Written for Lady (Lady Phoenix Fire Rose) as part of the Gift-Giving Extravaganza. I used the prompt 'I am who I am, an' I am who I was, an' I am who I will always be'

Written for UnicornandRainbows2009's HeadCanon Boot Camp using the promp 'Why does it matter? You are what you are!'

Written for Slytherin Cat's Greenhouse Competition for 'Alyssum - write about making up after a fight'

We Are Who We Are

"You don't have to answer them, Harry."

"Of course I do. They'll want to know."

"It's none of their business!"

"They're making it they're business, Ginny, and unless you want them to camp out the front for the next month, I may as well give them what they want to hear."

"What? That you went on a fun camping trip with your two best friends, saving the world in the process?"

"No –"

"That's what they want to hear, Harry. They don't care one bit about what you actually did. You're their hero. All they want is to hear about you, whether we're engaged, when we will have a baby, what our house looks like inside. You've seen what they've written in the Prophet these past months… and don't look at me like that, Harry. You know it's true."

"So, what do you suggest I do, then? Just ignore them, make them think I'm a horrible, self-centred person who cares about nobody but myself?"

"The media would have a field day if they thought that was the case."

"I don't want to be given a bad name, Ginny!"

"Is that all you care about? Your stupid name? What about me? Ron? Hermione? We were all part of this too, you know."

"Of course I know that. I'm not stupid. And, I'm sure if you went out there to talk to them, they'd love that too."

"Yes, Harry Potter's girlfriend. I'll be able to give them all the juicy details, wouldn't I?"

"Do you want to talk to them, then?"

"I wouldn't want to take away the limelight from Harry Potter."

"I can't help who I am, Ginny!"

"I know that, but you don't need to act like some stuck-up, superficial celebrity, either."

"I'm not!"

"Then don't talk to them. Stay in here, and pretend they don't exist. They don't give a Hippogriff's arse about the war anymore."

"I have to, Ginny."

"Of course… you'll get a bad name if you don't."

"Would you stop making a big deal about it? I'm going to talk to them. It'll take me five minutes. I'll be back before you know it."

OOO

That was the first fight they'd had as a real couple. Three months after the war – six weeks into their relationship – and they'd already been fighting. They hadn't even spoken to each other since then. Ginny hadn't set foot in Grimmauld Place for a week; Harry hadn't tried to contact her. It had been horrible.

"Would you stop moping, and just go and talk to him?" Ron complained as Ginny shuffled into the kitchen of the Burrow, feeling sorry for herself (and perhaps still fuming over what had happened).

Ginny glared at him. "Shut up, Mr. I'm-so-happy-with-Hermione. You know nothing about what happened."

"Of course I do. He's my best mate, and Merlin, you wouldn't have thought things could get any more depressing, but being around Harry is as depressing as a Defence class with Umbridge."

Ginny huffed. "Well, he should come and talk to me then," she said bluntly.

"But… Ginny… it's Harry," Ron said. "He's not going to do that; you do realise that, don't you? He'll sit there pondering things, trying to work out what he did wrong, thinking that you don't want to see him, that you don't care… all that nonsense."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her brother. "You mean, what you did with Hermione for seven years?" She smirked.

Ron's expression brightened. "See! You do understand," he said. "Now, go and see him, or even I won't go over there again. It's worse than when Sirius was living there."

Ginny was about to remind him that a lot had happened since then, giving everybody a reason to be depressed, but she held her tongue. There would be no use in bringing it up again. Fred's death was still a sore spot for everybody – understandably – and she didn't want to upset Ron, or herself.

"Fine," she relented. "I'll go over and see him tonight. But, I still think he should come here."

"With an attitude like that, you'll never see him again, and then it will be really awkward for me, as well."

"Because it's all about you, isn't it?" Ginny snapped.

"Just go and talk to him. It'll make the world a happier place."

OOO

Ginny sucked in a deep breath as she knocked twice on the door of Grimmauld Place. It felt odd knocking. She had spent plenty of time these past months letting herself in and out as she pleased. But she thought it would be more appropriate for her to knock this time.

There was a scuffle from the other side of the door, until it swung open, revealing the dark, narrow hall of Number Twelve. A man stood before her, his hair as messy as ever, but his face thinner than she remembered it. He looked exhausted.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised to see her standing there so late at night.

"Can I come in?" was the only thing she said.

Harry nodded. "Yes, of course… I admit, I am a bit surprised to see you here, though." He stood aside to let her in, and then closed the door. It was a fairly warm night, but the warmth of the house was still much better than standing out there.

Without responding, Ginny made her way into the kitchen. She had spent so much of her time in that one room, the familiarity sent warmth through her.

"My dear brother was tired of your moping," she eventually said. "And mine. He said I should come and see you."

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell between them after that. Harry shuffled his feet in a very un-Harry like way. Ginny's expression softened at the tragic sight.

"Harry, this is stupid," she eventually said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Us not talking to one another because of the stupid people who work for the Daily Prophet. We can't let them get to us like that."

Harry gave her a knowing look, one that she returned. "It wasn't my fault," she insisted. "They saw me leave that day, you know? They saw that I was angry. Did you read what they wrote after that?"

Harry nodded, looking at her with those gentle eyes she had been infatuated with for such a long time. "Yes," he said. "I saw, and I'm sorry. I didn't want that to happen."

"But it still did," Ginny told him. "Exactly what I said would happen."

Harry nodded again. "You were right," he confessed, "But… it doesn't change anything. I am who I am, Ginny. And you are who you are. Avoiding them isn't going to change that."

Ginny sighed, Harry's words ringing truth. The media had been at her place too, every morning, wanting to speak to one person or another. Most of the time it was Ron, but occasionally one would come looking for her, or her mother, her father. It didn't seem to matter who they talked to, just as long as they got a story.

"I guess that's the price we must pay for doing the right thing?" she said.

"I guess it is," Harry surmised.

Ginny didn't want to argue with him anymore. Arguing was stupid, and pointless, and it got them nowhere. "And, you did the right thing, Harry. I'm sorry that I got so mad the other day, but you've been talking to them non-stop for three months. You need a break. You look terrible."

"Thanks!" Harry smiled.

"It's the truth, Harry. You look truly awful. You're this hero that everyone wants to know, and you're trying to be that for everyone, but you can't be. You can't do everything at once. You start Auror training in a few weeks. You won't have much time for anything else."

"Can I make time for you?" Despite the exhaustion that overwhelmed him, Ginny noticed his eyes brighten at the question.

She smiled, taking a step towards him. "That depends," she said. "When I ask you to ignore them, will you listen to me next time?"

"I can always try," Harry said, "but you know me." He shrugged, putting his hands around her waist and drawing her closer to him. He kissed her. "I've missed you," he said. "Ron's right, I've been really unpleasant to be around."

"I think we all have," Ginny replied. "But, Ron's been a whole lot worse since Hermione went to find her parents, and left him behind. It's why he's taken such an interest in us, I think."

Harry kissed her again. "How things have changed." He laughed.

Ginny smiled at him. "Let's just hope not everything changes," she said. Because she didn't want them to change.

So, normally, I prefer not to think of Harry and Ginny in a romantic situation. They normally just play background pairing to my Romione fics, but I actually had fun writing this to be honest. And, this all stems from my own head canon after the war. From the obvious things to the finer details :)

Lady, I hope you liked it. I know you're not the biggest fan of fluff, but sometimes by brain and my fingers disagree.

Don't forget to leave a review :) That would be much appreciated.