Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, my name would be JK Rowling and I would have boatloads of money.

Rating: T because the last little bit gets a tad intense and I wanted to be safe.

A/N: Okay, so this is my first Harry Potter fan fiction, and my first fan fiction on this website period. I'm quite the little fan of H/G I and I hope that I did them justice. This is just a little one shot which occurs a few days after the final battle. Quite fluffy. A little Angsty. This is meant to be a one shot but if I get enough positive reviews, then I may turn it into a chapter fic. Enjoy, and please, please, PLEASE review. :)

Forever & Always

A Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley Tale

"Ginny?" A strong, warm voice said, tearing me out of my perceived solitude. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was. I already knew from the sound of his voice. I heard his foot steps lightly crunch the sand of Hogwart's small lakeside beach, then felt a presence about a foot behind me. Sighing lightly, I turned to face Harry Potter.

Even though his cuts and bruises had not fully healed from the Battle just a few days ago, I could make out his features perfectly. My heart quickened at the sight. My eyes locked with his dazzlingly green ones, causing my breath to catch. I tried to recover quickly and quietly so that I didn't give Harry anything to worry about. The poor boy had been through enough the past year.

Harry took a seat next to me on the sandy ground. I looked at him, not saying a word. Harry opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, but hastily shut it again as he tried to find the right words. He obviously had something on his mind. I hoped it was us. We hadn't come to any kind of resolution since the battle. We weren't together again, but we both knew that we still harbored strong feelings for one another. Harry adjusted his seating position so that he was now sitting Indian-style, facing my left side. Something was definitely on his mind.

Harry opened his mouth again, this time forming a word. "Ginny," he said, grabbing my hand delicately, as if he was afraid I would snatch it back. There were a few moments where neither of us said anything. We just reveled at each others touch. "Ginny," Harry started again, pausing for a moment to find the right words, "I know I've messed things up... I left you without a trace for almost a year... Then, when I came back, I only was here for a few hours before I was supposedly killed." He briefly stopped when I shuddered as the memory and pain of that dreadful time washed over me. When I thought he was dead, I was completely miserable. It was, by far, the worst I have ever felt in my entire existence. Harry continued, "I don't know how I would have handled it had that been you... Probably much worse than you are..." He reached up to hook a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his hand caressing my cheek as he drew it back. Good lord, how I missed him.

I turned my body so that I was now facing Harry. Curling my knees up, I awaited the rest of Harry's speech. He looked at me with hopeful eyes; almost pleading. "Ginny... I love you. So much so. While I was gone, looking for Horcruxes I mean, sometimes I would pull out the Marauder's map just to see your little inky dot traveling throughout Hogwarts." Harry let out a small laugh at his own tendencies. Before he could continue, I stood up, no longer needing the comfort of the lake. I held out my hand for Harry. It was my turn to talk now. He took it willingly but confusedly. As we walked towards the castle, I started up our conversation again. "Harry..." I sighed. How could I put this without making him feel worse about himself? He already thinks that he's responsible for all the deaths that occurred. There was no need to make him feel worse. Especially if I could prevent it. "Harry, while you were gone, I never knew if you were alive or not. I never knew if you were safe. If Hermione was safe, if my brother was safe. It scared me, Harry... Then... when you came back... I saw you for about five seconds. Then you left to go take down Voldemort! The next time I saw you, I thought you were dead! What if next time, you don't survive Harry?! You can't avoid death forever! You can only survive Avada Kedavra so many times! Terrible wizards are going to come back. They ALWAYS do. They come back bigger, and badder, and stronger! You will be the first person everyone looks to for help! What happens if you CAN'T take down the next guy?! How am I supposed to live through that Harry!?! I CAN'T SEE YOU DIE TWICE! I CAN'T DO IT, HARRY!" I shouted, my voice breaking. Hot tears stung my eyes.

I broke down, right then and there, in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds. I dropped to my knees, and hunched over myself, shaking. This was the first time I'd let myself cry over Harry Potter since he broke up with me at Dumbledore's memorial. He knelt down by me and seemed to realize that I needed to cry it out. Harry pulled me over into his lap, and wrapped his arms around my back. I doused his shirt with my tears. He simply held me tight and rested his chin on top of my head as he waited for that part of me to cry herself out.

Once my sobs had stopped, Harry pulled me back a little. Salty tears still poured out of my eyes, but they were starting to slow. He made sure that I was looking at him square in the eye until he softly spoke the words I needed to hear. "I will always come home, Ginny. Always." I knew that he would try to keep those words true, but one day his hero complex may get the best of him. I tried not to think about that day. The day the words he just spoke would be broken. He kissed my forehead lightly, then pulled me back to him. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around him, soaking his shirt further.

My tears eventually ran their course. When they stopped, I waited for a moment to regain my composure. Once my breathing was back to normal, I scooted away from Harry so that I could see his face. I needed to clarify something. Harry spoke before I did, though. "So where does that leave us?" he questioned. For a response, I leaned forward and rested my lips on his. I closed my eyes. After a brief second, I lifted my lips, and whispered, "Here." I felt his smile as he leaned forward to initiate another kiss.

I wrapped my arms around Harry's neck and deepened the kiss. In turn, Harry enveloped me in his arms. He trailed his tongue along my bottom lip, and then forced my mouth open. I breathed him in, thriving in his familiar taste. Oh, how I missed this. After almost a minute, we broke apart, both panting heavily. Harry lightly pressed his lips over and over to mine. We put our foreheads together, and marveled in the perfection of the moment. It seemed as if nothing in the universe could go wrong. I closed my eyes and gently touched our noses together. I breathed in deep and smelled his scent. It was indescribable. My memories were no where close to the real thing. I can't believe how long I lived off of those.

"I love you," I reminded him.

"I know," he murmured.

I knew then that Harry and I would be together forever. He and I were made for one another. Nothing could change that. Nothing in the world.