A/N Thanks to reviewers:

GoldxxSunlight: Thanks for saying you loved it! Here's the next chapter!

Coudle: Hehe thanks, hope this update is quick enough for you!

First Sight

Harry sat fuming in the wreckage. He was trying so hard to steady his breathing, but it wasn't going to happen any time soon. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his head bent forward, as if crying – though not a single tear had fallen down his cheek. His hands were wrapped together, each one rubbing the other so fiercely that it was like they were having a battle of their own. And next to him on the sofa, sat his wand.

Suddenly, there was a slight thump that he knew was the front door closing. He heard Hermione stifle a slight scream, crossed with a gasp, out in the hallway before she started to call out, "Harry! Harry are you here?!" She sounded worried for him.

Harry didn't move from his position of fury, nor did he open his mouth and speak to reassure her.

Finally, after running up the stairs and checking each room – still calling for him – she ran into the living room.

"Harry where are… Oh."

He could feel her presence behind him in the doorway, but still, he did not turn around.

"What have you done?" She whispered.

"That all depends," Harry answered sarcastically, "What does it look like I've done?"

Pause.

"It looks like you've used the 'bombarda' spell on everything your wand could reach," Hermione answered slowly, "But I don't think that's what happened at all, is it?"

Then, for no reason at all, Harry crumpled. His hot hands flew up to his face and welcomed hot, salty tears that streamed out of his eyes. Hermione was by his side in seconds.

"It's ok," She reassured him, "We can fix it."

"It's not that," Harry cried, "I don't care about any of it!"

"Of course you do!" Hermione said, rubbing his back.

"What's happened to her?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione for the first time.

"She's got depression, Harry," She answered without a second thought, "That's all! It'll go away by the time she realises you're back."

Harry shook his head. He believed her, but he knew Ginny, and that wasn't the only thing that was wrong, "No," He said, "Something else has happened, hasn't it?"

This time, Hermione flinched before saying, "She… She was raped…"

Harry felt his face, and eyes, turning red, "By Malfoy."

"How do you know?" She asked, backing away a little; and Harry thought she was scared of the redness that had appeared in his eyes – as it had so often in the past two years.

"He told me," Harry replied, trying to keep a straight face and stay calm in the effort to make his eyes turn green again.

"He told you?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"He told me a lot of things," Harry replied, "I thought they were all true. Then when I came back this morning I thought they were all lies. I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Well, maybe I can tell you," Hermione offered, "What else did Malfoy say that he'd done?"

"None of that matters now," Harry dismissed, feeling his eyes turn green again, "What happened to Ginny after he… Well, you know…"

Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder, which Harry could tell meant more bad news was coming.

"Harry," Hermione started. She spoke in a voice Harry had never heard before. It was like she was drained and tired and just sick of her life. "There's a lot you need to know, and I'm really not the one to tell you."

His anger rose again so quickly that he didn't even realise he had stood up. But before he could even speak – or shout – Hermione continued to talk.

"You need to speak to Ginny; you need to hear it from her point of view because, honestly, I have no idea where her mind has been for this past year."

Hermione shook her head when she spoke, and Harry saw a single tear fall down her cheek. Then she breathed in deeply and stood up next to him. He had the feeling that Hermione had been holding in tears for two years, and that was what was making her look so drained. And then Harry looked at her. Not just at her face, which he had been doing since the morning, but all of her. She was thin. Her clothes sagged off her like they'd been stretched and then thrown back to her. Her eyes were deep into her head and dark. Her hair was a mess – more than usual – as it fell effortlessly down her back in a straggly mop fashion. She, overall, looked terrible.

Harry then looked around the room he stood in and felt a stab of guilt. If Hermione looked this bad, it meant she was run off her feet with work, and here Harry was making the place look even worse. He guessed she was looking after whoever that baby was as well as James and…

Harry's thoughts stopped abruptly.

"Liam…" He whispered more to himself than to Hermione.

"He's alive," Hermione cut in quickly.

"Alive…" Harry whispered again.

"Yes, Harry!" Hermione said, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Where is he?" Harry asked.

"At my parents' house," She answered.

"What's he doing there?" Harry couldn't help but feel that his son should be at the Burrow, with his grandparents, rather than at Hermione's parents' house.

"Does it matter?" Hermione snapped suddenly.

Harry said nothing, but just stared back at his friend.

"Now…" Hermione said more calmly, "I can't help but think that the reason Ginny was so upset earlier was because you don't look at all like Harry Potter." Harry cocked his head to the side in confusion. "You've… You've changed a lot in the past two years, Harry. You've got a slight beard, haven't you noticed that?" In fact, he hadn't. "And your hair is ridiculously long," Harry hadn't noticed that either, "And you're so… thin."

Hermione had a pitying look on her face as she said the last word, like she'd never met a thin person before.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" He couldn't bite his tongue in time to stop himself saying.

Hermione merely sighed and carried on talking, "Go and clean yourself up. Get rid of that hideous thing on your chin, cut your hair and have a shower. Put some clean clothes on."

Harry couldn't help the slightest smile form on his lips.

"What?" Hermione asked irritably.

Harry shook his head slowly, "I've missed you."

The stern look on Hermione's face dropped off so quickly it was like she had removed a mask. However, she did not hug him, she just smiled slightly as well and said, "Go and have a shower."

Harry wanted to hug her so badly, and felt very let down as he walked out of the room and up the stairs. And when he was in the shower something else hit him, this was his fault as well. Hermione, looking depressed, Ginny being depressed, Liam having to stay with people that were hardly even related to him, everything was Harry's fault.

"You can come in with me this time," Hermione told him as they waited outside the door of Ginny's private room.

If it was possible, Harry felt even more nervous than he did earlier that day. Now that he 'looked like himself again', as Hermione put it, he was afraid to find out what would happen when he walked into that room. He was terrified that Ginny would deny him again, perhaps thinking that someone had drunk Polyjuice Potion to make themselves look like Harry Potter and trick her.

"Are you ready?" Hermione looked at him and took his hand. The touch of his best friends skin on his made him feel something that he couldn't quite define, but was definitely different.

She put her other hand on the door handle to open it.

"Hermione," Harry said before she did. Hoping to give her a hug, or something that showed how much he cared, he yanked her back.

"What?" She said, almost nervously.

Harry paused for a moment, and then saw the look in her eyes. She didn't care about the two of them right now; she only cared about Harry and Ginny.

"Never mind," He said quietly.

And Hermione turned back round and opened the door.

Ginny was standing at the window, looking up at the sky. Harry hadn't realised that morning how thin Ginny was as well as Hermione.

Before the door had closed behind her, Hermione whispered, "It's a bad day today. She always stands at the window when she's having a bad day."

Harry felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He would have preferred not to know that.

At the sound of the door clicking shut, Ginny turned around, and Harry saw her face shine with tears. Hermione quickly let go of his hand and walked towards her.

But Ginny wasn't watching Hermione at all; her eyes were fixed on Harry, still at the doorway.

"Ginny, look at me," Hermione said, and Ginny pulled – with what looked like a great amount of effort – her eyes off Harry and onto Hermione. "Remember I came here this morning, saying Harry was here? Well he's here Ginny, this is Harry."

Hermione signalled towards him, and he didn't know what to do other than just to stand there and wait.

Ginny's eyes narrowed and she looked from him to her bedside table, where Harry noticed a picture of himself and Ron throwing snowballs at each other in Hogwarts. At the thought of Ron he felt a stabbing sensation at his heart, but pushed it away – Ginny was more important now.

Slowly, she walked towards him. When she finally reached him she stopped only inches away from touching him. Harry fought to keep his breath steady as she spoke.

"You're so thin," She stated. Her voice was gentler than it was earlier, and again, it made Harry's heart beat faster. "I'm sorry about earlier, I knew it was you."

"Are…" Harry swallowed with difficulty, "Are you mad at me?"

"I'm furious," Ginny answered.

They stood in silence for what seemed like the longest time. Harry looked over at Hermione a few times, who lurked a few metres behind Ginny, should she try to attack Harry. And he couldn't help but feel like a hand was going to fly towards his face any moment.

"I've missed you, so much," Ginny said, letting tears fall down her face.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"I hate you," She whispered.

Harry's heart faltered for a moment, but then carried on beating; although it felt slower. Those words meant the end of him. He wouldn't live if those words were true. He felt his heart beat in his throat, and when he swallowed, it was huge clumps of tears, but he couldn't stop a few of them escaping down his face.

Ginny shook her head and cried even harder.

Then the most unexpected thing happened. She flung her arms around him in a desperate hug. Her grip grew tighter and tighter around his waist, but if wasn't tight enough to stop him breathing; Ginny was too weak for that.

"Harry!" She cried.

Harry gaped down at his wife's ginger hair and then back up at Hermione. She made quick hugging movements with her arms and Harry followed suit, wrapping her arms around Ginny, enclosing her from the world that had been so horrible to her.

He felt electricity fly through every inch of his body as Ginny's hug not only got tighter, but warmer too.

"I've been so scared, Harry," Ginny cried into his chest. "I thought you'd never come back."

"Well I am, I'm here, I won't leave you again," Harry promised.

"That's what you said last time," Ginny replied. And Harry was sure he'd heard a cough of a laugh come with the sentence.

He smiled and said, "I swear, Ginny, I'll never leave your side again. We'll get through everything together and it will all be perfect, I promise. I'm never leaving you again, ever."

Ginny stopped hugging him and looked up at him with the faintest trace of a smile on her face. "Merlin knows why, but I trust you," She said quietly, taking his hand.

Harry breathed in sharply and squeezed her hand affectionately.

He looked up at Hermione, who was trying (and failing) to hide her tears.

Harry mouthed the words 'thank you' at her and she smiled, nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her, leaving Harry and Ginny to look into each others faces as if they'd only just met, and it was love at first sight.

A/N Lol, I'm so sorry for the soppy last sentence, but I couldn't help it! Everyone likes a bit of fluff don't they?! Anyways thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon!