Harry Potter sat in the living room of the Burrow playing a losing game of wizard’s chess with his best mate Ron Weasley. Every game he played with Ron was a losing game, but he needed to work on his ability to strategize and what better way then a game with one of his best friend? Every now and then, as they were playing, Harry would catch a whiff of a scent that would send his head spinning and his senses into overdrive. It was the scent of her; the one girl he ever had - and ever would - love.
He knew that no one understood why he had “ended things” with her and figured they never would. Harry’s perspective on things had changed since the death of Professor Dumbledore. He just couldn’t allow what had happened to him to happen to her, he loved her too much. He was brought out of his reverie by Ron’s hard rap on the top of his head, “Earth to Harry, are you in there mate?”
“What? Oh, yeah, just thinking.”
“You know, you really should just talk to her Harry.”
“I can’t Ron, please just leave it alone! Pawn to E-4.”
“Um, Harry, my last move was a checkmate.”
Harry looked at the board in astonishment. They had only been playing that particular game for about ten minutes. Man, thought Harry, I really need to focus. There’s no way I’ll be able to defeat Voldemort if I can’t even concentrate on a stupid game of chess.
They started setting up the board for another game as Fred and George, Ron’s older twin brothers, came in through the back door.
“Hey there little bro, are you walloping Harry at chess again?” asked George.
“Yeah, you two were sitting in those very same spots last night. You need a bit of a distraction. What say we get Ginny and Hermione, and play a friendly game of Quidditch?” inquired Fred.
“Sounds good to me!” exclaimed Ron.
Harry, however, wasn’t inclined to agree with Ron’s enthusiasm. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, guys.”
“Why not? Afraid I’m a better seeker than you… or do you just think you need to protect me again?”
Harry’s breath caught in his throat. There she was, standing on the bottom landing of the stairwell leading up to the bedrooms. She looked positively livid: her face was flaming, in the infamous Weasley way; and her eyes held a glare that would have made her mother very proud. Harry wasn’t sure how to react to this, because what he had actually been thinking about was the torture it would be for him, being in such close proximity to Ginny.
Trying to decide the best way to handle the situation, Harry finally came up with an idea. “Actually Ginny, I was just feeling a little tired, but if you’re so keen that you can beat me, let’s go.” They headed down to the clearing behind the broom shed and each got their brooms.
“Alright then,” said Ron, “I think Harry should be captain of one team and Ginny can captain the other. I’ll play Keeper for Harry, Hermione you can keep for Ginny. Fred and George, you can be Chasers. Alright everyone, lets play.” And they were off. Fred and George were alright as Chasers, but definitely much better Beaters. The score was tied and they had been playing for quite some time with Harry not spotting the snitch even once. He had never seen Ginny make a move for it, so he figured she hadn’t seen it either. He was flying slowly in a circle, when all of a sudden out of nowhere, someone slammed into him, almost knocking him from his broom. He wheeled around to see his attacker and his eyes met with Ginny’s.
“What the bloody hell was that for?” he screamed.
“Well, I’ve been looking for an excuse to hit you ever since you got here, but I didn’t feel it right just to come off and slug you, so I figured I would get it out in the air. After all Harry,” she said darkly, “Quidditch is a dangerous game.” She smirked as she turned to fly off.
He couldn’t believe she had taken a hit at him, and for no good reason. He was tempted to call a foul, but thought that would only play in to what she wanted. He decided he would just ignore it and get back to looking for the snitch. The sooner I end this game, he thought, the safer I’ll be.
After flying around for another fifteen minutes, he finally saw it. It was floating just above the ground, and not really moving too much to either side. He looked over to see if Ginny had noticed it yet and saw that she hadn’t. He decided to try and go slowly; not let her realize that he had seen it, when all of a sudden she was flying through the air tucked low on her broom. She was gaining a lot of speed, as she raced forward to catch it first. Harry, however, was on a much faster broom and was slightly better at flying then she was. He was now even with her and about to pull ahead, when her arm flew from the handle of her broom, and made contact with his nose. Blood started to flow from it and obstructed his view, but he was determined. He couldn’t let her beat him! He raced forward, reached out his hand and plucked the snitch out of the air just in time. He started to pull out of his dive when he noticed was Ginny having trouble. She was getting closer and closer to the ground and trying, unsuccessfully, to pull herself out of the dive. Harry could see her broom starting to shake and saw the fear in her eyes. She was headed straight for the ground, and fast. Before he had time to even think, Harry raced toward her and put his arm around her waist. He pulled her over to his broom as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Seconds later, her broom crashed to the ground, sending splinters of wood in every direction, but she was safe and she was in his arms, where she belonged.
Harry slowly made his way to the ground, and stood, still holding her close to him. Every one else raced to the ground and ran over the where they stood.
“Ginny, are you alright?”
“What were you thinking, diving like that?”
“Yeah, you know that broom is not meant to pull out of a dive like that.”
Ginny stood there, not responding to any of them, just holding on to Harry, calming herself, getting her breathing under control. Harry just held her, knowing that she needed to be held and feel safe. He knew that he also needed to feel close to her, even if it was only for a short time. He felt her trembling stop and decided that he should end the embrace with Ginny before he lost is resolve, but couldn’t manage to force himself to do it. Hermione spotting the uncomfortable look that had crossed Harry’s face decided to help him out a little.
“Come on Ginny, let’s go upstairs and get cleaned up. A nice shower will make you feel better.” She took Ginny’s hand and led her into the house while the guys put away the brooms and other equipment. Harry had a far away look in his eyes while he put the snitch back in its box. He figured he would stop off in the kitchen and have Mrs. Weasley fix his nose for him before he went upstairs to put his broom back in his trunk in Ron’s room and take a shower. Harry allowed the memory of what had just happened to wash over him like a blanket of warm water. He could still smell her flowery hair, and feel her skin against his neck. It was like they were the only two people in the world, holding and comforting each other. This thought caused Harry’s heart to constrict tightly and a feeling of emptiness to settle in the pit of his stomach. He realized that would probably be the last time in his life he would ever feel that kind of love. He would never love anyone as he loved her.
Ron came into the room and noticed the far off look in Harry’s eyes. He had seen it a lot lately, and he was tired of the awkwardness it caused. It was time for him to speak up, and make Harry see reason! “Harry, would you stop wallowing in self pity and do the right thing. It doesn’t make sense for you not to be together. I know you think you’re protecting her, but you’re not, you’re just breaking her heart. You should have seen her when we got home from Kings Cross. She really needs you Harry, she loves you.”
Harry wondered when Ron had gotten so good at understanding all this “feeling stuff” when Hermione walked in the room. He suddenly realized that Ron and Hermione must have talked about it before he came to stay with them. “So, you guys still haven’t broken the habit of talking about me when I’m not around,” he said with a smirk. It used to anger him when they did that in the past, but now he realized they just cared for him. He knew they were right about how much he loved her, but they had no idea why he was doing what he was doing. He had to protect her. He knew she got angry at the insinuation that she was unable to protect herself, but she just didn’t understand what they were all up against. Voldemort wasn’t a Quidditch opponent, or one of her older brothers picking on her, he was the most vile creature on earth. He wouldn’t think twice about using her to get to him and once he got Harry where he wanted him, he would dispose of her without hesitation. He just couldn’t let that happen to her. “You guys just don’t understand. I can’t allow him to use her against me again. He wouldn’t hesitate to take her and torture her, and then once he got the information he needed, he would just kill her. I can’t let that happen. If we’re not together, he can’t know!”
“But Harry, don’t you think he probably already knows? I mean, Malfoy knew, Snape knew. Don’t you think they would have told him?” Hermione reasoned. “And if he already knows about it, then he will try to use her anyway. If you keep her close to you, then you’ll be better able to protect her.”
Harry had never thought of that possibility before. Everyone had known they were together. Therefore it stood to reason that so, in turn, would Voldemort. There was however, one problem. Harry wasn’t sure now, how to keep her safe. He couldn’t allow her to come with them on their quests, but he didn’t really feel safe about leaving her behind. He would have to find a way that he could contact her at any given moment, assuming of course she would take him back.
His first task was to figure out how to contact her. The idea came to him quite easily actually. He thought of the mirror that Sirius had given him two years ago. He had broken it in his trunk and didn’t know where Sirius had kept his, so the only option was to get completely new mirrors. I wonder if you can buy a set already charmed or if you have to charm them yourself, Harry pondered. “Hey, Hermione, what do you know about charmed communication mirrors? Sirius gave me one back in our fifth year in case I ever needed to talk to him, and I was thinking about getting another set for myself and Ginny.”
“Well, I know that you can get them already charmed in Diagon Alley, but I also know the incantation, so I could easily charm a set for you.” Hermione replied.
“That would be nice, then I could pick something special and have you charm it for me. I think that would make it mean more then just a way for me to keep an eye on her.”
“Yeah, it would also give her a way to check up on you,” noted Ron. “I don’t know if that is such a great idea mate. I mean, what if we’re hiding out somewhere with Death Eaters close by and she decides that’s the time to see how you are doing? Couldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Oh Ronald, I am so proud of you” squealed Hermione. “That is such an astute observation.”
Ron beamed back at her.
“Alright you two,” Harry protested. “That’s quite enough of that. Hermione is there a way you could make them grow warm, like the galleons we used for the DA? That way if she needed me I would know about it, but if it wasn’t a good time, I could give her some sort of signal or something.”
“That’s a great idea Harry. I could also make it so no one but you and Ginny are able to use them, that way if either of you lose them, or are taken somewhere, no one could use them against you.”
“Perfect. Let’s go see if your mom will take us to Diagon Alley today so I can get the mirrors. We can also get any supplies we may need for our trip to Godric’s Hollow.”
Convincing Mrs. Weasley proved to be quite a difficult task. She didn’t feel it would be safe for them to go without a proper guard to protect them. Harry finally convinced her, however, by explaining that he needed to go so he could get a present for Ginny and that he would bring his invisibility cloak along, as well. Later that afternoon, they flooed to the twins’ shop and set out in search of the perfect set of mirrors.
They had checked nearly every shop in Diagon Alley and Harry was beginning to get really flustered. He was about to suggest that they go out into Muggle London and see if they could find anything there when Hermione noticed a shop they hadn’t seen before.
“Effulgence - that’s an interesting name for a shop. I think we should have a look in there.” They followed Hermione up the alleyway in the direction of the new store.
The moment Harry set foot in the shop, he could feel that this would be the place. He was walking around looking at the various objects on the shelves and counters when he noticed a woman stepping out from behind a veiled doorway. She wore robes of such pure gold color that she appeared to be glowing. “Is there anything I can help you with?” she inquired of Harry.
“Well actually I’m looking for a set of mirrors that can be charmed as two way communication mirrors, but I want them to be something special.” Harry replied. “Do you have anything like that here?”
“I have a great deal of special magical artifacts that could be to your liking. Please follow me.”
She led Harry to a table in the far corner of the shop that had many beautiful objects on it. Things you would expect to see in a muggle antique shop, not in a shop on Diagon Alley.
Nothing really seemed to call out to him, but then he saw them; a set of mirrors matching in size and style, yet differing in color and intricacies. One had a soft rose color in the etching around the mirror, the metal intertwining to reveal a delicate pattern reminding him of lace. Interspersed throughout the pattern were delicate emeralds matching the exact color of Harry’s eyes. The other was slightly more ornate with what appeared to be a Celtic tribal pattern encrusted with Orange Mystic Fire Topaz that reminded Harry perfectly of the gorgeous color of Ginny’s hair. He knew immediately that these were the mirrors he wanted.
Back at the Burrow, Harry started working on the details of getting Ginny to forgive him and take him back. It wouldn’t be an easy task, Ginny was a very stubborn witch. He didn’t think she would turn him away, he just knew she would make it very hard on him. It would probably include some begging and pleading, but he was willing and prepared to do whatever it took to make her realize that he loved her and wanted her back in his life. It was also important for her to understand why he did what he did. She had to understand the danger she was in and know how real and pressing that danger was. If after understanding that -she still wanted to be with him - he wouldn’t deny her.
As Harry was figuring out what he would say to her, Hermione set about charming the mirrors for him. It wasn’t a difficult task, especially for her. She excelled in everything she did, and this was no different.
Finally, the week before they decided to go to Godric’s Hollow, Hermione brought him the mirrors and said they were complete and ready to use. Now, he just had to give Ginny hers and make her understand that he wasn’t trying to spy on her, that they were for them to be able to stay in touch while he was gone over the summer and when she went back to school in the fall.
He decided he would set up a nice romantic picnic in the woods by the Burrow and give her the mirrors then. He just had to convince her to go there with him. He stood at the base of the stairs and took a deep breath, building his courage and trying to calm his racing heart. Getting together with her the first time had been so easy, when it finally happened, and he had been stupid enough to let her go. He knew this was going to be very difficult. Steeling himself, he set out on his mission.
He reached her door and found it closed. Shaking the nervousness out of his hands, he reached out and knocked on the door. He heard a chair scrape across the floor behind the closed door and held his breath. He figured if he just knocked she wouldn’t know it was him and be more likely to answer. The knob slowly started to turn and it seemed to take the door forever to finally open.
“I really don’t wish to speak with you right now Harry, I am trying to study. She started to close the door on him but Harry put up his hand to stop her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Ginny, but what I have to say is very important. Would you care to take a walk with me?” he asked politely.
Ginny rolled her eyes and stepped out in to the hallway closing the door behind her.
“Well, lead on.” She said coolly.
Harry led her down the stairs and out the back door. Once outside he grabbed her hand quickly and brought it swiftly to his lips, brushing them lightly against the back of her hand. “Thank you for coming with me. I know you’re angry with me and I understand that I hurt you - I truly am sorry. It’s such a gorgeous day; let’s take a walk in the woods.”
Ginny was stunned into silence by the suddenness of Harry’s actions. She allowed him to place her hand in the crook of his arm and lead her in the direction of the woods without any protest at all.
They walked the woods in silence for a few minutes when Ginny noticed a small clearing in to distance. As they drew closer she saw a blanket laid out on the forest floor with a basket on it, awaiting them.
Harry turned to her holding both of her hands in his and asked, “Would you care to join me for a little afternoon picnic? I think I remembered all of your favorites.”
“I would like that very much Harry, thank you.” Harry took her hand a led her to the blanket.
After eating Harry decided that the best time to give her the mirrors would be after his apology. He stood and offered her his hands to help her up. “Let’s go for a little walk.”
“You know, Ginny, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I never should have let my fear of Voldemort and my pain about Professor Dumbledore cause me to act so rashly. I know that I hurt you and I know the assumption that you couldn’t protect yourself made you angry, but if you could just look at things from my point of view, then maybe you could understand why I did what I did.”
“Harry, I do understand why, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt any less. It still hurts actually. It’s just that I waited so long for you to finally notice me, and when you do, something happens that makes you leave me.”
“I know and I’m really sorry for that. I felt the same way: it’s like I have someone in my life who understands me, what I need, how I feel. It really did kill me to end things with you. I’ve made a terrible mistake and I’m hoping that you won’t hold that against me. Please forgive me Ginny, I know I was wrong! Do you think that you might be willing to give me another chance? I know I probably don’t deserve it, but it would really make me happy if you would.”
Ginny sat down on the low branch of a near-by tree. This was what she wanted, so why wasn’t she jumping for joy, wrapping her arms around the man she loved and snogging him senseless? She thought about it for a few minutes and noticed Harry standing there with a look of intense trepidation on his face. It wasn’t fair of her to make him sit there and wait like that. “I really need to think about this Harry. There is a lot at stake here and I’m not just talking about the war. What if something happens and you decide, yet again, that being with me isn’t a good idea? Are you going to break my heart… again? I just don’t know if I can go through that kind of pain again. But then again, what if something happens to you during the war and I lose you forever? Do I really want to live with the knowledge that I could at least have had some time with you and I turned you away? There’s just so much, and I can’t give you a truthful and fair answer right now. Can I please have a little while alone to think about it?”
Harry was dumbfounded. He thought for sure that she would be overjoyed at the idea. And yet, here she was giving him reasons why she shouldn’t say yes. She was acting like him, listening to her head, instead of her heart. “Sure, Ginny, take all the time you need. One small piece of advice though. Don’t be like me. Don’t let your head talk you into something that your heart can’t live with.”
With that, he left, feeling almost heartbroken. He always knew there was a chance she wouldn’t forgive him, but that wasn’t what she was saying. She was saying that he may have been right to break up with her all along. How could she feel that way?
Ginny sat on that branch for what must have been hours, trying to decide what she should do. Should she listen to her heart, and take the chance that she so desperately wanted to take: to be with Harry… or should she protect her heart, and hope that everything turned out well with the war. She didn’t really think that anything bad would happen to him. He was stronger than anyone realized… anyone but her that is. She had known from her first year, that Harry Potter, the-boy-who-sodding-lived-and-broke-my-ruddy-heart, would defeat that bastard Voldemort and come back to her. The only problem with that was she didn’t know how long that would be. It could take years of waiting and she didn’t know if she could do that. Who wants to wait years for someone, putting their life and dreams on hold in the hopes that the future will bring what she wants and that she will want what the future brings? Was it worth the risk? She knew that she loved him and that she wanted to be with him. So, why didn’t it seem like that was enough? She had been waiting for him to come into her life for years, and when he finally had, he broke her heart. Now he was trying to mend it. Maybe that’s why it was so hard. She was still in pain and it would probably take time for her heart to fully heal, but she knew it would, eventually, and what better way to mend the heart than to have the one who broke it fix it for her. Well I guess it’s all settled then, the only thing I have to do know is tell Harry, she thought.
She found him sitting in the clearing where they had had their picnic. She walked up to him and sat down, wondering where to start.
“Have you been waiting for me all this time?” she asked.
“Yes and no. I came back here to gather everything together and take it back up to the house, but it was so quiet and peaceful, I thought I would enjoy it for a while. So, do you need more time? I’ll wait as long as I have to, Ginny. You need to do what you feel is right.” I just hope what’s right is being with me, he thought.
“No, I don’t need anymore time. I’ve made my decision. I do want to be with you Harry. That’s all I’ve wanted for so long now… but, I need you to be patient with me. The things you said make sense, but that doesn’t make them hurt any less. I love you Harry. I know it may seem too soon for me to feel that way, but I do. I have loved you for so long. I don’t expect you to love me back yet, but I hope that in time, you will. I forgive you Harry.”
Harry was quiet for the longest time. He had hoped she would say yes, but was secretly afraid that she wouldn’t. Now that she had, he didn’t know where to go from there.
Then he remembered the mirrors Hermione had charmed for him.
“Ginny, I have something for you. I got these in Diagon Alley. They are charmed. I know that one of your concerns is that I might get hurt while we are out there, but with these you can talk to me and see me at anytime. They’re charmed so that only we can use them, that way you’ll know for sure it’s me, and so no one else can use yours to find where we are. It’s just a way for us to be together, even when we’re not. Do you like it?”
Ginny looked down at the two small mirrors in his hands, and felt the warm sting of tears welling in her eyes. He had gone through a lot of trouble to get those so that she would be able to be with him, always. It meant more to her then words could express. She just didn’t know what to say, so she let her actions speak for her.
Suddenly Harry felt the soft skin of her hand brush lightly against his cheek, and his skin seemed to tingle with anticipation. He looked up into her honey-like eyes and saw the love she felt for him flickering in their depths. She leaned forward and sealed that love with a kiss. Her lips were delicate and soft, like silk. His feelings for her surged up from deep inside him and took over every rational thought he had. They made love for the first time, right there on the blanket in their clearing. They both knew that their lives would be one, forever.