Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings. This does the fabulous JK Rowling, bless her soul.

Author's note: Ah, yes. The long wanted last chapter. It's been quite the ride, hasn't it, my dear readers? I won't get all mushy now, but it's rather emotional, ending a story. All of you who've done it know it. Thank you so much for all of your warm comments, all your encouragement and most of all I'd like to thank you for reading it.

Author's note II: Thank you Callie for proof-reading it. Dunno how much you'll find wrong in this... Hope it's okay now! -squishes Callie-

- - -

Ginny stared up at the dark ceiling. She couldn't fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes she would see a face. A face with emerald eyes and silver rimmed glasses. Harry's face.

It seemed like he wouldn't disappear. She thought about him every second of her waken day. That was bad enough. But now she had to see him, think about him, remember every word and move he made, every single night. She had been trying to forget about what Colin had blurted out a week now. It had been a whole week with night visions of Harry. She processed everything he said, everything he did every night. And every night she would end up at the same quote. 'Finally caught her eh, Potter?' She kept hearing Colin's sneer, his voice echoed inside her head every night. Why wouldn't she let go of it? Why did she feel like there was more to it than what Colin thought? Could it be...?

"No!" she corrected herself. "There was nothing more to Colin's comment. He was just teasing you. And Harry." But there was still something bugging her. Something that made her unwilling to let go, forget, about the feeling. It had been something in Harry's reply that she couldn't let go of.

It wasn't his words, Ginny came to conclusion. It was his tone and his body language. His eyes had been unreadable when he looked at Colin, Ginny remembered. It was like he was trying to tell Colin something without putting it into words. And Harry had stiffened at Colin's comment. Then he had seemed to remember that he had Ginny in his arms and sort of... relaxed.

Ginny groaned into her pillow. She pulled the duvet over her head, as if to hide herself from the thought she knew she would never really get rid of. She would never really get rid of the feelings she had for Harry that much she knew. He would always have a special place in her heart, no matter what happened, or rather didn't happen, between them.

Ginny heard the occasional snores from her roommates. It was way too late to be up, she knew it, but she just couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. She closed her eyes and focused on a completely blank image. Despite her effort, emerald eyes were starting to show. Harry's face became more and more visible. His nose, his mouth... Ginny frowned at the mental image. There was something missing. His glasses! Ginny suddenly smiled. He had finally got rid of his glasses.

She sat bolt up in her bed, her eyes now wide-open. Finally! That was it. Colin had said 'finally caught her eh, Potter?'! That would mean that Colin knew something. Something that Harry might actually fancy her!

- - -

Harry woke up with a start. It was a beautiful Friday, but he just couldn't enjoy the sunny weather outside. He was too busy complaining to himself that Ginny had avoided him. Why was she doing that? It had been a week since she properly talked to him. A week since Colin had said that thing. He knew it was a bad sign she wasn't talking to him.

Harry desperately needed to talk to her. He had finally decided that he was going to 'declare his undying love' for her. He snorted out loud at the phrase in his mind and got a strange look from Ron who was currently trying to get his hair to work with him.

"What?" he asked as Harry chuckled at him. Harry knew Ron was just trying to look 'extra pretty' for Hermione. He had finally noticed her, after too many years. Harry didn't reply to Ron's question, he just shook his head and opened his trunk to get a clean set of robes out. He pulled them on quickly as Ron was standing by the door, hand on the knob, stomping his foot against the floor in an impatient manner.

"All right, all right", Harry said, rolling his eyes at Ron's final look in the mirror as they headed downstairs. They met up with Hermione and Ron got awfully quiet as they made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ron stole glances at Hermione when he thought Harry wasn't looking.

"What's first?" Harry asked, loading toast and fruit onto his plate. Grabbing a jug, he poured some pumpkin juice to himself.

"Charms", Hermione replied quickly, knowing the table in her head. "Then Transfiguration and last but not least: Potions." The boys groaned at the last lesson. They truly hated both the teacher and the subject. And it didn't help that the teacher loathed you right back. But they knew that if they got through Potions, they would have the entire weekend free to complain about Snape's latest favorisation.

Ginny arrived not too soon after that and Harry could feel the butterflies in his stomach. He tried to ignore them by not looking at Ginny, but he found it rather impossible. If it wasn't herself in the flesh, he would be thinking about her. He had her almost burned in his eyelids. Every time he closed his eyes, there she was.

"Come on, Harry", Hermione suddenly said. Harry looked up. He hadn't been aware of that most of the students had left for their first classes. Hermione and Ron were both standing up, Ginny nowhere in sight. "We don't want to be late for class", Hermione continued and Harry got up, still thinking about the right way and place to tell Ginny how he really felt about her. He knew it had to be special. But when? Where?

The day progressed and Harry was still stuck on those same questions that had been bugging him ever since he woke up; 'when?', 'where?'. Had had been pretty much absent during Transfigurations and had received several elbows to his side when the class ended. Hermione and Ron had practically been forced to slap him in order to get him to react at all when the bell rang.

"Come on, Harry", Ron complained at lunch. They still had about a half an hour before Potions so Ron and Hermione were trying to get some answers out of Harry. But he hadn't spoken a word since the beginning of Charms. "Snap out of it, mate", Ron continued. "We need you for Potions." But Harry didn't reply to that either. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.

"Hey guys", Ginny said, plonking herself down at the table beside Harry. She looked from Ron to Hermione to Harry, who kept his eyes down. "What?" she asked puzzled.

"Nothing", Harry said quietly. Ron and Hermione both looked surprised at their best friend. How did Ginny do it? She could always get something out of Harry. Harry, himself, just kept looking down at his plate, ignoring the surprised looks he knew he was receiving from his two best friends. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a small hand on his shoulder and looked up. He met a pair of worried, brown eyes. He knew who they belonged to at first glance.

Ginny watched Harry's bent down head. Why was he so quiet? He was usually so alive, talking loudly with Ron about either classes or Quidditch. But no, he stayed silent, and it scared Ginny slightly. She went through her mind what possibly could be the problem. Could it be Sirius? Ginny nodded to herself. That's got to be it. Harry was still blaming himself for what happened at the Department of Mysteries, the death of his godfather. She gave him, what she hoped was, a sympathetic smile. "Snuffles?" she asked, using Sirius' code as always among other people.

Harry looked at Ginny in surprise. How could she think it was about Sirius? Sure he thought about his godfather every day, but at the moment he had other, more pressing matters on his mind. He slowly shook his head. He noticed how Ginny was thinking hard. She was so darn cute, looking so thoughtful and smart. He fought the urge to grab her and kiss her, explain to her that he was thinking about her, that he had been thinking about her a lot lately.

"Then what?" she asked. Harry shook his head again. This wasn't the time for it. And it certainly wasn't the place for it either, with Ron sitting across the table from him. If he were to tell Ginny how he felt right here and now, he would have Ron's hands around his throat before he would be able to see Ginny's reaction. Ron was that protective of his baby sister. But Harry couldn't really blame him; he would have been the same if he'd ever had a sister. Or a brother for that matter.

- - -

Somehow Harry had got through Potions without messing up the potion they were making too much. Naturally Snape had deducted fifteen points from Gryffindor because Harry accidentally put in the ingredients in the wrong order and given Malfoy fifteen points only for doing it right. But it was all good after the tiny professor Flitwick came around the corner after class just in time to see Malfoy pick a fight with a first year Ravenclaw while Hermione tried to break them apart. Flitwick took away fifteen points from Slytherin, added fifteen to Gryffindor because Hermione tried to get Malfoy to stop and the tiny Charms professor also added five points to Ravenclaw to the first year for not letting Malfoy get to him. The Ravenclaw practically skipped off after sticking out his tongue at Malfoy when the professor turned his back at them.

Harry was glad Hermione had gotten points and all, but when she told everyone in the common room for the seventy-fifth time it was getting boring. He took his bag from the floor and settled himself in a corner, far away from the fire where Hermione and Ron were sitting, surrounded by a couple of first and second years. All the elder students had heard the story and grown tired of hearing it repeat, just like Harry.

But Harry couldn't concentrate. He kept looking around in search for a certain redhead. He wished Ginny was there; she could live things up and she was probably the only person that could shut Hermione up once she had got started.

And as if Ginny had heard his thoughts, the portrait swung open and she stepped in. She was carrying a stack of what seemed like very heavy books. Harry rushed to her side as it looked like she was going to fall. He took two of the four books from her and she smiled thankfully at him.

"Thanks", she said quietly. She hoisted her bag further up on her shoulder and gave Harry a faint smile that completely melted his heart. He was going to tell her how he felt today Harry decided and looked Ginny in the eye.

"Ginny, I really have to talk to you."

The silence that followed his words was deafening. He looked around to find that the entire common room was looking their way, a sort of breathless expression on their faces. They all knew what was coming, except for Ginny.

Harry grabbed Ginny's wrist and led her to a table where he dropped all of her books and her bag. Their moves was being watched, every single glance, touch, step was noticed and analyzed in the heads of their fellow Gryffindors. To avoid their stares while telling Ginny his feelings, Harry led Ginny to the stairs of the boys' dormitory.

- - -

Ginny's heart was pounding, her mind racing. What could be so important that he needed to take her to his dormitory? The butterflies in her stomach told her she was loosing her mind and if she stayed close to him any longer she would loose control of herself.

- - -

But Harry couldn't see or hear the inner debate that was going on inside Ginny between her heart and her mind. He had to tell her, it was now or never. Harry steered her to his bed, seating himself down to her right, looking down on his hands.

"For the past year I've realized something, Ginny", Harry began. "This girl I once knew, a slightly silly girl, have grown up right in front of me, but I haven't seen it until now..."

Ginny could feel her heart sink lower and lower, like a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake. Why was he telling her this? Didn't he know how much it hurt her to hear him talk about another girl like that? Did he want her to approve of his new girlfriend?

"It's been a confusing year, seeing her around. I've never really thought about her like that, but now I know. I'm in love." Harry swallowed. This was much harder than he had ever thought. He had to spit it out, but it wasn't going very well, his mouth had gone dry and the palms of his hands were getting sweatier. He gathered all of his Gryffindor courage and looked up. He met Ginny's brown eyes and was surprised to see the hurt in her eyes. She didn't know he was talking about her, and it was killing her inside. Harry felt relived. If she hadn't had any feelings for him, her eyes wouldn't have shown him his. Then it all fitted perfectly. He gave her a smile, a wave of calmness flashed over him.

"I'm in love with you, Ginny."

Her face fell in surprise. It had been the last thing she had expected him to say, but she could see it in his eyes that it was true. He loved her. When the realization hit her, she blinked, as this all a dream? But Harry was right there. He was sitting in front of her, telling her he loved her. A smile crept up on her lips and her eyes sparkled with joy. It was all happening to her. She was living her dream.

She leaned closer to him, closing her eyes. Harry realized what she was doing and leaned closer too, feeling a wave to excitement run through his body. When their lips met, it was like firework. A sweet and gentle kiss that tasted like strawberry. Harry was in heaven. He reluctantly pulled away, needing to get confirmation that she loved him too. Ginny let a small, disapproving grunt escape her lips. Harry was quick to put his lips on hers again and the sweet bliss enveloped him. Ginny cocked her head slightly to her side, letting her tongue run over Harry's lips. They parted and she was quick to enter.

- - -

A couple of minutes later they broke apart, breathing heavily, a smile on both faces. They had felt the same sense of fulfillness. They completed each other.

"I love you, Ginny Weasley", Harry whispered and pulled a strand of her red hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest of her cheek, looking at her with adoration shining in his emerald eyes.

"I love you too, Harry Potter", Ginny whispered quietly, stroking his bare arms with the tip of her fingers. She gave him a smile and a quick kiss on the lips.

"Should we tell them downstairs?" Harry asked, slightly afraid of how Ron was going to react to them. Ginny smiled at him and gave a small laugh.

"I think they already know", she said but grabbed his hand and slid off the bed. "But we could always make it official", she said eagerly and Harry kissed her hand. It was important to Ginny, he could tell.

"Anything for you", he said, earning an adoring look from Ginny. He stood up and made his way over to the door, still holding Ginny's hand in a firm grip. Now that he had her, he wasn't going to let her get away. At the bottom of the stairs they stopped, surveying the common room. It fell silent as they spotted the couple.

"May I introduce to you all, my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley", Harry said in a clear voice. A couple of girls sighed longingly, but most of them smiled warmly at Ginny.

Ron got up from his seat by the fireplace. Harry's mouth went dry again. Now the verdict would fall; he could die today... Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder manly and gave him a brotherly smile.

"Welcome to the family, mate..."

- - -

Author's note: That was it. I've really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you've had equally much fun reading it. And maria, are you satisfied with the length? You asked for a long chapter, you got a long chapter!

Take care, ya'll! Hannah