"Are we gonna talk about what the hell happened in there?"
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
The words of Lord Voldemort rang through Ginny's mind as she cried, staring at the bodies of Fred and Tonks in front of her. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there when Hermione hugged her. Hermione held her while the last of Ginny's tears fell. Awoken from her stupor, she looked around the Great Hall, but she couldn't find Harry anywhere. Surely he wouldn't listen to Riddle.
Who was she kidding? Riddle knew exactly what to say to get Harry to come to him, and Ginny was determined not to let that happen. She left her family and Hermione without a word, walking to the grounds between the castle and the forest. She'd stop him. They could still fight together. He couldn't leave her again. She needed him too much.
That was when she saw Emily Brooks, lying helplessly on the ground. Her body was twisted grotesquely, and she was covered with blood. "Shhh, Emily. It's okay, I've got you," Ginny spoke quietly, crouching over Emily.
Emily just cried in pain. "I want my mummy."
Ginny felt her heart breaking for this poor, young girl. She shouldn't be here. "It's alright. It's okay. We're going to get you inside."
"But I want to go home. I don't want to fight anymore!" Emily whispered.
Everything in Ginny ached. Nobody ever asked Emily to fight. She was far too young. She should've escaped through Hogsmeade hours ago. But she wanted to be brave, and now she lay dying on the grounds of Hogwarts.
With a cracking voice, Ginny did her best to soothe her. "I know. It's going to be alright," she promised, even though she didn't believe anything would ever be alright again. Still, she knelt down and took Emily's hand, doing her best to make her comfortable.
She felt him. Harry was close. She looked around, unable to understand how she could tell he was there even though he must've been under the Invisibility Cloak. As suddenly as she felt his presence, he was gone. And Ginny felt her heart break, knowing that she'd failed. Harry was walking into the Forbidden Forest at Riddle's request, and she couldn't stop him.
With all of her remaining strength, she stood up and levitated Emily, moving her to the Great Hall. Every step seemed like agony, wondering if Harry was still alive. How could he possibly go into the forest thinking he could survive it? Harry was strong, but nobody was that strong.
Somehow, she managed to get Emily into the Great Hall, calling Madam Pomfrey over for triage care. Pomfrey took one look at Emily and shook her head sadly, and Ginny knew what that meant. There wasn't anything she could do. Not when there were still people who could be saved scattered around the Great Hall. Her heart broke for the girl who had passed out, breathing shallowly. Ginny wanted to stay with her, but she needed her family. With one last mournful look at Emily, she sat down next to Ron and Hermione, who seemed to have run out of tears.
"Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly. Ginny shook her head, unable to tell her friend what she knew. She feared they'd all find out soon enough anyways.
They sat together, all afraid to say anything. It had been more than an hour. The battle would be starting again at any moment. Everyone who could was now standing in the Great Hall, shifting anxiously, waiting for the next invasion. Then the high, cold voice pierced the security of the hall once more.
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
Nobody spoke in the Great Hall. Everyone looked around in disbelief. Ginny's tears returned again, knowing that she should've stopped him. Hermione and Ron looked broken next to her. Through her sobs, Ginny managed to croak out, "He wasn't running away."
Neither of them acknowledged what she said. Obviously Harry wasn't running away. There wasn't a single person who knew Harry who would've believed that he'd tried to escape. That didn't make any of this better though. She'd lied to Emily. Nothing was ever going to be okay again.
The crowd inside the Great Hall slowly filed out to the Entrance Courtyard. "NO!" Professor McGonagall screamed.
Ginny almost fell over when she saw it. An army of Death Eaters, led by Tom Riddle. But that wasn't what everyone was looking at. "No! No!" Ron and Hermione shouted next to her.
Harry lay in Hagrid's arms, motionless. He still had his glasses on, and his hair was as messy as ever. But his body was lifeless. He'd never been one to stay still, but now, he'd never walk through these halls again. Never fly on a broom again. Never run his hand through his hair again. He'd never smile at her again, never kiss her again. She'd never see his bright green eyes again. She'd never be able to tell him how much he meant to her. Unable to control herself, Ginny broke down and wailed, "Harry! HARRY!".
She cried out desperately for him. People around her started shouting at the Death Eaters, but she couldn't hear anything anymore. The past year had felt so empty without him, and that was just a preview of the rest of her life– however much was left. Harry had died trying to protect them. She was going to make damn sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain. If it meant she died and saw him sooner, so be it. No matter what, nothing was ever going to be okay again.
Ginny inhaled sharply, breathing heavily. She bent over, feeling a stitch in her side that was throbbing. After a moment, she looked up and saw the lake, sparkling in the setting sun. Behind her was a castle. But she came for something else. Sitting against a large tree, she felt the bark until she found the carving in the tree. He'd promised forever.
Tears that she couldn't remember shedding were stinging her eyes, and she vaguely remembered apparating instinctively to the gates of Hogwarts before running to the tree. It felt like something was clawing at the pit of her stomach, trying desperately to escape. She still couldn't breathe, and that wasn't because of the run anymore. She thought he went to that forest to fight because he didn't want any more of the battle to happen in Hogwarts. It had seemed insane, but he was the most insanely brave person she knew. If anybody was going to march into that forest by himself to fight, it would've been Harry.
But Ron made it sound like he knew he was going to die when he walked into the forest. How the hell did that make sense? How could he have done that, walking right past her, expecting to die? Did he actually die? It made no damn sense. He couldn't have died, but Riddle and all the Death Eaters were sure that he had. She couldn't think clearly; the blood rushing in her ears was too loud. The only thing that felt real was the carving under her fingers, but even that felt like it was slipping away. Walking to death without saying goodbye wasn't a part of forever.
And then he was there. Because of course he bloody was. She could feel him, just a few feet away, just like she had that night. She wasn't going to let him get away with being silent this time. She jumped to her feet and whirled about to face him. He looked terrified and apologetic and sad and Ginny just didn't understand. With no sympathy, she shoved him angrily. He stumbled back a few steps before catching himself. He didn't look away from her.
"Did you go into that forest to fight or to give yourself up?" Ginny asked in a low voice.
Harry swallowed and clenched his fists. "I–I gave myself up," he confessed.
She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her again. Somehow, she managed to ask a second question. "Did– did it ever… did it ever bloody occur to you that I might want to– to say goodbye?" Her voice broke because that was what hurt more than anything.
Harry blinked, and he looked so sad that she almost felt bad for him. Almost. "I– I had to do it, Gin. I didn't have another choice. If I'd stopped when I walked past you, I couldn't have done it."
He'd had every opportunity to tell her goodbye, and he chose not to. Ginny raised her hand, wanting to slap him. He deserved to feel something of the pain he'd caused her. Didn't he care? But she couldn't hurt him, not even when she was this pissed off at him, and he didn't cower away from her either. "Fuck you," she growled, glaring at him but lowering her hand.
"Ginny–" he whispered, and now his voice was breaking.
Ginny didn't want to give him a chance to talk. Everything that she'd been holding in for weeks and months now– her confusion, her grief, her loneliness, and everything she felt for the man in front of her– had finally reached a boiling point, and she couldn't push down any of those feelings any longer.
"How dare you, Harry Potter? How dare you? You promised that we'd be together forever under this tree and then you broke up with me and ran away for a year! You were gone for a fucking year! I spent every night praying that you were alive and I'd get to see you again! And when you have to walk to your death for some unknown reason, and you have every opportunity to tell me goodbye, at the very least, to let me know that you still cared, you walk away like a coward?"
"Gin–" he croaked out as tears pooled in his eyes, but she wasn't done.
"It's not fair! It's not bloody fair! I had to watch Hagrid carry your body back to the castle! I thought my life was over, that the only thing that mattered was gone! And you came back and we got back together and I thought everything was going to be okay but you've had two bloody weeks to tell me about this and I had to hear about it from Ron making a joke? None of this is fair! It's not fair that you promised me forever and then made me think you were dead! It's not fair that I thought I died with you because I fucking love you!"
Ginny finished screaming and began breathing hard, furious and devastated and so damn confused. Harry looked at her like he'd been stunned.
"You– you love me?" he asked in a still breaking, breathless voice, and if she wasn't so mad, Ginny might've thought it cute or endearing that that was what he got out of her whole rant.
She crossed her arms. "Of course I do, you bloody idiot," she grumbled. Harry suddenly surged forward and did about the last thing she expected him to do, especially considering her outburst and undoubtedly furious expression. He tilted her chin up to him and kissed her so softly and sweetly that it baffled her. She almost pushed him away, but he pulled back before she could gather her wits enough to do that.
"I love you," he whispered, and his voice was stronger now. Some small part of Ginny was jumping for joy, but the rest of her was still so confused, and that wasn't enough to make up for it.
She shook her head. "Tell me everything. Then… I'll decide if that's good enough."
Harry nodded and Ginny sat against their tree while he sat right in front of her. "I've been trying to tell you. That's what the whole story was building up to. I've almost told you a bunch of times this week, but I didn't want to add more to everything with the funerals and everything. That walk I asked you to go on tonight? I was setting aside time for us to be alone so that I could finally tell you."
Ginny shook her head again. "Ron's a bloody idiot too."
Harry exhaled sharply. "He was tonight." They sat quietly for a moment. Harry was clearly thinking and Ginny was just waiting to hear what sort of explanation could possibly make this all okay.
"Your mum interrupted us when we were talking about Snape the other night. There was one more thing that I saw in Snape's memories. Dumbledore told Snape that when Riddle tried to kill me as a baby and the curse backfired, his soul was already so damaged that it split into two, and part of it latched onto the only living thing it could find– me. That's how I can talk to snakes and see inside his mind. I was a Horcrux, and part of his soul was living in me. He– he couldn't die while I was– while I was still alive."
Whatever she'd been expecting Harry to say, that wasn't it. A lot of the anger immediately left her, at least for now, replaced by horror at what he was saying. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands, unable to believe that he'd been a Horcrux.
"Dumbledore made Snape promise to let me know that part of Riddle's soul lived in me. When I found out, I pulled myself out of the memories, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I became so aware of everything, and I knew what I had to do. I– I didn't have a choice. We'd spent so long fighting and destroying Horcruxes, and so many people had died and would continue to die as long as he was alive. I walked out to the forest, and I wasn't expecting to see you there. It took everything– and I mean everything– in me not to tell you. I wanted so badly to run to you because you'd ask me to stay and I wouldn't be able to do it. It shattered my heart to walk away from you. But I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't be able to leave you again."
He reached out to take her hand, and she let him. Fat tears were slowly rolling down both of their faces as they both relived this traumatic experience.
"When I got to the forest, I realised what the Snitch Dumbledore had given me in his will meant. It said 'I open at the close', so I told it I was about to die. The Snitch opened, and inside of it was the– the Resurrection Stone." Ginny's eyes widened again. "I saw my mum and dad, Sirius, and Remus. Sirius told me that dying didn't hurt, and Remus told me the stuff I said at his funeral about dying for Teddy to grow up in a happier world. And my parents– my mum told me I'd been brave, and my dad said he– he said he was proud of me." Harry's voice broke, and he looked down at the ground. Ginny kissed his hand, wanting to comfort him despite her confusion and now slowly subsiding anger.
Harry took a breath and looked back up at her with new tears shining in his eyes. "Sorry, it's just– I've only told Ron and Hermione about the Stone, and I didn't even tell them what they all said." That did a little more to comfort Ginny, knowing that despite everything and how she wished Harry had told her sooner, there were certain things he only wanted her to know.
"They promised they'd stay with me, and they did until I got to the Death Eater camp. I dropped the Stone somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, but I don't think anybody should try and get it again. It's not natural. Dumbledore gave it to me because he knew I'd need it to have the strength to finish it all, but nobody should have that power. It's enough to drive anyone mad–" he shook his head thinking about it "–anyways, I'd put my wand inside my jacket. I was so tempted to fight. I wanted to do something, but I knew I had to die, so I walked into the camp, unarmed."
Ginny's breath was accelerating and her hands were sweating. How on earth did he make it out alive? Harry said simply, "Riddle cast Avada Kedavra on me."
She blinked. "What?" she breathed out, still so confused. Everyone knew that Harry had survived it once before, but how on earth did he survive a second time?
"The last thing I saw before the green light was you… running toward me in the common room last year. I felt you kissing me, and then… I died."
Ginny couldn't even speak. How could she respond to that? It still made no sense.
"A lot of this still doesn't make sense to me, and I haven't tried explaining it to anybody else, but I'm telling you everything. No more secrets." He paused for a moment and then continued. "I woke up in a really white room. I don't know how long I was there. Everything was so peaceful and empty. The longer I was there, the more I realised that it looked a lot like King's Cross. I saw a weird… naked… baby… thing on the ground, but its skin was all raw, and it looked really disgusting. It was crying and seemed like it couldn't breathe. I wanted to do something to help it, but I couldn't. That's when Dumbledore showed up."
Ginny stared at him. If he'd seen Dumbledore… was it really possible that he really had died?
"Dumbledore told me that he didn't think I was really dead. Or at least… I could choose not to be dead. He said Riddle had killed the part of himself in me with the Killing Curse. And then he reminded me about when Riddle came back. He took my blood to make his new body in the graveyard that night. It let him be able to touch me without being in pain. But the problem was that when he did that, he took my mother's protection into himself. That was his intention, I think, but he didn't think about the consequences. When he killed my parents, he gave my mum the option of standing aside because Snape had asked him to. She chose not to, so he killed her. But because she had the choice and chose to die to protect me, she cast such a strong love protection on me that it caused his Killing Curse to backfire on me that night.
"Riddle thought he got around the protection when he took my blood because he could touch me and hurt me. But because he had my blood, he kept my mother's protection over me alive in himself. He didn't realise it, but when he took my blood, he guaranteed that he couldn't be the one to kill me because her sacrifice still protected me in him. Dumbledore told me that he'd guessed that if I sacrificed myself and let Riddle kill me, thinking I would die, I would have a chance at surviving."
"So then…" Ginny finally interrupted. "If you found all this out in the forest… you had no idea that you could live when– when you faced him?"
Harry shook his head sadly. "I– I really thought I was going to die, and the last thing I was going to see… was you."
The reality of that hit Ginny like a charging Graphorn. "Wait– the picture you gave me– your memory…" she trailed off.
He swallowed and nodded. "That was it. Every time I see it in your room, I'm reminded how– how lucky I am that I had the chance to come back."
Acting impulsively, as she had all evening, Ginny threw herself at Harry, knocking him backwards with the force of her hug. He lay on his back and she sat up, looking down at him. "I love you, Harry Potter."
He smiled for the first time since they'd left the Burrow. "I love you, Ginny Weasley." She lowered herself to him, kissing him far more passionately than they had the first time they said that to each other. The kiss may have lasted hours before they finally broke apart.
"I love you," she whispered again.
"I'll never get tired of hearing that. I love you," he responded with a smile, and she rolled off him and pulled him into a sitting position again.
"Sorry for interrupting," she apologised, though she actually wasn't sorry at all.
He chuckled. "You can interrupt me anytime for something like that."
She smiled at him. "I'll keep that in mind. You were still talking about Dumbledore though."
He nodded. "I asked him about the Hallows and Grindelwald. All year, we'd been learning things about Dumbledore and Grindelwald's relationship when they were younger, and it made no sense to me. He explained that he was foolish for seeking the Hallows to conquer death. He and Grindelwald met in Godric's Hollow, where Ignotus, the third brother, was buried. He confessed that he felt confined at home. He felt like he'd been selfish then, but at the time, he felt trapped when his mother died because he became responsible for his younger siblings. He and Grindelwald planned to help the Wizarding World and conquer death through owning the Hallows, and Dumbledore would finally be free.
"Aberforth told Dumbledore that he couldn't leave him and his sister behind to search for the Hallows with Grindelwald. There was a terrible fight between the two of them and Grindelwald, and somehow, Ariana, his sister, ended up dead. None of them knew who had done it."
Ginny gasped, unable to imagine that horror and wondering if she'd been the one responsible for the death of one of her siblings. Harry nodded, squeezing her hand sympathetically.
"Dumbledore grew a lot as a person after that. He stopped wanting to seek power and controlled himself. It's why he stayed at Hogwarts and never became Minister for Magic. He didn't think he could be trusted with power. But he eventually had to fight Grindelwald. He was becoming too powerful and a lot of people were dying. And when Dumbledore won the duel, he won the Elder Wand. Then he told me that he'd tried to use the Resurrection Stone when he found it, and it proved once again that he wasn't worthy to unite the Hallows. He thought himself only fit to own the Elder Wand because he used it to save others from it rather than for selfish ambition.
"Then… he told me that I was the true master of the Deathly Hallows and death. He said the true master of death doesn't seek to run away from it but accepts that he must die when it's time."
Tears were leaking out of Ginny's eyes again. It still seemed unreal that Harry had willingly walked to death. But something wasn't adding up perfectly like the rest of the story. "Harry," she interrupted with a slightly cracking voice. "How were you the master of the Deathly Hallows? I thought Malfoy was the master of the Elder Wand?"
Harry smiled. "You're skipping ahead in the story, Gin." She blushed but he just squeezed her hand. "Actually, I figured it out when I was with Dumbledore, but we just didn't talk about it. So… the Elder Wand changes loyalties very easily. Most people thought that someone had to kill the previous master to claim it, but it's much easier than that. Malfoy got it by disarming Dumbledore that night. But when we were at Malfoy Manor, I physically took Malfoy's wand from his hand. I disarmed him, even though it wasn't with magic.
"See– wand loyalty is really tricky, and even though Ollivander tried explaining it to me, it still doesn't make a lot of sense. The best I can figure is that when a wand's master is disarmed, it can choose– because the wand chooses the wizard– whether to remain loyal to its previous master or to switch its allegiance. For some reason, Malfoy's wand changed its allegiance to me, according to Ollivander. I think it depends on the… personality of the wand. And the Elder Wand is the most flippant wand in the world, it seems. So even though the wand I took from Draco wasn't the Elder Wand, it somehow sensed that its master had been disarmed and changed its loyalties… to me."
"So then… you're the master of the Elder Wand?" Ginny asked in a little bit of awe. He smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"But I don't want it. After the battle, I used it to fix my old wand that had broken in Godric's Hollow. You saw me, Kingsley, and McGonagall returning it to Dumbledore's grave a couple weeks ago. If I'm lucky and die without ever being disarmed, the wand's power will be destroyed. But if that doesn't happen, it'll still be protected and fairly well-hidden."
She had to admire the humility of her boyfriend. Not only was he the master of death according to Dumbledore, but he was also the Master of Death according to The Tale of the Three Brothers. And he didn't want any of that power. He was frustrating at times, but he was also truly remarkable.
"So Dumbledore told me that I had a choice. He said that I could choose to go on to whatever would come next, or I could come back. It was nice there, and I wasn't in any pain. But I knew that if I came back, knowing that I was actually the master of the Elder Wand and that Riddle kept my mother's protection alive in him, this would be the best chance anybody would have to defeat him. I could still die if another Death Eater tried to kill me, but he wouldn't ever let anyone other than him be the one to do it, so I liked my chances enough. And besides… I did promise you forever," he said softly, smiling at her.
"Bloody hell, Harry… I love you," she said reverently, and he got that same goofy grin on his face.
"I love you, Gin."
He continued, almost done with his story now. "When I woke up, Riddle was also waking up. Apparently he'd been knocked unconscious. I think we were both dead, or as close to death as possible, in that weird limbo state. I'm pretty sure that creepy baby thing was him. Or– or at least, what was left of him after splitting his soul into eight pieces. That baby had been in agony, and I don't think Riddle could've heard anything Dumbledore and I talked about. But that's what was left of him, and I think he remembered that pain when he woke up, and it scared him.
"He sent Narcissa Malfoy to check and make sure I was dead. She knelt over me and I knew that she could tell I was alive. But she asked me if Draco was alive and in the castle. She wanted to enter Hogwarts and find Malfoy, and the only way she could do that was if the Death Eaters marched up like a conquering army. So she told Riddle I was dead after I answered her. They celebrated, and Riddle cast the Cruciatus Curse on what he thought was my corpse. For some reason though, it didn't hurt me. I thought it might be because I was the master of the Elder Wand so it didn't want to hurt me, but it would've been possible for him to kill me with it just a couple minutes earlier, so I'm… not really sure, honestly.
"When he finished though, he had Hagrid carry me back to the castle. I had to pretend to be dead, even though it– it was horrible, hearing Hagrid crying and then you, Ron, Hermione, and McGonagall when they brought me up to the castle. But after Neville killed the snake, and the last Horcrux was gone, I pulled my cloak over myself and did what I could to protect people with shield charms while I made my way to Riddle in the Great Hall. I started running towards him, but then I– I saw Bellatrix almost kill you, and I– I started running towards you instead. At least until your mum knocked me out of the way and took care of it."
Ginny grimaced at the memory and Harry's pale face. "So after everything… you were gonna forget about finishing Riddle off to protect me?" He blushed a little and nodded. "You really are an idiot," she joked, shaking her head.
He smiled softly. "I was an idiot in love; I couldn't help it," he defended himself. "But once your mum finished Bellatrix, well… you saw what happened." Ginny nodded. She didn't remember the specifics of Harry and Riddle's conversation, but she'd never forget the feeling of elation she had when Harry cast a shield charm in front of her mother and pulled the cloak off, revealing that he was still alive.
"Riddle never understood love. When I sacrificed myself, I put the same protection over everyone at Hogwarts that my mum had on me. None of Riddle's spells were binding or hurting anyone. He didn't understand the power of love that saved me all those years ago and saved us all at the battle."
Ginny frowned. "I'd almost feel sorry for him, if he hadn't been–"
"The evillest wizard of all time?" Harry finished her sentence, chuckling a little.
Ginny nodded, and Harry added, "That thing I told you that Dumbledore told me about pitying those who live without love… he told me that when I was in that King's Cross place. I should've told you sooner."
She squeezed his hand. "You definitely should've, but I know now. And neither of us ever have to worry about living without love ever again."
He smiled at her before taking on an apologetic expression. "You were right, by the way." She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what he meant. He clarified, "You were right about me not wanting you to take my shirt off. It wasn't about– I couldn't let you until I'd told you."
Without warning, Harry stood up and turned around, removing his shirt. Ginny grimaced as she saw a large, faded red burn that started on his back and wound around his side. He turned slowly back towards her, and she gasped, finally seeing what he'd been hiding from her. There were several discoloured but fading bruises all over his body and a dark, almost purple mark on the centre of his chest in an elongated octagon. But her eyes were focused on the lightning bolt scar over Harry's heart, confirmation that everything he'd said had been true, which meant he really had survived the Killing Curse for a second time.
She stood and traced it with her finger while Harry looked anxiously down at her. It was scary, but Ginny was so damn tired of being scared all the time. She looked up at Harry and grinned mischievously. "Guess it's a good thing I find scars ridiculously sexy."
She kissed Harry immediately, and he responded enthusiastically before pulling away enough to whisper, "I really love you." She echoed that by kissing him again.
When they finally separated, he put his shirt back on before taking her hand and they slowly walked back to the gates under the last, fading tendrils of sunlight. Ginny suddenly stopped and looked at Harry, appalled. "What is it?" he asked, very worried.
She reached up and gently touched the cheek she'd really wanted to slap moments earlier. "I'm so sorry for running," she whispered. "I– I just panicked. I didn't know what to do, and I was so angry and confused. I should've listened instead of yelling at you."
He smiled at her. "Believe me, Gin. I deserved it. Personally… I like seeing you angry, and even though this was scarier than usual, I'll take all the yelling over you not ever wanting to talk to me again."
She frowned. "Were you really worried about that?"
He nodded slowly, and they began walking again in silence. As they reached the gates, Harry stopped. "It's just… I wouldn't have blamed you after everything."
"Harry–" she started to say, but he shook his head.
"Gin, I– I really am so sorry… for everything. I'm sorry that I tried to break up with you. I'm sorry that I left and you didn't hear from me for almost a year. I'm sorry that I walked past you and didn't say goodbye. I'm sorry that I made you think I was dead. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you all of this sooner."
He blinked, and his eyes were darkened by tears threatening to fall. It seemed like this had been eating at Harry for a while, and even though a small part of her was still annoyed or mad about everything, she couldn't feel anything but love, looking at his face.
"I've only got two things to say to that, Harry. Number one–" she held up a finger for emphasis "–no more secrets."
He shook his head. "Never."
"Number two–" she held up a second finger "– I love you."
He smiled and leaned in to her. "Forever," he promised, kissing her deeply before apparating them back to the Burrow.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry was shocked at how things had gone after he followed Ginny to Hogwarts. She'd been mad and screamed at him a lot, and for a moment, he thought she was going to hit him. Not that he could've blamed her if she had. But then she said she loved him. She loved him. Everything else stopped mattering, It wasn't the easiest story to tell, but that didn't matter. He got through it because he promised no more secrets, and he didn't want to lie to the person he loved. She loved him.
They arrived outside the Burrow, still grinning at each other, revelling in their newly declared love, but then Harry remembered what happened here a short hour or two ago. They all knew more than he wanted to tell about the forest. How could he explain everything to them? Ginny must've seen the worry crossing over his face because she squeezed his hand encouragingly.
"It'll be alright. I don't think any of them will yell as much as I did, if that makes you feel better," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
He chuckled. "Thank Merlin, that's all I was really nervous about."
She smiled. "Seriously though. Whatever you tell them, they're just going to be proud of you and thankful you're still here. I know I am."
"You're proud of me?" he asked, a little surprised, and she rolled her eyes.
"You keep acting like this, Harry, and 'idiot' is going to be your new nickname. I've always been proud of you for being such a good and selfless person. The stuff with the forest is just proof that I was right."
He blushed and she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be right next to you the whole time," she promised. He nodded and they walked through the door and into the living room, where everyone who was at dinner, even Luna and George, were sitting in complete silence. They all quickly turned to look at Harry and Ginny when they walked in. Harry saw a brief smile on Hermione's face when she saw that they were holding hands, but everyone else still looked shocked and confused.
Molly stood up and began scolding her daughter. "Ginevra Weasley! You cannot go running off like that! None of us knew where you were! What if we couldn't find you and you couldn't get back home?"
Ginny reddened slightly. "I'm sorry, Mum. But Harry knew where I was going. I just– I needed to breathe for a minute."
Thankfully, Molly just sat back down, reverting back to the sad and confused expression worn by most of the Weasley family. Every seat was taken, so Harry conjured two chairs for them to sit in. He didn't have much experience with this, and he was surprised when the seats were cushioned, sturdy, and comfortable. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but he just shrugged. He wasn't expecting them to be that nice but he wasn't complaining. There was still a pregnant silence in the room, as if everyone was waiting for someone else to say something.
Finally, Charlie spoke up. "Are we gonna talk about what the hell happened in there? These two–" he jutted a thumb behind him towards Ron and Hermione "– refused to talk until you got back. Ginny storms out as mad as I've ever seen her and you come back holding hands and acting like there's nothing wrong, even though we all heard what Ron said at the table. So what the hell was that all about?"
Bill cut in. "Harry, you don't have to talk about anything you're uncomfortable with."
Harry was grateful that Bill was looking out for him, but he shook his head. "It's okay, Bill. I– I want to tell everyone." They all looked at him expectantly, and he tried to formulate a good explanation in his mind that didn't leave a bunch of loose ends he'd have to explain. He especially didn't want to say anything about Horcruxes, thinking enough people already knew about those. He took a deep breath and began explaining.
"During the ceasefire at the battle, I… found out something I probably should've figured out much sooner. When Vold– Riddle tried to kill me as a baby and his curse backfired, it did so much damage to him that it tore a piece of his soul away from the rest. That piece of soul latched onto me since I was the only living thing around. I found out that as long as that piece of soul lived in me, he couldn't die. So when he told me to give myself up in the forest, I realised I had no choice. For it to all be over, I had to die."
The confused looks had been replaced by shocked ones. Everyone was staring, open-mouthed or wide-eyed, except the four people in the room who already knew all this. Those four just looked sad, knowing how the story ended.
"Before he killed my mum, he gave her the option to stand aside because he just wanted me. She refused and died trying to protect me. That sacrifice gave me a powerful protection against him until Riddle came back. When he came back three years ago, he used my blood to create his body because he wanted to get around that protection. But what I didn't know at the time was that when he did that, he kept her protection over me alive in him. So even though he could touch me without being in pain, he still couldn't kill me. He cast the Killing Curse on me when I found their camp and surrendered, and everything went black."
Molly, Arthur, Fleur, and Hermione were all crying. But Harry had to finish explaining. "I think– I think I did die in the forest, for a moment at least. I was in some sort of limbo state where I had to choose if I wanted to come back or… go on. The protection gave me that choice, and I knew that if I came back, we wouldn't get a better chance to defeat him. And there was a promise I had to keep," he added, turning to look at Ginny who was smiling up at him even though tears were brimming on her eyelashes.
He turned to look back at them. "I had to pretend that I was dead. He had Narcissa Malfoy check on me, and even though she knew I was alive, she lied because I told her Draco was still alive in the castle. She didn't care about Riddle or his cause anymore; she just wanted to find her son without him being in any more danger. So they brought me back up to the castle and when all hell broke loose, I slipped away until I could fight him, one last time. And that protection kept me alive so that, once again, his own Killing Curse rebounded on himself."
The conclusion of his story was met with silence, other than some sniffles. Of all people, it was Percy who broke the silence. "You said your mother having the option to live but choosing to die to protect you was what gave you that protection?" Harry nodded, and Percy continued, "That's why none of his spells worked after they came back from the forest. You had the same option and you chose…"
Harry nodded again. "Yeah. I didn't know that's what it would do, but I– I meant to die to protect everyone, so it still created that protection against him."
"So, zeez– panic attacks you've been 'aving…" Fleur said quietly.
Harry saw a couple confused faces. Not everyone knew about that yet. To George, Percy, Charlie, and Luna, he said, "I've been having episodes where I get lost in my memories and start panicking. I get in some sort of trance and can't breathe. Bill's been having to wake me up from them when he's found me. And yeah–" he looked at Fleur "– they've pretty much all been about that. I keep seeing people die, keep reliving the moment I found out what I'd have to do. I keep making that walk to the forest, and I– I keep seeing the green light coming towards me. I did it because I had no choice, but I– I was terrified," he barely whispered that last part. Ginny wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close.
"No choice?" Charlie asked incredulously. "You definitely had a choice, but you chose that sacrifice. And nobody else knows about this?"
"Kingsley and McGonagall are the only other people I've told."
"You did all that and didn't tell anybody else? Bloody hell– you're even more of a hero than the Prophet makes you out to be."
Harry felt his face reddening, and he looked down at the floor. "You can't tell him that," Ron interrupted. "He always thinks he just did what anybody else would've done."
Harry shrugged. He heard someone moving and looked up, surprised to see Charlie standing in front of him, holding a hand out. Harry tentatively reached out, as if to shake it, but Charlie squeezed it hard. "I'm only going to say it once, and then we'll all pretend none of this ever happened. You are a bloody fucking hero and the most selfless man I've ever met. Thank you for saving us."
Harry couldn't have even resisted if he wanted to when the much stronger man pulled him out of his chair and into a tight hug for a couple seconds before letting him go, returning to his seat without saying another word. Still kind of shocked, Harry sat back down in his chair. Molly had broken out into a fresh wave of tears, and Ginny's eyes were blazing as she looked at him with fierce pride.
"He's right," she whispered. Harry almost believed it coming from her.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Arthur spoke. "Thank you for telling us, Harry. And… for the record, Charlie is right. We all owe our lives to you. I'm amazed at your sacrifice, and I couldn't be prouder of you." Harry's face reddened slightly again, but he nodded.
"What was it like?" George suddenly asked.
"What?" Harry responded, a little confused.
"When you– you said you died. What was it like?"
Harry realised sadly why George was asking this. "It didn't hurt. Faster than falling asleep."
George nodded stiffly. "And… when you were in it? Or do you not remember that?"
Harry ran his hand through his hair. "No, I– I remember it. Pretty clearly, actually. It– it's hard to explain. It was so peaceful and calm. I wasn't in any pain, even though my body was definitely hurting in the real world. It wasn't hard to imagine being happy there forever. And I was only in a limbo state, like the first stage. The rest of it must have been even better, as– as crazy as that is to imagine."
George nodded again, looking a little relieved. The rest of the family looked disconcerted with his description of the afterlife that he saw, but he didn't know how else to put it.
"My mummy is happy there," Luna commented.
Harry smiled a little and nodded. "I think all good people are happy there."
There wasn't really anything left to say. After sitting for a few moments, Harry stood up, intending on going to bed early. It really had been an exhausting day, after all. He didn't know who stood up first between Molly and Arthur, but suddenly, they were both hugging him. He felt Ginny press against his back before Bill and Fleur joined. Within seconds, everyone in the room was surrounding him, hugging him, and Harry couldn't help it. He cried onto Molly's shoulder.
"I love you all," he whispered quietly. He didn't say it loud enough for everyone to hear, but Molly and Arthur certainly did, and they hugged him even tighter. The hug lasted for a minute or two, but its meaning wouldn't ever escape Harry. By the time they all disentangled themselves from one another, everyone's cheeks were a little wet with tears.
Harry told everyone good night and went upstairs with Ron. Hermione took Luna back home since Ginny technically wasn't supposed to be apparating in the first place. When Ron and Harry entered Ron's bedroom, Harry automatically began changing into his pyjamas. After he finished, he saw Ron sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at the floor. Harry walked over and sat next to him.
Ron's voice was raw as he spoke. "I– I'm so sorry, mate. I don't know why I said that. It didn't matter if I thought you told Ginny or not; nobody else knew. I was supposed to keep that secret for you, and I– I failed you again."
Harry sighed deeply. The truth was that he was annoyed with how Ron had blurted that out, especially when there wasn't a real reason to. Harry was always going to tell Ginny tonight, but it would've been a lot easier if she could've heard it from him first. But Ron clearly felt awful about it. Harry placed an arm around his best friend's shoulders.
"I know it was an accident, and… it was hard, but it's okay. It all worked out. You didn't fail me; you've never failed me, Ron."
Ron looked at him blankly. "I left you and Hermione. I didn't believe you about Malfoy the year before. I accused you of putting your name in the Goblet of Fire. I've failed you plenty of times."
Harry shook his head. "We've had disagreements, but that's what friends do, right? You may have left, but you came with me in the first place, and you came back. You saved my life, Ron. We're good, I promise."
Ron nodded and looked back down at the floor, clearly still feeling bad about everything. "You were a bit of an idiot tonight though," Harry added casually.
Ron snorted. "Yeah I was." He looked back at Harry. "We're really okay though?"
Harry nodded emphatically. "You're my best mate, no matter what."
Hermione suddenly walked into the room, having returned from taking Luna home. Her expression became very emotional when she saw the two of them, with Harry's arm around Ron's shoulders.
"You two are okay?" she asked hopefully. They both nodded, and she smiled. Harry clapped Ron's back as he stood up to let Hermione take her place in bed. She pulled them both into a tight hug before Harry started walking to the door. He turned back before he exited the room.
"I've never told you this before, but… I think it's been true for the past seven years. I really do love you both."
They both smiled at him. "Well, obviously," Hermione answered sarcastically even though she was beaming.
Ron nodded. "Right back at you, mate." Harry smiled then too and left them alone, making his way to his favourite room in the house.
When he entered Ginny's room, she was behind the door once again, looking at the picture on the wall. She was watching Harry's memory of her running towards him. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head softly.
She rubbed his forearms before asking, "This was really the last thing you saw?"
"Yeah. I wasn't even trying to think of anything. My brain just knew what I needed to see, and I– I wouldn't have picked anything else," he answered honestly.
Ginny turned back around to face him, looking up into his eyes. "You really came back for me?"
He smiled. "Well, there was a dark wizard I had to defeat." She snorted but still looked at him with that sweet expression that melted his heart. "But yeah. We didn't have nearly enough time together before. If I had the chance… there was no way I was gonna spend any more time away from you."
She reached up and caressed his cheek. He added, "By the way, there's the next thing on your list. I want to be with you because I love you."
She smiled that dazzling smile and pulled him into a deep kiss before leading him to the bed. She pressed against him and he held her tightly, unwilling to ever let her go again. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he could feel sleep pulling at him. He was awake long enough to hear Ginny whisper, "I love you too."
He smiled and kissed her head softly, falling asleep surrounded by the flowery scent he'd fallen in love with and thinking that it wasn't possible to be any happier than he was right now.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: I can't believe we made it! This chapter has been one of the ones I've been most excited to share with you all since I started posting, and I hope it's made up some for how difficult the ending of Chapter 14 was!
I talked about it way back when I started publishing, but when I was first conceiving of writing this post-war fic, there were about eight moments that I came up with very early on and kind of latched onto as the 'guiding lights' for the story as a whole. I planted each of those on a rough date and orchestrated the entire rest of the story to direct it to the next guidepost. The first one was Harry and Ginny getting back together after the battle, and this is the second one. There's been a lot of story elements that don't necessarily tie into this moment, but the central thread was always guiding everything here. As a teaser, the next one is in *roughly* ten chapters, but I won't say exactly how many so it's still a surprise!
Like I said, this moment was something I had in my mind almost immediately when I was planning everything. The idea of Ron accidentally telling Ginny that Harry had willingly given himself up and then Ginny telling Harry she loved him out of pure anger and fear that he'd done it without telling her bye just spoke to me on such an emotional level that I knew there was no other way for her to declare her love for him. And, as scared and worried that Harry is, he can't help himself when she says she loves him, even though it comes in an angry rant.
I genuinely think Ginny asking if he'd thought about how she'd want to say goodbye is one of the most heart wrenching sentences I've written because of how much grief it conveys. Even though he's alive and in front of her, the idea of losing him without saying goodbye was unbearable, leading to her almost slapping him out of anger. I hope it's not too noticeable, but, as a secret insight into my writing process, I did originally write her slapping him. I don't think it would be entirely out of character, honestly, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that even though there seems to be a societal double standard when it comes to women hitting men versus men hitting women, I disagree with it, and I didn't want any of Harry and Ginny's relationship to be built on the fact that she hit him or might hit him again, even in her anger. Then there's also the added layer of Harry enduring abuse as a child that made me feel even worse about the idea of it, so I made the decision that Ginny, even as angry as she was, couldn't hurt him, and I personally think it makes the story better.
I feel like I should clarify again, just since it's been a while since it's been relevant, that there's no indication in canon about what caused Harry's original scar. Some theorise that it's evidence of a Horcrux, which I think is flat out wrong because there's never another instance of a Horcrux having a visible mark signifying it being a Horcrux, including Nagini, who, like Harry, was a living Horcrux. Others believe it's a mark of Lily's love protection over Harry. To me though, the interpretation that makes the most sense and the one that is accurate for the sake of this book is that the scar is the mark of a failed Killing Curse, but nobody would actually know that for sure since Harry's the only one to ever survive it.
The other important piece of Ron telling Ginny at dinner was that it ensured that Harry would tell the rest of the Weasleys what had happened. I really could only see him telling Bill, Ginny, and possibly Molly and Arthur of his own accord, but I couldn't think of another way to get him to tell Charlie, George, and Percy (or Luna for that matter) without him being somewhat forced into it. And it was really important for me to have Charlie show a flash of care and appreciation for Harry, in spite of how difficult and tough he usually is with Harry. I also wanted George to have a chance to ask Harry about death. I didn't want to draw it out or make it too sad of a moment in the midst of everything else, but I thought it was important for George to ask and for the rest of the family to hear Harry's answer for a little more closure.
And I am very happy to say that does it for No More Secrets! Hopefully Harry and Ginny will do a much better job not keeping secrets now! The end of the chapter sort of starts showing it, but now that the obstacle of the story is out of the way and Harry's told Ginny he loves her, he's going to be able to be a good bit more affectionate and open with his emotions, even if it still might not always be easy. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts! Did the declaration of love and end of the story live up to your expectations? Are you still mad at me for Ron blurting everything out and Ginny running away? Understandable honestly, but don't worry, next chapter is going to be very happy and pretty fluffy, and hopefully that makes up even more for the scare I gave you all!
Coming Friday: Living In Love- "What do you smell in Amortentia?"
P.S. As a personal aside, this chapter was very, very cool to publish at the time that I did for a couple reasons. I feel like them finally getting the story over with and saying they love each other kicks the book off from just dealing with the immediate aftermath of the battle and into the rest of the story, which is good because there's so much more to come! But it was especially cool to publish it right after crossing the 10,000 view threshold, which I believe I hit this weekend across the three platforms I post on. I can't express enough how grateful I am to all of you for taking the time to read this thing that I've poured so much of my heart into over the past year, and I hope I continue delivering and making you happy with every new chapter! And, completely unrelated to the book, my team and I successfully presented my final capstone project presentation yesterday, which served as the culmination of a year's worth of work and is sort of the last big milestone before graduating, so that's super exciting! Just all in all, it's so awesome to see that the two things I've probably spent the most time on collectively in the past year are both going so well, and I can't wait to show you where things go from here in Summer of Recovery!