Author's Note (Updated Jan 2015): I have now been working on this fic for almost two years! I will say that I would love to go back and edit some of these earlier chapters, but for now I must move forward and live with past mistakes if I ever want to finish this massive endeavor.

For those of you just happening upon my story, welcome! I feel that it really gets into its swing around Chapter 8, so while I appreciate you even clicking on my story to check it out, hopefully you'll give it a chance until then before deciding if you will continue on.

So thanks again for looking and I hope you enjoy!

May 3- Solace

Ginny

They were alive. Her youngest older brother, her best female friend and the love of her life. They had survived. Against all odds, despite various rumours of their capture or death, there they were, sitting in the common room around the fireplace.

It almost could've been like old times, except that all three of them were dirty, covered in blood and ash, and there was a big hole blown in the wall to their right. Another more subtle difference was that Hermione was curled up in Ginny's brother's arms. She wondered when this happened. They also both seemed to be crying, which was new for Ron but less so for Hermione.

Ginny knew that she should be crying too. She should feel sad, but she wasn't yet. She was so relieved that they were alive. Not only the three that she looked upon from the middle of the girl's staircase, but her parents, and her other four brothers. Fred was dead. Fred was dead, Fred was dead. She had said it a thousand times to herself, trying to find the emotions she knew she should be feeling. But she couldn't cry.

Luna had come into her dormitory around 11 in the morning and interrupted the morbid mantra she had been whispering to herself as she sat on her four-poster. Instead of being put off by Ginny's words, she'd smiled and said, "It's ok not to feel sad. You don't have to rush it. Grief has its own schedule. One day, you'll be sitting around playing a game or snogging Harry and it will hit you right here," she pointed to her chest "and then you'll think you are going to die. But you won't."

She had said all of this very simply in true Luna fashion and then peeled off her torn robes. Even though Ginny had shared a dormitory with four other girls for six years, they were all much more modest about getting undressed in front of each other. Luna had stood in front of her in only a pair blue and gold striped knickers and started waving her wand at various injuries.

Suddenly, Ginny burst into tears. Luna looked up, interested.

"Oh is it happening already?" she had asked.

Ginny shook her head, got up and pulled the almost naked Luna into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy you are alive," she sobbed.

Luna did not seem taken aback by embracing her close friend while wearing so little. Instead she had patted her on the back and said, "Me too. I'm glad we are both alive."

Ginny released her and made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Once Luna had taken care of her injuries, Ginny gave her an old Weasley jumper and a pair of pajama bottoms and they had both fallen asleep for a few hours.

There were a few other people in the common room besides the three, but everyone was very quiet. Ginny saw Seamus and his mother murmuring to each other while she smoothed his hair. She stared at them. Fred is dead, Fred is dead, Fred is dead. Suddenly Ginny let out a sound between a hiccup and a laugh. Merlin, I'm barking. The noise made the three on the couch turn to look at her. She looked at back at them, staring each one in the face in turn. To her surprise, Ron was the first to get up. He was moving in slow motion and his appearance unnerved her. He was so thin and he was covered head to toe in dirt, except for a few streaks of skin on his cheeks made clean from tears.

He looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hey," she said back.

Ron held out a hand to her and she took it. His grip was firm as he pulled her down the stairs. When she reached the second step they were almost the same height and he looked her right in the eyes. "I am so effing glad you are ok," he said and hugged her fiercely, immediately starting to cry again.

Ginny smiled while she rubbed his back. Leave it to Ron to make vulgarity sound so sincere.

"I'm so effing glad you're ok," she replied, making him choke out a laugh.

When she looked up she saw Hermione and Harry watching them. Hermione was smiling slightly, tears running silently down her face. Harry's face surprised her. He was looking at her with a fierce determination. His jaw was set. It was like he was preparing for another battle.

Ginny pulled out of her brother's grip and wiped away his tears. She felt like her mother when she did it, but it was like a reflex. While she waited for her grief to come, she could take care of the others.

Ron looked at her curiously and then followed her gaze to look at Harry, then looked back at her.

"I reckon you can take care of yourself, eh?" he sniffed.

She raised her eyebrows at him in exaggerated surprise. "Oh, have I proved myself then?"

He lightly punched her in the arm and she grabbed his fist and squeezed it.

"We're all going to be ok, Ron."

He nodded but didn't speak. Instead he turned away from her and looked at Hermione. Ginny wasn't sure what she saw on his face, but she nodded and walked over to them. She beamed at Ginny and hugged her, but, to Ginny's great surprise, didn't say a word. Then Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and they walked out of the common room.

Ginny looked over at Harry again. He was still frozen in the same position, staring at her with determined ferocity.

There was so much tension building between them that Seamus and his mother, along with the few other students sitting around, dispersed to dormitories or through the portrait hole. After a moment or two, Ginny looked around and noticed they were alone. Now she just had to break the tension.

"So what's new?" she said in such a light manner that Harry snorted with laughter.

He stood up and started moving towards her in slow motion, much like Ron did. She walked down the final two steps as he approached.

"Well, let's see," he started, his voice light but his gaze like that of a lion stalking its prey, "I fought in a war, died for a bit, came back to life, killed a dark wizard and then, just, you know, had a bit of a rest."

He was now a foot away from her.

"Sounds like you've been busy," Ginny mused, wondering where this would go.

"A bit," Harry replied. He was six inches away. "It was all rather tedious, really."

She raised her eyebrows again. "Was it? Perhaps you should-"

But Ginny never got to finish her sentence as Harry pressed his lips so hard into hers that their teeth clacked together. She felt his hands come up to hold either side of her face as he continued to kiss her, less forcefully but with just as much urgency. She felt lightheaded as she returned his fervent kisses with enthusiasm. Abruptly, he pulled away from her.

Before she could speak he said, "I love you so much, Ginny."

Ginny looked at him, flushed and slightly dizzy. Had she heard him correctly?

He was looking at her as if waiting for an answer, but she couldn't remember what question he had asked. Had he asked a question? No, he had said he loved her…oh!

"I love you too!" she practically yelled at him.

Harry laughed lightly and it was such a pleasant sound. For a second he didn't look like a walking corpse. He leaned down and kissed her softly on her closed lips.

"Sorry," he said, "I couldn't wait any longer to say it. All these months I worried I might never see you again. And then, I had to walk into that forest and face him and I knew I'd be dead. But you were all I could think about. I love you and I'm never letting you go again."

Ginny was overwhelmed. In twenty-four hours she had seen Harry for the first time since her brother's wedding, she had almost been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, who she had then watched die by her mother's hand, Fred had died, she had thought Harry had died and now she was in his arms listening to him confess his love for her.

"I need to sit down." Was all she could manage to say.

Harry was suddenly concerned. "Are you ok? Does anything hurt? Was it something I said?" He was now holding his arms out as if he would need to catch her at any moment.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and said, "Yes, I'm fine. I've just had a busy time of it as well, haven't I?"

Harry gave her a tight smile and then led her to the sofa. They sat and she leaned into the crook of his arm while he stroked her hair.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked suddenly, realizing she hadn't seen anyone except Ron since this morning.

"I think your parents went back home…with Fred," he added hesistantly. When she didn't respond he continued. "Bill went home to Fleur and Percy is here, with George…" he trailed off and Ginny felt her heart get tight. She had assumed everyone else was ok. Maybe a little injured but generally unharmed. She turned to look at Harry so she could gauge his expression.

"What happened? Are they ok?"

Harry looked strained. "Erm, yeah, pretty much. Percy is staying with George in the hospital wing. They gave him something to calm him down." He looked at her sideways.

"Calm him down?" she asked, confused, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Harry sighed heavily and rubbed his scar. "Well, George stayed with Fred's…with Fred all morning. Your parents had been helping with a few people who were very injured and then spoke with McGonagall about moving Fred back to the Burrow…for the funeral. But George wouldn't let go." He moved to rub her back but Ginny turned more to face him. She had to know what was going on. Harry glanced at her determined face and went on without prompting.

"So finally Kingsley and your dad had to physically pull George off of him and he was so hysterical that Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion to calm him down. Then they took him to the hospital wing so he could sleep. He's been awake the whole time but basically catatonic. Bill said won't talk to anyone. Percy has been sitting with him all morning."

Ginny immediately stood up and walked towards the portrait hole. She heard Harry following but didn't slow down. They were both healthy and alive and would have time later to be there for each other. Right now she needed to be there for her brothers. My living brothers.

Ginny's determination was slowed by the state of the castle around her. Though the hallways were now clear of bodies, the rubble and destruction still remained. She walked slowly through the ruins of her beloved school, trying to keep her eyes from focusing on the blood stains, the destroyed portraits, a lone trainer, a lost wand.

At one point Harry caught up to her and grabbed her hand but didn't make to stop her. They walked together toward the hospital wing but were forced to stop at the beginning of the corridor. All along the walls were makeshift beds, each one holding an injured body. The wounded ranged in age and size, from a heavily bandage girl who couldn't possibly be of age, to the anciently old Prof Flitwick, who seemed to have a head injury but was assisting with the administering of potions from his bed.

Ginny scanned the beds for red hair but didn't see anyone related to her. As they walked hand-in-hand toward the main door to the hospital a few people cried out to Harry. She looked at him as he let go of her hand.

"I'll catch up with you," he said.

Ginny nodded and watched as he went over to speak with one of the girls who called to him.

It was Alicia Spinnet, Ginny realized after a moment. Her skin was greyish and her hair looked to have been burned off on one side of her head. But even in her terrible condition, she beamed at Harry as he sat on her bed and held her hands. Ginny felt overwhelmed with love for her boyfriend. He had taken to this responsibility easily. Sure, sometimes he was worn out from having to grow up so fast and take on so much, but he had so much love for everyone that he never seemed resentful. She realized when Alicia and Harry looked over at her that she had been staring at them. They both gave her a smile which she returned, adding a little wave to Alicia, then she turned and entered the hospital.

Ginny couldn't see any of the patients inside. All of the beds in the wing had been fitted with privacy curtains. She slowly walked down the aisle, looking at charts that hung on the outside of the curtains. Ginny paused when she saw a chart labeled "Brown, L". She peeked in at the bed and grimaced. Lavender was chalky white and covered in bandages on the right side of her face, neck and arm. Next to her bed were about twelve different bottles that held a variety of colored liquids. Different potions, Ginny thought. She felt a little sick looking at the bandages covering the sleeping girl, soaked through with potion and blood, but mostly Ginny just felt relief that Lavender was alive. She kept walking, looking for her brothers until she spotted the curly red hair and horn-rimmed glasses of Percy, who was exiting a curtain on the far left side of the room. He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted and a lot like their father. She approached him and he started at her presence. Like with Ron, embracing her caused him to burst into tears and like with Ron, she just rubbed his back and let him while her own eyes remained dry.

When they broke apart she asked, "How is he?"

Percy knew who 'he' was and shrugged. "The same. Though he did eat a bit, but only because I threatened to get Mum back here if he didn't."

Ginny tried to laugh but could only force a small smile.

Percy said, "I was just going to get some tea. Do you want anything?"

Ginny shook her head and opened the curtain.

George was picking dirt from his fingernails and didn't look up as she entered but said, "I'm fine, thanks," as if that had been his automatic response to anyone who approached his bed.

Ginny suppressed an eye roll but instead replied sarcastically, "Like I care," putting her hands on her hips for effect.

George's head shot up to look at her, his eyes wide. She saw the corner of his mouth twitch but he didn't manage a smile. Instead, he slumped back on his pile of pillows and said, "Hey, sis."

She walked to his bed and looked him over. Other than being very filthy, he looked unharmed. Madam Pomfrey seemed to have already healed any superficial wounds he might have gotten.

Ginny felt a little cross at his indifference to her presence, though she was pleasantly surprised she had gotten a reaction at all. She decided to push her luck.

"Your limbs don't seem broken so are you going to get off your ass and hug me or do I have to hex you?"

This time George did actually snort out a laugh. "Didn't you hear, sis? I'm 'mentally fragile'," he made little quotations with his fingers before letting his arms flop on either side of the bed.

"Well they got the 'mental' part right," she replied, earning another little smile from her brother.

Ginny refused to let George slip away. She would keep him on his toes, she would not baby him or seek information he wasn't ready to give. She would be the same person he had always known.

George seemed to realize what she was doing and looked at her appreciatively. "C'mere," he said, holding his arms out to her.

She put her knee up on his bed and came crashing down into his arms as he lay in bed. Instead of crying like his other brothers this had made him laugh. He relaxed his grip and she just lay in bed with him, her head on his chest.

George stroked her hair for a few minutes before he spoke. "Aren't you going to ask how I'm holding up?" he said sarcastically.

Ginny shook her head but didn't speak. She could feel tears forming in her eyes but she knew they still weren't for the right reason. She was feeling happy again and she didn't think she could explain it to George, of all people.

A few minutes passed when Harry popped his head into the space.

"Hey look," said George, "It's Undesirable Numero Uno!"

He sounded much happier than Ginny had expected he would, based on the information Harry had given her before she got here. She looked over at Harry now and saw a dumbstruck look on his face from George's greeting. She shook her head at him almost imperceptibly to signal that he should not bring George down with any kind of sad nonsense.

Thankfully Harry seemed to understand because he shot back, "I dunno, your sister there seems to find me pretty desirable."

George raised his eyebrows at Ginny as if this was a shock. Then they all broke into laughter.

Ginny felt relieved that her brother actually seemed to be doing ok but then she wondered if his initial breakdown wasn't his last. Perhaps this was just the eye of the storm.