She sat at the edge of the lake. Her legs tucked under her, the pink and orange morning sunrise glinting off of her bright red hair, giving off the illusion of a flame. She was covered in grime, dust and dried blood, if it was her own, Harry couldn't tell. But then again, Harry couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful in his life.
He emerged towards where she kneeled, and quietly sat down next to her on the grainy sand. She didn't make any acknowledgement to the fact that he was there, and remained silent, the only sound being the lake's waves gently rolling onto the shore. Maybe she hadn't noticed. Or maybe she just didn't care. Harry took in her face, trying to permanently etch every feature in his mind, so he would never forget. Her deep brown eyes, which usually blazed with a fiery determination, seemed dim. Her face was paler than usual, making the dusting of freckles across her nose stand out like stars in the night sky.
There was a peaceful sadness about her, the way she looked out over the sparkling water. It made Harry want to hold her, wrap his arms around her and tell her it was going to be alright. But it wasn't that simple.
"What're you looking at, Potter?" Harry came out of his trance, and found Ginny looking at him with a small smirk on her face. "Well, I guess it's safe to say that you didn't meet any Veela on your journey."
Harry opened and closed his mouth like a fish might, not sure what to say. He had been waiting a year to see Ginny, talk to her, apologize to her. Now he had his chance and he was completely blowing it. Finally, he found the right words, though they left his mouth shaking and broken up. "Walk with me?"
Ginny nodded, and accepted his hand to help her up. When they were both standing, she looked at him dead in the eye, and leaned in, as if to kiss Harry. Harry's heart skipped at least five beats, and he followed her movements, closing his eyes- and Ginny slapped him across the face.
Harry stumbled back, stunned. Ginny marched up to him, angry tears glistening in her eyes.
"First, you leave me and my family for a year with my brother and best friend, off doing who knows what while the entire Ministry is after your head!" Ginny fumed as Harry continued to back up. "Second, you suddenly arrive back here out of nowhere and start a bloody battle!" At this point, Ginny was practically shaking with rage. "Third, you go ahead and turn yourself in, and let that noseless freak kill you! You were dead Harry! You were dead! My brother is dead!"
She collapsed onto the sand, sobbing, her face buried in her hands. Harry stopped backing up and ran over to her without hesitation. He dropped next to her and draped his arms around her shoulders, letting Ginny cry into his jacket. He whispered words of comfort into her flowery smelling hair, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"It's okay, shhh, it's going to be okay." She began to sob even harder, her body shaking with grief.
"He can't be gone, Fred can't be… you were…" She choked.
"We won the war. Voldemort is dead. It's all over." Harry found tears streaming down his own face as he said the words. It was over."It's going to be okay Gin, it's going to be okay."
"No, it's not. I don't... I don't care that the war is over. I… I just…" She gasped, and held Harry tighter. He hugged her back, putting as much reassurance in the embrace as he had.
They sat like this until the sun had fully risen up into the sky, the early morning light shining down upon them. When Ginny had calmed down a bit, she suggested they go and join the rest of the Weasleys, who Harry had yet to see. After himself, Ron and Hermione had left Dumbledore's office, Harry had split up from the two, wanting to be alone for a little while to gather his thoughts, when he had found Ginny down at the lake.
"You know what, Gin," Harry responded. "I think that's a great idea. But there's something I need to do first. Care to accompany me?" He held out a hand to her. She quietly agreed, and wiped away the few remaining tears that marked her face with her palm. Harry pulled her along by the hand to where he needed to go, to do the errand he had been dreading doing since the battle ended. But having Ginny with him gave Harry a new confidence.
They approached the marble white tomb, the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest casting shadows over where it was mounted by the lake. Harry felt Ginny tense beside him, though she didn't hold back. She walked with him over to the open tomb. The two gazed down upon the white, pasty face of their old headmaster, his half-moon glasses still carefully perched on his crooked nose, just as they had been when Harry had first met Albus Dumbledore. Harry let go of Ginny's hand, and pulled out of his pocket the Elder Wand. He then placed the legendary wand under the folded hands of its rightful owner.
"Do you think we should say something?" Ginny suggested, looking down at Dumbledore.
"Yeah, um… I'll… I'll go first, if that's alright with you?" Harry's voice hitched. He knew just what to say, the words Dumbledore would want to hear, the words Harry hadn't gotten a chance to say at his funeral. He took a deep breath.
"Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak." He could almost imagine the twinkle in the old wizard's piercing blue eyes as he said it. Ginny's eyes widened in surprised, but softened as she remembered the Headmaster's speech at her own start of year feast.
"That- That's beautiful, Harry. I really don't think there's anything left for me to say."
With Ginny's help on the spellwork, Harry closed the coffin for the last time. They walked back to the castle in a resumed silence. Harry's head was heavy with exhaustion and grief, and he felt slightly dizzy as they made their way down the ancient castle's torch lit corridors.
"My family will probably be up in the common room." Ginny told him somberly. "They kicked everybody out of the Great Hall so they can… you know… take care of the fallen." As they walked past the entrance to the Great Hall, Harry couldn't help but peer in, no matter how much he knew it would hurt him. Ginny had been right; the Great Hall was nearly deserted, except for a few healers, who busied themselves with the endless rows of witches and wizards who had died during the battle, and George Weasley.
George knelt next to his mirror images battered body, his head bowed. Harry felt a sudden pang of remorse pierce him like a knife. He turned to face Ginny, who's eyes were distant and misty. All she said was, "He wouldn't leave him. So they let him stay."
Harry nodded in understanding, and took Ginny's hand. Together, they made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who burst into tears on the spot. "Mr. P-Potter… You… Are… So…. B-Brave…. A t-true…. G-Gryffindor…" She blew her nose loudly into a lacey pink handkerchief, and swung forwards the portrait hole to let them in. Harry and Ginny murmured words of thanks as they clambered through.
They walked in on what seemed to be the most mournful celebration party ever thrown. The decorations were spectacular- Gryffindor streamers, banners, and balloons covered every visible inch of the common room. An enlarged picture of Harry, Ron and Hermione back in their fourth year hung over the merrily crackling fireplace, and there was a decorated table covered with at least a hundred bottles of butterbeer and a platter of what looked like the rock cakes Hagrid enjoyed making.
Though if dementors had human counterparts, the people at the party would be them. Families huddled together, Gryffindor and guest, and many of them looked as if they were in a state of mourning. Harry spotted the Weasleys, their flaming red hair causing them to stand out from the rest of the group. Mr. Weasley sat on the sofa, his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around Mrs. Weasley, whose kind, round face wore a mask of horrible, despairing grief. Bill, Fleur, Percy and Charlie huddled near them, conversing in low voices.
Ron and Hermione stood by one of the tall windows, Ron holding Hermione as if he were afraid to let go. Both of their dust and grime covered faces were paved with tear tracks, not unlike many of the other people in the room. Harry and Ginny moved towards where they stood, and Hermione broke away from Ron to hug them both.
"Where were you two?" Ron asked, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders in a half hug. "Mum was beginning to get worried."
"We were just taking care of some matters." Harry responded quickly. The way Ron's eyes darted between Ginny, to Harry, to their intertwined fingers , making Harry uneasy.
"Matters? Matters like what?" Harry's red headed best friend asked, raising his eyebrows.
"That's enough, Ronald." Hermione interrupted, stepping in front of Ron defensively. "Anyway, Harry, McGonagall talked to Ron and I a little bit after you left. She said she wants to meet with us sometime today or tomorrow. She didn't exactly say what for, but I think it's safe to assume what." She pushed a strand of her bushy brown hair out of her face, her eyes becoming soft. "Oh… And Harry… While you were gone, well, Andromeda Tonks showed up with Teddy. I just thought you'ld like to know…" She pointed over to the corner of the common room, where the woman Harry recognized as Tonk's mother stood, clutching a screaming, turquoise haired infant to her chest. She bounced Teddy up and down, her curls unruly and her face tear streaked.
Harry's heart dropped into his stomach at the sight of seeing Andromeda with Harry's now orphaned godson. Now Teddy would be like Harry, never knowing his parents. The thought made Harry sick.
"I'm… Kind of… Tired. I'm going to go up to the dormitories. See you guys later." He said quickly. Ron's lips parted in surprise.
"Harry are you alright-?" But Harry was gone before he even had time to answer. He ran up the boys dormitories stairs two at a time, and with relief, found it completely empty. He leaned against a wall, his heart hammering in his ears, and slid to the soft, carpeted floor, his head in his hands.
Lupin. Tonks. Fred. Countless others. They were all dead. Dead because of Harry. Because he hadn't made it to Voldemort quick enough. The room seemed to be spinning around Harry, who remained slumped on the floor, his eyes shut tight, trying to make it stop. He was vaguely aware of the sound of the common room's door opening, and somebody sitting down next to him and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, looking for his opposer. Ginny, concern filling her blazing eyes. "Are you alright?"
Harry shook his head slightly in response. "Ron let you up into the empty boys common room alone?" Harry grinned slightly. "That's a major improvement." Ginny laughed.
"No, Hermione practically had to hold his arms behind his back to keep him from running after me. So actually, not much of an improvement at all. The battles ended a lot of things, but Ron's brotherly overprotectiveness will still go on." Her smile broke when she noticed Harry's face fall.
"It's not your fault, you know." Ginny said. "Not Lupin, or Tonks, or… Fred. None of them died because of you."
"But if I had just gotten to them quicker…" Harry stood up abruptly, and began pacing around the dormitories. "If I hadn't been such a ruddy coward, I might have been able to save your brother! I might have been able to save Teddy Lupin's parents!"
"Harry, sacrificing yourself to the Dark Lord is not a simple decision. You can't just run off and die without taking time to think about it first." Ginny stood up to face him. She was about a head shorter than Harry, though her strong aura of determination made her seem much taller.
"Ginny, you don't understand.I'm the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, the one destined to defeat Lord Voldemort. That's really the only reason the wizarding world payed any attention to me. Now I've done my job, I've played my part. I'm not needed anymore." Harry squeezed his eyes shut, and opened them again, only to find Ginny's brown eyes staring right back. He sighed softly.
"Everybody who died during the battle, everybody who sacrificed themselves for me, they all had reasons to continue living. Lupin and Tonks, they had just gotten married, had a son. Fred just opened his shop, had a family, and had a twin who really needs him, now more than ever. So many people's lives were torn apart because they decided to sacrifice themselves for me. And now I've completed my goals, all those lives have been wasted."
Ginny looked taken aback, startled by Harry's words. Though she came back strong as ever.
"Harry, defeating Voldemort..." Even Ginny, who had always seemed fearless to Harry, had trouble saying the dark wizard's name. Harry was beginning to understand why. "That was not your only purpose in this world. Harry, you may not realize it, but you have so many people who love you, who need you."
Harry's lips parted. But before he could protest, Ginny was speaking again.
"My mum and dad, Harry, you are like a son to them. Can you imagine the pain they would have gone through if you had really been dead? They would have lost two sons that night. And my brothers, the same goes for them. What about Ron and Hermione? You're their best friend, you three have been through the impossible together. They can't lose you, just as much as you can't lose them. And I need you Harry. Did you ever stop to think about that? I need you because I… I…" she trailed off, her eyes moving towards the ground.
Harry felt realization course through him like electricity. Ginny was right. As much as he was guilty for causing so much hurt, she was right. He was just about to tell her so when she looked up, wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
Harry was shocked, dumbfounded even, but nonetheless, he kissed her back with almost as much enthusiasm. His fingers became entangled in her soft hair, and he found his eyes closing, wanting to become immersed in her, in Ginny. They exchanged unsaid words and emotions between them, all the sadness, joy, anger and fear of the past year. Harry stumbled back with the force of the kiss, and found himself tripping and falling backwards, landing on one of the dormitories beds, Ginny landing on top of him with a breathless gasp.
They broke apart, and Ginny stared down at him with amusement in her gaze. "Tired, Potter?"
Harry grinned back up at her; his first real grin in what seemed seemed like forever. "Well, in the past day, I've ridden out of Gringotts on a dragon, fought in what is probably the biggest battles the wizarding world has ever known, died, and defeated the most powerful dark wizard of all time without as much as a five minute break. So yeah, I'm tired."
Ginny laughed, and rolled off of Harry, allowing him to right himself on top of the bed. She then curled up next to him, her head resting on his arm, the sun shining through the window and bathing them in a warm, delicate light. "You know, if Ron catches us like this, you're deadmeat."
"Ginny, I killed Voldemort today. I'm not afraid of Ron."
"Yeah, well what about my four other brothers, who are all older than you, stronger than you, and no offense, but probably better with hexes than you? They might not let it show as much as Ron, though they really aren't too keen with me having contact with pretty much any boy either."
"And I'm not afraid of them," Proclaimed Harry. "Actually, it's your mum I'm scared of. Did you see her take down Bellatrix?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards.
"Well that's very smart of you, Potter."
"It's worth it, Weasley." He kissed her gently on the top of her head, and lay back as Ginny closed her eyes. He listened to her soft breathing, and thought about what Ginny had said earlier. She had said she needed him, though Harry knew it had really been him who needed her all along. "Hey, Gin?"
"Mhm?" Ginny murmured sleeply.
"You're right. I love you too much to die." Harry sensed Ginny's eyes flutter open, heard her sharp intake of breath. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years of silence seemed to pass before Ginny finally whispered back, whispered the two most amazing words Harry had ever heard in his seventeen years of life.
"I know."
Ginny fell asleep not long after that, but Harry lay awake in the slowly darkening common room. If he had been tired earlier, now he was downright exhausted. Though sleep never came . It was weird to think, that yesterday, he had been on his horcrux hunt with Ron and Hermione, not sure how long the war would go on or if they would make it another day. And now he was here, safe, with the most wonderful girl in the world resting next to him. Okay, maybe not exactly safe, safety would never come easy to the Boy Who Lived. But other things had changed too. And not just whether people had survived the battle or not.
After all, the war may be over, though the real fight had just begun.