The final battle had been fought. Harry had succeeded in killing the one that called himself Lord Voldemort. Parties were going on everywhere to celebrate the ending of the war and the hero's homecoming.
The members of the Order had planned a party at the Burrow that evening so Harry could come see the people he had missed so much while away fighting the battle.
At this moment, Harry was getting ready for the party. He hadn't seen any of the people that were going to be at the party (which was everyone) since the day he left 2 years ago. The main person on his mind, however, was Ginny. He had finally come to the realization that he loved her and was going to tell her tonight. He smiled to himself as he thought of the reunion they would soon be having.
He looked at the clock and saw he was due at the Burrow in 5 minutes. He quickly (also pointlessly) ran a hand through his hair to try and tame it but it had no effect. Setting his mind on his destination, he quickly Apparated to the Burrow.
With a faint pop, he appeared outside of the door of the place he thought of as a home during the summers he had spent there. He walked directly up to the door and knocked. Mrs. Weasley promptly opened the door and pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug.
"Harry, dear! It is so good to see you!"
"You, too, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as she released him and he was able to breathe again. Everyone was shouting greetings and congratulations to Harry as he made his way into the room. He began to scan the room and saw many familiar faces. Ron and Hermione waved at him and he saw Neville standing with Luna. He didn't see the one person he was looking for, however.
All at once, a fear gripped him. Panicked thoughts he hadn't thought of until then began to race through his head. Maybe Ginny doesn't like me anymore. Maybe she's angry because I left without saying goodbye. Maybe she's back together with Dean. As if able to read Harry's mind, Mr. Weasley appeared beside him and cleared his throat.
"I think there is someone waiting to see you," Harry followed with his eyes in the direction in which Mr. Weasley had nodded. He looked past all the people and out the window toward the garden.
Harry excused himself from Mr. Weasley and pushed his way through the crowd to the backdoor. He opened the door and gazed at the beauty he saw in that garden.
There she was.
There he was.
As Harry was being hugged by her mother, Ginny noticed how much taller Harry had grown. He looks better than ever, Ginny found herself thinking. As she watched him look around at the people that cared for him most, she noticed the huge grin on his face. At that moment she realized she couldn't talk to him. Not yet.
She slipped around the guests and out the backdoor, seemingly unnoticed.
Standing by the garden, Ginny had heard the crowd inside shouting and laughing. Everyone was in such high spirits now that the war was over. All day long everyone she saw was smiling and talking of the party. Ginny was happy that the war was over and excited she would be seeing Harry again. As the party moved closer, as well as her meeting with Harry, she became nervous that things would be different between them.
Ginny had changed in the 2 years Harry had been away. She had just finished her last year of Hogwarts and had grown up significantly. She was no longer the shy, quirky little girl that had a crush on her brother's best friend. She was mature and had been gaining more and more attention from the boys in her classes. Even with this new attention, however, her feelings for Harry never changed. If possible they grew stronger. She just hoped he felt the same way upon seeing her again.
She was afraid of what Harry's reaction would be after seeing her but she knew should be getting inside. Trying to prolong that moment, she couldn't bring herself to move from that spot.
A thousand What If's were running through her mind. What if Harry doesn't care about me anymore? What if the war changed him? What if... She had no idea similar thoughts were going through Harry's mind at the same moment.
With one last look at her mother's flowers, Ginny made to turn back towards the house. She heard the creak of the backdoor. Oh wonderful. Mum is coming to check on me, she thought. As she finished turning around, however, the person standing in the doorway wasn't the person she had expected to see.
The raven-haired boy and fiery red-head both froze as they stared at one another.
"Harry," Ginny whispered, feeling the prickle of tears in her eyes.
Hearing her say his name brought Harry back to reality and he quickly began to close the gap between them. When he reached her, all doubt left her mind and Ginny threw her arms around his neck. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around.
"Oh, Ginny," Harry said as he sat her on the ground, hugging her tight.
Ginny pulled away slightly and she stared deep into his wonderful emerald eyes as he stared back into her chocolate brown ones.
"I love you, Ginny," Harry said.
"I love you, Harry," Ginny replied. "I always have."
Harry leaned in and Ginny closed her eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Neither knew or cared that the rest of the party was looking on in approval.