Harry walked back to the Great Hall to see four nearly empty tables. He could see the Malfoys still, this time with a platter of roasted chicken in front of them. He noticed Hannah Abbot with her parents, Professor Sprout comforting a still weeping Professor Trelawney, and a beautiful redhead sitting alone in the far corner of the Great Hall.

Harry breathed in deeply and strode past the remaining families to Ginny. He sat down next to her and wiped her tears away.

She sniffled. "Everyone's gone. They're all either dead or mourning the one's that are. Will we ever be happy again?"

"Oh, Ginny, of course we will. Just because Fred and Lupin and Dumbledore and Tonks and my parents and... Snape... and Moody are gone from the world doesn't mean they have to be gone from our memories. It doesn't mean we love them any less." Harry smiled.

Ginny sighed and rested her head against the wall. "What about us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we going to be together?"

"Do you want us to be together?"

"I-well-yes." She blushed as her ears turned that famous Weasley red.

Harry nodded and took her hand in his. "Ginny, you are amazing. When I was searching for Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione, you kept me going. Just the thought of you fighting back against the Death Eaters gave me the strength to make my way back here and defeat Voldemort once and for all."

Ginny cracked a little smile. She grabbed Harry and pulled him closer.

Their lips met.

Harry ran his hands through her silky orange hair. He placed his hand on her back ever so slightly and pulled her into a tight embrace.

They finally broke apart. Ginny stared into Harry's emerald eyes, trying to figure out what he was saying through them. Suddenly tears appeared in his eyes, blurring the gorgeous sea of green that Ginny had lost herself in. "I missed you," she told him quietly. "I didn't know when you'd be back, I wanted to write, but I thought the Ministry would intercept it, I didn't know if you were dead or alive!"

"I know. Me too. But I'm back now, and I promise I won't leave you again.

She teared up and hugged him tightly.

Harry and Ginny left the Great Hall and walked hand in hand to the Hog's Head. As they entered the pub, they heard a loud crash from above. "Stay here," he told Ginny.

He started up the stairs. When he made it to the top, he opened the door cautiously to find Aberforth unconscious with his head resting on the table. Hagrid had Pius pinned to the floor.

"Let me up, you bloody bastard!" Pius yelled.

"You'd like that, wouldn't yeh, yeh little–" Hagrid finally noticed Harry "–Harry! You're back!"

"Yeah. Where are the others?"

"They disapparated as soon as Ab and Thicknesse came back," Hagrid explained, struggling somewhat to keep the minister on the floor. "Ron led them, I think. Mentioned something about the Burrow."

"Thanks, Hagrid. How's Aberforth?"

"I'm takin' him to the Hospital Wing once I deal with the minister here."

"Okay." Harry turned to Thicknesse. "I understand your excitement, Minister. Having a vision as powerful as the one you had would probably have caused me to do something rash as well. But you have to realize one thing–I'm done. I'm done with Voldemort, I'm done with you Death Eater, and I'm done with people dying because I can't save them." Harry began walking out the door. "Goodbye, Minister. Hagrid, make sure he gets to Azkaban."

"Yeah," Hagrid muttered back.

Harry walked down the stairs to rejoin Ginny as they headed down to the Three Broomsticks. The second they walked in the door, Rosmerta apparated into the dining area. "Oh, hello."

"Hello Rosmerta. Did you get through the battle okay?"

"Actually, I disapparated about an hour in. I could only keep the place barricaded for so long, you know." She gestured at the overturned tables, flipped chairs, and broken plates that littered the floor.

"It's good that you did. We'll see you later, Rosmerta."

"Where are you two going?"

"My house," Ginny said. "Bye, Rosmerta."

They disapparated.

Author's Note:

Again, Chapter 5 will be longer.