Harry turned to face Ron and Hermione at the entrance to the Gryffindor tower.
"Are you sure it's okay if…?" he asked, in a pleading sort of manner.
"Go. You should sleep. I'm sure Ron and I should too… But I don't think I could if I tried…" Hermione trailed off, and Ron drew her closer to him, squeezing her hand.
"We'll come get you if anything comes up. Don't worry." Ron said, turning away and stepping off towards the staircase.
"Harry!" Ginny burst up from the stairs. Her face flooded with relief when she spotted him. Joy flooded Harry's soul at the thought of ever coming so close to losing her again. She abruptly burst into tears as Harry took her into his arms, clinging tightly to one another.
Harry glanced over Ginny's shoulder to find Ron giving him a calculating look. Hermione pulled him on, eying him warningly. Finally, Ron followed her lead and continued down the stairs.
It seemed like an eternity that he stood there, holding Ginny. His exhaustion no longer occurred to him as important; only here, only now mattered. He sighed, feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
Finally Ginny pulled back, looking into his eyes but not releasing him from her grasp. In her eyes, he saw his own reflected. They bared the same grief, the same loss, the same love, the same relief. Harry raised his hand to stroke her tear-flooded cheek and he leant down and lightly brushed away a fresh tear with his lips.
"Let's go," he murmured softly, taking her hand and steering her into the Gryffindor common room. The passage stood wide open, and inside chunks of stone littered the floor and bits of plaster drifted throughout the room in the light breeze that flowed through a large wound in the wall. He led her up the all-to-familiar stairway to the boy's dorms, finally pulling her onto the bed that was once his. He sunk into the mattress, and pulled her close to him.
His eyes drifted closed as she buried her head in his chest. Just as he was slipping into a content sleep, he heard her whisper softly "I love you, you know."
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he kissed the top of her head. "More than life, love." He sighed into her hair.
Harry awoke suddenly at midday, in response to the sound of voices floating up from below, and furniture being magically repaired. Ginny stirred in his arms, and he stroked her hair gently. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him, sighing slightly. Memories flooded his brain of the last times they had ever been so close. He remembered the hard look that would pass upon her face, and suddenly he never wanted to have to say goodbye to her. He had a brief recollection of the time he had pictured Ginny in that beautiful white gown…
"Ginny Weasley," Harry started, staring into the depths of her eyes. She looked up at him appraisingly. "Will you marry me?"
For a short moment he doubted her response, until that hard look returned to her face and she took his face in her hands, kissing him in earnest. When she pulled away, she grinned.
"Did you even have to ask?"
Harry grinned in response.
A short time later, they headed back down to the great hall, passing many friends along the way.
"All righ', 'Arry?" Hagrid asked, adding more rubbish to a pile in the hall.
"As right as it could be." Harry said, squeezing Ginny's hand.