Hogwarts hadn't changed since he had been here for his graduation last year

Chapter 1 - Starting Over

"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."

"Alright mate, see you then," Ron said, taking Hermione's hand, walking with Harry out of the Headmaster's office.

"Bye Harry," Hermione said meekly before letting go of Ron's hand, and giving Harry a small hug.

Harry smiled and began the long walk to Gryffindor Tower. He slowed down when his nose picked up a flowery scent; it was familiar. He breathed it in slowly, savouring it, making up for all those hard months when he had been on the run in the bush without it.

Without her.

Following the scent, Harry turned around the corner slowly, his eyes scouring the corridor, when he reached the red head, obliviously walking towards him.

"Harry!" Ginny screamed when she looked up and saw him. She ran up to him and slapped him firmly on the cheek, then embraced his middle. Harry wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, rubbing them. "Sorry, I just needed to vent some of my anger. Harry . . . I missed you, so much, you can't imagine how much." She said, her voice muffled by the material of his shirt.

"I think I can, Gin," he said, all the while sub-consciously rubbing his cheek. "You wouldn't believe how much time I spent watching your dot on the Marauder's Map. I felt like I would be able to reach out and grab you, but every time I tried, you slipped away." He looked down into her face, and saw her eyes looking up at him, welling up.

"Gin, what's the matter? Did I . . . um . . . say something . . . was it -?"

"I thought you were d-dead," She said in between sobs. "After F-Fred, I don't think I could have accepted you d-dying too. So when I saw you, in Hagrid's arms . . . I – I just lost it, I was going for revenge, well, I guess you saw Bellatrix before mum took over."

Harry nodded and continued. "Ginny . . . I- I'm so -" Harry started, before she put her index finger to his mouth.

"No." Ginny said softly, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, and reaching for his with her other, and forced him to walk along the corridor with her.

"But-"

"No buts Harry. I won't let you say it. You know just as much as everyone else that he . . . he died the way he wanted to die. Joking and fighting for a better future. A better future for us. Just like all the others did, your parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Lupin and Tonks. All of them. I don't blame you for their deaths or anything else, and nobody else does either. So I don't want to hear any crap about how it's your fault that he – that he . . ." she shook her head, and pulled Harry's chest towards her, and buried her face in it.

Harry didn't know how long they stood in the middle of the corridor, all he knew was that he was going to hold her, comfort her, for as long as it took for the pain to go away. They remained this way for a while before she had controlled her breathing and her eyes weren't puffy anymore.

"Harry . . ." she whispered into his shirt.

"Yes, Ginny?" he asked.

She stood on her toes, extracting her face from the wet patch on his blood stained robes, reached up to his mouth and kissed him gently on the mouth. He was taken aback, but kissed her back, with passion never the less. How long he had been waiting to do this, ever since that day at the Burrow he had just wanted to hide away from everything with her, spending days like they used to. To let the world fight their own battles. But then his hero-complex wouldn't have been able to deal with it. He would never know how he had found the strength to walk away from her.

Coming away for air, Ginny leant her forehead against Harry's for a few minutes, before stalking off down the corridor, Harry dragging at her feet. It took him a while to catch up to her, but when he did, he grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the closest wall and pulled her face to his. He kept one hand on the wall, keeping him from falling against her; and the other on her waist. Ginny's hands were both grasping bunches of Harry's shirt, pulling him closer to her. Harry licked the side of her mouth with his tongue and she opened her mouth and kissed him back with passion. This carried on for a few more moments, though luckily no one walked in on them.

After a few minutes, they extracted themselves from each other, and slid down the wall to catch their breaths. Ginny sat between Harry's open legs and leaned back against his chest, and Harry kissed the side of her neck softly, listening to the sound of each other's heartbeats.

"Wow," Harry said. "I think that one takes first place against that kiss you gave me on my birthday." They both smiled. "Although, I do remember our first kiss. That was pretty nice." Harry smiled.

"So, what do you reckon, you'll take me back?" Harry asked lightly, though the question had been burning a hole in his brain for the past few hours, since he first saw her in the room of requirement.

Ginny looked up at him, and kissed his lower jaw.

"I suppose that means you don't want me back?" He deduced.

They laughed, and Harry stood up, and held out his arm to help Ginny up, and they continued the trudge up to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny leaning into Harry, with his arm around her waist.

"Harry, can I stay with you tonight? I . . . I don't think I could stand being alone after today," Ginny asked when they entered the empty common room.

"Come here," he said signaling for her to take his hand, and together they walked up to the boys dormitories, and fell asleep on top of the covers, exhausted from the last few days, arms entangled around each other.

It was here that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley found them hours later.

"Arthur, my little girl . . . my baby . . ." Mrs. Weasley stammered quietly before her husband took her in his arms.

"Let them be, Molly. She's safe and she's happy, and that is all that I ask for. For now, let them sleep." he said, and they left the dormitory.

Harry woke up the next morning, just before dawn, wondering what was constricting his chest. 'Ginny,' he thought, and smiled before gently slipping out from underneath her, careful not to wake her.

When he got back from the bathroom, Ginny was awake, and sitting against the fluffed pillows. When she saw him, she smiled and shifted over so that Harry could sit down next to her.

"Ginny . . . I think you deserve to know what happened while I was gone. I'm going to tell you everything, but not now. It isn't the right time. But I promise no more secrets. Ever."

"Harry, you don't have to tell me what happened . . ." she reasoned.

"But I think I do. I'll tell you, Ron and Hermione will help of course, like I could do without them after all this time." He added as an after thought. "They've been with me every step of the way. 7 Years is a long time, especially to put up with a prat like me . . . and to think that it took Ron so long . . ." his mind wandering.

"So long to do what?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it, must have slipped my mind actually, you know what with the mind-blowing snogging session last night, and then waking up to a gorgeous women in my bed this morning," he said, a smile engulfing his whole face.

"Anyone I know?" she asked coyly.

"Oh . . . very well, I could actually mistake you for her anytime," he said.

She punched him softly in the arm, but smiled all the while.

"Anyway, Ron and Hermione are going out." He paused to let it sink in "At least, I hope they're going out, otherwise that could be really awkward." Ginny glared at him. "Oh, sorry, I forgot; she kissed him in the middle of the, uh, battle, pretty much."

"You're kidding? What ever gave her such an idea to kiss my brother?"

"No, I'm not. He said something about the elves, and she kind of just threw herself at him, and then they couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough to help me defeat Voldemort. Plus, the sexual tension between them could almost be sliced with a scalpel"

They both laughed, and then leaned in and began to reacquaint themselves with each other. Their hands were roaming over the others body, and through their hair.

"Oi! What are you doing to my sister?" yelled a voice from the door. They both looked up to see Ron standing there, with Hermione running up after him, obviously trying to stop him. "You promised, remember?"

Harry looked as id he was about to apologise, but Ginny beat him to the mark and purt her two bobs worth in.

"Seriously Ron, couldn't you tell that we were snogging, Ronald? After what I've heard, you should know what that is by now." Ginny asked, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"I believe I understood that. And plus, I've snogged before." He said, avoiding her eyes.

"Yeah, I think we all remember Lavendar." Harry said, before snorting into his pillow. Hermione and Ron blushed awkwardly. Ginny continued.

"I believe that would be because you spent most of last night doing that yourself, if I am not mistaken" She replied, before turning her attention back to Harry, reaching up to the back of his head, pulling him on top of her, opening her mouth slightly, deepening the kiss.

Ron and Hermione left, with comments like "Bloody hell, can't you give a guy some warning when you do that? A guy can't even go to his dorm without seeing disturbing images of his sister and best mate" from Ron, and "Seriously Ronald!" from Hermione.

They obviously alerted the rest of the Weasley brothers, because not longer after, they were interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door.

"Put your hands up in the air, and remain seated at least 2 feet apart," called a voice that sounded similar to Bill, and with that, the door burst open, to reveal Bill, Charlie, George and Ron, and they weren't happy.