Disclaimer: I own nothing.
- There's Only One -
Harry looked around the dinner table. Everyone was smiling and eating and just having a jolly good time. Molly and Arthur were holding a large dinner, filled with family and friends at the burrow. Harry laughed as Ron tried to force feed Hermione some sort of plant that Charlie had brought from Romania.
He watched as Molly and Arthur talked, quietly, with their head bent together and Fred and George slipped a bug into Bill's soup. It felt good to be happy again. Ginny had her head bent close to her boyfriend's. Harry never could pronounce his name correctly. He was some guy who worked with Charlie. Harry was grateful that Ginny no longer had a crush on him. It had been hard maintaining a safe distance, especially with Ron as his best friend.
Ginny's boyfriend stood up and said, "I have an announcement to make." Ginny's ears were redder than her hair, although her face was also flushed, not with embarrassment, but rather excitement. "Ginny and I are getting married."
Molly gave a shrill of excitement as Harry felt the blood completely drain from his body. Ginny was getting married? How? What? How?
Molly embraced Ginny and her future-son-in-law with excitement, "Oh one of my children is finally getting married! I thought I would never see this day!"
Harry sat, shell-shocked, watching Ginny get congratulations from her family. He didn't even see Ron nudge Hermione in the side and tilt his head, in concern, in Harry's direction.
Harry had planned on leaving The Burrow after dinner and returning to his own home, Sirius Black's old home, but because of the news of Ginny's engagement Molly had talked him into enjoying the festivities the rest of the night and following morning. Harry had never been one to turn Molly down.
Harry excused himself about halfway through the engagement party and stood outside, underneath the stars. He felt the breeze run by his body and he felt chilled. The whole day had been a nightmare and he wondered how Ron intended to keep his sanity through all this hustle and bustle.
Ginny would be the first of their family to marry, Harry was surprised that Ron and Hermione hadn't gotten married yet, especially since they came so close to losing each other in the final battle against Voldemort.
His thoughts drifted off until finally he decided it was time for him to return to home. He couldn't be here anymore.
Months passed and Harry tried to keep to his regular routine at work and at home, but there was always that constant reminder that Ginny was getting married.
He hadn't been back to the burrow since the news of the engagement party although he still received, and sent, many letters to Ron.
It wasn't long before Harry received an owl from Ginny, inviting her to her wedding. It sang a happy wedding tune and gave the dates and times of the wedding. Harry didn't want to go. He hated to think that... wait, he told himself, why do I care so much? Ginny was just his best friend's baby sister. Why did he care?
And then it hit him like a paralyzing spell. He loved her.
Harry set out for The Burrow the morning of the wedding, his nerves completely shot. He greeted Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the clan nicely but soon he found the room smaller that his old cupboard under the stairs.
Harry went outside and stood, watching the birds flying in the sky and gave a smile when he saw the lawn gnomes sneaking back into the yard.
"Harry?"
Harry froze at the sound of Ginny's voice, "Ginny?" He turned to face her.
She smiled and came and stood next to him, "It's busier than a Halloween at Hogwarts in there."
Harry nodded, feeling tired and depressed, he wanted to tell her but it just wouldn't be fair. She laughed suddenly and he asked, "What?"
"Oh nothing," she said, still smiling.
"What?"
"It's just, years ago I would have been so awkward and bumbling around you and now I feel just fine, like we're old friends, or something."
Harry tried to smile, "We are old friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Ginny said weakly, "if we're old friends than can I confess something to you?"
"Sure, anything."
"I'm scared."
"Of what?" Harry asked.
"Getting married, it's just that I've," she looked down at her hands, embarrassed, "I've spent so long pining for you that now I've found someone who makes me happy and I feel frightened."
Harry gave a small smile. She truly was happy. He turned to her, "I love you," what? He stopped. He hadn't meant to spit that out, he had wanted to say I'm glad you're happy.
"What!?" Ginny screamed.
Harry stopped, "I – I – I mean I, I'm glad you're happy."
"That's not what you said," Ginny grew pale.
"I never thought I did," Harry spit out, trying to explain, "I just – well I – I just realized that I did. I tried to keep it to myself, but-"
"SEVEN YEARS," Ginny said, stressing the words, "I have waited to hear you say those word and you choose NOW of all times!"
Harry held up his hands, "I'm sorry! I just, well now you know how I feel and there's nothing left be done about it, go and get married to your Romanian fiancé."
Ginny burst, "I can't believe you would do this to me, now of all times!"
The Weasleys and Hermione stuck their heads out of the windows of the house to see what was going on.
"I'm sorry," Harry muttered.
"Sorry!" Ginny snapped, "Sorry! You tell me now that you've been in love with me all this time, even after," Ginny started counting off Harry's ex-girlfriends on his fingers, "Cho, Hermione, Luna, -"
"I get the point," Harry interrupted.
"What did you date them all for if all this time you were in love with me!?"
"There's only ever been one, you," Harry said, "I know that now. I've only ever loved you," he paused and then said, "I guess I was in denial."
"Yeah well you can stay there for all I care!" She screamed.
"Ginny, don't be stupid!" Ron yelled from the window. George punched Ron in the arm.
Harry and Ginny turned to see her family watching out of the windows. Both grew deep red in the face, they hadn't known that they had been watching. Ginny turned to face Harry, "All this time," she chocked out, her anger gone.
"Yes," Harry said, "I have truly been in love with you. "I am sorry it's taken me so long to realize, but I-"
"Shut up," Ginny said, her eyes clouded with tears, "I still love you, even now."
Harry faulted, "You do."
"Yes," She said, "I'm not some little girl who has a crush on you, with a poster of The Boy Who Lived, sitting up on her wall. I've always loved you, not because of the hero you are, but because of the man you are," Ginny slowly put her hand up to his chest and could feel his heart pounding underneath, "Because of what you have inside your heart. Because of who you are, not what you are."
Harry and Ginny slowly came together and they shared their first kiss. They broke apart at the sound of Molly's weeping from above.
"Well," Fred said and George finished, "I guess the wedding is off."
THE END