It was only Day Three since it all happened, and if you didn't know what had happened, you almost wouldn't be able to tell.
Sitting in a spot that looked out over Hagrid's vegetable patch, the most abnormal thing Harry could notice was that Hagrid had started to grow potatoes as well as his customary pumpkins and cabbages. The castle had been in ruins just days ago, and now it looked like everything was back to normal.
He wasn't sure that he liked it. While a part of him would love for everyone to forget all the destruction of the past few years, another part was desperate for those people, the people who sacrificed themselves, to be remembered, otherwise it would be as if they'd died for nothing.
Almost out of nowhere, Ginny appeared and sat down next to him.
"Hey," she said, and it could have been awkward - he was conscious that this was the first time they'd been alone together since last summer - but one of the many wonderful things about Ginny was that she never pushed things. She could tell that he was thinking, and she wasn't going to get in the way of that. He'd forgotten how much he appreciated her company. Her presence was comforting, in fact, and the silence didn't feel like a barrier.
Eventually, he spoke. "It's almost as if nothing happened, isn't it?" He gestured around them. "It's great that people have restored the castle and everything, but it kind of feels wrong."
Ginny smiled. "McGonagall wanted me to talk to you about that, actually. She's keen on building some kind of memorial and she wondered if you had any ideas."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you're the Chosen One, or whatever they're calling you these days. Idiot." She rolled her eyes, and it was just like old times.
"I'll go and find her later, then," he said, shaking his head at her. "We have to make sure people remember them."
He realised how impersonal it sounded when he said them; he was including her brother in that. Guilty, he noticed that he'd hardly thought about how terrible she must be feeling about it. Ginny had always been so close to the twins.
It was actually the first time he'd seen her up close since the battle, and he didn't like it. There were dark circles under her eyes and she didn't look like she'd slept much, if at all. He thought he could even make out tear tracks on her face, which was wrong. Ginny never cried.
"Ginny, I'm sorry about Fred. I really am. He's the last person I'd..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
She didn't look at him. "It's the way he'd have wanted to go," she said quietly.
"Of course," he agreed. He didn't understand how she could be so composed. In reality, he doubted that she really wanted to talk about it. When Sirius died, the last thing Harry wanted to do was talk about it. "I... should probably go and speak to McGonagall."
"Wait!" she said, just as he was getting up. "I know there are more important things going on than this, but since we're both here, I just want to get this out of the way."
He had a feeling he knew what this was about.
Ginny took a deep breath. "Are we still... Do you still love me?"
It wasn't often that she sounded so vulnerable, and the guilt for what he did to her hit Harry once again. Obviously the status of their relationship wouldn't have been at the forefront of her mind, with everything else that went on in the past year, but it was an extra burden that he felt terrible for leaving her with.
"Don't worry about it," she sighed, getting up and starting to walk away. "We can talk about it another time."
"No, hang on," he called. He was just formulating the words in his mind. "You know, when Voldemort tried to kill me, when I thought I was going to die... you were one of the last things I thought of."
"Really?" She sounded surprised.
"Really. And this is what I thought: you're amazing, Gin. And I don't want to lose you again."
He didn't even have time to breathe before she was kissing him, and it was by far the most intense kiss they'd ever had together. And one of the most amazing things about it was that it was a new beginning: for the first time, they knew that they could have a future together. How many more kisses would they share in their lifetime? Sure, they might not stay together forever, but at least the choice was theirs this time.
"Sorry," Ginny said breathlessly. "I just... I couldn't stand not knowing. You know me, I can get over a break-up, but this was different. Firstly I didn't even know if you were alive, and then even if you were then who knew how much you would have changed, if you'd still want me when you got back, if you'd have grown out of me or whatever..."
"Don't be silly," he laughed, dizzy with relief. "I always loved you. I just had to try and forget about it for a while. It didn't always work."
She grinned. "Glad to hear it."
"Seriously, though. I couldn't have forgiven myself if I'd let anything happen to you."
"Honestly," she said, shaking her head at him, "you always were so bloody noble. You never seem to understand that if anything had happened to me, which it didn't, it wouldn't have been anyone's fault except Voldemort's."
He suspected that was the first time she'd said the name, and in typical Ginny Weasley fashion, she did so without the slightest trace of fear.
He realised that Ginny was looking at him questioningly; he'd been staring at her. He started to think of those few wonderful, carefree days that they'd had together at the end of his sixth year before their world was turned upside-down, and he yearned to relive them. Maybe they could forget about everything for just a few hours and concentrate on being together.
"You know what? I think McGonagall can wait."
Catching his drift, Ginny's face broke out into a grin as she took his hand and started to lead the way towards the Forbidden Forest. "Good, because I think we have some catching up to do, Mr Potter," she said seductively.
"I like the sound of that..."
A/N: Ginny is such an underrated character. I'm not sure if I entirely do her justice in this, but I'd just like to say how much I love her. :)
For the Duct Tape Competition (Black) on HPFC.