A/N: I got a PM from nayin17 a week and a half ago asking for another Harry/Ginny story and this has been sitting in my notebook for a couple of months, so I figured it was time to post it. Once again, it shows my obsession with stories about one of my favorite couples getting back together after the Final Battle! Thanks to my BFF NixiStix for reading it over and helping me with the title. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, everything but the story line belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Exhausted, Harry finally left Dumbledore's office and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. He was ready to eat and then sleep—for several days if he could get away with it. Ron and Hermione had left a few minutes before him when he asked them to give him a minute.
With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his hair as his eyes fell on the battle-scarred parts of the castle. As much as he just wanted to forget for a little while, that wasn't possible. Tomorrow everyone would be clamoring to speak to him—either for leadership, an interview, or an autograph. His job wasn't over yet.
Fortunately, he had tonight before everything really began.
When he paused in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, she burst into tears and swung open without a word. The surrounding portraits burst into applause. Looking at the floor in embarrassment, Harry stepped into the Common Room.
"Harry!" His head snapped up when Mrs. Weasley sobbed his name, and the next thing he knew she had him in a tight hug. After a moment, she took his shoulders and held him at arms' length. "How are you, dear?"
"Fine," Harry answered with a half-hearted smile. "Tired." He hesitated, then took Mrs. Weasley's hand. "Mrs. Weasley…I'm so sorry…" he said softly.
Tears filled her eyes and she drew him close once more before turning to find solace in her husbands arms.
The moment she stepped away, Harry's eyes fell on Ginny. He barely noticed the rest of the Weasley family sitting in the common room, but he noticed her staring at him.
"Hi." In the silent common room, his single word echoed, and seemed to spur Ginny into action. Just like that, she was on her feet and across the room. The slap was like a gunshot, whipping Harry's head back and causing a red mark to appear almost immediately.
When he turned his head back to her, he saw she had tears in her eyes. With a choked sob, she slammed her fists into his chest before grabbing his shirt and shaking him. "You didn't say goodbye!" she cried hysterically, breathing hard. With a ragged gasp, she deflated and brought one hand to her mouth, trying to compose herself. Then she dropped her hand and in a pained whisper said, "Why didn't you say goodbye?"
Harry's eyes filled with tears and he brought a hand to brush his knuckles across Ginny's cheek. His words, as quiet as hers, held a sureness that resonated though the room, reaching the ears of all observing Weasley's and Hermione.
"I didn't say goodbye because with one look from you, I wouldn't have been able to do what I had to."
When a single tear ran down his cheek, she collapsed in tears. He caught her, one arm curling around her waist to pull her into his body and the other hand on the back of her neck to pull her head into his neck. Harry buried his face in her hair, whispering in her ear non-stop. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I promise I'll never leave you again. I never could leave you again." His breathing was ragged as he tried to stop the tears from coming, but Ginny's tears in his neck caused him to sink to his knees as his shoulders began to shake.
Arthur was the first one up. He pulled his wife to her feet and led her to the stairs, overruling her as she insisted Harry and Ginny needed them by pointing out that Harry and Ginny needed each other. Mrs. Weasley finally relented and coaxed George upstairs. Hermione, with tear-stained cheeks, pulled Ron to his feet next.
"We should leave them," she whispered, squeezing his hand.
Ron started to protest, but then looked at Harry and Ginny once more and nodded resignedly. That left Bill, Charlie, and Percy sitting in the Common Room, the youngest having already turned his head away, uncomfortable. Charlie's face was a mixture of shock and indignation—obviously the state of Harry's relationship with his sister hadn't been relayed to him. Bill merely had his eyebrows raised—he'd known they dated, but was unaware of how serious they were.
Oblivious to the presence of her eldest brothers, Ginny pulled her face from Harry's neck and lifted his face so she could look at him properly. Her hands on his cheeks, she wiped his tears with her thumbs and looked into his eyes—which were bursting with emotion—for a long moment. Apparently seeing something that satisfied her, she leaned forward an pressed her lips gently against his. It took Harry and fraction of a second to respond more passionately than she'd expected. All at once his hands were tangled in her hair and he was kissing her as if his life depended on it. She responded eagerly, dragging her hands down his neck and shoulders and fisting them in his shirt.
After a moment, Harry pulled away and leaned his forehead on hers, both of them out of breath.
"I love you," Harry said raggedly, clearing his throat and placing his hands in Ginny's cheeks. "I love you so much. I loved you at the funeral. I loved you when you kissed me on my seventeenth birthday. I loved you every day I was gone, and I love you now." he punctuated each statement with a hard kiss and when he was finished speaking, she kissed the corner of his mouth, working her way up his jaw line to the sensitive spot under his ear.
"I know," she whispered in a choked voice. "I know you do. I love you too and I've waited so long to hear you say that."
By this time, Ginny's eldest brothers had slowly left the room and gone up the stairs.
Downstairs, Harry let out his breath in a rush. "I'm sorry I couldn't say it before." He paused. "There was…" he swallowed, "I've never said it to anyone before," he whispered, pulling his head back to look Ginny in the eyes. "You're the first person who's really said it to me."
Ginny shut her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them they were filled with tears. Leaning forward, she kissed him softly, and as she pulled away she whispered, "I promise I'll tell you every day."
"Marry me," Harry said in response, then blinked. He'd said the words without thinking, and Ginny pulled back to look at him in surprise. His cheeks were steadily reddening as he continued to speak. "I…yes. Marry me, Ginny," he whispered. "I love you—I could never love anyone else and I'll never leave you ever again. I couldn't. Marry me."
By the time he finished speaking, Ginny had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Yes." She leaned forward and kissed Harry hard. "Yes, I'll marry you," she murmured against his lips.
A/N: What did you guys think? Just a one-shot that popped into my head a while ago! It would be great if you guys could review, I always love to hear what you think!