Twenty-Two

A/N: Once again, the response for this story has completely blown me away. It stuns me that so many people have followed and favorite this story. You guys really are awesome. This chapter was inspired by the prompt, "I love the rain, don't you?"

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling; therefore I do not own Harry Potter. Such a pity, as Voldy would say.

-:-

July 31, 2002

It's remarkable how a simple thing can turn into one of your most treasured memories. Like when a small boy sees the castle of Hogwarts for the first time, he doesn't realize until later that it was his first sight of home.

Very much the same (though admittedly less fancy) is the night of Harry Potter's twenty second birthday. He and his wife, Ginny Potter, had just finished having a nice dinner at the very same restaurant he had taken her to on their first date after the war. It holds a special place in both of their hearts, which is the very reason Ginny had picked it to take him for dinner.

They're now walking home towards their modest but beautiful home in Godric's Hollow, only down the street from where Harry had been born, and are walking hand in hand. They had moved into the nice four-bedroom home early that spring, after outgrowing their flat in the city.

Neither of them are in a hurry to get home, instead walking at a leisurely pace, enjoying the cool night air. Ginny rests her head on her husband's shoulder as Harry wraps his right arm around her slim waste. It's quiet out; everyone is in their homes at such a late hour. The stars shine in the deep blue sky, and the moon illuminates the street they walk along. In the distance, an owl hoots, no doubt on its nightly hunt.

Harry breaks the comfortable silence that has wrapped around them like a soft blanket by glancing down at his wife and smiling. "You really do look beautiful Gin." 'Like you always do.' He adds silently.

She's wearing a pale blue sleeveless dress that reaches just below her knees, with dark violet beading adorning the hem and neckline. She's also wearing the silver heart-shaped locket he had gotten her on her seventeenth birthday, and her engagement and wedding rings shimmer on her finger. Her fiery red hair is pulled back in an elegant twist at the nape of her neck.

She laughs warmly at his words, looking up at him with a bright smile. "You've said that four times already tonight, Love. I'm glad you think so. Dianna helped me pick it out two weeks ago." Dianna is her fellow chaser on the all-witch Quidditch team the Holyhead Harpies, which Ginny has been playing on for little over ten months.

Harry huffs slightly, in mock insult. "Well, a man just wants to tell his wife that she looks beautiful, and she doesn't even deem him worthy of a thank you. How rude," he says, doing his best impression of the Ministry workers he has to have boring dinner parties with every month.

She rolls her eyes and punches him lightly in the shoulder, her laughter echoing in the still night air. "My apologies, kind sir. I'm blessed to have your grace of approval." She raises her chin and does a very passable imitation of Narcissa Malfoy.

Their laughter dances through the night in harmony.

While most people would find nights like this common and routine, it's these nights that Harry loves the very most. When it's just him and Ginny, he doesn't have to be the hero, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, and Harry Bloody Potter. He can just be Harry, a man who had gone through war to have the simple yet lovely and perfect life that he and his wife share.

He loves coming home at night after work and finding Ginny waiting for him. He enjoys every second he spends with his wife, from waking up with their limbs tangled together, to falling asleep with her curled up in his arms. He never gets tired of listening to her heartbeat. It's the everyday moments like that for which he lives for. The memories of all his time with Ginny are embedded in his mind, slowly washing away the darkness that the war had left. She is the sun, and he revolves around her light, and her warmth.

"I love you Ginny," he whispers, his voice echoing in the still night air.

She turns her head and brushes her lips softly over his shoulder, her nose skimming his neck. "I love you too Harry," she murmurs back, her voice ringing with complete sincerity.

He smiles, closing his eyes. He lets her lead him down the street, as he just breaths her in and he lives. It's moments like this that he fought the war for. He wishes he had known that when he was younger.

His eyes fly open when he feels something land on the top of his head. He frowns, reaching up to touch his hair, and his fingers come back damp. He pauses in the middle of the sidewalk, dragging Ginny to a stop. He looks up and sees, to his disbelief, rainclouds covering the sky that had been clear only a while ago.

Ginny chuckles under her breath as he lets out a small whine as the rain begins to pour down, soaking their clothes within minutes. He shakes his head in resignation as the warm summer rain begins to fill up his shoes. The water from his hair hits Ginny in the face, and she lets out a startled laugh, flicking her hair to splash him back.

Using his quick reflexes, he wraps his arms around her torso, pulling her until she was in his arms, their drenched bodies fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle.

"Do you want me to apparate us home?" He asks her lightly, already preparing to spin in place.

To his surprise, his redheaded wife shakes her head. She steps away until they are only joined by their hands, their fingers entwined. She walks backward slowly, pulling him out into the street with a radiant smile on her face.

He walks after her with a puzzled expression on his face. His puzzlement only grows as she stops in the center of the street, the rain continuing to soak them. Without taking her eyes from his, she begins to spin around slowly in place, swaying from side to side. He can't help but smile once he realizes that she wants to dance, in the middle of the rain.

He moves with her, the two of them waltzing in the downpour. They spin mindlessly, both completely unconcerned that they now resemble soaking wet ragdolls, their clothes drooping and drenched. He pulls her closer, putting his arms around her waist. He uses one hand to brush a wayward strand of wet red hair out of her face, and she leans into his loving touch.

"I love the rain, don't you?" She asks.

He just smiles and leans towards her, kissing her on her cheek, her forehead, her nose, until finally he presses his lips to hers. They stop spinning, getting lost in the kiss. He rejoices in the fact that every kiss they have is just as mind-blowing as the first.

He pulls back, smiling brightly at her. "I love you. The rain is alright."

She just laughs.

'Yes,' he muses, 'definitely worth fighting for.'

-:-

A/N: If you have a prompt, you can leave it in a review. I hope you like this chapter. A/N#2: Now edited for grammar mistakes. - HF