A/N: I wrote this earlier today because I had the sudden urge to write something. While it isn't my first fanfic, it is the first one I've decided to post. I personally don't think it's that great, but I don't think anything I write is too good. It contains spoilers to Deathly Hollows so if you haven't read the book don't read this. I wrote it because I didn't like the fact that the book skipped 19 years without any explanation over what happened at all and because the book didn't have enough romance in it, and even though I'm a guy I think romance is necessary for a good story.

Disclaimor: I don't own anything except the idea.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The True Beginning

Harry awoke in a very comfortable four-poster bed. The walls covered in red and gold and for a brief moment Harry felt like he had never left Hogwarts. The evening sun shone through the window and Harry realized he had been sleeping for almost the entire day.

He heard people yelling to each other and he feared that he would have to face them all again, but the voices seemed to fade after a few minutes. Harry rolled over deciding to try and get a little more sleep when there were footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Bugger," Harry sighed in frustration.

He pretended to be asleep as the person walked quietly over to his bed. He thought he could smell the slight scent of strawberries.

"Harry?" asked a soft, sweet voice, as a hand was placed gently on his shoulder. Harry recognized Ginny's voice immediately and felt her sit on the edge of the bed.

He rolled over and faced her and could see the sorrow etched in her face. He sat up and felt a pang of grief as he felt that it was his fault that so many had fallen to Voldemort's army.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny," Harry said, a painful expression on his face. "I wish there was a way I could change it…I-"

"Shut-up," Ginny cut him off forcefully. "I'm so sick of you blaming yourself for every little bad thing that happens. It wasn't your fault, what could you have done to change it? Nothing, so just shut-up!"

Harry looked at her in alarm, she was close to tears but she would never let them fall. He looked down at his hands and felt like he should do something, but he didn't know what.

"Ginny…" he said, almost in a whisper. "How can I not blame myself? If I wouldn't have dragged all of you into this Fred would still-"

Slap. Harry felt the sharp pain on his cheek and looked at Ginny. She was seething, her brown eyes narrowed into slits and her breathing was heavy.

"I can't believe you!" Ginny yelled. "How can you say you dragged us into this when we all came on our own? Don't you think for a minute Harry Potter that we were all going to sit back and let you take on the entire Dark Lord's army all by your bloody self. And speaking of taking on the Dark Lord by yourself…what the bloody hell is the matter with you?" She beat her fists into him where ever she could find an opening. "Do you have any idea how worried you had us? Especially me?"

"Ginny-" Slap!

"Don't you dare 'Ginny' me you stupid git," she hissed. "I can't believe you would turn yourself in like that. What kind of-"

Harry had never reacted so fast in his life, as soon as Ginny's fists came up to start another barrage on him he lunged for her and he pinned her arms to her body. He put one hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling at him.

"Ginny, I had to. There was no other way Voldemort could be defeated. I-ouch!"

Ginny had sunk her teeth into his hand.

"Don't you dare tell me that there was no other way, you never even stopped to try to think of one," she wasn't going to let him win this argument. "You could have talked to Ron, Hermione, me, why the hell would you do something as stupid as that, you could've died."

"That was the plan, actually."

As soon as the words left his mouth she struggled to get loose with a new fury. He held her as tightly as he could considering the uncomfortable position he was in.

"You didn't even think to say goodbye?" she hissed into his ear.

"You would've tried to stop me and-"

"Your damn right I would have!"

"Ginny, just shut-up and listen to me for a minute would you?" Harry said as forcefully as he could. She looked at him in shock. "Do you realize how hard it was for me to think about giving my life up like that? When I passed you on the grounds if I would have stopped to say anything to you there would have been no way I could have gone and given myself up, and I needed to, if I wouldn't have Voldemort would still be alive."

So he explained to her about the horcruxes and how he was the seventh one. He told her about the Deathly Hallows. He told her everything. By the time he was finished the light from the window was fading, the sun sinking below the horizon. Ginny seemed to have calmed down by the end of his long explanation, but he still held onto her tightly, half fearful she would try to hit him again and half because he hadn't held her in so long.

"Harry…" Ginny didn't know exactly what to say or do. She knew what it was like to be infected by Voldemort's evil.

"I'm going to let you go okay?" Harry asked, he released her and he realized how exhausted holding her like that had been. He laid back onto his pillow, he wanted so desperately to sleep again so he didn't have to explain himself any more to the valkyrie sitting next to him.

Ginny watched him lay down and she knew how much energy it had to have taken to hold her like he had been. She felt a pang of guilt for making him use that much energy after all he had done for the world, but she couldn't help being frustrated with him.

"So…" Ginny hesitated. "Can we get back together now?"

"That's completely up to you." Harry replied very cautiously.

Ginny looked at him and could see the hope in his eyes she couldn't imagine turning him down after she had longed to be together for so long.

"Good," she said as she laid down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

He pulled the covers up around them and he was soon sleeping soundly. The next thing he knew he could here someone calling his name.

"Harry, have you seen Ginny anywhere, mate?" Ron asked as he walked into the room which was now completely dark. "Mum's been looking all over for her and…"

Harry had sat up and noticed Ron looking at the body lying next to him.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Ron looked infuriated.

"Ron," Harry started to explain. "Nothing happened-"

Ron walked up to him and grabbed him by the shirt. "Look mate, I don't care if you go out with my sister, but you damn sure aren't-"

Ron flew backwards and landed in a chair in the corner of the room.

"Ron, don't even think I won't hex you," Ginny said staring at her brother. "Now nothing happened, and nothings going to happen anytime soon, not that it's any of your business, so just bugger off."

Ron looked from his little sister to his best friend and got up to leave. "Mum's looking for you Ginny," he mumbled on his way out.

"He's just trying to protect you, you know," Harry stated.

"Yeah, but it isn't any of his business."

"Well technically…" Harry let the sentence fade out because of the look that Ginny gave him. He didn't want another argument; he was still exhausted from the last one.

"I better go see what Mum wants," Ginny said getting up. "She would have a fit about this."

Just as the words left Ginny's mouth Mrs. Weasley walked into the room.

"Ginerva Weasley, just what do you think you are doing?" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"Mum-"

"It was my fault Mrs. Weasley," Harry said very quickly. "I asked her if she could stay for a while, because I didn't want to be alone. And…" Harry wracked his brain for more excuses to get Ginny out of trouble.

"Harry, you're a young man I expect this kind of behavior from you, but you Ginerva, you are a young lady and this kind of thing is unacceptable."

"But see I proposed," Harry blurted without thinking.

Mrs. Weasley gasped and Ginny stared at him. "What are you doing?" Ginny mouthed. Harry shrugged helplessly.

Mrs. Weasley shrieked and ran to embrace her daughter. "I can't believe my little girl is getting married."

"Me neither," Ginny said looking at Harry from over her mother's shoulder. He grinned mischievously at her. "Mum, can you kind of keep it a secret for a little while? Me and Harry want to tell everyone when we're ready."

"Of course dear," Mrs. Weasley promised, forgetting about what they had done. "I'll leave you to alone to talk things over."

As she walked out of the room Ginny spun on Harry. "You proposed? What kind of an excuse is that?"

"It just slipped out, but it worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, but now we have to get married."

"You sound disappointed," Harry laughed.

"But you didn't even propose properly," Ginny pouted. "And I'm not about to tell any children we may have you proposed to keep us out of trouble."

"I would have proposed eventually anyway," Harry stated matter-of-factly.

Ginny looked at him in surprise. "Honest?"

"Of course I would have," Harry said.

Ginny launched herself on him and kissed him more passionately than ever before. He held her close to him.

"I'm going to have to find a ring."

"Mrs. Ginny Potter, I think I could get used to it."

"I definitely like the sound of it."