Ginny sat on the couch with her legs curled beneath her in the London flat she shared with Harry and turned the page in the current book she was reading. It was the first book she had been able to read for pleasure in a long time. She had just finished her last post-season tournament game with the Harpies and despite the loss, she wasn't as upset as she thought she would have been. Though she was a talented player, she had only been on the team for two years, so she didn't get to play as much. The injury to her rotator cuff hadn't helped matters either, but frankly she was relieved to have some time off.
Life didn't stop after the war. In fact, it seemed to move faster than even before. There were funerals to attend, repairs to make to Hogwarts that took ages, media craze that pushed her to the point of administering a Bat-Bogey Hex to a certain vicious reporter, and simply trying to move on. Ginny felt as though she hadn't had a true break since her early years at Hogwarts. It was as though there was finally nothing stopping her from doing what she really wanted to do. What exactly that was, she had no idea.
She dog-eared the current page she was on and set her book down on the end table. Looking at the clock, she saw Harry would be home in the next half hour or so. She decided that they should have a nice night in together since it had been forever since they had actually time to themselves. He had been particularly stressed about work lately and because of her long practice hours and games, Ginny had scarcely been able to talk to him about it besides a few words about it before bed each night.
Thinking about it, she felt rather guilty. Here she was flying around on a broomstick, barely even able to play while Harry was out trying to save the world. He never mentioned it, but she could see how tired and frustrated he was. She hadn't been there for him lately like she should have been and it made her stomach sink. It wasn't as though he had shown any signs of being upset with her, but she knew she could have put forth a bit more effort with him.
Ginny popped up from the couch and murmured a charm to start the fireplace before she headed over to the CD player that Harry had bought. She chose some light, acoustic music and began to hum along when the first song began to play. She enjoyed muggle objects and loved that their flat now adorned both muggle and magical devices. It made life at home a bit simpler and reminded her of the Burrow sometimes.
She rummaged through the fridge and freezer trying to put something together for dinner. Though Harry was the better cook in their relationship, she tried to make an effort every once in a while. Her mother had taught her enough about cooking that she could make some simple dishes and looking at what they had for food, simple is what was going to happen. Ginny settled on pasta, garlic bread, and salad for the both of them. She even threw a bottle of white wine in the fridge. Harry had introduced her to the alcoholic beverage and her life hadn't been the same since.
She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and began the preparations. She set a pot of water on the stove to boil and took out a loaf of French bread. Ginny enjoyed cooking despite her basic skills. It was easy to get lost in it, especially with the music playing in the background. She found herself swaying her hips slightly to the current song that was on and moved rhythmically around the kitchen. It was only the sound of the jiggling handle on the front door that broke her from her trance.
"Gin?" she heard Harry call out. She stuck her head out from behind the wall of the kitchen and grinned at him. He had taken off his jacket and looked tired again, but damn he still made her stomach do flips.
"One sec! I'm just putting the pasta in the water," she said from the kitchen. The water was finally boiling and she quickly ripped open the box of pasta to pour in. She stirred the pot of marinara sauce a few times for good measure before exiting the kitchen. Harry was untying his shoes and placed them by the door before he stood up.
"Hi," she said before capturing his lips in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her. His face was a little rough against hers due to the stubble around his jaw, but she didn't mind. In fact, she was kind of a fan of it. She felt his arm snake around her waist and pull her closer to his body. They broke apart after a moment or two, but she kept her arms loosely wrapped around him.
"Well, hello to you, too," he said with a grin. Ginny returned the smile and played with the hair at the base of his skull. "You said there was pasta?"
"Mhmm. I decided that since I finally have time off and you have been stressed at work, we could just stay in and have a nice dinner tonight."
"Sounds perfect," he said before kissing her once more and releasing her. "Need any help?"
"No," she said as she walked back to the kitchen. "Just go change so I'm not the only one in my pajamas."
"Do I have time for a shower?" she heard him ask.
"If you're quick!" she called back. She chuckled as she heard him scamper back to their room to undress. He knew better than to be late for dinner after a rather heated argument one night that may have resulted in Harry sleeping on the couch that night. Thinking back on it, Ginny laughed. It had been during the first month of them living together and neither had completely adjusted to the other yet. It was a stupid argument that turned into a whole explosion of nasty comments and words neither of them meant. They didn't speak for an entire day!
It had been quite an adjustment even getting back together. They both had so many scars, both physical and mental, and other things they had to come to grips with. It Ginny forever to truly forgive him for walking into that forest. It wasn't that she was angry with him or that she didn't understand why he did it; it was that she could have lost him forever. She shuddered at the memory she let slip into her head of him in Hagrid's arms, but quickly pushed it away. She wasn't going down that road tonight.
She stirred the pasta and sauce with a flick of her wand and bent to check on how the garlic bread was doing. Finding everything in order, she cut up some lettuce and threw the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl. Harry walked into the kitchen as she finished tossing the salad.
"Want me to set the table?" he asked sweetly as he opened to drawer with the silverware.
"Sure. The garlic bread should be done in a minute or two, so your timing is perfect," she replied as she walked to turn off the stove and empty the water from the pasta pot. The two moved quietly about the kitchen completing their tasks before everything came together. The couple made their plates before walking over the table that Harry had set up. A white lily and a candle had been placed in the center, a thoughtful sentiment that made Ginny smile. They sat down and Harry poured them both a glass of wine before he raised his own towards her.
"Thanks for this, Gin. It looks amazing," he said. She smiled warmly and clinked her glass against his before taking a sip. It was a cool, crisp wine that didn't have much of a bite. She'd get herself in trouble if she had too much of this.
"You're welcome. You deserve it," she replied. Harry grinned at her once more before turning his attention to the food on his plate. They ate and talked about how their day had been, largely focusing on what was happening with Harry at work. Apparently, a group of wizards had been targeting squibs in London and they had hit a wall. They hadn't had any leads for the past two weeks, but people were still being attacked. This week alone, three people had been injured and one was in critical condition.
Besides that, they simply caught up with each other. Harry asked her about Quidditch and the upcoming season, Ginny asked him how Ron was doing since she hadn't seen him in weeks, and the two made a decision to visit the Burrow soon. It was nice to finally have some time alone to relax and just be together. Ginny didn't realize how much she had missed talking with him and simply being in his presence. He calmed her and she did the same for him.
"That was delicious, Gin. Thank you," Harry said as he leaned back in his chair twirling the stem of his wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. Ginny brought her own glass to her lips and finished her last sip. She noticed the hem of his old shirt had hitched up to show a sliver of skin. She could see the curly black hairs that she knew formed a trail from his navel downward. Clearing her throat, she looked back up to him only to find his eyes were closed. He had a look of utter content on his face, a look of peace she hadn't seen in a while.
Ginny put her glass down and stood up. He cracked his eyes open as she walked over to him and removed his own glass from his hand. Before he could question what was happening, she straddled him and silenced his questioning lips with hers. She cupped his face with both of her hands before threading them through his unruly raven hair. He'd have to cut it soon. She felt Harry's hands move from her hips to bottom and sighed when she felt his tongue begging for entrance. She happily obliged and the two made out like they were still at Hogwarts.
"I missed you," Ginny said in between kisses.
"Me too," he replied. They continued to kiss for a while, losing themselves in each other, but soon they slowed. Their lips broke apart, but kept a firm grip on each other. Ginny pulled away enough to get a good look at his face and placed a small hand to his cheek. Her thumb traced his jawline as her eyes bore into his own. The deep green of his eyes never failed to make her melt, but tonight they were especially mesmerizing.
"I wonder what I did to deserve you," he murmured. Ginny felt a blush rising in her cheeks, but tried to keep it at bay.
"Haven't I told you? I'm in it for the fame and money," she said with a wink. Harry actually laughed aloud at that and the sound made her giggle too.
"Well, that would make the most sense," he said as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"What other explanation could there be?" she asked. He grinned at her and gave her another searing kiss.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too." Ginny kissed him once more before deciding that they needed to clean up. She got up off of him and began to grab her plate, but Harry grabbed her hand.
"Pour yourself another glass and go sit on the couch. I'll clean up," he said before ushering her out of the kitchen. She called out in appreciation and plopped down on the couch with wine glass in hand. Closing her eyes, she listened to Harry work in the kitchen. He rarely used magic at home, preferring to cook and clean by hand. It was ingrained in him when he was younger and now, it was a way to collect himself and think. Part of Ginny wanted to let him never touch dirty dishes again due to his childhood abuse, but she knew it'd never happen. He had forgiven the Dursely's in his own way, something that she still couldn't comprehend, and told her that he was stronger because of it.
She let her mind wander to the music that was still playing and smiled when she recognized the song. It was one of her favorites. Slow and beautifully written, Ginny thought she might want to use it as the song for her first dance when she got married. She wasn't one to fantasize about weddings or anything, but something about the tune made her heart swell.
"Dance with me."
Ginny opened her eyes to find Harry staring at her with an outstretched hand. There was something in his eyes that seemed to guide her to his arms, something that she couldn't quite understand. Of all the times Harry had looked at her, never had she seen this look in his eyes. It was a look of admiration and love, but also something she had never seen before.
Harry and Ginny swayed gently to the music and he even twirled her a few times. They danced silently in the middle of their living room letting several songs play before a song came on that made Harry smile.
"Did you know this was my mum's favorite song?" Harry asked. Ginny shook her head.
"How do you know?" she asked.
"They left a sort of book for me in my vault at Gringotts. It has all these things about them that they wrote down about themselves. Their favorite movies, how they met… just important moments in their lives," Harry explained. "Sorry, I probably should've shown that to you."
"Harry, you don't owe me anything about your family. If you want to show me things and share them with me, then I'll be here. Whenever you're ready," she said softly. She knew he had been bombarded with questions about them after the war. He had been interviewed countless times and written about, so there was really nothing in his past that people didn't know. She knew that it bothered him being so public about it all though.
"Thank you. I do want to share them with you, I just forget sometimes with work," he said.
"I understand. We've both been preoccupied lately. That's why I wanted tonight to be special," she said. "A night with no work, no reporters, no stress."
"I really did need it. I also didn't know how much I missed you," he said with a laugh. "I never knew you could miss someone you live with."
"Exactly! And I felt bad because I know you've been stressed at work, but I hadn't really been there for you."
"It's just stress, Gin. Nothing I can't handle on my own."
"I know you can handle it, Harry," she replied as she placed her hand on his cheek. "I just don't want you to handle it alone. We're a team, right?"
"Right," he agreed. "Best team I've ever been a part of."
Ginny smiled and pressed her forehead to his shoulder. She didn't know how a boy who had such a horrible childhood and death-defying teenage years could still be this sweet. He had died for Merlin's sake! He still was off chasing monsters, saving the world, and destroying the darkness that threatened wizards and muggles alike. He had been tortured, hunted across the globe, and watched his friends die. The guilt, anger, and depression that tormented him for months after the battle still lingered in his dreams. He still had nightmares, still tensed at random people he saw, and still slept with his wand in his hand.
Despite all of this, he was still Harry. He was the boy she had a crush on, the boy she had first fallen for, and the man she was so deeply in love with today. Sometimes she thought that he was mad to be with her. Ginny was hot-headed, rash and often lashed out at him when he didn't deserve it. But even then, he would come home with flowers apologizing for whatever it was that he thought he had done. In truth, she didn't deserve him, but she also knew she was the only one he could ever be completely honest with besides Ron and Hermione. There was no one else who could understand what he had gone through, so despite the wounds the war had inflicted upon the both of them, she was grateful for it.
"Marry me."
Ginny froze. The whisper echoed again and again in her head before she managed to pull her head from his shoulder. Harry stared at her with a blazing look in his eyes, that same look she had seen dancing in his gaze earlier. She swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat and looked hesitantly at him.
"What?" she whispered. She was sure she was drunk from the wine, but she had to be sure and ask.
"Marry me, Ginny," he breathed. Ginny was sure she was drunk now. She was incapable of breathing at the moment, let alone answering him. She thought her heart was going to fly out of her chest any second now. But the tears began when he kneeled to the ground and pulled a ring out of his pocket. He planned it. He had bloody planned it.
"Gin, not in a million years did I ever think I'd get so lucky. There's no one else in the world that I want, no one else I need, and no one else that I could imagine spending my life with. You are everything to me and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love, want, and need you."
"So," he said with a grin, knowing she hated her full name, "Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you marry me?"
Nodding so hard she thought her head was going to fall right off, Harry's face lit up as he slipped the ring on her left hand. As soon as it was on her finger, she lunged at him and the two fell hard to the floor. Between the laughter and crying, she didn't know if Harry was speaking or not. She was too busy crying into his neck and hugging him with all the strength she had. Lips found lips at some point, but she felt his hands on her face beckoning her to look at him. When she finally did, she thought she was going to start crying all over again. Harry looked happier than she had ever seen him before in his life. And it was because of her.
"You bloody man… got me crying and everything," Ginny muttered as she sniffed and wiped away her tears. She sat up to examine her ring and he followed in suit. Merlin, it was gorgeous! It was a simple silver band with a large, but not too flashy diamond in the center flanked on both sides by two smaller diamonds. It was something she never would have imagined on her hand, but now she couldn't see her hand without it.
"Do you like the ring?" Harry asked nervously.
"Like it? Harry, it's stunning! I love it! I love you," she sputtered out before kissing him again. He eagerly returned the kiss with his now fiancé and pressed his forehead to hers.
"I love you too. So much," he said. Ginny moved herself to sit in his lap and he moved them back so he was leaning against the couch. She threaded her fingers over the tops of his and wrapped his arms around her. She wanted to feel him holding her so she knew this wasn't some dream she was going to wake up to. Feeling his gaze on her, Ginny turned her head and kissed him again. They couldn't get enough of each other in this moment and neither one of them cared.
"Thank you, by the way," Harry said.
"For what? Saying yes?" Ginny joked. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning back against the couch.
"Well, yes, that helped, but I meant tonight," he said. "When I saw how happy you looked when I walked in the door and how romantic your dinner was, I decided that tonight was the perfect night."
"Wait- how long have you had that ring?" Ginny almost yelled. Harry looked at her sheepishly, but smiled.
"A while. I didn't want to move too fast," he said. Ginny actually let out a laugh at that one and turned so she was sitting sideways in between his legs.
"You could have asked me as soon as I was of age and I would have said yes," she said. He turned red at that comment and scratched the back of his head.
"Well… I was going to ask you a lot sooner, but Ron told me I should let you live your life a bit first," he admitted. "Don't get mad at him." Ginny rolled her eyes at that one and raised her eye brow at him.
"Harry, when has girl advice from my brother ever actually worked out for you?" Ginny asked. He had to laugh at that one and she soon joined in.
"You're right, my mistake," he chuckled. "I am happy I waited though."
"Me too."
"So, where do we go from here?" Harry asked. Ginny's mind went at warp speed trying to immediately figure out who they would tell first, when they should start planning their wedding, and all of the stress that would come with it. But for now, she put all of that on hold. For now, she just wanted to be with her fiancé.
"The bedroom."
"Are you sure? The couch is closer."
As she smacked him on the head and raced back to the bedroom with Harry hot on her heels, Ginny couldn't help but think that not only did the Boy Who Lived get a happy ending to his story, but she got to be a part of it.