After the battle

After the battle I had tried to give him his space. I thought to process everything. Mum had made him come back to the burrow with us and it just made it so much more difficult to not ran at him and throw my arms around his neck. All I really wanted was his comfort and support. I wasn't left alone, my parents and still very protective brothers made sure I was never left to comfort myself but I couldn't get over the image in my head whenever I saw him. Of course, I'd seen Harry duel and to be honest he was probably the safest of all in the battle, but I had a recurring nightmare in which Harry was dueling Voldermort and one of the green flashes hit Harry squarely in the chest. The dream would continue until the bright emerald eyes became dull and clouded. I'd always wake up covered in sweat with the blankets half way across the room where they'd apparently landed.

One night, three days after the battle and the night before Fred's funeral I had woken up from the nightmare to find that, yet again Hermione had left me to sleep in the boys room. 'I cant sleep well without Ron anymore' so she claims. I'd heard Harry complaining that he'd rather sleep on the sofa than share a room with the 'love birds' but Hermione had bitten his head off for suggesting that she and Ron did anything.

It had been same nightmare as usual but it was also a storm outside and it added to my already precarious balance of calm, teetering the scales until I lost my nerve in a bolt of lightning that reminded me of his scar. I yelped in shock before I realized it was only lightning outside, but I still didn't want to be alone in my dark room so I didn't even pause to think it through before I went upstairs to Harry and Ron's room.

I didn't pause to knock and when I was in I saw Ron and Hermione asleep in each other's arms on Ron's bed. I remembered doping that with Harry, when I used to sneak up to his dorm and just climb into his bed and fall asleep. As I thought of those treasured memories I looked down towards Harry's bed that was just under the window. She could see the familiar outline of Harry sitting up against the headboard looking out at the lightning, "Hey Gin" he said without turning

"How did you know it was me?" I asked crossing the room and sitting next to him.

"I could see your reflection," he said smiling smugly as I glanced at the reflection depicting me and him sitting side-by-side smiling. While I looked at us in the window I felt like I it was back to the way it was between Harry and me. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes in contentment. I felt his warm breath on my cheek and his lips brushed against my neck. I sighed and nestled into his chest.

"Harry, I can't sleep," I mumbled into his chest "I keep having a nightmare that you- you were- ki- killed…"

"Come on Gin, don't let him win now he'd dead. He can't hurt anybody anymore" he said soothingly. He has a deep and smooth voice that helped calm me down. I felt his arms move around me in a protective way and I sighed in contentment.

"Can I stay with you tonight? Like I used to" I said and I knew I sounded desperate but I could still hear the storm and I didn't want to dream that he was dead again. He didn't answer me directly, instead he leaned down and pulled the quilt from the foot of the bed and draped it over me before leaning back so I could rest my head against his chest. "Is that a yes?" I asked with a smile creeping up my features.

"Yes" He said quietly and he pressed his lips to my hair.

"Harry?" I asked timidly

"Mhmm" he answered sleepily

"Never mind" I said quickly and I felt him stiffen at my nervousness

"Ginny, you can tell me anything"

"It's more of an ask actually" I said trying to delay him

"That too, so go ahead," he said with a quiet laugh

"Well, I was just wondering… how do you think of me now?" I said so quickly it may have jumbled my words together "I mean like… a friend… or something more" is said trailing off towards the end.

"Oh… um… more I guess," he said nervously and I felt myself blushing but I was so happy that I could burst "So um… I suppose I should ask you out again" he carried on quietly

"I suppose you should," I said grinning and he half laughed and half groaned

"You're really going to make me ask?" he asked with a chuckle, I nodded silently "Ginny Weasley would you like to go out with me… again?" I smiled widely pressing my lips together so I wouldn't attack him

"Hmm I'll have to think about that," I said in mock thought

"Ginny" he whined and I laughed turning in his arms to look into his perfect emerald eyes, my eyes took in his every perfect imperfection of his face, his lighting scar and the new one that followed the line of his temple and his small cut on his lower lip, it was only these tiny insignificant imperfections that reminded me he was a human and not some godly figure of my erotic imagination. Next I took in his perfect features, they far out numbered the imperfect… His brilliant green eyes that were also a perfect almond shape, his sexy jet black and unruly hair, his smooth, not too pale not too tanned skin, his prominent jaw line and strong looking neck. And all that was just his face! "Gin?" he repeated and bit his lip nervously

"I'd love too," I said quietly and I leaned towards him, he grinned his heart melting grin and closer the small gap between our lips. I had forgotten what a good kisser Harry was and I immediately felt like I was flying without a broom. I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him closer my mind went blank of every thing but him in those moments as his hands ran through my hair and down my back. His every touch sent a small jolt through me like the lightening that was still loud outside. He leaned away from me and smiled. Then, I just blurted out what I'd been thinking all those months he'd been gone "I love you, Harry"…

"I love you too," he said with a wider smile and he kissed me again and again I forgot my name! It was so unfair that he could do that to me. But still he said he loved me and he never lied. I felt like I was the happiest and luckiest person in the world. I felt like standing on the roofs of Hogwarts and shouting at the top of my lungs 'Harry kissed me! Harry said he loves me!' and then add in for good measure 'and we're going out so the rest of you desperate girls (cough) Romilda (cough) can go and sniff somewhere else!' but I reframed for doing so since A. we were not at Hogwarts and B. he may change his mind if I did. I blurted all that out too "Harry would you bump me if I screamed that we are back together and that you said you love me when we go back to Hogwarts? And tell Romilda Vane to piss off" I added as and after thought without thinking. He grinned wider and kissed my lips once

"Nope, you don't get rid of me that easily" he said happily and I laughed lightly, I heard Ron snoring loudly and wondered how Hermione could possibly still be asleep with that foghorn in her ear. Then I yawned, I hadn't had a proper night sleep since the night before the battle I'd had nightmares of Harry being murdered instead. "You need to sleep," he said simply

"But I don't want to" I complained running my hand through his hair making it a little more untidy. He smiled and shuffled down in the bed so only his head was on the pillow. Now I could see an up side to going to sleep. I would get one of my whishes come true. I rested my head on his bicep and his lower arm curved around my back to place a hand on my waist. I sighed happily and reached my arm across his chest to hold him tightly to me. "Good night" I whispered to him as I closed my eyes and then added "my love"

"Night love" he answered with a light squeeze. And that was it, I fell asleep in his arms knowing for the first time in my life not only that he truly loved me but also he'd still be alive in the morning to prove it. And I did for the rest of my life.