Twenty
A/N: The response for the last chapter really blew me away. So many favorites and followers! Thank you all so much! I even updated earlier for you guys. Hope you enjoy. Please review, I'd like to know what your guy's thoughts. This chapter is a bit more serious than the previous one.
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July 31, 2000
~ About 3:00 a.m.~
Harry Potter wakes suddenly, drenched in cold sweat and rigid in his bed. His breathing is ragged as he tries to shake off the nightmare that had clutched him only seconds ago. He doesn't even realize that he's crying until he feels a warm hand brush the tears off of his face. He opens his eyes and looks up at his girlfriend's concerned face. "Harry? Listen to me Harry, it isn't real. You're safe. It's over. He's gone, love. You're okay." Ginny whispers to him softly.
Letting out a shaky breath, he nods slowly and reachs up to twine his fingers through hers. "I know," he says hoarsely, "I know, I just need a minute." Closing his eyes again, he focuses on Ginny's even breathing, and the small hand that is enclosed in his.
"It's been a while since you had one this bad." It isn't really a question, but more of a statement that she makes. She alone knows the frequency of his nightmares. They have decreased in number when she had moved in five months ago, but he still gets them occasionally.
"Yeah. Here I was beginning to think that they were starting to get better. Guess I was wrong."
She runs her free hand through his hair. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me." She assures him.
For a while they just lay there in silence. Harry twists and pulls Ginny to his chest, his arms going around her. He breathes in her flowery smell, and relaxes slightly. Everything is okay. "It was my parents again. Them dying I mean." Normally he doesn't like to talk about his nightmares, and Ginny never presses him, but tonight he needs the comfort.
"Maybe you should go visit them. I know you haven't been there in a while. It might help."
Harry thinks about that for a moment. A few months after his eighteenth birthday, he had gone back to the graveyard in Godric's Hollow alone and just sat there for hours. He talked endlessly, telling his parents all about his life. When he had left that afternoon he had felt a little lighter, like a bit of the weight on his shoulders had been lifted. He hasn't been there since, but maybe it's time.
"Will you go with me?" He doesn't know if she will want to, but for some reason, he desperately wants her too. He guesses it's because he has started to get used to not being alone anymore.
He feels Ginny suck in a sharp breath. This is a private and intense thing to ask her. But it just feels right to him. She shifts in his arms until she can look him in the eye. "Are you sure?" She breathes hesitantly.
"Yes Ginny, I am. I want you to come, if you want to. You don't have to."
"Of course I will Harry."
He smiles for the first time since he woke up from the terrible dream. She really is incredible. Sometimes he can't believe he got so lucky as to have her in his life. She lays her head back down on his chest, and they both drift off to sleep. He doesn't have another nightmare that night.
~ About 12:00 p.m.~
With a distinct 'pop,' two figures apparate into the small graveyard that resides within Godric's Hollow. Harry and Ginny are both wearing muggle clothing just in case. As they walk, Harry pulls his invisibility cloak off of them. It feels strange to be wearing it after so long. He takes Ginny's hand and leads her over to his parents' grave. She remains quiet as they sit down in front of the smooth white marble headstone, preferring to just let him say what he needs to.
Harry takes a deep breath. "Hi Mum, Dad. It's been a while. I know I said I would try and visit more often, but it's just hard. Things have gotten better since I was here last time though. I work at the Ministry, as an Auror. It's not easy, but it's satisfying to help people." He goes on to explain things that have happened over the last two years. He tells them all about little Teddy, now three, and about how he has bought him his first broom. He talks about George proposing to Angelina Johnson, and Bill and Fleur's daughter Victoire, who is two. The whole time he talks Ginny just sits there patiently, tracing patters on the back of his hand with her thumb. "I brought someone to see you. I told you about Ginny Weasley last time I was here, right? Well she's my girlfriend. We live together in London, and I brought her to meet you. She's a redhead Dad." He smiles at that last part.
Ginny leans forward, letting Harry put an arm around her shoulders. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Potter. You have a lovely son. He can be rather thick sometimes, but he has the most amazing heart of gold I have ever seen. He's brave, and sweet, and smart, and thoughtful and I love him with all of my heart. I know you must be proud of him, wherever you are. I am."
"I think you're a bit biased, love." He feels his ears turn red.
"And modest too." She glances at him. "And I'm not. You don't see how good of a person you are, but I do, and so do the others. We all look up to you Harry. Not you as the boy who destroyed Voldemort, but you as the kindest, bravest person in the world." Her eyes we blaze with determination.
"Maybe you're right. But you don't give yourself enough credit. I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. I would still be the lost and broken kid who was drowning in guilt after the war. You saved me, Gin." It's true; she had saved him from himself.
"And I would do it a thousand times over again," she says softly, her eyes bright with love.
"I know." He whispers, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers, momentarily forgetting about everything but the beautiful woman next to him. After a few moments, she pulls away and lays her head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Harry."
He smiles softly. "As I love you." And he does. He loves her so much it hurt sometimes. This is why he is going to do something he has been waiting to do for a month now. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small black box. He turns towards her, causing her to lift her head off of his shoulder and look at him in confusion. He lifts the box so she can see, and watches as her eyes go comically wide.
"There was another reason I brought you here today. I wanted you to come and meet my parents, and I wanted them to be able to see what you mean to me. Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever met, and for some reason, you love me as much as I love you. You saved me from myself, and I will always love you for that. I fell in love with you when I was sixteen, and I continue to fall in love with you more each day. You constantly amaze me. I love you more than life itself, and I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
He holds his breath and opens the small box. Inside lays a simple gold band, with a ruby in the middle of two diamonds. It had taken a very long time to find the perfect ring, and he had dragged Hermione from shop to shop until he found this one. It's simple and elegant, and he knows that it had been made for her. It feels like hours as he waits for her answer, but in reality is only a few seconds. She glances up at him with shining eyes, tears threatening to fall. "Yes Harry. I will marry you. Of course I will. I love you." Then she leans forward and kissed him.
Later that night they go to the Burrow to celebrate his birthday, and happily announce their engagement. When the others ask how he proposed, he tells them he had done it over breakfast. Ginny looks at him quizzically, but he just shakes his head slightly. She nods. She understands what he's asking. He wants that moment in the graveyard to be for them only. It's special, and he wants it to be something that only they share.
For the first time in his life, he knows without a doubt in his mind that his parents would be happier than ever. Their son is finally getting the life he has always wanted.
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A/N: Okay, I hope that wasn't too cheesy. I wanted the proposal to be really emotional, so I brought them to Godric's Hollow. Feedback is appreciated. A/N#2: Now edited for grammar mistakes. (3/28/13)
~hawkeyeforever
