One Hundred Thoughts
by SoftGray
Chapter 1 - Aloha!
Ginny knew what she had signed herself up for when she agreed to marry Harry. Being Mrs. Potter was a privilege that came with smiley public appearances and the occasional splashy piece about her in the Daily Prophet. But what Ginny did not first realize was the amount of time she would spend separated from Harry.
Harry had been welcomed with open arms by the Auror department and he and Ron were given an abbreviated training which resulted in graduation to full blown, shit-your-pants terrifying missions by the end of the year. Ginny had returned to Hogwarts to finish her, proper, final year and as such was mentally and emotional okay with being away from her boyfriend.
But she was in no way okay with Harry being flung face first into danger with no promise of coming back in one piece.
As Ginny cried with worry as to what would happen to Harry, Hermione sat on the edge of her bed, stroked Ginny's back and told her about what the Muggles called 'life insurance' and how it was never very comforting at all to receive large sums of money when all you ever really wanted was your loved one back. And she went on, talking about how in mystery stories and crime thrillers people often killed just so they could collect the payout and walk away rich, but Ginny suspected that this rambling was Hermione's own deflection, a disguise for her worry over Ron.
Worst of all, as detailed in the owl from Harry, was that it could never be disclosed where he went on these missions in case his identity or cover was compromised as he was out in the field, nor could he send any news home. Not even a slip of parchment with 'doing well, love h'. Ginny thought that this was the stupidest rule - she was dating Harry-freaking-Potter and you'd need to be a blind Kneazle to not notice him waltzing about the country dodging hexes or saving children, whatever it was that he did.
The entire family spent Christmas at the Burrow and Ginny tried to relax, knowing it was the first proper holiday that all of them had had in many years. But there was a gnawing fear in her stomach and no matter how many mince pies she ate nor how often George tried to prank her, a sincere smile never quite made it onto her face.
And then less than a week into the new year, the day came. Ron had not been assigned to this mission so he stood with the rest of the Weasley's waving Harry off, with his other hand around Hermione's shoulder. Ginny had properly said goodbye to Harry the night before and spent the drawn out farewell sitting on the steps of the Burrow smiling vaguely at everyone around her. After Harry Apparated off, the family heaved a collective sigh and resumed their normal duties, with Molly gently adjusting Harry's hand on the family clock, relieved that it sat on 'Work' and not anything else.
The winter term resumed a week later and Ginny was seen off with the same fanfare - Hermione was arriving later with her parents. Hogwarts had always felt like home to her, and even though nothing had changed, Ginny found herself spending her first day back wandering through the hallways that echoed how her heart felt - empty.
She popped into the library to grab a few books she would need for Transfiguration and stepped out feeling a little bit better; productivity was always the best cure for grief. But Ginny hadn't brought her bag, and a slight shift in the way her books were stacked led to them tumbling onto the floor, a sight that was sure to have Hermione scandalized.
As Ginny scrambled to pick them up, she noticed something had fallen out of one of them. It looked like a postcard - the kind Bill sent the family when he was in Egypt, but the view was that of a sunset over a brilliant bay of water with lots of palm tress to one side and a technicolor sky. It was adorned with a curvy font that declared 'Aloha'. Ginny flipped it over and read what had been scrawled hastily on the back
Doing well. Love, H.
Clutching the memento to her chest, Ginny broke out in a true grin imagining Harry tanning (burning?) on a Hawaiian beach where he was most definitely not. But the thought itself was good enough to put a spring in her step and a renewed outlook on the term as she headed back to Gryffindor Tower.
Author's Note: I will probably put ratings for individual chapters up at the beginning as they will vary depending on what Harry and Ginny get themselves into. There is also a link to an imgur album on my profile where you can see the postcards that Harry sends Ginny!