Could you?

Summary: With the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts approaching, Harry and Ginny are seeing cracks in their relationship. Can the answer to a simple question change everything?

Pairing: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley

Rating: T

Inspired by Love me Anyway by P!nk with Chris Stapleton

Gin -
Meet me for coffee? Java Dreams, 6 pm?
-Harry

Ginny watched the snowy owl fly away as she rubbed her finger along the edge of the note. She had been waiting for this moment for a while. Harry had been distant and distracted as the anniversary of the last battle approached. He got like this every year, but it seemed worse this year. It felt like she was losing him. Maybe sharing a coffee could help bring him back to her.

Harry -
That's fine.
-Ginny

Harry ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out what he was going to say when he saw her. He knew Ginny thought he was falling out of love with her. He wasn't. He loved her with every ounce of his being, but he was never going to be good enough to keep her. He could be moody and distant when the ghosts got too close or too loud. She deserved a man who could be there to support her on every level. Not a man who woke up in the middle of the night, screaming commands for a battle that was fought and won years beforehand. Maybe he could get the courage to ask her his question over a cup of coffee.

Mione -
Do you still have that bottle of white wine? I may need to share it with you tonight.
-Gin

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror. His favourite jumper and her favourite pair of jeans, It wasn't quite an "I'm getting dumped tonight" outfit, but it was not an effort to look amazing for him either. She had Hermione chilling a bottle of wine in case her heart got broken. All she had to do now was step into the Floo and step into her heartbreak. Just meet him for coffee and have her world turned upside down.

Ron -
I may be sick. What if she says no? Do you still have that bottle of firewhisky?
-Harry

Harry watched the lights sparkle in through the stone in his mother's ring. It was a pale yellow citrine instead of a traditional diamond, but his father had asked his mother to marry him with this ring and Harry had the same question for Ginny. Could she love him in spite of the utter ass he had been for the last few weeks, in spite of the dark cloud that hung over his head as May approached every year? Could she love a man who put his life on the line for others and wasn't guaranteed to come home from a mission? Could she love a man covered in scars, inside and out? He had Ron waiting with firewhisky if her answer was no. All he had to do was apparate to the coffee shop and lay his heart at her feet. Just meet her for coffee and a life-altering question.

Charlie-
Don't kill him. No matter what I say later, don't kill him.
-Ginny

Ginny held the cup of coffee between her hands. She was hoping the heat of the cup would warm her hands and her heart. She had gotten there early so she could get her favourite table by the window. She might as well enjoy this part of the evening. She should be used to waiting for Harry. Being in a relationship with an Auror meant nights alone and never knowing if he would come home in one piece. But, he could say the same thing about a relationship with a professional Quidditch player. She did take risks on her broom and had more than her fair share of trips to a Healer for her injuries. She let her mind wander as she watched raindrops race down the window.

"Is this seat taken?"

George -
Can you send me some TickyTacky strips? I need to make sure something sticks to a wall in the rain.
-Harry

Harry watched her stare into her coffee cup. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, inside and out. She was fearless on the pitch. He just hoped she could be as fearless in her life. He needed to get into the coffee shop and out of the rain soon. He had a camera spelled to record what was about to happen and aimed at the table where she was sitting. Now, all he had to do was walk in and ask her. Taking a deep breath, he reached in his pocket for the ring. He could do this. He could open the door, walk over to her table, and ask her to be his everything.

"I was saving it for you."

Ginny turned toward the deep voice as she answered the question. She was not surprised to see Harry standing beside her table, water dripping from his hair and his nose. She was surprised to see him holding something besides a coffee cup in his hand. Why was he holding his mother's ring between his thumb and first finger like it was an offering? Why was he shaking like a leaf? He had faced the terror of the Wizarding without his wand wavering, and now he was shaking like a leaf over coffee.

"Are you okay? Sit down before you fall down." Ginny reached out to grab Harry's hand and drag him to the other chair at her table.

"I will in a minute, Ginny. I have a question to ask you first." Harry surprised her again by dropping to one knee instead of sitting in the chair. "I know I am not the easiest person to love. I go quiet, and I do dangerous things for a living. I know I frustrate you more than I make you happy. I'm working on that."

"Harry," Ginny's voice shook as she listened to his voice crack. "You do not frustrate me. Those things only make you more important to me…"

"Ginevra Molly Weasley. Could you?" Harry could feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest as he tried to find the right words. "This is the ring my dad gave my mum the day they got married. Could you wear it with me? Could you be mine forever? Could you marry me?"

"Scars and all." Ginny felt Harry slide the ring on her finger. "I could marry you tomorrow if you wanted. I love you."

Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and held her tight. "I love you, too. More than you will ever know."