DISCLAIMER-I OWN NOTHING. THIS IS JKR'S WORLD, I AM JUST USING IT. Please feel free to review! It's my first story and I'm sure I need lots of help!
Ginny had imagined the victory over Voldemort would feel better, but she had not fully realized what the battle could take from her. Fred's death was taking a great toll on Ginny, and it still hadn't sunk in that never again would he follow George into the kitchen, or tease her about a boyfriend. If George ever did recover from his brother's loss, his laugh would not be echoed by his twin. She did not want to think about his funeral, anytime she would start to imagine it her eyes would become red and she'd have to rush out of the Hall again. 17 years of living with six brothers had taught her not to cry, at least not in front of them.
Just a few hours had passed from when Harry had defeated Voldemort, and Ginny was still avoiding him. She wanted nothing less than to speak with him, but didn't know how to approach him with her questions. Twice, he had discreetly tried to motion for her to walk with him, but both times she had ignored him and walked away. She had hoped that some sleep would help her clear her mind and give her some relief, but she had been interrupted by dreams of Fred dying, and George blaming her for Fred's death. Now, after her fourth time of being awoken by George's anguished yells, she decided that sleep simply was not the answer. Deciding that she would go for a nighttime walk, she pulled back her curtains.
Looking down to put on her shoes, Ginny heard the sound of another curtain being pushed back. She looked up, to see Hermione, eyes red, sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Couldn't sleep?" Hermione said. You could see she hadn't gotten much of a rest either, there were still small tears sliding down the edge of her face.
"No. This, it all, it just seems, t-too big and s-sad to t-take in." Ginny whimpered.
"Come on. We both need a walk." Hermione had gotten out of her bed and was extending a hand to Ginny, who slowly took it.
They crept past Bill and Fleur, and climbed down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. They glanced at the clock, and saw it was already ten o'clock in the morning. The final duel between Voldemort and Harry had taken place right around 2, and she hadn't gotten to bed until 7, just three hours ago. Once out past the empty portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione felt she could now start to talk.
"How are you doing, with all, this?" She asked gently.
"Its just hard to know, he's not coming back." Tears began to flow down Ginny's already-glistening cheeks, and she suddenly felt light headed. The realization of the whole past day came crashing over her. Fred was gone. Remus was gone. Tonks was gone.
Hermione seemed to read her thoughts. "Ginny, I know how tough this on you. You've been so brave so far. Look at the positives, though. You're here. Mum, Dad, Charlie, Bill, and George, Ron, even Percy came back. You know I'm always here for you. And Harry. He made it through this. You need to be strong and be there for him, and I know he'll do the same for you."
Her words seemed to have the desired effect on Ginny. When Hermione had mentioned Harry's name, her eyes had twitched hopefully, even for just the slightest of milliseconds. The end of the war could have been so much worse. What if Harry hadn't been able to defeat Voldemort, and now they were all dead, or worse, under his rule? The thought was almost unbearable to ponder.
Harry. She now realized that she had to speak with him, whether she was ready or not. Her anger at him was exactly what he didn't need, after all of these months apart. He had been on the run, risking his life, trying to defeat Voldemort. His victory should have been met by her with a long walk where they could talk about the past year, and maybe even the future a little. She could tell by the way he had looked at her in the Room of Requirement that his love for her had never faltered.
They walked past the Herbology greenhouses, where they saw the reconstruction had already begun. A small group of groggy witches and wizards were pointing their wands at the same corner of the greenhouse, whose broken blocks were coming together and mending. Further on, they saw a group of centaurs, trying to fix what Voldemort's giants had done to their forest.
As they walked around the corner of the castle, they saw the outline of two others walking toward them. Even though the war still showed on Harry and Ron's figures, Ginny had no problem recognizing them. She instantly broke out into a run, with Hermione not far behind. When Ginny and Harry finally reached each other, they hugged as they never hugged before.
Ginny tried to put a lot of unsaid feelings into that hug, and what felt like hours later, when they finally broke apart, Ginny could tell Harry understood. She glanced at Hermione and Ron, who had also embraced, and said, "Harry and I are going to walk for a while. We'll meet you two back at the Hall in a couple of hours."
"Us too," said Ron, grasping Hermione's hand, and giving it a tight squeeze, causing Hermione to blush.
Ginny took Harry's hand, and together they slowly walked towards the rising sun, with Ginny pondering how she could begin to ask him what had happened in these last months.
"Harry, what, I mean, how-" She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "Where have you been? What were you doing? Why couldn't you tell me?" She finally spluttered out.
"First, Ginny, know that my love for you never wavered. You were the one that kept me going. I will not keep from you any longer this thrilling tale, as you have the right to know." And then, without any more hesitation, Harry began to tell Ginny how he miraculously defeated Voldemort, and saved the Wizarding World from a near catastrophic collapse.