Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related books, movies, merchandise, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros. and so on.

Chapter Fourteen: Don't Look Back in Anger

Ginny Flooed to the first place she could think of – her brother Bill's flat. She definitely did not need her mother's company at the moment, and Hermione was still at St. Mungo's. Besides that, Bill had always been the brother she went to for advice, ever since she was little...she just hadn't done so in quite some time.

She looked around the cramped flat and adjusted James on her shoulder. A thin woman with silvery hair had perked up at Ginny's arrival, and she rose from her chair immediately, a look of concern on her face.

"Ginny! What are you doing 'ere?"

Damn, Ginny thought. She had momentarily forgotten that Fleur lived here, too.

"I need to talk to Bill," she mumbled, her eyes puffy and red.

"What's up, Gin-Gin?" Bill asked as he entered the main room of the flat.

"N-neville and I…he…we sort of had a fight, and I left," Ginny said finally. "I didn't want to talk to Mum, so I came here."

Bill looked at Fleur, who moved forward to take James. "I'll watch 'im for you. Good practice," she said, winking.

Ginny followed Bill into the tiny kitchen, where he poured her a large mug of tea. She supposed Fleur must have taken the baby to the bedroom to give them some privacy. Still, Bill shoved the door closed before sitting down at the table. "So, what happened?" he asked.

Ginny explained the various insults she and Neville had received over the past few months, noting that they had always written it off as people not understanding or sticking their noses where they didn't belong. She then explained what had happened at St. Mungo's, everything from the rude woman to what Ron had said about Bellatrix Lestrange. Finally, feeling her voice growing angry at the thought, she recounted the important bits of the fight.

Throughout all of this, Bill sat silently, letting her talk. She was surprised to find that it felt good to talk about all the gossip they had endured without frequent interruptions from Hermione.

"So, I finally just left…he wasn't listening to me and I couldn't take it anymore," Ginny finished.

Bill sat in silence for a few moments, as though trying to decide where to begin. "Well, first off, I think you're right…people just need to mind their own business. But you have to think about this from Neville's perspective. He's taking a lot of heat for something he didn't do," Bill said.

Ginny curled her fists. In her opinion, Neville had thrown in his lot with hers from the beginning…she had always told him they were in this together. "He chose to marry me…he had to know what that would entail. That doesn't give him the right to throw Harry in my face, tell me that people wouldn't say such terrible things about Harry if they knew the truth..."

Bill looked at her thoughtfully. "Gin, I hate to say this, but Neville's probably right. If Harry had lived, you would be the scarlet woman who got pregnant on purpose so the 'Chosen One' would be forced to marry you. As it is, Neville has taken the bulk of the blame."

Ginny looked defiant. "But that's not my fault!"

"I know it isn't," Bill said immediately. "But then that woman today said those things about his parents…it just pushed him over the edge. He's dealt with a lot, and neither of you are getting much sleep because of James…he was bound to burst eventually."

"But still…I can't believe he thinks I don't want to be married to him," Ginny said, feeling suddenly defeated.

"Have you given him any indication that you married him for himself, and not just because circumstances encouraged you to do it?" Bill asked carefully.

She got up from her chair and began pacing the room. "I've been trying, really I have! It's like he doesn't understand…he thinks I don't care about him…just because we've never – " Ginny broke off, feeling slightly abashed as her face turned pink. "Well…you know."

Bill looked thunderstruck. "Wait a tic. You mean to tell me that you and Neville have never…he's been married to you since August…and now it's almost April…and he's still a virgin?"

Ginny sort of grunted noncommittally. She definitely didn't want to talk about Neville's lack of sexual experience or any part she might have played in maintaining the status quo.

Bill swore under his breath. "I knew he was a good guy, but Ginny…that man is a saint."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny said defensively. Somehow, Bill wasn't as comforting as she had expected. Wasn't her brother supposed to take her side?

"He's never pushed you? Never hinted before that he wanted a real marriage?" Bill asked, sounding curious but looking somewhat appalled at discussing such subjects with his sister.

"He sort of alluded to it back in October…but he never really tried anything until last night…and even then he just kissed my, um, neck…and when I pulled away he didn't try again," Ginny said, feeling suddenly very small and childish. It occurred to her that she had gone farther physically with Dean than she had with Neville, a realization which made her feel almost disgusted with herself.

Bill was wearing a saddened expression, one that could almost be called disappointment. "Oh Ginny…don't you get it?"

Ginny's face formed into a frown. "Get what?"

Bill sighed. "He loves you. He loves you so much he would have watched you marry Harry because he thought that was what you wanted, what would make you happy. He loves you so much he's waited for you to initiate any sort of deeper relationship, and as a male I can tell you how difficult that must be for him."

Ginny made a face; she couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her brother. "He's never told me he loves me, really."

"He hasn't said anything because he believes you need time…he's been trusting that you would get there eventually," Bill said seriously.

"How can you know all that?" Ginny retorted, though a small voice in her head (it sounded like Hermione) was saying the same thing.

"I've watched him; it's obvious." Bill reached over to cover Ginny's hand with his own. "You know what those Death Eaters tried to do to Hermione simply because she was friends with Harry. If they had any indication that your son is Harry's son…even if they had any idea how close you two were…they wouldn't have hesitated to go after you instead. Neville has very possibly saved your life – yours and James's."

Ginny was silent then. She knew Bill was right; concern for her own safety and the safety of her child had been, if she was being honest, one of the main reasons she decided to get married. The Death Eaters would have loved to kill Harry Potter's son – that would have been much better revenge than attacking his muggle-born friend.

"I know he's protected us, Bill, I'm not stupid," she said quietly.

"Well, in that case, it seems to me – and I can't believe I'm telling my baby sister this – that the least you could do is sleep with him," Bill said bluntly.

Ginny suddenly broke into a coughing fit. "But I…I just…I can't, I don't…Harry," she sputtered.

"Harry is dead, Ginevra, and he is going to stay dead," Bill said, his voice gentle but firm. "I know this has been difficult for you – I don't think any of us could imagine what you've gone through. All things considered, maybe you really haven't had the time you need to mourn."

"I don't think it's that, exactly…" Ginny said. "I just…can't betray his memory."

"But don't you think your memory is a little rose-colored?" Bill looked at Ginny gravely, as though imploring her to really think about it. "I mean, you and Harry had been broken up for almost a year when James was conceived…from what Mum's said it's like the two of you ran into each other purely by chance. He was a wonderful person, don't get me wrong, but it seems like you're putting him on this pedestal and refusing to give Neville a real chance to show you that he cares about you just as much."

"Harry loved me," Ginny said, her fists clenched. She closed her eyes as she remembered that terrible day of Dumbledore's funeral. "He was just being noble when he broke up with me…he didn't want me to get hurt…"

"But you did get hurt, didn't you?" Bill inserted. He held up his hand to stop her protest. "No, not in the way he thought you would, but not all scars are visible to the naked eye. Take it from someone who knows."

Ginny broke down then, tears flowing freely down her face. She hiccupped and held her face in her hands, feeling the emotion she had hidden for so long burst forward. She needed to cry, she needed to finally come to terms with her feelings.

Bill scooted his chair over and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently back and forth. Clutching onto his shirt, she cried until she had no tears left, letting Bill be the older brother she needed but had shoved to the side in her desire for independence. He whispered nonsense and rubbed her back, much as she had done for Neville on Christmas.

"I just feel like I'm never going to love Neville as much as he loves me…because Harry will always be there," she mumbled finally.

"No one is asking you to forget Harry," Bill said. "Least of all Neville. There's enough room in your life for both of them."

Ginny wiped a hand across her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Let me put it this way," Bill said plainly. "If I had died when Greyback attacked me two years ago, I wouldn't have expected Fleur to live the rest of her life as a bitter old maid, and I wouldn't have wanted her to. I would want her to be happy…and I think Neville makes you happy."

Ginny stared at her eldest brother, knowing he was right. Neville did make her happy – he was a great friend, and he was so good with the baby – she just needed to give him the chance to be something more. This was what Hermione had been trying to tell her all along – she had just been stubborn and refused to listen.

Yes, a part of her might always love Harry, but that didn't mean she couldn't love Neville, too. She felt herself tearing up a bit again when she thought about everything Neville had done for her – she had been so ungrateful. Her actions had been childish, selfish…she knew she had to fix this, and quickly.

"Can you and Fleur watch James tonight?" she asked. She was somewhat wary of leaving her son in the hands of her sister-in-law, but she figured Bill would be able to make up for Fleur's possible inadequacies.

Bill's smile lit up his face to the point where one almost didn't notice his scars. "Of course. Like Fleur said, we need the practice. And we haven't told Mum yet, so you should feel special."

Laughing, Ginny hugged her brother tightly. "Congratulations! And thanks, Bill…for everything."

Neville had spent the past two hours wandering around the house, lost in thought. He was devastated by his fight with Ginny and angry at himself for saying such mean things to her. It was the first time he had ever truly spoken to someone he cared about in a forceful manner. This had been different than that little tiff in Diagon Alley – there he had upset her mostly by accident. Tonight, however, he had wanted to hurt her, to make her feel as awful as he already did, and he hated himself for it. He just hoped Ginny would give him a chance to apologize.

He thought he heard the sound of an Apparation outside, which surprised him. He next heard the opening and closing of the front door…but the Intruder Charm hadn't gone off, so…

"Neville? Where are you?" Ginny's voice floated in from the lounge. Feeling relieved, he went out to meet her.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried immediately, a look of regret on his face. "I had no right to – where's James?"

"Bill and Fleur are watching him. And you have nothing to be sorry for; you were right," Ginny said quietly. She unfastened her cloak and tossed it over a nearby chair.

"Right about what?" Neville asked, feeling confused.

"Everything." Ginny leaned in and kissed him soundly, much to his surprise. After a few minutes, she broke away and looked at him, her expression serious. "I've been so unfair to you, Neville. Let me make it up to you," she said.

Neville took a couple steps backward. "I don't want you to do something just because you feel as though you have treated me badly. If you don't want to…then it doesn't mean anything."

Her eyes looked surprised, but Ginny slowly nodded. "I want to, Neville. I think I've always wanted to…I just don't know why Bill was able to get through to me so much better than Hermione did. I love you, and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to realize it."

"But I'm not…I mean, I'm not…"

"No, you're not Harry. But I've been thinking a lot tonight about something Bill said, and I need to stop thinking of Harry as some knight in shining armor. It's like…he died and all of a sudden I went back to viewing him as I did when I first met him, when I first had that childish crush on him and sent him singing Valentines. When I think about the real person Harry was…I'm glad you aren't him, in a lot of ways," she said with a faint smile. "He could be really thick, you know, and hard-headed, and impulsive and moody. And he never even thought to ask me to the Yule Ball."

Neville laughed despite himself but said nothing.

Ginny looked up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is…thank you for being patient with me. I've been stubborn."

"Imagine that," Neville said with a wry smile, stepping a bit closer to her.

She leaned up and kissed him again, pulling his head towards hers. Neville felt a strange fire spreading though his veins as she kissed him deeper and more passionately than she ever had before. Acting on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. For the first time, she didn't pull away.

Suddenly, she tugged on his hand, leading him upstairs. Neville broke away as they reached their bedroom, breathing heavily.

"I love you, too, Ginny…I have for a long time," he said, feeling it was necessary to finally speak the words he had held inside for longer than he could remember.

Ginny merely grinned. "I know."

She kissed him again briefly before turning to the bed and tossing Kitty to the floor.

"James can have Kitty," she said, kicking off her shoes. "Better than that pig."

A/N: One more full chapter after this, which will be posted Thursday, probably. There will also be an epilogue, but I probably won't post that for a couple weeks, give everyone a chance to read Deathly Hallows. Thanks for reading, and please review!