A/N: Yes! Go me! I got another chapter up! And here's fourteen, just a little later than usual.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Wootwoot: Yeah he's really sweet isn't he? And it's 'innocent' btw.

Elven Tresses: Gosh no this isn't the end! Far from it! I'm so glad you thought all the little things were sweet. I did too.

Krazi Kelli: Sorry, but this one is kinda mushy too. What can I say…I like some mush every now and then.

Bookwormandpoet: I love Ron and Hermione's fights too!

Lique9: Hey Angelique! I love your story, it's going GREAT!

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Chapter 14

Home and a Question

As soon as Ginny stepped out of the Burrow's grate she was enveloped in a hug. She patted the woman on the head and tried to gently pry her sobbing mother's arms off.

"Mum…you have to let go of me." Ginny said. She looked around, but no one else was in the room. She was about to call out when she heard a swooshing noise behind her. She heard Harry laugh.

"Harry! Why don't you help me?" Ginny asked.

She stood there, still trying to lift her mother's arms, but stopped when she felt Harry's stronger arms gently pull Mrs. Weasley off of her.

"It's alright, Mrs. Weasley." He said as she launched herself on Harry sobbing.

"Oh, I know. I'm being silly, but oh Ginny! We were so worried!" Harry's face was a mixture of relief and apprehension when Mrs. Weasley pulled back and wiped her face.

"Come on, Mum. Let's go find everyone else." Ginny said taking her mother's arm.

"Ron and Hermione are upstairs, and I don't really know where everyone else is. Charlie might be with Bill at Gringotts, and I think Fred and George are at their shop. Oh, and Percy is at the Ministry with your father."

"Why don't I go and get Fred and George and—"

"No!" Harry said quickly. Ginny looked at him. "I…I just…why don't you go and get Ron and Hermione and Mrs. Weasley can go find Percy and Mr. Weasley. I'll go to Diagon Alley…I was planning on stopping by to Fred and George's anyways."

Ginny looked at Harry curiously, but Mrs. Weasley was already agreeing.

"I'll be right back, Ginny." Harry said, and Apparated before she could respond.

Ignoring the feeling that Harry was up to something, Ginny headed upstairs to find Ron and Hermione while her mother flung powder into the fireplace to arrive at the Ministry.

"Hermione?" Ginny stopped at her door and tapped on it softly.

There was a thud as something hit the floor and then a loud CRACK.

"G-Ginny?" Hermione called out, her voice slightly strained sounding.

"Can I come in?"

"No! Just…give me a moment."

Ginny frowned as she heard Hermione rushing around in her room. Before she could say anything, however, the door was flung open and Hermione was hugging her.

"I'm so glad you're home! It's been simply crazy around here, and I felt so lonely up here all by myself." Hermione said earnestly, pulling Ginny inside.

"Uh-huh. Well…I suppose I would have missed you as well, if I had had any idea that I was gone."

Hermione laughed.

"You changed shirts, 'Mione. That's not the one you were wearing this morning."

"Oh, yes, I spilled tea. Yes, Ron and I were drinking tea, and I spilled tea on my shirt."

"What was that noise I heard?" Ginny asked, peering around the room.

"Oh! I um…dropped my—my book! See!" Hermione ran over to her nightstand and picked up a large book, quickly kicking a maroon shirt under her bed. "I was cleaning up, and the book—I knocked it over." Hermione finished, somewhat lamely.

"You were cleaning up and knocked over your book? Why didn't you use your wand?" Ginny asked, her suspicions rising.

"Laziness. You won't believe how many Muggleborns can't even make their beds anymore!"

Ginny's eyes wandered to her spare bed that Hermione had taken over. The sheets were tangled and pillows were knocked on the floor.

"Do you consider yourself to fall under that category, 'Mione?" Ginny asked, grinning. Hermione's face reddened slightly, but she tilted her head up.

"I hadn't gotten to the beds yet." She said loftily.

"Well, I'll just leave you to them. Mum said I needed to tell you and Ron we were home. I'll go find my dear brother." Ginny said, shutting the door on her way out. She climbed the stairs and knocked on Ron's door. He swung it open, a frantic look on his face.

"Hi, Ron! I'm home!"

"Ginny! I uh…wasn't expecting you quite so early." Ron said, scratching his head.

"Yes, well, the process of signing out didn't take nearly as long as I'd thought it would." Ginny said brightly, pushing Ron out of the doorway and into his room.

"So…erm…where's Harry?" Ron asked, as Ginny plopped herself onto his rumpled bed.

"Out." Ginny said. "It's sort of strange, too. He just about demanded that he go to Diagon Alley to get Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie to come back. You've changed your shirt, Ron."

"Yes, well, Harry—I—what?" Ron stammered.

"Your shirt. It was maroon this morning." Ginny said pointing innocently to his Chudley Cannons shirt.

"Yeah, I spilled Mum's hot chocolate all over it. Me and 'Mione were having hot chocolate and—"

"Were you now? That's funny. I could have sworn Hermione said you had tea this afternoon." Ginny said.

"Yes, did—did I say hot chocolate? My memory really is terrible, and I—" He trailed off as he watched Ginny's gaze fall on a purple shirt lying beside his bed.

"Oh, um…Mum got some of the laundry mixed up. I've been meaning to give that to Hermione." Ron said in an unconvincingly indifferent voice. Ginny smiled and walked to the door. She was about to shut it when she looked back at him.

"Oh, Ron?"

"What?"

"I don't know what you and 'Mione are up to yet, but I will. Oh, and if I were you, I'd get your stories straight before you Apparate out of each other's rooms."

She shut the door on his astonished face, and walked back downstairs.

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Ginny didn't have much time to think about what Ron and Hermione were doing because nearly as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, her mother appeared with Percy and Mr. Weasley.

"Dad!" Ginny cried, and flung herself on her father.

"Oh, Gin. It's so good to have you back." Her father said wiping his eyes. Ginny pulled away to hug Percy. He hugged her back, somewhat stiffly.

"I missed you Ginevra." Percy said, grinning at the sight of her face when he said her name.

"Thank you, Percival." Ginny retorted.

"Touché." Percy said, as Ginny grinned.

"Is Harry back?" Ginny asked, following her mother to the pantry.

"No, dear. I expect he's still telling everyone." Her mother said vaguely, as she pulled out her wand to begin preparing food. "We're going to have a party in about an hour or two, Ginny, so I expect you'll want to dress nicely."

"Yes, Mum." Ginny said and dutifully went upstairs to change.

She found that Hermione was sitting down reading when she entered.

"Hi, Ginny."

"Hello. Mum said we're having a little party, and I think she wants us to 'look nice'." Ginny said.

"I don't have anything nice! All my nice dress robes have shrunk!" Hermione said, starting to panic.

"So go to Diagon Alley and buy some more or just do a stretching spell, Hermione." Ginny said pulling out her own robes.

"Yes…that would work. I'm sorry; Ginny I'm not feeling too up to speed today. It's been a rather hectic week, and we've all been so worried. What with you being in a coma, and then when Harry started to lose it, and—" Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as Ginny straightened up and looked at her.

"What do you mean 'Harry started to lose It'?" Ginny asked quietly.

"He—well…we all were so worried, I mean, your mother was crying constantly, and—"

"Harry, Hermione, not Mum. What did Harry do?"

"He sort of erm…disappeared. After the battle and seeing you like that, I mean. Ron and I looked everywhere for him, and we finally found him at Grimmauld Place. We got him to come back with us and then he went to Azkaban to find Lucius Malfoy and ask him what he did and that didn't help, but then we figured it out. Oh, he went all over getting things for the potion, and he just kept on, but he wasn't right, Ginny. He was touchy and withdrawn, and I thought he was going crazy." Hermione hung her head, "I feel awful that I felt like that, but it looked really bad. I'm so sorry, Ginny." Hermione reached out to touch her on the shoulder, but Ginny drew back. Her eyes were bright and her face was pale.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You just woke up, Ginny, and besides…I thought Harry had."

"No. He didn't say a word. Oh, Hermione…what if I hadn't woken up? What would have happened to him?" Ginny cried.

"Ginny, don't think like that! You are awake, and Harry's fine now."

"I—you're right. I don't need to think like that. Let's…let's just get ready for the party."

Hermione noticed as they dressed that Ginny was still quiet. She answered all of Hermione's questions quite readily, but she didn't talk as much as she normally would have. Ron came downstairs after sometime to get them, and noticed her shortness. Before he could say anything, she had already disappeared. Ron turned to Hermione with a confused face.

"Is she still upset about the whole keeping a secret from her thing?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked quickly, "I was very guarded! She couldn't have picked up on anything."

"It was me." Ron said and he told her what had happened.

"Oh dear," Hermione said when he was done, "I suppose we'll have to try to get our stories straight, won't we?"

"Yeah, we will. So…do you think that's why she's got her wand in a knot?"

Hermione hesitated.

"Well, actually, I think it has more to do with Harry."

"What do you mean? Wait…..'Mione, what did you tell her?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I—it slipped, Ron! I said something about Harry losing it and she made me tell her! I feel horrible! This is going to screw them all up again! Ginny will confront him, Harry will put his guard back up and possibly disappear again, and then they'll be all….apart. And this time, I don't know if they'll be able to patch it back." Hermione said, wringing her hands.

Ron swore loudly.

"We have to fix this, 'Mione. Tell you what….let's go downstairs and I'll go to Diagon Alley and find Harry and you find Ginny…and…I dunno…get them together or something."

Hermione nodded and followed Ron downstairs.

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Ron's plan died before they even reached the kitchen. Harry was sitting on a stool with Ginny, peeling potatoes.

"Looks like we need a different approach…" Hermione whispered.

"Harry, mate, I fancy a walk." Ron said.

Harry stopped peeling potatoes long enough to give Ron a look that clearly said he thought he was losing his marbles.

"So go and take one."

"D'you want to come?" Ron asked desperately.

"Nah. I think your Mum might slaughter Gin and I if we don't finish this mountain." Harry laughed.

"Right…um…Harry…have you forgotten that chunk of wood in your pocket?" Ron asked slowly as if speaking to a two year old.

"No, Ronald, he hasn't. It's like Hermione said, wands make you lazy." Ginny said smiling.

"Oh, great timing on that, 'Mione." Ron muttered.

"Yes, well, why don't we just relax that rule just this once…Ginny, I really need to talk to you." Hermione said.

Ginny hesitated for a second.

"Um….actually….Harry and I were going to take a walk." Ginny said.

"Oh! Um…okay…yeah that's…that's good! Um…where are Bill and Charlie and the twins?" Hermione asked.

"Bill and Charlie are out in the garden, setting up tables, and the twins are….somewhere, doing something I'm sure I don't want to know about." Ginny said frowning as she hopped off her stool.

"Gin, what about the potatoes?" Harry cried as the whole mountain fell onto the floor.

"Whoopse. Harry, be a darling and charm them for me will you? I can't legally do magic for another month." Ginny asked, beaming.

"Sure." Harry pulled out his wand and charmed the potatoes to start peeling themselves.

"Thanks. Now, how about that walk." Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out the door.

As the door slammed shut, Ron exchanged a glace with Hermione.

"That can't be good."

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"Gin, are you sure you want to take a walk? You'll ruin your dress robes." Harry said as Ginny led him up a dirt road to a hilltop.

"I'm sure. I wanted to talk to you."

"Uh…that's great…but…can—can I talk to you first?" Harry asked, sounding nervous.

"Of course you can! Here, talk." Ginny sat down on the grass.

"Okay…Ginny, I just…you see, after the battle when you were in the hospital, I visited you before I um…left. Anyways, I figured something out that night. When I heard what had happened, and that you might not wake up, I—I suppose I lost it. My world just collapsed. I got that old feeling back…and the old dreams…you know, the ones where everyone leaves me? Well, I decided that if I couldn't stand losing you again. What I mean is, I—I love you Ginny. I've always loved you and," Harry paused and took a deep breath, "I want to marry you."

Ginny stared at him.

"I—excuse me, what?" She asked.

"Ginny—I mean, Ginevra Weasley, will you—will you marry me?" Harry asked, shaking as he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.

"I—yes." Ginny said.

"Yes?" Harry asked, as though he didn't believe her.
"Yes! Now. Right now."

Harry paused as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"I—what?"

"Now. Harry, I don't want a big wedding with bows and—and things. All I want is you, and me, and the person that makes it official."

"But…Gin…your parents….."

"They'll understand. Harry, please. This is what I want."

"Right now?"

"Right now, let's elope."

"I—can we?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't of age."

"I don't think that matters….I don't know who to go to though…"

"What about McGonagall?"

"McGonagall? Do you think she can?"

"No…wait! Lupin! We'll go to Lupin!" Harry said excitedly.

"Oooh, I know he can! He told Mum once that he got some thingy at the Ministry or something that let him do special ceremonies and such."

"Great….um, Gin…can—can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If this doesn't sound too horribly depressing…can we do it by Mum and Dad's graves? It's just…I…they've never gotten to be a part in anything I've ever done…and just this once, I'd like to think that they were there."

Ginny stared at her new fiancée who looked as though he was trying to act as though this wasn't a big deal, and tears filled her eyes.

"Of course we can. We'll…we'll Apparate to Lupin's and then we'll just…find your Mum and Dad's graves, and it'll be perfect. Just perfect."

"Great. Okay…since you can't do this yet…just hold onto my arm, real tight and, one, two, three!" Harry and Ginny spun on the spot and disappeared into the night together.

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A/N: Okay, who was expecting that? No one right? Good! I hope it wasn't too soppy sweet or anything. Wow…this chapter is really long! Six pages! But, I have been away so I think you all deserve it. Anyways, the whole eloping idea was Angelique's. I really like it as well; it's worked great into this story. Anyways, review and I hope you loved it!

Kat