A/N: This story was written for and is dedicated to GinnyPotter-91 I hope you enjoy it.

ONE-SHOT - Harry/Ginny - ROMANCE/ANGST

Please review ;) I'm not used to writing H/G, as I'm not a H/G shipper... but I tried my best.

The One

Ginny packed the last of her school things into her trunk, and dragged it downstairs where Hermione was already ready at the kitchen table, and where Mrs. Weasley had already put out plates of rashers and eggs for the two of them. Ginny grimaced a little – she honestly didn't feel like eating at all, but she knew that her mother would not approve of starting such a long day without a meal, so she sat down and had a crack at it anyway.

"Have Ron and Harry already eaten?" Ginny asked, hardly daring to believe that they had managed to get up and out of bed before her.

Hermione gave a snort of laughter.

"No, of course not," said Mrs. Weasley. "They're probably still upstairs getting out of bed. Last time I checked, Harry was still asleep – I thought I'd let him have a bit of a lie-on. He was a bit upset yesterday, poor dear... but I suppose I should go and make sure he's up – or else you'll all be late."

Mrs. Weasley wiped her hands on a cloth next to her cauldron and rushed upstairs to Ron's bedroom. Ginny swirled her eggs around on her plate, thinking about Harry. He had been very down yesterday – his mood had been going up and down all summer. One day he'd be alright, laughing as he threw a few gnomes over the Burrow wall, the next day he'd spend all day alone in Ron's bedroom before coming downstairs for something to eat. His eyes were usually red and his face splotchy when he would join them on these days. He was still very upset over Sirius's death. It had devastated him.

Ginny tried to get her mind off Harry by remembering that she would be seeing Dean in just a couple of hours, but she looked down at her eggs a few minutes later to see she had traced a lightning bolt into the hardening yoke.

Just a coincidence, she thought. It's really more of a zigzag, anyway...

She turned to Hermione, who had been very quiet.

"So are you alright? I'm sorry my brother was such an idiot last night..."

Ron and Hermione had fought last night – another one of their ridiculous arguments caused by the fact that Ron liked Hermione, but was too stupid to say anything about it. He was not, however, smart enough to stop demanding she stop writing to Krum, nor smart enough to admit he was jealous. And so the argument that they were all so used to witnessing had exploded again the night before at dinner, for what was probably the fourth time that summer..

"I'm fine. I just wish..."

Hermione trailed off, but Ginny didn't need her to finish her sentence – she understood what Hermione meant. She herself wished her brother would stop being such an idiot and get on with admitting to them all how he felt.

She looked at her watch and realized that they were supposed to be leaving for King's Cross, or they'd miss the train.

"Hermione, we should get going," she said. "RON! HARRY! Let's go!" she yelled upstairs as she and Hermione ran outside to the car where Mr. Weasley was waiting.

In a few moments, Harry and Ron came running from the Burrow, their shirts untucked, hair flying about the place, trunks being dragged behind them, as well as a frantic Mrs. Weasley running behind them shooting their shirts with last minute Ironing Charms.

"Mum, it's fine! We're changing into our robes later, anyway..." Ron said as he tried to escape her fire by jumping in the car.

Mrs. Weasley gave up trying to fix their sloppy appearance as the two boys climbed into the car, and instead just waved and called after them.

"Behave! Have a good year! Don't get into any trouble. And BE CAREFUL!"

They watched as Mrs. Weasley got smaller and smaller in the back window. It appeared she hadn't gone back inside until the car had vanished from her sight.

"How long have you two been up?" asked Ginny, giggling at the cute way Harry's hair was sticking up above his head.

No, not cute, thought Ginny. You're past that, remember?

"'Bout five minutes," yawned Ron. "Is that right, Harry?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Harry said grinning, clearly still half-asleep. Ginny was glad to see that he was smiling – but she could see the dark circles under his eyes, telling of the many sleepless nights he'd experienced that summer.

Quite soon, after about a half-hour of chatting, as well as total silence on Hermione's part, they arrived at King's Cross. Mr. Weasley helped the girls with their trunks, gave them all a hug and told them to watch themselves and have a good year. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione left to take care of prefect duties (Ginny had received her badge that week), leaving Harry to find a compartment for them to sit in. He found one that was totally empty and was soon joined by Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom.

When Harry saw Dean he felt an unpleasant emotion shoot through his stomach – but unable to identify it, he just blamed it on the fact that he'd had no breakfast – except for of course the half-piece of toast Mrs. Weasley had shoved into his mouth on the way out the door.

Conversation was slow; Neville had most likely said something to the other two about Sirius's death, not that they wouldn't have read about it in the news anyway, but he'd probably added something about how upset Harry would be about it. They talked quietly about the summer and Quidditch and their O.W.L.'s for while after the train set off, before they were joined by Ginny.

"Where're Ron and Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Oh – they went to have a talk..." Ginny said, sighing.

She sat next to Dean and gave him a kiss on the cheek – Harry felt his stomach give a little jump again – it continued to do so the entire journey. Every time Ginny brushed up against her new boyfriend, or laughed at his jokes, or smiled sweetly at him. Harry didn't understand what was going on, at all. Not only that, but Ron and Hermione hadn't come back. His mind floated back to the dream he had the night before – he had dreamed of Sirius again, falling through the veil.

The train stopped with a jolt and Harry snapped out of his thoughts to see Ginny glancing at him worried, clearly oblivious to whatever Dean was talking about. They left the train, Harry still silent, Ginny still eyeing him with concern. Harry watched the thestrals amidst the carriages and felt a pang in his heart.

The only people who can see thestrals are those who've seen death, he thought painfully.

When they got to the Entrance Hall, Ginny managed to shake off Dean. She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off to the side, sneaking out of view of the Filch, while the rest of the student's filtered into the Great Hall.

"Are you doing alright, Harry?" she asked. "You looked very upset on the train..."

"Yeah – I'm fine, just...Sirius."

She bit her lip.

"I thought so – look Dumbledore's probably going to be talking about You-Know-Who, and all – if you want to skip the feast, I'll go to the common room with you..."

"No, it's alright. Dean will probably be missing you..."

"Dean doesn't matter, he can wait..." she said.

"No. I'm okay – they'll probably notice I'm not there if I leave – I can handle it."

Ginny nodded and they followed everyone else into the Great Hall. The ceiling was midnight blue and glittering with tiny white stars. McGonagall had already entered with the first years. Ginny and Harry managed to take a seat inconspicuously at the back of the tables. Harry didn't pay much attention to the sorting, or what Dumbledore had said – though he had felt the entire room tense up, and he had heard several collective sharp intakes of breath, at which point Harry assumed Dumbledore had said "Voldemort." He wasn't even thinking too much about Sirius – he was thinking of Ginny. It meant a lot to him that she had offered to go with him if he wanted to skip the feast – and that she had said that Dean didn't matter.

Ginny had been there for him all summer. Ron and Hermione had tried their best to comfort him – but they had other things going on, personal things, and Harry could not blame them for not being able to devote all their attention to his grief. Ginny, however had been there whenever he needed to talk – and she never failed to check that he was doing okay, or to try and cheer him up, or to understand that sometimes he didn't want cheering up. Ginny, for a change, had been his best friend that summer. And it was a very comforting thought, as it was becoming quite clear that Ron and Hermione would soon be unable to be there for him like they used to. Of course, they would never abandon their best friend – but they had their own feelings to work out now. Ginny, though – he had now learned he could count on.

Harry was relieved when the feast was over, and he slowly followed Ginny upstairs as she led the first years to Gryffindor Tower. Upon entering through the Fat Lady ("Gillyweed") Harry felt himself enveloped in the familiar warmth of the common room. He flopped into an armchair – he was exhausted, but not quite ready to succumb to sleep, in fear that he would be haunted by the recurring nightmares again.

In the corner of the common room, Dean had taken Ginny to the side.

"Ginny, is Harry doing alright?" he asked.

"He's okay, considering..." she said, shooting a glance at Harry in the armchair.

Dean was quiet for a moment.

"Look I know the two of you are close, but you can't just keep walking away from me because he needs someone to talk to. You barely wrote to me all summer – and when you did, there was always an excuse about how you'd been busy with Harry, that he needed you..." he said, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Dean – he's mourning his godfather. It's important that he has people who love him around...I can't just let him alone because you want to talk football and Quidditch with me..."

"So you love him?" Dean asked.

"Of course I do!"

"As more than a friend?" he asked.

"No, of course not..." she answered indignantly, though she knew this wasn't the truth.

Dean could clearly sense what she was feeling.

"Look Ginny – I like you, I really do. But obviously you're still harboring feelings for Harry – and I don't know if we can even have a relationship anyway, because you're really close to all this stuff that's going on, and I just don't think we're in the same place right now..."

Ginny hardly dared to breathe.

"Are you breaking up with me because I'm trying to be a good friend to Harry?"

"Gin – that's not it. I just don't think that this is a good time for us to be together – and I do think that this thing with Harry is about more than friendship. I'm sorry." He kissed her on the cheek and then went upstairs to his dormitory. Ginny could barely believe it – this was the second time her feelings for Harry had gotten in the way of a relationship.

First Michael, now Dean, she thought.

Ginny had given up on Harry a long time ago, but the way she felt had never gone away. She had decided that when he was ready, she would be still willing to be with him. Obviously her boyfriends had sensed that inside she was really waiting for Harry.

She sat down in the armchair next to Harry, letting out a deep sigh.

"Dean broke up with me..." she said, wondering why she thought Harry would care – but inside hoping that he would.

Harry felt another leap inside his stomach – but unlike what he had been feeling earlier, this one was not unpleasant – it was excited.

"Why?"

"Because, I don't pay enough attention to him..." she said. It wasn't a complete lie, at least.

"Because of me?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked at him, and felt that longing pain she had grown so used to.

"Yeah – but don't worry about it. I don't need him..."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine, really."

Harry looked at Ginny as the light of the flames in the fireplace danced across her face and hair. He had never really noticed how beautiful she was until that moment.

"Ginny – thanks. I really appreciate you being there for me this summer..."

"Don't mention it..."

"No – really. I've needed you," he said it softly, causing Ginny's heart to skip a beat.

"Well, I do it because I love you." she said quietly.

Harry was the one whose heart skipped a beat this time.

"Like a brother?" he asked tentatively. It had to be what she meant.

Ginny swallowed hard.

"No Harry – much more than that," she said. She was surprised at how calm she was. She looked into his bright green eyes. Harry felt all the emotions he had been feeling that summer click into place. He realized that Ginny was the one who was going to help him through this. Not just Sirius, but everything – Voldemort, the prophecy, everything he was facing. She had been there all along and he hadn't noticed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Ginny closed her eyes. She was so sure that he was finally ready. He had been so open with her all summer.

No, don't let him reject me again, she thought.

She inhaled sharply.

"Sorry for what?" she asked, scared of the answer she knew was coming.

"Sorry for not doing this sooner," he replied as he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. Ginny could hardly believed what was happening. Finally, after all the year's of waiting, it had happened. After a few seconds she pulled away, trying to catch her breath. Neither of them said anything. Nothing needed to be said. They knew that from that moment on, they had the person they needed most in their life – the one who would make it all worthwhile. Ginny got out of her chair and moved to Harry's, where he gladly let her curl up next to him. He was very tired, physically and emotionally, but he stayed there, happy. He just wanted to feel the warmth of her next to him. They sat their quietly for a while before realizing that they should go to bed, as they had classes in the morning. Harry walked her to the girl's staircase and kissed her again.

"I love you, too, Ginny."

She smiled, there were tears in her eyes. Harry didn't want to let go of her hand. They hung in the moment before finally parting, with the comforting knowledge that they would be together the next day – and every day after that. Harry drifted up his own staircase to his room. And for the first time since the Department of Mysteries, he fell into a peaceful sleep of pleasant dreams.

the end

or the beginning

A/N: Please leave a review, good or bad, thank you