Ginny glances at the window again and nearly knocks over her chair when she sees Hedwig flying in.

"It took him long enough, didn't it?" She laughs but stops when she sees that the letter she was hoping for is a small folded scrap of paper.

Maybe he wasn't as glad to see her as she thought.

"Here darling," she pulls out some pellets for Hedwig and takes the little paper from her leg, bracing for disappointment. She knew she shouldn't have been so forward with him. They haven't seen each other in ten years. She moved too fast. Nevermind that accidentally running into his chest had sent her back to being sixteen again with the feeling of being pressed up against him; wishing he'd never let go because she couldn't seem to get close enough.

Already thinking about going to see if someone on the team wants to listen to her gripe about an old ex, Ginny opens the scrap and then her brain stops.

She can't form any thoughts, she just keeps reading the three sentences over and over again.

It's Hedwig who brings Ginny out of her trance. The owl nips at her knuckle and twists her head as if to tell Ginny to get on with it.

"He really wants to see me again?" She asks Hedwig.

The owl just stares at her, and Ginny looks back at Harry's question. Does she want to see him again?

It was overwhelming, when she ran into him in London on her way to see Fred and George after practice, the way seeing Harry had pulled back so many memories. She still feels a bit overwhelmed at how much she remembers, both good and bad. But the bad she knows was mostly because they were kids. She had a chip on her shoulder, which is thankfully gone now, but poor Harry had to endure her when she questioned if everyone was sizing her up to whatever task was before her, back when she felt this constant need to prove herself.

But there had been good times, more than good. Harry could make her laugh until her sides hurt, and he could manage to convey a comment with a look that would have her biting her tongue to keep from laughing. Even with how hard it had been trying to figure out how to be in a relationship together when they were so similar in the worst parts of their temperament, she had been happy with him.

They'd ended it all because it seemed like the easiest thing given that Harry was finishing with Hogwarts and Ginny thought that to make a reserve team she'd need to make Quidditch her only priority aside from passing her NEWTS. She also was under the impression that if she fought at all with her boyfriend then the relationship was wrong. She sees now how silly that thought was, but she was sixteen, and back then she thought she knew everything.

Merlin, she'd been so young.

"What do you think?" She asks Hedwig and the owl twists her head to the side like Ginny is being ridiculous.

"I don't even know what time to tell him," she hedges.

Hedwig's response is to twist her head to the other side.

"You are absolutely no help, you know that right?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say because Hedwig immediately nips at Ginny's knuckles.

"Hedwig, you know how things turned out before. It was hearts and roses until the last two months and then it was all stress and uncertainty until we called it off," Ginny retorts, tucking her fingers inside her pockets to keep the owl from trying to bite her again.

Hedwig's feathers bristle and her head pulls into her shoulders.

Ginny can't help but chuckle a little; she's never had a conversation with an owl before but she has to admit, it's helping. Hedwig's bristling at Ginny's excuses is well deserved, because they're just that, excuses.

"Alright, you've called me on it." Ginny reaches over and runs her fingers over the soft white feathers around Hedwig's face. "I'm scared."

Hedwig leans into Ginny's hand, letting her smooth her hand around her perfectly round face.

Ginny can't deny that she does want to see Harry again, she just doesn't know if it can only be seeing him. These letters are safe; because she can't get hurt again if it's all letters. But if she goes to see Harry and finds out that everything has changed between them, well that's a thought she doesn't want to pursue.

Because Ginny knows that she never really moved on from Harry. She still compares other men to him, how their eyes look in comparison to his, how much taller or shorter they are than him. How they aren't Harry. But she couldn't rightly go running back to Harry when she figured out that she wasn't over him. They'd called it off, and she was sure that he had moved on.

If she meets him now, and he doesn't want more than friendship, Ginny's sure that isn't something she'd be able to take in stride.

Hedwig nuzzles closer to Ginny's hand, causing her to smile. There's the hopeful option she should consider. The option where Harry does want more, the option where he's asking to see her because he's interested again, or maybe like her, he never moved on. Hedwig turns to look up at her with big golden eyes. Ginny thinks how much it looks like she's coaxing her to act like there's no chance at a broken heart.

"Maybe you're right," Ginny kisses Hedwig's head and moves for parchment and quill. If she's learned anything over the last decade, especially in her professional Quidditch career, it's that you can't go in expecting to lose. You have to approach every match like you're going to walk away the winner, and if you end up losing, then you learn from it, and walk into the next match with the same confidence.

Harry,

I'd love to meet up with you. Would you have time Monday evening? Maybe we could grab dinner?

Gin

"Alright, darling," Ginny attaches the note to Hedwig's leg. "I hope I see you tomorrow."

Hedwig nuzzles her arm before swooping off into the night.

Something about accepting Harry's suggestion to see each other again makes it very hard to concentrate on anything for the rest of the evening. Not that she has much to concentrate on, matches don't start for another two months so she has normal weekends for a bit, but still, she's finding herself getting caught up in memories.

Memories of when she and Harry were together. The way they'd laugh - even when things were hard they laughed. The way he'd look at her when he thought she wouldn't notice How he'd practically beg her to comb her fingers through his hair. How his hands would grip her to him like she was somehow grounding him. His lips on hers. The way he knew the spot behind her ear drove her mad. How smug he always was when she'd react to him. How good it felt to be pressed up against him. How his smile always pulled a smile out of her.

Before she realizes it, she's spent nearly two hours on her sofa staring at nothing in particular while her mind plays through ten-year-old memories that still feel like yesterday. That's when Hedwig taps on the window and Ginny almost topples her sofa trying to get to it.

"That didn't take him long." She giggles as Hedwig hops inside and holds out her leg for Ginny to remove the little note.

Gin,

Monday is perfect. 6? At the old cafe we found over Christmas hols? Do you remember it?

Harry

Ginny bites her lip as a smile spreads wide across her face. She remembers that cafe. She remembers the little table in the back that was blocked enough for no one to see them snogging if they stayed against the wall.

Hedwig nuzzles her hand and Ginny grins down at her.

"He probably wants a response tonight, doesn't he?"

Hedwig bobs on the window sill and Ginny laughs.

"Alright, I'll be quick." Ginny practically skips to write Harry a response.

Harry

I remember. I wonder if that table is still there. See you Monday at 6.

Gin

"Do you think that's enough of a hint?" Ginny holds the drying note up for Hedwig to see.

Hedwig twists her head to the right, and then to the left, and then bobs again. Ginny laughs and attaches her response to Hedwig's leg.

"Nip his knuckles for me," she kisses Hedwig's head and watches as Hedwig floats out into the night.

If Ginny thought that she was visiting her memories before, she's taken up residence in them now. But when she finally forces herself to sleep, her brain meshes the memories from the past with her interaction with Harry in London. Because it wasn't a boy that pulled her into him on the pavement so she wouldn't crash into the brick wall. Harry's grown into a man, and she could feel the difference when his arms closed around her. He's more sure of himself now. She could feel that in the way he didn't hesitate, and her mind latches on to this new side of Harry, imagining all the ways he might not hesitate now, all the places his new confidence could manifest itself.

Harry runs through her thoughts all through her birthday weekend, distracting her and making her wish Monday would get here already. Thankfully her friends on the team don't really notice while they're out Saturday night to celebrate, but dinner with her family Sunday night is another matter entirely. It's probably because she's within twenty-four hours of seeing Harry that her mind is spinning with him and what this dinner might grow into. Which leaves her missing direct questions and staring off into space while her family tries to interact with her.

Ultimately, Bill pulls her aside.

"Ginny, a word?" He motions towards the kitchen as Fleur is getting their kids gathered to leave. Ginny tries to keep her face neutral as she follows her brother into the quiet kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" Bill asks. "You seem off somehow tonight. Is there something wrong?"

Ginny puts in a valiant effort to not smile but apparently fails because Bill's concerned face shifts to amused.

"Oh, so things are maybe a bit better than alright?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny tries to rearrange her traitorous features.

"Right," Bill chuckles, "So you looking like you're sixteen and on your way out the door to meet your boyfriend has nothing to do with why you're distracted today?"

"Well, I'm not sixteen, I'm pretty sure today marks me achieving twenty-six-years-old."

"And you're avoiding the subject just like you would when you were sixteen." Bill parries.

Ginny glances into the hall to make sure no one else is listening in on this conversation. She isn't sure how Ron specifically would feel about this.

"I might have a date tomorrow evening."

"I haven't seen you this distracted by a date since you started dating Ron's mate while you were at Hogwarts."

Ginny tries desperately to ensure that her heart-stopping doesn't show on her face, but Bill's reaction tells her she's failed at it.

"Wait -"

"Bill, are you going to make me take the kids through the Floo by myself?" Fleur calls from the sitting room.

"I promise I'll explain later," Ginny gives Bill a push toward the fireplace. "It's going to be fine though, we've both grown up." Those are the words she's been using to push away the doubts that this might be a bad idea.

Bill looks unsure for a moment and then nods. "Ok, just send an owl and I'll clear some space for you to explain what's going on."

Ginny wraps Bill in a hug and enjoys how his hugs always make her feel like she's nine years old again. She doesn't stay much longer after Bill heads out. Though leaving when she does only seems to enhance how the night and all of Monday drag along. It gets to the point where Ginny is on the verge of just looking up the address of Harry's work and showing up claiming to have an appointment to see him. But she makes it, barely, to six o'clock and she's shocked at the nerves building in her chest as she walks to the cafe.

It's going to be fine. She reminds herself. They aren't teenagers anymore. It's been ten years, they're going to be fine. He wouldn't have suggested this place, this cafe that she's not returned to in ten years because it was so much a part of them, unless he was at least open to the idea of more than friends.

"Gin."

Her assuring self-talk ends abruptly as she turns around to find Harry standing a few feet behind her.

"Harry." She smiles at him as his smile shyly breaks across his face.

"Hey."

"Hi."

He walks the last few feet to her and Ginny takes the first risk as she steps up and moves to hug him.

He doesn't need more than half a second to react, pulling her flush against him and Ginny can't help but melt. It's so familiar, but so new, because he's changed since they were teenagers. He holds her a little differently now, like he isn't going to let her go.

"It's so good to see you." He murmurs quietly.

"You too," Ginny mumbles into his chest and breaths him in, relishing how he still smells the same way she remembered.

They stand like a couple of idiots, embracing on the pavement a few feet from the cafe until a man loudly clears his throat as he walks past and Ginny giggles.

"I guess we should get ourselves off the pavement, eh?"

Harry's grinning down at her as he slides his hand away from her waist to grab her hand.

"Yeah, let's get some dinner."

Ginny almost lets herself ask him if he remembers their table she'd mentioned in her note, but she decides against it. She doesn't really know what he's hoping for tonight, and she'd rather not scare him off. She already feels like it's her fault their relationship ended in the first place.

To her great pleasure, Harry asks the hostess about their table, and the lovely woman agrees to seat them there.

"You remembered," Ginny grins at him after the hostess seats them.

His hand shoots to his hair and he immediately looks unsure of himself. "Is this alright? I can have her move us if you don't want to be back here. I just thought-"

"Harry," she interrupts him, "I'm glad for it."

His face shifts to relieved and then hopeful and Ginny laughs at him.

"Well, I'm glad for it to. This is one of my favorite memories of us."

"Snogging in a cafe, eh? Good to know this ranks high for you in comparison to everything else that happened while we were together."

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy it," he smirks at her and Ginny feels her face getting hot. "Besides," he continues, "I rather enjoyed that whole day. You had Percy's name for Christmas that year, and we spent hours trying to find a gift that you thought was right."

"And you pulled us in here because you were insistent that I was overthinking it and needed a break!" Ginny shoves his arm but they both laugh.

"Because you were! And your first thought to get him a dragonhide stationery box was what you ended up going with and he loved it if I recall."

"Yes, and you were entirely too smug about that then." Ginny sighs as she feels her smile falter. "And I cared far too much about being right."

"Hey," Harry takes her hand and Ginny takes a deep breath before meeting his eyes. "Gin, we were kids back then. We didn't know how to be in a relationship, and honestly it's a miracle that we managed as well as we did. I don't blame you for any of it."

"I blame me for it ending."

"No, don't. I didn't want to hold you back and I thought I would if I was your long-distance boyfriend. I was just as willing to end things after my last year as you were. We share that one."

Ginny bites her lip and looks down at their clasped hands resting on the table. "So what about now?"

Harry's quiet for a beat before he responds. "What about it?"

"What do we want now?"

"What do you want now?"

Ginny doesn't have to look up to know that Harry's free hand is shoved deep in his tousled hair. She knows he's not breathing as deep as he should be. She knows he's on edge, just like he was any time they had conversations like these ten years ago. Maybe they haven't changed that much.

"I don't want these same problems, Harry. I don't want you constantly worried that you'll upset me. I don't want you freaking out anytime we have to discuss something difficult. I don't want to be like I was, thinking that any disagreement is a sign that we're not right for each other, and I don't want to fall back into thinking that you're seeing me through my mind's filter, with all of my flaws on display. I don't want what we had."

She can feel the tension radiating off of him, but when he speaks it doesn't infiltrate his voice. "I think you're wrong. I think there are parts of what we had that you do want. I think you want the way we laughed, because I want the way we laughed. I think you want the way I held you, because I want the way I held you. I think you want the way we could spend hours talking about nothing and love it, because I want that back. I've spent this past weekend reliving our relationship and you're right, there were a lot of things that we screwed up, but Gin, there was so much that was good, so much that I've missed, so much that I've never moved on from."

Ginny keeps her gaze trained on their hands. "And if I do want all that, what of everything that I don't want?"

"What if we learned to work through it, together? What if ten years was enough that some of those things were left in the past? What if there were new things you didn't like? What if we choose to be two imperfect people together?"

"When did you get to be all relationship savvy?" Ginny tries to laugh, but it comes out in a nervous breathy sound.

Harry chuckles though and rubs his thumb against her hand. "I'm not, but I'm not seventeen anymore. Gin, look at any committed couple; my parents, your parents, Ron and Hermione, Uncle Sirius and Aunt Marlene. I can go on and on but the point is couples who've been together for decades, they're all imperfect, they all have problems, and they all work through them. They choose each other over the problems. They look for the best in each other instead of the worst."

"So what do you want now?" Ginny finally looks away from their hands to meet Harry's gaze.

"Us." The word is hushed on his lips, but there's no wavering in his voice. "I never got over you. Believe me, I tried to move on, but Gin, it's never worked. I've never managed to find anyone that could really put you from my mind. All I want is us."

"I'm nervous," is what finally falls from her lips, and it's such a raw thing to be so emotionally honest with him that she only increases her anxieties with its admission. "Harry, I- I never moved on either, but what if we, what if we've built each other up in our minds? What if I won't ever live up to what you remember from ten years ago? What if this is all memories, and the reality pulls the rug out from under us?"

It takes him a moment to answer her, but she's shocked to find he responds with the same emotional honesty.

"You might be right. Reality might pull the rug out from under us. You might find in a month's time that you hate me. And if that happens, well, I'll be glad to know we tried. I know we're playing the cards here, that the chances of getting hurt are higher because there's so much history already, but Gin, I don't want to live my life not knowing. I want to know if we didn't work a decade ago because we won't, or because we were kids. I know this is selfish, but I want closure, either because we find a relationship together is what we want, or because we find out that we don't. And yes I want it to be because we make it together, but I know that I need closure one way or the other, and it sounds like you might need that, too."

"So you want us?" Ginny stalls, for what she doesn't know, but she needs time for whatever reason to answer him properly.

"Yes. I want us."

Harry leans closer, an open invitation for her to meet him halfway, to pick up anew. Not where they left off, but where they're older, better. Where they can build something better than the rickety shack of a relationship they'd left in ruins a decade ago.

Ginny takes a breath. It's just like Quidditch, she thinks, I have to take the shot, even if I don't know for certain it's going to make the goal. She leans in the rest of the way so that her face is right in front of his as she tells him.

"I want us too."

His smile is blinding for the half a second before his lips meet hers and it's like she's sixteen again as they slant their lips over each others. Then his hand caresses her face and tilts her chin just so, and suddenly the kiss shifts, and it's new and her breath catches in her chest. Harry smirks against her and instinctively Ginny nips at his bottom lip.

"Shut up or I won't show you my new tricks," she murmurs in the minuscule space between them.

"Shutting up," Harry grins against her.

She can't help but laugh, breaking their kiss. Harry only uses the opportunity to see if that spot behind her ear still melts her, and Ginny moans quietly because it does.

"Harry," she runs her fingernails against his scalp and smirks when he immediately drops his head to her shoulder.

"Merlin, I've missed you," he breathes heavily, his hot breath wafting across her chest. Ginny turns to kiss his cheek, trying to gain control over her breathing.

"I've missed you too." And she has; it feels so good to be back with him. To be kissing him. To have her fingers in his hair. To see him look at her like she's irresistible, just like he used to.

Harry raises his head to kiss her again before pulling away. "Let's order, because I'd like to get food out of the way. And then maybe find someplace a little more comfortable to snog you. If that's something you're interested in, of course."

Ginny eyes him knowingly. He was never able to wait when they were teenagers either. "I'm fascinated to know what you might do if I said no."

Harry slowly tucks a stray lock from her ponytail behind her ear, tracing the curve of her neck before pulling his hand away. "Respectfully take you home and kiss you goodnight on your doorstep."

His touch leaves her breathless, but she smiles wickedly at him as she asks. "And if I said yes?"

Harry moves to whisper behind her ear, and Ginny arches into him. "Then I might respectfully take you home and show you the difference between a boy and a man."

It's a high, being with Harry again, and Ginny never wants to come down. They're not even an hour into this date, she knows it isn't any indication if they'll make it.

But wrapped up with Harry in her bed later that evening, knowing that she's going to absolutely hate her alarm going off for Tuesday morning practice, Ginny feels like maybe they can make it this time. Maybe now that they're older, now that they're going to choose each other over their imperfections, maybe now they can do this.

Maybe now, they won't ever be each other's ex again.