Instead of saying anything, she pushed away from the table, stood up, and ran out the back door.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

The following morning, Harry didn't want to get out of bed when he woke up. He delayed the inevitable by spending some quality time brushing Ginny's hair with his hands. Every once in a while her nose would twitch, giving him a new burst of affection for his girlfriend with every movement.

This weekend. He had to tell her this weekend. Get it all out in the open and be done with it. Every moment he spent with her, he felt more and more drawn to her. But he was holding back something, at least until he could tell her the rest of the story. He just hoped Hermione was right and none of it would change Ginny's feelings for him.

Sadly, Harry had to finally get out of bed. He kissed Ginny's temple and woke Hermione before going out on the porch. As he sat down, he involuntarily braced himself, suddenly remembering that it was a bad idea for him to be out here alone. But to his surprise, no panicked rush overtook him. He could sense those feelings within him, but for once, they weren't controlling him. It was nice to just sit in peace without being forced into his traumatic memories, even if just for a moment.

He had to laugh internally when that peace was almost immediately broken by Charlie walking outside. "Damn it," he groaned, seeing Harry. Harry grinned. "I'll add it to your tab."

Charlie, as was routine now, gave Harry a one-fingered salute before sitting next to him on the bench. "You broke up with Ginny?"

Harry jerked his head around. "What?"

"Last weekend, when you gave her that gift. You said it was your anniversary, but Ron said that the two of you had broken up."

Harry sighed, not sure this was a conversation he wanted to have with Ginny's brawniest brother. "We were together for a little over a month. I guess someone already told you about that though–" Charlie nodded "– and I tried to break up with her last year." Charlie stiffened next to him. "It was after Dumbledore had died," he continued quickly. "The Death Eaters were in control, and I knew everyone would be after me. I tried to break up with her to protect her. They'd go after anyone I cared about, and I couldn't let them go after her if I could help it."

"And then you left," Charlie added.

"Yeah. I had a… mission that Dumbledore gave me. Ron and Hermione could come because they didn't have the Trace on them anymore, but we couldn't bring Ginny since she was underage. And… I don't think I realised it at the time, but her being here– it gave me something to hope for when we were going through the hell of the last year."

"So when you came back…"

"There wasn't anybody else. For either of us. As soon as it was all over, we got back together."

Charlie nodded, seemingly satisfied with Harry's explanation. But then he changed subjects slightly. "What sort of mission kept you away for a year?"

Harry grimaced. He really couldn't tell Charlie that– not until he told Ginny. He'd promised himself at the very least, she'd be the next person he told everything to. "I– we were trying to find a way to kill Riddle, once and for all," he finally said, thinking that was as close to the truth as he could get.

"Mission accomplished," Charlie commented, though he still looked at Harry like he suspected there was more to the story.

Harry nodded. "Yeah… mission accomplished."

It felt weird thinking about it like that. That after everything they'd done, what they'd figured out, and how they'd fought, they'd succeeded. The mission was complete. They were still picking up the pieces of the fallout, but there was something comforting in knowing that they'd actually done what they'd devoted so much of their lives to finishing.

Bill joined them a few minutes later, and as usual, they made breakfast together. It wasn't anything as good as Fleur's breakfast yesterday, but Harry had to admit that the three of them worked rather well together. When all the food was distributed, he went upstairs to wake Ginny up.

He was a little surprised when he opened her door to see that she wasn't in bed. He looked around the room before looking behind the door, where he found her staring at the picture he'd given her. She seemed to have started looking at it midway through changing her clothes– she was wearing a green shirt, but she didn't have any pants on, meaning Harry could see everything below the hem of her shirt.

Doing everything in his power to control himself at the sight of all that pale skin, he touched Ginny on the shoulder. She jumped slightly before looking at him. "You okay?" he asked, growing a little concerned at how entranced she was with her thoughts.

She smiled a little and nodded. "I was just remembering."

He kissed her quickly before whispering, "Glad I can still distract you."

She snorted until she realised what Harry meant, feeling his hand lightly brushing her upper thigh. "Oh– yeah. I was just about to put my jeans on when I started looking at it."

Harry leaned back towards her. "Personally, I find this view just as interesting as that one."

She grinned and kissed him before slowly walking over to her dresser. He was sure that she was swaying her hips like that on purpose, but it didn't matter. The effect on him was still the same, and he couldn't keep himself from staring at her legs and the beginning of a curve that disappeared under the hem of her shirt. Ginny withdrew a pair of jeans and looked over her shoulder, smirking when she saw Harry staring. Then she bent over to pull her jeans on, giving him an all too brief view of a whole new area of her body that he longed to explore more thoroughly. He was still replaying that image in his mind when she walked right back up to him.

"See something you like?" she asked, still smirking proudly.

"Too many things to count," he answered honestly because, as lovely as her legs and bum were, her hair, her smile, and her eyes were what continually drew him further into his feelings for her. Ginny apparently liked that answer because she pulled him into a more passionate kiss that left them both wanting much more when her stomach began grumbling. She groaned as she leaned back from Harry. He smiled at her, wondering how it was possible that even a sound like that could sound beautiful coming from her.

"Breakfast is downstairs," he offered.

She nodded. "We'll get back to this soon enough," she promised, kissing him once more quickly before pulling him out of her room and down the stairs.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

Ginny was walking with Harry around the grounds. It had been a week since they'd started dating, but people still stared. She realised that this must be what it was like to be Harry on a regular basis, with everyone openly gawking at them like something on display. Somehow though, he didn't let it affect him, either because he was used to it or because it genuinely didn't bother him. She supposed that as long as people were just looking, it was annoying, but there wasn't any real harm in it.

A young Ravenclaw girl ran up to them out of nowhere. She only looked at Harry. With a know-it-all voice, the first or second year asked, "Do you know that you could be with any girl you wanted?"

Ginny blinked, wanting to make sure she heard that correctly. Harry looked similarly surprised, but he still answered. "I don't know about any girl, but that doesn't really matter to me."

The girl looked like she thought Harry hadn't understood what she'd said. "I mean it. Any girl." Ginny wondered if she'd been this obvious with her crush on Harry when she was this girl's age. She certainly wasn't this rude or forceful about it at least.

Harry surprised her when he crouched down to look the girl in the eyes. "I'm sure one day, you'll have tons of people to choose from. But I don't need to be able to be with any girl when the only girl I want to be with also wants to be with me."

The girl appeared confused about Harry's response, so she just turned and walked away, likely making up a much different version of these events to tell her friends about. Harry stood straight and looked back at her, blushing a little apologetically. "Sorry about that. I've… never had someone that young acting like that."

Ginny shook her head. "I mean it was rude, but I'd rather deal with her than Romilda Vane any day."

Harry chuckled. "You and me both." He pulled her close to hug her, and then they started walking back toward the castle.

"So… I'm the only girl you want to be with?" Ginny asked curiously, smiling a little at Harry's flustered reaction.

"I– well– yeah, of course," he finally answered like that was incredibly obvious.

Ginny stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Just wanted to be sure," she whispered, pleased at the content smile that passed onto Harry's face as they walked back toward the castle, hand-in-hand.

Harry startled her out of that memory, and after some flirtatious dressing, she went downstairs with him to get something to eat. As usual, everyone was at the table other than George. The family ate quietly until her mum looked at the two of them.

"Andromeda's bringing Teddy over for dinner this evening. She wanted me to let you know."

Ginny nodded. "We were actually going to go see him today, so that works really well for us."

After breakfast, Ginny joined Harry in washing the dishes again. It seemed to make him happy, and even though she didn't fully understand it, she loved to make Harry happy. While they were washing dishes, an idea came to her that she knew Harry would love. As soon as they finished, she pulled him outside.

"What are we doing?" he asked curiously, smiling at her excited expression.

"I still feel sad in the house, and it's been a while since we've done this. We need to fly away from everything," she answered as she opened up the broom shed on the side of the house.

Harry's eyes lit up as he looked inside. They quickly grabbed a pair of Cleansweep Fives and kicked off, soaring high above the orchard. As they dodged and dove around trees and each other, they couldn't contain their whoops of elation at finally being in the air again. No matter how often she did it, Ginny always felt the same rush of adrenaline up in the air on her broom. Up here, nothing could touch her. For a flight, her worries and fears could slip away and she could lose herself, becoming one with her broom and the sky.

After a while, she gestured for Harry to land with her. He followed her lead, going to put his broom back in the shed after she did. She stuck her arm out and stopped him, shaking her head. "Remember how you told me I'm, as you so eloquently put it, a weight on your broom?" she asked, causing Harry to blush as he remembered his awkward phrasing, but he nodded. "Time for us to see what that actually feels like," she said, taking the broom from him and straddling the front of it.

Harry immediately took the hint, sitting on the broom directly behind her. His chest was pressed right against her back, and she could almost feel his heartbeat as he wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her as close as he could to himself. She gripped the handle of the broom tight, and Harry kicked off from the ground.

This was unlike any other flying Ginny had ever done before. They weren't moving quite as fast as they did by themselves, but she had to admit that Harry knew what he was talking about, even though he'd struggled to phrase it well. Somehow, the two of them merged together into a single rider on the broom, but they felt remarkably stable, considering the added weight. Instead of swooping around, Ginny lazily guided them in slow circles, high above the orchard. She felt Harry's hands on her sides, holding her tightly. His face was in her hair that was blowing around him. Ginny turned to look back at him and saw the widest grin on his face as they flew together. She knew she had a similar expression on her face. As much as she loved the freedom of flying, she found that she was enjoying the intimacy of this moment with Harry, so far removed from everything below them, even more than the most thrilling of solo flights.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

The afternoon flew by. Literally. Harry had no idea how much time he'd spent up in the air with Ginny. Once it was the two of them on the same broom, everything else blurred in contrast to the importance and closeness of their flight. They finally landed when they saw Andromeda walking with Molly to the Burrow.

"That was incredible," he said when they dismounted the broom. Ginny placed the broom back in the shed and turned around, grinning at him.

"I guess you knew what you were on about with the whole extra weight on the broom."

Harry chuckled. "I had no idea it would be that good."

"Me either," Ginny agreed, taking his hand in hers and kissing him softly. They walked together to the Burrow. Once they entered the living room, both of them were excited to see Teddy. Molly had been holding him, but she reluctantly handed the baby over to Ginny, who greedily accepted. She snuggled Teddy against her chest and started making goofy faces at him as she and Harry sat on the loveseat together. For his part, Harry did his best to keep one eye on each of his two favourite people.

It was amazing to watch. Every time Ginny did something new, like scrunching her nose or sticking her tongue out, Teddy would smile and giggle. He never seemed to get tired of all the things Ginny was doing to entertain him. Harry had to admit that he couldn't take his eyes off of her either. It was… almost mesmerising to see how good she was with Teddy, how happy she seemed just holding him and playing with him.

She looked up at Harry, apparently noticing him staring at her, and smiled softly. She slowly passed Teddy over to him, and it was Harry's turn to try and entertain Teddy. Before he could do anything though, Teddy reached out and wrapped his tiny fist around the finger Harry was about to tickle him with. He didn't need to move, couldn't think of anything else to do other than let Teddy hold him as long as he wanted.

He looked up at Ginny and saw her staring with wide eyes at the two of them. "Wow," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Wow," Harry echoed, trying to comprehend all the feelings running through his mind, with Ginny staring at him like that and Teddy holding his finger. It was a lot to take in. The moment was interrupted though when Molly walked in, announcing that it was time for dinner. Andromeda had them lay Teddy in a portable cot she'd brought with her so he could nap, and everyone but George convened in the kitchen for an excellent dinner of mince pies.

Andromeda didn't talk much, Harry noticed, but she did seem to enjoy their company. It was a process, he supposed, getting comfortable being around people, especially after everything she'd been through. At least she didn't immediately leave after dinner. Instead, they all moved into the living room and Andromeda let Ginny hold Teddy again.

George came down the stairs while they were all sitting there, and he looked curiously at Teddy. Harry realised that he probably hadn't actually seen Teddy before now. George walked over to where Harry and Ginny were sitting, wordlessly watching Ginny with Teddy.

Ginny looked up at her older brother with a smile. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Ah– I– okay, I guess," George answered with zero confidence, and Harry stood up so that George could take his spot next to Ginny. Ginny transferred Teddy over to George's arms, coaching him on how to hold the baby comfortably. George settled into it, and even though he still seemed a little uneasy, he lightened up when Teddy giggled at him. George began tickling the baby while making faces, much like Ginny had, and for the first time in a long time, Harry saw a real smile on George's face.

Everyone else in the room noticed it too, and even though they'd been talking more today than usual, they all fell silent, seemingly wary of breaking the fragile happiness George was feeling. Teddy slowly began blinking more, and George let him drift into sleep in his arms. Andromeda stood up once Teddy fell asleep.

"I think I should probably get him home while he's sleeping," she suggested. George nodded and let her take Teddy from him.

"Thanks for coming over today, Mrs. Tonks," Harry said. She smiled at the three of them, said goodbye to everyone, and walked out the door. Harry looked back at George, who still had traces of a smile on his face.

Harry patted him on the back. "You did better than I did my first time holding him"

George snorted. "He's a cute kid," he commented.

"Very cute," Ginny agreed, giving her brother a side hug. George clapped his knees and stood up. He went into the kitchen to get an extra pie– he'd apparently eaten the ones Ginny took up earlier– and he walked back up to his room without saying anything else.

"That's the best he's looked since…" Percy trailed off, and nobody had to ask him to elaborate.

"Babies make people happy," Arthur said, nodding.

"Hopefully she'll start coming by more regularly. I was so glad that she accepted my invitation today," Molly added.

"She seemed happy," Ron commented, but Hermione was quick to say, "As happy as anyone could be, considering…"

Harry found the caveats to happiness confusing. It was weird that someone could be as happy as anyone could be considering their circumstances. When he was little, he wasn't used to happiness, and he thought that it was an elusive and too-perfect-to-understand sentiment. Once he finally experienced that happiness, it became clear to him that he was right as a child. Happiness could be found all over, he'd learned, but it wasn't always possible to understand. He was living proof of that. As happy as he was a lot of the time, the panic attacks and painful grip of grief were visceral reminders that happiness wasn't easy to understand, and those feelings can change and shift as circumstances do.

Nobody stayed in the living room for long after that. That night, Harry was thankful that his lack of understanding of happiness didn't make it any more difficult for him to be happy, holding Ginny and falling asleep with the memories of their flight together replaying in his mind.

When he woke the next morning, he was still filled with that overwhelming sense of happiness, and that was enough to keep him in bed longer than he usually stayed, just watching Ginny sleep. She wasn't the only thing he was happy about, but it was impossible to imagine that he'd actually be happy right now if they weren't together. Thankful for what felt like the millionth time that she wanted to be with him, he finally pulled himself out of bed and went downstairs after waking Hermione.

He realised just how long he must've spent in bed when he saw that Bill was already sitting out on the porch. "Two sickles," Bill said with a friendly smile.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I was a little preoccupied in bed this morning."

As Bill's smile faltered and his eyes narrowed slightly, Harry realised what that sounded like and began nervously stammering. "I mean, I– damn this is gonna sound weird either way. We– we haven't– we weren't doing anything. I was just… watching her sleep," he confessed. Bill kept his eyes narrowed, but Harry saw the corners of his mouth twitching. Finally, Bill couldn't suppress his laughter.

"Harry, you've got to relax. You know I know where you're sleeping, so you don't have to explain yourself to me. Although in the future, I'd prefer to not hear you describe your activities in bed with my sister to me."

Harry's face felt incredibly hot and Bill laughed again. "I do understand though. I wake up every morning next to Fleur, and it takes a lot for me to get out of bed."

Harry nodded, grateful that Bill was actually talking about it without sounding like his girlfriend's older brother. Because Bill may be Ginny's older brother, but he'd made it pretty clear that he also saw Harry as a brother, and if Harry couldn't talk to him about something like this, who was a better option?

"Bill, can I ask… how– how did you know that you were in love with Fleur?" he asked tentatively, carefully watching to see Bill's reaction.

Bill furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. "I would say from the first time I saw her, but I think most guys feel that way when they see her for the first time. Honestly… it was probably the first time we argued about something."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting an answer like that. Bill held up a hand and explained, "Let me be clear– my wife terrifies me when she's angry. But she doesn't get angry often. Most people see her as a gorgeous and sorta kind image of grace. When she argued with me for the first time, she got mad, and it showed me another side of her that she doesn't let a lot of people see. She's passionate and fiery and fiercely protective. So I think when I saw that, it– like it proved that she was a real person, and she wanted me to see all of her."

Harry nodded at that explanation, thinking it was a pretty interesting love story. But then Bill asked the question that steered the conversation where Harry was hoping it would go. "Why do you ask?"

He looked at Bill meaningfully. "I imagine you can figure that out," he said with a tight smile.

"So you're trying to decide if you're in love with Ginny?"

Harry exhaled, trying to think how to explain it. "I… Bill, I– I don't like to talk about my past before I found out I was a wizard, and I don't know how much you know about it, but I didn't exactly grow up surrounded by love. My aunt and uncle loved my cousin, but they saw me as nothing more than a waste of space, and they made sure I knew it. I have no real experience with love. Like based on what I've heard people say about it, I think your family loves me, and I love your family, but I genuinely cannot remember anyone ever… telling me that they love me," he finished quietly.

Bill looked at him with great compassion, and it almost made Harry feel a little uneasy, but he realised that Bill was likely looking at him with love, and the reason he felt uneasy about it was because he was so unfamiliar with the sensation. "Harry, I knew you'd had a tough life outside of Hogwarts– not like your life there was easy either– but I– I had no idea you felt like this."

Harry shrugged. "I'm used to it, I guess." What he wasn't used to was Bill pulling him into a tight hug.

"You are loved by this family," Bill said once he'd let Harry go. "Don't ever doubt that."

"And Ginny?" Harry asked.

Bill thought for a moment and nodded. "I can't speak for her, but… based on what I've seen, what you've told me, and what I've heard from the rest of my family, the two of you seem to be very much in love. Harry, I don't think you understand just how powerful it was when you told me that a big part of the reason you came back in the forest was because of her. The fact that you went and died for all of us, including her, and somehow managed to come back for her… I don't know what else that would be other than love. And the way the two of you are around each other– you're both so much better and happier when you're together. It's honestly amazing to watch."

Harry nodded, pressing his lips together and remembering that Hermione had told him something very similar a few days ago. "I need to tell Ginny about the forest," he said.

"Yeah, you definitely do. But that should make it easier if you want to tell her you love her."

"You don't think she'll hate me for what happened?"

Bill looked curiously at Harry. "Are you really worried about that?"

Harry nodded. The thought terrified him. "I can't lose her, Bill," he whispered.

Bill put an arm around Harry's shoulders. "When you love somebody, something like this won't change that. It'll be hard for her to hear, but you didn't do everything wrong. If anything, I think once you tell her everything, she'll love you more for it."

That was the reassurance Harry needed. He wouldn't know for sure until he actually told her, but this conversation had made him feel a little better about everything. "I think I'm going to tell her everything after dinner tonight," he said.

"Good. Trust me, Harry. This will all be for the best." Harry hoped he was right.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

Ginny woke earlier than usual. Harry was gone, and she didn't feel like going back to sleep. Besides, she'd made plans to go over to Luna's house today and visit her friend. She dressed quietly since Hermione was still sleeping and walked downstairs. She heard Harry and Bill's muffled voices on the porch. She opened the door and heard Bill say, "This will all be for the best."

"What will?" she asked, and both Harry and Bill halfway jumped off the bench.

"Merlin, Gin, be a little louder next time," Harry exclaimed breathlessly, clutching his heart like he'd just been scared half to death. Ginny smiled sweetly but unapologetically, and Bill chuckled, smiling at her and Harry.

"So, what'll be for the best?" she asked again, crossing her arms now. She was looking at Harry, who appeared a tad nervous, but Bill answered quickly.

"Fleur and I are going back to Shell Cottage tomorrow. We'll still be around, and you all can visit whenever you want, but it's gonna be for the best for all of us to have a little more space."

Ginny nodded, but the look on Harry's face told her that wasn't what he expected Bill to say. She'd ask him about that later when Bill wasn't around to save him from her interrogation. "Okay. I'm glad you and Fleur are doing that. We'll definitely be visiting you," she said, winking at Harry.

"Definitely," he agreed, nodding vigorously.

"I'm going to Luna's for the day," she added. "I'll be back before Mum's Sunday dinner tonight though."

Harry looked a little disappointed but perked up when she said she'd be back for dinner. "After dinner, I want us to take a long walk." Ginny smiled at the simple request.

"Deal." She reached out her hand and shook his, but she didn't let go of his hand.

Smiling up at her, he asked, "Do you need me to apparate you over to Luna's?"

Ginny shook her head. "Oh, I guess I never told you, but while we were in hiding at Aunt Muriel's, Mum and Dad started teaching me how to apparate."

Harry furrowed his brow, trying to figure out how she'd learned that fast. "I'm not an expert, yet. That's why I've been side-alonging with you everywhere. Almost all of my practice was in a ballroom at her mansion. But Luna's is only a couple miles away, so hopefully I'll be okay. Keep an eye out in case I splinch myself though," Ginny joked, but Harry went pale at that, and she remembered what he'd told her about Ron splinching himself. She leaned down to him. "I'll be fine, I promise." Then she kissed him softly before letting go of his hand.

"Be careful," Harry called. Ginny spun around, walking backwards down the path away from the Burrow.

"That's rich coming from you!" she laughed. Once she felt herself leaving the wards, she spun on her heel, remembering Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Her body compressed and expanded rapidly and she landed, completely intact, in front of Luna's house.

Luna met her outside almost immediately. "How'd you know I was already here?" Ginny asked.

"You said you were coming today," Luna responded. "You were supposed to come today, right?"

Ginny smiled at her friend, knowing she wasn't going to get a better answer from Luna. Luna led her inside the house, where she said, "Daddy, you remember Ginny Weasley, don't you? She's my friend, and she's Harry Potter's girlfriend."

Ginny saw the already pale man with long white hair pale further, and she remembered what Harry had told her about Xenophilius Lovegood. He may have been trying to save Luna, but he still tried to sell out Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He looked at her guiltily. "Of course, and how is Mister Potter?" he asked quietly.

Ginny tried to keep the edge out of her voice. "He's better, now that he's not having to run from Death Eaters every day." Mr. Lovegood closed his eyes, and Ginny was pleased that her double meaning had hit home.

"Daddy is very sorry for what happened with Harry and Hermione and Ron here. He knows it was wrong to try and give them up for me. They're my friends, and they should've been able to trust him," Luna said, looking between her father and Ginny. Ginny was impressed that Luna seemed to be making sure her dad knew how wrong what he did was.

Mr. Lovegood nodded. "I feel terrible about what happened. You don't understand– my Luna, she's all I have left. But I made a mistake, and I'm so sorry."

Ginny nodded. "I'm not the one you need to apologise to, but I do appreciate that you know it was wrong."

"Yes, yes, of course. I will certainly apologise to them as soon as I can."

"Why don't the two of you come over for dinner tonight, and you can apologise to them then?" Ginny asked, knowing that her mother always made more than enough food to feed everyone.

Mr. Lovegood paled again. "I wish I could, but I can't tonight. I have to finish printing a special edition of The Quibbler to send out to my readers by tomorrow morning."

Ginny nodded, thinking that was a convenient excuse, but then she looked at Luna. "Do you want to come for dinner?" she asked.

Luna smiled dreamily. "I'd love to have dinner with my friends."

"Great," Ginny said. "Mister Lovegood, you'll have to come for dinner soon." He nodded and hastily left them alone in the kitchen. Ginny and Luna enjoyed a breakfast of toast with lavender jam and pumpkin-free pumpkin juice, which tasted too much like pumpkin juice to actually be anything else.

They went up to Luna's room, and even though she'd seen it before, Ginny marvelled at the paintings around Luna's room of herself, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Luna hadn't had many friends growing up, and Ginny was so glad that Luna was one of her best friends now.

"I see you still have the Erosprites," Luna commented offhandedly while they were sitting in her room.

Ginny smiled. "I guess I do," she replied because even though she didn't believe in Erosprites, she knew what they meant to Luna, and she was happy to confirm that she was still in love with Harry.

"Does Harry still have the Erosprites?" Luna asked.

Ginny chuckled. "He definitely still has the Erosprites." Luna smiled happily, and she didn't bring up the Erosprites again. The friends spent a fun day together, in Luna's room, walking by the stream, and talking about new creatures Luna had learned about. Around five, Luna and Ginny left the Lovegood house, and, miraculously, Ginny was able to side-along Luna to the Burrow without any issues. Ready for a good meal, Ginny led Luna through the wards and into the kitchen.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

The day had passed by extremely slowly for Harry. He missed Ginny, but that was only part of it. He was anticipating, with equal parts eagerness and trepidation, finally telling her everything tonight, and it felt like that time would never come. He spent the day with Ron and Hermione. They stayed in the living room for the better part of the day. Hermione was reading some book– Harry had no idea when she would've gotten a new book– and Ron beat Harry at chess several times. He was always encouraging Harry, but Harry knew that he was no match for Ron, no matter how much he played. Ron wasn't always the best at seeing the consequences of actions in real life, but in chess, he could see ten moves ahead, and it was brilliant to watch, even though it was painful to play against. Despite all the defeats Harry endured, he had to admit that it was nice having this feeling of normalcy with the three of them. It felt like it could've been a normal weekend in the Gryffindor common room, before the war and everything had torn that all apart.

"What are you reading, Hermione?" Harry asked, against his better judgement, after losing to Ron for the fifth time in a row.

She looked up from her book. "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. "Why?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed as if unable to understand how they could be so thick. "Well, it's been a few years since I read it, and I was interested in reading it again after we learned about Dumbledore's relationship with Grindelwald. But there's surprisingly no real mention of Dumbledore in the context of Grindelwald's rise to power until their duel, and even then, it seems like nobody actually recorded any details about the duel other than that it was the greatest duel ever."

Harry could at least understand that. He'd been wildly curious with Dumbledore's connection to Grindelwald for several months. "Interesting," he replied.

"You can read it after I'm done with it, Harry. I'll be done by the end of the day." Harry's eyes widened slightly, both at Hermione's claim that she'd be done with the massive book that she was less than halfway through in a few hours and at her thought that he'd be interested in reading it too.

"Oh, that's okay, Hermione," he assured her.

She gave him a curious look. "I thought you were interested in learning more about Dumbledore and Grindelwald."

He shrugged. "Not really. I guess I didn't mention it when I told you everything before because it didn't really matter much, but I talked with Dumbledore about it when I was… well, when I was dead, or in that limbo, in the forest a couple weeks ago."

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him curiously, so he continued. "Dumbledore explained to me that when he was younger, he was attracted to the power of the Deathly Hallows and wanted to make a name for himself. He saw Grindelwald's ideas as a way out of taking care of his sister and brother after he graduated from Hogwarts. But he lost all that desire when his sister died in the duel between him, Aberforth, and Grindelwald. He just felt guilt and shame for wanting to escape with the Hallows. So he refused offers of power, not trusting that he'd be able to control himself if he was given it. I think– I think he always blamed himself. For his sister and for Grindelwald. But he changed. He grew up. I don't think I need to know any more than that."

They were all silent for a moment. "Plus we've had more than enough experience with dark wizards without reading about them too," Ron blurted out, and the still silence was broken with their shared laughter. It felt really good to be able to laugh about the things in the past, even if they did still bring more pain than any of them liked.

"I'm glad Dumbledore told you that," Hermione said, and Harry nodded. He could almost tell there was a part of her that doubted whether he'd really communicated with Dumbledore that night in the forest. He wasn't entirely sure either, but he thought it more likely than not that he had. He preferred thinking that he'd gotten to have one last conversation with his mentor.

Despite Ron's statement, Hermione returned to her book, glancing at them every once in a while as Ron continued crushing Harry in chess. It was humiliating, and Harry wouldn't have traded it for anything. As much as he was enjoying himself though, Harry was very happy when Ginny arrived back at the Burrow. He smiled at her when she walked in, followed closely by Luna. The pair walked over to where Ron and Harry were sitting on the floor.

"Hi Luna," Harry said, glad to see that she was still doing okay since he hadn't really seen her since the battle other than at a couple funerals.

"Hello, Harry. Ginny was right, you do have a lot of Erosprites floating around your head."

Harry frowned confusedly and looked at Ginny who shook her head, laughing silently. Luna turned and said hello to Ron and Hermione before Molly came in and said that dinner was ready.

Seating arrangements had been changed slightly with Luna joining them, and for the first time since the funeral, George also joined the family for dinner. So instead of sitting next to him, Ginny was now across from him, and Harry sat in between Hermione and George. It was nice having everyone there, even Luna. It still wasn't completely normal without Fred, but it felt good knowing that they were all enjoying each other's company.

As they finished eating, Ron stood up to get another butterbeer– Rosmerta's mail-order service had resumed after the battle– and he brought an extra one back for Hermione, noticing that the one she'd been drinking was now empty.

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione said quietly.

"That was very sweet of you, Ronald. You're doing a good job showing Hermione that you care for her," Luna said breezily, making Hermione smile.

Ron snorted as he lifted his Butterbeer to take a swig. "I mean a bloke's gotta do what he can, you know? Not every guy can give himself up to die to prove to his girlfriend that he cares."

Harry felt his heart stop. Hermione and George had both stiffened next to him, likely for different but related reasons, and Bill was looking alarmed between Harry and Ginny. Harry couldn't bring himself to look at Ginny, so he turned instead to look at Ron, who was oblivious to the fact that everyone had gone silent and was staring at him. He set his bottle back down on the table loudly, and only then did it seem to register what he'd just said.

He looked at Harry with wide eyes. "Oh shit," he muttered.

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny asked intensely. Harry finally brought himself to look at her. Her eyes were blazing and her cheeks were turning red. She was staring at Ron but kept glancing at him.

"It– it's nothing, just a bad… figure of speech," Ron lied badly, causing Harry to grimace yet again. Everyone else remained deathly silent.

"Why'd you look at Harry after you said that?" Ginny pressed.

"Bloody hell, Ginny. I– I don't know," Ron answered desperately.

"I don't believe you. You just acted like you said something you knew you shouldn't have."

Ron looked down at the table, and Ginny turned to look at Harry.

"What did he mean by that?" she asked him now with a sharp voice and confusion in her eyes.

He really didn't want to have this conversation in front of everyone. "Gin– can we go outside?"

"I thought you went into the forest to fight."

Harry took as deep a breath as he could manage, but his lungs didn't want to cooperate. "I can explain."

"Is he– are– are you saying you went there to die?" Her desperate, accusatory tone broke Harry's heart.

"I–" he didn't know how to answer that in front of everyone.

"What happened in the forest, Harry?"

Harry couldn't help it. He glanced towards Bill, who had his hands on top of his head, in disbelief at how this was happening. Harry couldn't believe it either.

"Did you– in the forest– how– died?" Ginny choked out quietly. A tear was leaking out of the corner of her eye and her lip was trembling. He hated seeing her cry. He hated knowing he'd made her cry.

Harry couldn't form any words. Couldn't say what he needed to. All he could do was nod slightly, hoping that she'd let him talk to her.

That hope flew out the door almost instantly. Literally. Ginny's nostrils flared and her eyes blazed, and, for the first time he could remember, he was genuinely scared of what she might do. Would she break up with him? Never want to talk to him again? Instead of saying anything, she pushed away from the table, stood up, and ran out the back door. Harry felt like he was going to be sick.

"Holy fuck," Charlie muttered.

Everyone seemed to be in shock. Percy had taken his glasses off and was rubbing his eyes. Charlie and Fleur were gaping, open-mouthed, at Harry. Bill hadn't moved since the last time Harry looked at him. Molly was crying, and Arthur had a blank expression on his face. George hadn't moved either, still staring at where Ginny had been sitting. Even Luna looked concerned, frowning at Harry.

The silence was broken by a soft pop from outside. Harry immediately stood up, remembering that Ginny had shown him earlier today that she knew how to apparate. He ran outside, but she was gone. His heart was in his throat, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. This felt exactly like one of his panic attacks, only this wasn't happening inside his head.

He heard the door open again, and Ron and Hermione rushed out. Hermione was crying, and Harry saw a look of shame and regret on Ron's face. "Shit, Harry, I– I'm sorry. I didn't even think– I thought she knew."

Harry shook his head, willing himself to not vomit and trying not to explode with anger at his best friend. She'd told him they couldn't keep running away. They were better together, she'd said. But this was too much for her, and she reacted exactly like he was afraid she would.

He turned away, unable to talk to Ron right now. He had to find Ginny. But where would she have gone? She was still learning how to apparate, especially at longer distances, and the only place he knew for sure that she'd go to when something was bothering her was…

Shit. There's no way she tried to– who was he kidding? Of course she did. Without saying anything to his friends, he ran out past the wards and turned on his heel, keeping the one place Ginny always went when she needed comfort at the front of his mind.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

A/N: So… yeah… surprise! As many of you had been pointing out for a while, Harry was playing a bit of a dangerous game by taking so long to tell the story, and he just barely ran out of time. I do want to say, in Ron's defence, Harry had brought up the moment in the forest just before dinner, so it was fresh on Ron's mind, and it's also been something he's known for several weeks at this point. Ron also just generally doesn't have the best sense of timing, but I think it's clear that there wasn't any ill intent in his mistake. I feel bad every time Ron makes a mistake in my writing because I know he gets bashed in fics a lot. Ron is definitely a hero of these books, but this wasn't one of his finer moments.

Taking a bit of a turn away from the ending of the chapter, I really liked the idea of George becoming happier with Teddy and being kind of a cute uncle with him. Like Arthur said, babies make people happy, and George really is just a kid at heart anyways. Teddy's positive influence on the Weasleys will definitely be extending beyond just Harry and Ginny!

I love every time I write a brotherly moment with Bill and Harry. I still laugh at Harry telling Bill he was preoccupied in bed with Ginny, but the real reason I love writing them is because Bill's got a huge heart and a lot of experience being an older brother. Their talk about love was very important in the development of their relationship as well as giving Harry that final push to be ready to tell Ginny about everything, which he was ready for. Things just didn't work out exactly like that.

As a random aside, it's heavily implied that Muriel is extremely wealthy, while the Weasleys are supposedly close to poverty (though I still don't understand how poverty can really exist in a world with magic, but that's a whole other topic), so I thought it was kind of funny that Ginny got her Apparition practice in a ballroom of Muriel's mansion. It is eventually mentioned later, but just in case anyone's curious, I believe that the Fidelius Charm would supersede the Trace, so the Ministry wouldn't have been able to detect Ginny performing underage magic because she was in a house under the Fidelius Charm. There's not really a way to know for sure, so that was what I went with.

In my first draft of this chapter, I didn't include the conversation between Harry, Ron, and Hermione about Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Originally, Harry and Ron were just playing chess when Ginny and Luna walked in. It wasn't until I reread the chapter a couple months after writing it that I decided that it was a little unbelievable for Ron to just blurt that out without any prompting. It may still be a little unbelievable now, but my thought was that it's on his mind because of their conversation, and he also reminded us of his penchant for blurting things out without thinking in that scene too. I felt a lot better about Ron revealing the secret with that scene added and hope it doesn't feel out of character!

And yeah… that brings us to the end of Better Together, which I have to admit was a brutally ironic name from my point of view. I do really like this chapter though, but I am biassed since I know what happens next! Everyone knows about the forest now, and things are finally coming to a head. Trust me, you're going to want to be subscribed or following so you don't miss the next chapter. Speaking of…

Coming Tuesday: No More Secrets- "Are we gonna talk about what the hell happened in there?"