***Author's note: Hello! I'm sure you are all very, very aware but I don't own, nor have created any character in the Potter-universe. That loveliness belongs to J..***
Ginny watched as the fire cackled merrily in the fireplace. It didn't seem right, after tonight. The warmth of the fire was hard to look at, hard to feel. She felt as if she should be in a dungeon somewhere, damp and cold. She remembered six years previous having been in such a place, Tom Riddle's teenage memory leering at her as her life slowly leaked away. That memory made her shiver. But, no, that was over with, she thrust it from her mind. She had been saved that night, from the very man who had just saved everyone. Everything had ended tonight. She should feel warm.
But still, too much had just happened. Scenes flashed across her memory: Harry asking her to leave the room of requirements, herself jinxing masked men as the castle fought, the cold and terrible voice of Voldemort piercing the very air asking for the life of Harry Potter, soothing a girl in their hour of recovery. She saw her brother's cold body laid out next to the rest, his eyes once full of mischief now staring up at the enchanted ceiling, unfeeling. And the worst memory of all, seeing Harry's body cold and unmoving at Voldemort's feet.
It amazed Ginny how much had occurred in less than twenty four hours. The war was over. She had woken up that morning in hiding and tonight could sleep in her own bed, though she doubted she would.
A log slipped in the fire, the sound made Ginny jump. She stretched her arms and looked at the room around her. She had slipped away from her family in the Great Hall and returned to the Gryffindor common room. She had thought she wanted to be alone, but now that she was she craved the company of others. This room was full of happy memories and she realized she should remember those as well. This was the very room Harry had kissed her for the first time. After years of unreturned feelings, Harry had finally realized he liked her as more than his best friend's sister. And yet, that had ended. Those brilliant weeks were nothing more than memories.
Ginny sighed and stood up. She would be returning to this common room soon enough, but until then she wanted her family. It seemed silly now that she had left them in the Great Hall.
As she turned to leave the room she heard someone crawling though the portrait hole. Her heart froze mid-beat as she realized it was Harry.
He saw her and stopped moving, as if he had been frozen before he could stand up straight. Harry's hair was matted with sweat and blood, as were his clothes. The material he wore was ripped and blood shone through many of the holes. His glasses were askew over his green eyes that seemed to burn as they looked into her own.
Seconds passed, or was it minutes or days? Neither person spoke as they stared into each other's eyes. Finally Harry straightened.
He cleared his throat and asked the most absurd question, "Are you alright?"
"Am I… alright?" Ginny's mind felt clouded as she contemplated how to answer. And then she found her voice. "I, I don't even know how to answer that question. I lost so much…we lost so much tonight. Am I alright? I nearly lost you. I thought you were dead. You meant to die tonight, you said it yourself. You meant to leave us, leave me, and with no goodbye. And you ask if I'm alright! I don't know, I don't know if I'm alright. I'm elated and I'm destroyed. I haven't yet pieced together my heart or my mind from all that has happened tonight. You were dead, an empty shell at Voldemort's feet. I saw you dead and my heart broke into a thousand pieces. And then there was Neville and the snake and chaos and then you were gone. I was being pushed back toward the Great Hall and all I wanted, all I wanted, was to hurt as many stupid Death Eaters who got in my way. I wanted to make someone else feel the pain of their whole world shattering into a million tiny pieces, because then maybe I could ignore my own broken existence. And I found myself opposite Bellatrix, and I watched my mother duel with more ferocity than I knew she had in her. And then suddenly you were there, alive. You fought Voldemort and won and now you're here and…" words failed Ginny and she turned her back to Harry and fell down onto the couch. She realized she had started crying, but she couldn't remember when. She has just said a lot, and she wasn't sure if any of it had made sense. Nothing made sense anymore. And Fred… Ginny wiped her eyes and gazed back into the fire.
She heard Harry as he slowly walked around the couch and sat next to her. He, too, stared at the flames. He mouth twitched slightly as if he had something to say, but he seemed to change his mind. They sat there for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally Harry spoke. He turned to her and cupped his hand under her chin, again causing green eyes to burn into brown ones. "This doesn't seem like the right time or place to say this to you. You look exhausted and I most certainly am, but if we have learned anything today it is that life is short. Tonight I almost died. And as I stared at the wand that was about to strike the final blow, I only saw you. I saw your face as the flash of green hit me. I did everything I did out of necessity, yes. My fate was decided the moment Voldemort heard the prophecy. But still, I wanted a better future for everyone: for Ron and Hermione, for your parents, for the order, for all our classmates, but most importantly, for you. Even if it couldn't… if it can't be me in your future, I want you to be happy. I want you to be safe. I love you, Ginny Weasley. I couldn't say goodbye because I wouldn't have been able to walk into that forest if I had."
Ginny's heart skipped a beat when Harry said he loved her. Ginny leaned in and laid her head upon his chest, and Harry wrapped his arms around her. "I love you too, Harry Potter. I've loved you since I met you at King's Cross."
And the two exhausted survivors held onto each other on the couch in their common room and watched the flames dance. And at that moment, that was enough.