The snow was thickly falling around the house were a fire was flickering merrily in the grate. A Christmas tree was proudly standing in the sitting room watching the inhabitants mingle with each other. It was Christmas Eve, exactly six months since the defeat of the darkest wizard of all time, and much had changed since then.

Harry Potter was a hero throughout the world, much to his dislike. He could no longer go out without someone stopping him to thank him. He had ended the war that had been raging for three years, with the simple flick of a wand. He tried his hardest to be happy, but something was gnawing away at his heart.

He had lost so many people he cared about during the horrid war. Mrs. Weasley was murdered trying to protect Ginny from Death Eater abduction. Kingsley Shaklebolt was missing. Alastor Moody was struck down by Lucius Malfoy. Charlie Weasley was in a coma in St. Mungo’s. Not to mention Dumbledore, Sirius, Cedric and finally his parents. Harry had lost so many people and yet, there were still many surrounding him this dreary Christmas Eve.

Harry looked around the room and let a small smile emerge. Hermione and Ron were sitting together in a chair, whispering to each other. Arthur was playing with his two-year old granddaughter, while her proud parents, Bill and Fleur, looked on. Fred and George were prodding Tonks to change her hair to red and green, while Remus laughed at his new wife. Finally, his gaze went to Ginny.

Sweet, beautiful Ginny, whom Harry hadn’t quite reconciled with yet. She had not been herself since Harry had rescued her from the Death Eaters. She was taken away and held captive for two weeks. She had been tortured for Harry’s whereabouts and almost murdered by Voldemort himself, before Harry burst in and saved her life.

Ginny hadn’t spoken to anyone about what happened to her in those two weeks, but Harry knew it hurt her. It broke his heart to see her like this, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her close and make everything better.

Yet he still felt as if it was his own fault. He had tried to protect her by breaking up with her, however his plan backfired and left her even more vulnerable to attack. He had been stupid to think that Voldemort wouldn’t find out about her. Malfoy and Snape had known all about them.

Granted, it was Malfoy who tipped him off to her location. He had been killed for his betrayal. Harry partly felt responsible for that also. He hadn’t offered Malfoy help like Dumbledore had, he just rushed off to formulate a plan to get Ginny back.

He started a bit when he noticed Ginny was staring back at him, wearing a look of regret. Harry wondered briefly why she looked so regretful, before she looked away again. He sighed and stood with his mind made up.

He made his way through the room with a purpose. He was going to talk to Ginny and see if he could help and maybe, just maybe get her to love him again. He had realized about a year ago, that he truly loved Ginny. It was his love for her and his friends that had brought him through that final battle alive. He thought of nothing but getting back to her and being able to hold her close again. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in his arms now and kiss her until they couldn’t breath. He knew if he did that now though, she would probably hex him.

The lights on the tree danced around him as he made his way to her. Many people were following his progress with their eyes. It was common knowledge that Harry and Ginny had not spoken to each other since he had arrived at the Burrow for Christmas. Ginny made it a point to avoid him.

When Harry finally reached her, she jumped in surprise and turned to walk away.

“Ginny, please,” Harry pleaded. “I really need to talk to you. Will you please walk with me?”

Ginny eyed him for a moment and sighed. Then she quickly walked toward the door and conjured her coat. Harry smiled briefly and followed her. They walked outside as the snow swirled around them. They were silent for what seemed like hours.

Ginny led the way to an old swing she always played on as a child. Childhood seemed so long ago for them all. She sat on the swing daintily and waited for Harry to say something.

Harry made his way behind her and gently began to push her. Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, Ginny gave an irritated sigh and Harry cleared his throat.

“Ginny, I’m… I’m really sorry.”

“For what?” Ginny snapped.

Harry cleared his throat again and took a deep breath.

“For everything,” he replied. Then before she could cut him off again, he plowed on, pouring his heart out to the only girl he ever really loved.

“I’m sorry for hurting you and for thinking I had to protect you. For putting you in even more danger. For not saving you quickly enough. For not defeating Voldemort before he had a chance to get to you. For loving you so much that he felt the need to get to you.”

Ginny stared at Harry with her mouth open. He had just said he loved her. He seemed to realize this also and turned quickly from her gaze, turning red in the process.

“Harry…” Ginny said. She was at a loss for words. She loved him too, and had for a long time. It was just too painful; everything she had been through this past year was almost unbearable. She watched her mother being murdered. She had been kidnapped and tortured. She had lost Harry when he dumped her and almost lost him again when he saved her. He had been rushed to St. Mungo’s on the brink of death and was unconscious for four days. The only sign of life in four days was when he had said, “I’m sorry, Gin-.”

She was also mad as hell that he had promised to come back to her when everything was over and after six months, this was the first time he had even tried to talk to her about something other than their health. Harry had moved into his rebuilt house in Godric’s Hollow and hadn’t really spoken to anyone. Many people were surprised he even showed up for Christmas.

“WHY THE HELL DO YOU ALWAYS BLAME YOURSELF FOR EVERYTHING HARRY!?” Ginny yelled when she finally found her voice again.

Harry stared at her for a moment before he asked, “What do you mean?”

“I MEAN, POTTER, THAT YOU ALWAYS THINK EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT! THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU, HARRY JAMES POTTER! VOLDEMORT MIGHT HAVE, BUT NO ONE ELSE DOES! HE KIDNAPPED ME! SO BLOODY WHAT? I WAS TORTURED! I STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN TORTURED IF YOU HAD SHOWN UP IN ONE DAY INSTEAD OF TWO WEEKS. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I SURVIVED! YOU BLOODY IDIOT! I MAY NOT BE WHO I WAS WHEN I WAS FIFTEEN, BUT I’M STILL GINNY! YES IT HURT AND YES I WISH IT HAD NOT HAPPENED, BUT GUESS WHAT? IT DID. THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN CHANGE THAT. THE ONLY THING THAT GOT ME THROUGH IT WAS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I LOVED YOU AND THAT IT WOULD BE OKAY BECAUSE YOU WOULDN’T LET ME DIE. I KNEW YOU WOULD FIND ME AND I FIGURED WHEN ALL THIS WAS OVER, YOU WOULD COME BACK TO ME. BUT YOU DIDN’T, HARRY. YOU LOCKED YOURSELF UP IN THAT BLASTED HOUSE OF YOURS AND DIDN’T LET ANYONE IN. YOU LIED TO ME!” Her voice quieted to a whisper and she added. “And that hurt worse than anything. You said you would come back, Harry…”

Her voice trailed off as her eyes filled with tears. The snow was falling harder around them and filled her hair and wet eye lashes with flakes. She sighed and turned to Harry as her tears continued to fall.

Ginny was shocked to see that Harry had tears in his eyes also.

“Ginny, I…” He swallowed deeply and batted his eyes to fight back the tears before he continued again.

“Ginny, I’m sorry I didn’t come back right away. Please let me explain.”

She simply nodded and he went on, “I couldn’t come back to you right away. I was, I am, a broken man. I killed someone and that beats on my soul everyday. Add to that how helpless I felt when I saw how torn you were when we found you lying at Voldemort’s feet, almost dead. My heart broke when I saw how badly you were bleeding and beaten. I had thought I had lost you. I’ve spent the past six months by myself, beating myself up over almost losing you. Stupid me, doing that made me lose you. I’m sorry Ginny. I just want you to know that I love you and I always will.”

Ginny stared at him again for what seemed like ages. He stared back this time, determined not to look away from her piercing gaze. Then he raised his hand to her face and used the pad of his thumb to slowly wipe away her tears. She let her eyes flutter shut while he touched her. It felt so good to be touched by him again. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms like she was so many years ago. Suddenly, his warm hand was gone from her face and she opened her eyes again.

Harry was watching her and waiting for some sign of how she felt. She took a deep breath and said, “Harry, I love you too. I always have.”

He pulled the swing she was on closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. She nuzzled her face in his chest and breathed deeply, her tears now freely flowing from her eyes. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “Everything will be okay now Ginny. I love you and I want you back.”

She smiled into his chest and nodded her head. Then she lifted her head to meet his gaze. He watched her for a brief second before capturing her lips in his. He kissed her like he had never kissed her before. All of the passion, love and pain they had experienced were flowing between their lips.

They didn’t know how long they held on to the kiss, nor did they care. They could have sat out there all night if someone behind them hadn’t let out a small cough.

Ginny and Harry jumped apart and turned towards the intruder. Remus was looking at the young couple with amusement in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Uh, so sorry to interrupt, but it is time to open presents and people were wondering where you had gotten too.”

Harry nodded and helped Ginny off the swing. He took her hand in his and led her inside.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared when they walked in hand in hand. Suddenly, they snapped out of it and Fred called, “It’s about bloody time. We thought we were going to have to lock you two in a closet.”

George nodded and added, “Glad to see you are still in one piece, Harry. We were sure Ginny was going to curse you into next Christmas.”

Ginny and Harry laughed and went over to the couch. People began to pass around gifts and Harry stood. He excused himself and raced upstairs to the room he was staying in with Ron. Minutes later he returned with a box that was wrapped in gold with a giant red ribbon on top. He smiled and walked over to Ginny.

“I got this for you. Happy Christmas.”

She smiled at him and ripped open the box. Inside the box were several items. The first one she picked up was a small key. She looked at him inquisitively and he nodded for her to continue. Next, was a locket in the shape of a heart with a small ruby encrusted into the front. Then, she found a magnificent picture frame with a picture of Harry and Ginny taken the day before Dumbledore had died. They were smiling and waving as Harry was twirling Ginny around. Fourthly, Ginny found a mirror and comb set with the initials L.M.E. engraved into them. She also pulled out a book and when she flipped through it, noticed that it was entirely written by Harry. The last thing she found inside the box was a ring. It was a delicate band with carvings around it. There were no stones and it was pure gold.

Ginny looked at Harry and smiled. He reclaimed his seat next to her and took her hand. With his other hand, he began to explain the items in the box, picking each one up one by one.

“Ginny, this key, is the key to my house. You are the only other person who has one now and the only person allowed to come in or out without authorization. The locket is my heart. It is yours and always will be. Inside is a picture of us.” He opened it carefully and showed her before he continued.

“The picture was the last time I can remember being happy, before today. It was taken the day before everything went down hill. Remember?”

She nodded and squeezed his hand.

“The mirror and comb were my mothers. They are some of the few things I still found in tact at Godric’s Hollow. The book is what I wrote to kill time in between my hunt for Voldemort. Most of it is about you. I want you to read it. The ring…”

Harry stopped and smiled before he finished. He looked briefly to Remus and saw a hint of recognition in his eyes.

“The ring was my mother’s also. My father gave it to her in their seventh year. He had one too. It is a promise ring. I’m giving this to you as a promise that I will never leave you again. I have the other one, see?”

He held up his left hand to show her a ring identical to hers, only bigger. She smiled at him again and threw her arms around his neck.

“I love you, Harry,” she whispered in his ear.

He held her tighter and said, “I love you too, Gin.”

Arthur looked on with everyone else as his only daughter really smiled for the first time in months. He watched Harry and Ginny quietly before finally standing up.

“I think a toast is appropriate,” Arthur announced, raising his glass.

Everyone in the room raised their glass with him. He cleared his throat.

“To the first peaceful Christmas in years. To family old and new. To the ones we have loved and lost. Let us keep them with us always, and especially times like these. Never forget what they died for. They all stood up for what they believed was right and for the people they loved. Let us live on in their memory and celebrate their life instead of mourning their death. Let us rejoice in the fact that we have something to celebrate and that the hard times we have stumbled upon are finally a memory. Happy Christmas everyone. I love you all!”

“Hear, hear!”

Harry drank with everyone else and then held Ginny close again. This was the happiest he could ever remember being and something told him this was only the beginning.