This is my first fanfic so I hope you all enjoy! And I fixed the paragraphs!

DC: I do not own Harry Potter.


Realization

Ginny watched as Voldemort tumbled to the ground. It seemed to go on forever before the crowd cheered and rushed forward to hug, touch or even receive a glance from the boy who lived, the chosen one. Ginny wanted so much to do the same. To just be with Harry after everything that had happened. They both had lost friends and family, classmates and strangers to Voldemort and his Death Eaters but now it was all over.

Her feet felt glued to the floor as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. It had been a while since she had last cried and she tried to stem the flow. She had to remain strong for Harry; he had been through enough and didn't need to deal with her. She shut her eyes tightly, took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes only to see Harry pushing his way through the crowd of people towards her.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her into his, wrapping her tightly in his warmth. Ginny wrapped her arms around him, leaning against his chest, and just stood there. After a minute, Harry pulled her back and looked into her still tearful eyes. He ran a hand down her jaw line making her tremble from his touch. She knew she loved him with her entire heart and as he leaned down to kiss her fiercely, she knew she never wanted to leave him. When their lips parted, Harry smiled and glanced around the wreckage that was the Great Hall. His smile faded as he took everything in and Ginny felt his arms slip away from her as he fell to the ground, the enormity of the events of the past few hours finally catching up to him.


Harry's eyes fluttered open to a pair of light brown eyes gazing down at him alarmingly.

"Mum! He's awake!" Ginny yelled still looking at Harry, her gaze turning from alarmed to relaxed and finally to a breathtaking smile. In just a few seconds, Harry heard multiple pairs of feet trampling up the stairs of the Burrow. He carefully turned his pounding head toward the door just in time to see the anxious faces of Ron and Hermione. Tears were falling down Hermione's face upon seeing Harry alert for the first time in a week.

"Watch out, watch out! Harry needs some food to get his energy back up," Mrs. Weasley said as she squeezed between Ron and Hermione to get through the doorway laden with a tray of toast, tea and something that smelled heavily of pepper and which Harry soon found out was pepper-up potion when Mrs. Weasley put a spoonful of it into Harry's open mouth. Scrunching up his face and swallowing the disgusting potion, Harry realized that Ginny had retreated to the back of the room when Mrs. Weasley had sat down beside him. Looking back at Mrs. Weasley, he noticed her eyes were red and swollen. She had been crying and it looked as though she had been for quite a long time. She gave Harry a sad smile, hugged him tight and then left the room quickly muttering on her way out "Make sure you eat all of that."

Harry looked to the faces of his friends who were still standing in the doorway. They came farther into the room with the same sad smile that Mrs. Weasley had when she left the room seconds before. They all sat in silence for a few minutes before Ron finally spoke.

"Everyone says it's over but there is still so much to do," Tears fell down Harry's face at Ron's words for the first time since the battle ended and he knew he would not be able to stop them. He had remained strong for everyone but it was finally his turn to just stop and feel again. Get rid of the numbness that had started once he had entered Hogwarts through the Hog's Head. They had lost so many and even though he could see that he had both of his best friends and the girl he loved right in front of him, he felt for the other losses of the Wizarding World.

Thinking about Mrs. Weasley, with her eyes red and swollen from crying, he couldn't believe he could be so selfish. Ron and Ginny had just lost one of their brothers and all he could do was lie in this bed and cry. His head was still pounding but he sat up, a little dizzy, and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He must have swayed a little because Ginny had rushed from the corner that she had been standing in to sit beside him on the bed, her arm around his back. Sighing, he placed his head in his hands and willed himself to stop crying, but feeling Ginny there, rubbing his back in small circles, her other hand resting lightly on his arm, comforting him, when he should be the one comforting her made him cry more.

"Damn it!" he yelled, standing up quickly and he knew, startling everyone in the room, "I cannot be doing this! Ron's right! There is so much more to do! We have to get back out there and find the rest of the Death Eaters that escaped!" Everyone looked at Harry, shocked and perhaps a little worried at his reaction.

"Harry, please sit down and rest for a while longer. We have time to find those who have escaped and the Ministry is already looking," Ginny gently tried pulling Harry back onto the bed but all she received was and angry glance from Harry as he turned around ready to retort. He opened his mouth to ask her how she could even trust the Ministry, now of all times, when she continued to talk as though he had not even looked at her, "You have been out for a week; a lot has happened. The Ministry is now being run by Kingsley Shacklebolt. We all trust him to figure this mess out Harry. And in the mean time, we all just need to figure out what to do with ourselves. Possibly help here for a while. You saw mum. She hasn't slept since the battle and now with dad working overtime at the ministry to try and fix both the Ministry and Hogwarts so students can return next year she doesn't know what to do. George has also been missing since the battle. We are not sure where he is but we all are worried. We know he's just as upset as us because of Fred and probably more so because they were twins but Harry, we can't just go back out and find the Death Eaters. Think of all the people here who just need to see you, need to know that you are okay and that this was all real."

Harry had sat back down on the bed and looked to Ron who had Hermione's head resting against his shoulder, tears still pouring down Hermione's face and Ron trying to hold his back.

He looked back at Ginny and took her face in his hands. He loved looking into her eyes. Their light brown intensity made him melt because he saw the love that she had for him even though he had just given her a piercing glare just a few seconds ago. She was right. He couldn't just leave again. People here needed him.

Ron and Hermione had seen him dead just a week ago and so did this beautiful woman that he was looking at in that very moment. It would take time to figure out what he needed to do but right now, he could be with the people he loved and help them with their losses just like they helped him every time he had lost someone in the past few years. It wasn't as though he hadn't lost anyone this time. Fred was like a brother to him just like the rest of the Weasley's all seemed like family.

He brought himself back from his thoughts and gently kissed her lips, releasing her and standing up again. He went over to Ron and Hermione and hugged them both. They were the best friends he could have ever hoped for. He let them go and faced everyone in the room.

"How about going downstairs to get some real breakfast?" He asked everyone as he wiped his tears from his face with his sleeve. Looking down at himself, he realized he was in pajamas and probably needed to change, "Or how about I change and meet you in the kitchen for some real breakfast?"


Authors Notes

Give me your feedback on my first attempt at writing after reading so many fanfics!