Should Have Been

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe.

Author's note: So this is something I wrote awhile ago, shortly after I read DH. Let me know what you think

Harry sighed and leaned his head back against the cool ground. The spongy Earth was covered in soft long blades of grass and felt refreshing to lie against after spending hours in the dark stuffy classrooms of Hogwarts. Shifting his legs to work out the kinks, he also drew his arms closer around Ginny who was lying quietly on his chest, her long slender fingers occasionally running up and down his ribs.

The pair were in a fairly isolated part of the grounds, though they could hear the sporadic screaming and laughing of some of the first and second years playing nearby. Ron and Hermione were no where to be found, evidently they had gone off to find their own quiet corner to be alone.

This had become a favorite spot of Harry and Ginny's who, after so many hours of classes and Quidditch practice, were sometimes desperate to find a place just for the two of them. This pleasant grassy spot lay on the top of a small hill, and beneath the broad leafy branches of an elm tree. The old craggily trunk sat to their right and bore the testament of many past students who had found this spot just as comfortable as they did. Deep carvings and scorch marks covered the tree where many had etched their name; some were encircled with hearts and arrows. Evidently they were not the first couple to come here for solitude.

To the right of the couple, one of the battlements of Hogwarts rose imposingly out of the ground. Harry craned his head back a bit and squinted up at the very top of the tall tower. The dark gray stone stood out starkly against the bright sky, and every now and then he could make out the small silhouette of one of the owls flitting in and out of their residence. Indeed the small birds were the only movement for miles around; the sky was completely empty with no clouds. Even over the forbidden forest, where sometimes thesterals could be seen circling above the tree line, all was quiet and motionless. Not even a light breeze flowed through the country side.

The whomping willow stood completely still just a few hundred yards in front of them. Not a fluttering of leaves or a swaying of its branches belied its true violet nature. It stood poised like a perfect statue, and Harry smiled wryly as he recalled all of the trouble it had given him in the past. There had been times when he had not been sure that he would be able to escape from its strong thrashing branches.

Of course the whomping willow had been just one in a very long line of dangers he had had to face, and, looking back, it had represented one of the milder incidents he had come against. But now, at last, he could feel that these dangers were safely behind him; there was no more sense of dread that had seemed to follow him around from the time he was eleven.

If his previous years at Hogwarts had been fraught with danger, then this one was perfectly serene by comparison. There was no more anxiety, no more constant fear. Perhaps it was just Harry, but for the first time in his life he felt safe. He had never noticed before just what a terrible weight the scar had been on his mind. Now, with Voldemort gone for good, he felt lighter, happier for sure. Suddenly he seemed to have an actual future ahead of him, instead of having to chase Voldemort for the rest of his life.

Of course tensions still existed between the students, especially those in Gryffindor and Slytherin. But this resentment rarely resulted in a physical altercation. Disdainful glances were often shared between the houses, but the Slytherins always seemed to shrink away rather than confront their rivals. They walked the halls like dogs with their tails tucked between their legs. The Slytherin house had been thrown into shame, and its members seemed bent on licking their wounds.

Even that tension seemed to have abated, now that October was quickly moving into November.

So many things had changed.

In a way it seemed as though the dark arts had been driven completely from the wizarding world. But of course Harry knew this was not exactly true. Although events at Hogwarts had been calm, everywhere else Death Eaters were still out there, running for cover, with aurors chasing hotly at their heels. It seemed as though every day at least one person was sent to Azkaban.

Harry found himself heralded as the great hero of that battle. There were no more disdainful whispers in his direction; no more choruses of 'Potter stinks' flowing through the halls. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that just a year ago he had been branded as 'undesirable number one.' Now they all talked about his great deeds during the battle to bring down Voldemort; he heard his name floating around the halls several times a day. Occasionally, he would walk by a group excitedly discussing him. At his approach, they would all beam in his direction, eyes wide, desperate for the chance to stare at him, to be as close to their hero as they possibly could.

It was a little wonder then, that Harry and Ginny had sought out a place to be completely alone. Harry smiled down at the glinting red hair that was fanned out across his chest and stomach. Ginny had her eyes closed but Harry could not tell if she was actually asleep. She had taken to being quiet more so than in the past. The funeral had been very hard on her. Though she had tried to be strong, Harry could tell it had been a struggle. At first he had not known exactly what to do; Ginny was not the type to cry on his shoulder, or anyone's shoulder for that matter, regardless of the situation. Sometimes she would just grow quiet, with a somber look on her face, and she would hold tight on to Harry, tighter than she usually did. He just learned to take it in stride, to just hold her tight when she needed him without having to say anything.

Eventually she began to talk about Fred, telling Harry stories about when they were younger, and he took this as a good sign, a sign that she was healing instead of bottling her feeling up.

Ginny stirred softly on Harry's chest. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she let out a huge yawn. It seemed she really had nodded off as they lay there on the grass. Harry turned his attention back to her and ran his fingernails in circles around her back. She moaned appreciatively and smiled up at him.

"Sorry," she murmured and stifled another yawn.

"It's ok," he gently kissed the top of her head.

Scooting up, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. She felt so warm, her chest lying perfectly flush with his. Harry found his hands resting on her soft, small waist and pulled her even closer against him. More passionate kisses were shared as they reveled in the intimate contact between them. Finally, Ginny pulled away, and rested her head in the grass next to his. Her bright red hair was slightly disheveled and flowed around her face. She had been keeping it very long; it now almost reached the middle of her back.

"It's that bloody potions class. Kept me up almost all night, it seems. I don't see how Ron got his work done as fast as he did."

"I'm sure he had help from Hermione." Ever since those two had started dating Hermione had seemed much more apt to do Ron's work for him.

Ginny snorted in agreement. "Of course. I guess it's too much to expect him to do actual work."

Harry just shrugged. In fact he had copied part of his work from Ron. Normally he wouldn't, really he wouldn't, but it had been hard to concentrate with their trip to Hogsmeade this weekend. It would be his first chance to see George since this summer, and he knew both Ginny and Ron were even more anxious to see their brother.

Ginny stretched and yawned one last time. Shaking her head, she tried to throw off the feeling of sleepiness that plagued her. "Maybe we could work together on tonight's homework. I was thinking about going to the library after dinner."

It was a little strange being in the same class as Ginny. So many of their friends had already left, and were finished with their education. At first the trio had been unsure weather they could even return to school; it was incredibly rare for students to return after such a long absence. But of course McGonagall, the new headmistress, had promised to take them in and allow them to finish their schooling.

Hermione had jumped at the chance to come back. But Harry and Ron had dragged their feet for a bit. After the terrible year they had just experienced, the last thing they wanted to do was go back to school. Ron had made the mistake of mentioning at dinner one night in the Burrow that he was considering not going back in the fall. Mrs. Weasley didn't stop harping at him about it for days, until he promised at least three dozen times that he really was going back.

"Yeah we could do that," Harry said, although school work was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. Leaning in he brought his face nose to nose with Ginny, his hand moved up and down her waist, and then he tugged gently, teasingly at the hem of her shirt. "Dinner's not for a few hours you know."

"Yeah, that crossed my mind." Ginny brought her hand up to Harry's cheek, and then threaded her fingers through his hair as she pressed her lips into his.

Slipping his hand beneath her shirt, Harry flattened his palm against her bare back, and brought her warm body closer to his. He just couldn't help smiling as he continued to kiss her, first softly with a few little nips to her bottom lip, and then more powerfully. He reveled in all the little noises and sighs that she made. He was happy that he could finally enjoy his girlfriend, and felt that this is the way it always should have been.

END