Ginny watched as Bill and Harry moved towards the staircase. She fought every urge to follow him and instead shifted to sit next to George, laying a hand down on his knee.

"George?" she whispered softly, as not to alarm him. His eyes moved towards hers ever so slightly and then back down to the floor. Ginny's heart broke even further as she watched her brother retreat further into himself. She kept a hand on his knee and moved a touch closer, allowing their shoulders to touch, so he would know she was there.

A few minutes later, Bill returned from the dormitories, nodding once at Ginny and then retaking his seat next to Fleur. The room fell silent, with only the sounds of plates shifting and cups being placed fracturing the atmosphere.

After a while more people began to enter the common room, causing Mrs. Weasley to rise and announce that they should all get some rest. Slowly they all rose, gathering up blankets and robes and moving towards the spiral staircase. As they moved up, they began to branch off, George wandering into the first-year dorms first, the door slamming behind him. Charlie sent the family a forlorn glance before following his younger brother. Bill and Fleur moved into the next dorm, then Percy. As they reached the sixth-years rooms, Ginny stopped and looked to her parents. They were holding each other up, their heads leaning in close to one and other. She contemplated following them to their room of choice, but decided they may need the time.

She walked through the door and saw Harry, Hermione and Ron huddled on the middle bed, their heads hung low. They turned in unison, their faces red with anguish. She felt suddenly very guilty, like an intruder in their grief. The three of them had been through so much together in the last year – the last seven years – that Ginny suddenly didn't know what to do with herself.

Ron stood and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight hug, squeezing the breath out of her, though she was not complaining. He pulled back and placed in hand on her temples and breathed,

"I missed you."

Ginny realised for the first time that this was the first time she had held her brother in a year. Her big brother, who held her hand during her first broom ride; who chased away the gnomes when she was crawling around the garden; who spent his summer break teaching her neat tricks to do before her first year.

"I missed you too." She pulled him back into her embrace, standing on her tiptoes so she would rest her head on his shoulder. She peered over and saw Harry and Hermione looking at them with watery eyes, smiling despite it all.

After the pulled apart, she walked over to the bed and hugged Hermione, whispering thank you for keeping her brother safe. The older girl blushed as they broke apart, muttering that he helped just as much.

Ginny's eyes met Harrys and she smiled, small and sad, but smiling. He was alive. They all were. They were all alive and in this room and for now that would be enough.

Hermione stood and walked over the adjacent bed. She announced that she need rest and kicked her shoes off, pulling the duvet back and climbing under. Ron stared after her with wild eyes, looking between Hermione and the couple on the other bed. Ginny saw him swallow hard before turning to joining Hermione in the bed, roughly pulling the curtains shut around them. She heard the mutterings of a short incantation and then nothing.

Ginny sank onto the bed, letting her weight fall completely. She was overcome with exhaustion, the events of the previous days finally catching up to her.

She felt years older than she should, the events of a war forever ingrained in her young mind.

She cast her eyes over to Harry and felt a short pang of guilt. Whatever she had witnessed paled in comparison to what he had actually suffered.

He died.

Regardless of how many times she saw him, felt him, held him, the image of Harry laying in Hagrid's arms, still and pale, as Voldemort pronounced his death, will haunt her forever.

She nearly lost him

She did lose him.

He died.

She still didn't know how he was alive, still unsure what had saved him, but she was reluctant to ask. They lived in a bubble of quiet at the moment, with grief being the only emotion on anyone's minds. Curiosity would have to wait until morning.

There were no words really, nothing to say or do just yet. Her eyes began to close of their own accord, until she felt the bed dip and felt Harrys eyes fall upon her. She opened her own and looked beside her. He was laying a short foot away from her, his eyes drooping as well, though he seemed to be fighting it.

With an unknown courage, she lifted a hand over to brush a finger across his scar. He shivered at her touch and accepted the invitation, laying his own hand above her hip.

They stayed like this until she couldn't anymore, with Ginny lifting herself across the bed and laying her head above his heart. Harry shifted beneath her, wrapping his arms across her shoulders. She felt a heavy breath leave him, and she shuddered.

There would be time for talking, for crying and laughing and screaming, but right now she was content to feel him breath, to hear him, touch him, comfort him, to know he was there but also for him to know that she was as well.

She needed him to know that this year had not been the end of them, that their distance from each other had only made things burn brighter, that it was necessary evil before they could start their lives.

She lifted her head to tell him so, but his hand tightened on her shoulders, keeping her in place. That was when she felt him breath change and felt the subtle drop of wetness on her head. She decided to stay where she was, to hold him as long as he needed.

She held him tighter, reminding him – and herself – that this was real and not another cruel dream from the last 12 months.

Slowly his breath evened and he shifted slightly underneath her. Her eyes began to close again and this time she didn't resist. Before sleep took her fully, she heard him,

"thank you".