A/N: Part two! It got a bit more angsty at the end than I had planned, but at least I am updating, right? Hopefully you still like it, and do remember that I haven't had anyone beta this or anything, and I am too lazy to go through it myself. Comments are always appreciated, as is constructive criticism. Thank you!

Disclaimer: You know the deal. JK's, not mine.
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Three years later

"Gin what did you keep all this crap for?" Harry Potter's voice was coming down from the attic and into the kitchen where Ginny was just about to finish dinner. The two of them had spent the day going through Ginny's old stuff since she was moving into her own flat. About half an hour ago Ginny had declared that she was hungry and had left Harry to clean by himself while she cooked. During the last years the two of them had developed a close friendship, brought together by an accident and Ron and Hermione's blooming relationship. Harry had been left with two best friends who spent more and more time alone, and Ginny had been around when he was alone. They had soon found out that they had more in common than both had thought, and their friendship was now one of the closest and nicest friendships both of them had ever had.

"I am a girl who likes to keep her memories close by," she yelled back at him with a laugh.

"I can tell. You have more stuff up here than I will ever manage to gather in a lifetime."

"Shut up and come and eat. I can tolerate your mocking so much better with a full stomach." She heard him laugh and then suddenly he was standing right next to her. "What's to eat?"

She jumped and turned around, wooden spoon raised as if to ward off any attackers.

"Holy crap, Harry, you have to stop with this too quiet Apparating. It will make me die of fright one of these days!" She glared at him but he only rolled his eyes.

"What are you going to do? Stab me with the spoon?"

She made a face and ordered him to set the table. "If that is how you plan to act you might as well go back up. My food doesn't tolerate being eaten by grumps."

"You are sounding more and more like your mother every day, you know that?"

She tried to hit him with the spoon but missed by an inch. "Shut up and do as I said."

"Yes, dear," he said mockingly and winked at her. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Just set the bloody table."

"Whatever you say. By the way, I found something up there that might interest you." He handed her a black notebook, the words 'Read this and I will hex you to next Thursday' written all over it. She stared.

"Oh my goodness. I had forgotten all about this. Did you read it?"

"With that front page? No way. I have come face to face with your hexes before and didn't want to risk it. What is it?"

She turned it over in her hands smiling slightly. "It's my old journal. I had it all through fourth and fifth year. I think I stopped writing in it sometime during the middle of fifth year." She opened the last page where there had been written something and nodded. "Yes. Tenth of February, ninety-seven. Amazing."

Harry was peering over her shoulder now but Ginny moved away. "Don't read. I can't remember what is in here."

"How bad can it be?"

She looked at him and grinned. "Bad. Well, not bad bad, if you understand. But there may be some incriminating evidence in here."

Harry laughed and came over to her again. "Come on, Gin, it can't be that bad. Hey! Is that my name? Why is my name in your journal?"

Ginny ran off to the other side of the room and stood in a corner so that it was impossible for him to see anything. "Your name is not in my journal. Why would your..?" She trailed off, then it dawned on her. "Oh... yes... your name is in my journal." She giggled, something that made Harry even more suspicious.

"Ok, ok. I'll read some of it. Listen here:

1/1/97

New Year Resolutions:

1. Cut down on the chocolate (I will get fat and I have no intentions ending up with spots all over my face. Very unattractive!)

2. Do my homework before the night before it's due. (Late nights no sleep sleeping in class angry Snape death!)

3. Go to bed before 11pm every school night, midnight on weekends. (See #2)

4. Stop obsessing over boys with green eyes, black hair and too-good-to-be-true quidditch abilities. (No comment. Just do it!)

Good lord, I had forgotten how... weird... I was." She laughed, but Harry looked confused.

"How on earth did you plan to get to bed before eleven?"

Ginny laughed. He couldn't be that daft, could he? Was he just pretending?

"Well, I have to admit that didn't go too well. As a matter of fact I failed miserably after about a week. Yes, listen to this:

Besides, if I go to bed three hours earlier tonight, that means I can get to bed three hours later tomorrow."

Harry laughed and Ginny rolled her eyes. "I love my rule breaking abilities."

Harry nodded. "So what else is there in there about me? And why did you stop writing it?"

Deciding only to answer parts of Harry's question Ginny flipped to the last page. "I had promised myself I wouldn't write about the war in the journal. It was for trivial stuff, stuff that happened in my life that didn't involve some people killing others cause of their heritage. And come spring of ninety-seven not too many things happened except for that. So I stopped writing in it and decided not to pick it before the war was over. Only I forgot it ever existed and haven't really thought about it until now.

Harry furrowed his brows in a way that made Ginny's stomach contract. She hated it when he got that look. It made her feel so bad for him.

"Well, why don't start to write in it again? I mean, the war is over isn't it?" He looked sad, and his eyes got some of that old look. The haunted one that had followed him ever since he truly started to realise where his destiny would take him.

"Harry I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No, don't. It's ok. I just... The space between when I think about that is getting bigger all the time. And then it just hits me full force, and I... Don't feel bad, Gin. It's not your fault. Should we eat now?"

She nodded and closed the journal while eyeing Harry carefully. If she reached down into the depths of her heart she knew that she still loved him. She had always loved him, and she had resigned herself to the fact that it would always be like that. Having Harry's friendship was too valuable for her to ever try to get something more, though. The very thought of losing him made her insides contract. He was her best friend, and to have him in her life as a friend was better than nothing. But of course, there were nights after they had said goodbye and gone to their own homes that she would lie awake and stare into the rough, while her heart was beating and the loneliness overwhelmed her. She loved him so much, and he would never know. She could joke about it now, the obsession and the way she had acted as a child. But even though she did, there was no denying that her feelings for him were just as strong now as they were when she was little. Perhaps even more so, because when she was eleven she had been in love with the hero image in her head, now she was in love with the real person, the real Harry Potter. The one who had saved the world, but still had faults and made mistakes. Back then she hadn't seen those things, now she loved him despite, and because of, all that. She sighed inwardly and sat down opposite him, not saying anything. He smiled faintly, but was apparently lost in thought.

"Maybe we should call it a night, Gin," he said as they finished eating. "I'll help you clean and then I should get going. We can finish this tomorrow, besides, Ron will be wondering where I am."

She nodded, knowing that Ron was probably with Hermione, and that they didn't expect him back for a long time yet. But she didn't say anything, just cleaned the table in silence, and then hugged him quickly before he got his cloak and left.

"Bye," she whispered softly to the closed door. "I love you."

6/7/00

I haven't written in this thing for three years. It feels little weird to look at everything that is in here and know that this was all a part of my life. So much has happened, yet some things never change. Harry and I are best friends now, but there is still that distance between us, and the feeling that if he'd only let me through his shield I could help him with whatever demon it is he is fighting.

It's not that he hasn't gotten better, because he has. He hardly ever gets that Look anymore. Most of the time he is smiling and carefree and just like any normal 20 year old. And there are those times... Bah... I hate when that happens.

I wish I could hug him and make it all go away. I wish it was I was allowed to make it go away. Because I know I could help him if he let me.

He was here today and he helped me go through my old things. That was when this journal showed up again. I am moving to London with Hermione in a week, and my mum has ordered me to clean up everything I have stacked away in the attic before I leave. Well, there is more stuff in there than I ever remember having. Most of it is just old junk, but some of it has a little value. At least affectionate value. Like this.

I will go to bed now, because I have a lot to think about. Mum and dad came home about fifteen minutes ago, and I can tell they know something is wrong. What is with parents and seeing right through me? I hate that! It will be nice to finally get a place of my own. And I am looking forward to living with Hermione. She is great, despite her horrible taste in guys. (She is dating Ron. Unbelievable!) I think the two of us will get a nice home. I just have to finish cleaning up my mess first.

Harry said he'd come back tomorrow. I am already looking forward to it. It is so pathetic. I miss him the moment he leaves, and when we are together I keep praying for time to end for those moments to go on forever. I don't know what I would do without him. I love him, and it makes me so mad to think about it. But it's the truth, and that's all there is to it. I love Harry Potter...

I will go to bed now, although I am positive I won't be able to sleep for some time yet. I need to think things through first. Bah, I hate being melancholy. At least no one knows I am like this. They would never believe me if I said I was, either. I prefer it that way. Now good night.