Dumbledore's Army

The More Things Change…

A/N: Wow. I've been getting some extremely encouraging reviews! I've been without a computer for the last few weeks and it sucks because I've been wanting to write. Anyway, one more chapter to go now! And in one review I was asked the difference between killing with the Killing Curse and killing with a sword, which kind of inspired some of this, so… there you go J  And hm. I think this is the very first chapter without flashbacks! Huh. It's also, consequently, the chapter with the longest author's note. That said, on with the show!

The hellos and hugs had died down and the entire party seemed to move as one onto the dance floor as Molly and Arthur shared their first dance.

Ginny watched her parents, her face shining with pride as the rest of the couples began to join them.

She made a face at Ron, who was currently leading Hermione out onto the floor, and then grinned as the tips of his ears turned bright red.

Some things never changed, she thought to herself, her eyes scanning the room.

They fell on the empty spot where Harry had been standing just seconds before and her smile faded.

And some things had changed so much that you couldn't recognize them.

She made her way across the garden, disappearing into the rows of overgrown orchids-mum's engorgement charms had really worked wonders on them-most were taller than she was. She walked quite a ways before she found him.

The sunflowers finally gave way to the grassy clearing that they used for Quidditch practice usually. He sat cross legged on the ground, staring up into the cloudless sky. She followed his gaze, almost hearing the shouts of her brothers and Harry as they tossed around a Quidditch ball, the faintest ghosts of the boys five years ago nearly visible if one squinted just a bit.

 She hesitated, realizing for a second that she had no business coming here. Trying to remind herself that she was angry with him, and that he'd been the one to leave. That tonight was just another example of his leaving, and here she was following him.

Always following him.

As she watched him for a few minutes, stuck between her former self and the new Ginny, with the walls to protect her, she realized that she'd always been chasing him.

And no matter how much you fought, some things never changed.

Biting her lip, she went and took a seat next to him, saying nothing and instead following his gaze, the ghostly shouts of her brothers dying away as she realized that there was actually nothing there. Not now.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed that he didn't turn his head, didn't flinch. Instead, he continued staring up at the sky.

"It was different than I thought it would be," he finally spoke after sitting there for what felt like hours of silence, losing the game of chicken that she had initiated.

Of course, Weasleys were known for their stubbornness and she could very easily have sat there in silence all night, despite the fact that she had been the one to seek him out. In fact, she continued to sit in silence. But this time, for a different reason. Harry needed to talk about this, and she was fairly certain he hadn't talked to anyone. Not even Ron. He wouldn't bring it up after so many years. Not now that they had easily fallen back into the pattern of playing Chess and Quidditch and laughing together.

And while that was good for Harry, he needed to talk about it, without interruption. So instead, she waited quietly for him to continue.

"I read a lot on the killing curse before the time came, you know. I knew I'd have to kill, and I wanted to at least know what it would feel like." He hesitated, and from the corner of her eye, she could see him wincing. Her hand inched towards his, but she stopped herself just in time. No interruptions. That was her excuse, but really the hesitation had more to do with self-preservation, if she was truly being honest.

Harry shook his head and she was certain she heard him swallowing. "I don't think the killing curse is like that, you know." He shook his head again. "I just… I was prepared to go through with it. A wave of the wand and he was gone, you know?" She couldn't help but look at him, noticing that he was biting down on his lip hard, and hunched over that way, he looked barely eleven, very much resembling the boy she had first seen in King's Cross-the one who had been so lost and unsure of himself. The one she had fallen in love with instantly because he was a hundred times better than the stories that had been told about him. Because he was human. She felt herself nodding slightly even though she wasn't sure if he was even seeing her now.

"I just realized shortly into the fight that when it came down to it, my wand would be useless," he continued quietly. "Dumbledore had told me once that brother wands couldn't do battle against each other, and he was right." Harry paused again, and she noted the barely visible motion of swallowing again. "All I could do was use my wand to get me what I needed, and then…" he trailed off, closing his eyes, his forehead screwing up painfully.

"I just didn't want to face anyone after that. I knew no one could understand what it was like. And I didn't want any of you to understand. Didn't want you to see what I'd become." For the first time, he looked over at her, meeting her eyes. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She stared at him, all of the angry things she'd thought of over the years to shout at him when he finally came crawling back, begging for forgiveness, evaporating.

Instead, she waved a hand and shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"But I do worry about it, Ginny," he said quietly, still holding her gaze. He stared at her for a moment and then tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "You're missing your parents' party."

She shrugged, looking away. "Everyone was dancing. I haven't been a big fan, since…" she bit down on her lip to cut herself off. "Well, you know," she muttered, picking idly at a blade of grass and praying for him to change the subject.

He fell silent for a few minutes and she wondered if she had ruined the tentative peace that had been formed until he suddenly stood up and held out his hand to her.

"Dance with me?"

She hesitated, still refusing to allow herself to look at him. And then, avoiding his hand, she stood up on her own, meeting his eyes. She held his gaze stubbornly for a moment as he stared back at her, clearly a bit unsure as to what was coming next.

"You're a real prat, you know that, Harry Potter?"

His face fell and he looked down guiltily.

"I know. Er," he began after a moment's silence, "I'll leave you alone then," he said dejectedly, turning to go.

 
She froze and then reached out and took his hand, gently turning him around, a small, hopeful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"As long as you admit it, I can dance with you," she said with a small decisive nod.

He stared at her for a moment as though she'd grown an extra head, and then a small smile formed on his face and he took a step towards her, awkwardly putting his arms around her and pulling her closer.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, falling into the rhythm of swaying back and forth to the distant melody wafting towards them from the party.

After a few minutes of that, however, her posture stiffened and she stopped. Harry stopped a second later, his hold on her loosening as she looked up at him.

"You'd better not be thinking about leaving again," she told him sharply, meeting his eyes this time, her own fierce with the stubbornness that was a family trait.

For his part, Harry looked a bit taken aback as he met her eyes.

For one awful second she was sure he was going to push her away again. Going to call her frivolous and tell her there were more important things. Or perhaps say that he'd rather be anywhere but here.

But instead, he bowed his head, his face moving ever closer.

She closed her eyes as his lips met hers, returning the kiss without question, matching his sweet, tentative pace at first and keeping up as the intensity deepened.

But as he stepped towards her, again wrapping his arms around her, she froze.

Looking up quickly, she pushed him away and took a step back, unable to meet his eyes.

"You would do well to be sure before you do things," she repeated, mimicing her own words from earlier.

"I would," he agreed with a nod.

She chanced a look at him, a surprised expression on her face.

He met her eyes sheepishly, and then again took a step towards her.

"I love you, Ginny," he said quietly. From the expression on his face just after, she mused that he was just as taken aback by the words as she was.

She stared at him in shock for a moment before a small grin began on her face. After a few seconds, it had spread, until her entire face was consumed with beaming.

"You really are a prat," she said, teasingly shoving him. But at the hurt expression on his face, she caught his hand and pulled him towards her, placing his hands on her hips and wrapping her own arms around his neck.

"I love you too, Harry Potter," she said matter-of-factly, standing on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his.

He laughed and again pulled her close, swaying to the faint strains of music that were filtering through the gigantic orchids.