The week was going by too fast. Already it was Thursday. Ginny had mentioned going to get her things from Luna's, and seeing Percy. Harry had kept putting off meetings with the Ministry, until he had run out of excuses. So they decided that today they would go and take care of these necessary details, then meet back at Harry's for tea. He had added Ginny to his wards; permitting only her, Remus, Tonks and Teddy access to his home.

Ginny flooed over to Luna's, and she found Luna had morning tea and biscuits already prepared. Ginny hugged her before they sat down to eat.

"That was nice. I do think hugs are one of the nicest things in the world. People should hug more often, don't you think?"

"Hugs are nice." agreed Ginny. " Luna, I'm sorry I just took off like that. It was really rude of me to accept your offer to stay, then leave with Harry."

"Oh, it's fine. As soon as I saw the way Harry was looking at you, I had a feeling you wouldn't be staying with me for long. As long as my two dearest friends are happy, then I'm happy too," said Luna, smiling.

"Thanks, Luna. You are an amazing friend. So supportive in every way that matters. I was so glad to see you when you visited me in the States," said Ginny, sipping her tea.

"I missed you. You have an amazing energy, Ginny. It lights up everyone around you. You probably don't see it. Harry does, and I do too. You draw people to you. It's a lovely quality to have," admired Luna.

"Really? How does that explain why I've wanted to be alone these last four years?" asked Ginny.

"I believe it was what happened during the final battle. I think it drained that energy, so you had nothing left. You needed to go away, to re-charge, so to speak. Why else would you have left? Everything you wanted was right here. Remember? We used to talk about life after the war. You said you just needed your family and friends close, and for Harry to survive," explained Luna.

Ginny nibbled on a biscuit, thinking hard. "I think you're right, Luna. I think writing that book was cathartic in a way, getting rid of all the bad crap I was thinking and feeling. Merlin knows, I haven't been able to write anything decent since. So many rejection letters; you wouldn't believe."

"You're coming home now, aren't you? If there's nothing keeping you in California, no book deals or anything, you can come home. You and Harry are happy, right? You can write here, just as well as there. I do like it there, though. The sun is always shining, like it's always happy."

"I'd need to go back and get my things. Harry and I, well, we haven't made any plans for after this week," said Ginny, biting her lip.

She didn't want to bring up her possible leaving. She wanted him to ask her to stay. In England. With him. At his home.

"I'm leaving next week, too. Maybe we can travel together. I'm heading to Alaska, to meet with a Mr Rolf Scamander. I sent him a letter, and he invited me to join his next expedition. It's most exciting. He really thinks there's a chance he's discovered the nesting ground of the Crumple Humped Snorkak! I mean, no wonder I didn't find any in Sweden. They're on a whole other continent!" exclaimed Luna, happily.

"Wow, that's great Luna. Yes, if you're leaving next week, I can probably travel with you. I just, you know, need to sort things out with Harry."

"Of course. Well, this is exciting, isn't it. Do you think we could even spend a couple of days together in California. I always wanted to go to Disneyland. My Dad would tell me stories about it. It's supposed to be the happiest place on Earth. I'm not surprised, really. Walt Disney himself was a powerful wizard. Some say that when he died, he froze his body. That would take a lot of magic to do that, don't you think?"

Ginny smiled at her wonderful friend. She had been a true friend to Ginny for as long as he could remember. Being neighbours had meant they had grown up together. Luna had been there for Ginny after the Chamber of Secrets, when her Gryffindor classmates had ignored her. Her friendship was one Ginny truly treasured.

"Yes, Luna, we will have a wonderful time at Disneyland," said Ginny, smiling.

Ginny left Luna an hour later, promising to fire-call her as soon as she could to make travel plans.

She made her way to Diagon Alley, popping in to say hello to Hannah Abbott. She agreed to meet her for lunch tomorrow, as she knew Harry had a meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic.

She walked up the Alley, passing the Apothecary, and lingering at the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. She had yet to go for a fly on the old Quidditch pitch at the Burrow. Then she cursed herself for still thinking of it as the Burrow. Harry really needed a name for his home, she decided.

She walked past Flourish and Blott's, and Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. She had decided to stop in the stationery shop on the way back, as she wanted to get a new journal. A story idea had come to her, and she wanted to get some thoughts down on parchment while it was fresh.

Tucked into a small office building next to Gringott's Wizarding Bank, was Percy's office. She went in and gave her name to the witch on the reception desk. Percy himself came out and greeted her, then escorted her to his office.

"I feel like I'm a client, not your sister," joked Ginny, as Percy sat on one side of his desk, and she sat in a comfortable visitors chair.

"It's so good to see you. I was worried you would return to America without seeing me, Ginevra," said Percy.

"No, I had already decided that I would see you all before I left. I wasn't expecting it to be at your office, though. This seems really official," she said.

"Yes, well, there is some business matters we need to deal with. Bill told me he told you about the sale of the Burrow. I just want you to know that I've been looking after your money, and investing it. I have all the documents here, and you can either look at them now, or take them away with you. Everything is above board, I can assure you. Still, if you'd rather get someone else to take over your investments, I understand."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute. You're going too fast for me. You're an investor? And you've been looking after my money?"

Percy nodded, keeping silent. He watched as Ginny processed this information. He deeply regretted his lack of attention to Ginny in her first year at Hogwarts, and he hoped this was a small way to make amends. He handed her a list of her investments and statements.

Ginny's eyes widened. "There must be a mistake. How did I get so much money? Even with the sale of the Burrow, dividing it by the six of us wouldn't equal this amount," she said, shocked at the amount.

"I've been investing it the last three years. Nothing too extreme. Even some Muggle companies. I always think how Dad would get a kick out of it," said Percy, sadly.

"Still, that's a lot of money," said Ginny, flicking through page after page. "Wait, what's this amount here for?" she asked, pointing something out to Percy.

"That's, ah, reward money. For killing Bellatrix. She had a price on her head, you know," said Percy.

Ginny paled. "I don't want it. It's blood money and I won't have it. Besides, in the end, I couldn't do it, even after she had just killed Mum. I wanted to, I had my wand pointed at her, then I just couldn't do it. I didn't even call a curse, I cast Immobilus. So the money shouldn't be mine. Get rid of it, Percy," said Ginny strongly.

Percy stared at her. "Actually, two other people called the Killing Curse on her. An Auror and, um, a student. When they heard about the circumstances, you know, Mum protecting you, then falling to Bellatrix, they insisted they didn't want it. They wanted you to have it."

"I don't want it," insisted Ginny.

"They knew you were still under-age, Ginny. They wanted to help you get a start in life, have a bit of help, financially," said Percy.

"Percy, I don't know how I can make it any clearer. I don't want it. There must be some sort of charity I can donate it to, or something," said Ginny, desperately.

"Why don't you speak to Harry? The Potter Foundation has several charities set up that you could donate the money to," suggested Percy.

"The Potter Foundation? Is that what Harry does with his time?" asked Ginny, surprised.

"Among other things," said Percy.

"How do you know so much about what Harry does, anyway. Is he one of your clients, too?" asked Ginny.

"In a way. It was Harry that helped me get started. It started when we sold the Burrow to him. I had kept an eye on the stock market, both Muggle and Magical, and I gave him a tip, and it paid off. He told me I should go into business, and he was my first client. He sends a lot of business my way, Ginny."

"Oh," said Ginny, surprised. "You and Harry never seemed to get on when he stayed at the Burrow with us. In fact, you were quite rude to him, calling him a liar and a show off," said Ginny, crossing her arms.

"Yes, well, I was quite caught up in my career in the Ministry at the time, you may recall. It wasn't until that night at the Ministry, when I saw Voldemort return with my own eyes. Listening to Fudge going on about he was going to cover up the incident, well, I soon began to see I was wrong. I went to Mum and Dad and told them what I had heard. They took me to Dumbledore and Sirius. I-I became a spy for the Order, Ginny."

"What? Why is this the first I've heard of this?" demanded Ginny.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know that I was much help. Fudge was sacked soon after, and Scrimgeour was named Minister. He didn't trust me, because he knew Mum and Dad were against him. Then, when he realised Harry's connection to our family, he tried to use me to get close to Harry. I refused to help him, and got relegated to a lower office. I really wasn't much use to the Order, then, when the Death Eaters took over the Ministry, I got out of there. I even stayed at Grimmauld Place for awhile, doing research for Harry and Sirius."

Ginny stared at him, gobsmacked. "I-I just don't know what to say. Percy...I'm proud of you," she said, tearfully.

She got up and went around his desk to hug him. "Thank you. Thank you for helping Harry," she said.

He hugged her back. "Actually, Gin, I think I really did it for you. You never doubted him; always stood by him. He went to rescue you in the Chamber, when he didn't even know you. I'm your brother, I should have realised something wasn't right. I should have checked on you more that first year. I just assumed Ronald and the twins would look after you. I'm so sorry, Ginny, that we let you down."

Ginny took a breath. "I won't deny I was hurt. I was so looking forward to going to Hogwarts with my big brothers, then when I got there, you were all too busy for me. The other girls in my dorm looked down on me because of my second hand robes and school equipment. That's why I started writing in the diary."

Percy shook his head. "You deserved better from us, Ginny. Family look after family."

"There's all different kinds of family. Our Houses at Hogwarts became our family. The DA became a family, too. Harry became part of our family, by staying with us in the holidays. Sometimes, family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life that accept you as you are, and love you no matter what. That's how I feel about Luna and Neville. Sirius, Remus and Tonks, too," said Ginny, softly.

"I understand that. I just know that I nearly lost my family, could have lost you all, if I had continued on being a clueless prat. I thank Merlin I came to my senses when I did. My biggest fear was that Mum and Dad would kick me out, disown me. I should have known better. And I thank Merlin I got to spend more time with Fred and George before Fred, well..."

"Yeah, I know," said Ginny, hugging him again.

"That's why I spent so much time with George, after the battle. He was lost, Gin, so lost. I honestly thought you would be with Harry after the battle. Or Neville or Luna."

Ginny shook her head. "Harry was in St Mungo's, and Neville was watching over his grandmother. Luna's dad took her away for awhile. I stayed at her place, by myself."

"I'm sorry. So sorry."

Ginny wiped her eyes, and stepped back. "So, I'm going to move back to England, Percy, and I want us to stay close. I have missed my brothers. All of them," she said.

Percy smiled. "Good. I really want you to meet Audrey. I'm going to ask her to marry me soon. She's an amazing woman, Ginny."

"Just be happy, Percy. After all we've been through, I think we all deserve it, don't you?" said Ginny.

"What about you, Ginny? I read your book. If I've read it correctly, you haven't been happy for a long time. Don't you think you deserve it, too?"

Ginny smiled. "I'm working on it, Percy. I want my happy ever after, just like everyone."

"Have you been back to the Burrow? Or-actually, I don't know what Harry's calling his house these days. Have you seen it?"

Ginny smiled as she thought of Harry's home, his haven. "Yes, I have. It's a wonderful home. Big, but homey. Just what Harry wants."

"He must be lonely, living alone in a big house. I don't know anyone who has been there. Harry always meets me here, for business and such," said Percy.

"Remus and Tonks visit a lot. Teddy, their son, is Harry's godson. Apart from that, I don't know. Harry values his privacy. He doesn't let people get too close."

"Yet you've been back for a few days and you've been there. You're probably one of the few people Harry trusts, Ginny."

"We've been through a lot. Together and apart. I think we both recognise that in each other. It helps, knowing someone else knows what you've been through. Harry was always easy to talk to, so was Sirius," she said.

Percy nodded. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, Ginny. If you need my help with anything, finding somewhere to live, or with a job, anything. Please, let me know. I'll do anything I can to help you."

"Thank you Percy. I think I will take these statements with me and go over them. Talk to Harry about his foundation, and how maybe I can contribute. I may be leaving to go back to the States soon to settle everything and get my stuff. I'll be in touch when I've made a decision about my finances. And I can't wait to meet Audrey," she said, hugging him goodbye.

She left his office, and went back to the stationery shop nearby. She was perusing the shelves, looking for the journal that was going to inspire her writing. She wasn't really listening to the people around her, until she heard an older woman mention Harry's name.

"I just hope she doesn't fool around with poor Harry Potter and break his heart. He's our hero, after all."

Ginny returned the journal she was holding, noticing her hand was shaking. She could feel her temper building, but tried to hold her tongue. It was just an old biddy, voicing her opinion.

"Aggie, settle down," said a weary male voice.

"Well, it's true. I heard she had all the men at that reunion falling all over her. Now she's practically living with our Harry, and just you wait! She'll leave and break his heart all over again. Just like she did before."

"Aggie, that's enough," said the man's voice again.

"Merlin knows what her mother, may she rest in peace, say. Her daughter, living in sin. Poor Molly..."

Ginny stumbled down the aisle, anxious to get out the store before she did something she knew she would regret.

"Ginny?"

Ginny turned, and saw Hermione looking at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Ginny started to nod, but couldn't. "I need to get out of here."

Hermione nodded. "Let's go," she said, grabbing Ginny's hand in hers and leading her out into the Alley.

Ginny leaned against a wall, breathing deeply. "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione smiled. "You're welcome. You know, nobody believes what she says. And what does it matter, anyway? As long as you and Harry know the truth, well, that's all that matters, right?"

"He deserves the best, Hermione," whispered Ginny.

"Yes, he does. Not because he's the hero of the wizarding world, but because he's such a nice guy," agreed Hermione.

Ginny nodded.

"To all of us who know and love you Ginny, we think you are the best. The best sister, the best friend. But more importantly, the best for Harry."

Ginny looked at her. "Thanks, Hermione. I think I'm going to go. I'll see you soon, okay?"

Hermione nodded, and watched Ginny walk away. Hermione went back into the store, intending to give that loud mouthed, close minded woman a piece of her mind. She didn't have to. Enid Longbottom was already telling her off.

"Aggie O'Donnell, you're a sorry old fool!"

"What?" cried the woman, turning to face her.

"You have no call to be talking about her like that. Why, my nephew says those two have been in love with each other since their early days at Hogwarts. Harry has never looked at another witch the way he looked at Ginny."

"She left him and broke his heart. She's not good enough for him and-"

"She's perfect for Harry, in ways you couldn't possibly begin to understand," snapped Hermione.

"Her mother would-"

"Molly Weasley adored Harry like he was one of her own, and she would be delighted that those two are finally together. Don't you ever let me catch you talking bad about Ginny or Harry, again, do you understand?" said Enid.

Aggie looked between Enid and Hermione.

"Archie, are you going to let them talk to me like this?" shrieked Aggie.

Archie shrugged his shoulders. "It's the truth. I always liked the Weasley's, they're a good family. And if we can trust in Harry Potter to save us, surely we can trust in his judgement in the woman he loves. And I don't want to hear another word about it."

Aggie opened her mouth to retort, but at Archie's look she stopped. She gave Enid and Hermione a look, then followed her husband out the store.

Enid and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. Then Enid frowned. "I think we should let Harry know what just happened. Ginny is upset, and she probably won't tell him what happened, will she?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, she'll think she's protecting him. I'll pop into Percy's office next door, and see if he can get a fire-call to him. I know they do business together. Thank you, Mrs Longbottom."

Hermione hurried off and Enid left to return to her own store. She decided to fire-call Neville, knowing he considered Ginny and Harry his close friends. With people like Aggie talking crap, Harry and Ginny would need to keep their friends close.

Harry had been anxiously waiting for Ginny to return home. His heart had sank when he got Percy's fire-call. He knew of Aggie O'Donnell's reputation, everyone knew she was a sharp, mean spirited woman. She reminded Harry of his Aunt Petunia. Still, he knew Ginny would have taken it all to heart.

As he waited, he took another fire-call, this time from Seamus. He had been on assignment for Harry, and he had reported in, saying the job had been completed. He then asked for some personal time off. Harry readily agreed. Seamus had never requested time off, in the three years he had started working for Harry.

Harry was debating whether to go and look for Ginny, when he saw her sitting on his verandah. He went outside.

"Hey, you're home," he said, trying to keep the mood light. "What have you got there?" he asked.

"A kitten. The dogs were sniffing around it near the Quidditch pitch. It's a girl. I named her Minnie, after Professor McGonagall. You know, her animagus form," said Ginny, stroking the kitten.

Her voice held no emotion, and he could sense the tension in her.

"Meetings go okay?"

"Yes."

"Ready for tea? I think Dobby's just got soup and home-made bread. Is that all right, or would you like something different?"

"Soup's fine," she said, getting up and going into the house.

But she wasn't fine, and he watched her go, his heart heavy.

They ate their tea quietly. Ginny asked him about the Potter Foundation, and Harry told her how he'd set it up. He had more money than he knew what to do with, and it was Sirius's idea to invest it. When Sirius and Percy had got to talking, and Percy's suggestions sounded plausible, Sirius had invested modestly, and got a good return.

Money had never meant much to Harry. He was glad to have enough to live on. He had lost his desire to become a full fledged Auror, but instead decided to become a 'consultant' to the Minister of Magic. The name Harry Potter meant a lot of free publicity for the Ministry, and in return, Harry had inside information about what was happening in the wizarding world.

Kingsley occasionally called in Harry and Sirius's help in certain cases that the DMLE needed help with. There were still Death Eaters unaccounted for, and various sightings popped up here and there. The instructions were to bring them in, dead or alive.

Harry and Sirius had assembled a handy team to assist them. Remus had inside access to the werewolf movement, while Tonks had informers from her days as an Auror. Neville could assist them with breaking down potion ingredients. Harry always smiled at that, for Professor Snape had always picked on Neville.

Harry had come across an angry, drunk Seamus one night. He'd got into a bar fight. Still grieving the loss of Lavender, he had lost his way in life; lost his dreams for the future. Harry knew what that was like. He'd offered Seamus an alternative, a way to channel that anger. Seamus had become Harry's Hit wizard. He'd proved to be good at his job.

Harry often recruited items from WWW, too. George was his primary contact, but Harry occasionally dealt with Ron. Although their joke shop provided a good solid income, it was their inventions in the back room that was their main money maker. They had supplied the Order with many items in the last year of the war, and Kingsley was quick to realise their talents could be used at the Ministry.

"Harry, what does Seamus do for work?" asked Ginny, breaking into his thoughts.

"He works for me, doing different things. Sometimes it might be tracking someone down, or research. There are still a lot of witches and wizards missing, and the families want answers. We do our best to find them."

"And that's all he does?" asked Ginny, watching him closely.

"No, there's other things too," said Harry, not wanting to reveal Seamus's main occupation with him. "Why all the questions about Seamus?"

"I got home earlier and I came to your office to find you. You were talking with Seamus. He was saying he didn't think he could do it any more, that he'd seen enough killing. What did he mean?"

Harry hesitated. He would prefer to ask Seamus if it was all right to tell Ginny that he was a Hit wizard. He knew Seamus thought highly of Ginny.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Ginny said softly, his silence confirming what she already thought.

"Ginny, I-"

"Begging pardon, Master Harry Potter, Mr Shacklebolt head is in the fire in your office, requesting your presence," interrupted Dobby.

Harry sighed in frustration. Ginny smiled at him. "It's fine. Go."

He got up and came to her, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

Ginny nodded, and watched him go.

Dobby started to clear the table. Ginny went back to the lounge, and lay on the couch with the kitten. It's purring comforted her, as she replayed in her mind what had happened earlier in the day.

The altercation had left her feeling weak, like how she had felt before coming home. She was angry at herself that a sour faced woman who believed the rubbish in the papers had got to her like that. Since the end of the reunion she had felt more like her old self than ever before. Happy, and eager to get up and see what the day had in store for her. Happy to see her family and friends.

She realised that she was happier because she was with Harry. Although she had been wary and nervous during the reunion, his support, unwavering as always, had seen her through. She had been happiest since she had agreed to stay with Harry at his home. His haven had become her haven.

She thought of her family. She knew she still needed to have a good long conversation with her brothers, if only to clear the air. She meant what she had told Percy. If she was returning to England, she wanted to rekindle that bond they shared. Their parents may be gone, but they still had each other. She wanted to get to know her sisters-in-law, and it looked like there might be another couple of weddings happening in the future.

She thought of her friends. In a way, they were like family, too. She'd like to see more of Neville, and maybe try and help him get together with Hannah. Luna may be travelling, but they had the sort of friendship where they could just pick up where they left off, no matter how long it had been. She'd like to see Seamus find someone to share his life with, too.

With Tonks being pregnant, she wanted to be around to welcome their new baby, and maybe she and Harry could spend more time with Teddy. George's second child was due soon, too. New life was all around, and it seemed a perfect time for a new start.

Her thoughts once again turned to the earlier altercation. Thinking about how she could have handled it better. Well, no more thinking. She was done worrying about what other people thought. If Harry asked her to stay with him, she would. She loved him, and he loved her. She might not be perfect, but he was happy, and that's all Ginny had ever wanted for him.

A niggle came to Ginny's mind, and it reminded her of the story idea she had had earlier. It was what made her go into the stationery shop. She had been looking for a journal to write down her ideas. She put Minnie down, and went to find some parchment and a quill.

When Harry returned to the lounge, deeply apologetic for being over an hour on a fire-call with Kingsley, he found Ginny scribbling furiously. She was so deeply engrossed in what she was doing, she didn't hear him call her name. Chuckling, he left her to it.

At eleven-thirty, he came down and found her asleep on the couch, scattered parchment all around her. The kitten lifted it's head and gave a tiny meow as Harry approached. Harry picked Ginny up in his arms, her head resting on his chest, and Apparated them to the bedroom. The kitten, which had been sleeping on Ginny's stomach, crawled off and found a little spot on the end of the bed.

Harry lay Ginny down, and pulled the covers over her. He undressed and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He then got into bed, and lay on his side, facing Ginny. He realised they hadn't talked about what had happened in the stationery shop, and it worried him.

He knew Ginny had lost her self-confidence after the war. He knew she felt guilty for her mother's death, and had felt rejected by her brothers as they mourned their parents passing. She had confessed to him she was worried that they blamed her, as she blamed herself. She had seemed happy this last week, happier than she'd been for a long time, she had told him.

He'd never asked to be the hero of the wizarding world. He was tired of being Harry Potter. Tired of people using him, of the unrealistic expectations they had for him, and of him. He just wanted to be left alone, with Ginny, for the rest of his life.

Ginny moaned, and moved closer to him. She tucked her head into the little spot under his neck, where she fit perfectly. Her arm went around his waist, and she sighed happily as she breathed him in.

He tightened his hold on her. He hadn't asked her to stay past this week, yet how could he let her go? He'd tried to build a home, but now he knew it would never be a home without Ginny. He could not go into any room, and not think about Ginny there in some way. She was a part of him.

She was his family.