An area of the Hogwarts grounds had been set aside for the DA reunion. A marquee had been erected, and warming charms meant they could take their jackets and scarves off, and not feel the cold. Winter was well on the way, keeping the younger Hogwarts students indoors, while the older ones enjoyed a Hogsmeade weekend.
Harry sat at a table with Ron, Hermione, Dean and Padma. It was where he could see anyone arriving. Luna and Cho had strolled in about ten minutes ago, with no sign of Ginny. He wished he had been able to collect her from Luna's house.
Ron and Dean got called away to help cook the barbecue. George placed Angelina down in Ron's vacated chair, then took his son Freddie over to play with some other children. Today was just casual, a last chance to get together before people returned to their everyday lives. Some had only managed to come to last night's dinner.
Hannah and Parvati were in charge of the food today, with more help from the Hogwarts elves. Susan and Justin turned up together, amid catcalls about how and where they spent the night. Ernie and Terry were watching Dean and Ron, and when George wandered over, they began a debate about Muggle football versus Quidditch. It was all very relaxed.
Hermione was going on about something in the Auror office. Harry supposed he should be listening, but he had just spotted Ginny. She stopped and spoke with Dennis, then Katie Bell. She was looking around, 'for him?' he wondered.
"Hey, Ginny's here," called Seamus.
She made her way over to the barbecue. Ron pointed out the table they were sitting at. She stayed to talk to the guys around the barbecue, making a comment to which they all laughed. George picked up Freddie, and introduced him to his aunt. Ginny was talking to him for awhile, making him laugh at her as he answered her questions. A few minutes later, he leaned over and went into Ginny's arms. She kissed his cheek and was content to hold him for awhile as she continued to talk with the guys, including Freddie in their conversation.
Harry couldn't take his eyes off her. She unconsciously began to sway as she held Freddie, then she'd whisper something in his ear to make him laugh. He knew she'd make a good mother, be loving and kind to their children. He almost laughed out loud as he realised what he had just thought. Their children. He almost snorted in derision at himself.
Then she was there, at the table. She deposited Freddie on Angelina's lap, and grabbed a seat, which just happened to be next to his. She greeted everyone, but made a point to lean over and speak to him.
"Hi," she said, smiling happily.
"Hi," he replied, smiling back at her.
They turned back to the others, Ginny blushing when she realised they were all staring at her and Harry.
"So Ginny, still leaving tomorrow?" asked Hermione.
"No, actually I'm staying for the rest of the week," said Ginny.
"Oh, really?" said Hermione, glancing between Harry and Ginny.
"I'm staying at Luna's," said Ginny, quickly. "I hope I can come over to yours and Ron's flat before I go, though."
"Of course, you're always welcome. Only not Monday or Tuesday, I'll be working late those nights. Oh, and Wednesday I have a meeting with Kingsley, that usually runs really late. You'd better check with Ron too. He usually works late when it's a big weekend of Quidditch. This week its the Holyhead Harpies versus Chudley Cannons, and you know what Ron's like with his Cannons," said Hermione, with a shake of her head.
"Did someone mention the Cannons?" asked Ron, placing his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Lunch is ready, by the way."
They stood up and moved along the various tables. Hannah and Parvati were directing people to the meats and the side dishes.
"Save some room for dessert," called out Hannah.
Everyone groaned. "I'm going to put on so much weight from this weekend," groaned Cho.
"I say it's a day to forget the diets and dig in," declared Neville, who had just arrived to a round of greetings.
Everyone at their table laughed as Ron returned with three loaded plates and Ginny sat down with two.
"It's the Weasley appetite," they both said as they tucked in.
With Ron opposite him, and Ginny next to him, Harry felt surrounded by food. Yet he had never felt less like eating. How was he supposed to stop thinking about her for another week? Or keep his hands off her?
He watched her, content to sit quietly beside her. He noticed that she easily deflected questions about herself and her life today, and actually brought people out of themselves, as they ended up telling her about their life. He wondered if that's why she was such a good author.
He watched as she fooled around with Freddie again, and realised the two times they had made love, they hadn't used any protection. Was it wishful thinking, that they may have made a baby?
Dessert was served, along with tea and coffee. It was now heading towards late afternoon, yet no-one wanted to leave. Soon, real life would return, and this reunion would just be a happy memory.
Children began to get fussy, and parents began gather their things together to leave. The house elves were doing a brilliant job of removing all the food and plates.
Harry and Ron went to help pack away some chairs and tables, and help with the barbecue. Ginny smiled at Marietta and Cho as they left. She waved goodbye to Ernie and Justin, then wandered down to the edge of the lake.
She was glad the reunion was over. Now she had the chance to speak with her brothers, especially Ron and Percy. And she really wanted a chance to see what could happen between her and Harry. She sensed he wanted to be with her, yet something was holding him back. She wanted, no, needed to know. Once and for all.
She closed her eyes. She was so full from all the food, she felt she needed to go and have a nice snooze in front of a cosy fire. 'Like the one at Harry's', she thought.
"Well, well, you're looking pretty pleased with yourself. Had all the guys hanging off your every word again today, did you?"
Ginny stiffened. She knew that voice, it was the same one she had heard at the Three Broomsticks the other night, when she was in the loo.
"Well? Got nothing to say to me, bitch?"
Ginny turned around. "Hello, Romilda."
Romilda flushed, although whether from the sarcasm in Ginny's voice, or from the drinking she had apparently done earlier, Ginny knew not.
Time had not been kind to Romilda Vane. Her face was puffy and there were dark circles under her eyes. Non stop drinking and smoking hadn't helped. She looked ten years older than she was. The perpetual scowl and down-turned mouth didn't help her demeanour. She had been mean to Ginny and other girls in Hogwarts, and the mean girl had turned into a vindictive woman.
"Don't use that tone with me. You think you're so hot in your fancy mansion in California. I bet you're rolling in money, too. Now you think you can honour us with your presence, like you're doing us a favour, or something," snarled Romilda.
"I don't know where you got the idea I have a fancy mansion in California from. What are you doing here anyway? You weren't even in the DA, you thought it was ridiculous when I told you about it," said Ginny, trying to look for Ron or Harry for help. Padma and Hannah were nearby, and they came to help her.
"Yes, well, you didn't tell me Harry was involved in it, did you? You told me it was all Granger's idea. Always wanted to keep Harry for yourself; never gave any of us a chance with him," snapped back Romilda.
"Romilda, please-" said Hannah, while Padma stood next to her, nervously twisting her napkin in her hand. Luna wandered over.
"Shut it," said Romilda, sparing Hannah a glance. She turned back to Ginny. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"
"No." Ginny wasn't going to rise to Romilda's anger. She didn't want Padma or Hannah upset by Romilda, for they had obviously put a lot of effort into this weekend. She didn't want it to end this way.
"Romilda, I can see that the wrackspurts are all around you and -"
"Give it a rest, Loony," spat Romilda.
"Come on Romilda, you don't have an issue with them, you have issues with me. Always have, even back in school. I don't know why. But I don't want to fight with you, and ruin this weekend," said Ginny, calmly.
"Well, that's just too bad. I've wanted to have it out with you for a long time, Weasley," said Romilda.
"Why don't you just go on home. Do the right thing, and we'll forget this ever happened. You don't need to do this, Romilda," insisted Ginny.
"Well, listen to Miss Holier-than-thou! You're so wrong, Weasley. I've wanted to do this for a really long time," said Romilda, her eyes all crazy with hate.
With that, she ran towards Ginny.
Harry, who had stopped to chat with Neville, was just coming around the corner when he saw Romilda charge at Ginny. He and Neville both started running, knowing they weren't going to be in time to stop the collision. Harry cursed the anti-Apparition rules at Hogwarts.
Seamus was coming from the opposite direction, but he was running towards Ginny too. Harry knew he had a better chance of reaching Ginny before him, and hoped he could help her. He realised Ginny hadn't pulled her wand out, and worried even more.
He needn't have. As Romilda launched herself at a much smaller Ginny, she stepped aside, and with a well-aimed chop and kick, she flipped her over her shoulder, and Romilda went straight into the icy waters of the lake.
Romilda surfaced, spluttering and swearing. She started screaming as the iciness took over her body. She paddled furiously to the edge, where Justin and Ernie reached down to pull her out. Hannah transfigured a table cloth into a towel for her to dry herself off.
Harry reached Ginny, and pulled her into his arms. "Gin", he breathed, kissing her forehead. He could feel her shaking, and she buried her head against his chest.
Harry saw Romilda arguing with Susan and Hannah, while shooting Ginny dirty looks. Even Harry could feel the hatred in her eyes. He held Ginny tighter, rubbing his hands over her back.
Susan broke away and came over to them. "Harry, I'm going to take her in. She said she'd come quietly if you bring her. Besides, you know your way around the Auror office, all the protocol and that."
Harry shook his head. "No, I'm not leaving Ginny, and I'm not going to give that psycho bitch what she wants," he said angrily.
He tightened his hold on her again.
"Please Harry. I just want you to bring her in, then you can return. Please," said Susan, while Hannah and Padma looked at him, pleadingly.
Harry pulled back to look at Ginny. She pulled her head off his chest and looked at him. "Go. She needs help. Take her away, please. Then come back to me."
Harry hugged her. "I'll be back as soon as I can, love," he said.
Ginny nodded. Neville put an arm around her. "She'll be fine, Harry."
Neville and Harry shared a look, then Harry nodded. He went with Susan, who cast a spell on Romilda. Standing on either side of her, Susan and Harry headed up to the castle to use a fireplace to floo from.
George, Angelina, Ron and Hermione came up to her. "Bloody hell, that woman's mental," said Ron, disgustedly.
"Are you all right, Ginny?" asked George. Ginny nodded.
"That was so cool. You're like a Muggle Ninja, or somethin'. Say, can you teach me that?" asked Freddie, quite impressed with his new auntie.
Ginny chuckled. "Thanks Freddie," she said patting his head. Leave it to a kid to break the tension.
"You know, I have your dad and uncles to thank," she said.
Freddie looked at his dad. "Huh?"
George grinned at his son. "Yep, taught her everything she knows,"he said, winking at Ginny.
"Will you teach me, Dad? Just like Auntie Ginny. Chop, kick, flip. Hoo, hah, yee haw," he said, practising his moves with his hands and legs.
"Come on champ, it's time to go. Unless you want me to hang around?" asked George.
"No, it's fine. Neville and Seamus are here if I need them. And Harry will be back soon," said Ginny. She hugged him and Angelina goodbye, smiling at Freddie who was still practising his ninja moves.
Ron came up to her, too. "You okay?" he asked, worriedly.
"Sure," she said. He didn't look convinced, but hugged her. "Can we catch up before you leave?"
Ginny nodded. "Monday or Tuesday?" she asked.
Ron smiled. "Come to our flat. I'll cook tea for us."
Ginny smiled. "That will be nice, " she said softly.
She hugged Hermione goodbye, and wandered away from the lake, deep in thought. Maybe she should leave earlier? Harry hadn't said anything about her staying longer. Did he not care?
She hadn't noticed where she was wandering. It was only as she came to the edge of the Forbidden Forest that she stopped, surprised at how far she'd come.
Memories came flooding back. The night of the battle. The girl she was tending to, when she felt a presence behind her. Seeing a familiar figure enter the forest. Following him. Seeing him-
Ginny put a hand over her mouth to stifle her cry. She didn't realise she was shaking again. She closed her eyes, ashamed of her weakness.
"Ginny?"
She jumped slightly, then found herself being held from behind by Neville. "What the hell? Is it the thing with Romilda? You're shaking so much," he said, deeply concerned.
"I saw him, Neville. He didn't think I knew it was him, but I did. I followed him and I saw it. I saw it happen," said Ginny, as if in a trance.
"What? Ginny, what are you talking about? What did you see, who are you talking about?"asked Neville.
"Harry. I saw Harry go in there," she said, pointing to the forest.
"No, he went with Susan to the Ministry," said Neville, confused.
"Not today, the night of the battle. He came out here and went past me. I knew it was him, so I followed him."
"What? Ginny, tell me what you saw," said Neville.
"I followed him for while. He took a Snitch out of his pocket. He seemed to talk to it, then, I don't know, it was like he kissed it. Then he stopped, and it was like he was talking to someone. I was just about to go and get him to come back to the castle with me, when he started walking again."
Ginny took a deep breath and shuddered. "He had told me the prophecy. I knew what he had to do. But I never, ever considered the possibility that he would die. That's what he had to do, you know. He had to give himself up. Even as he faced Tom, I don't know what I was thinking. I wanted to be with him, next to him. But I..." Ginny broke off in a sob.
"What, Gin? What did you do?" asked Neville gently.
"Nothing! I did nothing. I was a coward and stayed hidden. I let Harry just walk up to him and stand there and then he- he said it. There was a green light and then, then he fell. And I never got to tell him how I felt about him," wailed Ginny.
"Ssh, Gin. It's okay. Come on, love," soothed Neville. "Ssshhhh."
Ginny sobbed, four long years of self loathing erupting from her. She hadn't told anyone she'd witnessed Harry's fall at the hands of Tom Riddle. In shock she'd stumbled back to the castle, where she found herself battling Bellatrix. Her mother had stepped in to help her, and had been killed. When Hagrid had returned in chains, carrying Harry's body, her father had to restrain her from running to him. It had all been too much. Her father had returned to the Burrow to ensure it's safety for his grieving family, and had stumbled upon looting Death Eaters. He had been killed in the fight to protect his property.
"Ginny, listen to me. You are not a coward. Do you hear me? You are one of the strongest witches I know. There is no-one I would rather have stood next to me at the battle than you, Gin," said Neville.
"I let Harry down. When he needed me the most-"
"NO! You did just what Harry needed. You did the hardest thing. You let him go. Do you think he would have let you face Voldemort with him?"
"No. But if he'd stopped to say goodbye I could have told him I loved him," argued Ginny.
"And do you think Harry could have left you after hearing that? No, Gin. Harry did what he had to do."
"Don't you get it? HE DIED! He left me. We should have had our whole life ahead of us together, but he died," said Ginny.
"He came back. He's been hurting these last four years, too. And what's stopping you from having your whole life ahead of you now. You've both wasted four years. Let this shit go, Gin. It's not helping you or Harry."
"You're missing the point," argued Ginny, in frustration.
"Your dwelling on the point, and for what? Get over yourself, Ginny. You're here, he's here. Do us all a favor, and get together, already. Go and be ridiculously happy and make babies with Harry."
"Um, am I interrupting?" asked Harry. He'd heard Neville's last statement, and wondered what had gone on since he'd left.
"Oh, you can come along when he's telling me to go and make babies with you. Well, it's not like we've used protection the other times, is it? I could be pregnant now, for all we know," yelled Ginny.
"Oh really," said Neville, smiling.
"Shut up," said Ginny. "I'm mad at you. And you," she said, turning to Harry.
"What did I do?" asked Harry incredulously. He looked at Neville, hoping to get a clue.
"You died!" yelled Ginny and Neville at the same time. Neville chuckled, which only made Ginny madder.
"Right then," said Harry, ducking down to put Ginny over his shoulder. Before she knew what was happening, he was striding back to the castle.
"What the hell?" she yelled. Harry smacked her ass. "Nev," she called.
Neville laughed and waved goodbye to her. Seamus saluted them both as Harry strode past.
Harry flooed from Hogwarts and they arrived in his lounge. He out Ginny down, and she stormed around the lounge. The dogs, eager to see them both return, quickly assessed Ginny's mood, and crept down the hall into Harry's office.
"You want to tell me what the hell that was all about," said Harry.
"Not particularly. Not right now, anyway. I suppose we'll have to talk about it at some point. Harry, why don't you want me?" asked Ginny, bluntly.
Harry stared at her as if she had two heads. Not want her? Was she nuts?
"I mean, you didn't want to stay with me last night. So what's wrong with me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, defensively.
Harry gulped. "Not want you? You've got it all wrong, Gin. I've wanted you since I was fifteen. I could barely look your parents and brothers in the eye. If they only knew the thoughts I had about you, they would never have invited me back to the Burrow."
Ginny stared at him, bug-eyed. Harry took a breath. She had opened his Pandora's box of emotions, and now he'd started, he couldn't stop.
"Do you know how jealous I was of Neville, because he had the guts to ask you to go to the Yule Ball? And even then, I couldn't get close to you to ask you for a dance. Three brothers, Neville, Seamus and Dean. Then bloody Michael Corner came along."
Harry could see the shock in Ginny's eyes, and decided maybe it was better that she found out this way. Maybe he would scare her off if he told her how much she truly meant to him. Then maybe she'd leave, and he could carry on with his lonely life.
"You think those two times we've been together are all I want? Merlin, Gin, I've dreamed about you since the day you left. In my bed, on my desk, in the shower, on my lounge-"
He drew a breath, fighting for air to get the words out.
"None of those damned dreams even came close to what we shared. If I had my way, I'd keep you locked up in my bedroom and make love to you every night so you wouldn't even be able to stand in the morning."
He chanced a look at her, while trying to get his emotions under control. He didn't expect to see her smiling. It sparked his temper.
"Go wait on the verandah, and I'll Apparate you back to Luna's."
"No."
"Now, Ginny."
She didn't move.
"Goddamn, Ginny, if you don't move right now, you know what's going to happen."
Their eyes locked as she slowly nodded her head. He could see the pulse in her neck beating furiously. He stood there, struggling for control, yet knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Closing his eyes, he willed himself to have the strength to walk away from her. He knew if they made love again, he wouldn't be able to let her go.
"Please, Gin," he whispered. It was as close to begging as he ever wanted to get.
"Don't you see, Harry? I can't...I need you, Harry."
Those words shocked him so much he opened his eyes and looked into hers.
"I need you so much, I'm shaking."
He saw the truth in her eyes and gave in.
He started towards her. The look in his eyes both scared her and thrilled her. He grabbed her and Apparated straight up to his bedroom where he threw her on the bed.
He quickly ripped off her shoes and socks and her shirt. She lifted her hips as she tried to pull her jeans down quickly. Growling in frustration, he used his wand to banish the rest of her clothes off. He undressed himself in record time, his eyes never leaving hers.
Then he was up and over her. Inside her. She raised her lower body, welcoming his heat. She grabbed his shoulders, his back. She grabbed his ass and squeezed, hearing his groan as she felt his weight on top of her. She inhaled his scent, like a wolf sniffing for its mate.
There were no words spoken as he slammed into her repeatedly. Fast and furious, their need was so great, none were necessary. His climax came straight after hers. He buried his face into her neck, and let out an agonizing groan.
Then all was silent.