Crying was not something Ginny Weasley often did. She was strong-willed and brave, and she rarely let her emotions show themselves through flurries of tears. And yet, here she sat on her bed, weeping openly. It had only been two days since Harry had defeated the evil Lord Voldemort, and Ginny was still mourning the death of her older brother, Fred. After the terrible year that had ensued at Hogwarts, she was thankful to be back in her own room at the Burrow. Laying in her familiar bed was a comforting notion, but it was not enough to chase away the nightmares that now haunted her. She was dreadfully tired, but she was too afraid to fall asleep. She would rather face insomnia than witness the horrific battle yet again in her nightmares. So she simply curled herself into a ball and sobbed in order to let out her sadness and keep herself awake.

On the other hand, Harry Potter was trying to fall asleep. He didn't want to mull over the last couple days' events any longer. He figured that dreaming was better than consciously thinking about the battle. He wanted to shut out the painful reality of it all, just for a few hours. He wanted to believe that those who had lost their lives fighting Voldemort had lived. Fred, Remus, Tonks, Dobby, Dumbledore, Sirius, but most of all, his parents, whom he had never even known. He even wished that Severus Snape had not passed. As much as he had despised him, he admired his bravery to deceive Voldemort for the greater good.

However, he couldn't sleep because his mind was still much too preoccupied. He couldn't stop thinking about his future. He had originally thought that he would be dead by this point, but he wasn't. What was he to do now? He still wanted to become an auror, he supposed, but he was much more concerned about his relationship with Ginny at the present moment. He sighed heavily and shook his head, as if trying to dislodge worried thoughts from his mind. He decided that he wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, so he swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked out into the narrow hallway. He had gotten up with the intention of getting a glass of water, but he soon heard quiet weeping emanating from the other end of the hall. He recognized it immediately and slowly crept towards the closed door. He took a deep breath before knocking lightly.

"Ginny, it's me." He whispered. "Can I come in?"

Ginny jumped at the sound of Harry's voice, and she quickly stopped crying, using a fair amount of willpower to shut herself up. She contemplated telling him to go away, but she didn't even see the point anymore. He had already heard her sobbing. She couldn't hide anything else from him but her face. She wiped a few stray tears with the back of her hand and mumbled a choked "Yeah."

Harry pushed the door the door open to reveal Ginny, and he found her laying facedown across her bed, her face buried in a pillow. Harry didn't really know what to say to comfort her. Instead, he quietly closed the door and sat on the edge of her bed. Without a word, he gently laid a hand on her back and rubbed it back and forth in a constant, soothing motion.

At first, Ginny tensed at his touch, but she soon began to relax and sunk into her bed sheets with ease. After a couple of minutes, she turned her head to the side to face him. "I didn't want you to see me like this." She whimpered, looking up into his emerald green eyes.

Harry shook his head with a small smile. "Ginny, I'm not going to think any less of you, I promise." He assured her. "We're all grieving right now. We're all human."

Ginny sniffed and slowly sat up, moving closer to him. "I know, I know." She sighed halfheartedly. "It's just… everything's still sinking in. I don't know if I'm happy or sad, but I just want the pain to go away." She choked, trying to hold back sobs. "When will the pain go away?"

Harry felt his heart break as silent tears began to stream down her freckled face. He held his arms open for her as she began to cry once more.

Ginny couldn't help but fall into his embrace, laying her head against his chest as she wept. "I-I m-miss th-them, Harry." She sobbed. "Th-they didn't d-deserve to d-die!"

"I know." Harry whispered, trying to hold back tears as well. He was at a loss for comforting words, so he decided that maybe silence was the best method at that point. He slowly rocked them back and forth, tucking her head under his chin. He could feel her warm tears soaking through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, but he didn't care. "I know how much it hurts, Ginny. Trust me, I've been there." He assured her. "But we have to learn to move on with our lives. We have the rest of our lives to be happy, to live in safety. Think about all of our friends who passed. They didn't die in vain, Ginny. And they would want us to appreciate our freedom now as best as we can." He told her. "I'm not saying that the pain will disappear right away; it'll take some time. But after a little while, you'll know when you're ready to move on. And I'll be right there when you are ready." He said. Harry usually wasn't very good with words, and he wasn't sure how he had said all those things, but he had only spoken words from his heart.

Ginny sniffled and looked up at him. She could practically see the sincerity sparkling in his eyes. "Do you really mean that, Harry?" She asked quietly.

"I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true." He assured her, giving her a small smile.

Ginny returned the smile and wiped the last of her tears away. She moved closer to him and leaned into his side, enjoying the comfort that it brought her. He was here beside her, alive and well, and that was the greatest gift she could ask for.

As Ginny snuggled against his side, Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her in a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. They sat quietly for a few minutes longer until Ginny broke the peaceful silence.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." Ginny said appreciatively, turning her head to press her lips against his stubbly cheek.

"You're welcome, Ginny." He replied, running his fingers through her smooth hair. "Now, let's get some sleep. I'm sure we both need it." He chuckled.

Ginny let out a quiet laugh in response, but as Harry stood to leave, she gripped his arm tighter. "Stay with me." She demanded. "Please, Harry." She added softly. "I don't want the nightmares to come back."

Harry smiled and made his way back towards her, climbing under the covers next to her. "What if your family catches us?" He breathed.

"I don't care." She whispered back. "I just want to spend this time with you."

Her words made Harry feel warm inside. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly so that her back was against his chest. He untangled one arm for a brief moment in order to take his glasses off and set them on her bedside table. He fumbled in the darkness to flip the switch on Ginny's small lamp, and they were soon enveloped in darkness. He laid his head beside hers and closed his eyes.

Ginny smiled as he began to fall asleep beside her. She took a deep breath and whispered to the darkness around her. "I love you, Harry."

A couple seconds passed before she heard the response behind her. "I love you too, Ginny." Harry breathed. "Good night."

"Good night." Ginny replied, closing her eyes.

Both of them slept peacefully that night. They were finally safe in each other's arms.