Disclaimer: This is JKR's world, I just play in it.
Quietly, Ginny got out of bed and crept down the stairs. Harry would be coming later that day and she just couldn't sleep. She was staring into the fire, wondering how she would react to seeing him again for the first time since Dumbledore's funeral, when her musings were interrupted by an extremely feminine giggle closely followed by a shuffle from within the bushes. Ron and Hermione were at it again. Ginny was sick and tired of it. If they kept sneaking out to go snogging every night, they were going to get caught and Mum would be furious.
Not wanting to be seen at the scene of the crime, Ginny stealthily got up from the table and made her way to the stairs. That was where she made her fatal mistake. Going by the sink to drop her teacup in, Ginny hit a chair with her toe. "
Shit!" Ginny exclaimed all too loudly. A sharp intake of breath from the other side of the window told her that she had been heard. "
Damn! Here, 'Mione. Help me with this," Ginny heard her older brother Ron say. She had no way out. A rustling of the bushes accompanied by the squeak of the door announced the couple's arrival. The bushy hair of Ginny's best friend and the vibrant red hair of Ginny's older brother was the first thing Ginny saw as they snuck into the room.
"Oh, thank Merlin. It's just you, Ginny!" Hermione breathed. Her bushy hair was ruffled and her cheeks were particularly flushed. "For a second we thought it was your Mum. Do you know how dead we would be?"
"All too well," replied Ginny. "You two would be deader than dead. I do not want to see mum's reaction when she finds out what you two have been doing." "What's that?" questioned Ron, who was trying, yet failing, to look innocent.
"Oh please. You know perfectly well what you were doing, Ron. I suggest you go upstairs now." She watched as Ron traipsed up the stairs. Ginny waited until his footsteps faded. Ginny's breath started to come in short rasps, "'Mione, I need your help. Harry's coming tomorrow and I don't know what to do. How is he going to treat me?" she wailed. Hermione wiped a few tears off of Ginny's face. "I mean, will he completely ignore me, or will he be mean to me?" Unchecked sobbing broke out and the older girl took Ginny in her arms.
"It's all right. Shhhh. Everything's going to be okay. I can tell you that from Harry's letters this is hurting him as much as you." Hermione's statement did little to quiet Ginny's sobs, but the petite girl stopped shaking so much.
"Thanks 'Mione, but I just need to be alone now. Okay?"
"Sure, I'll just go then," and with that she marched up the stairs after Ron.
Ginny's sobs did not die down, though. She just wanted to let it all out, but at that precise moment, who would creep in through the door early though he was, but Harry himself. Ginny took no notice of him as she was too busy crying. Ginny only noticed that Harry had arrived when she felt his toned arms wrap around her body. They sat like that, Harry holding Ginny, until her sobs had subsided. Harry was the first to talk.
"Ginny... I'm so sorry. I know you were crying about me. I didn't mean to hurt you. At the time, I thought it was for the best. If Voldemort found out about you, well, you wouldn't be safe and I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt," Harry explained with a look of, was that sadness, in his loving emerald eyes?
"Harry, Malfoy knew about us and so did Snape." Harry's grip on Ginny had tightened painfully when Snape's name was mentioned so Ginny extracted herself from Harry's embrace holding his hands in hers instead. "If you think that Voldemort doesn't know about us already, then you're mental. I don't care if he knows, and do you honestly think that Ron, Hermione, or anyone in my family would let him attack me? Harry, if by breaking my heart you sought to protect me, you're failing miserably. All I want, all that would make me happy, is to be with you again."
After a moment, "Gin, I want so bad to be with you, but I can't," Harry moaned, "and..." Ginny ran her finger across his lips and his speech faltered, "and..." She was sitting in his lap now. "I just..." Ginny threw caution to the wind. She leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth. It was tentative at first, then deeper and full of passion. Ginny was the first to pull away. "You can't honestly tell me that you don't want me now," Ginny purred.
"Maybe... if Voldemort already knows. Ginny," Harry said as he pulled out a locket. "If you'll still have me?" Ginny threw her arms around Harry and kissed him with the pent-up passion of the past month. Harry pulled back and draped the gold locket around her neck. "This was my mother's. I hope you like it. Dad gave it to her when they started going out. I found it in Grimmauld Place when Moony and I went back at the beginning of the summer. I want you to have it," Harry whispered. Ginny kissed him once again, her hands traveling up and down his chest, their tongues clashing. Harry's hand strayed up the T-shirt she was using for pj's. Ginny let out a moan.
"One second. Can we go somewhere more... private?" Harry inquired. So, Ginny took his hand and led him out to the paddock and they resumed their business.
Harry and Ginny continued to see each other at night. Most of the time, they just sat at the kitchen table drinking tea and talking together. Ginny was really happy for the first time since Dumbledore's funeral. It figures, Ginny thought to herself, seeing as it was Harry who broke my heart that he should make it whole again. They went on long walks together and even Mrs. Weasley noticed that her daughter seemed to be truly happy for the first time since she had been home.
Even though Harry and Ginny had been seeing each other ever since he had arrived at the Burrow, the only two people who knew for sure about them being a couple were Ron and Hermoine. Everyone had his or her suspicions though. For one, Ginny started to wear Lily's Locket. When they had finally gotten it open, Harry and Ginny had found locket pictures of Lily and James. They had fun guessing what Locket Lily and Locket James did when the locket was closed. It was on this warm night that the subject of the locket was brought up again.
"Harry, love? How did you find the locket.? I thought you never wanted to go back to Grimmauld Place?" Ginny questioned. She knew immediately by the look on Harry's face that she had hit a sore spot. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." She was upset with herself for speaking before thinking. Of course he didn't want to go back there. It had been Sirius's house. That place was so full of memories for all of them, but it must have been the worst for Harry.
"Well," Harry started slowly. "I think you deserve to know, Gin. Not because you've earned it or something, but because I love you." This simple statement brought tears to Ginny's eyes.
"I love you too, Harry Potter. I have since the day I met you and I will as long as I live." Harry brushed at a solitary tear that was rolling down Ginny's face.
"I don't know if you will when I'm done telling you this. Ron and Hermione are the only two people, other than Dumbledore, who know about this." Harry felt bad about telling Ginny. He didn't want to burden her, but he felt that she had a right to know about what he would have to do. Then, she could decide if she loved him or not. Harry told her everything. He told Ginny about having to kill Voldemort or be killed, about his lessons with Dumbledore and about where he had been the night Dumbledore died. Harry told her about the core of his wand, the tail feather coming from Dumbledore's phoenix, and matching Voldemort's. He also told her about the horcruxes. The most important thing Harry saved for last.
"Ginny, I'm so sad. And scared. What if I can't beat him? What will happen if I can't find and destroy all of the horcruxes? You saw Dumbledore's hand. What if that happens to me? I've been so scared ever since Dumbledore... died. I haven't wanted to admit it. If Voldemort had the power to arrange Dumbledore's death, than what chance do I stand? I'm just a 17 year-old kid." Ginny put up a hand to Harry's lips.
"Shhhh, of course you'll be all right. Even though the protection your mother gave you ran out, you've still got us, Harry. Even if you get a shriveled old hand, I won't love you any less. Yes, Harry. I still love you. Nothing could stop me from loving you. It's just like you to want to doubt yourself, but you've always had a saving people thing and now, more than ever, that will come in handy. Harry, think about all of the people who will die if you don't win. Think about all of the good times you won't have. Voldemort will take that. That's why you have to win and I know you will, Harry. I just know it. And you will get all of the horcuxes because Hermione told me that she thinks that she's already located Slytherin's Locket and Huflepuff's Cup. I know that you'll be fine because your mum and dad are looking down on you. And I have them right here to prove it." Ginny carefully opened the locket. There were James and Lily smiling up at them. Around Ginny's neck were the people who had saved him for the past 17 years. Now, she knew that he had to rely on himself. He's not alone, though. He's still got me. Ginny thought to herself.
She looked down on the people who had given Harry life and made a mental note to give them each so much love when she saw them in heaven because they had given her Harry. She yawned and looked at the clock. "Bloody hell, Harry! We've got to get to bed. Bill's getting married tomorrow!" and with that, Ginny scampered up the stairs.
The actual wedding was such a blur. Ginny, Hermione, and Gabrielle were bridesmaids. They all got their hair done in an elegant up-do. However, Gabrielle looked the best by far with the hairstyle and canary-yellow v-neck dress. Ginny's dress clung to her petite, yet curvy, body in all the right places. Fleur had outdone herself with the elegant outdoor wedding in the Burrow apple orchard. Her elegant wedding gown positively made her glow and made Ginny sick. The goblin-made tiara was fitted nicely into her hair and her bouquet of white roses made Ginny further think she was going to be ill. How could anyone be so pompously pretty? Ginny asked herself.
That was all Ginny could really remember about the wedding other than the reception. She had a little too much champagne and, if possible, danced a little too much, which completely sobered her up. Her feet were killing her, so she took off her shoes and decided to sit down. Harry joined her a few minutes later and kissed the nape of her neck.
"You know how much I love you, don't you?" Harry whispered in her ear.
"Why, no, Mr. Potter. I don't. How much do you love me?" teased Ginny.
"As much as the moon glows and the sun shines," Harry stated seriously. "And I will until the day that I die." Harry leaned in and kissed her delicately, then deeper, full of passion. "Let's take a walk, Gin." He got up and led Ginny in the direction of the pond. Farther away, in a place that was singing with the crickets, sat Harry and Ginny, locked in an embrace. Harry was kissing up and down her neck, causing Ginny to moan with pleasure. He kissed her once again before conjuring a blanket with his wand. He slowly laid her down and kissed her tenderly.
"Harry, we can't do this. I want to so badly, but we can't. You still have another year at Hogwarts, and what would Ron say if he found out? Besides, what if there was a baby? I'm not ready to be a mother yet, Harry, and I don't think you're ready to be a father either. We should just wait."
Harry sighed. "I know, Gin. I just let myself get carried away. We should wait until we're married," he said as he sat up. "You think we'll get married someday?"
"Harry, I hope so. I would love nothing other than being your wife. Maybe someday you will propose to me, and I might just say 'Yes'."
Harry kissed her neck and Ginny playfully slapped him on the arm.
"This means we're back together, right?" Ginny questioned. Harry gave her a kiss that could mean nothing else. They walked from the paddock holding hands and enjoying just being together. "Harry, love?" Ginny began tentatively. "Please, you can hold my heart, just don't break it, okay?" she said as more of a question than a statement.
"I will never hurt you again, Gin, as long as I live." Harry whispered in her ear.
A/N: Please review everyone! This is my baby and I want feedback. I hope you liked it and now you know what to do, REVEIW!