Hi! This takes place about 4 years after the series ends. So this is going to be Harry/Ginny at the end, when all my rambling finally leads to the epilogue JK Rowling wrote. Sorry if I get some of the facts wrong, because I'm pretty sure I'm making some of this up, but I haven't read the epilogue in a while. Oh, and don't forget to imagine all this in a British accent!
If you're looking for immediate Harry/Ginny-ness, this is NOT your story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the places and characters the series encompasses.
Chapter 1: Harry's POV
Ginny and I had had our share of fights, but none had gone quite this far. Furniture lay smashed around the room. Words and sounds still rang in my ears. The pain of tears streaking down her cheeks still burned in my chest. I thought I was going to die. I had spent 4 years of my life on this love and it had all gone to waste. Her things were in boxes all around the room and she was still frantically filling more. I was still silently begging her to stop, but I had given up verbalizing my pleas after she refused to respond.
I had given up.
I waited. I waited until she had picked up the truck and packed it full of her things. I waited until she left. Then I broke. I simply broke down and cried. I sobbed. I sobbed for days and days. I wouldn't leave the house for a week. I finally gave in when I needed food, but then I came straight back and moped for another week or so. I lost track of time, I had given up on life.
Then it came to me. Life is too short to mope over her. I had to move on. So I did. I went outside, smelt the fresh air, and started to make use of my life. I became a professor at Hogwarts, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts as I always dreamed. I met new people, made new friends, and even reunited with Hermione. Our newly rekindled friendship led to the conversations with Ron, who ended up helping to ease the pain. Life had begun anew, and the world seemed to finally be on my side.
Ron, Hermione and I were sitting at the Three Broomsticks Brewery with three large mugs of butterbeer, one seasoned lightly with ginger. The three of us had been helping Professor McGonagall finish up the final repairs from the Battle of Hogwarts and the new additions to the castle that had gone under construction during the holidays. We were laughing over the time that we were here during our sixth year and Hermione was "nonchalantly" flirting with Ron. We were laughing until I realized what the idea for her "nonchalant" flirting came from. My face suddenly fell, for though I had moved past my hyper-depression, I still loved Ginny with all my heart. Hermione must have seen my face because in an instant, she stopped laughing and nudged Ron to do the same.
"Sorry, Harry. I forgot." Hermione said, who looked rather upset with herself.
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. Plus, you ended up getting together, and I mean, that took long enough! So, all's well that ends well!" I said, put on a fake smile, and watched as they joined hands and looked at each other. Even though I wasn't the happiest person in the world at that moment, it warmed my heart to see them so happy together.
Just as quickly as I had realized my sadness, Hermione's face proceeded to fall. She was staring at something, or someone, and she looked more nervous than when she told us that she had had to brainwash her parents. I started to follow her gaze, but she hastily diverted my eyes by grabbing Ron's arm and mine and trying to drag us out of the door.
"Didn't McGonagall say to return by 3? I think it's a quarter after 3… we should head back to the castle." Hermione said, her voice wavering with deceit.
"Hermione, stop for a second. Who did you see?" I said, stopping her and Ron as they walked through the door.
"Trust me. It's better for all of us if we just leave now." Hermione said, and I could see the truth in her eyes, but I needed to know. Running from my problems had never done anything for me. I turned my head, and just as it had been during our sixth year, there were Ginny and Dean Thomas snogging in a booth. It shattered my soul more than murdering a thousand people would have.
It had been a full month since we had broken up, but it was hard enough for me to see her older brother every week, let alone think of dating someone else this soon. I couldn't understand how the girl who had been in love with me since before we had even formally met could get over me in a heartbeat, simply to get an old boyfriend back a week later.
Ron, being the good friend he is, walked past both Hermione and me and headed over towards the booth Ginny and Dean were in.
"Dean! It's been what? 4 years? And Ginny! I haven't seen you in a couple months! How have you two been? And when did you start dating?" He asked, glaring a little bit at his sister and talking loud enough to make sure that Hermione and I could hear.
Ginny looked over to us and glared a little bit before responding. "I'm doing great! Dean and I got together just over a month ago," she said a little bit louder than necessary, "and it's been amazing! What are you doing at the castle?"
"I was here with Harry to set up his classroom before term begins and also to help Professor McGonagall finish the repairs and the new construction. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom is almost 4 times the size it used to be, and it took forever to clear out the Room of Requirements," I heard him emphasize, "Just so many memories, you know?" He looked his sister in the eye, and she looked down. Dean looked pretty confused, but seemed to go along with it. "Anyway, what are you doing down here?"
"I was just here to help Dean set up his Potions classroom. He's going to be teaching it since Slughorn just retired this week." She replied, emphasizing the fact that one of the few teachers that I really enjoyed in my years had gone and was to be replaced with the current boyfriend of the girl I truly loved. She looked at me with a hard, cold glare on her face.
Getting tired of this whole fight, I called to Ron, "Hey, Ron, we should get back. Hagrid's expecting us by 4, and we still need to finish preparing the classroom." Keeping my head, I walked towards the door. I saw Ron and Hermione follow as I headed on towards the castle.
Dinner with Hagrid was amazing, just like the days when we were in school ourselves. We discussed all of our school memories and adventures, and counted just how many times we had almost died. The night had progressed, and soon we were saying our good-byes. The three of us headed up to the dormitories and slept until Fawkes came to wake us.
The next day, we walked around the school helping our old professors and all of our old classmates who had began to teach. After lunch in the Great Hall, we headed down to the new transfiguration room to check out the new teacher. Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, McGonagall assumed the position of Headmistress and set all the affairs of the school in order and no longer had time to teach the transfiguration classes.
We walked down the corridors and stopped in front of the door to the transfiguration room. Inside, we saw a woman about our age seemingly organizing her desk. Ron looked away and Hermione gave me puppy dog eyes, so I was left to knock on the door.
The woman turned around and invited us in. She was putting some files in place when she looked up and our eyes met after what seemed like forever.
Cho Chang was standing in front of me.
"Harry? Ron? Hermione? Is that really you, or is this another daydream that I'm back in our 5th year?" Cho asked, smiling as she hugged us all. "I just can't believe that you guys are here! I don't think we've talked since the battle at the ministry! Anyway, what are you doing here? I didn't think I heard of 3 retirees this year…"
"Well, I got the job for Defense Against the Dark Arts over the summer and these two are helping me set up for the new term. How have you been?" I asked her, and felt glad that at least one smiling face would be there to talk to every day.
"Pretty good. I got offered the job right after my seventh year so that McGonagall can run the school. I was hoping that another friend would come and teach because it gets so lonely here! Anyway, I heard from Ginny when she was in my class that you two finally got together, and for good this time?" She smiled with her hands clasped together in front of her.
"Sadly, no. We broke up about a month ago, and her boyfriend is teaching here this year. That's life, though, I suppose. Hey, do all of you want to come with me to the Three Broomsticks for some tea?" I said, trying to change the subject before this got painful for me.
" 'Course! Let me just grab my coat!" Cho responded, and went to grab her coat.
While she was gone, Ron grabbed Hermione by the arm, and whispered to her, to which she nodded.
"Hermione and I are going to go talk to the house elves in the kitchen and see how they're doing, that way you can have some time to catch up with Cho, who was always more your friend than ours. Not that we don't enjoy her company, but you deserve some fun, and we'll just drag you down." Ron said, and then proceeded to nod and walk out the door with Hermione on his arm.
"Where did Ron and Hermione go?" Cho asked with purse in hand and coat over her arm.
"They really wanted to see the house elves. Don't ask why, but that's what they told me. Still game?" I asked, kind of assuming a decline, until she raised my hopes by smiling a little.
" 'Course. You want to go down there now, or shall we stop by the Room of Requirements first?" She smiled, making me reminisce of the time we kissed under the mistletoe. The heavy snow of the Christmas season was falling outside the window, so we decided that it would be best to wait until the raging snowfall slowed a little.
The seventh floor corridor was very empty, as almost all students went home for the break after the war. We wandered towards the Room of Requirements, and stood in front of the empty wall reminiscing of the old days.
We walked in the room once the door appeared and stood inside the great chamber in which the Dumbledore's Army had been formed. The training supplies were there this time, and the furniture and mirrors were exactly as they had been before. The photo of Cedric still hung from the mirror. Even the small bit of mistletoe remained the same.
"So, what shall we do?" Cho asked, taking small paces around the room and seemingly taking in every little detail. She walked over to the picture of Cedric, and a small tear presented itself on her face. I joined her side, wrapping my arm around her. "I miss him, Harry." She said suddenly.
"I miss him, too, but he wouldn't have wanted you to cry. He was strong and would want you to be happy." I tried to reason with her, expressing my thoughts with words that were probably far too overused. I slowly wiped the tears off her cheeks. She looked up at me, and looking slightly higher, she smiled. As I followed her gaze, I saw that we had coincidentally placed ourselves under the mistletoe, just as we had before. Slowly, I leaned in and our lips met for the first time in ages. Little did I know, Ginny had been passing by and happened to peer in and see us.
We never found our way to the Three Broomsticks that afternoon. We sat there talking for hours, simply catching up on each other's lives. We shared several more kisses, and we shared several smiles after each one.
"We should do this again sometime." Cho said, as we were getting ready to head back to Ron and Hermione.
"Definitely. Before we do, though, I need to know. Do you mean this in a simply friends way, or as something more?"
"What do you want it to mean?" She said, kissing me once more on the cheek, and then proceeded to walk out the door.
I found my way back to the dormitories, only to find Ron and Hermione long since asleep, hands clasped together tightly as they slept side by side.
For the first time in a long while, I smiled as I fell asleep, thinking that maybe this was the dawn of a new day.
Thanks for reading! Sorry if Ginny looks really bad right now, and let me tell you, it kills me. I love Ginny with all my heart (okay maybe not all of it, but she is one of my favorites) but I need her to look bad for the sake of the story.