Author's Notes: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit off if this story.

"Oh no. Not like this Harry! You weren't supposed to die now." Ginny stroked his hair back from his face, brushing away the dirt and blood from the battle field around them.

The boy who had finally defeated Voldemort tried to chuckle but it turned into a gasping breath instead. "It's alright Ginny. Don't cry."

"But you were supposed to live! It's not fair! You never had anything and they took this away too. Don't die Harry!" She knew she sobbed like a petulant child, powerless and asking for the impossible but she didn't care. It wasn't fair. Everything everyone else had taken for granted had always been denied to their martyr but Ginny had always thought it would be ok in the end. The happy ending was supposed to make up for everything else. That's how it always worked in the books. And the hero lives happily ever after with his beautiful princess.

Ginny didn't have any illusions that she was that princess. But she loved the boy who had always been a man. And even believing in happily ever afters, there had always been the sneaking suspicion that no happily ever after could ever be great enough to make up for all that came before it.

But now there wouldn't be a happily ever after. Because Harry Potter never got any of what he deserved. He had never had a chance for any of it, was instead a breathing sacrifice to the world.

His hair was slicked back with sweat and blood and his skin was clammy and pale. He didn't look like a hero now, just a dying boy. But his eyes were still strong even if his body wasn't.

"Don't die Harry! Don't let them just throw you away!" But she didn't know who 'they' were. Maybe all of humanity. It didn't matter. He had been a sacrifice for all of them.

His lips curved up in a tired smile. "It's alright Ginny. I was never supposed to have all that. I did what I was supposed to do. It's enough."

"No!" she tried to deny it, tried to find words to tell him he was wrong but all she could come up with was "It's not fair."

Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see the bruised and battered form of the headmaster.

"Save him!" she demanded.

He just shook his head. "I have no magic for that Ginny."

"Then what good is magic?" she shrieked. "We never deserved him!"

Harry coughed weakly, his eyes shut in fatigue and as a brace against the pain. "Thank you Ginny. For caring."

"Always Harry. The bloody world can go hang." She smoothed his hair back again and kissed his forehead gently.

His breath grew weaker, struggling down through more blood to find its way to his lungs.

His eyes struggled open again, desperate. "Stay...stay with me?" And Dumbledore was there but Harry's eyes were on Ginny's.

"Forever." she vowed. "I love you Harry."

Her own eyes closed as she felt his heart beat under her splayed fingers.

one beat.

two beats.

three.

She tried to imagine her own heart melding with his, holding it up to beat with her strength. She tried to imagine he was getting stronger, not weaker. She tried to imagine him taking her strength. But everything was white and numb inside of her and she could feel nothing but that whiteness as her own heart continued to beat. She wondered how it could possibly be so healthy when he was not. She could feel everything she was leaving her at the thought of a world without him in it. How could anything possibly exist in a world that shut him out?

Under her fingers Harry's skin had grown hot and she felt his hand trace her cheek.

"You really do, don't you?" his voice was filled with soft disbelief. He coughed this time with a little strength, turning his head so the blood fell on the ground.

His heart had stopped faltering under her hand.

"What..." she started, unsure.

"There is no magic greater than love." Dumbledore spoke but Ginny barely heard him.

Harry coughed again, hacking painfully as his lungs cleared themselves and he gripped Ginny's hand tightly.

"Help me up?" His voice was stronger already.

"Where...where will we go?" she asked, bewildered, as she braced his still weakened form against her, struggling to help them both rise.

A bit of a grin tugged at his lips. "Into the sunset?"

And as they staggered across the bloody battlefield, him leaning on her, still clutching his side, and she covered in just as much dirt as he was, Ginny Weasley knew it wasn't much like a fairy tale.

But it was a start.

Please review! Otherwise I won't know if I should write more things like this or if I should try something different.