Prompt: "The problem is," he said as he leant in, "if I kissed you, I don't think I'd be able to stop." (B 10)

This drabble is an A/U that falls into the same universe as the drabble Horcruxes does (Harry and Ginny get together earlier than they did in HBP and he's honest with her about the horcruxes). If you haven't read that one, you should read it before reading this one. This drabble takes place in chapter 34: The Forest Again where instead of Harry continuing past Ginny, he stops and is found by her. Also Fred's still alive. This drabble is rated a soft M.

Note: this prompt is not on my bingo card. Italicized parts in this drabble come from 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' US edition.

"It's alright," Ginny was saying, "It's okay. We're going to get you inside."

"But I want to go home," whispered the girl. "I don't want to fight anymore!"

"I know," said Ginny, and her voice broke. "It's going to be all right."

Ginny was kneeling beside the injured girl now, holding her hand. His feet demanded he continue on and not look back, but his heart betrayed the rest of his body.

He wanted one more look at her.

He stood there watching Ginny whisper a few more words to the girl before Oliver Wood and Lee Jordan came over to carry the girl carefully back to the castle. Harry watched Ginny stand up and brush the grass from the knees of her jeans before looking around. She looked like she was looking for someone or sensed that someone, possibly even himself, was nearby.

He needed to get moving.

He turned around and forced his feet to propel him forward and away from Ginny. It suddenly felt like he had concrete blocks for trainers.

"Harry?"

Harry turned around in surprise. Ginny had snuck up on him without him realizing. He remained quiet, part of him hoping that she would find and confront him and the other part hoping that she would keep walking past him.

His traitorous heart hoped for the former.

Ginny's hand reached out in front of her, searching the air for any signs that he was there. Harry took a couple steps backwards, only for a stick under his foot to make a loud Snap!, giving his position away.

Her head turned at the sound.

"Harry, I know you're there."

Knowing that the game was up, he pulled the invisibility cloak off, letting it flutter to the ground for the moment.

"Harry, what are you doing out here?" Ginny questioned.

"I was checking the damage outside." Harry said lamely, knowing that the lie wouldn't fool his girlfriend.

"Bullshit. I know you better than that, Harry."

He let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah you do."

Ginny's eyes met his. "You're heading to the forest."

It wasn't a question but a statement.

"Ginny, look." Harry sighed heavily. How was he going to tell her that he needed to sacrifice himself in order for Voldemort to die? "There's still another horcrux to be destroyed."

"I know that Harry, we'll find Nagini and kill her, you don't have to go to Riddle to do that." Ginny insisted.

Harry swallowed hard. "No, Gin, it's not just Nagini. I already told Neville to be on the look-out for her."

"Then what are you talking…" Ginny stopped midsentence as she watched him absent mindedly rub his scar. Her eyes widened in horror as it clicked in her mind. "No!"

He looked down at the ground, unable to meet her eyes. "It was an accidental horcrux. When he died trying to kill me when I was a baby, his soul was so deteriorated from splitting it so many times that it fragmented. One of those fragments latched onto the first host it could find and it was me. I have to go face him, end all this once and for all. He'll be mortal again once the snake's taken care of, you'll be able to finish him for good."

"No, Harry, you can't do this! There has to be some other way. Hermione reads and researches enough, I'm… I'm sure she can find something." Ginny tried to rationalize. Harry sadly shook his head.

"Gin, there isn't any other way! I have to die and there's nothing I can do!"

Ginny squared her shoulders, her face determined. "Then I'll go with you."

"Ginny, you can't come with me." Harry insisted.

"Why not?"

"You'll still have a life after this is all over. You can move on, find someone else and have children, forget about me."

Ginny looked like he had just slapped her across the face as she was taken aback by his words, disbelief springing up in her eyes. "You really think I'll just be able to forget you?! You really think there will actually be someone else after you?! Harry, I love you! There's no one else for me! If you die, I might as well be dead too because I will never feel alive ever again!" she exclaimed passionately.

"At least give me the fucking illusion you will then!" Harry shouted angrily. He stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders lowered his voice to a whisper. "Please, Gin, promise me you'll do this for me?"

She ignored his request. As much as he hoped she would promise him she'd move on and live her life, he knew her too well to know she would never promise him such a thing. Even if it was a lie to settle his soul before dying.

She looked up at him, a pained, pleading expression on her face. "Harry, kiss me, please?"

"I… I can't." Hi voice broke as the words came out.

"And why not? What's the problem then?" Ginny demanded. He could see unshed tears in her eyes and his hear broke. He didn't want her to cry over him; didn't want to be the reason she was upset.

"The problem is," he said as he leant in, "if I kissed you, I don't think I'd be able to stop."

"Then don't, don't ever stop." And then before he could say or do anything else, her hands came up to cup his face and her lips were on his, kissing with with a much fierceness and passion as she could put behind it.

Normally whenever Harry kissed Ginny like this, it always felt like he was coming home. Ginny was the one thing in the world that kept him going, the one who encouraged and believed in him. She was his rock, his confidant, the one person in the world who he felt truly understood him. She was light when the darkness threatened to wrap around and smother him. She was his bright, burning sun and his warmth, his heart, his love.

This time though, it didn't feel like coming home, it felt like goodbye.

It was a goodbye to his home, his light, his burning sun, his heart. It was a goodbye to all the things he was never going to get to do. Never would he get kiss her like this or get to make love to her ever again. Never would he see her chocolate brown eyes again hold the blazing look he loved so much. He would never get to simply hold her or hug her ever again. No more whispered words as they simply enjoyed the warmth of the other. There would be no possibility of marrying her, having children. He would be the last Potter, the end of the line.

He could have lived in that moment forever, never leaving the safety and haven she provided to him, had provided to him all this time. They could have kissed for hours, days even for all he knew. But the knowledge that his one hour was almost up came crashing down upon him. He felt like someone had dumped ice water over him, jolting him back to reality.

Reluctantly he broke away from her and took a step back. He knew he had to leave now, or he'd never be able to finish his walk.

He took once last look at her face and his heart broke at seeing tears silently sliding down her cheeks. "I love you." Harry said shakily, his voice threatening to give out from all the emotions that were stuck in his throat and choke the life out of him.

"I love you too, always." Ginny steadfastly declared.

And with that final goodbye said, Harry picked up and threw the invisibility cloak back over himself to continue his death march to the forest.

His final thoughts as the green light of Voldemort's killing curse raced towards him was that of Ginny and the way her lips had felt on his as they kissed.

And then he knew no more.

()()()

Harry sat exhaustedly at the Gryffindor table with Luna next to him. The two were watching the Weasley family as they gathered around Fred's levitating stretcher in the Entrance Hall. A healer wearing the green robes of St. Mungo's stood next to Madame Pomfrey, waiting to transport Fred to the wizard hospital for further treatment. Mrs. Weasley and George stood next to the healer, hugging Mr. Weasley and the other five Weasley children before they left to go with Fred.

After Ginny hugged Fred and her mother, the St. Mungo's healer placed a large medallion on his chest. And with a tap of the healer's wand, Fred and the healer portkeyed away. Saying a final farewell to their family, Mrs. Weasley allowed herself to be escorted outside by George where they would apparate to the hospital.

Ginny came and sat down heavily next to him.

"How's Fred doing?" Harry asked quietly.

"He's stable now, Madame Pomfrey got the bleeding in his legs stopped." She pushed her hair out of her face. "That wall crushed his legs below his knees beyond repair and Madame Pomfrey's worried that the spell that hit the castle wall was a dark spell. She's not sure if the masonry absorbed the dark magic or not. The healer from St. Mungo's believes the best course of action right now is to amputate his legs below the knee. They'll then try and see if they can regrow his lower legs. Otherwise he'll have to have prosthetics the rest of his life."

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

"It's bad, but it could have been a lot worse. That wall blowing up could have killed him and not just crushed his legs."

"True."

Harry and Ginny leaned against each other, both trying to take comfort from the other in the crowded, noisy Great Hall.

"You two look like you could use some time to yourselves, you know, some peace and quiet away from all of this?" Luna said.

"Mmm, I'd love some." Ginny replied.

"Me too." Harry agreed.

"I'll distract them all," Luna said. "Use your cloak."

And before either could say a word she had cried, "Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" and pointed out the window. Everyone looked around, and Harry slid the cloak up over himself and Ginny, and pulled them to their feet.

Alone under the privacy of the cloak, Harry finally felt alone with Ginny for the first time since he said goodbye to her all those dark hours ago.

He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. "Hi," he whispered.

She closed her eyes for a second, a breathy laugh escaping as her eyes opened again. "Hi yourself," she whispered back.

They stood like that for a minute more, both drinking each other in, and feeling that the other was really, truly alive after everything that happened.

But before they could be alone, there were still a few loose ends to wrap up. Ginny deserved to know the rest of what happened, and Ron and Hermione deserved to hear the full truth.

They went over to where Ron sat with Hermione, Harry getting them to leave the Great Hall with Ginny and him. They wandered out of the hall and found themselves in front of the gargoyle that protected the Headmaster's office where it let them go up.

The portraits of former headmaster and headmistresses welcomed them with thunderous applause. Harry conversed with Dumbledore's portrait, explaining the fate of the Deadly Hallows. Ron thought he was mental when he said he didn't want the Elder Wand, but Ginny understood why he didn't want it. But the wand did serve one final purpose for Harry: it fixed his broken holly and phoenix wand.

A few more words were exchanged before Harry took Ginny's hand in his, and together they walked to the door. Ron and Hermione followed in their wake.

The four descended the stairs and ended back up in front of the gargoyle.

"We'll see you two later." Harry said. Right now was finally time for just Ginny and himself, and he looked forward to collapsing into bed with Ginny in his arms.

And with that, he threw the invisibility cloak over himself and Ginny. He took her hand in his, leading her away from the Headmaster's office.

"Oh, for fucks sake, those two are really back at it, disappearing to Merlin knows where?"

"Honestly, Ron!" Harry and Ginny heard Hermione chastise Ron, laughing at Ron's sputtering response.

Harry and Ginny made their way through the castle, being careful to avoid the debris that still littered the corridors in some places. Harry thought they would head back to Gryffindor Tower, but Ginny had another idea, for she stopped dead in her tracks in front of the blank section of wall Harry knew the Room of Requirement was located.

"Gin, I'm not sure if the Room's going to work after the fire Goyle set earlier."

Ginny stepped out from below the cloak, giving him a smile. "We're about to find out now, aren't we?"

He watched as she walked in front of the blank wall two times, not expecting the door to appear. To his utter shock and amazement, the door to the Room appeared after her third pass.

"Looks like the Room's still working." She smiled at him. His only response was to remove the cloak so she could see him again. She opened the door and let him inside.

The room was small and cozy. A large four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room while a merrily cracking fire danced in the stone fireplace.

A wooden door suddenly appeared on the wall near the left side of the bed. Taking his hand, Ginny led him past the bed.

"Aren't we going to sleep?" Harry asked confusedly, eyeing the bed longingly as they walked past it.

"Sleep second, bath first." Ginny responded.

"Bath?"

Ginny laughed. "As much as I'd love to collapse into bed and fall asleep with you too, we need to clean-up first. We're a bit grimy, wouldn't you say?"

Harry looked down at himself. His robes were singed along the hems and covered with dirt, soot, and blood stains. Through the ripped-open knee of his stained jeans, he could see his scraped-up knee that still had blood streaked over the skin. And then there was the sticky layer of sweat, soot, and blood that clung to him like a second skin.

"I suppose you're right. I do feel pretty gross." Harry reluctantly admitted.

She smiled widely at him, opening the door that Harry now assumed lead to a bathroom she must have asked for.

The bathroom looked to be a miniature version of the prefect's bathroom. A stained-glass window let in light from the outside, painting the slate stones below his feet in reds, greens, blues, and oranges. The bathtub, while not Olympic pool sized, was still large enough for five people to bathe comfortably. The dozen golden taps looked to hold various bubble bath solutions.

Ginny let go of his hand, wandering over to the taps to draw a bath.

"Hmm, stress relief? Yes. Ooh, this one relaxes muscles. And maybe one more? Ah, this one helps soothe and heal skin."

The room was soon filled with steam and the soothing smell of lavender and other various flowers. The way the smells combined reminded Harry of Ginny's flowery scent, further relaxing him. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, enjoying the heady scent of the steam that made him think of his girlfriend.

"You know, you did stop kissing me earlier." Harry opened his eyes to see Ginny was standing in front of him again.

"I guess you could say it was for some stupid, noble purpose."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, ever the self-sacrificing, noble hero."

"I'll do anything to make it up to you, I promise."

"Anything?" Ginny's eyes burned brightly. Her hand reached up to run through his hair, pulling a twig out and flicking it to the side. Her touch sent a shiver down his spine and he suddenly found himself feeling a little less tired.

"Anything." Harry whispered huskily.

"I want you to kiss me."

"I'll kiss you as long as you want me to and wherever you want me to."

She pushed his robes off his shoulders. "Then you better never stop kissing me, Potter."

And with that, he captured her lips with his, mimicking her actions and pushing her robes off her shoulders.

They took their time with stripping each other of their clothes and exchanging slow, passionate kisses, not in any hurry or rush to reach an end. Eventually they slipped into the bathtub, the heat from the hot water and the mixture of the three bubble bath solutions working over their sore muscles and washing over their injured and dirty skin.

They helped each other to bathe, their movements still slow and loving. Ginny took pleasure in Harry washing her long hair and then the rest of her body before reciprocating his actions. All the while they placed lazy kisses wherever they could reach; a brush of lips on the hollow of her throat; hot, slow kisses trailing down his jaw.

Exhaustion kept them from going any further, but there would be time for sex later. Right now was about reacquainting themselves with each other after almost a year apart, and feeling that the other was really, truly alive and well.

They had all the time in the world.