I've Said Too Much, And Haven't Said Enough

A Harry/Ginny Love Story By:

Jared B. Burkett

It had been another particularly bad night for Harry Potter. He had, once again, tossed and turned til morning. Unable to fall into the soothing embrace of sleep on account of the incessant, reoccurring nightmares he'd experienced over the past three weeks. And like every other morning after he couldn't sleep on account of the dreams, he sought out the only girl he could talk to about anything. Hermione. If there was anyone that could shed some light on what these thoughts in his head meant, the ones that materialized at night, it was her.

Harry found the Common Room empty as he descended the stairs from the Boys Dormitory, pulling his robes straight over hastily thrown on undergarments. Students were supposed to wear appropriate clothes under their robes, but it was Saturday. And frankly, talking to Hermione was more important to Harry than another student catching a glimpse of his bulging knickers. He hadn't even bothered to take care of his 'morning problem'. Hopefully, it would just go away by the time he found her.

Harry knew his friend liked to do some early morning reading in the Library before breakfast, so naturally he found himself heading in that direction without much thought. The corridors of Hogwarts only slightly less confusing than they were in his first year at school. Finally, he pushed out from behind a painting of a giant, green face materialized in flames. Written on the wall to the side in Non-Erasable Ink was the sentence, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" Harry wondered briefly if this were a student-made caption to the painting, or if there really were a man behind the curtain directly across from him. Either one had a possibility in these halls.

"Harry? What are you doing out of the Common Room so early?"

Standing in the doorway of the Library, trying to balance a pile of heavy looking books in her arms was Hermione. Harry quickly ran over to take some of the burden from her. Just like he thought, they were heavy.

"Thanks," she smiled, "I was just picking out some..."

"Light reading?" Harry laughed. Hermione nodded dropping the books with a thud on a circular table near the Muggle Studies section. Harry set his half next to the other pile, sliding into one of the chairs across from Hermione.

Silence. Hermione knew that Harry would start when he was ready... he always did. He sighed, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His green eyes rose to meet her gaze. Then, almost like she had somehow slipped him some Veritaserum, words started pouring out of his mouth. Words that he was afraid to even acknowledge in his dreams. Words that he knew without a doubt were completely true.

"I love her."

Hermione nodded, encouraging Harry to continue with what was on his mind. Truthfully she had already figured all of this out ages ago. But she knew that Harry needed to get all of this off of his chest. Holding that much inside was dangerous. She knew that well enough from the time before she told Harry about her feelings for their friend Ronald Weasley. Harry had helped her through all of that without complaint. Now it was her turn to help him through his own love problems. That's just what friends did.

"I mean... I've known that I liked her for awhile. It probably started around the time that we opened the Chamber of Secrets. When I saw her down there, I thought she was dead. I wanted to save her... wanted it more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. It was so much emotion. And all that emotion just kept building. Day after day, year after year." His hands were shaking, like the emotions he was speaking of were trying to physically break free from his body. Hermione reached across the table taking his hands in hers. The trembling slowed. A tear worked itself loose from Harry's eye, rolling down his cheek. Leaving a wet trail.

"And now," his voice shook from the pressure inside him, "I see her with these different guys, and I want to hurt them. Want to force them out of the way and tell them that she's mine. But I don't want to hurt her. And what if she really likes them? I just... I don't know what to do." He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robes. "What do I do Hermione?"

Silence again. Hermione tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. A compulsive habit that happened when she was thinking hard about something. Over Harry's shoulder, Madam Pince glared at them. Probably wondering why their noses weren't currently buried in one of the books in a pile on the table.

"You have to tell her Harry. You have to tell her everything. About how you really feel, and what you want. You have to be perfectly clear with her. Don't leave anything to doubt. If you really love her, it's the only thing you can do. Not doing so is just an insult to her, as well as yourself. Everything else will work out when you get it all out."

"Yeah, but what about Ron?" Harry started.

"Oh, just leave that to me." Hermione smirked inwardly, "I think I can warm him up to the idea."

"Hermione, have I ever told you how brilliant you are?"

"Frequently." she replied hoisting him to his feet. "Now go!" she pushed him towards the Library entrance. "Ginny's probably down at breakfast by now. Remember, tell her everything."

"Thanks Hermione." Harry shouted over his shoulder, gaining another glare from Madam Pince. But Harry didn't care, it was like a vast weight had been lifted off of his chest. He was happier than he had been in months. He took the stairs two at a time, wanting to get to the Great Hall as fast as possible. Nothing on his mind but the the red haired girl he was going to tell he loved. And he already knew what he was going to say to her.

He was going to look into her chocolate brown eyes and say...

~9 Years Later~

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, I don't want you to look at me as the Chosen One. I don't want you to look at me as the Savior. I don't even want you to look at me as a friend. Instead, I want you to look at me as what is most important. I want you to see me as the boy who has loved you from the first moment he laid eyes on you."

All around the room, witches and wizards in their finest dress robes began to clap. The loudest section of course was a group of redheads. The Weasley family: Mr. & Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and George stood together. Smiles all around.

Slightly off to the side Hermione and Ron were holding hands, nodding at the speech. Hermione was trying, and failing, to wipe the free falling tears from her face. Ron reached his sleeve over to help, passing Harry a quick glance that said quite clearly. Best mate, or not. You better not ever hurt her.

The tension in the room thickened. It was finally time for Harry to cut through it, and say the sentence everyone in the room was waiting for. Slowly, he turned to look at Ginny feeling the breath escape him. Harry's heart tore open... She was beyond beautiful. Fleur had done her makeup and hair, and she must have put a little bit of Veela magic in it. But, Harry had to remind himself, no amount of magic could ever compare to natural beauty. And as he looked at her in her flowing, white dress, he saw through to her (nice) skin... He was still entranced.

"Ginny, you know that I've loved you for as long as I've known you." Harry spoke as if she were the only other person in the room, holding a ring up to the light. "I can promise you, that I will never stop loving you as I do now. So, with this ring, I give you a promise. And in return I ask you, if you will be mine... To have, and to hold? In sickness, and in health? Til death do us part?"

All eyes were on Ginny. Every breath was held. Not a sound broke through the excited buzz. Ginny took one step forward... the crowd leaned in.

"Harry James Potter... I will!"

The ring seemed to leap out of Harry's hand onto her finger. The crowd went wild. Certainly someone out there was wondering 'What is that rumpus!" But to Harry, there was silence. He was once again alone with the most important girl in the world. The girl that was now his wife.

He thought back to the nightmares that had plagued him nine years ago. Horrible scenes of Ginny telling him things like she never cared about him. That she would rather have rotted in the Chamber of Secrets than have had him be the one to save her. That he would never be good enough for her, and there was no way they would have a future together. Well... he had just proven those dreams wrong today.

He stepped forward, cupped her face in his hands. Then Harry and Ginny Potter pressed their lips firmly together. Connected as husband and wife.

T.B.C.?