The Hogwarts Express was bounding its way back to London. Harry had spent the last hour looking out the window, taking in their surroundings, as if to commit it all to memory. This was their last time aboard the scarlet steam engine. He felt a surge of nostalgia, remembering the first time he had found his way inside this same compartment, meeting his best friend, Ron, for the first time. He looked away from the window and into the beautiful face of a sleeping Ginny. He thought about just how lucky he had been to have found the Weasleys that day at King's Cross Station. Mary, who was sitting across from them next to Hermione, picked up on his look of longing.

"Sickle for your thoughts, Harry?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Not much, little one," he answered, sighing, "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have found you all, that's all."

"The feeling is mutual, you know?" Hermione informed him matter-of-factly, while Mary nodded vigorously. This made Harry smile despite himself. The girl had lost both her parents in the span of little over a year, and here she was, worrying about him.

"Well, at least you get to board the train again come September, little one," he reminded her, and her face lit up a little.

"True, but it won't be the same without you three," she said sadly. Harry leaned in and grinned.

"We have all summer to make up for it, don't we? Let's just make sure it's a good one," he told her, winking. At this, Mary smiled knowingly and giggled softly, glancing at Ginny, and then Hermione. The latter squinted and regarded Harry.

"Are you sure you're not planning anything else on the side, Harry?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Harry, however, was expecting this and donned a face of total innocence.

"Nope, just the house, for now, Hermione," he replied, smiling when Hermione glanced at the smaller girl, "Mary has been helping us with the plans for some time now. She's actually quite the artist. Right, little one?" he said. Mary shrugged and grinned.

"I suppose. I just hope it turns out okay," she mused, looking out the window. The mountain scenery had been replaced with green fields, and it looked beautiful. "Speaking of which," she added, taking out a piece of muggle paper and pencil, "this view could make for a great painting," she concluded happily, sketching out the fields as Harry and Hermione exchanged a look.

Thirty minutes before they were due to arrive in London, Ginny woke up stretching and yawning profusely. She looked around at the bemused expressions on her friends and boyfriend, "What?" she asked.

"You've been sleeping since we got on the train, Gin," Hermione informed her, "Why are you so tired, anyway?" she inquired. Now it was Harry and Ginny's turn to share a knowing smile, blushing as they struggled to contain their laughter. Hermione made a show of rolling her eyes and slumped back in her seat.

"Okay, I get it," she exclaimed before adding, "beat me over the head with it," under her breath. Mary looked between the three adults, a question on her face. Harry smiled and shook his head.

"Never you mind, little one," he told her. She huffed and crossed her arms, slumping back beside Hermione. Harry and Ginny just smiled at each other, as they started talking about the plans for their future home.

When they arrived at King's Cross Station, the foursome was greeted by Mrs. Weasley, who alternated her hugs between Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Mary. Next to her had been Ron who, at the sight of her, wrapped Hermione in a tight embrace and a deep kiss. After a couple of minutes, they broke apart as a cough brought them back to reality. They turned to see Harry looking at them, raising an eyebrow.

"Oi, there's a war going on there!" he mocked, to which the couple blushed, and then promptly laughed. Ginny and Mary looked at Harry quizzically and he answered, "when they shared their first kiss, finally, it was in the middle of the Battle, and that was all I could do to tear these two apart."

Ginny laughed and looked at her brother and her best friend, "took you long enough," she told them. They both shrugged and followed the rest out of the platform. Once out on the street, the five teenagers took a seat at the back of the magically enlarged Ministry car, while Mrs. Weasley took the passenger seat. Twenty minutes later, they pulled up on the dirt road leading to the Burrow.

The sense of awe in Mary's face had not vanished since the last time she had seen the marvellous contraption, and she was still smiling when the small group made their way into the kitchen. Mr. Weasley was waiting inside, a cup of tea in his hand. He greeted everyone while they took their place at the table and waited to Mrs. Weasley to bring out the food.

The meal was a special one, as Mrs. Weasley had insisted on treating everyone to a small feast in celebration of their graduation, and of Mary finishing her first year. After the meal, as everyone was talking about their year, Harry beckoned Mr. Weasley to follow him outside. Arthur did and smiled at Harry when they stepped onto the porch.

"What is it, son?" he said.

"Mr. Weasley, I'd like to ask you something," Harry started, shuffling his feet awkwardly but never breaking eye contact with the older man. Arthur nodded and said,

"Anything, Harry."

"I would like Ginny to move in with me," he explained, taking in Arthur's reaction. To his surprise, he smiled and clapped his shoulder.

"I would say you are too young to be making these decisions," he began and Harry grimaced, "but then again, Molly and I started our lives together at the same time Ginny and you did," he mused, remembering his younger days. "Where were you planning on living, if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired.

Harry hesitated for a moment before nodding and telling Arthur everything about his and Ginny's plan to build a house in Ottery St. Catchpole, and the progress the builders had done already. Arthur nodded and said,

"Well, I guess Molly will be thrilled to know you're so close to home. That ought to convince her, anyway. And it seems you have done a lot of forward-thinking," he added, nodding at Harry.

"That I have, sir. I love Ginny with all my heart and I want to do right by her," he said proudly. Arthur had a moment of increased respect for the young man in front of him, and he said so.

"Thanks, Arthur," he replied, "now how about we go back inside before Ginny thinks we're up to something," he joked, and Arthur followed him inside, a smile on his face.

The following weeks, Harry and Ginny were inseparable. As Molly and Arthur had already reluctantly approved of the seriousness of their relationship, to Molly's chagrin, they had started sharing Percy's room every night. They would spend days walking along the fields and eventually sitting down at their favourite spot under a tree at the edge of the pond.

They did manage to fit time into their very busy schedule to visit Bill and Fleur, congratulating them profusely for their daughter. She was beautiful, they said, locks of silvery blond hair adorned the slightly chubby face of Victoire. Bill repeatedly sighed and thanked Merlin that she took after her mother and Fleur slapped him playfully on the arm.

Harry managed to get Teddy to visit with his pseudo-cousin, seeing as they would be seeing a whole lot of each other over the following years. Both Bill and Harry were extremely pleased that the babies hit it off, or at least they thought they did. Victoire - Vee for short – would sit shakily as Teddy examined her from every possible angle, a quizzical expression on his face. Ginny and Fleur both thought that they would probably make a cute couple at some point, to which Bill and Harry frowned. They didn't want to think about that right now, they agreed silently.

One day, as Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were having breakfast, three owls fluttered in through the open window. Hermione jumped as they all landed in front of her, nearly knocking her bowl of cereal off the table. As Ron laughed, Harry untied the letters from the owls' legs and looked at the envelopes. They had the official Ministry seal on them and they all opened them eagerly.

"It's our NEWT results," Hermione exclaimed happily. She took out the parchment and started reading it, her eyes darting back and forth as she reached the bottom and beamed at her boyfriend, who took the parchment and gasped.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. You've got to be kidding me," he said incredulously. Harry and Ginny both looked at him.

"What?" Harry asked.

Ron showed them the parchment and said, "ten Outstandings, they say no one's gotten that much since Dumbledore," he said proudly, to which Hermione blushed.

At that moment, Harry and Ginny opened theirs. Ginny, of course, didn't concern herself with the fact that she only got an Acceptable in all subjects but DADA, where she got an Outstanding. She had a career with the Harpies ahead of her, after all. Harry, on the other hand, was shocked to see he had gotten four Outstandings, counting the one Kingsley had given him the previous summer. Hermione was positively beaming,

"That's amazing, Harry! I think you deserve that, considering," she told him encouragingly. The rest of the day was spent informing the family of their efforts, and Mrs. Weasley congratulating them all profusely.

Mary was also having the time of her life. Harry and Ginny would usually include her in their activities, as they practiced Quidditch and Harry coached them both, to the best of his abilities. She spent a good deal of time with Mrs. Weasley, learning how to cook from the master herself. She had become quite adept at making sweet rolls, and the rest of the family made a show of enjoying them soundly every time she served them at dinner. Harry was feeling like he already had a pretty amazing family, but he felt something was missing.

The answer to his problem came the week before his birthday, when he woke up to a note on his nightstand, informing him that Ginny had gone to Diagon Alley with her mum and Mary for groceries. His eyes grew wide with opportunity. When he stepped into the kitchen he saw Mr. Weasley sipping a cup of tea, deep in conversation with Charlie, who had come to London for a few days for business. Some dragon or other, Harry thought. He greeted them quickly and had a small breakfast.

When he was done, he asked both men to sit down, before he produced four quick Patroni, bearing the same message. Mr. Weasley and Charlie were surprised, but they knew better than to argue with Harry when he was excited about something, which he apparently seemed to be. They didn't even comment on the fact that Harry had just produced four non-verbal Patroni simultaneously without breaking a sweat. Harry paced the living room for about half an hour before he heard four faint 'pops' from outside and he sighed in relief.

Seconds later, the kitchen door opened to reveal Ron, George, Percy, and Bill. The four of them looked around curiously and spotted Harry looking at them expectantly. Bill spoke first.

"Hey Harry, what is it? Your Patronus said to come quickly," he sounded alarmed. Harry shook his head and motioned the Weasleys to sit down around him. They all did, looking wearily at him.

"Nothing's wrong, don't worry," he started, and they all relaxed. They had become too used to being given bad news, so this was a pleasant change, whatever it was.

Harry sighed and sat down himself, looking at each Weasley in turn, before landing on Mr. Weasley.

"I need to ask all of you something," he said simply. They all looked at each other, confused, and then nodded at Harry to continue. With another sigh, he told them,

"I would like to ask Ginny to marry me," he said bluntly. He really wished they had hit him, as the silence that followed his request was deafening. None of them said anything as they stared at him wide-eyed, a question on their faces. He decided to take it further.

"Look, I know we're young, but as you all probably know, I love Ginny more than life itself. I quite literally gave mine up so that she could live safely, and when I survived I knew that I had been given a second chance," he explained. They stood silent, so he pushed forward, "I want to show her just how much she means to me by marrying her. What I'm asking now, I guess, is for your blessings," he finished lamely, suddenly very interested in his shoelaces. Arthur was the first one to speak up.

"I think you should do it, Harry," he said, to his sons' astonishment. They looked at him wide-eyed and he nodded, "It's okay, kids. I have seen how much Harry loves Ginny, and I wouldn't dream of her finding someone more perfect for my daughter than Harry," he explained. Charlie wasn't completely sold yet.

"But dad!" he protested, but Arthur cut him off.

"If I recall correctly, Harry would only have to have asked me, and me alone," he said firmly, 'I think what he's doing now, asking all of you, shows great maturity and responsibility. He knows just how protective you are of Ginny, and he wants to do right by her and you," he finished, with a finality that left little room for protest. Bill left his own reverie first, and he looked at Harry, sighing.

"I love Ginny with all my heart, and I wish she didn't have to make this decision right now," he started, as Harry's face fell, and continued, "but, truth is she couldn't find a better bloke,' he said, raising a glass in salute that Harry was sure had not been in his hand seconds before.

This statement got a round of "here, here" from the rest of the Weasleys, except Ron. He looked suspiciously at Harry and said.

"If you ever hurt Ginny in any way–," he started, before Harry cut him off.

"Believe me, mate. If anything happened to Ginny, I'd be the one to take my life, deal?" he said with a lopsided grin. He extended his hand at Ron, who took it firmly with a smirk.

After this, all the men shared a round of firewhisky, courtesy of Charlie. They toasted to Harry and Ginny and wished him good luck before departing. As Harry sat talking to Arthur, he had a thought and slapped his forehead for being so stupid. He excused himself and ran to the fireplace, kneeling.

"Urgent Floo call to Minerva McGonagall," he said. After a few moments, his disembodied face appeared in McGonagall's fireplace.

"Harry, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, intrigued.

"Professor, would it be okay if I dropped in at Hogwarts? I need to talk to someone," he said, both by way of explanation and greeting. Minerva's face grew stern but she invited him nonetheless.

Five minutes later Harry was walking the empty corridors of Hogwarts, making his way to the fourth floor. As he got to the hall he had been looking for, he stopped in front of a portrait and coughed, waking the person up.

"Wha- Oh, Hello, Harry," greeted Fred Weasley. He had been sleeping, and now grinned at the excited face on Harry's face, "What you doing here, mate? Didn't you leave like three weeks ago?" he inquired.

"I did, but I needed to ask you something, Fred," Harry responded, growing serious. Fred nodded and Harry continued, "I want to ask Ginny to marry me," he said simply. Fred's face split into a huge grin and he wolf-whistled.

"Atta boy, Harry!" he exclaimed, to Harry's surprise, "I knew you had some balls in there, what with fighting evil at every corner and all," said Fred, causing Harry to blush.

"Yeah, I guess,' he said lamely.

"And you're asking for my permission?" Fred asked, to which Harry nodded, 'but of course, you can marry my sister, Harry. You've always been a part of the family, and now you will make it official." He whooped, startling some of the sleeping portraits nearby.

"Thank you, Fred, your support means a lot," Harry said as he walked away.

"Go get her, tiger!" Fred yelled after him, as Harry rounded the corner and made his way to McGonagall's office.

One week later, Harry was enjoying the last hours of his birthday celebration. Fortunately for him, Molly had refrained from inviting half the Wizarding World and he had had a quiet afternoon with just their family and a few close friends. Just like last year, Harry had asked for no presents. And just like last year, they had all disobeyed his wishes. He wondered if it was really worth asking.

Although the gifts had all been quite nice, there were two that he would treasure for the rest of his life. Mary had given him a beautiful painting of the Hogwarts Express making its way through green plains and a bright shining sun. She explained that she knew how much he had treasured his years at Hogwarts, and now he had something tangible to remember it. Harry thanked her repeatedly and stuffed it carefully in his room, mouthing to her that it would go in the new house.

The other gift had come from Ginny. She had spoken to Hagrid about the photo album he had given Harry at the end of his first year and had gotten an idea. When Harry ripped open the package he uncovered a small scrapbook, filled with photos of his best moments at Hogwarts. He almost cried as he flipped through the pages, where pictures of him, Hermione and Ron filled them, laughing and pointing at him from the different situations they depicted.

He noticed some of them had a small description of where Ginny had been at that time if she wasn't in the picture. Others contained a short sentence describing how she had felt about him at the time, or how she reacted to the possibly dangerous activity they involved themselves a particular year. Harry laughed as he read about how frustrated she had been during his sixth year when she'd dated Michael and Dean. Apparently, she had noticed the longing in his eyes when he looked at her, and he blushed furiously, shutting the book closed.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," she teased as they lay in bed later that night, 'it worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he mused. He knew that book had taken Ginny an enormous amount of effort, and he intended to make her birthday present one she would be unlikely to forget. While he formed the plan, he started dozing off. His dreams were filled with a blur of red and the warmth that he felt every time he looked at her. All in all, it had been a good birthday.

Eleven days later, on Ginny's eighteenth birthday, she and Harry sat on a couch as every family member handed her their presents. She received a number of Quidditch-related gifts in preparation for her season as Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. When Mary stepped up with her present, phase one of Harry's plan started to take motion.

Ginny took the thin parcel from the small girl's hands and unwrapped it to reveal a small framed painting of her and Harry's first kiss, surrounded by the entire Gryffindor house. Every detail was uncanny and Ginny felt a surge of happiness as she remembered that day. She hugged the picture to her chest and looked at Mary.

"Mary, this is just beautiful," she exclaimed, "How did you manage it?"

"Harry helped me," Mary said proudly, "I asked him about your first kiss, and he showed me the memory of that day. After a couple of viewings, we got it down pat," she explained, beaming at Harry and Ginny.

Ginny hugged Mary and then turned to her boyfriend, "You're amazing, you know that?" she exclaimed.

"I try to be," he shrugged, "but that's Mary's present. I haven't given you mine yet," he said sheepishly.

"Where is it then?" she inquired, looking around curiously.

"You'll have to walk with me, I hid it very well," he said, shrugging and offering his hand to her. Ginny rolled her eyes and took it, following him outside. They walked for twenty minutes, enjoying each other's company. When they got to their favourite spot by the pond, Harry spun around and hugged her.

"Before I give you your present, I want to say something," he started, and she nodded, "this past year has been the best of my life, and not just because I defeated the darkest wizard of all time," he said, which got a laugh from Ginny, "no, it has been because of you. You have made me realise time and time again that I have a future worth looking forward to. That is something that I wouldn't have dreamed of before finding you. You have been my guiding light, even when times were darkest. You were the one thing on my mind when the Killing Curse struck me. Not Ron, not Hermione, not even the Wizarding World. You. Growing up, I never thought I'd be so lucky as to fall in love with the woman of my dreams, and having her fall in love with me, though it took me long enough," he said. Ginny, whose eyes were starting to mist over, let out a faint chuckle at that last statement.

"I know we have talked about our future. About the house we're building, and about our future kids. That's the future I want for us. Before we got together I have little to live for, but the truth is..." he almost choked up, as small tears formed in both their eyes, "that, you... you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you'll let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. So, to that end," he said, finally dropping on one knee and revealing from his pocket a ring. It had a simple design around the band, and an emerald was shimmering in the middle, flanked by two smaller rubies. "Ginevra Molly Weasley." Ginny flinched at the sound of her full name, but couldn't seem to complain about anything at the moment. He took a moment to look into her eyes deeply before asking,

"Will you marry me?"