Harry woke with a start. Remembering his dream, he smiled to himself. If only he could kill Voldemort like that. Suddenly, he recalled where he was. It looked vaguely familiar. In fact, it looked like the boys dormitory in Hogwarts. Looking at the four-poster beds, he decided that it was the boys dormitory. And then it hit him. Voldemort actually died, it wasn't a dream. The war was over. And then he thought of her… Ginny. The way her red waves formed around her face. The way her smile lights up a whole room. He had to talk to her, now.
Ron and Hermione burst into the dormitory, giggling and holding hands. He brushed past them, he could talk to them later. What he needed now, was Ginny. He sprinted down the stairs, despite his extreme soreness and all of his cuts and bruises. As soon as he hit the bottom stair, he saw her. She was sitting in his favorite armchair by the fire, tears slipping down her face. In her hands, she clutched a picture of her brothers. Fred. He felt a pang of guilt.
Harry walked behind the armchair, and before he could stop himself, ran his hands through her fiery red hair. She jumped up in surprise and aimed her wand at Harry as a reflex. As soon as she realized who it was, she dropped her wand and collapsed into Harry's chest, sobbing.
"I'm so sorry Gin… I'm sorry about Fred and I'm sorry for leaving you." Harry said, a couple tears falling down his own face.
"Why did you leave? I thought you loved me." Ginny said in a small voice, so unlike her usual one.
"I did. I mean I do. But I had to leave you, to keep you safe. I didn't want anyone to hurt you to try to get to me. I had to fight the battle and win, for you. I did everything for you. For us. So we can be together without any worries. Forever." Harry looked deeply into her eyes.
"Forever?" Her tears slowed.
"If you'll let me." He wove his hands through her hair again, holding her even more tightly. Almost all the tears were gone now, and her lips turned up into a smile.
"I'd think I'd like that." He smiled back at her.
"Good. Now we have a celebration to get to." He took her hand in his own and walked out of the portrait hole, towards the Great Hall. On their way into the Great Hall, Ginny pulled Harry into an empty classroom.
"What are we doing in here?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer. Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled Harry close. They locked eyes for seconds and then finally Harry moved to brush his lips against hers. As soon as he did this, Ginny placed her arms around Harry's neck, pulling him closer. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, noticing how much weight she'd lost from her mistreating during the war. As their kiss deepened, Harry whispered against her lips, "Merlin, I missed you."