Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Life After Voldemort

The battle was over. He had defied the odds and come out alive. Years after he should have died in that little cottage in Godric's Hollow, Harry Potter had defeated the greatest dark wizard of all-time, Lord Voldemort.

There had been doubters all along, as he had expected. Those who didn't think he could be strong enough to bring Voldemort down once and for all.

To truly kill the greatest evil wizard, or possibly the single greatest wizard, regardless of good or evil status, was something that would require more skill, luck, and tenacity than Harry Potter possessed.

Things were going to be different from now on. There would be definitive hope for the future. No more living in fear, sadness, and despair. Things were going to be bright and prosperous for the wizarding world for years to come.

Hours after Harry Potter had emerged victorious from the final confrontation with Lord Voldemort, he was, to put it simply, exhausted. Never before had he been in such a state in his life. He longed for the comfort of his bed, waiting idly for him in the Gryffindor tower. High above the ground where he now stand, finally shaking what seemed to be the last of the sea of hands that he'd endured through during the course of events after the battle.

As Harry made his way to that paradise that he called Gryffindor tower, his mind was in a dull state, but he was able to think of certain things clearly. Ginny, for one, was high on that list. He couldn't wait until morning, when he would finally be able to see her, hold her, and know that she was truly safe, as long as she was with him.

Sure Harry had some worries, like everyone, that Ginny may have moved on during his year away. During his year of forced non-contact with those he loved and missed most. If it hadn't been for his best friends with him, he may have never gotten the willpower to continue with the task laid upon him by Albus Dumbledore.

As Harry approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, he realized that he didn't have a password. The Fat Lady must have seen the expression on his face, one of confusion, he assumed, and simply told him "Oh why bother? I think it's fairly clear who you are."

Harry was grateful for this, because he didn't want to have to deal with another thing today. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours that he didn't ever want a day so busy again, for the rest of his life.

As he stepped into the Gryffindor common room, he found an unexpected, but welcome sight. On the loveseat beside the fire, lay the girl of his dreams. Fiery haired, freckled, as if she was kissed by the sun, was Ginny Weasley.

"She must be waiting for me", Harry thought to himself, hoping that it wasn't just a selfish thought, but the whole and honest truth. In reality, Harry longed for nothing more than to be back with his girl, to share an eternity with her, an eternity free from photographers, from Death Eaters, and from all the dangers of the modern world.

The fire was warm, crackling, the light it cast off onto Ginny's resting face gave her the most breathtaking look that Harry couldn't help but think of how amazingly beautiful she was, even though she had just been through a battle herself. His mind seemed to go numb at the sight of her, taking her in, everything just stopped.

As he sat down beside her, he noted how the common room seemed to be just slightly out of place. He needed to do something about that, because it just wasn't right to have things out of place. Even though he was drained, he used up some of his remaining energy in order to put things in their rightful and proper place. An aura of pride seemed to exude from everything in the room.

Harry put a hand down over Ginny's, just to remind himself of the way she felt. It seemed to him like nothing had happened, like they had simply remained the people they were a year ago. Everything with Ginny just seemed to flow, and be natural. Harry didn't need to worry about what she thought of him, because of the fact that he knew she understood him.

At least, she used to. Did she still feel the same as he did? When their eyes' met for that fleeting moment during the fight, the same passion and intensity seemed to still rest inside of her, but how could he be sure? Was it really fair of him to just assume that all of the pieces of his life would just fall back into place and go back to the way they were before he left?

The answer was no. Things weren't going to go back to normal. Because normal was fear, normal was death. Life was going to get better from here; there was nowhere else for it to go. He was going to bring everything to a new level. A new level of happiness, it's what everyone deserved after what he'd done to them. If he'd worked faster, there would have been less death, less pain…

Harry's thoughts of loss and pain were soon broken, when Ginny stirred in her sleep. She seemed to be dreaming, and a smile crept across her face. Harry wondered how exactly she could be having pleasant dreams on a night like this, but he figured if anyone could, it was Ginny.

"He's still alive, he's still here for me…"

Harry couldn't help from smiling at that. He was certain that she was talking about him, who else could it be? Harry gave himself this one moment of satisfaction and joy, in the midst of the despair surrounding him.

"Perhaps Ginny does still feel something for me" Harry thought, "even if it's just a shred of what it used to be, that's enough for me. I can work with that, I can build on that."

Ginny stirred again, getting more comfortable on the loveseat. She seemed to be pulled right into his waiting arms, as if he were a magnet to her. Harry knew that Ginny didn't know he was here, but he couldn't be happier that she had shifted right into him. He lay back, in an attempt to gain more comfort for the both of them, and let his mind numb into a sleep that allowed him to rest peacefully with Ginny in his arms…

Well, tell me what you think so far. Be warned, this could turn out to be a pretty sappy story, because I simply love the relationships in this story. Please read and review, I'm trying to get back into writing these fanfics (I've written one before), and review will help tremendously. I'm open to any and all criticisms; they help to improve the quality of story. Thanks so much.