Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everyone else. Puh-lease. I just own this fanfiction… ((((:

Ginny picked at the souffle.

"Ginny, dear, you must eat." Ginny looked up at her mother, who was bouncing James on her hip.

"Do you mind if I hold James for a bit?" Molly nodded quickly, whisking him into her arms. Ginny clucked at the small boy for a minute, who seemed fascinated, not with her cooing, but her vibrant red hair. He had only inherited Harry's.

Scents of peanut brittle and eggnog wafted through the air. Though laughter spun through the Burrow, it was strangely subdued. There was no teasing as Harry consumed all of the treacle tarts; no zooming brooms or cautious glances at food placed before them from George; no dangerous scowls from the Weasley brothers as Ginny and Harry shared a passionate kiss. There were no illicit trysts at all. Ginny was damn near confident that she was touch-starved. Even Hermione's hand on her arm had kept her electrified for the next few hours.

"We are opening presents in a few hours," Molly called to the rest of the group, who had lagged around the Christmas tree. Even that seemed to brush the ceiling, ornaments and baubles piled hazardously on the branches.

"Mom, I need to go grab something for James."

"Take your time, dear," Molly smiled, patting Ginny's arm. Hooking James' arm around her's, Ginny went in search of more spiced rum. Not that she'd needed it. After swearing herself off of alcohol, she was forced to reconcile with gilly water and eggnog.

When she'd imagined the weeks following her coma, they involved lots of therapy and hugs. Which is exactly what Ginny received, minus the hugs. It became hard to have someone touch her when all she could think about was Harry's warm hands.

Late at night, after all the presents had been opened and tears exchanged, Ginny laid in bed. Her dreams mocked her, her nightmares dancing in circles around her head. Sleep had never been an issue. Had, being the key word.

Unlike most nights, where Ginny tossed herself into abandon, Ginny could not fall asleep. Suddenly, there was the sharp crack of an apparition. But Ginny just buried her nose into the pillow, willing it to smell like Harry. The mattress just sighed beneath her.

She missed Harry so damn much that she couldn't even cry over it. What they had had was unbreakable… until it wasn't. And then everything was over before it had begun. Before their lifetime had begun. It wasn't even his kisses or his cooking or his hair, it was his eyes. And the silence between words and everything in between. Ginny longed for a taste of him, just one more kiss.

The door eased open, and Ginny stopped her restless spinning, feigning sleep. There was a soft sigh so familiar to Harry that Ginny moved over to accommodate for James' small frame. Except… it never came.

"I hear you've been giving everyone trouble," Harry murmured.

Ginny darted up, her heart pounding anxiously in her chest. She drank him in like a tonic, from his jaw to his hair to his beautiful green eyes. To… "Harry?" Her voice was hoarse.

And then she knew that he must've been Harry. Because instead of responding, he just opened his arm. Clawing her way out of the sheets, Ginny ran across the room, throwing herself into his arms. His smell… by magic, there had been nothing like it. No pillow case or shirt or…

When at last, Ginny's tears had stained the shirt, she looked up. It still wasn't enough.

"H-how…?"

"I don't want to talk about that now." Harry kissed away one of her tears, then another, his breath warm against her cheek. Inviting her. "I want to kiss you over and over and-"

Ginny didn't let him finish, tugging him by the collar of his shirt down to her lips. At the sudden contact, the lamp behind them fizzled out, a fissure of electricity shivering through the room. As if their magic could not be contained.

Tangling her fingers in Harry's hair, she smiled against his mouth, wanting every fraction of space in between them to disappear. Harry spun his fingers through her shirt, allowing it to fall apart in his fingertips in soft, lapping flames. She tasted amazing, like spice and eggnog, sweet and unforgettable. Her hair, as soft and silky as it had been when he'd first fallen in love with her, hung to the small of her back. She hadn't changed a bit. Except, as he smoothed his hands down her sides, there was a considerable less of her to love.

"Ginny?" Harry gasped, tugging her away to study her. "You've lost weight."

He spun her around, though not to look at the way her pajama bottoms hung off of her waist. A spike of concern shot through Harry. He didn't know that his absence would have this much of an effect.

"It doesn't matter." Ginny tugged at his arm from behind her. He was here. He was here, Ginny repeated in her head. The words still didn't get through.

James. James would love to see him.
"Hey, it's late," Harry muttered softly, his voice a soothing wave against the wall Ginny had built up. He tugged her back against him, his arms hugging her fiercely.

"Does anyone else know?" She felt him shake his head. Her heart fluttered at this - she had been the first to know. No surprise there. But she needed to see him, so she spun around and clutched her arms around his neck, aiming for more height.

"I missed you," Ginny cried softly into his neck. All the days of exhaustion and sorrow and grief came pouring through her, as she sobbed into Harry's shoulder. Distantly, she felt Harry's own tears trickle onto her cheek.

"I'm here," Harry whispered, his words heavy with regret. "I'm here forever, Ginny."

Ginny looked up.

"Say it again."

"I'm here. Forever." Ginny jumped, no, pounced would be a better way to describe how she leapt on Harry. Kissing him on his salty cheek, the crest of his jaw, the curve of his brow, she wanted it all. Every single worthless argument faded into nothing because he was here.

"I." She kissed his forehead. "Love." His nose. "You." His pillow-soft lips.

Harry drew in a sharp breath. After their separation, it had been the first time she had told him she loved him. Even through Harry's thick sweater, Ginny felt his heartbeat. She just clutched his face tighter.

"I love you, Harry."

When she moved to draw her lips away again, Harry just pulled her closer. It was too far, even a fraction of an inch, between them. When Ginny's knees hit the back of their bed, she shrugged off her pajama bottoms, standing naked in front of him.

"I've missed you," Harry said hoarsely, a steady blush warming his cheeks. Shedding his t-shirt, Harry moved closer to her, their warmth biting back at the cool sheets.

From there, the night was only theirs.

Hermione couldn't sleep. Of course, Ron snored like a log next to her, his arm tangled around her abdomen. Unbeknownst to even Ron, Hermione had been having trouble sleeping ever since Harry left. While Ginny had suffered sorrow of her own, Hermione had lost her best friend and confidant, and without his fearless leading in the Ministry… her job lacked some of the life it once had.

So, Hermione crawled out from under Ron's embrace, pressing a kiss to his freckled forehead. He smelled nice, like her husband. Smiling a little, she recalled him hours earlier, pressing kisses to her cheek and her neck, giving her the best Christmas present possible.

But now, she knew Ron needed his sleep. After all, they wouldn't be getting so much soon, Hermione thought while stroking her stomach. It was easy enough to put off the weight gain on Christmas festivities, and even Ron hadn't commented on the additional bit of her to love. Not that she'd told him. She'd intended for it to be a Christmas present, but she was wary of his reaction. They already had Rose, what if he didn't want another little child running around the house?

Just as soon as she thought it, Hermione laughed. Rose had been the best thing to happen to Ron, he was a natural with her. Even when he swore around her or accidentally sent up her breakfast in flames, Rose absolutely loved her father.

Hermione tiptoed down the hallway, hoping to read a book with Ginny.

Opening the door, she found that the room was dark. Hermione muttered a lumos under her breath and nearly screamed.

Harry… and Ginny. Ginny was curled in Harry's embrace, his arm over her's, covers slung around them. When Ginny's eyelashes fluttered, Hermione extinguished the light, her heart pounding loud enough to wake the whole house. Who… what… how?

Hermione pinched her arm to make sure she was still awake, and when she discovered she was, the puzzle pieces began to click together. When the flames had come down, Harry had no doubt been torn away. But by who? And why had they released him back into their grip. Whoever it was, they were already three steps ahead of them. Hermione did not like those odds.

She spent the rest of the night reading, and by morning, Ron found her asleep in one of the many armchairs.

"Ginny?" She stirred in her sleep, rubbing a hand against her face, brushing away some of the ginger hair that had spilled from her loose bun. Immediately, she darted awake.

"Harry?" Ginny croaked hoarsely. Looking delicious rumpled and entirely there, Harry grinned at her. Burying her face into his shoulder, Ginny breathed in deeply. He was here.

"Don't go to sleep again, I want to say hi to everyone."

"I'm not, I just don't want you to leave."

Harry traced a long finger down her exposed side. "Maybe we should get dressed."

Ginny sighed. Last night had been too little of all the time she wanted with him. If it were up to her, which it wasn't, she would lock the door for a week. Just to kiss the backs of his eyelids and his collarbone and the unruly curls so similar to James. But as it were, all they had were a few minutes before everyone knew that Harry returned. Especially the reporters.

Ginny suddenly became aware that she was hugging Harry.

"One hour," Harry compromised.

"Two."

"One and a half."

Ginny arched a dark brow, but he didn't relent. "Fine," she huffed, turning over so he was underneath her. "I can work with that."

And she did.

By the time she had donned a red jumper, her cheeks were permanently flushed an adorable shade of pink. Harry couldn't get enough of her, often pausing his shaving to just tickle her under the ribs or give her a quick hug. But after all was said and done, Harry still lingered at the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?"

Harry thumbed the edge of his jumper. "I've been 'dead' for… some time." He looked up, his green eyes big and scared. "What if they can't forgive me-"

Ginny hugged him tightly. "You're an idiot if you think that everyone will not be over the moon to see you." She flicked his arm. "But you are in big trouble for leaving us for so long."

"I'll tell you about it later," Harry murmured.

But before they could stand up, a large boom echoed in the distance, followed by thunder. Getting closer and closer. Ginny and Harry swapped concerned glances before all of the glass turned to dust.

Something was coming and fast.

And Harry knew that they had to leave. Now.

I believe it's been around three years since I updated this. If you've been here since the beginning, you will have noticed that I deleted a few of the recent rantings. I am continuing this, so no need to clutter your feed with declarations of sorrow.

Will I continue this? Yes. Am I writing other stories? Yes, and go check them out. Wild and Wickedis way more steamy and light-hearted, whereas How Everything Went Wrongis more similar to this piece. I'm working on completing both of them. Where did you go? To write a novel. How can we encourage you to get more chapters out? Leave reviews, and read! I update the stories that garner the most attention. This has been my most popular story. What next? I'm going to finish this. It probably has around five to ten more chapters left.

That's it for my Q&A. Pretty please leave a review!

Talie