Ginny woke up the following morning and sighed in contentment. She could still feel Harry's arm underneath her and so she slowly opened her eyes. He was still out, looking pretty dead to the world and she was pleased about it. It sounded like he needed to catch up on hours of plenty of missed sleep. She watched him for a few moments before the door was rudely opened and her pleasure in staring at his peaceful face was interrupted.
Hermione came in with Ron and he stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at her, dumbfounded, and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Did you…sleep here?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, daring him to accuse her of some stupid misdemeanor. Ron looked flabbergasted and Ginny gently pushed herself up, trying not to wake Harry, as she said softly, "Ron, I don't recall you sleeping in your own bed last night…"
Now it was Ron's turn to look somewhat embarrassed.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders casually, "He was with me." Ginny couldn't help but break into a big smile, "So…you're together now? But how was Ron let into the girls' dorm?" Ron blushed in embarrassment and Ginny smirked, "Congrats! I'm really happy for you guys! It's about time!" Hermione issued her a small smile and said, "Thanks Ginny. It seems the normal rules of the castle don't apply. I'm guessing because it's all pretty run down. The Fat Lady is letting most people into the common room…except Slytherin's. Anyway, I just wanted to come and tell you that breakfast is being served downstairs, if you'd like to join us?" Ginny glanced back down at Harry's sleeping form and asked, "What's the time?" Hermione glanced down at her watch, "Ten." Ginny shook her Nu-uh, I think I'll stay here, thanks. I just want to make sure that nobody wakes him."
Ron looked like he was about to protest, but Hermione smiled in return and said quickly, "Alright then. We'll see you in a bit. Should I get Kreacher to send you something up?" Ginny raised her eyebrows and said, "Sure, if he doesn't throw insults at Harry anymore." Ron smiled, "Kreacher would never do that." Ginny nodded and whispered, "Some sandwiches for later would be nice then please, thanks guys." The two nodded and headed downstairs. The rest of the dorm was empty and so Ginny cuddled back up to Harry and waited for him to wake up.
XXX
Harry finally awoke at nine o' clock that evening (twenty hours later) and everyone had just come back from dinner. Ginny sat in a chair she'd pulled up beside him, having fully recovered from her own exhaustion, and now she read and waited. She felt like if she got up and left, someone was sure to interrupt his sleep. It would only have been a matter of time.
Neville walked in and came to sit by her. There was a spare chair which had been occupied by various different visitors throughout the day- her mother being the most frequent and most worried one. Neville whispered, "How was he?" It wasn't the first time they'd spoken that day, but it was the first time they'd spoken alone. Harry had woken up during the afternoon asking for water, so Ginny had called Kreacher and he'd bought a massive jug which Harry had downed almost instantly. It was the first time she'd had a chance to be with Neville alone though. She hadn't left Harry's bedside.
Ginny whispered, "He's…still sleeping. He's sleeping so heavily I wonder if he's ever going to wake up." Neville chuckled and replied, "You're doing a good job protecting him. Have you eaten anything?" Ginny shrugged and whispered, "I had a sandwich earlier." The truth was, she'd had a quarter piece of Harry's sandwiches. She'd barely felt like eating all day and she knew why- it was because it had to do with everyone dying.
She distracted herself and glanced at Neville, wincing at his face, "Are you…are you ok?" Neville shrugged and sighed, "I've been better." Ginny nodded and Neville said, "Harry was the one to thank for it actually. By protecting us, he saved my life. If he…hadn't done what he did…I wouldn't be here." People didn't like talking about Harry dying, it seemed. This wasn't a complete surprise to her, but it almost seemed as if people were scared of it. Like it was some sort of taboo or preemption for it to happen again.
At that moment, Harry stirred and then slowly opened his eyes. He reached out blindly and Ginny hurriedly handed him his glasses. He smiled and said groggily, "Thanks Gin…" She nodded and then he seemed to freeze when he saw Neville, "Neville, what are you doing here?" he asked in a stiff tone.
Ginny watched as Harry grabbed another glass of water that had been waiting for him and he jugged it down. Neville said seriously to Harry, "I just truly wanted to thank you for what you did…saving us all. Because if you hadn't…well I still wouldn't be alive." Harry got up stiffly and then watched Neville apprehensively, "Don't mention it." Ginny felt like Harry was acting off with Neville and she couldn't figure out why. Neville had nothing but protect them, and kill Voldemort's snake. Who knew that chubby boy she remembered from so long ago would turn out to be such a true hero?
Harry looked pretty gruesome with some dry blood stuck to his face. Ginny whispered, "Harry, why don't you go and have a shower? Then I'll get you something to eat." The sandwiches that had been there earlier had been taken away by Kreacher. They were becoming stale just sitting there, untouched. Harry nodded and got up slowly. He nearly fell over his limbs were so stiff. She held up her hands and said swiftly, "I'll go and sort out the shower. You wait here."
He sighed and thanked her, and she could hear him talking with Neville while she began the hot water for him. She decided they probably needed to talk alone, so she busied herself with menial tasks so that she didn't have to go and disrupt them too soon. She found some toothpaste and a toothbrush for him, and located a towel.
Ginny also wondered idly if he had fresh clothes stored anywhere…she reckoned probably not. When she couldn't faff around anymore, she rejoined the boys in the dorm. Neville was saying, "You did what you could Harry. I'm surprised you made it back so soon actually. I wasn't sure if…" he trailed off and Harry finished for him, "If I was coming back? I wasn't sure either." He smiled wryly until he noticed Ginny standing there, then he jolted in surprise.
Harry smiled at her and then nodded, "Thanks Gin. I'll go and shower now." He stood up warily, and was about to leave, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek. He lingered there for a moment longer than necessary. Ginny couldn't help but smile and sigh. She turned to Neville and said once Harry was gone, "So, did you guys catch up?" Neville shrugged and said, "Not much. I feel like there's still more I need to know, but that will have to wait until later. So…you forgave him pretty quickly," Neville ventured.
Ginny felt herself stiffen. She had always thought that Neville understood where they were with their friendship. That's what had made her friendship with him so special from any other male she'd ever had as a friend. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to blow it off, "Yeah, of course I forgive him. I mean I haven't heard everything yet, a lot of the stuff I can guess at, but I love him all the same." This was going to be difficult. She couldn't pretend she didn't know Neville had some sort of romantic feelings for her. She would be entirely blind if she had to try and pretend that. But she had to believe that Neville wouldn't put his feelings above her own. She believed their friendship was more important to him than that.
Neville was watching her dubiously and he commented surly, "Come on Ginny! The guy left you. He's been absent from your life with hardly any explanations for a whole year, and you're going to let him walk back in just so easily? I thought you were stronger than that! I thought I knew you better than that." Ginny clenched her fists but tried not to show her anger. She whispered, "I thought you'd be happy for me! You're my friend, after all. You should be." Neville grimaced and stood up, "It's just really hard for me to believe that you're just going to let him waltz back in here, with no apologies or explanations! What kind of a person does that?" He threw his arms up in the air and Ginny scowled angrily at him, "Are you talking about me or Harry? Because my answer is either way: one who is in love. And if you can't accept that, then I'm afraid you're not as good of a friend as I thought you were."
Neville looked at her, arms folded and said firmly, "All I'm going to say is this: I'm happy that he's alive and well and very grateful that he saved us all and for what he did. But there's another truth that you're forgetting- love is blind and I think you need to remember it." With that, Neville stomped out of the room and Ginny blew out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.
Minutes later, Harry emerged from the bathroom with a clean face and wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. They were filthy, covered in dirt and blood. She whispered, "Feeling better?" Harry nodded and kissed her cheek again, "Much. Thank you." Ginny smiled and then performed a simple cleaning spell she'd learnt from her mother, "Just trying to make you look presentable. Kreacher?" she called.
Kreacher appeared instantly and bowed low to Harry, "Master Potter! You've saved us all! We are eternally grateful! And you too Miss Weasley. Couldn't have done it without your help." Ginny smiled at him kindly, "I saw that we have you to thank for your help too, Kreacher. Thank you for fighting with us." Kreacher bowed again and asked, "Would Master Potter and Miss Weasley like anything?"
Ginny glanced at Harry, who said slowly, "Um…a chicken pie would be nice please Kreacher, if it's not too much trouble?" Ginny raised her eyebrows and asked, "Chicken pie?" Harry smiled and replied, "I've been craving it a lot these last few months." Kreacher bowed low, "Of course, Master." He disappeared and Ginny turned to Harry, "You look healthier," she whispered.
He still had dark circles under his eyes, but she could see that the scars weren't too bad, now that the crusty blood had been removed. She got a chance to properly analyze his face, since he was awake, and she realized how thin he seemed. Ginny whispered, "Mum's gonna want to fatten you up the minute she gets a chance."
Harry laughed and even though it was a weak laugh, it was a laugh nonetheless and it made her smile. Almost as if on cue, her mother burst through the doors and rushed in, her father shortly behind her. Her mother wailed, "Harry! Oh my dear Harry! You're alright! You're awake! I'm so relieved! I was so worried!" She kissed him profusely on the cheek and then proceeded to scare the living daylights out of him. He hugged her back and said tightly, "Mr and Mrs Weasley, I'm so sorry about Percy…about everything."
Mrs Weasley pulled away and glanced at her dad. Her father smiled at Harry and went to put an arm around him, "My dear boy, we would never blame you, as I'm sure Ginny has already told you and you probably already know." Her mother had tears in her eyes, "And please Harry dear, I think it's about time you called me Molly…" Harry nodded numbly and whispered, "Alright…sure Molly. Thank you. Your forgiveness means everything to me." He glanced up nervously at her father, who all but smiled at him and said, "We're very proud of you, my boy. You handled everything so well. I'm sure you're still pretty tired. We'll let you rest."
That's when Kreacher appeared with pie for Harry and instantly his attentions were diverted. This made Ginny smile and her mother gasped, "Of course! You must be ravenous! And you're looking so thin! When we get back to the Burrow, I am fattening you up!" Ginny giggled and they all turned to look at her. Her mother frowned, "What's funny dear?" Ginny just shrugged, "I told him you would say that." Harry smiled briefly too, but his smile didn't linger.
Her parents departed, her father kissing Ginny on the forehead as he went and she turned to see Harry tucking away into the pie like he couldn't get enough of it, but not after thanking Kreacher abundantly. He sighed in satisfaction when he was done and then he turned to face Ginny. He said sincerely, "Thank you for looking after me these last few hours. I truly appreciate it." Ginny said seriously, "I had to. If I hadn't, Romilda Vain probably would, and I couldn't let that happen now, could I?" A small smile stretched across his lips but it didn't reach his eyes. There was silence between them and Ginny felt slightly awkward, like she didn't know what to say to him, now that they were here and on their own.
Harry was the first to break it and he whispered, "I suppose you want an explanation?" Ginny bit her lip, She felt almost nauseous. She wanted to know on some level, yes. But on another level she felt like sometimes naivety was the best policy.
Ginny sighed and whispered, "I'm not sure where to start, Harry. There's so, so much that has happened. And while I still love you, and I'd like to hear an explanation that would…make sense of this whole mess…I feel like I need to figure some things out before rushing straight into it with us. I just…I don't know, feel really confused about it all, and I feel like that must be said." Neville's words from earlier were playing in her mind: I thought you were stronger than that.
Harry frowned but didn't question it, "Alright then. Can we go for a walk please? I feel like I need some fresh air and my legs are numb." Ginny nodded and asked quietly, "Sure, the lake?" Harry nodded briefly and then whispered, "Wait! I don't want to be made a fuss of downstairs! I need my dads' cloak!" At that moment, the door opened and then Ron and Hermione walked in. Ginny watched them and Harry asked, "Can I have my cloak please Hermione? We're going for a walk." Hermione nodded and handed over his cloak from a beaded bag she was carrying. He thanked her and Ron said, "Good to see you up mate. Where you going?" Harry shrugged and looked meaningfully at the pair of them, "For a walk to the lake. We might be gone for a while. Please tell your parents so they don't worry." Ron nodded and said, "Sure mate. Enjoy."
They walked into the common room, Harry hiding under his cloak and Seamus stepped in front of her, "Hey Ginny! How's Harry?" he asked curiously. Dean was with him and he smiled at her, "Hey Ginny," he nodded at her briefly. Ginny sighed, "Hey guys, Harry is still resting. He just needs some space for a bit. I think he might actually be going to the Burrow to sleep so he won't be disturbed. Mum mentioned that earlier."
Seamus nodded in understanding, "Shame, the poor guy has been through so much in the last few weeks. Please send him our regards if you see him?" Ginny nodded and smiled at the both of them and then she was about to make headway when Dean asked her, "Sorry Ginny, was just wondering if you have spoken to Neville? When I last saw him, he seemed really down…it was right after he'd been up to see you and Harry."
Ginny froze and whispered tightly, "No, I'm sorry I haven't seen him since then. Not sure what could be wrong." The two shrugged and Dean replied, "Alright. See you later." As they exited the common room, Ginny heard Harry mutter, "What made Neville so upset? He seemed fine when we were talking." She murmured nervously, "Yeah well, Neville and I had some words." Harry asked immediately, "What about?" She sighed and replied, "Not for you to worry."
They continued to walk in silence until they reached the Entrance Hall, which was looking devastating with all of the ruin around the place. Harry whispered in shock, "Wow!" Large chunks of the castles walls had been blown into bits and pieces. They had seen some war-torn passages, but nothing as bad as this so far. The destruction was beyond belief- bits of rubble lay crumbling around the room wherever you looked and parts of the ceiling had even been blown up.
Ginny sighed and shook her head as they continued on down to the lake. Harry murmured as if to himself, "It was weird, when I was confronting Voldemort, I didn't even see any of that. It was all there, but it was like he was the only person in the room." Ginny swallowed, hardly daring to ask as she whispered, "So…did I imagine that part where you paused to look at me…when you were talking about the love Snape had for your mother?"
Harry's voice took on a gentler tone, "Of course you didn't imagine it. It just reminded me of the love I have for you. I would do anything to protect you. You were the last thing I thought about before I died, you know." Ginny paused, mid-step down the long and winding steep stairs. She whispered, "You know you can take off the cloak now. No-one is in the grounds."
Harry did so and she found he was staring at her with an intensity that matched her own. She wanted to lean in and kiss him…he was so close. But she had to resist, because she wanted to hear what he had to say. 'Be stronger than that Ginny' she whispered to herself internally. Ginny continued walking and she whispered to Harry, "So you did die? I told my family you had. They didn't believe me." Harry was the one to pause now. He turned to Ginny and asked curiously, "How?" Ginny shook her head and said firmly, "That's not how it's working, Harry. You're telling me first. You owe it to me." Eventually they reached the lake and Harry muttered irritably, "I should have thought to bring blankets to sit on! It's pretty cold out." The lake had a sort of mist hovering above it, but it looked beautiful. Ginny asked, "Can't you conjure one?" Harry startled, "I hadn't thought of that." He swished his wand and a picnic blanket settled itself on the grass. He conjured two more big fluffy blankets- one for each of them and he wrapped one around her.
Ginny loved the tenderness with which he treated her- even the love in which he wrapped the blanket so calmly and naturally around her was touching. They sat down and Harry said slowly, "Just…give me a minute to gather my thoughts. So much has happened in the last year and it's things I've only been able to talk to Ron and Hermione about for so long that it's going to be hard…" Ginny nodded and said patiently in a whisper, "I'm ready…" Harry smiled at her gratefully and then the story began.
A/N: Hey all! Through Ginny's Eye's Part II has officially started! Once again, thanks to all you guys who have supported Through Ginny's Eyes since day one! You guys mean the world to me, and for that I gave you Part II!