Nothing was going to stop him from putting a ring on the finger of the woman he loved today.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Harry's first conscious thought was that his nose tickled. He twitched his nose to no avail. As his senses slowly returned to him, he simultaneously felt the weight of someone pressed against him and smelled her hair once more. He smiled contentedly as he remembered where he was, and, more importantly, who he was in bed with. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the angelic vision in front of him. Her fire-red hair, splayed around her head on the pillow like a halo, smelled like flowers. She was smiling a little in her sleep, and her nose twitched every few seconds. She'd never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment, sleeping peacefully next to him.
It was their last morning at Hogwarts. In a few short hours, they would board the Hogwarts Express and return to King's Cross Station. Harry knew that after today, their lives wouldn't ever be the same again. There were a couple things he wanted to do before he left, but he was very content to remain in bed, watching Ginny, listening to her even breathing, for another minute or two.
When he did finally decide he needed to get up, he went into the bathroom and closed the door. Then, slowly, he dropped to one knee. He wasn't in any pain. That was a good sign. He pushed off from the ground and stood straight up, only trembling slightly. Not bad. He tried again to similar results, except that he was shaking a bit more as he rose. By his fourth attempt, he couldn't get off the ground without grabbing the sink for support.
It didn't matter. It really didn't matter, he told himself. He was going to do it today. Even if he couldn't stand up, all that mattered was that he got down on one knee. He just hoped he could manage to stand up, just once, for her.
The door suddenly opened, revealing Ginny yawning and stretching. "Were you just staring at yourself?" Ginny asked, sounding a little amused.
"Ah– not really. Just sorta lost in thought."
"Big day," Ginny said, leaning against the doorframe. "We shouldn't have stayed up so late," she added through another yawn.
Harry chuckled. "We can sleep in tomorrow. But… I was actually thinking that we could go on a walk before we leave."
She smiled and nodded. "I like that. Just give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."
After twenty agonisingly slow minutes for Harry, who'd gotten ready in five, Ginny was ready to go. Unsurprisingly, the common room was empty. It seemed like pretty much everyone was recovering from the late night and trying to maximise their sleep this morning. With hardly anyone up and about in the whole castle, it made for a very peaceful walk.
They walked down to the lake, passing by Dumbledore's tomb. They didn't get too close to it, but he still wanted to see it one last time. Not far from there, they approached the massive phoenix statue memorialising the fifty who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Even though the sun was up, the phoenix's feathers were still burning brightly.
Harry watched Ginny reach out and touch the head of the small figurine that was supposed to be him, standing with a werewolf, giant, elf, and centaur, protecting Hogwarts. He still hated that it was very obviously him, but every time they visited, Ginny touched that part of the statue while looking up at the names of the ones they'd lost. He just put his arm around her and looked up too, finding the names of Colin, Fred, Lupin, and Tonks, their locations forever burned into his mind.
Ginny's eyes were slightly teary when they walked away, and Harry was pretty certain his were too. He wasn't sure he'd ever visit the statue and not feel emotional. And he didn't think that was a bad thing.
From there, they slowly walked past the Quidditch pitch. "Gonna be a little different, playing in professional stadiums," Ginny commented.
"Probably. It's still gonna be Quidditch though."
She looked at him closely. "You're not nervous?"
He shrugged. Quidditch was something he played because of how fun it was. It had always been a welcome break and distraction from the actual life or death things he'd dealt with in his life. Now that those seemed to be over and he could focus more on Quidditch, he was just really excited.
"Not really. It's gonna be fun. Are you nervous?"
She looked back at the pitch and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I've been waiting my whole life to be a professional Quidditch player. I'm just ready for it to finally happen."
"At least we won't be waiting long. We'll go back home, have a couple weeks off, and then get into training."
Ginny grinned. "It's gonna be awesome."
He laughed. "Definitely."
The last stop on their walk was always going to be their tree. They knew it without needing to say it. They took their very familiar seats against the trunk, hands absently and intentionally finding the initials carved into it that claimed this spot as their own.
"This is really it," Harry said, shaking his head.
Ginny's fingers were tracing over the locket hanging around her neck. "I love this place."
"Me too. It– it's been our place for so long… it's gonna be weird not being able to come here whenever we want."
"It's like it's a part of us. This is where we spent the day we got together, where you carved the initials into it–"
"Where we said 'I love you' for the first time," Harry added.
She smiled and nodded. "Where we talked about having a life together after Hogwarts too. I just love this tree. Merlin, it feels stupid to be sad about leaving a tree," she laughed, quickly wiping at her eyes.
"It's not," Harry replied, feeling a bit more emotional about it as she talked about how much it meant to them. "I'm gonna miss it too. It feels like so much of our relationship happened here. It makes sense that it hurts to leave it behind."
Ginny nodded and leaned against him. Without thinking about it, he closed his fist around his mokeskin pouch. He already had a plan in motion. If it wasn't for that, he honestly would've pulled the ring out in that moment.
He felt Ginny stiffen ever so slightly against him, so he quickly released the pouch and dropped his hand back to hers. She sighed and shifted a little closer to him.
"I love you," he whispered some time later.
She smiled up at him. "That's good because I love you too." Ginny quickly kissed him. "But we… should probably get back to the castle. I think we should thank McGonagall before we go."
Harry chuckled. "How do you do that?"
"What?"
"Read my mind," he answered.
"Oh. I just know you, I guess." She sounded proud about it though.
"Apparently. Let's go see her before everything starts getting too busy."
He was able to stand without any help from her, giving him continued hope for the rest of today. He hoped his nervousness wasn't too obvious. Spending time alone with her this morning had been both calming and nerve wracking, somehow. He knew what her answer would be. And he knew she'd be happy. But still… this was the only time in their life that this would happen. He would've been mental to not be a little nervous.
There was some more activity in the castle when they returned, but it was still relatively quiet. Harry wondered for a moment if McGonagall was even going to be in her office when Ginny knocked, but she called for them to come in almost immediately.
"I was wondering if I'd see the two of you this morning," McGonagall commented as they walked in. "I don't suppose you've changed your mind about the Defence position?"
Harry shook his head but smiled at McGonagall's unsurprised expression. "Sorry, Professor. But… if you ever need someone to come and teach a lesson here and there, I would be interested in that."
McGonagall looked intrigued and nodded. "I will certainly keep that in mind, but I do still regret not having you on the staff permanently. Now I suppose you'll be telling me that you chose to play for a team other than Montrose."
Harry and Ginny actually laughed at that. "Sorry again, Professor. We're actually going to be playing for Chudley."
McGonagall's eyes widened momentarily. "Well, that is… certainly a surprise. But if anyone could turn the luck of that cursed team, I don't think there are two better people than you."
"Thanks, Professor. And we just wanted to thank you for… everything this year. Letting us have the Head Boy dormitory, firing Grimhall after all that, letting us use the book, and just… looking out for us. It means a lot," Ginny said.
Harry nodded. "And for the private lessons. They saved my life. And… even though I'm not doing it any more, I– thanks for asking me to teach. I had a lot of fun doing it."
McGonagall surveyed them both with a piercing gaze. "It was a privilege to be a part of your education. I try not to ever get too attached to my students, but I'm sorry to say that I failed with the two of you. You are both welcome here any time, and… I want you both to know that I am proud of you. You've overcome terrible adversity, and you deserve all the success and happiness you can find outside of Hogwarts."
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded again. "Thanks, Professor. It– yeah, just thank you."
McGonagall smiled a little. "Of course, Potter. And there's… someone else who I think would like to tell you goodbye."
She looked up at the portrait of Dumbledore. He was standing, smiling down at all of them. "You're getting better at emotions, Minerva."
"A pitfall of old age, Albus," she replied, not sounding bitter about it in the slightest.
"One I am very familiar with. But I must ask the two of you… was your return to Hogwarts everything you hoped it would be?" Dumbledore asked both Harry and Ginny.
They glanced at each other and nodded simultaneously. "It was a bit of a bumpier road than we were wanting," Ginny admitted.
"But it was definitely worth it," Harry finished.
"Wonderful," Dumbledore said happily. "Minerva's already taken the words out of my mouth. You have made me immensely proud, and I wish you both the happiest life imaginable." He said it to both of them, but he was looking straight at Harry the whole time. "And do come and visit. It can get dreadfully boring with no youth in this office."
They both laughed. "We will, Professor," Ginny assured him.
Harry could only nod, once again feeling the mixture of respect, admiration, and affection that he associated with Albus Dumbledore. "Thank you," he said in a thick voice. Dumbledore merely smiled. It was always going to be slightly difficult speaking to Dumbledore, reminded of the night in the forest a year ago, but it was worth it. Harry was certain that he wouldn't have a life if it weren't for both Dumbledore and McGonagall, and he was looking forward to continuing a relationship with them when he wasn't a student anymore.
"I'll see the two of you in the Great Hall shortly," McGonagall said after a moment.
They nodded and turned to go. Harry accidentally caught the eye of Snape's portrait. Surprisingly, Snape didn't say anything. Harry wasn't about to start an argument with a painting today, so, gratefully, he exited the office with Ginny.
Even though they hadn't been in McGonagall's office for very long, the castle had become abuzz with activity by the time they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. For the last time, they sat at the end of the Gryffindor table with Emily and were almost immediately joined by Mia and Demelza.
Emily seemed to be the saddest out of all of them, although Demelza was a close second, looking like she was doing everything she could to keep from showing just how upset she was that they were all leaving for good. She made up for it by trying to seem moody or annoyed with them, but none of them believed it for a second.
About halfway through breakfast, Harry noticed Dennis Creevey walking into the Great Hall, and an idea popped into his head. "Be right back," he told his friends before standing and intercepting Dennis.
"Hey, Harry. Ready to get out of here?" Dennis asked with a grin.
"Just about. Listen, can you come with me for a sec?"
Dennis' grin turned into a surprised and confused look. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"
Harry didn't answer until they were outside the Great Hall. Before he explained anything, he opened the mokeskin pouch that hung around his neck and fished out a folded piece of parchment.
"I want you to have this until you graduate in a couple years. It's helped me a lot over the years, and… I think the people who made it and the people who gave it to me would like you to have it for a bit."
Dennis took the parchment when Harry held it out, but his confusion only grew when he unfolded it to find no writing on the inside. "Er– what is it?"
"Tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,'" Harry answered.
Dennis looked a little dubious, but he pulled his wand out and repeated after Harry. Harry grinned as he watched the lines of ink rapidly spreading across the page, forming a living map. Dennis' eyes widened and his jaw dropped, completely baffled by what he was seeing.
"Check it out," Harry said, pointing outside the Great Hall, where two tiny dots labelled Dennis Creevey and Harry Potter were facing each other.
Dennis looked up at Harry, almost in awe. "What the– how– why?"
Harry chuckled. "It's called the Marauders' Map. It can be really useful, and I think you deserve it. You've done a pretty good job finding ways to sneak around the castle already; this might just help a bit more. Trust me. I do want it back after you graduate though."
Dennis nodded fervently. "Definitely. This– Harry, this is so wicked!"
"Believe me, I know. Oh, and last thing… when you're done with it and want it to turn back into a blank piece of parchment, tap it with your wand again and say, 'Mischief managed.' Keeps you from getting it confiscated."
Dennis still seemed to be in shock, looking back down at the map as if to verify that it was real and not some elaborate prank. "Thanks," Dennis almost whispered.
Harry grinned and clapped Dennis on the shoulder. "Don't mention it. And… actually, you might not wanna mention it to anyone else. That's your call though."
With that piece of advice, Harry reentered the Great Hall, followed by Dennis, who tapped the parchment with his wand and murmured the phrase under his breath. "Wicked," Harry heard Dennis repeat.
Ginny was looking at him curiously when he sat back down. When nobody seemed to be paying attention, she asked, "Was that the map?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Thought he could use it for a bit. Reminds me a lot of Fred and George, to be honest."
"You don't want it anymore?"
He hesitated for a second. "It's not that. It's awesome that it's something I have from my dad, Sirius, and Lupin, but… it belongs here. Besides, I'll get it back after he graduates, and eventually keep it in our– my– the family," he almost sputtered out, to Ginny's amusement.
"That sounds like a good plan," she said, showing mercy to him by not teasing him for that. "Wish you'd had that mentality for the year you missed, but–"
"There isn't someone here I want to watch anymore," Harry interrupted. "And I didn't forget this time," he added a second later, as if that actually had anything to do with it.
She smiled and took his hand. "I really love you."
The bells began to ring at that moment, and pretty much everyone other than the seventh years started leaving the Great Hall.
"I'll save a compartment," Demelza told them before kissing Mia for a rather long time, to the point that Emily started giggling, so Ginny covered Emily's eyes. "Go get 'em," Demelza told her girlfriend proudly, leaving Mia smiling like she was in a daze.
"We'll see you before we leave King's Cross, okay?" Ginny told Emily after Demelza was gone. Emily was still giggling as she nodded and moved away from them on her chair.
"You good?" Ginny asked Mia.
"Wha– oh, yeah. Great. So great. It's hot in here, isn't it?"
Harry and Ginny absolutely lost it, cracking up at Mia's expense. Mia seemed unperturbed about it, likely thinking about more interesting things.
Dean slid in next to them a moment later. "About time," he said, looking around the mostly empty Great Hall.
"Would all seventh years please come to the front of the hall?" McGonagall's voice asked as it rang through the room.
"Great timing," Harry quipped as they all stood and moved closer to McGonagall, who was standing in the same spot as when she gave announcements during meals.
It wasn't just McGonagall at the front of the Great Hall. It seemed like every other faculty member was there too, watching as the students sat at the ends of their house tables closest to the High Table.
"Congratulations on making it to the end of your seventh and final year at Hogwarts," McGonagall began in a composed voice. "As I said last night at dinner, you all have endured trials and hardships unlike what most people could imagine while still in school. You've worked incredibly hard, made choices that were difficult, and persevered against all odds, and I commend you for it.
"It is tradition at Hogwarts for faculty members to volunteer to say a brief word about each graduating student, so, in turn, I will call each of you up to receive your graduation certificate and a parting message from the faculty. We will begin with Sophie Bennett."
Harry watched as, one by one, his friends were called onto the stage. Professor Slughorn spoke for a rather long time, extolling all of Astoria's virtues, and he nervously hoped someone other than Slughorn had volunteered for him. Professor Flitwick was very kind in his description of Luna's uniqueness and kindness, while Professor Sprout spoke to the character and work ethic that Owen carried with him.
Finally, McGonagall said, "Harry Potter."
Harry rose from the Gryffindor table and stepped onto the elevated platform that the High Table stood on. McGonagall was waiting for him, holding out his graduation certificate. He accepted it, and, to his surprise, McGonagall wrapped her arms around him in a slightly tentative, but not entirely uncomfortable, hug.
"Everyone volunteered for you. I picked who I thought you'd like best," she whispered to him before nodding in the direction of his faculty speaker.
Harry grinned. He should've known that Hagrid would be the one doing this for him. Hagrid already seemed to be on the verge of tears as he put a large hand on Harry's shoulder.
"The firs' time I met yeh, you were just a wee thing, small enough to fit in my hand," Hagrid began, and Harry was very grateful that his back was to the crowd of seventh years at that moment. "I brought yeh back inter our world almost eight years ago. I was here the firs' time yeh came to Hogwarts, so 's only right fer me ter send you away."
Tears started leaking out of Hagrid's eyes at that, but he continued. "I always knew you'd be a thumpin' good wizard, but I never woulda thought… yer a man now. A brave, selfless, big-hearted man. Yer parents would be proud o' yeh. An' so am I."
Hagrid scooped Harry up into a tight hug, which wasn't something that most of the professors had been doing to this point, but Harry found that he didn't mind too much. His face was definitely burning when he smiled at Hagrid, who was wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief as large as a tablecloth, and returned to his seat.
Ginny also looked like she might be a little teary, but she wasn't to the point of needing to wipe her eyes yet. She took Harry's hand when he sat back down. "They would be proud," she whispered, so quiet that only he could hear it, and he nodded, hoping he could somehow keep it together through the rest of this because he was struggling not to get too emotional at the moment.
After reading through a few more people, McGonagall reached the last name. "Ginny Weasley."
Harry squeezed her hand before letting her stand and step up to meet McGonagall, who gave her the certificate and awkwardly hugged her too before directing her to Hagrid, who, unsurprisingly, would be speaking about Ginny. As Head of Gryffindor, Hagrid had volunteered for all of the Gryffindor seventh years.
He was already crying when Ginny hugged him, before he could even say anything. Hagrid sniffed loudly several times before speaking. "I don' think I'll ever forget the little girl who visited me on her very firs' day here an' couldn' stop talkin'. Even then, yeh had all the confidence in the world, an' it's only grown. Everyone here knows the sorta things you've done ter help the school, ter do what's righ'. You're brave, Ginny. You're fearless. Someone tells yeh it's impossible, an' you've got it done a minute later. Yeh may still be little, but you're fierce, an' you're a fighter, an' I– I'm proud o' yeh."
Hagrid pulled Ginny into another hug, but he quickly let her go to wipe at his eyes with his handkerchief again. As Ginny returned to her seat next to him, Harry noticed that she seemed to be fighting to keep the tears from falling. He could relate.
"To conclude our graduation ceremony, all of you will take the boats to Hogsmeade Station. Your trunks will already be on the train. We wish you all the best of luck as you move into this next phase of your life."
McGonagall raised her wand and shot golden sparks out of it, towards the floating candles overhead, and the rest of the professors mirrored her, until they were surrounded by a cascading sheet of gold. Ginny smiled at him, and he did his best to smile back, starting to feel a little overwhelmed to actually be saying goodbye to Hogwarts.
"Seventh years, follow me!" Hagrid called in a thick voice, leading the way out of the Great Hall.
Harry glanced back just before he left the Great Hall and saw McGonagall smiling at him. And, although he couldn't have known for sure, he thought it was possible that she might have been crying.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny had really thought she was prepared for this. She really did. But it had been a lot, walking around the grounds with Harry one last time, saying goodbye to McGonagall, and then dealing with the graduation ceremony.
She got into a boat with Harry, Mia, and Dean. They were all pretty quiet as Hagrid called, "Forward!"
Their boat followed the rest through the darkened tunnel until they passed under the ivy curtain and emerged in daylight. It was a beautiful day to be out on the lake, even though it was a little painful, watching the castle grow smaller and smaller. Ginny finally felt a tear falling when hers and Harry's tree slipped out of sight.
Harry must've noticed too because he took her hand and held it tightly. She smiled bracingly at him, even though she was a swirling mix of emotions inside. She wouldn't ever tell him, but when he'd taken her to their tree this morning, she'd sort of let herself think that he might propose to her there. He'd even grabbed at the mokeskin pouch that she was sure the ring was in. But he still hadn't.
Maybe he thought it would be too much for a day like today, but Ginny would've welcomed it. She couldn't think of a better place for it to happen, honestly, but… she was just hoping he hadn't forgotten about it, as ridiculous as that seemed. That didn't really seem like him, but he'd had the ring for two months and hadn't proposed yet, so she didn't really know what to think.
It didn't really matter now though. Today was about leaving Hogwarts. By the time they reached the shore on the other side of the Black Lake, the castle seemed impossibly small. It was a strange contrast to how big it had seemed the only other time she'd been in the boats, seven years ago.
The seventh years unloaded from the boats and began walking behind Hagrid up the steep, narrow path that led to the platform of Hogsmeade Station. Ahead of them, they could see the last of the non-seventh years loading onto the train.
"Alrigh', you all know what ter do from here. Good luck," Hagrid said, as emotionlessly as he could.
"We'll meet you on the train," Ginny said to Dean and Mia. Harry knew exactly what she was doing and walked with her over to Hagrid.
"Train's gonna be leavin' soon," Hagrid warned them when he saw them, sniffling still.
"We know. We couldn't leave without telling you goodbye though," Ginny replied.
Hagrid blinked and swiped at his eyes. "Thought we said goodbye in there."
"Did that really feel like goodbye?" Harry asked.
Hagrid sighed and shook his head. "No. Alrigh' then. You've gotta write me. An' visit. An' I'll come visit the two o' yeh. Agreed?"
Ginny and Harry both smiled up at him. "Absolutely," Ginny replied before putting her arms as far around Hagrid as she could reach. Hagrid sniffed and put one arm around her and one around Harry, pulling them into a very tight hug that Ginny almost wanted to never end.
Hagrid was the one that finally released them and gave a little nudge. "Yeh really need ter get on the train. I'll see yeh soon."
Ginny nodded and wiped at her eyes. "You better," she replied to Hagrid, who smiled before waving them onto the train.
It was good timing because the train started moving just a couple seconds after they climbed on. They remained by the window, waving at Hagrid as the train picked up speed until it twisted around a bend and he vanished from sight.
Ginny looked over at Harry and saw him tearing up. "You okay?" Ginny asked quietly.
Harry blinked a couple times and nodded. "Yeah. You?"
She did her best to smile. "I've been better. But I'll be okay. Let's go find everyone," she suggested.
They walked through the train corridor, looking in every compartment before they finally found the already crowded compartment that their friends were in.
"Any room for us?" Ginny asked jokingly after sliding the door open.
"Gonna have to squeeze in, but we'll make it work," Mia replied.
It definitely was a tight squeeze. Harry sat against the window on one side, with Ginny, Mia, and Demelza next to him, while Owen, Astoria, Luna, and Dean were on the other. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but Ginny wouldn't have changed a thing about it. For a few hours, they could all pretend that everything was perfectly normal and they weren't all about to go their own separate ways. They'd obviously still be close, but Ginny was sadly very aware that things wouldn't ever be the same again.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry was relieved when Ginny had to go to the loo near the end of the ride to London. Pretty much everyone kept talking, but he nudged Mia, who looked at him with a smile on her face.
"You're still good, right?"
She continued smiling, but she rolled her eyes like it was a stupid question. "Duh. We've got this. You take care of your part, and we'll take care of ours."
Demelza leaned over. "What are you guys talking about?"
"I'll tell you once we get off the train," Mia quickly replied, making Harry very grateful. He liked Demelza a lot, but he had zero confidence in her ability to keep a secret. Demelza looked like she might argue until Mia asked what they were doing after getting to London.
While they talked about their upcoming plans, Harry sat back and tried to relax, even though he was feeling more on edge than ever. Astoria caught his eye and smiled reassuringly, giving him a barely noticeable nod. He nodded back, but he was starting to feel the nerves really kicking in. His heart was starting to beat faster, and he found that he was breathing rather quickly. They needed to get there soon, or he'd be a total mess.
It was like Merlin himself had read Harry's mind and used some sort of magic to intervene and save him. The exact second that Ginny opened the door to the compartment, a voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching King's Cross Station in five minutes' time."
"You don't look too good," Ginny commented when she sat next to him. "Are you okay?"
He was well aware of that. He could feel himself sweating. Why hadn't anyone told him how stressful this was going to be?
"I'm fine," he replied, hoping his voice wasn't as shaky as it felt.
Ginny didn't look convinced, but she didn't question him any further. Instead, she took his hand and apparently noticed how clammy it was, based on the concerned look she gave him. He very quickly looked out the window as London came into view, hoping that would keep her from bringing it up.
After five of the longest minutes of Harry's life, the train finally pulled into King's Cross. He could see the crowds on the platform, families waiting for their children to arrive. When the train grinded to a halt, everyone in their compartment stood up. As subtly as he could, Harry pulled down the curtain on the window of the compartment while keeping a grasp on Ginny's hand, tugging her down when she started to stand up. Her brow was furrowed in confusion when she looked at him.
"Let's stay for a few more minutes. We've got some time before we have to get off."
Ginny was still frowning a little, but she shrugged. "Okay."
"Are you two not coming?" Owen asked.
"We'll be out in a few minutes," Harry assured him. Owen nodded, not seeming bothered by it, and their friends slowly joined the flood of students in the corridor heading off the train. Thankfully, Ginny didn't see the thumbs up that Astoria gave him just before the crowd swept her out of sight.
"Seriously, are you okay?" Ginny asked after the door was closed and they were alone.
He tried to chuckle as naturally as he could, even though it probably sounded disconcerting. "Yeah, Gin. I'm fine. Can't blame a bloke for wanting to spend a few minutes alone with his girlfriend, can you?"
"Well, no… but you just seem off."
He shook his head. "I'm okay. I just feel weird about everything, you know? Like— like this is the last time we're ever gonna be on the Hogwarts Express. That's weird."
She nodded in agreement. "Everything about this is weird."
They sat in silence for a moment, trying to process the fact that it really was all over. Or that was probably what Ginny was doing. Harry was focussed on trying to keep his heart from leaping out of his chest.
"It's still interesting that this was where I realised I had feelings for you for the first time," Harry finally said.
Ginny brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Back when you wanted me to sit in a compartment with you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. That was it. And look at us, sharing a compartment now."
"Look at us," she repeated. "I can promise that you'll never have to wonder about whether I'll sit with you again."
Harry laughed, much more genuinely this time. "That's a relief."
"So what do you think we're gonna do after we get home?" Ginny asked curiously, and Harry did his best to let his mind wander ahead past the next ten minutes.
"Er– maybe your parents are gonna have some sort of celebration for us? And then… I dunno, really."
"I was thinking we could start talking about finding our own place. It'd be a good idea to move and get settled in before training starts."
Harry grinned and kissed her. "I love that idea."
She laughed. "I thought you would."
A minute later, Harry said, as if he didn't already know, "It's funny that this was also where you realised you had feelings for me, right?"
Ginny smiled at the memory. "Yep. I saw the most handsome boy I'd ever seen, and I knew."
"And you didn't give up."
She shook her head proudly. "Never."
He kissed her again. "Thanks for never giving up on me. Not just… you know, when we were kids, but… last year, a couple months ago, every time. Just… I love you so much for never giving up on me."
Ginny looked like she might be getting more emotional again as she tightly squeezed his hand. "I promised you a long time ago that you were my forever. Nothing is ever going to make me even think about giving that up."
He might have pounced on her then and there if his mind hadn't still been on other things, but she was honestly making things easier. He hugged her against him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, before saying, "I love you."
"I love you too," she replied immediately.
Harry glanced at his watch, and his heart started speeding up again. "Er– we– we should probably get going."
"Oh, right," Ginny agreed. "Let's go."
Harry nodded and stood up, feeling no discomfort at all. He hoped that would still be true the next time he stood up, after getting down on one knee. Because nothing was going to stop him from putting a ring on the finger of the woman he loved today.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry was acting very, very strange. She also thought Astoria and Mia had been acting a little odd, stealing glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. She didn't get that, but she didn't really think too much about it, feeling far more preoccupied with trying to figure out Harry.
It made sense once everyone else left their compartment. He was clearly much more emotional about leaving Hogwarts than he'd let on, reminiscing, like she had, about all the things they were leaving behind. Hogwarts was such a foundational part of their relationship that it was only natural to be sad about leaving it behind. Ginny was just having to remind herself that, somehow, as great as their relationship had been so far, the best was still in front of them.
She was almost glad when Harry said they should get off the train. The more he talked about how important even the Express was in their lives, the sadder that she felt that this part of their lives was finished.
They were the only ones on the train when they went to get their trunks. Easily the greatest benefit of being of age was that they could levitate their trunks instead of having to lug the massive, heavy cases off the train. It made things far easier than when she'd been younger and needed help from her brothers.
She was totally taken aback when they stepped off the train and onto the platform. The platform, which had been full of people only a short time ago, was completely empty.
"What the hell?" Ginny asked quietly, instinctively looking around, worried that they might have just stepped into some sort of trap.
"Huh. Weird," Harry commented, sounding a little too casual about their unnerving surroundings.
"Do you think something's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I think we were just on the train a lot longer than it seemed."
"But still… weren't Mum and Dad gonna be here?"
He shrugged, still seeming unconcerned. "Maybe they're running late. Everything's fine, Blaze. Don't worry."
With how nonchalant he was being, Ginny suddenly started wondering whether he knew something about this that she didn't. She just couldn't picture Harry being okay with this if he hadn't already known it was going to happen. But why would he not just tell her?
They'd sat near the back of the train, which was furthest from the exit of the platform to the rest of King's Cross. Harry took her hand, and she forced herself to calm down, convinced now that whatever was happening, he knew for sure that it was okay.
"Now that it's empty… it really looks like what I saw, that night in the forest."
Ginny quickly looked over at him, wondering why he'd brought up that horrible, horrible day when they'd all almost died. When she'd thought that he had died.
Harry saw her confused look and quickly shook his head like he was surprised with himself for saying that out loud. "Sorry… I'm not trying to make things more sad. I was just thinking."
She shook her head. "It's okay. You know you can always tell me anything."
He smiled and nodded. "I was just thinking about what I talked to Dumbledore about. I think I've told you before that he told me not to pity the dead, but to pity the living–"
"And above all, those who live without love," Ginny finished. He'd told her that only once, but it had stuck with her.
"Yeah. And that– that was sort of when I figured it all out. Why Dumbledore cared so much about love and me understanding the importance of it."
"Why's that?" Ginny asked, thinking she knew the answer already but very eager to hear him say it.
"Because of how special it is. Because it makes a person better. It's like– like you're not whole if you're living without love. That was what I had, what kept me going for so long. Even though I didn't really get it or think about it, I loved my friends, Ron, Hermione… I loved your family. I loved Dumbledore, even. And then I fell in love with you, and… everything I thought I knew about it changed."
"Yeah?" Ginny asked, feeling her face heating up and her heart pounding faster as he talked. She didn't want to let her hopes get too high if she was wrong, but this was starting to feel like a very special moment that she'd never forget.
"Yeah. It– it made everything make sense, like I'd been waiting my whole life for it. And when Dumbledore told me that I had to make a choice about whether or not to come back, to keep fighting… there were a lot of people on my mind, but… you were always the most important one."
They'd stopped walking, a little over halfway to the barrier from where they'd started. Ginny's mouth felt dry as she looked into Harry's piercing, confident green eyes. He was absolutely melting her heart, even more than usual. Could she have loved him any more than she did at this moment?
Harry continued. "I've been keeping a list of all the reasons I love you and want to be with you. But there's two things that I think I've been waiting until now to add to the list."
Ginny was breathless when she asked, "Wh– what are they?"
He smiled and reached a hand up to cup her cheek. She reflexively leaned into his gentle touch, savouring the love in his caress.
"The first one is what I realised that night in the forest and again when I was in the hospital a couple months ago. I love you because, more than anyone else, you make me want to live."
Ginny almost couldn't even blink, not wanting to risk anything disrupting this perfect moment. "And the second?"
He chuckled and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "The second isn't that different from the first, to be honest." He pulled his hand away from her cheek. She started to groan at the loss of contact until she saw where his hand was going. As he kept talking, he opened the mokeskin pouch hanging from his neck and reached inside.
"I love you because… you're the only person I've ever wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with, and I can't wait any longer to ask you."
Ginny knew her eyes were widening and her jaw was dropping as Harry slowly lowered himself to one knee, but she was hardly in control of herself any longer. Her heart, which had been pounding loudly in her ears, somehow quietened, and everything was clear.
Harry was on one knee, in the middle of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, looking up at her like she was the sun, love evident on his face. And he was holding an open ring box in his hand.
"Two years ago, I promised that I wanted to spend forever with you. It– it was a lot harder than we expected, getting here, but… we made it, and I'm never giving it up or taking it for granted. I love you with everything I have, and I want to spend forever with you. Gin… will you marry me?"
Ginny didn't even realise she was on the ground with him until she kissed him. They were wrapped in each other's arms, completely ignorant of how uncomfortable the hard floor was to be kneeling on. Only one thing mattered. He'd finally asked. She loved him so much.
Harry pulled away after a moment, laughing. "Is that a yes?"
Ginny grinned unapologetically, realising she'd completely forgotten to actually answer. "Yes! For Merlin's sake, yes! It's about damn time, Potter," she laughed before kissing him once again.
She felt him smiling against her lips and tilted her head back. "What?" Ginny asked, still grinning happily.
"I still haven't put the ring on your finger," he answered, looking as happy as she felt.
"Oh. Yeah, you should definitely do that."
She slid back slightly so he could bring the box between them and held her hand out. Ginny watched as he pulled the gold ring out of the box and slid it onto her outstretched ring finger. It was absolutely stunning, with a diamond in the middle, tiny red and green gemstones surrounding it, and infinity symbols on either side of the centrepiece.
"Harry– how… this is perfect," Ginny gasped, amazed at the beauty of the ring.
He looked incredibly proud of himself. "I designed it… in Diagon Alley. The red ones are rubies because that's my birthstone. And the green ones are peridot because that's your birthstone. And… I dunno, you have red hair and I have green eyes, so I thought– anyways, and I wanted the infinity sign on the side because–"
"Forever," Ginny finished, smiling as widely as she could at him.
He blushed and nodded. "Forever. That– that's the promise."
"Forever," she repeated before putting her hands on either side of his face and pulling him in for another very long, very loving kiss.
It was interrupted far too soon by hands on her shoulders. As Ginny was pulled away from Harry, she became aware of noises on the platform that hadn't been there before. And then she realised that she and Harry were surrounded by their family and friends.
Bill and George had picked her up into a hug, while Harry was being pounded on the back by Ron and Owen. A second later, her parents were pulling both of them into a hug, and her mum was sobbing uncontrollably, which was actually a good thing for once. Then all of her closest friends– Hermione, Mia, Demelza, Luna, and Astoria– pulled her into another hug with some jumping around involved while Bill pulled Harry into an embrace. Fleur planted kisses on both hers and Harry's cheeks. Even Charlie and Percy hugged her in congratulations. Although, she was pretty sure Charlie was trying to crush Harry's hand when he shook it.
"It was all his idea," Hermione said in her ear, trying to convey the message through the raucous celebration of their engagement.
Ginny couldn't stop smiling as she looked around, seeing so many people now who were celebrating them. There were more people she wanted to talk to, to celebrate with– she saw Emily with a few of her friends, all cheering wildly– but there was something far more important that she had to do first.
Pulling Harry away from Ron, who might've been talking about the Cannons already, she spun him around so he was facing her, wearing a deliriously happy grin on his face. Then, in full view of her family and friends, all the people she loved, she caught his lips with hers and passionately kissed him, the love of her life, her fiancee.
They were engaged. She couldn't believe it. After everything they'd been through, she had a ring on her finger, and they were going to get married. She'd been right earlier, thinking that the best of their relationship was still to come. But in this moment, surrounded by so much love, kissing the one she loved most, she didn't know how she could ever be happier than she was right now.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: Oh boy… we finally made it! First, I will say that there is news about Book 3 at the bottom of this note, so I highly recommend reading that even if you don't normally read these notes!
There are two pieces in this chapter that are recycled from SoR. The first paragraph of the chapter, where Harry wakes up next to Ginny, is identical to the start of the first paragraph of SoR C. 2, their first morning together, because I felt like that was kind of poetic in a way. And the very last words of this book are identical to the very last words of SoR, which is absolutely a theme that will continue.
There aren't any descriptions of what Hogwarts' graduation was like other than it involving the boats, so I hope you all felt like the graduation was in the appropriate spirit of Hogwarts. I also really hope the proposal lived up to expectations! And, of course, I have to mention that Harry's worries about the proposal didn't even matter because Ginny was always going to be on the ground with him when he proposed!
With that, we've officially reached the end of ToG as well as the end of everything I wrote before beginning to publish. I released the first chapters of SoR almost a year ago, and it's wild to think how much has changed for me, including graduating from college, moving a thousand miles from home for grad school, making tons of new friends and memories I never could've imagined, and, most crazily to me, garnering a huge following for my writing.
I truly had no expectations for what the reception would be like for my writing or if anyone would even care; I was writing for myself and if others wanted to read it, that was cool. I was stunned by how many people followed along with SoR, and then the following and engagement for ToG absolutely blew it out of the water. Humbled, honoured, shocked, and grateful don't even begin to cover all the emotions I feel when I think about the the outpouring of support I've received for this story. I'm getting rather emotional writing this, mostly due to just how much that support means to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has read this story and felt compelled to let me know that it meant something to you. I've put so much of my life over the past couple years into this story, and it's impossible to put into words how it feels to know that work is appreciated.
The final thank you that I have is for all of the friends I've made through this story. I never would've dreamed that all of this would've led to finding a community like the one I did, but I'm so unbelievably happy that it happened that way. That's the friends I regularly interact with in comments and PMs, the friends I made in the Hinny Discord that I never would've dreamed of joining before writing this, and every single person I've ever talked to about this story. You all mean so much to me, and thank you for making me feel so loved over the past year.
However, as one door closes, another one opens, albeit slowly. I still believe that I'm writing for myself, but it'd be a lie to say that I don't think about you all as I write now. I do feel the weight of expectations in a way that didn't exist when I wrote SoR and ToG. That's not anything negative about you at all; it's just who I am as a person. As soon as I put myself out there, I stress wayyyy more than I should. Between that and life just being insanely busy, I'm not quite finished with Book 3. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't ever start releasing a book until I was finished with it because I want to know exactly how it ends since that informs everything else. I'm less than 2 chapters away, but they are 2 very difficult chapters to write for me, so it's taking some time.
Moreover, as much as I love this, and I do love it with all my heart, I need a bit of a break. It takes a lot of time and effort, or at least it does for me, to put chapters out every week. Over the past year, I've published 73 chapters while writing over 300k more words. I'm just kind of tired and need a break to finish writing Book 3, edit, and mostly breathe and recalibrate. I don't have a firm timeline for when I'll begin releasing other than when I feel ready. If I had to guess, it'll be in the next six weeks to two months, but I can't make any promises. What I will promise is I'm not going away- I didn't write Book 3 and make plans for all the future books to not publish them. I'll still be here responding to comments, I'm on Discord if anyone wants to reach out, and I'll be back releasing as soon as I'm ready. When I do begin releasing, I'll post an update here so everyone knows if you're not subscribed to my profile.
That said, I am still very excited to give you all the first teaser for Book 3! It's been an absolutely incredible ride, and I can't wait to continue it all with you soon!
Coming Sometime Soonish: Moments of Hope, Chapter 1, Engaged- "It's been way too long since I've kissed my fiancee."