Chapter 9: The Realization of Truth can be -

*~*~*~*

You're pulling petals off a flower trying to get your way

Keep pulling till it says what you wanna say

Girl, You can pick a field full of daisies

but he'd still be my baby.

*~*~*~*

"Hey Harry." Lavender Brown ran her hands up Harry's shoulders.

"Hi Lavender. How are you?" Harry smiled widely and picked her hands up off his shoulders and went back to breakfast.

'I was better when I was touching you,' Lavender thought. "Fine." Ginny walked up to the table.

"Hi sweetie! How you doing this morning?" Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's neck and kissed her sweetly.

"Better now." Ginny made a smirk at Lavender over Harry's shoulder and watched her stomp away. She giggled lightly.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, looking into her mischievous green eyes.

"Oh nothing. Lavender just made a face. It was funny. Anyway, I love you."

"Love you too."

*~*~*

"So yeah, this guy comes up to me and wants me to play for the English National team. And I think that 1-year ago I would have jumped at this. Said yes as soon as the words exited his mouth. But, I don't know now. I mean, I have Ginny now, and I know she doesn't want to play Quidditch for the rest of her life. I'd love to get myself settled someplace near Hogsmeade or London or the Burrow and wait for Ginny to finish school." Harry paced as he talked to Sirius.

"Harry, what about the Ministry? I'm sure there's an opening for the young man who destroyed Voldemort. Or here at Hogwarts? You could go to a teaching school for a little and come teach here. I'd gladly relinquish my place as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for someone so much better qualified. DADA isn't my strong point anyway. I was always better at Transfiguration. Though at this rate, McGonegall will never die." Sirius scratched the back of his neck as he usually did when he was thinking.

"Well, let's think about it. You want to stay with Ginny right?" Harry nodded fervently. "OK, what's your best subject?"

"Potions without a doubt, though I can work Charms pretty well now." Sirius laughed.

"A pure mix of your parents. And if you marry Ginny, you'll get the Muggle Studies and Transfiguration too. The world will never know a smarter child!" Harry blushed at the thought of having a child with Ginny. "Except Hermione of course. And then there are my monsters. Never known two children better at Hell-Raising than those two. Jeez, with a dad like me and a mom like Arabella, I'm surprised they're not expelled yet."

Harry laughed.

"Why did I ever say yes to that hair-brained scheme of Bella's? 'Let's have a baby while you're in Azkaban!' I don't believe she found a spell to get pregnant without us being together."

There was a knock on the door. In walked James and Lily Black.

"Harry, Ron's having a mental breakdown and wants to talk to you. He babbling about not knowing what to do," Lily drawled. "Oh, hi Dad."

"Wondering when I'd get noticed." Sirius sighed. Harry got up and left to go save his friend. As he watched the snow start to melt across the windowpanes, Harry finally realized he had to seriously think about what he was going to do with rest of his life.

*~*~*

"Harry! You're here! Holy shit, what the hell just happened to us yesterday?" Ron screamed at Harry.

"Ron, calm down. It's alright, don't worry about it. Ron, stop spazzing out." Harry pushed Ron on the bed.

Ron took a couple deep breaths, calmed down, and grew serious. He turned towards Harry

"Harry, what is your world? What one thing is your world?" Ron looked at him deeply.

"My world-my world is-is-well-Ginny is my world." Harry looked at his feet.

"Ginny? That wasn't what I was expecting." Ron looked dumbfounded. Someone felt that way about his sister, his sister! "Well, to each his own I guess. My heart belongs to Hermione and will forever, but she's not my total world, Harry. Quidditch is my world. And now someone wants me to play Quidditch for a profession. I can't say no to that."

Harry sat next to Ron. Ron burst into tears, not knowing what to do. Again he was being bested by Harry Potter. His whole school career he had been stood up by him. Always had better grades. Always was the one everyone would turn to. He could never stand on his own. But he loved Harry like a brother. He could never be mad at him for anything.

And now, Ron had been offered the chance of a lifetime. And Harry was outdoing him making the National team.

"I know what you're thinking Ron. I'm not going to take it. I promise. I'm going to say no. I don't know what I'm going to do after this, but I know I'm not going to play Quidditch for the rest of my life." Harry looked at Ron seriously.

"Harry, you mean that?"

"Yes Ron. I'm going to buy a house in Hogsmeade and stay near Ginny until she's done with school. Do I know what I'm going to do when I get there? Hell no! But I do know that I am going to marry your sister and it's going to make me the happiest person in the world!

"And one other thing I know for certain is you are my best friend and if I have to hunt you down to see you, I will."

Ron looked nervously at his friend, who pulled him into a huge hug.

"And, you're going to be the best damn keeper that Chudley has ever seen." Harry punched Ron playfully on the shoulder.

*~*~*

Baby you're all that I want

And I found it here in your arms

It isn't too hard to see,

We're in heaven.

*~*~*

"Hey Gin. Can I talk to you?" Harry pulled playfully on Ginny's curly red hair.

"Sure Harry. If I can talk to you about something I heard."

"Uh-oh." Harry looked at her nervously.

"It's nothing bad, promise. It's just that I overheard you talking to Ron a couple days ago and-I wanted to know if you meant what you said to him. Like me being your world and living near Hogwarts and marrying me and it making you the happiest person alive." Ginny bit her lip nervously looking deeply into Harry's eyes.

Harry grinned his sideways grin and pulled Ginny next to him.

"Well, Ms. Weasley, you know a little more than what I wanted you to, but I guess I can deal with it now. Let's see. Yes, Ginny Weasley, you are my world. Every hope and every dream. All the smiles in my world and love in my heart. And you will be forever."

"Oh, Harry-"

"I'm not done. Here's why I came to talk to you. One, I'm not taking the Quidditch position as you probably heard. Two, Sirius bought a house near here. I'm going to live with him, in Hogsmeade, starting after this year. Three, I've talked to your dad and mom, and I'm going to spend the summer at the Burrow with you."

Ginny looked at Harry with so much love it hurt her. She needed him more than anything right now. She went to hug him, but he stopped her.

"There's one more thing, Gin, and hell, I figure since you know how I feel, I'm just going to say it." Harry walked over to his trunk and pulled out a small box.

"Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"