CHAPTER 3

It was dark. Water dripped slowly in the distance from the pipes. "Where am I?" Harry said to himself. The echo of his voice made him jump. It was cold. A cellar, perhaps. Harry didn't know. Looking around, Harry's worst nightmare came true. Slumped in the corner, he saw her flaming red hair. He froze, his breath caught in his throat. That was until a searing pain shot through his entire body. Everything burned, he was sure he was on fire.

The pain stopped, but Harry stayed on the floor when he heard the ice-cold sneer of his voice, "It is far from over Harry Potter. In the end, you will lose, as I make you watch every person you love die."

"GINNY!"

"Crucio!" He was too strong. "First your father, than your mother, and now your lover. Everyone you love gets killed."

Harry screamed through the pain, "GINNY…NO!"

Someone was holding him, shaking him. With a flash of green light, his eyes shot open.

"Harry! Come on mate, wake up. You were having another nightmare." It was just Ron. Harry took a quick sweep of the room and sighed in relief. He was back in his dorm. It was just a dream. Ginny was safe. "You alright?"

"Yea. Thanks for waking me. That was a brutal one." Harry was a little shaken. That was the third night he had this nightmare, or one similar too it. Since retelling the happenings of the last year, his subconscious seems to have been trying to tell him something. Ginny still hadn't opened up about what had happened with her, and Harry knew something had happened. The following day she had simply chosen to act as if nothing happened. It continued to bother him, so Harry decided he would confront her later that day.

Harry rolled out of bed, got dressed, and slowly made his way down to the Great Hall with Ron for breakfast. It was then that he saw the radiantly beautiful redhead that he loved. When Harry approached her, he snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Ginny jumped in surprise, but quickly relaxed when she realized it was just Harry. She greeted him with a kiss and a smile, which Harry noticed didn't reach her eyes.

"Why, good morning, Ms. Weasley," he said as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Oi! I'm trying to eat here!" Hermione smacked Ron's shoulder and gave them an apologetic look.

Giggling, Ginny said, "Hello Harry. Sleep ok?"

"Yea," he lied. "You?" Ginny sensed his concern, but carefully responded.

"Good enough."

Harry had finished eating when he saw the Minister sitting at the staff table. He hadn't been at the school in a few days, working on repairing the Ministry and all, so Harry took this opportunity to ask what he had been wondering since the battle. Harry got up to greet the man, "Excuse Minister, may I have a word?"

"Certainly Harry."

They walked out into the Entrance Hall for some privacy when Harry asked, "Kingsley, I was just wondering, what is going to happen to Riddle's body. And the rest of the deceased Death Eaters for that matter."

Kingsley thought for a moment. "Harry, I was actually going to ask you what should be done with it. It only seems right. As for the deceased Death Eaters, we returned their bodies to their families, well at least the ones that had available family. We were going to burn the remaining ones."

"I think we should cremate Riddle too. Burning makes it feel more permanent. I don't want a big show of it, though. We should show him more respect than he deserves, show him we are better than them."

"Thank you Harry. It will be taken care of." Kingsley regarded Harry briefly before continuing, "How are you doing Harry? I mean really doing?"

Harry didn't quite know how to respond, so he chose the truth. "It's hard, but I'll be okay eventually. I just feel so overwhelmed. I want to help everyone, the family's affected and my friends, but I just don't know what to do." An idea came to Harry, and he pitched it to Kingsley, "I was thinking of setting up a relief fund to help, but with what happened at Gringotts last week, I highly doubt I'm welcome there." Harry gave a frustrated sign.

"Ah. Those goblins are not easy to deal with and are even more difficult when wronged. Let me see what I can do for you there. Why don't you just go back inside, spend this time with family. I'll let you know what happens."

Harry was extremely grateful and said goodbye to the Minister, returning to the Great Hall.

The rest of the morning went on pretty uneventfully. Bill and Fleur had left for Shell Cottage early that morning, Arthur and Percy went with Kingsley to the Ministry to continue the rebuild, and George, Charlie and Molly spent most of the morning with Fred in the anti-chamber off of the Great Hall. After lunch, Harry and Ginny went off for a walk, while Ron and Hermione were off doing Merlin knows what.

"I don't think it's quite hit me that it's all over." Harry had been struggling with the reality of their victory. He felt guilty for the lives lost, sad for his family's sorrows, and relieved that he could finally live. Ginny seemed to be preoccupied, though. Finally, Ginny stopped him where they were along the lake and turned to look at him.

She hadn't spoken much since running off the other night. She seemed pretty content to give one word responses over the last few days. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts. Ginny wanted to trust Harry with all her heart, but she was still hesitant to let him in out of fear of being left behind again. He was so noble sometimes that she knew he could leave the moment trouble arose again. She loved him, but she needed him to know how she really felt.

"Harry…." Harry didn't like the trepidation in her voice. She looked into the green of his eyes that was like none other, as she spoke, "I love you." She put up her hand to stop him from saying anything, and reached down to grab his hands. "I love you, and I am so happy to have you back and safe. But I can't just pick up where we left off before we broke up. A lot of stuff has happened this past year, I've changed." Harry's heart beat picked up so much at hearing this confession. He knew it was too good to be true. He was a fool to think Ginny would trust him again. His disappointment must have shown in his face, because Ginny added hastily, "Oh no! I'm not ending this. Please just hear what I have to say."

When Harry nodded, she went on, "You have no idea what I went through last year, and I realize that's partially because I haven't told you yet, but I will tell you that under the Carrows, we weren't much safer here." Harry was taken aback by the thought of her still being put at risk. Everything he had done to protect her was for nothing. Ginny didn't stop there, "The morning after the battle, when we talked, I was just so happy in that moment of finding out you still cared for me that I didn't want it to stop. After I heard your story, though, it reminded me that there are things that we can't just jump back from."

"Ginny….." She put her finger to his lips to stop him. This was something she was struggling with, and she needed to get it out.

"I need time Harry," Ginny choked out with a tear threatening to fall out of her eye. "I don't want to end this, but I need us to go slowly," she amended when she saw the hurt in his expression. "You were honest with me, and now it's time I'm honest with you, but I don't know that I can be. Not yet. I'm scared. I know what you said Sunday, but I'm afraid that if danger comes, you will be too tempted to leave me again."

Harry wanted to argue that point, reassure her that he would never leave her again, but deep down, much to his dismay, Harry knew she was right. He would never want to put her in danger. He'd been telling himself, and everyone else, that he would never leave again, no matter what, but Ginny was pointing out the one thing that would make him question that. "Ginny…." Harry didn't know what to say.

Ginny picked up on this and continued, "I held my own while you were gone, and you're here now, but you can't leave me again, for anything. I want to be an equal Harry. You say I'm strong, so treat me that way. I don't need to be babied. I can take care of myself. If there is danger, let me fight next to you. Let me help you. And if I can't, don't hide me away in a closet while you go fight. I'm not a porcelain doll. Growing up with six brothers a girl learns to hold her own," she stated with a small smile. "You can talk to me. That's all I ask, really. You don't have to do it alone."

"You're beginning to sound like Hermione," Harry said with a sad smile.

"Well, she's right. Please Harry."

Harry didn't like the idea of her being in any form of danger, but he knew she was right. Slowly he nodded. At that moment, Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a soft, gentle kiss, one that emphasized everything she was feeling.

Ginny stopped to look him square in the eye, and said, "Now, if you ever try to leave me again to protect me, Potter, your bits will become very familiar with my bat-bogeys." Harry just gulped with wide eyes and nodded understanding. Now there's the Ginny I know and love, he thought sardonically. With a giggle, Ginny resumed with their tender lip-lock. Her hands combed through the scruff of his slightly longer hair while his gently rubbed up and down her sides. It was a kiss of passion and love, something the pair had missed excruciatingly so over the course of the last year, when Ginny suddenly pulled away, still staying in Harry's arms.

At Harry's look of disappointment, Ginny said slowly, looking away shyly, "There's more you need to know, before we get carried away. I don't want secrets if we are going to make this work." She stopped and took a few deep breaths, then looked up at him. "I know what you asked me before was purely out of your concern and love for me. You know me better than anyone, and I want to give you a straight answer, but I'm not ready to talk about my last year yet.

"I said before that there are some things that happened in the last nine months and that there are things that changed in me. I'm still your Ginny, but I need you to be patient with me. I will try my hardest to open up to you eventually, but I need your patience."

Harry considered this for a moment, although it didn't take much consideration. Smiling cheekily, he bent her back over his leg, supporting her in his arms as he leaned down and gave her a mind blowing kiss. Coming up for air, leaving Ginny in a daze, Harry said, "I will wait for you as long as you need me to my love. I'm not going anywhere." Ginny brought his lips back to hers into a full-blown snog.

It could have been minutes, or hours, or days, or even weeks before they finally dislodged from each other's mouths. "Wow…." Ginny breathed.

"I know," Harry responded, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes still closed, breathing in her every smell. God, I love that smell. Oh, Ginny….MY Ginny…."

"I love you, Harry. I don't even think you realize how much."

"I love you too, Gin." As he placed her upright, he realized something, "You know you're the first person I've ever said that to."

"That can't be true….." Or can it? Ginny thought in disbelief, which quickly turned to anger. When I get my hands on that bloody arse of an uncle….

Nodding, Harry said, "Yea, it is. Who would I have said it to? Or hear it from? Certainly not my aunt and uncle. I mean, my parents may have said it, but I don't remember."

Ginny looked at him with a sad expression before saying, "That's horrible Harry." Then, with a mischievous smile, she added, "Well in that case, I love you. I love you. I. Love. You," punctuating each one with a kiss to different parts of his face.

Harry chuckled heartily as he took her hand in his, "Come on. Let's keep walking."

For a few more hours, the pair continued their walk, occasionally stealing a kiss or two. It was about time that they got to know each other again, not just romantically, but personally as well. Around 6, much to their surprise, George came to get them for dinner.

As he turned to walk back to the castle, an empty expression on his face, Harry stopped him. "Listen George, I'm really sor-"

"Please, don't, Harry. I don't want to hear your apologies. This wasn't your fault." With a brief flash of a smile he added, "F-F-Fred would stuff a firecracker up your arse sideways if he heard you take the blame for any of this."

"But if I had only turned myself in sooner…." Harry was having trouble not feeling guilty.

George put his hands on Harry's shoulders, and looked him square in the eye, only like a big brother would, as he said, "Listen here, Potter. This pity party you've got going for yourself isn't helping anything. It's doing nothing but tainting the legacy they all left behind, Fred, Remus, and Tonks."

Harry looked at his friend, still holding a slight feeling of doubt, but he didn't argue. Harry took a long look at the older boy who was so much like a big brother to him. He didn't smile as fully as he use to, and his shoulders were slumped as they walked back towards the castle. Harry knew he was breaking on the inside, having lost is other half, but he admired George so much for how strong he was being. If anyone had a right to be broken it was him. Harry didn't know if he could be as strong, but if not just for himself, than for Ginny, Hermione and the rest of the Weasley's, he sure as hell was going to try.