The Chapter 1: The Long Awaited Reunion



It was all over, Harry had finally beat Voldemort. Harry had spent the last year finding the horcruxes and then hunting down Voldemort himself. He was now standing in the middle of a circular room. The room was dark except for the candles lit along the perimeter wall. Harry stood over three hunched bodies. He saw two of them as he looked down. The unconscious bodies of Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape were at his feet; both had been struck by a stunning charm from Harry’s wand a little bit earlier. Gazing around the room, his eyes met the rest of the death eaters laying huddled near the door. All of them had been stunned by Harry as well. He then looked down upon the last body. Voldemort’s red eyes starred back into Harry’s green ones.

Harry found it more difficult to finally kill Voldemort then he thought it would have been. This was the man that killed his parents, caused Sirius’ death, and even ordered Draco and Snape to kill Dumbledore. In the end, Harry felt pity toward him as he looked upon his fear filled face. What Voldemort truly feared was death and he knew his time was coming.

After it was done, Harry walked, as fast as his legs would let him, toward Voldemort’s chair. The chair was stained in blood but he sat on it anyway. Harry surveyed his injuries. He had a small gash on his left leg. Despite this cut, he was surprised to see to see that he was relatively unscathed.

A few minutes later a pop announced another arrival in the room. Harry looked up into the face of the closest person he had to a father. “Remus It’s good to see you.”

Lupin had a look of shock on his face. Harry had sent him a cryptic message, right after he had defeated Voldemort, asking him to meet him in this place. “Harry, you did it” exclaimed Lupin as he rushed forward and stretched out his hand. Harry did the same to meet Lupin’s and shook it. After a few minutes of silence, Harry finally stood up.

Harry looked into Lupin’s eyes and said “It is a tale for another time. Now you must spread the good news to the world. I trust that you forwarded my message to the other members of the Order.”

“Of course. You could have mentioned what happened though. Shacklebolt, Bill, Arthur, and Hagrid are on their way here as we speak.”

“I’m sorry, Remus. I wanted to keep it quiet until I told her myself. I have been waiting for this moment for a year.”

“I was at the Burrow when your Patronus arrived. The Weasley’s are having an anniversary party for Bill and Fleur.”

“It’s been a year already? It seems like only yesterday that I was pinning a note on Ginny’s door in the middle of the night before leaving, alone. She has waited for me, hasn’t she?” he asked with a glint of worry in his eyes.

“Of course. She burst into tears when she saw your Patronus. I think she might have thought we were going to find you on your death bed. She will be thrilled when she sees you alive.”

At that moment, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Hagrid came bursting through the door. After quickly surveying the room, Hagrid came running toward Harry and wrapped his arms around him in a fatherly hug. “Harry you’re alive We thought you might be dying.”

“I’m sorry about that, but as you can see I’m perfectly alright.” With that said Hagrid released Harry. “I have some business to attend to. I trust that you all will alert the ministry about what happened.”

“Of course we will Harry” said Bill.

“I’ll see you all back at the Burrow, then. I have someone to go see” said Harry. Harry smiled at his friends and turned on the spot and disappeared.

Moments later he re-appeared outside the Burrow. It was just a little after noon when he arrived. He could hear loud music from inside the house. Decorations adorned the outside and a large banner proclaiming the event hung from the overhang of the roof. Harry couldn’t help but smile. “If they were happy before, they are going to be happy now” said Harry with a smile spreading across his face.

Suddenly, a loud shriek came from behind him and Harry felt two arms wrap themselves around his body. “Hello, Hermione” he exclaimed regaining his balance after his friend threw herself at him. “Remus never said you were here.”

“Oh Harry, we all thought you were hurt. We feared the worst when Lupin rushed out.” exclaimed Hermione with tears in her eyes.

“You can let go of me now” Harry said as he turned and looked at the rest of the Weasley’s standing there awestruck. Hermione released her grip on him and walked back towards the Weasley’s. “It’s good to see you all”. Harry looked at them all in turn. When his gaze found Ginny’s he couldn’t help holding back his tears. “Ginny, I’m so sorry for leaving the way I did, but I’m back and back for good.” Harry ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She couldn’t speak so she simply put her hands on the back of his head and pulled his head closer and kissed him. Ron caught Harry’s eyes as he was kissing Ginny. Ron seemed to be struglging between wether to say something or remain silent.

When they finally broke apart Ginny had stopped crying and was wearing the most beautiful smile Harry had ever seen. “Harry does this mean what I think it does” questioned the redhead girl.

“If you think it means that Voldemort is finally defeated, yes” replied a happy Harry.

Everyone, except Hermione, winced at the sound of Voldemort’s name. “Harry dear that is great news ” exclaimed an ecstatic Mrs. Weasley.

“Yes, that is good and all, but where is my lousy husband” said Fleur. Everyone laughed a little. It was the first time Harry had laughed in over a year. “Don’t worry Fleur. He is with Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and Remus. I expect the Ministry had arrived by now to escort every Death Eater to Azkaban. He should be home by dinner” replied Harry. “If you don’t mind, it would be nice if I could have a word with Ginny alone.”

The both of them went into the house and up to her room. “Ginny, I was stupid to leave the way I did. I was so afraid for your safety. I couldn’t bear even the thought of you being killed.”

“Harry, there is nothing more you have to say. Of course, I was mad at first, but eventually I realized that you did it because you loved me.”

Harry looked into Ginny’s eyes. He had never before noticed how they sparkled like diamonds. “I’m never going to leave you again” he whispered. “That I promise you” he said pulling her into a hug running his hand through her long ginger hair. Her hair smelled of flowers. It was the smell that had sustained him for the past year. “I love you more then anything in the world” Harry whispered into Ginny’s ear right before he kissed her. He had forgotten how soft her lips were. He never wanted this moment to end.

A few moments later, Ginny pulled back from his warm embrace. She looked into Harry’s green eyes and said “I love you.”

“Ginny, there were so many times when I wished you were there with me. All those lonely nights spent laying on the ground starring at the sky. I almost came to Hogsmeade a few times hoping to find you there with Ron and Hermione during a Hogsmeade weekend.”

“Don’t think about that now. All we have to worry about now is how we are going to spend our time together” replied a grinning Ginny.

Harry and Ginny continued to talk for the rest of the afternoon until Mrs. Weasley called them down for dinner. Harry walked into the kitchen to find all the people he cared about in the world waiting for him there. Tonks had showed up will Lupin. Bill was standing next to Fleur with his arm over her shoulder. Even Kingsley showed up with Mad-eye. The rest of the Weasley family was seated at the table. Harry looked out upon everyone’s faces, and the biggest smile he had worn in a year stretched its way across his face.

Harry sat down next to his best friend Ron. Ginny seated herself down next to Harry. “Harry, I didn’t get a chance to say anything before. It’s great to have you back, mate” he declared patting him on the back. “The Evening Prophet arrived an hour ago. You should take a look” said Ron handing the paper over to Harry.

“Thanks Ron. “I’m so glad to be back home, I’ve missed this house so much, I feel I’m back where I belong.” replied Harry. Harry looked down at the paper and his eyes widened. A large picture of himself was looking up at him with a smile. Harry read the article in a hurry. “Well, for once they got the story right. I expect I’ll have fan mail arriving by tomorrow morning.”

Hermione walked over to him and dropped a large pile of letters on the table in front of him. “They have already started arriving. There’s one there from Neville and a few of our old school friends” said Hermione

“That was quick. I wasn’t expecting them until tomorrow at the earliest. News spreads fast in the wizarding world.”

Harry opened up all his letters with the help of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Charlie. When all his letters were opened and read, they all sat down and had a wonderful dinner. Mrs. Weasley kept on piling mounds of green beans and potatoes onto Harry’s plate saying how thin and underfed he looked. Harry gratefully ate everything that was put onto his plate. He had forgotten how great of a cook Mrs. Weasley really was.

When diner was done they all went into the living room and sat by the fire. Ginny sat in Harry’s lap while he told everyone his story. Ginny gripped his arm tightly when he told them about a dragon he faced in Norway. “I would have loved to see that dragon. That species was thought to be extinct” exclaimed Charlie. .

After Harry was finished, he listened to everyone’s tale about what they had been up to since he last saw them. Ron and Hermione told him about how they had finally gotten together after a particularly hard Quidditch game that Ron had lost to Ravenclaw. He found out that Ron had taken up the post of running Fred and George’s new premises in Hogsmeade. Hermione announced that Head mistress McGonagall had asked her to take over as Transfiguration teacher since she was having a hard time teaching and being Headmistress. “Of course I accepted at once” exclaimed an ecstatic Hermione. “So Harry what are you going to do now that you are back.”

“I don’t know. I think I might take some time off. I think I deserve a break.” replied Harry.

“McGonagall told me last week that they are looking for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Mad-eye only stayed for one year as a favor to McGonagall. I think you would be perfect for the job. You would also be close to Ginny since she is going back in September for her seventh year. Also Ron and me won’t be far off either” said Hermione with a smirk on her face.

“Now that’s an idea. I would be closer to Ginny” he said smiling to her. “You and Ron wouldn’t be far off either. I think I might have to go have a word with McGonagall about that opening” replied Harry with a smile on his face. With that said he kissed Ginny goodnight and made his way up to Ron’s room. He was laying down on a camp bed that was put out for him, while he thought about the DADA job until he fell asleep; finally being able to sleep without worry.

Chapter 2: Now, That’s an Idea



Harry woke up the next morning with a sense of calm. He grabbed his glasses from the table and put them on. The room came into focus. He saw that Ron was still sleeping. Harry went down to the kitchen to wait for Mrs. Weasley to cook breakfast.

When he reached the door into to the kitchen he stopped. There were voices coming from the other side of the door. When he went through the door, he saw Ginny and Hermione sitting at the table deep in conversation. “We were just talking about you,” said Hermione with a slight smile.

“Only good things, I hope.” replied Harry.

“Of course. Why would I say anything bad about you,” answered Ginny. Harry walked over to the table and sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Good morning to you too.”

“So, are you really going to talk to McGonagall about the teaching job?” asked Hermione.

Harry nodded and said “Yeah, I think I’ll go see her a little bit later,” evidently that was what Hermione and Ginny were talking about when Harry arrived. “In the mean time, Ginny and me have to make up for lost time.” Hermione and Ginny giggled. “Girls will be girls,” he said while shaking his head.

When Ginny stopped laughing she leaned closer to Harry and gave him a kiss. A few seconds later Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen and Harry and Ginny pulled away. “Don’t worry about me. Just continue what you two were doing,” offered Mrs. Weasley with a slight smile. Harry and Ginny tenativley started to lean towards each other agian, but they backed off when the rest of the Weasley family came in for breakfast.

“Here dear, have some eggs and bacon,” said Mrs. Weasley while putting a plate full of food in front of Harry. “You really need to eat better.”

Harry nodded and said “I’ll try.” He enjoyed a peaceful breakfast with the Weasleys. Harry was the first to get up from the table. He kissed Ginny and whispered, “I have some errands to run. I will be back later.” Ginny nodded and Harry then said his goodbyes to everyone else.

Harry disapparated a few feet from the back door and then he re-appeared in the middle of Hogsmeade. Trash was thrown about the streets and streamers were strewn about picket fences. Harry couldn’t help but smile. “It must have been one hell of a party,” he thought to himself.

He made his way up to the castle and he ran into McGonagall just outside the Great Hall. “Hello Headmistress. You are just the person I wanted to see.”

“Hello Mr. Potter,” replied McGonagall. “You missed the party in Hogsmeade. I didn’t end until well after midnight.”

“I noticed. I was busy with more important things,” replied Harry.

“Off at the Burrow I expect.” Harry nodded and followed her up to her office.

When they reached her office, McGonagall offered Harry a chair. “Thank you,” said Harry while siting down in the chair in front of her desk.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask why you are here? I’m very busy trying to prepare for the next school year.”

“I’m sorry for the intrusion, but I’m here to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job.”

“I’m sorry but that post is not open,” replied McGonagall.

“Oh really? I didn’t know. Hermione told me just last night that you were still looking for someone to fill the post.”

“It was filled last night. People seem more keen to take on the position since Voldemort is gone,” said McGonagall. “Although, I must say, if it were open; I still wouldn’t have allowed you to take the job.”

“Why not,” Harry asked with a bewildered look. “Who is better then me at Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“There is no denying your talent in this field Mr Potter, but there are certain circumstances that would bar you from getting the job. One such circumstance would be the fact that you didn’t complete your years at Hogwarts.”

“And what are the others,” asked Harry, who was starting to get annoyed with her.

“Your relationship with Ms. Weasley. In your absence last year, she and your friends Ron and Hermione came to me for advice. I came to know them better then I had ever before. Ms. Weasley repeatedly told me how much she cared for you. I believe that she loves you more than perhaps she even realizes.”

“I love her more then anything in the world. But I don’t see how that would affect me getting a teaching job or not.”

“A relationship between a teacher and a student could not be allowed. You may have thought of me as cold and emotionless, but I could never keep you and Ms. Weasley apart. I can’t allow you to give her up to teach.”

“I didn’t know you cared so much,” said Harry with a slight smile

“I think it was the thing to do. Dumbledore probably would have done the exact same thing,” she added. “I’m just thankful that someone came forward last night.”

“Who did you give the job to?” asked Harry.

“Kingsley Shacklebolt came to me shortly after dinner last night. He told me what Ms. Granger told you about the job opening so I offered him the job and he accepted it. So, anyways, what are your plans for the future Mr. Potter.”

“I don’t know. I guess since I didn’t finish school, I can’t become an Auror anymore,” said Harry.

“I wouldn’t say that Harry,” said a voice from above McGonagall. Harry looked up to see the portrait of Dumbledore.

“Professor Dumbledore, I didn’t realize you were there,” said Harry with a wide smile. When he saw Dumbledore, his spirit rose.

“There is no need to call me professor anymore, just Dumbledore will do,” replied the painted Dumbledore.

“Ok What did you mean when you said ‘I wouldn’t say that’?” asked Harry on the edge of his seat waiting for the answer.

“All I meant was that I think the Minister would be happy to pull a few strings and get you into the Auror program.”

“To tell you the truth, now that I was out there this past year, I’m not entirely sure that I want to be an Auror anymore,” replied Harry with a confused look on his face.

“Harry you have plenty of time to decide. I personally think you would enjoy a nice quiet life. Somewhere away from all the fame and frenzy,” said McGonagall.

“You do have a point. A nice quiet life at the Burrow would be nice. I think I might give that a try.”

“Is that where you plan on staying?” asked Dumbledore.

“At least for now,” replied Harry. He continued his conversation with McGonagall and Dumbledore for few minutes before leaving. On his way out he saw Witherwings outside Hagrid’s hut. He decided to go over and say hello. When he reached Hagrid’s cabin, he bowed and waited for Witherwings to bow back. When he did, Harry walked forward and petted him. Harry waited a few minutes for Hagrid to show up, but when he didn’t he left for the Burrow.

Harry walked through the streets of Hogsmeade. Peolple were on the streets, on this sunny day in Hogsmeade. Everyone who Harry passed congratulated him and have their thanks for what he did. He finally got fed up and disapparated to the Burrow. When he re-appeared outside the Burrow, he found Ginny sitting in the garden. When she heard the popping sound signaling Harry’s arrival, she got up and ran towards him. “Harry, what took you so long.”

“Nothing, I just had a long talk with McGonagall and Dumbledore’s portrait.”

“Oh, well come inside and tell everyone about it.” Ginny took Harry’s hand in hers and lead him into the kitchen where the rest of the Weasley’s were just sitting down to lunch with Hermione.

“Harry you are back. So tell me, how did it go with McGonagall?” asked Hermione when she sat down across the table from Harry.

“Well, she told me that the job was filled last night.”

“Oh really, by whom?” asked Hermione with a confused look on her face.

Harry replied “Kingsley Shacklebolt.” then proceeded to tell them about everything that Dumbledore’s portrait and McGonagall had said.

“Well, mate, what are you going to do now? Are you gonna try to get into the Auror program after all?” asked Ron, when Harry had finished his story.

“I don’t know. A nice and quiet life does sound good right now. I might just take some time off and not take a job right away,” replied Harry

“Spoken like your father’s son,” said a familiar voice behind Harry. He turned around and saw Remus Lupin standing in the back door with Tonks. “Your father never took a job either. Sirius and me always said that you were more like your father then you ever realized.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t plan on being unemployed forever,” said Harry smiling while he got up from the table and walked over to Lupin. Harry shook Lupin’s hand and gave Tonks a quick hug. Lupin talked with Harry while they all ate a great lunch that was provided by Mrs. Weasley.

Harry was the first one to be done. He waited for Ginny to finish, and when she finally did, he took her hand an led her outside. He sat down behind a tree, that shielded them from the view of anyone inside the house, and motioned for Ginny to join him. Ginny sat down next to him and looked at him then said “Harry, is something wrong?”

Harry turned to her and looked into her eyes; “When I’m with you everything is fine. I just wanted to get you alone for a little while.”

“Oh, I see’” replied Ginny mischievously. Harry leaned in and kissed Ginny. They quickly lost track of time. Before either of them knew it the sun was starting to set. Harry pulled away from Ginny and said “That was fun. We should do that more often.”

“You mean snog all afternoon?” asked a grinning Ginny

“Not necessarily snog, but spend a quiet afternoon together. When I’m with you I feel like everything is absolutely perfect.”

“I know what you mean,” said Ginny while resting her head on his shoulder.

“Ginny, can I ask you a question?” asked Harry

“Of course, just ask away.”

“Do you see us together in the future?”

“What do you mean Harry?”

“I mean, do you see us together in the future? Can you see us getting married and things like that?”

“Harry, it is to early to tell. If you look at things closely, we have only been together a month at the end of your sixth year and the last two days. All I can say is that I love you, and that things will turn out for the best.”

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” replied Harry.

“I guess you could take it like that. If you really want a straight answer, I would have to say yes. I know how much I love you and it is obvious to everyone how much you love me.”

Harry leaned in and kissed Ginny. He pulled back a few seconds later and whispered into her ear “Is it really that obvious?” Ginny just nodded. “I really do love you more then anything in the world. I even love you more then Quidditch, and that is saying a lot,” Harry said jokingly.


“I would hope that you would love me more then Quidditch,” replied Ginny with a wide smile growing on her face. Ginny put her hands on the back of Harry’s head and pulled him into a kiss. A few moments later, they heard footsteps in the grass coming their way and pulled away from each other. Barely a second later, Ron and Hermione came around the tree that they were sitting behind.

“Hey mate. What have you two been doing out here all afternoon,” asked Ron

“That is none of your business Ron,” replied Ginny. Hermione seemed to agree with Ginny because she had hit Ron on the back of his head.

“Ouch What was that for Hermione?” asked Ron while rubbing the spot on the back of his head on the spot where Hermione had just hit him.

“What Harry and Ginny have been doing is their business and their business alone,” replied Hermione. Harry and Ginny laughed. Even though Ron and Hermione had finally started dating, they would never stop bickering.

“Can I talk to you alone, mate,” asked Ron. Harry stood up and walked a few feet away. “I know you love her, but the fact remains that I am her brother. I just want to make sure you are never going to hurt her again. When you left last year, she cried for two days straight,” he said a little lower, not wanting her to ear it. “Eventually she got over that and was only mad, and obviously she got over that; with the help of some advice from Tonks.”

“It hurt me to leave like that. Perhaps more then anyone of you realizes, but it was something I had to do. I know that you are just trying to protect her, but you don’t have to.”

“Just promise me that you won’t hurt her again,” he demanded looking serious.

“I promise. Ron, I’m here to stay. I am never leaving again.” Ron just nodded and patted him on the shoulder. All Ron wanted to hear was him promising to never hurt Ginny again. They walked back to where Ginny and Hermione were waiting for them. Harry sat down next to Ginny and put his arm around her back.

“What were you talking about?” asked Ginny while she returned her head to Harry’s shoulder.

“Nothing special. We just talked about guy stuff’” lied Harry. He didn’t want to start a fight between Ron and Ginny. He knew ,all too well, how Ginny got when she felt Ron was being too overprotective or intrusive. Ron looked at Harry and mouthed the words “Thanks”

Mrs. Weasley stuck her head out of the kitchen window and beckoned them into the house for dinner. Harry sat next to Ginny. Lupin and Tonks had stayed for dinner and sat across from the young couple.

“It looks like you two had fun today,” joked Tonks. “Just look at how messy your hair is Ginny.” She blushed as she quickly tried to straighten it ,as Tonks had trouble not laughing. Her hair was messy due to Harry continually running his hand through it. Harry laughed slightly as he watched Ginny trying to straighten it and avoiding everyone else’s eyes.

He leaned towards her saying, “Don’t worry about it.” She threw him a contemptous look. “Your hair looks fine,” he added winking. Ginny gave him a slight jab in the ribs with her elbow. “What was that for?” he asked.

“That is for messing up my hair. Now everyone knows what were doing outside all afternoon,” replied Ginny in a whisper.

“I think they probably figured it out a long time ago and not when they saw your hair. Since when did you care anyway?”

“When it is just Ron and Hermione it is nothing, but I don’t want my whole family knowing what goes on between us.”

“I don’t think any of them really care, as long as we are happy.”

“He is right you know. We don’t care what you two do. We just want you two to be happy,” said Mrs. Weasley as she bent down next to Ginny. She realized that she wasn’t being as quiet as she would have liked. When she looked up, she saw everyone looking at her with various stages of smiles on their faces. She just shook her head and stopped trying to straighten her hair.

“Now eat up everyone,” chimed in Mrs. Weasley. Within seconds, plates of some of Harry’s favorite foods were placed on the table. Harry piled mashed potatoes and some steak onto his plate and began to eat. Before he was finished, Harry had gone through three helpings. Mrs. Weasley kept on refilling his plate as she commented on how underfed he looked. She planned on changing that as quickly as she could.

When Harry finally got up from the table, Ginny followed him into the living room. He sat on the chair closest to the unlit fireplace. The youngest Weasley quickly joined him by sitting on his lap. Lupin and Tonks were already sitting on a couch nearby.

“Ah, young love. Isn’t it beautiful,” said Lupin. Harry looked at Lupin and shook his head. Lupin laughed at this. “I’m glad that you could find someone that can make you happy. After everything you went through since finding out you were a wizard, you deserve some happiness. I know that your parents and Sirius would be happy also.”

“I know they would. It is strange, but sometimes it feels like they are watching me from somewhere just beyond my vision,” replied Harry.

“Of course they are watching you,” said Ginny. Harry looked in Ginny’s eyes and all he could do was kiss her. When the kiss was ended, Harry took hold of Ginny’s right hand and held it. At that moment Harry was absolutely sure that he was with the right person. He rubbed her arm with his free hand. Everyone else came into the living room soon after. Harry thrilled them with more tales of his adventures. Every time he retold a story of a dangerous event, he could feel Ginny tense up and grip his hand tighter. He would just reassuringly rub her shoulder to ease her tenseness.


Soon it was time for bed. Harry gave Ginny a long goodnight kiss ans made his way up to Ron’s room to go to sleep. Ron soon followed. “Wow, mate, you really did all those things.”
Ron could see the look on Harry’s face and realized that he wasn’t paying attention. “If you miss her that much why not just ask her to marry you,” said Ron jokingly

“Now, that is an idea ” replied Harry. Ron was stunned and before he could say anything, Harry laid down and went to sleep.

Chapter 3: Opportunity and Doubt



Harry was in a room filled with laughter. Voldemort was laughing. “My dear boy, you may have bested my death eaters and destroyed my horcruxes, but I am a different matter. You can never defeat me.”

“I will never stop hunting you. I won’t stop until I kill you,” replied a panting Harry.

“I will just have to kill you then, but you will have to suffer first.” Voldemort raised his wand in a swish and pointed it at Harry. With an insane cackle of laughter, he cried “Crucio”.

Harry was on the floor writhing in pain. He had failed. There is no way he could beat Voldemort. Memories came flooding back as every inch of his body screamed in pain. First, he was looking into his parents faces in the Mirror of Erised. Next, he was in the Chamber of Secrets fighting the Basilisk. Then, he was flying on Buckbeak up to where Sirius was being held. Once that faded the image of Voldemort raising from the cauldron in the graveyard replaced it. Eventually that faded and was replaced with the sight of a tired Dumbledore telling him about the prophecy. This vanished only to be replaced with Ginny jumping into his arms and the first time he kissed her. All those thoughts crossed his mind in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Harry felt a surge of power from within himself. The pain slowly left and he stood up. “It isn’t over yet, Tom,” said Harry furiously, with a renewed energy.

“I no longer go by that name, boy. How dare you bind me to my miserable muggle father.”

Something inside Harry fueled him. It made him stronger and more daring. This had happened before in times of danger when he thought about Ginny. Suddenly something dawned on Harry. The power that he had in abundance that Voldemort utterly lacked was fueling him. His love for the red-headed sister of his best friend made him stronger. “There is nothing you can do. I am the one who is going to defeat you, and it will happen this very morning,” cried out Harry.

Voldemort responded by throwing an assortment of hexes and curses at Harry, but not a single one found its mark. Voldemort grew angrier with each blocked spell until he finally lost his patience and fired a Cruciatus Curse towards Harry. Harry blocked it instinctively and smiled at Voldemort.

“It ends here,” said Harry firing a disarming spell towards Voldemort. The Dark Lord’s wand spun in the air and landed at his feet. Harry looked into Voldemort’s eyes and for the first time didn’t feel hatred towards him. He felt pity. Here was the strongest Dark Wizard of the age, possibly ever, and he was standing here in fear. Harry struggled to finish him off. He lowered his wand an inch. The thought of killing someone, even as evil as him, was something he thought he was prepared for.

“You can’t and won’t kill me boy,” said Voldemort. Harry could tell that Voldemort wasn’t his usual confident self. For the first time ever, he heard fear in the Dark Lord’s voice.

Harry hesitated again, but the image of his parents standing next to Sirius flooded his mind. They were looking at him with expressionless faces. Somehow, Harry knew what they wanted him to do. They wanted him to finish it for good. When Harry realized this, they nodded and faded away into nothing. Harry, raising his wand again, pointed it back at Voldemort, uttered the words “Avada Kedavra”.

Harry awoke with a gasp. He was covered with sweat. It had been a month since he last saw those images. He reached for his glasses and looked around the room. “It was just a dream,” cried a relived Harry. When Harry saw it was four in the morning, he decided to get up and go down to the kitchen. After he got dressed and made his way downstairs, he made a pot of tea. Harry was the only one awake, so he decided to wait in the kitchen for Mrs. Weasley to wake up and have breakfast.

Eventually, the rest of the occupants started to stir. Hermione was the first one to come into the kitchen. “How long have you been up?” she asked as she sat down at the table across from Harry. “Thanks,” she said after Harry handed her a cup of tea.

“I’ve been up since four in the morning. I couldn’t fall back asleep because I had a dream about the fight with Voldemort, among other things,” replied Harry

Hermione ignored the dream and said, “You miss Ginny already? She is just upstairs getting dressed.”

“I wouldn’t say that I miss her yet, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to saying goodbye.”

“It’s not goodbye. You will see her soon enough,” said Ron while entering the room.

“What would you know?” answered Harry curtly

“You are not the only one saying goodbye to his girlfriend today. Hermione is leaving too.”

“You and Hermione had time together. You spent all of last year together. I was away from Ginny for an entire year. I told her I would never leave her again and now look what’s happening,” yelled Harry.

“Harry, calm down. I know you don’t want Ginny to go, but she has to. You can’t make her stay just for you. That would be selfish,” said Hermione trying to calm him down.

“I know I can’t make her stay, but it hurts to think about not seeing her again for months.”

“I know it does. You are just going to have to live with it. There is nothing you can do,” said Ron tentatively. He obviously didn’t want to set Harry off again.

“What are you three arguing about this early in the morning,” asked a red headed girl that just walked through the kitchen door. Ginny looked absolutely beautiful. She had her muggle clothes on for the trip and her hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Nothing,” said Harry slightly embarrassed about how he had yelled at his two closest friends.

“I heard you yelling from my room. I know you were fighting about something,” she retorted while putting her hands on her hips.

“Ginny it was nothing important,” Harry said while he got up and walked behind Ginny. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her on the top of her head. She sighed and didn’t say another thing.

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Harry didn’t say anything to anybody. He sat there eating his eggs and toast. When he was finished he got up and walked out the kitchen door and leaned against his favorite tree. He stood there for awhile, day dreaming about that last month that he had spent with Ginny. He snapped out of it when Ginny came outside with Hermione and set her trunk down next to him. “There you are. I was wondering where you had went off to?”

“I’ve been here ever since I finished breakfast.” Harry and Ginny didn’t say much else. They just stood there in each other’s arms. Mr. Weasley had borrowed a car from the Ministry of Magic. When it had pulled up, Harry helped Ginny get her trunk into the car.

“In you go, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley

“There won’t be enough room for you or Mrs. Weasley.”

“Molly and me think it would be best if you and Ron took the girls to the train to see them off.” Mr. Weasley lowered his voice and whispered to Harry, “I overheard what you were yelling in the kitchen this morning. We think it would be best for you and Ginny if you were there.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied while Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ginny as if she would never come back. He got into the car and they were off to King’s Cross Station. When they crossed the barrier to platform 9 3/4, they found many families saying their goodbyes. At that moment, Ginny looked into Harry’s face and saw a few tears rolling down his cheeks.

“What’s wrong Harry?” asked Ginny. “It’s not like you to cry.”

“I’m just not looking forward to seeing you wave goodbye as the train heads off.”

“I’m not either, but you don’t see me crying, ‘cause this time I know I will see you again” said Ginny as she wiped the tears from his cheeks. She hoped that it would make Harry feel better. Harry kissed her forehead and pulled her into his warm embrace.

“Hello Harry,” said two voices simultaneously. Harry looked around to see Parvati and Padma Patil walking towards him with someone who looked like he could be their brother.

“Long time no see,” he answered as they stopped before Ginny and him.

“Yeah, it’s been over a year. We all missed you. Me and Padma were glad to hear you were ok. We had a party to celebrate afterwards. We wanted to send you an owl asking you to come but we thought you would be busy,” replied Parvati and she winked at him. “I see that you and Ginny are together again. I am happy for the both you.”

“Thanks,” replied Ginny with a smile. “It’s good to see everyone again.”

Harry saw the boy struggling behind Padma and asked, “Who is he?”

“Oh, this is our cousin. He saw you standing here and wanted to met you,” answered Padma.

“Hello,” he said to the boy.

The boy replied with a ‘Hello’ of his own and seemed embarrassed. Everyone laughed when they saw the boy turn slightly red when Harry shook his hand.

Before long, it was time for the train to leave. Harry gave Ginny one last goodbye kiss and said “See you soon.” Harry waved as the train went around the bend and out of sight. “What do you want to do now mate?” asked Ron.


“I could use a firewhiskey,” replied Harry and they both apperated to the Leaky Cauldron. The pair walked up to the bar. “Hello Tom. We’ll take two firewhiskey’s.” Tom handed them two cups full of the liquid and Harry passed him some coins. They finished their drinks quickly and left for home.

***

September went by quickly. Despite how much Ginny missed Harry, she was having a fun time. The school was back to how it used to be in the early days, when there were no worries and fear. Even quidditch was on again. Before she knew it, the first Hogsmeade weekend approached. She went down early for breakfast, ate quickly and joined the line to leave the school. Hermione joined her and they walked down to the village together. “I wish Harry was here,” said Ginny. A smile spread across Hermione’s face.

The two made their way through the village to the three Broomsticks. As Ginny walked up to the bar, she was grabbed from behind. She flung around to see Harry standing there. This time Ginny initiated the kiss. She had her hands on the back of his head and Harry had one hand on her waist while the other was running through her silky hair. “I missed you,” she said when she finally pulled away from him.

“I missed you too,” he replied.

“It’s good to see you two so happy,” said Hermione beaming. They went and sat down at a table in the back.

Ron soon entered the pub and saw Hermione with Harry and Ginny. When he sat down next to his girlfriend, he gave her a quick kiss, and soon joined in the conversation. They talked about Quidditch strategy since Ginny was the new captain of the house team.

“What are you doing here?” asked Hermione a few minutes later.

“Aren’t you glad to see me?”

“Of course I am. I was just wondering what you were doing away from the shop. Hogsmeade weekends are the busiest days for the shops of the village.”

“Fred came and gave me an hour or two off. He thought it would be nice to let me go see you for a little while.”

Harry and Ginny decided to go for a walk through the village and leave Ron and Hermione alone. They went to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and talked with Fred for a few minutes, then they went to Honeydukes. Harry bought Ginny anything she wanted, and a bit more. By the time they left the shop, Ginny had a large bag filled with sweets of all kinds.

They stopped just outside the village gate. It was almost time for Ginny to go back up to the school. Harry had to do it now or wait till Christmas. Harry fingered the box that was in his pocket and he looked into Ginny’s eyes. He reached out for her hand and took it in his. “Ginny, I love you more then anything.”

“I feel the same way Harry. There isn’t anyone I would rather be with,” replied Ginny. “Except maybe Dean,” she said with a laugh.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” laughed Harry. No one could make Harry laugh like Ginny could. “It is good to see the castle again. It has been my home for so long.”

“It will always be a home away from home. You now have a real home,” replied Ginny

“You and your family have done so much for me. How can I begin to thank you?”

“There is no need to thank anyone. We did it because we wanted to. I’m sorry, but I really have to get back up to the castle. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye Ginny. I can’t wait till Christmas.”

“Me too,” she replied as she turned to leave. Ginny made her way back up to the castle accompanied by Hermione. He watched her walk until she was out of sight. He walked around the village for hours barley noticing where he was going. He found himself near the path into the hills where Sirius had hidden in his fourth year. He shook his heard to clear his thoughts and went to see Ron at the shop. “Well that was fun,” he said as he walked into the shop and saw Ron getting ready to close down for the night.

“Yeah it was,” Ron replied. Harry and Ron both went to the Three Broomsticks and had a few butterbeer’s with the other patrons. Before long, Harry went back to the Burrow for dinner.

“Had fun, dear?” asked Mrs. Weasley as he walked into the kitchen and sat down for dinner.

“More than you could imagine. It was great seeing her again. I can’t wait till Christmas break,” replied Harry. He enjoyed a nice dinner and joked around with Bill and Charlie for a few minutes. Half way through the meal they were joined by Ron. Harry grew consistently moodier as the meal progressed. Fleeting doubts passed through his mind. By the end of dinner, he wasn’t saying a word to anyone. He silently got up from the table and made his way to Fred and George’s old room to go to sleep early.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen everyone sat with bewildered looks on their face. “What was that about?” asked Bill. “He was happy when he got back and now he won’t even say a word to anyone. Did we say something bad?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He wants more than anything to be with Ginny,” answered Mr. Weasley as he entered the room.

“You are late again Arthur,” said Mrs. Weasley with a scornful look about her. “The ministry sure is keeping you busy lately.”

“I know, but what can I do about it?” replied Mr. Weasley. “That doesn’t really matter right now though. We have to do something about Harry.”

“I think zink I will go have a talk with ‘im,” chimed in Fleur. She left before anyone could stop her. She knocked on the door to the room in which Harry was staying. She entered before Harry could even turn her away.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Just to talk. I never got to repay you for ‘elping my sister during ze tournament, so I thought I could ‘elp you out now.”

“I don’t want help. I just want to be alone.”

“We are all worried about you.”

“There is nothing you can do to help me.”

“How do you know that if you won’t let us try?” Harry couldn’t help but smile and let out a soft laugh. “Zat is better, but if you don’t mind me asking, why ze sudden change in moods.”

“I just never thought I would hear you say something like that. It’s usually Hermione that says those things. By the way, your English has really improved.”

“Thanks, I had good teachers,” she said with a smile. “‘arry I know you miss her, but there isn’t anything you can do about it. You have to stop beating yourself up over her. If you stop constantly zinking about her, the time will seem to pass quicker until you can be together again. It is only a month or two till she will be home for Christmas, and after zat another six till she is home for good.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that already? I can’t help but think about her.”

“If you love ‘er so much, why don’t you ask ‘er to marry you?”

“The thought has crossed my mind. I can’t bring myself to decide.”

“Why not?”

“I have no clue. Everything has been happening so fast.”

“You zink so?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened at dinner?”

“What do you mean? Nothing happened.”

“You were‘appy and joking around when you got back, but by ze end you were quiet and had a strange look of your face.”

“Oh, that. I was fine when I got back, but as the evening wore on I started to think about Ginny. These doubts kept creeping into the back of my mind. Thoughts like, am I good enough for her? Does she really love me back?”

“Zat is nonsense. It might not be apparent to you, but she obviously loves you back. Would she ‘ave been so hurt when you left if she didn’t? Would she ‘ave waited for you if she didn’t love you? I see the way she looks at you when she is with you. There is not a doubt in my mind zat she wants to be with you.”


“I wish I could be as confident.”

“Why are you so insecure all of a sudden?”

“When I got back I was just so happy to be with her. I didn’t have a lot of time to think about our relationship. After she left for Hogwarts, I’ve had too much time to dwell on things.”

“Too much time to zink can be a dangerous thing.” Harry laughed after he heard her say this. Fleur was satisfied that she had cheered Harry up. She left him with one last word of advice, “It’s good to talk to people about these things, but what you really need to do is talk to Ginny. She will ’elp you through this.” Harry nodded and she shut the door. Harry laid back on the bed and pondered everything that Fleur had said to him. He was surprised at how good her advice was, but he couldn’t help doubting everything. He soon fell asleep and couldn’t wait till Ginny came home for Christmas.

***

The rest of the term passed quickly for Ginny. She woke up early on the morning she was going to leave for Christmas break. She soon had everything packed and was on her way out of the castle. She paused to say goodbye to a few of her friends, but before long she was in Hogsmeade. She decided to call the Knightbus. She wanted time to think to herself before she got home. The Knightbus made its stops and it was eventually Ginny’s turn to get off. When she got off the bus, a strange sight met her eyes, and her jaw dropped.

Chapter 4: Well, here it goes


Harry was in the study of his newly completed addition to the Burrow. The addition was added just last week. Up stairs it had a bedroom with a large bed and a full bathroom. Downstairs was a library full of muggle and wizard books alike. There were a few couches and chairs placed throughout the room. Harry was sitting in a chair along side the wall across from the door into the Weasley’s living room. “This is what muggles think wizards are,” Harry thought to himself while he put down the muggle novel that he had been reading. “If they only knew the truth,” Harry mumbled. He heard a loud bang coming from outside as he stood up. “Ginny must be back,” he thought.

Ginny was standing outside with her mouth wide open. Her house was different. There was a new addition along one side. She didn’t know what to think, so she just stood there. “Let me help you with those,” said Harry as he walked towards her and picked up her trunk.

“What is that?” asked Ginny while pointing at the new addition to the Burrow.

“Oh that, it’s the new addition that was put on a week ago. It has my room and a bathroom upstairs, and a study downstairs.” Harry looked at her and started to bring her trunk into the house. Ginny closely followed not sure what to make of everything.

When they entered the kitchen, Ginny was met with a large hug from Mrs. Weasley. “Oh Ginny dear, it is good to see you. We all missed you.”

“Not as mush as Harry though,” said Fred poking his head around his mother. “Harry here has taken to pacing his room and locking himself in the study lately.”

“Shut up Fred,” said Harry laughing. “Well, part of what he said is true. I have missed you a lot, although the pacing and locking part is a little bit over-exaggerated.”

“Oh, it is? That would be news to me,” replied Fred. Everyone else walked into the room and greeted Ginny. Harry left to go put Ginny’s stuff in her room.

“Mom, why did you have new rooms put on the house?” asked Ginny

“Harry needed a room to himself. He paid for everything, so we were happy to have him.”

“Oh, ok,” said Ginny looking a little confused.

“I couldn’t keep living in one of your brothers' room forever,” said a returning Harry. “I’ll give you the grand tour.” Harry took Ginny’s hand in his and led her off to see the new rooms. When Harry passed Fleur, she nodded her head and Harry just shrugged.

Harry showed her the upstairs first. She seemed impressed at the size of the bed and threw him a mischievous smile. Harry retrieved something small from the top drawer of his nightstand. “What is that?” she asked Harry.

“Oh this? It’s nothing important,” he said as he quickly shoved it into the pocket of his jeans. He continued with the tour, although he skipped the bathroom. There isn’t anything special about a bathroom after all.

When he was finished showing her the library, he sat down on a chair and she sat on his lap putting her arms around his neck. “I never got a chance to say this earlier, but it is good to see you again. I won’t say that what Fred said earlier was a lie. I really did miss you a lot and it made me a little grumpy and withdrawn, but that doesn’t matter right now.”

“I missed you too,” replied Ginny as she gave him a kiss. “Hermione is going to love this place. It’s going to be hard to get her out of here.”

“When is she coming?”

“She said she would be along in a day or two. She wanted to finish grading some essays before she left. I think McGonagall isn’t too happy with her not staying over the break, but all the other professors are going home to see their families too. It is the first Christmas since the death of Voldemort after all.”

“Thanks to me,” said Harry jokingly, but Ginny could sense a little bit of sadness in his voice.

“Are you ok?”

“Of course. I’m with you. Why would you ask that?”

“I’m not stupid Harry. I heard a hint of sadness in your voice. You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know,” he sighed. “It’s just a little bittersweet. My life had always been building towards one task. Now that it’s done, I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing. What else is there to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe get married, even raise some children.”

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

“I’m sure it has,” said Ginny with a smile. “Harry, a lot of people have asked me what happened while you were gone. I didn’t know what to say because you never talked about it.”

“What have they been asking?”

“Everyone keeps asking how you became powerful enough to defeat Voldemort. No one had been able to defeat him before or even subdue him.”

“There are a few things. I had a lot of free time to read. I needed to do research into Voldemort and what he did before he tried to kill me when I was one. I would sneak into Hogwarts using a secret passage and go into the library,” said Harry. “Don’t ask me why I didn’t go see you, Ron, and Hermione. You already know the answer,” he said when he saw the look on Ginny’s face. She knew why he didn’t and silently nodded. “While I was reading books, I picked up a bunch of useful spells that they don’t teach in any classes. Only the bookworms like Hermione would ever find them. That was part of it.”

“What’s the rest?”

“Dumbledore always said that I had a power in large quantities that Voldemort had absolutely none of. It was love. Love saved me many times. There were a few times that I was backed into a precarious position. The only thing I had to do was think of you and I would somehow find my way out of it. My love for you made me stronger. I had to survive and come back to you. Somehow it saved me when I confronted Voldemort. It made me faster and think clearer. I was able to stun the death eaters and finally kill Voldemort. So, you played as big a part in this as me. I could never had done it without you.” Harry said that last comment and let out a laugh.

“Aren’t you afraid that you will be like Voldemort now? He killed people and tore his soul in pieces. Just look at what it did to him.”

“No, I’m not worried. While in the restricted section of the library one night I came upon a very strange book. It was all about ancient magic. In one of the chapters it talked about how souls are severed. It only occurs when someone murders an innocent person. Voldemort is obviously not innocent.”

“Really?” asked Ginny

“Yeah, I’m sure. It was in an obscure book written by Rowena Ravenclaw. I’m surprised that Dumbledore never told me that. I guess he didn’t know about it, or maybe it just slipped his mind.”

“Maybe he didn’t know about the book.”

“Could be. The book was hidden behind another very dusty book. Dumbledore always said he didn’t know all of Hogwarts secrets.”

“Where is the book now?”

“It’s not at Hogwarts anymore. I needed it on my adventures. Its somewhere in the room right now.”

“Can I read it?” asked Ginny

“Later. There is something more important that I need to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“I told you how much I love you. I need to know how much you love me.”

“Do you really need me to answer that question?” said Ginny a little annoyed at the question.

“Yes. It is important. I need to know.”

“Ok, if you say so. I’ve had boyfriends before, but none of them are like you. I had a crush on you from the time I saw you at King’s Cross Station at the end of your first year. It was pretty obvious that I liked you. My brothers used to tease me all the time about it. I used to be too nervous to talk in front of you. Eventually, I relaxed, but when I did, you were interested in Cho Chang. As I told you at Dumbledore’s funeral, I never gave up on you. Eventually, we got together and I was in love from the first kiss. My love for you has only grown since.” Harry had a tear in his eye and remained silent. Ginny wiped the tear from his eye, and when she did so, he leaned in and kissed her more passionately then ever before. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Harry pulled back.

“I always held a little bit of a soft spot for you. I always thought it was because you were my best friend’s sister. I wish I realized the truth sooner. We could have been together a lot longer.”

“Things happen when they are supposed to happen. You just have to wait till the circumstances are right, and everything will fall into place. Things are great between us. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.” When she said this, Harry once again felt a twinge of doubt. All the confidence that he had gained after she told him how much she loved him was instantly washed away. “Is something wrong? You are almost too quiet.”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about something,” replied Harry quickly clearing his mind. “How has school been? It must be interesting now.”

“It’s pretty much the same. No one knew that we were still together. I must have been asked out by five guys on the train.”

“What did you say to them?”

“Nothing really. I just said no and continued on with whatever conversation I was having.”

“You didn’t say anything about me. Why not?”

“I didn’t want the extra attention. Eventually, I got fed up with everyone asking me out, so I finally gave in and told them about you. Some first year named Stephen Pierce kept asking me if I was really Harry Potter’s girlfriend and asked me to get your autograph.” Harry laughed, after all, she could make him laugh like no other.

Fleur, Bill, Ron and Charlie soon came into the study, claiming they missed Ginny too and deserved to spend some time with her as well. They started exchanging stories with Ginny. She told them about the guys asking her out and Stephen. Fleur kept looking at Harry, and whenever she did, Harry just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Before long, they all got up and walked into the kitchen for some lunch.

Fleur hung back, waiting for Harry to walk by. When he did, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the study. “Why haven’t you asked 'er yet?”

“I was going to. I’m still having doubts. Something that she said made sense though. She told me things are meant to happen at a certain time. I won’t have any doubts when the time is right.”

“If you don’t ask 'er soon, I’m going to tell everyone what you told me zat night.”

“Fleur, please don’t do that. Just let me take things at my own pace.”

“Whatever you say, but you 'ave to do it during Christmas break. I don't want to endure your moodiness until summer vacation.

Ginny poked her head back into the room and said, “What’s taking you so long? Mum says lunch is ready. It will get cold soon.”

“I’m coming, Ginny,” said Harry and he walked by Fleur and into the kitchen. Fleur stood in silence for a moment before joining everyone else.

Harry woke up early the next morning. There was something that he felt he had to do. He went to the kitchen and found Mr. Weasley sitting there. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Harry,” he replied. “Sit down and let’s talk.”

“Ok,” he replied. He shared a cup of tea with Mr. Weasley and talked about life before Harry got up from his seat and walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?” he asked

“Godric’s Hollow. I need to go do something.”

“See your parent’s grave,” he replied. Harry nodded and walked out the door. He stopped, turned around just outside the door and stuck his head back into the kitchen.

“Please don’t tell Ginny where I went. Just let her know that I’ll be back later.” Mr. Weasley just nodded but he had a worried look on his face. He thought of Harry as one of his own kids.

“Just one more thing. I’m sure that you have realized this, but I’m thinking about asking Ginny to marry me. I just wanted to make sure it was ok with you and Mrs. Weasley.”

“Of course you have my permission. I would be honored to have you as a son-in-law.” Harry just nodded and left.

He was gone seconds before Ginny came into the room. “Hey Dad Where is Harry? I thought I heard his voice.”

“He left for a little while. He said he would be back later.”

“Where did he go?” asked Ginny.

“I can’t say.” Ginny sensed that he was worried for him.

“Dad, is something wrong?”

“No. Why would you say that?”

“I can tell that you are worried about Harry. I want to know what is wrong.”

“He made me promise not to tell. I am worried for him, but it is nothing serious. You two should have a talk when he gets back.”

“I intend to,” replied an annoyed Ginny.

Harry appeared in Godric’s Hollow and made his way through the winding streets towards the cemetery. He knew the way because he made the trip once before. The last time he was here, he was with Ron and Hermione. They came to see the graves of his parents right before Bill and Fleur’s wedding. This time it was winter. Snow covered the normally green grass and obscured the writing on the graves. Before long, he was at his parents plot. There were a few other people saying their respects to their loved ones too. Harry wiped the snow from his parents’ grave marker. He re-read the inscription many times.

Tears started to fall from his eyes, landing in the soft snow at his feet. “Mom, Dad, I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m so confused. I wish you were here so you could tell me what to do. I know I love her and she loves me, but I can’t help but have doubts for some reason or another,” Harry said while crying.

“Talking to yourself is never a good idea,” said a voice from behind him. Turning, Harry saw Lupin standing there. He wiped the tears from his eyes and forced himself to stop crying.

“What are you doing here? I asked Mr. Weasley not to say anything.”

“He didn’t tell me. I came here on my own accord. We just bumped into each other. Quite a rather funny coincidence, if you think about it.”

“Do you come and see them often?” he asked.

“Not very. This is the first time in over three years. It is fate that we both picked the same time and day to come here.”

“Great, more fate. I’m sick and tired of fate running my life.”

“Do I sense a little bit of pent up anger?”

“Just a little.”

“Harry why are you here? I heard you say something about doubts.”

“I came here to think.”

“About Ginny?” asked Remus.

“Does everyone know what’s going on between me and her?”

“Quite the contrary. No one knows what’s going on with you. Harry, everyone is worried about you.”

“They don’t need to be. I can take care of myself.”

“There is no doubt about that. Why don’t we go find somewhere warmer to talk?” Lupin walked with Harry to a local restaurant. They sat down in a booth, far away from anyone else.

“Now Harry, would you please tell me what is wrong?”

“It’s stupid really. I never once had doubts about confronting Voldemort, but I can’t even go up to Ginny and ask her to marry me.”

“Is that what you intend to do?” asked Lupin. Harry nodded. “That is good news. I’m sure you two will be very happy together. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you having doubts?”

“I don’t know. Every time I think about asking her, doubts flash through my mind.”

“Is that all?”

“What do you mean by that? Of course that is all.”

“Those aren’t really doubts Harry. You are just nervous. You father went through the same thing.”

“He did?” asked Harry, his spirits rising.

“Of course. All men do. It is a natural thing to be nervous when asking the woman you love to marry you. James was a wreck. He was liable to hex anyone that looked at him the wrong way because he was so nervous. You seem to be taking it much better then him.”

“You think so?”

“Yes I do. You just have to get it over with. The longer you wait the worse everything will be.”

“Thanks Remus.”

“Anytime Harry.” Harry got up, shook Lupin’s hand and said his goodbyes. When Harry was at the door, Lupin said “Good luck.” Harry nodded and proceeded out the door. Once he was out of the sight of any muggles, he apperated back to the Burrow. He stopped by the back door and thought to himself, “Well, here I go.”

He opened the door to find Ginny in the kitchen with Hermione. Hermione had just arrived with her things. “Hello Harry,” said Hermione when she saw him enter.

“Where have you been? How dare you leave and tell my Dad not to tell me where you went?” asked Ginny furiously, poking her finger at his chest.

“Calm down Ginny. I will tell you everything. I just didn’t want any interruptions. Although, that didn’t quite work out.”

“Give him a chance to explain,” said Hermione. “By the way Harry, they new rooms look amazing. I love to study.”

“Thanks and thanks again,” he replied. “Listen Hermione, I need to talk to Ginny alone for awhile.”

“No problem. I’ll just go have a look around the study. I might even find that book Ginny told me you found in the Hogwarts library.”

“Ginny, could we go up to my room?” Ginny nodded and followed Harry upstairs. Harry sat on the end of his bed and put his head in his hands.

Ginny could see that something was bothering him. “What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“Not anymore,” he replied. He lifted his head up and a smile crept across his face. “I have been thinking a lot about us. I went to my parents' grave this morning to think.”

“Why didn’t you bring me along? I want to help you. Just tell me what is bothering you.”

“I didn’t bring you along because I wanted to be alone. I know that you want to help, but it wouldn’t be much help since you are the source of the problem.”

“What?” asked Ginny. She looked hurt.

“Don’t worry. It really isn’t anything bad. I promise you.”

“Ok, then just tell me what is wrong.”

“Well, here it goes,” thought Harry. He stood up and walked over to the dresser by his bed and opened the top drawer. He saw the little box sitting there and grabbed it. He didn’t bother hiding it. He walked back by Ginny and kneeled in front of her. He took her hand and said, “Ginny, I love you more then anything. I don’t know what I would do without you. Will you marry me?” Ginny’s jaw dropped. She was in a state of shock. It took a minute or two till she could respond.

“Of course I will.” Harry opened the box and slipped the ring on her finger. “Oh, Harry, it’s beautiful.”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” he replied before he stood up and kissed her.

“So, what was the problem? Why did you need to go think by yourself?”

“I’ve been having doubts since October. I almost asked you that day in Hogsmeade, but something stopped me. I went to Godric’s Hollow to see my parents' grave and think alone. Only, Lupin showed up. He said it was fate that we ended up meeting there. We talked for awhile and he told me that my father went through the same things when he was getting ready to ask my mother to marry him. He said that he was liable to hex anyone for even looking at him wrong. He also gave me some more good advice. He said it wasn’t really doubts, but that I was just nervous.”

“I could have told you that silly,” she replied giving him a light elbow to the ribs. “I wish you would have said something to me sooner. We could have worked this out together.”

“I probably should have, but I really needed to figure things out without you. I’m sorry for taking so long though.”

“No need to apologize. I love you so much. I guess we should go tell everyone the good news.”

Harry nodded and walked hand in hand with Ginny downstairs. When they came to the living room, they found everyone, but Hermione, sitting there talking. “Could you go get Hermione? Stun her if you have to, but get her out here now. I don’t want to have go through this a million times,” Harry whispered to Ginny so that no one else could hear him. Ginny nodded and ran off to find Hermione. She returned seconds later, dragging Hermione into the room. “Me and Ginny have something to tell you all.” Harry scanned the room and saw the look on their faces. Everyone looked confused, except for Mr. Weasley. He had a slight smile on his face. When Harry saw him, he dipped his head slightly, in an affirmative nod. He returned the gesture.

Ginny couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out, “Harry asked me to marry him and I said yes ”

“It took you long enough to ask ‘er,” said Fleur. Harry and Ginny both laughed.

“Oh, Harry, Ginny, this is great news,” said Mrs. Weasley as she stood up and pulled them both into a large hug. “I can’t wait till the wedding.” Once she let them go, everyone else stood up and one by one congratulated them.

“Well done, Mate,” said Ron, patting Harry on his shoulder.

“I’m so happy for you two. You better invite me, because I’m gonna be there whether you like it or not,” cried Hermione

“Of course you are invited. Well, at least when we pick a date you will be,” replied Harry. Much of the afternoon was spent discussing wedding dates and other small details. Eventually they settled on August 12th.

Harry and Ginny were inseparable for the rest of the Christmas break. When it was time for Ginny to go back for the next term, Harry found it easier to say goodbye.

As he watched her leave aboard the Knightbus, Mr. Weasley came up behind him and said, “The next time you see her, the wedding planning will really begin.”

“I can’t wait,” he replied.

“You say that now, but wait till you are asked to pick out dress robes and all that other stuff.”

Harry turned to Mr. Weasley and again said, “I can’t wait.”

Chapter 5: The Wedding


The rest of the school year went by in a blur. When Ginny got back home, Harry and her barely had any time alone. They had sparse moments alone out in the yard, sitting alongside each other under the tree that they spent most of the summer underneath.

“Are you ok Harry? You seem worried,” Ginny said as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

“It’s nothing. I’m just thinking ahead to the wedding.”

“Making weddings plans without me?” asked Ginny with a sly smile.

“Not exactly. I’m more worried about what is going to happen later that night.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of everything,” Ginny said with a mischievous smile. Harry laughed and Ginny put her head back down on his shoulder.

Harry’s birthday came and went. There was a large party at the Burrow for Harry. However, the hot topic at the party was the wedding and not Harry’s birthday itself. The coming week or two went by as quick as the others. Harry and Ginny spent most of their time picking out dress robes, flowers and all the other things needed for a proper wedding. Before he knew it, it was the night before the wedding.

“Harry dear, which design do you want on the napkins for the reception?” asked Mrs. Weasley. She was frantic to get everything straight. She was speeding around the kitchen trying to get all the last minute arrangements finished.

“I don’t care. You pick,” said Harry. He was starting to get annoyed at her. “I just want to get this over with, so things will calm down,” he thought to himself. Mr. Weasley, reading the Daily Prophet in a corner, shot him a look of ‘I told you’ and went back to his paper.

“I like this one,” said Ginny while she bounded up to her mother. “Don’t pay attention to Harry. He is just a little bit crabby tonight.”

“I don’t blame him. Just ask your father how bad I was the night before we got married.”

"Crabby isn’t the word for it, Dear,” said Mr. Weasley from behind his paper.

Harry stood up and went to where Ginny was standing with her mother. “Yeah, that one is nice,” Harry said, trying to stifle a yawn. “I’m going to bed. See you both in the morning,” he said as he turned away from them and started towards the kitchen door.

“You can’t go to sleep now. There are things that need to be done,” scolded Mrs. Weasley.

“I trust Ginny to make all the right decisions,” he replied. He walked back over to Ginny, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and whispered “Goodnight.”

Harry climbed the stairs and ran into Ron standing outside Harry’s bedroom. “Hey, watch where you are going,” said Ron

“Sorry,” he replied. When he saw the nervous look on Ron’s face he said, “Ron are you ok?”

“It’s Hermione. With all the wedding planning, she is hinting that she wants to get married.”

“You better come with me.” Harry led Ron to his room and when he sat down he asked, “Are you ready to ask her?”

“I don’t know. How did you know that you loved Ginny enough to want to spend the rest of your life with her?”

“When she saved me during the final battle.”

“What Are you going mental? Ginny wasn’t there.”

“The thought of her saved me. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you someday but right now I need to get some sleep.”

“I don’t think so mate. What were you talking about?”

"Fine, I’ll tell you. During the final battle Voldemort hit me with the cruciatus curse and I thought everything was over. I thought that I was going to die. My memories began to flash before me eyes. I saw things from my sorting to Sirius falling through the Veil. Finally, I saw Ginny jumping into my arms after you won the cup in our sixth year. When I saw the moment that we first kissed, a power surged through me. It took me a little while to figure it out but what did Dumbledore always say that I had that Voldemort didn’t?”

“The ability to love.”

“Exactly. It saved me in the Ministry when Voldemort possessed me and it saved me then too. It was when I finally realized that my love for Ginny saved me that I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Does any of this make sense?”

“A little. So what you are saying is that all I have to do is get into some life threatening situation and wait and see if my love for Hermione will help me live.”

“As always you are way off.”

“I know. I was just having a little bit of fun with you. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Well anyways, goodnight and good luck.”

“Goodnight, Ron.”

Harry woke up the next morning to a house in a rush. Mrs. Weasley was running around making all the final preparations for the day’s ceremonies. Harry got up, got dressed and went outside to talk with Ron and Bill.

“I don’t know how you did it Bill. How could you put up with your mother during the preparations for your wedding?”

“Oh don’t worry about it. She means well.”

The guests soon started to arrive. The scents on this beautiful August day were of delicate flowers and freshly cut grass. Everyone looked happy and excited. When they were all seated, Harry took his place. Ron was standing next to him because he was his best-man. Harry soon saw Hagrid seated on the right on a big log and smiled as the half-giant gave him a thumbs-up. Soon the music started to play and Ginny walked down the aisle with her father.

The wedding went off without a hitch until the ring bearer dropped the rings. No one had a younger son, so they were forced to ask the Patil twin’s younger cousin that Harry had met that day at King’s Cross Station.”

The rest of the ceremony went by smoothly. Then, it was time for Harry and Ginny’s vows. They had decided to write their own.

“For as long as I can remember, I had a mission. A mission to fight evil and prevent wizards and muggle’s from an awful fate. I didn’t choose, it was my destiny. Almost a year ago now, this task was fulfilled and I could, for the first time of my life, choose what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to embark on a new mission and this mission is you, Ginny. I want to make you happy. I want to make you smile everyday, raise a family with you, grow old beside you and hold your hand ‘till your last breath. But more than that, I want, and I will, love you forever. Come what may, you can count on me. I love you, Ginny.”

“Harry, I first saw you at platform 9 ¾ and I loved you. You protected me, saved me, kissed me and I loved you more. We’ve been together, we’ve been apart but I couldn’t help falling for you again and again. It was you from the first day and it will be you ‘till the last. I love you more with every passing moment and I can’t wait to start our life as husband and wife. No matter what, you can be sure that you will always be my one, my only, my Harry.”

When the minister said “You can kiss the bride,” everybody got up to their feet and clapped vigorously. Charlie even whistled a little. Mrs. Weasley was crying and sobbing but looked happier than ever nonetheless. The reception lasted most of the afternoon. Harry spent most of the time on the dance floor with Ginny. She looked beautiful in her white wedding dress.

“Ginny, I have never loved you more than right now.”

“I know,” she said while giving him one of her trademark smiles.

“Do you mind if I cut in?” asked Hermione as she walked up to Harry.

“Not at all,” replied Harry. Ginny nodded in agreement and Hermione and Harry danced for a little while.

“I’m so happy for you, Harry.”

“I’m happy too. Could you do me a big favor?”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“Would you please stop hinting or pushing or whatever you are doing with Ron? I literally ran into him on my way up to me room last night. He was worried because he said you were hinting that you wanted to get married. If that is true that is great but wait until Ron is ready.”

Hermione started to laugh. “Fred and George practically begged me to play that joke on Ron. I love Ron but I’m not ready to marry him yet.”

Harry laughed in return and shook his head. “You might want to let Ron know that.”

“I think that would be best.”

Harry went back to dancing with Ginny. He told her everything that Ron and Hermione had told him and she also laughed. “It sounds exactly like something they would do.”

Finally Harry and Ginny sat down at the table to have a bite to eat. “What in the hell is that?” asked Harry holding up the napkin.

“It looks like a napkin to me,” replied Ginny.

“I know it’s a napkin. I meant, what the hell is this?” he said as he pointed to the pattern on his napkin.

“They’re called ‘flowers’, love. Remember last night? You said you trusted me judgment, so the only one you can blame is yourself.”

Before he could reply, there was a large explosion followed by the sound of laughter. “What the hell is going on here,” said Harry as he walked towards the disturbance, closely followed by Ginny. When Harry came closer, he couldn’t help but laugh. Fred and George were on the ground groaning. They were covered in black soot from head to toe. “What happened?”

Hermione who was trying to help them up said, “They were trying to set off some celebratory fireworks but they misfired.” Everybody laughed again, even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who had finally made their way over.

Harry suddenly remembered what Hermione had told him. He put his hand on Ron’s shoulder and whispered, “Follow me.”

“What is it Harry?” asked Ron once they were a few feet away from everyone gathered around the twins.

“I talked to Hermione when I danced with her. She said that her hinting that her hinting about marriage was just a joke that Fred and George came up with.”

“I know. She told me a few minutes ago. I’m not going to lie, I was very relieved.”

“What are you two doing?” asked Ginny as she walked towards Harry.

They both muttered “Nothing.”

“Well anyway, it is time to open presents.” Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand and led him towards the table with all the gifts on it.

Lupin and Tonks got them their own wizard Wireless. Fred and George bought them matching dragon hide jackets. When Harry looked closer at the jacket he realized something. “Fred, George, is this from a Horntail?”

“Sure as hell is,” replied the twins simultaneously.

Harry and Ginny slowly made their way through the rest of the gifts. The newlyweds opened the one from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley last. It was a large tapestry. “I thought that you two could use a family tree. Just look at the top there,” said Mrs. Weasley. When Harry looked at the top he saw that it had two names connected by two gold lines. The names were Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Above that it said “The most honorable and beloved Potter family.”

This time it was Harry’s turn to give Mrs. Weasley a bone crushing hug. This particular gift was the icing on the cake. Maybe he had no real family before, but this was the proof that from now on, he would have one. After, he shook Mr. Weasley’s hand vigorously and he saw in his father in law’s eyes that he understood how much this present meant to him.

When all the guests left, Harry and Ginny went up to their room and changed. They were packing for their honeymoon when Hermione entered the room.

“I know I’ve probably said it a million times already, but I’m so happy for you two.”

“We know Hermione,” said Ginny while running over to Hermione to give her a hug.

“So, when are you two leaving for your honeymoon?” she asked when Ginny finished hugging her.

“Soon. We’re just going to Godric’s Hollow, so it won’t take long to get there. We’ll be back before you know it. I told Ginny I would take her to see my parents’ grave,” replied Harry

Ginny and Harry were soon gone. They apperated to Godric’s Hollow and dropped their things off at a local Hotel. Harry led Ginny down the now familiar path to the graveyard. He held her hand the whole way there. When they reached his parent’s plot he said, “Here it is.”

Ginny smiled and put her head Harry’s shoulder. They stood there in mutual silence for a few minutes before Harry said something. “Mom, Dad, this is the woman I told you about. This is my wife.”


A/N. I'm sorry to say that this is the last chapter. I'm in the planning stages of another story but haven't decided if I'm going to go forward with that. Please tell me if you want a sequel, because I'm considering that too.