Malfoy Manor

July 14, 2001

7:10 pm

As soon as they were done greeting Narcissa, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Jessica entered the ballroom. The girls oohed and ahhed at the magnificence of the building. Harry and Ron exchanged meaningful looks. Ron, in particular, had fretted over how Hermione would deal with visiting the Manor again, but she had insisted she could handle it. Harry couldn't help but feel vaguely sick as well, remembering Dobby, Bellatrix, and Pettigrew, and the things that had happened here.

Still, the Manor was a different place altogether tonight and was free of Death Eaters and their influence. Harry shook his head slightly. Ron and Jessica departed to dance; Ron gave Harry a thumbs up behind Ginny's back as they walked away. Harry grinned nervously, and directed his attention to Ginny.

They scooped up some champagne and made their way to the silent auction first, placing substantial bets on a few items and emptying donations into the boxes. They greeted a few friends, including Luna Lovegood, Anthony, who had brought Cho Chang as his date, and Hagrid, accompanied by Madame Maxime. Bill and Fleur were there somewhere, Harry knew, representing the quasi-werewolf population, as was Charlie, given his experience with dragons. Harry had secretly acquired tickets for the rest of the Weasley family as well, ensuring they would all be present for his proposal.

Harry couldn't resist stealing a glance at Draco and Hermione; she had her arm tucked in his elbow and looked quite comfortable, especially considering her past in this place. She was smiling and blushing over something Draco had said. Harry smiled. Ginny noticed, and glanced over at the pair as well.

"That seems to be going well," she said, tipping her champagne glass in their direction. She looked around until she spotted Narcissa. "And yep, Narcissa is definitely watching them."

Narcissa was craning her neck to look at her son in a manner that deeply reminded Harry of his aunt Petunia. He laughed. "I'm sure she will be all night. Say what you want about my interference, but I never would have put on an entire charity event for their benefit."

"It seems it will be effective," Ginny said.

Harry hummed, and told himself he would now focus on Ginny and Ginny alone. His stomach clenched tightly as the moment drew nearer. "May I have this dance, my love?" he asked, bowing excessively.

"You may, my sweet," Ginny responded, curtsying exaggeratedly.

Harry placed his hands on her hips, and though they were no strangers to intimacy, the idea of dancing with her still made him giddy. He didn't particularly care for dancing, but he knew she did, and there was nothing wrong with holding her close like this, slowly rotating on the spot. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking at him intently. As they spun, Harry knew the moment for his proposal had come. She was smiling lazily at him, her body pressed into his. Given their current position he couldn't find a way to covertly remove the ring from his pocket without altering her to what he was doing, so he decided to just ask her first, and present the ring after.

"Ginny," he started. "I love you. So much," he added, because the words felt inadequate. He felt overcome by emotion suddenly, unable to express how much she meant to him, but he had to try, and he had to do it without any quidditch puns or tactics - no matter how tempting it was to just throw the thing and be done with it.

"I love you too, Harry," she said. Her lips twitched slightly, and he thought she might say more, but she didn't.

"You were the only person - the only thing I -" he stopped, memories flooding through him. "After Dumbledore's death…" he trailed off. Those months, the ones they'd spent near the lake or in abandoned classrooms, the ones before he'd gone off the hunt horcruxes, had been some of the happiest in his life. She had comforted him in a way no one else could have. "You have no idea what those memories mean to me."

Ginny was not one prone to tears, but if he was not mistaken, her eyes were becoming glassy. There had been only a few other times Harry had seen her in tears, and thinking of those moments prompted his next words.

"There's something I've never told you," he continued. "That night - at the Battle of Hogwarts. I saw you. I was under the invisibility cloak. You were comforting a girl near Hagrid's Hut…" Harry trailed off, tightening his grip on her hips. Her eyes widened as she recalled the memory. "It was right before I went to the forest. I wanted so badly to touch you, to talk to you, to make you convince me to stop. I realized in that moment I loved you." Harry felt tears sting at his own eyes now, but he plowed ahead. "And it helped convince me. I had to go through with it. I had to die, so you could live. You gave me a strength, you still give me a strength, that I lack."

"Oh, Harry," she said, her voice strained. He was never very vocal about his feelings, and neither was she, but he had to get this out.

"Ginny," he whispered, lowering his forehead to hers. "Will-"

"Yes," she interrupted, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Yes, I'll marry you." She brought her lips to his, and he tasted salt in the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as tightly to him as he could. When they broke apart, he took the ring from his pocket and knelt in front of her.

When he slid it onto her trembling finger, the ballroom erupted in cheers.

AN: This ended up having quite the note of Hinny, didn't it?

Next chapter is pretty important (obviously, I think xD) so while it is mostly written, it may take me a while before I get it post-worthy. It's longggg if that's any consolation (and features Drunk Draco prominently) andd I think we're nearing an end here. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me this long. I recognize some reviewers and always look forward to their comments. And I even enjoy the troll comments, very creative, keep 'em coming!