A/N Well I ended up getting everything written Thursday night when a homework assignment was pushed back, but then I couldn't find the time to edit it after that. (I spent most of yesterday at my school's homecoming football game, which we won in overtime!) Anyway, I decided to go ahead and edit it this afternoon as a way to procrastinate studying for my test tomorrow!
Ginny didn't know how long she had let her father hold her, but she knew that she had needed it. She pulled back from his grasp slightly and he wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"It's all going to be okay pumpkin," Arthur promised his only daughter.
"How could I be so stupid?" Ginny asked meekly. "That's twice now that people got hurt because I put my trust in the wrong person."
"It's not your fault. You've already punished yourself too much for this."
"What's going to happen to him?" Ginny asked with a sigh.
Arthur glanced over to where Bill had Colin restrained. "He'll serve a life sentence in Azkaban if I have anything to say about it."
Ginny nodded her head in agreement. "Good."
"Are you going to be okay for a bit while Bill and I take him to the ministry?" Arthur asked.
"We'll be here for her," Hermione spoke up.
"Alright well I'll be back as soon as I can. You should floo your mother, I'm sure she's going to want to come right over. There's a lot we need to talk about." Ginny nodded as her father placed a small kiss on her forehead. "We'll be back as soon as we can." Ginny watched her father leave. She shuddered as she saw Colin disappear from her flat and hopefully her life. She turned her focus to Harry, and saw the hurt in his eyes. Her only urge was to cling to him for dear life, and she did. His breath was hot against her neck and his cheeks were still wet from his own tears.
Hermione cleared her throat and Ginny reluctantly loosened her grip on Harry's neck. "I'll just go make some tea and let you two talk," Hermione said as she headed towards the kitchen.
Harry took Ginny's hand and led her over to the couch. She let out a sigh and placed her head on his shoulder. "I've been holding that in for so long," she whispered. "It was destroying me. I've felt so guilty."
"Gin, it wasn't your fault," Harry comforted her. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"I blamed myself, but that was only partially why I've felt guilty," Ginny admitted quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"You're going to think I'm a terrible person," Ginny began slowly, sitting up straight so she could look him in the eyes. "I felt so guilty because in a way I was relieved that I had lost the baby. I wasn't ready to be a mother at fifteen. I wasn't ready to explain to my parents how careless we had been. I wasn't ready to be responsible for another living being; especially without you. That baby would have been a constant reminder of everything I had lost, and I didn't know if I could have dealt with a little reminder of you everyday. I thought that it would have slowly eaten away at my heart."
Harry took her face in his hands. "You are not a terrible person. It was a hard, emotional time and you were trying to go through it all by yourself."
"I tried my hardest I really did; I just couldn't help feeling a little bit relieved..."
"But?"
"But at the same time it would have been your baby, a piece of you that I would always have; a living, breathing product of our love. A baby with your eyes, your messy hair, your love for Quidditch. Who am I kidding? I would have loved that baby the same way I loved you. I'm a real mess aren't I?" Ginny let out a choked laugh.
"You're not a mess. Trust me; I know that when you go through a traumatic experience like this your emotions are all over the place."
Ginny resettled herself against Harry's shoulder. "You know it was months before I could stand to hold Rose without crying."
"That's perfectly understandable."
"Is everything okay in here?" Hermione asked, peaking her head into the room.
"No, but I have a feeling it will be," Ginny answered with a genuine smile.
Hermione walked into the room carrying a tray with tea and scones. She put down the tray and noticed the paper on the floor. "What's this?"
"I don't know, Colin brought it. He was trying to distract me with it." Ginny paused, noticing the horror stricken look on Hermione's face. "Let me see it." Her tone was stern and Hermione knew it wasn't a question. She hesitantly handed the paper over to Ginny. Ginny couldn't help but laugh as she began to read the article. Her laughter stopped, however, when she reached the paragraph about the night before. "Harry, where were you last night before you showed up at the Burrow?" she asked harshly.
"I honestly don't remember. I remember finding the bottle of Firewhiskey in your cabinet and downing the entire bottle. I seem to vaguely remember leaving the flat, but that's it until this morning."
"I bet she remembers," Ginny said as she thrust the paper into Harry's hands and pointed to the third picture.
"I have no idea who she is!" Harry exclaimed.
"I can't do this anymore!" Ginny exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch. "I've fallen in love three times-,"
"But-," Harry interrupted.
"Let me finish," Ginny said calmly, regaining her control. "I've fallen in love with you three times. The first time was the boy who lived, the hero. The second time was Harry Potter, my friend, the guy who could make me smile with a simple look. This third time, well that was James. Merlin help me, but you were right, you're not the same person, and I fell in love with you again regardless. But each time you've managed to break my heart, whether you meant to or not."
"Ginny," Harry began, but she just shook her head and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said awkwardly. "She's just so emotional right now, I'm sure she'll be okay later."
Harry remained defeated in his place on the couch. "Why is it that everything seems to happen to me? I mean I'm lucky enough to have the most spectacular woman I've ever met fall in love with me three times, and I've somehow managed to screw it up three times."
Hermione smiled at him warmly. "You love her."
Harry groaned. "So much so it hurts."
"How long have you known?" Hermione asked.
"Forever? A few moments? I don't know. I honestly can't imagine my life without her. I can't remember how I survived each day before I found her again. I love her laugh, her smile, every tiny freckle on her nose."
Hermione laughed. "I don't think I've ever heard you be so open with your feelings before."
"I don't think I ever have been before. But she brings out another side of me I didn't even know I had. I love her stubbornness. I love her determination. I love her loyalty. I love how she crinkles her nose when she's concentrating on an essay."
"Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with excitement.
Harry ignored Hermione and the dizziness in his head. "I love how angry she gets when she doesn't think she's been playing her best Quidditch. I love how every time I ever told her I loved her she acted as if she couldn't understand why." Harry began to talk faster as his mind was filled with images. "I love how she always hogged the covers so I would cuddle up to her at night. I love how she was the only person who would tell me when I was being a prat."
"You remember?" Hermione gasped.
Harry slowly nodded his head. "I have to make things right. I refuse to lose her over something stupid like this."
"I'm going to go talk to Molly about this," Hermione said with a sly smile. "I supposed it'll take me about an hour or so to go there and come back." Hermione winked at him before she apparated out of the apartment.
Harry didn't waste any time. He grabbed the paper and ran to Ginny's bedroom. He knocked on the door gently and slowly walked in when she didn't answer. She was lying on her stomach, her fiery hair spread delicately out on her pillow. She rolled over and Harry could see that her eyes were still red from crying. He sat down on the edge on the bed and put the paper in her line of vision. "I'm sorry," he said as he gently ran a hand through her hair.
"Why would you bring that up here?" she asked quietly.
"You asked me to let you talk before without interrupting and now I'm going to ask you to do the same." Ginny nodded. "You said you fell in love with me three different times. Well you see this picture here?" He pointed to the picture of the woman whispering in his ear. "That's the boy who lived being mobbed by a stranger on the street." He then pointed to the picture with Anna. "This picture is of James, you see he loved you too, but he had a lot to deal with trying to figure out who he was." Then he pointed to the last picture, the picture with Bella. "This one though, this one is Harry Potter."
"So it was Harry who went home with this woman?" Ginny asked, unable to mask the hurt in her voice.
"Let me finish," Harry said gently. "This is Harry Potter who was completely broken hearted. This is Harry Potter who just found out that he lost a child and was worried that he lost the woman he loved as well." He smiled at her before starting again. "This is Harry Potter who was so drunk he couldn't walk straight and had to lean on this woman who was trying to take advantage of him for support. But it's also Harry Potter who managed to will himself to you because he's absolutely miserable every time you're not around." Ginny began to cry again, but this time her tears were happy. "I'm sorry if I've hurt you in the past, but I promise I will never intentionally do anything to hurt you again. I love you Ginny."
"I love you too," Ginny replied with a smile. She sat up and wrapped her arms around Harry.
"By the way," Harry whispered in her ear, "You have a birthmark on your right shoulder blade." Ginny pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"You remember?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Everything?" He nodded again. Ginny's face broke out in a grin. "Where's Hermione?"
"She went to get your Mum, but she'll be back in about an hour."
"Good." Ginny got off the bed and walked to her door. She closed it and turned around so she was facing Harry. "So you remember the birthmark on my right shoulder blade?" Harry nodded again. Ginny pulled her shirt off over her head.
"Gin, what are you doing?" Harry asked nervously.
"Well we had a deal. When you remembered what it looked like, you could see it again," she said seductively as she walked towards him. "Is there anything else you remember?"
Harry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "You have a scar on your left hip."
Ginny nodded and undid the clasp on her skirt letting it fall to the floor. Harry gasped as she stood before him in her undergarments. "Anything else?"
Calming his nerves, Harry stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You have sensitive ears," he whispered before nibbling on one. A small moan escaped from Ginny's throat. "You love to be kissed right here," he continued before kissing her neck. Ginny threw her arms around his neck and greedily captured his mouth with her own. She could feel his desire as he gently pried her lips open with his tongue. She quickly reached for the edge of his shirt, pulling it off over his head and threw it to the floor. They stumbled backwards and fell onto Ginny's bed. They both laughed as they took a moment to catch their breath.
Ginny rolled off of Harry and laid on her side to look at him. "You really remember everything?" she asked with a smile.
"Most everything. Strangely enough I hardly have any memories that include Malfoy, and I don't remember much about Quidditch or the Triwizard Tournament, but I definitely remember the important stuff, like you."
"Typical Malfoy," Ginny said with a sigh. "We should have known that he'd try to erase your memories where he looked bad or when you had any glory."
"Well," Harry said as he softly ran his hand along Ginny's rib cage. "I don't know about you, but when I'm in bed with you and you're nearly naked, Malfoy is the last thing I want to think about." Ginny grinned at him and pulled him closer to her.
"I'm sorry for being so rash earlier but," she began but Harry quieted her with a kiss.
"Not right now. Right now is only about me proving to you how much I love you." Ginny smiled and wrapped her leg around Harry's waist and kissed him again. Harry groaned as she ground her hips against his. She reached down and undid the button on his jeans. She slid down the zipper and began to tug his pants over his hips. As Harry kicked his pants to the floor she unclasped her bra and discarded it with the rest of their clothes. Harry couldn't help but gasp at the sight of her bare breast. "Merlin you're beautiful," he whispered before taking one of her breasts in his mouth. "How did I ever get so lucky?"
"I don't know," she teased as she kissed his jaw.
"I want you so much," Harry whispered, his voice filled with need.
"Then take me Harry, I'm yours. I always have been."
Harry and Ginny lay together silently in Ginny's bed, their bodies still entangled from their love making. Harry admired the beauty in his arms, her short breaths showing her obvious exhaustion. Harry placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "Did I wear you out that much?" he teased her.
"Well you have to admit it's been a long day," she said quietly. "It all still feels very surreal."
"Oh really?" Harry asked as he pinched her arm.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Just to remind you that this is very real," he replied with a smile. Harry let out a sigh. "You know Hermione will be back with your mum in just a minute."
"It probably wouldn't be good if Mum walked in on us like this considering everything we need to talk about," Ginny mused.
"Plus, I don't want to lose my head right after I got all of my memories back," Harry added.
Ginny sat up in bed holding the sheet over her chest. "Can I tell you something?" Harry nodded. "Well, to be blunt, we were stupid in school. I can't speak for you, but I thought that the fact that we were in love made us ready to handle anything. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't ready to handle all of the responsibilities that come with making love when I was fifteen. I thought that being in love made me ready to handle it all, but I was wrong. I'm not saying I regret it, because I don't. It was a real comfort to me when I thought you were dead, knowing that when you died you knew exactly how much I loved you."
"I guess I see what you're saying, but I don't regret it either. I want you to know that if things had been different, I would have been there for you and the baby completely," he paused and looked unsure of himself. "We didn't do anything wrong now, did we?"
Ginny smiled at him. "No. In fact, one of the main reasons I realized I wasn't really ready then is because I know how ready I am now." Her innocent smile turned into a smirk. "Besides, there is no way that could have been wrong."
Harry leaned over and gave her a kiss. "If we don't get out of bed right now your mum's going to walk in on something much worse than this," Harry said as he rolled out of the bed.
Ginny admired his masculine figure as he gathered his clothes. "You know Anna was right. Your bum really is spectacular." Harry blushed furiously and pulled on his boxers. "Go ahead and ruin all my fun," she pouted.
"If you don't get dressed you'll see how much fun you'll be having when your mum gets here."
"Fine." Ginny watched as Harry pulled on his jeans and shirt. He then gathered Ginny's clothes and tossed them to her.
"If you're not downstairs in five minutes I'm coming up after you," Harry said as he walked towards the door.
"Is that a promise?" Ginny asked sweetly.
"Correction, I'll send your mum in here after you." Harry smiled as he slipped out the door shutting it behind him. He ran down the stairs and went into the kitchen. He rummaged through Ginny's cabinets until he found a box of crackers. He pulled out the box and began munching when he felt two small arms slide around his waist.
"Are you going to share?"
"Depends, are you going to behave?"
Ginny let out a moan. "I'm not going to have much of a choice. Mum's going to want to talk about everything. I just wanted to forget for a little while longer."
"Promise me no more secrets. No more forgetting things just because they're painful."
"You're one to talk about not forgetting things," Ginny pointed out.
"Well that's not much of a problem anymore, is it?" Harry asked, giving her a small kiss.
"That's wonderful news," Molly said as she walked into the kitchen with Hermione in tow. "I've spoken with your father and assured him that he's needed more at the Ministry right now. We need to make sure that boy rots in prison for what he's done."
"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed, shocked by the hatred in her mother's voice.
"Well, he deserves it," she replied soundly. "Now dear, you should have come to me with this long ago. I would have helped you. You're my daughter, and I love you regardless of what you've done or what you'll ever do."
"I know," Ginny said awkwardly.
"You should have never gone through this alone," Molly continued. "We would have done anything you ever needed."
"Oh Mum!" Ginny ran from Harry's arms into her mother's where she began to cry again. She stood wrapped in the embrace for a few minutes before starting to laugh. "I have done too much crying today."
"It's okay, darling. You're my baby girl, you can always cry on my shoulders."
"I know Mum," Ginny said with a sniff. She pulled away from her mother and walked back over to Harry. She slid her arm around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder. "I don't think I've ever been so happy and sad at the same time. But it's over. It's finally all over."
"Well I wouldn't say it's all over, I mean it's not like we're dead," Harry said with a smile.
"Harry, what finally happened to bring your memories back?" Molly asked curiously.
Harry blushed. "Actually I haven't even told Ginny yet. We were too busy, um, talking about other things to talk about it." Hermione smirked at him from behind Molly. "Well you've seen the Daily Prophet by now I'm sure. Ginny got upset with me and stormed off."
"That doesn't surprise me, I know my daughter's temper," Molly said causing Ginny to glare at her.
"Right," Harry continued, "Well I started talking to Hermione about how upset I was and how much I loved Ginny. And then I had all of these images and emotions flashing through my head and I just kept saying everything that was in the front of my mind. I realized that I was speaking from memory, and not just recent memory. I just kept talking faster and faster because I was scared if I stopped the memories would go away."
Ginny gazed at him adoringly. "So it was talking about how much you loved me that brought everything back?"
"Yeah," Harry replied sheepishly. Ginny wrapped her free arm around Harry's neck and pulled him down to her.
"I love you," she whispered before kissing him.
"Well, it seems like you have things under control in here," Bill said as he walked into the kitchen. Harry pulled away from Ginny sheepishly.
"Bill! What are you doing here?" Ginny asked curiously, not moving from Harry's side.
"Dad sent me to check on you guys. He's busy setting up a trial date for Colin. Plus I owe Harry an apology. I was being an overprotective git."
"Yes you were," Ginny said with a smile.
"So I hear the memory's back?" Bill asked.
"Most of it," Harry replied smiling. "Molly, will you do me a favor?"
"Anything dear," Molly said happily.
"Tell Arthur I'm ready for that banquet the Ministry wanted to throw," Harry paused and looked at Hermione. "And tell him I want him to invite anyone who's ever been considered my friend."
A/N Well I hope this chapter was up to your standards. FYI, if you've ever had the urge to email me before, you'd know that I haven't allowed my email address to be visible (I use my school account which would basically give you my name and location, and you never know who's looking at these things). Anyway, I decided to start using my old AOL email account so that if anyone ever wanted to email me about my stories they could. Thanks for all of your reviews on the last chapter! I'm so glad you all approved of how things came out. (And I haven't forgotten about Bella, she just didn't have a place in this chapter.)