She had forgotten how beautiful the scenery around the Burrow actually looked; the apple trees, the clear, blue sky, even the spindly undergrowth of the woods. Now that the dangerous times were past, she could appreciate the little things in life, the little things she was too caught up before to notice. And she wouldn't take them for granted this time.
"I missed here," murmured a voice from behind her - Harry. Ginny had missed him and worried about him so much when he was gone, but now that he was back… it was hard to find the right words to say.
"You don't have to go anywhere now," she said without turning around, and the gentle crunch of leaves beneath his runners told her that he was walking towards her. Ginny pushed a strand of red hair out of her face, and the stubborn wind blew it right back.
Harry was right next to her now; just standing outside her crooked childhood home, letting the wind blow and admiring the scenery. After a few moments he replied with, "I know. I don't plan on ever leaving."
A cheeky smile slid onto her face as she asked the next question. "Ever leaving what?" He turned to her and laughed, and a genuine smile on his face made her heart shoot up from her stomach to her chest. He looked younger when he laughed, she mused.
Harry paused for a moment. "Never leaving you. Here. I knew how it was supposed to end, and it didn't end the way I expected it to. It was to succeed or - you know, and I'm surprised I'm living the first one."
Ginny mused in her thoughts, thinking about what he said, and not replying (because for once in her life, she didn't know what to say) before settling on saying what she'd been fearing to say for the past few days. "We're going to need to talk about this, you know."
Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his eternally-messy hair, and Ginny had the odd urge to run her fingers through it for him – no. That wasn't what she was supposed to be concentrating on right now. "Yeah, I know – I want to tell you everything – well, with Ron and Hermione, I suppose, but they wouldn't have too much of a problem, I don't think."
The corner of her mouth turned upwards and she faced him. "Have they finally gotten together now?"
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "It was about time. They snogged right in front of me, you know – Chamber of Secrets," he laughed. "Had to remind them that there was…" Harry trailed off in a sombre tone and wrung his hands together and Ginny bit her lip down. They both knew what he was thinking.
Instead of finishing the sentence for him, she whispered, "I know." She probably didn't know as well as he did, but she understood. That was the night she had lost a brother, a friend, even people she hardly knew and it still hurt. Ginny didn't embrace him but instead wound her fingers into his, gripping tightly, and leaned her head against his shoulder, and promising herself that she would never, ever take things for granted. Especially Harry.
I've started way too many multichapters in the last while, but I really can't resist Harry/Ginny. Written for the Writing Prompts Challenge.