Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Ginny is my favourite character and I cannot believe I forgot to include her in this! I randomly realized this today and had to write a chapter for her. Anyways, happy reading!

Ginny rested her head against the carriage and tried not to look at the thestrals pulling her towards the train. She only half heard the conversation coming from the other occupants of the carriage. Neville and Luna seemed excited to be going home. She wasn't.

Well, she was excited to see her family. But she didn't want to go back to the Burrow. It hurt to think about the fact that she felt that way but she couldn't stop herself from feeling it. The Burrow had stopped being her home a long time ago. Before the war, even. She had lived at Hogwarts and going home had felt weird and alien, much more like her parents' place than hers.

And then the war had happened. Specifically her sixth year. And then Hogwarts had stopped feeling like home. She was upset no matter where she was; Hogwarts or the Burrow. And whenever she was at one of them she just wanted to go home. But she didn't have a home anymore.

"Ginny?" She blinked, Neville was staring at her expectantly.

"Sorry, what?" He grinned indulgently at her antics, holding the door for her to step onto the train.

"Aren't you excited to be home for Christmas this year, without the fear?" She nodded and smiled, but she was lying. This was the first Christmas without Fred. She settled down on the seat opposite the two of them and leaned against the familiar worn-down seats.

Every nerve in her body wanted her to run away so she didn't have to experience the grief and tension that would be blanketing the Burrow. Mum would be constantly trying not to cry, George would be shut in his room, everyone would look heartbroken and only be pretending to be happy. She didn't want that. She just wanted to feel better. But every time she tried, some event brought her back to misery and grief, her brother's frozen face etched stubbornly in her memory.

She shook her head and grinned despite herself as Luna proclaimed her head was stuffed with Nargles. Eventually they lapsed into comfortable silence and she tried to enjoy their company before the wave of grief hit her.

She opened the door and found her entire family sans Harry and Hermione waiting for her on the platform. She blinked at Fleur, who was apparently pregnant. Bill hadn't mentioned that in his letters! They all crowded her.

"Ginny!" They all exclaimed and she was overwhelmed by the fact that they were all there and excited to see her. Ron hugged her gently and she shot him a smile. They had grown closer since the war. She put her hands on her hips and strode over to Bill and Fleur, doing her best impression of Mum.

"Excuse me! How come no one told me I was going to be an Auntie?" She demanded. Bill smiled.

"Thought it might be better in person." She grumbled but hugged them both anyways and Fleur let her put her hand on her stomach. She hoped that maybe the baby might make Christmas happier. But already she could see the joy fading from all of their faces. It wasn't their fault, she understood. She missed him too.

But couldn't they miss him and be happy at the same time? She wanted to remember him and she knew Fred would not have wanted them all to be so gloomy. She slung an arm around a surprised Percy and walked through the barrier with him, them telling her everything she had missed.

She found out that Harry and Hermione weren't coming until tomorrow, they were spending Christmas Eve with their families. Ginny wasn't surprised, they had said as much in their letters. Hermione couldn't bear to abandon her parents for the whole holiday when she had just gotten them back, and Harry wanted to start a good relationship with his cousin. When Dudley went to his parents' Harry would head back to Grimmauld Place for the night. He told her this was because this was easier but she knew it was to give them space to be alone as a family.

She had to bite her lip to keep from reacting when she saw the Burrow. All she could see was the ghost of memories of Fred, and they were everywhere. Him catching her sneaking their brooms and helping to teach her on the grounds, him and George tossing her in the lake, him singing Celestina horribly to try and get Mum to turn her off, him setting dungbombs off under Auntie Muriel's seat… She drew in a sharp breath and forced herself through the door.

She noticed everyone else was pretty quiet inside too. Percy was rubbing his arm, eyes far away. Mum already had tears in her eyes, George had disappeared, Dad was trying to smile but it wasn't working, Ron was seeing something that wasn't there, Fleur was putting her arm around Bill, the smile had been wiped off of Charlie's face.

"How about some Quidditch?" She said hurriedly, unable to be inside a moment longer. Everyone agreed quickly except George and she knew it was bad because Percy was playing with them. Even Quidditch was subdued, something that simply didn't happen at the Weasley's.

Dinner was very subdued, but Mum only cried twice and George stayed almost all the way through dessert. Eventually she excused herself and tried to ignore how quiet the house was. She was pretty sure her brothers all had silencing charms on their rooms. She renewed the one on hers which had been there since the nightmares accompanying her first year had started.

She lay in bed for hours, just staring first out the window and then when it got dark, at the ceiling. Eventually she succumbed to sobs which lulled her to sleep. She woke up to the sun coming full through her window. She had slept in. She knew that this year they were waiting until lunch to do presents so it was probably fine.

She got ready while she listened to her family greeting people. She knew that meant Harry and Hermione were here. She was just making her bed when the door opened hesitantly, after a light knock. "Come in." She said evenly, wondering if it was Mum telling her to hurry up or Hermione coming to move in or George needing to talk.

She was delightfully surprised by the messy head of Black hair that greeted her. She shrieked in a most un-Ginny-like way and flung herself into his arms. "Harry!"

"Hey Gin." He said in that soothing way of his, and she almost broke in his arms. She tried to hide the tear but it had fallen onto his neck anyways. "Gin?" He asked, softer.

She pulled away from him. "I'm so sick of this!" She exclaimed angrily, furiously wiping tears. She noticed he cast a Muffliato at her door quickly. "I'm so sick of everyone being sad all the time. I'm sad plenty enough on my own I don't want to be surrounded by it every time im ho…every time im here." She said, voice breaking on home, unable to say it.

She sat down on the bed and he sat beside her, covering her hand with his for support but not saying anything. "I feel so…disjointed. The Burrow isn't home anymore and neither is Hogwarts and it feels like I have no home. And I love my family but being around them hurts and it makes me want to relax…makes me just want to go home. But I don't have one. I don't know."

She looked up at him and found love and empathy there. "Me neither. Or at least, I didn't, until recently." He stood up. "C'mon." He held out his hand and she looked at him quizzically. "Trust me." He told her and she grinned and took his hand.

She reappeared on a snowy lane, messaging her throat and trying to breathe after the sudden shock of apparition. She glanced reproachfully at him but he wasn't watching her. His gaze was trained on the house in front of them.

"Wha…?" She began but he shook his head and pulled her towards it. He ushered her in and her breath caught. It was a simple house, but beautiful. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him and he continued to steadily look at their surroundings.

"This was my parents' first house. Before they knew Voldemort was hunting me. I only found out about it in September and I've been fixing it up ever since." She squeezed his hand and followed him around.

He stopped abruptly. "I've been living here since I found it. I've tried to make it a home…but the thing is, im not great at interior design." She snorted and he glared playfully at her. "I think," he drew in a deep breath, "I think it could use a woman's touch." He finished, voice no louder than a whisper. She looked up at him sharply, understanding dawning.

He looked nervous, it was endearing. "What are you asking me?" She asked softly.

"Move in with me." He said, bright green eyes showing hope and desire. "We can make this our home. We can both have a home again."

"Technically it is your home already."

"Ginny." He stressed in annoyance.

"Yes." She whispered, a grin spreading across her face. She threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly. Trying to convey all of her feelings into it. He had given her back what she had lost, and a chance at a new beginning, a new life, with him. He responded in kind and she knew without him saying that he felt the same.

"You're definitely going to have to get rid of that horrid rug." She shot the offending thing a look of disgust and he laughed heartily before pulling her lips back to his and sending them both crashing to the floor. She laughed so hard she started to cry and then pulled him back to her lips. This felt so right. It felt like home.