful, but there was nothing that could ease the pain of a lost brother. Fred Weasley would never laugh or joke again. Ginny's head spun when she tried to think what George would do without his other half!

This had definitely been the hardest night of Ginny's life, harder still than when she had been possessed by Voldemort himself in her first year at Hogwarts. The final, tumultuous battle of Hogwarts was over and Harry had won.

Fred was gone, along with Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey and God knew how many others. Ginny had heard that Lavender Brown had been attacked by Greyback, and it was still unclear if she was infected with Lycanthropy.

Ginny herself had felt like giving up when Voldemort came strolling into the Great Hall, leading a tearful Hagrid who was carrying Harry's seemingly lifeless body. But then Neville Longbottom had caused such a huge distraction, and in so doing managed to lop off the head of that great dirty snake, the same one that had bitten Ginny's father two years ago! Neville's distraction gave Harry the chance he needed to make his move and finally defeat Voldemort once and for all.

Harry had survived the killing curse again and defeated Voldemort right there in front of everyone! Ginny knew that Harry had always shied away from publicity, but there was no denying now that Harry was the most powerful wizard alive. No one could survive the killing curse, but Harry seemed to make a habit of it.

Ginny hadn't seen Harry since before Luna started yelling about seeing a Blubbering Humdinger. Ginny hoped that he had found a quiet place to rest, of course she felt also that he would rest much better, as would she, if she were in his arms.

After a bit, Bill and Fleur came along, relieving Ginny of her duties of seeing to their mother. Ginny's first instinct was to find Harry. The first place that came to mind was the Room of Requirement, but she had heard that it had been damaged rather badly by fire, so Ginny set off for Gryffindor Tower.

She didn't make it out of the Great Hall, however, before she was stopped.

"Ginny, could I talk to you for a moment?"

Ginny turned. It was Dean Thomas. What on earth could Dean want?

"I heard about Fred. I'm really sorry" he said quietly.

"Oh, yes. Thanks" said Ginny sadly. "We all miss him terribly." She did miss Fred something awful, but she really needed to find Harry.

"I just... after everything that's happened this year... I really missed you, Ginny."

"That's sweet, Dean," replied Ginny. "It has been an awful year." She looked around, trying to catch sight of Harry or his two sidekicks.

"I just really hoped we could still be friends" Dean said. "I've had loads of time to think about things. I'd really like to be a part of your life again."

"That would be lovely Dean," Ginny said absently. About that time, Charlie came up behind her.

"Ginny, could you help me with George for a moment? He is in a right state."

"Sure Charlie. I'll see you later, Dean."

"Ok, Ginny, Thanks," Dean said, and pulled Ginny into a tight hug.

Ginny was a bit confused about her ex-boyfriends show of affection, but she realized that with everything that had happened over the last year, people were bound to be in a very emotional state.

Harry Potter had finally reached his dorm room. His four-poster had not been slept in this year, and he was greatly looking forward to changing that.

Harry stripped of his robes, shirt and trousers and after a few well placed cleaning charms on himself, he pulled on his pajamas and prepared to climb into bed. His plans were interrupted when the door to the dorm flew open and Ron Weasley came in, followed by Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas.

"Hiya, Harry" Ron said, heading toward his own bed.

"Good job tonight, Harry" Seamus said.

"Thanks," replied Harry absently, more tired than he had ever felt.

Dean came over to Harry's bed and spoke quietly. "Harry, could I talk to you privately?"

"Erm.. Sure." Harry wasn't too keen on having a conversation right now with anyone other than his pillow, but he followed Dean into the hallway.

"What can I do for you, Dean?"

"Harry," Dean began nervously. "You broke up with Ginny last spring, didn't you." He stated it as a fact, not a question.

"Well, yeah. Sort of."

"You know that she and I have a... well a history together."

Harry nodded, wondering where this was going. Had Ginny cheated on him with Dean? Had she given up and moved on?

"Well, I... I never really..." Dean stammered, this was obviously hard for him. "I don't want to have any hard feelings with you, but I never stopped caring about her."

Harry just glared at him.

"The truth is, we're getting back together," Dean spat out. "Ginny and I are going to give it another go."

"Does Ginny know about this?" Harry asked darkly.

"I just asked her to get back together a few minutes ago in the Great Hall" Dean said, looking Harry in the eyes. "She said yes."

"Well," Harry said, trying to restrain his temper. "I guess that's it then."

"No hard feelings?" Dean asked with a smile.

Harry shrugged and moved to return to his bed. Dean patted him on the shoulder and went to join Harry with his hand still on Harry=s shoulder.

Harry stopped and glared at Dean. "Don't touch me."

"Umm, Ok, Harry. Sure."

The two returned to the dorm room and Harry climbed into his bed. ARon, Harry said, AI=m going to put an imperturbable charm around my bed so I can sleep through the night.

"Ok, Harry g'night."

"Good night."

Ginny had helped Charlie get George up to the hospital wing, and managed to get him to down some dreamless sleep potion. Once George was snoring lightly, Ginny took off for Gryffindor Tower. Now that Harry was finished with the AThings he had to do alone Ginny was not going to waste any more time. She wanted her man back, and she wanted him tonight.

When she reached the common room, she bounded up the steps to the boy's dorm where she knew Harry would be sleeping. Her plan was to slip into the bed beside him and talk properly in the morning.

Her plans went awry, however, when she tried to climb into Harry's bed and hit a solid wall. She bounced off and landed in the floor with a thump.

"Ouch!"

"Oi, Ginny, is that you?" Ron's voice rung out.

"Of course it's me you prat! What's wrong with Harry's bed?"

"He imperturbed it, so he could sleep.

"Why would he do that?" She asked.

"I guess so he wouldn't have midgets climbing in his bed in the middle of the night."

"Very funny! Where's Hermione?"

"She is in the girl's dorm, where you should be."

"Ok, just tell Harry I need to talk to him as soon as he wakes up."

"I'll tell him." Ron said as he rolled over to go back to sleep.

Ginny moved to go to her own dorm when she heard another voice.

"Hey Ginny." It was Dean. "You can stay a while if you like," he said quietly.

"Erm... No. I'd better get to bed. It's been a long day. Good night Dean," she whispered, wondering why Dean was so eager to socialize at this time of night.

"Good night Ginny."

The next morning when Ginny came down the steps to the common room, she found most of the Weasley family already up. Molly and Arthur were sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. Percy was in the corner talking to George and Charlie. Bill was in the armchair across from the sofa with Fleur sitting on the arm of the chair beside him. Ron and Hermione were sitting in the floor beside Bill.

Ginny was met by several "Good Mornings," but she had only one thing to say. "Has anyone seen Harry?" Hermione and Ron looked at each other with a smile. Ron answered.

"He hasn't been up yet. His curtains are still closed."

Without another word, Ginny trotted up to the dorm. When she arrived, she strode over to Harry=s bed and reached for the curtains. Finding the imperturbable charm gone, she pulled the curtains back and found... nothing. Harry was gone.

"Hi Ginny." It was Dean again.

"Oh, hi Dean. Have you seen Harry?"

"Yeah, he left before dawn, got all his stuff in a back pack and took off."

"What! Why on earth would he leave like that?" she asked.

"I don't know. I kind of felt like he was a bit disappointed, though, when I told him last night."

"Told him? Told him what?" Ginny asked with a confused look.

Dean smiled and stepped over to her, pulling her into a hug. "About us, of course!" Dean said, kissing her on the cheek.

Ginny pushed him away roughly. "Us?" What are you on about, Thomas?"

"Our conversation in the Great Hall last night! I asked you if we could get back together and you agreed. I thought it was only decent to tell Harry." The boy was smiling broadly.

Ginny turned beet red. AYou asked me if we could be friends, you idiot!

"Ginny, I thought you understood that I want-" SMACK! Ginny punched Dean in the nose, dropping him to the floor, and ran down the steps.

"Harry's gone!" She announced when she reached the common room. All the Weasley family got to their feet.

"What do you mean?" Demanded Ron.

"Stupid Dean told him that he and I were getting back together last night!"

"What!" Hermione cried. "Harry'll go over the edge!"

"Why ever would Dean think you were getting back together, dear?" Molly asked.

Ginny started to cry. "He told me last night that he missed me and he wanted to be friends." Ginny paused to wipe her nose. "I told him that'd be lovely and rushed off to help Charlie with George."

"So that's why Dean took Harry out in the hall, to tell him," Ron continued. "When they came back in, Harry looked angry, but I just thought he was bothered by Dean holding him up from bed."

Ginny sniffled again and continued. AApparently the prat went and told Harry about it, thinking he was being decent. I punched him in the nose just now.

George laughed. AThat=s my ickle sister!

Hearing laughter, from George of all people, lightened the mood for everyone.

Harry slowly awoke beneath a tree in the forbidden forest. He had wandered out here after he knew that the rest of his dorm mates had fallen asleep.

Ginny was back with Dean. Harry was shocked. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Ginny was supposed to be waiting for him, for Harry.

Harry had defeated the darkest wizard of all time, saved the world, and returned from death itself just to be with Ginny, and now she was with someone else.

He just couldn't get a break, and what was worse, he had no one to turn to. His parents, Godfather, Mentor and stand in godfather (Lupin) were all gone, beyond the veil.

Harry paused to look around at his surroundings. He was near a clearing, there were the remains of a campfire, this must be the clearing where Voldemort had killed him!

After a thought, Harry took out his wand. AAccio Resurrection Stone! A small black stone flew to him from somewhere in the leaves.

Harry looked at the stone, at the small triangular symbol scratched into it. He reached for his back pack and removed his invisibility cloak. He also removed the Elder Wand that he had not yet returned to Dumbledore's tomb. The Deathly Hallows. The Master of Death.

Meaningless. It was all meaningless. Sure, the world at large was excited to be out from under the thumb of Voldemort. People could live their lives without fear for the first time in decades. People could concentrate on living, raising their families. Ginny could raise her own family, with Dean.

This is my reward, Harry thought, for a lifetime of suffering and struggle. A stick, a piece of cloth and a rock.

Harry stuffed the cloak and the wand back in his back pack, and sat beneath his tree, thinking.

How could Ginny do this? Had she not just kissed him on his birthday? And what a kiss it had been! She said she wanted to give him something to remember her by and did she ever!

When Hagrid had carried Harry's body into the Great Hall and they all thought he was dead, Ginny's scream had been awful. It seemed as though she cared then, how could things change so quickly?

"I just wish I was dead." Harry said quietly.

"You've been dead Kiddo, it's time to live now."

Harry looked up in surprise, then to the stone in his hand and then back. "Sirius!"

"Looks like you wanted someone to talk to."

Tears fell down Harry's cheek. "It was all for nothing! Ginny's gone off with someone else."

Sirius looked shocked. "Ginny Weasley? Gone off with someone other than you? No way. I don't believe it." He sat down beside Harry.

"Well her ex-boyfriend told me last night that he asked her to get back together and she said yes. What else can that mean?"

Sirius laughed.

"What's so bloody funny?" Harry asked angrily.

"After everything you've been through for the last seventeen years, your biggest worry is whether or not Ginny Weasley fancies you." He laughed again. "I think that's bloody brilliant."

Harry looked intently at the patch of earth between his feet. "When he killed me, right over there, my last thought was of her," He said quietly.

"So she's more than just a girlfriend, then?" Sirius asked.

"I think so. I think she's the one," he said, looking up at Sirius.

"Then fight for her."

Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, pretending to eat her lunch. The whole family was here, including the previously estranged Percy.

"Eat your lunch, dear. I know he'll turn up soon," Molly said to her.

Ginny smiled meekly. Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Ginny spun around with a wide smile.

"Hey Ginny. Could we talk?"

Ginny's smile quickly turned to a frown. "NO! Dean, I don't want to get back with you. I don't want to talk to you. If you don't leave now, I WILL hex you!

AUmm, Sorry. Dean stammered as he turned and left.

Ginny pushed her plate forward and dropped her head on the table. How had things gone so wrong? She had just thought she was being polite to Dean, and he had turned things around so badly and run Harry away.

Well Dean Bloody Thomas was certainly on her crap list now. No more Miss Nice Girl. Ginny wanted only one thing from the time she was a little girl, and now was her time to claim it. She knew that Harry had feelings for her, that he loved her. Ginny knew how Harry felt and she felt the same.

Marriage, a home, children, these were the things that Ginny wanted and she only wanted one wizard there with her for... Her thoughts were interrupted by another hand on her bloody shoulder.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK WITH YOU NOW GET OVER IT!"

"Fine then."

It was not Dean's voice. It was Harry's voice. Ginny spun around to stop him. "Harry, wait!"

It was too late. Harry was gone. Ginny ran out of the Great Hall, hoping to catch him, to explain. She never caught sight of him.

Ron and Hermione followed her out. "Good job, Ginny. We'll probably never see him again, now," Ron said, his voice dripping with disdain.

Ron never saw the jet of yellow light that hit him square in the nose.

Hermione put her arms around Ginny as the redhead started to cry. Hermione wanted to help Ron, but she knew that the Bat Bogeys wouldn't go away for about ten minutes, and until then there was nothing to be done for him.

"We'll find him, Ginny," Hermione said quietly, trying to console her. "He can't stay gone forever. We'll work this out."