Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

Chapter 2: A fork in the road

Harry and Ginny made their way out of the castle and onto the grounds. Not sure where he was going or exactly what he was going to say, Harry went on autopilot toward the quidditch pitch. He once again confirmed the ground beneath the pitch had been repaired, but the stands and the locker rooms were still in shambles. As they walked hand in hand the sun beat down on them. Harry noted that it was rather warm for May, but relaxed as a slight breeze drifted over the lake cooling them as they went. The silence built but wasn't uncomfortable for the two as they both collected their thoughts.

They climbed the flight of stairs leading to remaining set of seats still standing. As they sat down, Harry debated how to start this conversation and tried to boost his own self-confidence. In the end Harry chickened out andsettled on starting the conversation off the easy way. "How are you holding up Ginny?"

"I don't think it's sunk in yet. Both Fred's death and Voldemort's defeat seem so distant. On one hand I feel like at any moment Fred will waltz it with a clever joke after pulling off this fake death prank. Everyone will be excited to see him but furious at his and George's antics. On the other I am still leery to say Voldemort is truly gone. The threat has been lingering for too long to shake off" Ginny paused as she stared off at the castle deep in thought.

"I was thinking about Fred last night, he would have insisted that George keep the shop open and the pranks going. They've helped so many people you know? Fred was a light in the darkness. While everyone else cowered and hid, Fred boldly made a statement against Voldemort not only through jokes, but through new products the wizarding world can use for years to come to defend themselves from attack. Fred helped bring joy and safety to the population while I was off wondering what to do. In times of uncertainty he was steadfast even though it risked Voldemort's retaliation. Fred is one of the greatest heroes of the fight." Harry sighed as a weight lift off his chest. He felt as if he had said the right thing for once and waited for Ginny's reaction.

Ginny just stared into Harry's eyes as the dam started to break. "Oh Harry... It's not just him, it's the whole last year. You didn't live through Hogwarts this year. Yes McGonagall and Flitwick tried to protect us, but the others tried to make us use unforgivable curses, and when we refused they were used on us. I was tortured mutliple times throughout the year. I can still feel the sting of the crucio curse on my skin. They pitted all students against each other. Threats of being a werewolf's dinner were common but the worst is they expected students to watch. Some poor first year Hufflepuff was the first to go. I still see his face in my dreams. A large scratch on his face and multiple bit wounds all over his body. Last year forced us to leave our childhood behind and I am not sure I will ever be the same. I just want to go home and curl up in bed, but I am not sure even that will make me feel better."

Harry didn't know how to respond, so he just pulled Ginny in for a hug and let her cry. His whole right shoulder was soaked with tears. As Ginny regained her composure Harry rhetorically asked "Where do we go from here?"

Ginny lifted her head up, sniffled, and in a small, sweet voice asked perhaps the simplest and yet most complex question ever asked to Harry. "We?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As he ran his hand through his hair it paused on his neck as he spoke honestly without pretense. "That wasn't how I meant to bring that up, it was meant to be rhetorical, but yes we. I broke up with you last year because I knew what I had to do and what it would mean to those closest to me. Not only was I Voldemort's number one target, but I couldn't rule out that I may have to die in order to finish him off. I'm sorry, I didn't know what would happen to me and I couldn't risk making you a bigger target. Since that is behind us, I want to give us another go if you want to as well. We can have a fair shake at this now that there isn't a dark lord coming for me. For the first time in my life a prophecy isn't controlling my destiny and I want to enjoy it."

Ginny's tears continued as the smile as her face grew. She threw her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him in close. They both instinctively tilted their heads slightly as Harry's lips gently pressed against Ginny's. For what could have been seconds or it could have been an hour, Harry and Ginny stayed locked in this position feeling as if the rest of the world didn't exist. All that there was this moment.

As the tension that had been built prior to the pending conversation faded, it began to feel as if the pain and separation over the last year had never occurred. Harry couldn't help but get a goofy grin and Ginny continued on as if they had never broken up. "Hey Gin, do you want to walk around the lake?"

Ginny replied with a simple "Sure" as she reached for Harry's hand and they made their way out of the quidditch stands.

As they went they carried on a more casual conversation, specifically avoiding the topics of Voldemort and Death Eaters. They shared their favorite stories about those they had lost. Harry found a particular story about Tonks and Lupin especially entertaining. During the early part of their relationship when the Order was using Grimmauld Place as their headquarters, Ginny had gotten more than an eye full of their budding romance. The pair must not have realized that Ginny had still been in the house when they decided to show Walburga's portrait how little they cared about her opinions by snogging in front of the portrait. As they became better acquainted with one another, the portrait was going off about creatures and blood traitors having relations. By the time the story was finished, Ginny was blushing and Harry was about to fall over from laughing so hard.

As Harry and Ginny reached the lake, they sat down and leaned against a tree. Harry recovered from his laughing fit and resumed the conversation."That reminds me that I want to get rid of that portrait the next time I am at Grimmauld Place. I think I might know how to do it." Harry said matter of factly.

Ginny gave Harry a sideways glance that clearly stated she thought he was barmy. "And how do you plan on doing that? It's attached with a PERMANENT sticking charm"

"In the downtime we had last year we studied and discussed some magical theory. I am pretty sure Ron and I went through the basics of ancient runes over the last year and have been thoroughly quizzed by Hermione to make sure we knew the material. It may have been worse than sitting for my OWLs." Ginny understood having studied with Hermione before.

"One night after we had been reminiscing about family and friends, we got on the subject of how to get rid of that portrait. I will spare you Hermione's hour long diatribe about Walburga being a bigot, but we came to two key factors for the scenario. We will call them right and might. Right stands for having the authority to make the change. The house and its wards answer only to the owner of the house. Prior to his death, only Sirius could have made the change. If anyone else tried to remove the painting the house would have reinforced the spell by drawing ambient magic through its wards making the task impossible except to Sirius. Per Sirius' will, I own the house and therefore have the right to make the change without the wards resisting."

"That makes some sense, but if it was that easy it wouldn't be called the permanent sticking charm. Plus Sirius would have been able to do it previously, and he was less than successful." chimed in Ginny.

"You're correct. The permanent sticking charm mixes the essence of multiple elements so that it is nearly impossible to remove one from the other. Much less energy is needed to mix them, than is required to separate them. The difficulty in undoing the charm, however, is dictated by the strength of the original spell caster. If the caster of the sticking charm is relatively weak magically, undoing the spell would be like sorting a mixture of apples and oranges; which is no trouble at all. On the other hand, if the wizard that cast the spell is strong magically, undoing it would be like separating two colors of sand that were mixed together, and good luck with that! You're better off just getting new sand. Or in this case a new wall."

Ginny stared back at Harry wondering if he had spent too much time with Hermione. Not only was he talking about magical theory, it seemed to make sense, but it left her thinking. "But where are you going to get enough power to overcome the previous charm?"

"While we were hunting Voldemort we found some strong magical artifacts that could help with the process." Harry swallowed and decided to be intentionally vague. "Dumbledore had given us some of them in his will and while we had lost the sword of Gryffindor, Ron found it again in the woods. I think they could be the key to overcoming the problem."

"What did you find?" Ginny asked with her interest peaked.

Harry had been warned to limit the number of people he talked to about horcruxes, causing him to hesitate. The more people knew of them, the greater the potential another would try to replicate the feat. Also, the Deathly Hallows had quite the reputation; he didn't want people finding out about them and targeting him. He resolved to talk to Hermione and Ron about the topic and be vague for now."I don't want to go into too many details, but we found multiple relics of the founders that had been tainted with dark magic. I am sure the ministry will want to keep it hushed up and I don't want people searching for the objects. Dark magic can corrupt and I rather protect everyone by having as few people know about the specifics as possible. If you still want to know more we can revisit the topic after everything calms down."

Ginny wasn't happy with how that went and made a mental note to bring this up next summer. Since Harry brought up the topic, she decided to run with it. "So what do you think the ministry will do now that Voldemort is dead?"

"I am guessing they will try to appear involved with his defeat. We will likely get awards and the ministry will want us to do some publicity for them." Harry said cynically.

"And you're going to?" Ask Ginny indignantly.

"Since Kingsley is in charge now, I will go along with some of it but I have some requests it return." stated Harry simply, not sure if his plans would work.

Ginny smiled as a realization came to her "Are you going to have them make you an Auror? I am sure they will! That would be a win-win situation for all involved. They get their publicity and you get your dream job!"

"I thought about that, but I am not sure I am ready for it yet. If nothing else over the last year, I have learned how much I still need to learn. Without Hermione we wouldn't have lasted a week on our own. I think I want to go back to Hogwarts and get my NEWTs. I don't want to become an Auror because it was given to me, I want to get the job because I have earned it. Can you imagine the hassle I would get for being given a spot in the recruiting class? Look here comes the ministry's golden boy, don't make him mad or he will run and tell the minister!"

The smile faded from Ginny's face as she realized she would have to make a choice. Could she go back to school for another year? Harry would likely be in her classes and it would be more like the old days. As she tried to picture it, other flashbacks of the last year overwhelmed her. Hogwarts wasn't safe to her anymore, it had been forever tainted. She wasn't sure what her future held, but it wasn't going to be Hogwarts next year. "Harry... I'm not going back. I don't know how to tell mom, but I can't stay here at Hogwarts."

"Then what's your plan?" inquired Harry.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking about trying out for the professional quidditch teams. Between retirements and threats from Voldemort, the teams' rosters are unusually low. I may have a shot at least as a backup chaser for this season. With some practice maybe I could be a starter next year! If that doesn't work I will see what jobs I am qualified for with my OWLs and go from there."

"Any team you're hoping for?"

"I would love to play for the Holyhead Harpies, but I think I have a fair shot at the Puddlemere United's Reserve Team or the Chudley Cannons. Ron would love if I played for them, I am sure he would want me to get him season tickets."

"That makes two of us. Well, I want tickets either way. The team doesn't matter so much, but I am a big fan of a certain player." That earned him a quick kiss as Ginny then rested her head on his shoulder.

Harry just sighed and was glad they had been able to fall back into their relationship rather easily.

They both began to contemplate their futures and the next steps they would need to take. Their conversation continued on well into the afternoon before their stomachs told them it was time to head back. As they reached the castle Harry thought he should catch up with Ron and Hermione to discuss future plans. "Save me a seat at dinner, I have some things I need to do and should be there shortly."

"Don't be too long or else you might miss out." Ginny said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Harry on the forehead. As she walked away Harry watched her leave until she turned the corner. Once she was out of sight he pulled out the Marauder's Map to find Ron and Hermione.