Thank you for reviewing, AuntAnnie. I appreciate it.
Here is Ginny's back story, I hope you like it.
Ginny
Ginny sat down on the back steps of the Burrow and sighed. She loved her family and every time she came back to visit for the first few days she was determined to move back to England and transfer to St. Mungo's. Then slowly the realization that she'd have to exchange the freedoms of independence for familial closeness became evident. As a young woman, this seemed like an unfair trade, one that she wasn't willing to make. But the older she became, the closer she was to making it, and she'd never been closer to it than on this trip. Even so, with one day left of her visit back home, she was planning on going back to her life in the US and putting off her decision for another time.
It was rare for her to come home in the spring like this. But it wasn't often that Ron and Hermione, after years of trying, had had their first child, a cute little tyke named Harry, of course. She smiled, thinking about his cute little nose and hands, and at the indignation Hermione was experiencing once she'd found out that all the books she had read hadn't adequately prepared her for the real thing. A sharp wind whipped through the garden and Ginny wrapped her coat around herself more tightly. Thankfully, the snow that had plagued London hadn't affected the people of Ottery St Catchpole, but it was still cold. She wished she had a cup of tea, but not enough to go inside and get one.
The back door opened and Harry, the elder, stepped out and sat next to her with a groan. "I think I'm getting old," he said as he handed her a mug of tea.
She took it gratefully. "You read my mind," she said as she took a sip.
"Well I'm not that old."
She giggled, "I meant about the tea. Besides you can't be old, you're only a year older than me and I'm not ready to be old yet."
Harry gave a fake pensive look as though he were seriously considering her logic. "Fair enough," he said grinning into his tea. "When are you heading back?"
"Tomorrow. My flight leaves at noon. I wish I could stay longer, though."
"That reminds me of the ulterior motive I had for coming out here," he said and Ginny braced for what, at sometime or another, all her family had been sent to talk to her about. "Your mum sent me to convince you to move back to England."
"I was wondering when you'd be recruited for that task," she said, surprised at herself for finding it more amusing than annoying, it was still a little annoying, though. She put her head in her hands and gave a little scream, but when she looked up she smiled at him. "Bill and Charlie never went through this," she said, in a small bid for sympathy.
"Bill and Charlie aren't their youngest child and only daughter," he said wisely.
She nodded somewhat reluctantly. "Good point," she conceded.
"Well, you can tell Mum-" she raised her voice and directed it to the house. Inside she could see her mother cooking dinner, except that the carrots were now being sliced onto the floor instead of into the pot. –"That I've officially started to think about it but that the soonest it could happen is next year."
Molly ran out of the house. "Do you mean that?"
"I've been thinking about moving back here-" she was interrupted by her mother hugging her. "-But I haven't made a decision yet," she finished into her mother's shoulder. She stood back from Molly. "I like my life in DC, Mum, it would be hard to leave it.
"I know, Dear. We'll talk about it later." She gave her only daughter another hug and then went back into the house. "Dinner's in an hour," she said over her shoulder. "Don't be late."
Ginny looked back at Harry who had done his best to give them privacy during their moment, but hadn't left the area. "Thanks for being upfront about this, anyway."
He shrugged. "Subtlety was never my strong suit."
It started to flurry and the woods behind the house suddenly seemed very appealing. "Wanna take a walk?" she asked gesturing to the woods.
Harry looked at his watch. "Sure, Kim won't be here for another half hour."
They tromped through the woods in relative silence and soon found themselves in the clearing that had hosted any number of pick up Quidditch matches over the years.
"Do you still fly?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Not as often as I would like," he answered truthfully. "We're understaffed right now so I've been working extra hours. The rest of the time I'm with Kim and Lily."
Ginny nodded.
"Every so often Ron and I get together for a pickup match, though," he added, as an afterthought.
"I haven't flown in ages; I miss it," she said looking up at the sky.
"When you move back you should join us sometime," he said simply, as they turned to head back to the house.
"If I move back, you mean."
He stopped and made her look at him. "I mean when." Then he grinned and messed up her hair. They raced back to the house together.
If you asked Ginevra Weasley how she had come to be practicing medicine in Washington, DC, she'd probably tell you all about how much she loved helping people, and about the beauty of the US capital; how medicine was her calling, and any number of other sugary statements you'd expect from someone who'd devoted their life to medicine. Or she might joke about the high crime rates meaning never wanting for patients. If you asked her when she was feeling truthful, or a little drunk, however, she'd tell you it was because of Harry Potter.
She couldn't help wanting to help him. After learning about the Philosopher's Stone, by eavesdropping on her parents, she wished with all her heart that she could fix his wounds and make him all better. If she'd been there, he would have been awake in time to win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor, she was sure of it. And as everyone carried him on their shoulders he would yell, "Stop! I'm only here because of Ginny, she deserves this the most!" Then he would've walked over to her, and kissed her hand while everyone cheered for her. She knew that Harry would have let her ride his broom, because he wasn't like her git brothers, she was sure of that. At least she was until she came down to breakfast one morning in August to find him sitting at the table eating toast. Imagine, if you will, coming down the stairs, your hair a mess, and in your oldest, dingiest nightgown, to find the person you've been fantasizing about for a whole year sitting at your table, calm as can be, eating toast! Well, she can hardly be blamed for running back to the safety of her bedroom, nor for acting a bit awkward around him for, well, a long time after that.
Since she couldn't trust herself to behave normally around him, she settled for watching him from a distance. Like that time she saw him get bitten by a garden gnome, from her bedroom window. A garden gnome that was most certainly rabid. She'd have to sit by him and nurse him back to health, and entertain him by telling him stories. Then he would clutch her hand, look into her eyes and tell her that he owed her his life, and he was hers forever. She would tell him that all she wanted was for him to lead a long and happy life, which he would then vow that he could never have without her. By the end of the year, he had saved her life. Oh, how she wanted to thank him and tell him that she would always be his, but her Gryffindor courage failed her and she said nothing.
The following year she was his most frequent visitor in the hospital wing, though he never knew it. She would sneak out and watch over him while he was unconscious, and she would unobtrusively watch from a corner when he was awake; he never saw her, but she liked to think she made a difference. During these vigils, she would also watch Madame Pomfrey. She became fascinated with the mediwitch's ability to fix seemingly any problem with which she was presented; whether it was that sixth-year Hufflepuff's acne, or fixing Harry after a bout with the Dementors. Suddenly she saw herself as Harry's personal healer, helping him become an International Quidditch star, because, in her twelve-year-old mind, those two things were connected. She started frequenting the hospital wing, even when he wasn't there, hoping for any tidbit of wisdom Madam Pomfrey was willing to impart to her. Madam Pomfrey, for her part, was fairly glad for the company. It wasn't often people came to the hospital wing by choice. She did her best to answer Ginny's questions and guide her as to the classes she would need to take, and excel in. All the professors soon saw an upturn in her grades, but no one more so than Professor Snape. Ginny had never tried very hard in her Potions classes - Professor Snape having never inspired her to excellence. Everything she had heard about him, from her brothers, had been confirmed on her first day at Hogwarts. However, once she learned that it mattered to her future she gave Potions a chance. Ginny was able to learn respect for the art of potion making, but she never learned to love it - it was too meticulous.
The next year she wasn't watching Harry anymore and she knew she was going to be a healer, even if it was just so she'd be able to fix her own feet after another dance partner like Neville Longbottom. Once her gaze was removed from Harry, she started to notice other people's gazes focused on her. She had her first boyfriend by the end of that year. Michael, though a berk when his team lost at Quidditch, helped her gain her confidence around Harry. She was no longer capable of just watching him anymore, even if she were so inclined. Nope, keeping her mouth shut around Harry was no longer an option. So they talked, and even went on an adventure together; she would never think of them as "glamorous" again.
The next year, her O.W.L year, Madam Pomfrey let her officially aid her in the hospital wing. Between this, studying for her exams, and Quidditch, she had less and less time for Dean Thomas, and their relationship suffered for it. Harry almost died, once again. However, this time she was there, by Madam Pomfrey's side, assisting her in saving him. It was nothing like she had imagined when she was a little girl. Aside from being genuinely scared for his safety, there were no declarations of love and devotion; he never even knew she was there. And, while she had always thought she was over him, it wasn't until her childhood fantasies had been crushed that she really knew it. There was no future for her with Harry Potter. She wasn't even sad. It was just the truth. There was no faulting him, and she didn't. So you can imagine how dismayed she was when it seemed, to her, that all he did that summer was watch her. She was finally, once and for all, over him and he was just now noticing her! She knew he was trying to be discreet about it and she did her best to ignore it, until it started to affect his Quidditch practices. For the good of the team she decided to confront him about it; he asked her to Hogsmeade and she accepted (much to her surprise). After that they became a couple. She was never entirely sure how that part happened, but she was okay with it when it did; Harry was a nice guy and handsome. It wasn't difficult to find those old dreams again. He was her first crush and her first… well her first; by the lake, several days before he would face Voldemort for the last time, not that they knew that when it happened.
Later, experts would count the final two battles as the most important of the entire war. Whenever Ginny had pictured Harry going up against Voldemort, she always assumed that she would be in the middle of the action, by his side the whole way, with Ron and Hermione. She should have known that her place would be in the Hospital Wing.
The day before the battle of Hogwarts, the last battle of the war, was the battle of Hogsmeade. There were numerous casualties, especially among the students and faculty, who inundated the Hogwarts Medical Wing. Among them was Albus Dumbledore. Less than twenty-four hours after his incapacitation, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had invaded the school.
The main fighting took place on two fronts - one was in the Great Hall, where Harry squared off with Voldemort; the other was at the Hospital Wing, where Ginny, and any patient who was conscious, fought to protect their Headmaster. Using the beds as barricades, they hurled hexes and bottles of potions at the attackers, and were able to hold the wing long enough for Aurors to come and join the fight from the other side. The victory was quick but not without casualties; most of the students fighting were third and fourth years, and they hadn't all made it through to the end.
This time, as she worked tirelessly to mend Harry's wounds, he saw her and he knew she had helped to save his life. As she sat with him while he was recovering he took her hand, looked deeply into her eyes and she braced herself for the words she had wanted to hear since she'd met him. She didn't give him the chance. He'd gotten as far as "Ginny I l-" when she put a finger to his lips and told him to get some rest. She smoothed his covers, kissed his forehead, and left the room as calmly as possible. She'd never had a panic attack before. They weren't pleasant events. She didn't love him. The possibility had never occurred to her, but the fact that she hadn't planned for it didn't make it any less true. How could she break up with the hero of the wizarding world a day after his triumph? The answer was: she didn't.
Ginny was given a commendation for her role in The Battle of Hogwarts, and she and Harry became somewhat of a celebrity couple; the triumphant hero visited her on Hogsmeade weekends, and they would smile for the cameras and hold hands as they walked together. He was going to marry her, she knew it, but she also knew that he didn't want to. Because of all the years she had known him, she could read him like a book. He had fulfilled his destiny and was letting himself drift down the path that seemed to lead to a 'happily ever after'. Sheknew this the same way she knew that her crush was over, or that she knew she was going to be a Healer. In later years, she opened herself up to the possibility that she had been projecting her own emotions onto Harry, but it amounted to the same thing. She cried for her lost childhood dreams on the night that they ended it, but not for her lost future.
When it came time to apply for schools, she surprised everyone, except perhaps her father, by deciding to live with Muggles for four years in New York City. She was determined and no one could stop her. NYU offered the premiere program, for wizard / Muggle relations, of anywhere in the world. Ironically she was now only allowed to use magic on her school holidays. Living without magic was the hardest thing she had ever done, but she somehow made it through. Harry gave her one last chance to choose the life he was offering her, when she returned home during her first holiday, but she read relief in his eyes when she turned him down. They were destined to be friends and nothing more.
Ginny's initiation into Muggle medicine came during her sophomore year at NYU. She came down with appendicitis and was given emergency surgery. Even though she had been living with Muggles for over a year, she still thought of Muggle medicine as archaic and unclean. Therefore she was genuinely surprised when the stitches her father had wanted in her fourth year not only worked, but meant that she wouldn't have to drink any foul tasting potions to achieve the same effect; her dad would be proud. Of course there were still problems with it. Try as it might, Muggle morphine was no match for Madam Pomfrey's pain-blocking charm. The experience started her thinking of the possibilities that could arise from bringing Muggle influence into wizard medicine. She graduated with honors and immediately enrolled in John Hopkins' Healing Program, specializing in the unity between Muggle and wizard medicine.
Placement wasn't hard after graduation; she had her pick of any Muggle or wizard hospital she wanted. She decided to split her efforts between Creagor Memorial Wizard Hospital and Georgetown University Hospital. She enjoyed herself in that arrangement and kept it through her internships, residencies and employment; it was more convenient for her research. All in all, she'd have to say that her life had worked out pretty well, considering. Of late, though, she had started to wonder what her life would have been had she chosen a different path.
She boarded her return flight with mixed feelings the next day. She was happy to get back and excited to see her friends again. But she was also sad to leave her family. She'd just met one more nephew whose development she was likely to miss, and who wouldn't know her when she visited again. It was confusing, to say the least. She soon gave up trying to sort out her feelings and settled down to watch the movie.
A big thank you to Kazfeist for betaing this monster of a fic. And thank you for reading.