I do not own these characters. I wish I did. But I'll just have to live with letting them be my puppets. So sad.
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In that place between alertness and slumber, Harry felt something brush his cheek. Then his forehead. Then his neck, and finally his lips where it lingered. It took a moment for him to realize it was Ginny's lips he was feeling, and, tiredly, he kissed her back. He was thankful for the sleep, but in the deepest corners of Harry's mind, he knew the nightmares would not be at bay for many nights.
"Can I help you?" he asked with a smile, his eyes closed.
"Mum was just here," she said, and Harry felt her stir beside him, "She says they've cleaned up the castle and that there's going to be a feast in about a half an hour and that 'Harry Potter damn well better be there --- and why the hell are you in bed with him, Ginny?"
Harry chuckled at the perfect imitation of her mother's voice and sat up, feeling for his glasses, which Ginny placed on his face before moving to get out of bed. He grabbed the back of his shirt that she was wearing and tugged her back.
"I'll be needing that," he told her, and Ginny frowned.
"Nope. Stole it fair and square."
"Don't make me take it off of you," Harry said with a grin. Ginny smirked a bit.
"You don't have any clothes, do you?" Ginny said. Harry shook his head.
"I can wear my jeans again, but my shirt is bloodstained," he told her, stroking back her hair, "and that wouldn't be good for morale, would it?"
Ginny just smiled a little, closing her eyes at the feeling of Harry's hand in her hair. For a moment, they just sat there. Harry felt the weight of all that had happened, but instead of grief, he felt overwhelming gratitude toward what ever power had brought him this far. He was safe, as were many of the people he cared about, and he was with the girl he loved. He could ask for more, but not considering everything.
"Are we back together, Harry?" Ginny asked in a small voice. Harry looked down at her, furrowing his brow.
"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be? Do you not want to be?"
"Well, you broke up with me, you know," Ginny said, and Harry's heart sank. He had. It was easy to forget, considering his feelings for her hadn't faded one bit.
"Okay. Will you be my girlfriend? Again?"
"Okay."
"Okay."
Ron and Hermione had only gotten away moments ago. Hermione was hell bent on finding a set of robes to change into instead of the burnt, torn, dirty ones she was wearing, and Ron was simply following.
"Honestly, does it matter that much?" he said, trailing her by a few steps.
"Of course it does, Ronald," she said. This was the first time they had been alone all day. Harry had been able to get away hours ago, but Ron and Hermione hadn't been so lucky. Everyone wanted to know just a bit about what they had been up to the past year, and what choice did they have but to tell Harry's supporters the truth?
"There's going to be a feast. McGonagall is probably going to draw attention to all three of us, and you know it," she said. Ron shrugged.
"So? I kind of like this look on you," he said, reaching over and sliding his fingers through the large hole in the side of her shirt. Hermione jumped, the color rising in her face.
"I don't," she said, wrapping her arms around herself insecurely. "I don't like showing too much skin."
"I don't understand why not," Ron said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "I think you're beautiful. Especially when you're kicking a Death Eater's ass."
Reluctantly, Hermione chuckled. She pulled open the door of what was apparently a very large closet. Rows of school uniforms were hanging along the walls, along with stacks of supplies for classes.
"Whats all this?" Ron asked. Hermione shuffled through the robes, looking for her size.
"Extra uniforms. Just in case something happens to someone's or they have a growth spurt and have no money or something."
"Blimey. I didn't know this was here."
"Didn't you ever read ---"
"No, Hermione. I never read Hogwarts, A History."
Hermione tugged a white button up that was clearly too big for her down, and went on a search for a pair of pants. She handed Ron a pair while she searched for a pair near her size.
"Well, I don't suppose its important now, is it?" she asked. Ron, apparently very comfortable with Hermione since she had seen him in his underwear before, changed right there in the middle of the room. When she finally turned around with the clothes she was going to wear in her arms, her eyes widened. Ron was shaking out the pair of gray pants, checking the tag idly.
"What?" he asked, glimpsing her expression.
"N-nothing..."
"Come on," he said, pulling them on, "We lived in a tent together for months. You've taken care of me when I was sick and watched me puke slugs and you're going to blush at the sight of my boxers? I didn't care when I walked in on you that day when ---"
"We swore we were never going to bring that up again, Ron!" Hermione cried. Her face was red and, as usual, Ron was amused.
"Well, times change," Ron said, "And stop looking at me like that."
Hermione glared a bit at him, but then she remembered how he kissed her just before the battle had started. She remembered how warm she felt curled up against him on those cold nights in the tent while Harry was outside guarding. Stolen moments, she figured, were always the sweetest.
"What if I don't want to stop looking at you like that?" she asked. Ron raised his eyebrows and stepped closer. Hermione knew she was getting more comfortable with him and more confident in the fact that he cared for her, but old insecurities often got the better of her. More than once she thought that she wasn't pretty enough or brave enough or quick enough with a snappy, sexy retort to keep him on his toes, but when he looked back at her like that...
Before she could reconsider her actions, Hermione kissed him, slow and sweet. She felt Ron's arms slide around her and she wondered exactly how many ways he could find to hold her and kiss her and make her feel special. It seemed like he found a new one every time.
Finally, they broke apart, and she felt his forehead pressed against hers, his hands holding her as though she were glass.
"I've always loved you, Hermione," he told her. She could tell it cost him a lot to say that. "Always. And I'm sorry for all the things I've ever done to upset you."
"I love you too, Ron," she said, her voice quiet and small. She was vulnerable, though she wanted so bad not to be, but it was the only way Ron would truly see her, and her want for him to do just that overwhelmed any of the voices in her head that told her to raise her defenses.
"So can we agree that we're going to try to make this work? Honestly? I know we've talked about it, but things are different now."
Hermione nodded a little, earning herself a grin --- the kind she loved.
"So, are you going to change or not?"
Harry strode into the hall, as anticipated, to loud applause. He had hoped he would have arrived early enough in advance to avoid the attention, but unfortunately he had miscalculated. Or Ginny had planned this. Both were highly possible.
With a small, humble smile, he waved, sliding into his place beside Ron and Hermione with Ginny beside him. He squeezed Hermione's hand under the table, holding Ginny's hand as well. He felt so much closer to Hermione after she had stuck with him, even when he had no idea what he was doing. He didn't blame Ron for leaving though, and he held no ill feelings toward him for it. He had returned with strengthened resolve.
Hermione smiled at him, and Harry noticed a sort of self possession in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. He had always known the confidence Hermione got by on was solely invested in her quick wit and cleverness. Emotionally, she was quite vulnerable and, as a brother to her, Harry had always tried to bolster her confidence as much as he could, but there was only so much he could do. It seemed that Ron could handle the rest.
McGonagall stood up at the high table and raised her hands to silence everyone. The effect was not nearly as immediate as when Dumbledore did it, but eventually the crowd quieted. She cleared her throat and looked to all the people she knew in the room.
"Thank you all, on behalf of the Order of the Phoenix for coming today and fighting the way you did," she said, her voice strong, thought it was clear that she was frazzled, and with good reason. It had been a very long day. "I would like to assure you that Hogwarts will be... repaired, and that it will reopen in September with a few staffing changes."
She glanced to the seats that Harry, Ron and Hermione could only guess had belonged to the Carrows. A collective shiver could be observed from every student that had attended the school over the past year.
"I would like to formally recognize three people in this room who made what we witnessed this morning possible. Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."
Harry had been afraid of this. The last thing he wanted to do was make an address to all of these people, though he was eternally grateful to those who had stood up to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He didn't know what to say beyond 'thank you', but the tug Hermione gave his hand told him he was out of options.
With his hands in his pockets, he followed Hermione and Ron up to the front of the room. There was applause and cries out to them. Hermione beamed at him, but Ron looked just as uncomfortable as Harry felt.
"Um... I don't know what to say... I think talking to you guys is scarier than facing Voldemort."
There was scattered laughter around the room, and Harry felt a little heartened.
"I want to thank you all... for standing up for what you believe in. It made what happened today worth it. And... I want to thank Ron and Hermione too for being so great. There were so many times they could have left me between a rock and a hard place, and I would have never blamed them, but they didn't. And I'm eternally grateful."
He looked to Ron and Hermione, hoping they could see his gratitude on his face. Hermione obviously could, judging by the tears in her eyes. Ron gave Harry's shoulder a manly squeeze.
"And... and I want to say thank you to all the teachers... and to the whole Weasley family. You guys are amazing. And Ginny... I love you. Even though you weren't there... you were. I want you to know that."
Ginny went almost as red as her hair at the mention of her name. Harry grinned --- that was exactly what he had wanted. He then looked to Professor McGonagall. He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say. Thankfully, she took up the slack.
"We'll be happy to have the three of you back as students next year."
Harry gaped. Professor McGonagall gave him a smile that indicated that she saw the humor in the situation. It was an expression he was sure no one in the room had ever seen before.
"Surely you didn't think we'd give you honorary diplomas. You'll have to come back for your seventh year. After defeating the Dark Lord, I'm sure you N.E.W.T.S will be no problem."
Harry, Ron and Hermione just stared at her for a moment, then returned to their seats, dejected.
"Why'd we have to go up there?" Ron asked as the food appeared and everyone started talking again. He spoke through a mouth of mashed potatoes, "All you did was talk. And you didn't really ---"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ron," Hermione said sternly, cutting up her steak. Without argument, he swallowed, having fallen silent.
"I wanted to go with you, Harry," Ginny said, just loud enough for Harry to hear. He looked at her, pushing his glasses back up on his nose.
"I know, but... I had to know you were safe."
The loss of her brother and some of her friends, as well as the shock of seeing Harry dead, then seeing him alive and then watching Voldemort fall was taking its toll on her. Harry wrapped his arm around her as she curled up into him, her legs drawn up beside her, and let her lean into him.
The more Harry thought about it, the happier he was with the idea of coming back the next year. It sounded amazing... a quiet year at Hogwarts with nothing to plague him except tests and the drama that surrounded the house cup. He rubbed Ginny's shoulders, smiling at the thought, until another one struck him.
"But what am I going to do until its time to go back?"
Mrs. Weasley looked at him as though he had directly insulted her. Harry shrank under her glower, making Ginny giggle, which he appreciated.
"You'll be staying with us. As will Hermione, won't you?"
Hermione looked up. "Well, I'm not sure. I have to go to Australia and get my parents. I modified their memories, and I have to lift the enchantment, because they don't know me, and I kind of miss them..."
She looked down, and Harry was forcefully reminded of the sacrifices she had made. Ron rubbed her back a little bit, swallowing a large quantity of corn. "I'll go with you," he said.
Hermione beamed up at him and kissed his cheek. Mrs. Weasley smiled, though a little sadness lingered in her looks. It was easy for them to accept Fred's death, he knew, because he had died doing something they all believed strongly in. They would miss him, yes, as they would miss Lupin and Tonks and all the other friends they had lost, but life would go on, and they would be happy again.
An idea struck Harry, and it was one he liked so much that he didn't even bother thinking twice about it.
"Lets take a trip. All of us. And your parents too, Hermione. Lets go somewhere. My treat."
"Thats sweet of you, Harry, but I couldn't let you do that. Where would we go?"
"Anywhere you want! Really, its what Sirius would have wanted... for all of us to get away after everything was over."
Ginny raised her head up and looked at Harry and his heart melted a little.
"You're so cute when you're justifying yourself."
A/N: I don't know where this is going. Suggestions might be helpful if anyone out there wants me to continue. Let me know!