"Mr Potter? That's $22.80 please," The American store clerk cut into my thoughts.

"Oh--right," I handed over the money and took my purchases. "Thanks Sarah. See you next week."

This had been happening alot lately, in the most embarrassing places. I keep thinking of how things used to be and then its like...a trance comes over me and I'm lost in my own thoughts of my old life, my friends. And Ginny.

Just as I began to walk back to my apartment, I spotted something across the road. It looked like--but it couldnt be...

"Ginny?" I whispered to myself. I blinked and the girl was gone. It couldnt have been her, she was still in England, living with her mum according to Ron's last letter. This lack of sleep was getting to me...first daydreams and now hallucinations. Great.

The walk home was slow and boring. The streets of Oregon (where I now lived) were filled with happy families, children and couples. All I could think of was the girl I had seen. It had looked so much like Ginny but of course I knew it wasnt. I swear I've lost my mind living here. The memory of Ginny has haunted me like a ghost. I remember the day I left like it was yesterday. I was packing my bags in Rons room when Ginny had come in.

Flashback

Ginny entered and came to sit next to him. She picked up a nearby t-shirt and folded it neatly before putting it into his trunk. She then did the same with three other shirts before Harry spoke.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"So you're really leaving, huh?" She asked in return, ignoring his unanswered question. She spoke quietly, as if she didnt want to disturb him yet she did that without trying.

"Yeah, I am," He said dryly. He gave her a small smile before putting his socks from Dobby in his trunk.

"Why?" She asked bluntly. She didnt seem to be speaking quietly anymore.

"I--I have to get away from this. There's too many memories here." He told her and she smirked.

"Memories? Sure, but what else is here Harry? Your friends, your family." She said then whispered to herself, "Me."

Harry wished more then ever that she was coming with him. He wished that she hadnt forgotten him as he still loved her...it was impossible not to. Their eyes met briefly and Harry was reminded of how sweet she was and how much he missed their time together.

"Harry, let me come with you." She asked suddenly and stared into his eyes. His eyes told her he wanted her to come. She had nothing to lose. "Please Harry? I can't stand to see you go."

"I have to Ginny. Please don't ask--surely you understand?" He replied, wishing she would go. It hurt too much to see her there.

"No! I dont understand!" She said loudly and Harry prayed nobody heard.

"I need to be alone!"

"You need us! Your friends and family! Not America," She said firmly. He stood up and paced the room, anger across his face.

"There's too many memories here!" He repeated. "I dont want to be around everyone--especially you, Ginny!" He watched her face go from sad to angry in a matter of seconds.

"Me?" She asked, infuriated. "What in the name of Merlin have I done?"

"Nothing! It's just the fact that you are here! I don't want to see you--it hurts too much!" He fell back onto the bed and turned away from her.

"It hurts? Then stay Harry! We can talk--you can't be alone!" She moved to look at him. "I need you here."

Harry looked at her, regret in his eyes. He wanted to stay, to tell her how he felt. But he couldn't.

"I'm sorry Ginny--I have to go."

End Flashback

Dear Ron,

How're you doing? How is everyone else there? I'm fine.

Listen, something happened today--is Ginny still living with your mum?

Let me know.

Harry.

I sent the letter off with Hedwig the Second and retired to my bedroom, hoping to get some sleep, but sleep never came. Once again all I could think of was Ginny. I had so many regrets regarding her. There are so many things I have to say to her but...I can't. Whether its because it would mean admitting that he was wrong or whether it meant facing up to her Bat Bogey Hex (or both). Childish as it was, I'm afraid of her, especially if she is anything like her mum.

I slowly drifted off to sleep where I had a dream about the girl on the street and Ginny...

I swear Hedwig the Second is the fastest owl. She is back already with two letters when I wake up an hour later. I read the first.

Harry,

WATCH OUT. Ginny's on the warpath. She found some old letter from you, flipped out and left for America. Watch your back.

Ron.

Great. Just great. What letter had she found? I dont remember writing any letter to her, at all. The second letter lay unopened and as I glanced at it I recognized my own writing. I opened it.

Dear Ginny,

I am not sure yet whether I will give this letter to you. Tomorrow I leave for America but I know I wouldnt be able to leave without you knowing how I feel. If I give this to you in the end.

I am still in love with you. I never stopped and if anything its gotten stronger. I kept trying to put it off, to forget it because I knew you were over me and that you had moved on. Every part of me was trying to tell you but I couldn't. I couldn't handle it if I didnt survive Voldemort and I couldnt handle you being alone.

I think you need to know I love everything about you. Your great sense of humour, the way you care about everyone and everything with such fierceness that it scares me. You are such a great person with a wonderful personality. I can get over how stunningly beautiful you are, right down to your freckles. You're gorgeous.

Please don't hate me for all this, as pathetic as it sounds. You know you mean everything to me.

If I give this to you, please don't follow me. I have to get away from England. There are too many bad memories.

I hope you understand why I have been so utterly stupid.

Love always,

Harry. XX

Harry,

I'm coming for you. You should have given this to me, you should have told me. Not left it hiding in Rons draw. You''ve been very stupid. Utterly stupid even.

Ginny.

So she was in town--then that was probably her I had seen this morning. And now she was 'coming for me'. Wonderful. Just peachy. All I could do now was wait.

Well, not for very long. There was a loud pop and Ginny stood in front of my bed, wand out.

"Give me one reason why I shouldnt Avada Kedavra you right now, Potter!" She spat.

"Ginny--uh--hi..." I said weakly, struggling to get my words out. I sat up on my bed as Ginny moved around, shut the curtains with her wand and stood directly in front of me.

"Why didnt you give me the letter? Why didnt you tell me?" She asked, pointing her wand at my chest.

"I--er--the letter explained that didn't it?" I said nervously, one eye on her wand and the other on her face which was contorting with anger.

She laughed. "I want to hear your pathetic excuse from your own mouth," She said firmly.

I groaned inwardly. "Well, I wasn't sure if I would survive the 'ordeal' with Voldemort and I didnt want you knowing how I felt because it would hurt you too much. I figured that it would be easier for you if you didnt think I still loved you." I groaned again as Ginny snorted.

"Did you ever think I was pleased to see that you were over me?" She snarled. "Who says I still love you?"

"Nobody--I--"

"Exactly. Why would I want you back after all I've done? Leaving me so you could save the world, then leaving everyone because you couldn't take the pain!" She yelled. "You're a coward! Nobody else left! They mourned and then got on with their lives!"

"Well it's different for me!" I burst out. She laughed again.

"How?" She demanded and put her hands on her hips.

I wasnt prepared for that. I took a deep breath and said whatever I thought sounded right. "Well it's always been me in the center of attention hasnt it? Always been me who has been expected to 'save the world'. You would have no idea how hard it was to try and live up to my name and--"

"And what do you mean by that?" She asked, not as much anger in her voice as before.

"Well, like the prophecy said, it was either me or him. Did you really think that it would be him? Of course I was going to get him but there has been so much pressure to do it which made it so much harder. You couldnt have a clue Ginny, it's been awful. Why do you think I came here?"

I was running out of breath, but I had to keep going. She would not believe me if I stopped now. "I came here because even after Voldemort was gone, the pressure was still on me. The slightest thing that went wrong, it was always 'oh, Harry Potter can fix that'. Everyone wanted me to work for them. I couldn't walk down the street without someone asking if I could help with something. Here, I'm not so well known. People know of me sure, but in this area of town, there are few wizards. It's like a dream, not being recognized. All my life I've been 'the boy who lived' and 'the chosen one' but never have I been the normal old Harry."

Ginny looked at me and slowly lowered her wand. She sat down next to me and hugged me fiercely, just as her mother would have done. I smiled into her shoulder and pulled away.

"Harry, I think you are the biggest prat," She said with a smile. "Did you think that my family and I ever thought of you as 'the chosen one'? You were always just Harry to us. Never anything else, you should know that."

She was right really. "You're right."

"Of course I'm right," She grinned at me and took my hands. "And what I said before--I was just angry. Of course I still love you."

So thats how Ginny and I ended up living together. It just happened really. We kissed and her bags appeared everywhere. Somehow I think she knew this would happen. Somehow I think I knew this would happen. Eventually.