Author's Note: Thanks to Dius Corvus for feedback on this chapter. And also, thanks to all those of you who reviewed the last chapter; I don't have time to comment on your reviews individually this time. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 19

A Long Lost Love

Ginny stared at him in disbelief. 'What are you talking about?'

Harry sighed. 'It's me. Harry Potter.' He had wanted to tell her ever since she had opened the door to her office, just as he had wanted to tell Hagrid and Tonks as soon as he saw them. But no – he really wanted to tell Ginny even more than he had wanted to tell them.

'That's not funny,' Ginny said shrilly.

'But it's true.'

Ginny rose swiftly from her seat, walked around the desk to the door and put her hand on the door knob. 'You're crazy. I don't know who the Hell you are – but get out of my office right now!'

Harry rose from his seat and turned to look at her. 'I'm not crazy, and I'm not joking. Can't you tell it's me? Tonks and Luna recognised me almost immediately.'

'I said, get out of my office.' Ginny's voice was shaking.

Harry approached her, but she took out her wand, taking a step backwards. Her eyes were flashing.

'Don't you dare touch me!' she snapped.

'Look me in the eyes, Ginny,' Harry said with forced calm. 'Look me in the eyes – can't you see they're my eyes? My mother's eyes?'

'You are sick!' Ginny said, pointing her wand straight at his heart. 'You should be locked up in St Mungo's, get your head examined!'

Harry didn't know what to do. He hadn't expected this – it had all been so easy with Hagrid, Tonks and Luna; he had expected it to be the same with Ginny, perhaps a little more painful. Or a lot, even, but not like this. When he came here, he had felt sorry for himself, but now he was simply desperate to make Ginny believe that it was really him. What could he possibly say to convince her?

'Remember when we were in the Chamber of Secrets?' He said gently, pleadingly, 'remember how we took Lockhart back up into the castle, without his memory? And remember at 12 Grimmauld Place, when you used to throw Dungbombs at the door to check if we could use the Extendable Ears? And when I thought I was possessed by Voldemort you told me I wasn't, because you knew exactly what it felt like to be possessed by him – '

'Anyone could have told you that!' Ginny interrupted him. 'Anyone could have found out about those things. It wouldn't be difficult.'

'And when I needed to talk to Sirius,' Harry went on as though she hadn't said anything, 'you and Fred and George came up with the plan of using the fire in Umbridge's office. And that last spring, when we were sitting by the lake and I told you I loved you for the first time ...' his voice faltered. This wasn't working; Ginny was still staring at him as though he were crazy.

'Shut up!' she spat, fury burning in her eyes. 'I don't know how you found out about all this, but it doesn't make any difference – I don't believe you, I never will! And – and – how dare you desecrate the memory of Harry Potter this way! You're not worthy to even utter his name!' Her eyes now had that particular glitter which only tears can give.

Harry looked at her, desperately. Why wouldn't she believe him? He took a deep breath, and, heedless of her wand, he stepped swiftly towards her, grabbed her and pulled her close to him, and before she could object, kissed her. At first, she tried to push him away, but then she gave in. After a long while they let go of each other. Ginny looked at him, and he could see that she believed him now.

'Harry?' she said breathlessly. He noticed, for the first time, some thin lines around her eyes, almost imperceptible: lines caused by laughter – but there were also worry lines on her forehead and around her mouth, lines Harry had hoped, that time by the lake, would never be there in Ginny's face.

He nodded. 'Yes, Harry,' he whispered tenderly.

She stepped away from him, leaning against the door, breathing heavily. She was staring at him as if she had seen a ghost, her face pale behind the freckles. For a while, no one said anything. Harry didn't know what to say to her. Then, Ginny took a sudden step forward, raised her hand, and slapped Harry's face. There was a moment of silence and then she shouted, 'You ... you bastard! Where the Hell have you been for the past fifteen years?!?'

Harry looked at her guiltily, at a loss for words.

'If you've been alive all this time, how could you not tell me?!' Ginny went on shouting. 'You thoughtless, egocentric bastard! How could you do this to me? Do you have any idea what I went through when I found out you were dead?'

'Yes, I do,' said Harry quietly.

'Yeah –?' said Ginny, firing up again, but before she could go on Harry interrupted her.

'Yeah. Because I thought you were dead.'

There was a ringing silence as Ginny stared at him in confusion. Then Harry sat down, and slowly began telling her the whole story of what had happened after the Death Eater attack. When he had finished, they were both quiet for a while.

'So it was only yesterday I found out that you were still alive,' he added. 'When I saw Ron. He brought a photograph of you with him to class ... but I think I must have suspected it even before I saw it; he looks so much like you.'

'Do you think so?' Ginny sobbed. She had begun to cry halfway through his story. 'I've always thought he looks so much like ... like Ron. Our Ron, I mean.'

'Yes, you're right,' Harry said. 'He really looks like a Weasley. Like Ron.'

Ginny blew her nose, and then took a deep breath. 'So. What do we do now?'

'Nothing,' Harry said flatly. 'What's there to do? I go back to Hogwarts as Henry Evans, and you go back to ... you go home.'

'You ... you're married?' Ginny said without looking at him.

'My wife is dead,' Harry said calmly. 'I have two children.'

'I'm sorry, Harry.'

Harry looked at her, thinking of what might have been. He wasn't quite sure what she was sorry for.

He rose, and went to the door. 'Perhaps it would be easier for us both if ... if we never saw each other again.'

Ginny hesitated. 'Yes, I suppose you're right.'

'Well ... bye then. And good luck. With everything.' He took one last look at her and opened the door.

'Harry?'

'Yes,' he said, without turning around.

'I'm glad you're alive.'

'I'm glad you're alive too.' He walked out and closed the door behind him.

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Harry walked to the lifts like a zombie, without thinking, without allowing himself to feel anything. As soon as he was out of the building he Apparated straight to Hogsmeade, and walked quickly towards the castle. He wasn't going to think about it. It would hurt too much. A thought flashed across his mind for an instant, a second only – I'm not glad, he thought. I'm not glad she's alive. He recoiled from it a mere moment later. Ginny, his Ginny – of course he wanted her to be alive ... He just couldn't bear the thought of her being married to Colin Creevey – and, even worse, the thought of never being able to see her again.

He walked up the stairs to North Tower. He would get Lily – as long as he was with Lily he would have to keep it together. He couldn't allow himself to break down in front of his daughter. But at the foot of the ladder, he paused, shaking, unable to move. He couldn't go through with this. He couldn't face Lily, or Luna for that matter. He leaned against the cold stone wall and closed his eyes, trying, desperately, to think of something else, to push the thoughts of Ginny to the back of his mind. He composed himself eventually, forcing himself to postpone his breakdown to some undefined moment in the future, and began his ascent with a blank expression on his face.

The trap door to Luna's classroom was open, and when Harry climbed through it he found Lily and Luna sitting at one of the tables, looking into an Orb.

'Dad!' Lily said excitedly, running forwards to meet him. 'Professor Lovegood's been looking in the Orb. I looked too, but I didn't see anything. She reckons I'm probably not a Seer.' She looked a little disappointed.

'Well, one can never be certain,' Luna said, surveying Harry dreamily. 'Some people don't discover that they have the Gift until late in life. Then again, true Seers are very rare ...'

'Anyway,' Lily went on, 'I didn't see anything, but Professor Lovegood saw you, Dad! Only she wouldn't tell me what she saw.'

'Well, I'm sure Professor Lovegood was right not to tell you, Lily.' Harry was amazed that he was able to make his voice sound so normal. 'Making predictions is very tricky, you know.'

'Yes, I know, Dad!' Lily said impatiently. 'I'm going to get my stuff from the other room. I've found loads I want to take with me.' She skipped away happily.

Harry and Luna looked at each other, no one saying anything for a while. Finally, Luna said, 'So ... How was Ginny, Harry?'

Harry didn't say anything at first, but fought very hard to keep up his facade of calmness. 'Was that what you saw in the Orb? Me and Ginny?'

Luna nodded.

'It was terrible,' Harry said tonelessly. 'I ... I'd rather not think about it right now. We've decided that it's better for both of us if we ... if we never see each other again. I think it's for the best.'

Luna nodded again. Harry was grateful that she didn't say very much – that she didn't come out with any meaningless phrases of comfort when there was nothing that could comfort him.

Lily came back, carrying a big bag full of things.

'Wow, that looks very exciting!' Harry said in false cheerfulness. 'You'll have to show me everything when we get back to our quarters.' He turned to Luna. 'Thank you very much for taking her today.'

'Yes, thanks Professor Lovegood!' said Lily. 'I had a great time.'

'Not at all,' said Luna, smiling at her. 'I had a good time too. You're welcome here any time you like, Lily.'

She watched thoughtfully as Harry and Lily climbed through the trap door again, and closed it carefully behind them. Then she went back to the Orb, which was glowing mysteriously on its table.

'You'll see Ginny sooner than you think, Harry,' she said quietly to herself, peering into the Orb.