Harry quietly slipped his cloak into his scuffed and singed backpack. If Ron and Hermione wanted to stay behind, fine. He couldn’t blame them. In the four years since Dumbledore’s death, they had helped him find and destroy all of the remaining Horcruxes. Well, all save one. Nagini was still out there somewhere, and Harry couldn’t stop until both Nagini and Voldemort were blasted into oblivion. Hermione fairly demanded that they stop for awhile to regroup and rest, as four years of barely sleeping had taken their toll. However, the home they returned to for safety and shelter was not the home they remembered. The Burrow was destroyed not long after Harry, Ron, and Hermione left, leaving the Weasley’s homeless. Mrs. Longbottom had graciously taken them in for a time, but eventually they all scattered and went their separate ways. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley now resided at Grimmauld Place, with Harry’s permission, of course. It was with Neville and his grandmother that the three sought solace now, and hiding in a reinforced basement somewhat resembling a bomb shelter from a Muggle war was the life they returned to for the time being.
Harry was surprised to learn that Ginny still resided with the Longbottoms, and if he was perfectly honest, he would admit how fantastic it was to be near her again. If there were three looks on her face that he would never forget, it would be the blazing look she gave him in the Griffindor common room four years ago, the determined stare she wore when he was trying to break up with her, and the look of rueful amusement she displayed when he showed up at the Longbottoms’ three days ago. It was as if she knew he was coming and expected to see him. But she surprised him. He never would have come had he known she was here. Even now, he found her mere presence intoxicating. He had to leave now, or he knew he would risk everything to win her back. And no matter how happy that may make him, it would put her in unthinkable danger. He had to leave.
Ron and Hermione were another story entirely. Harry would happily take them with him if they weren’t so exhausted. Ron and Ginny were finally together again, and Harry wouldn’t ruin it for them. They would be angry with him, but eventually they would understand. And Ginny, well…Harry wasn’t quite sure what the arrangement between Ginny and Neville was. He could understand their being together, but certainly hoped that they weren’t. However, it wasn’t his place to dwell on Ginny’s affairs anymore. If she had moved on, good for her. Harry would pretend that he couldn’t feel his heart breaking at the thought, and do the job he had to do. He quickly slipped another jumper into the bag, quietly zipped it closed, and quite completely quelled any misgivings he had about leaving in the middle of the night without a word to anyone.
Harry turned for the stairs and found himself face to face with Ginny herself. His mouth opened to speak, but he was at a loss for words. The last four years had tuned his senses so acutely that he could tell when an animal glanced his way, but Ginny had been standing there for who knows how long and…and…Harry had to catch himself before he fell into those beautiful brown eyes once more. This was yet another look from her that he would never forget; a mixture of disappointment and understanding all at the same time.
“You’re being selfish,” she whispered.
“I’m letting them rest. They’ve done enough,” he replied.
“Do you really think that we all wouldn’t go with you if we could? If you’d let us?”
He regarded her face carefully, so as not to say something that would upset her, but also to memorize her features in case this was the last he ever saw of her.
“Harry, you do realize that Ron and Hermione follow you because they choose to, because they would not be parted from you in any situation, good or bad. Honestly, for someone so intelligent, you really can be quite daft sometimes.”
“They’ve done enough,” he whispered again.
She sighed. “You don’t want them to see, is that it? When it comes down to the final battle, and you destroy Voldemort “ which you will “ you don’t want them there to witness what he might do to you.”
Harry gaped, amazed that Ginny was able to just see one of his biggest fears, one that he hadn’t been able to voice, and just put it into words like that. Without answering he moved to pass her. She quickly jumped in his way again, bringing the two of them closer than he would have allowed. He swallowed hard, fighting down emotions he had been working so hard to suppress the last few days.
“Ginny,” he began, “if this world were different, you know that…that…”
“I know,” she whispered.
He nodded. “When this is all over…” he paused, not sure how to finish.
“I waited for you once, Harry.”
He exhaled, knowing now that she and Neville must be together, and his showing up had thrown a great big monkey wrench into the whole thing. He would apologize to Neville for existing, if that wouldn’t have laid the prophecy directly into Neville’s lap.
“It shouldn’t be too difficult to do it again.”
Looking up into her eyes, which were shining as brightly as the day she first kissed him, Harry’s heart soared. He felt his purpose renewed, and with one last, long look at Ginny, he went to move past her. This time, she did not stand in his way.
“Until tomorrow, then, Harry James. I’ll be waiting.”
As the door shut behind him, Ginny slowly sank down onto the step she was standing on, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. She reached into the pocket of her dressing down and pulled out the delicate ring Neville had given her just a week ago. She had yet to answer his question.
“You told him what he needed to hear.”
Ginny’s eyes snapped up to the woman standing before her.
“Hermione,” she said quickly wiping her face on her sleeves, “I didn’t think you were awake.”
She sighed. “I heard Harry packing. He thinks he needs to do this alone, but I just can’t leave him out there. The things we’ve faced…” Her voice trailed off and she stared into the distance.
Ginny couldn’t quite imagine what Hermione was thinking of, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to. While she had quietly envied Hermione’s position in their little threesome while at Hogwarts, outside of the castle walls Ginny knew that her place was not with her brother and Harry. “Do you think I did the right thing? Telling him that, then letting him go?”
Hermione sat down on the step next to Ginny. “Honestly? If it gives him the push he needs to finish this, then yes. He’s ready to face Voldemort. We were all just exhausted. I was afraid to move forward. That’s partially why I wanted to stop and rest here, where it was safe, if only for a few days. I was also hoping that you were still here. Harry had developed a bit of a fatalistic view these last few months. He honestly didn’t believe that he would survive meeting Voldemort again. I thought that if he saw you, he might regain hope.”
Ginny nodded. “I hope your plan worked. Now he’s out there all alone.”
Hermione stood up. “I’ll be heading back to bed for a few hours, then I’ll wake Ron and we’ll go after Harry.” She hesitated, then continued. “You should talk to Neville.”
Ginny nodded again. “In the morning. Please, come say goodbye before you leave. Both of you. I’m not sure you realize how hard it was last time, with the three of you running off and disappearing into the night.”
Hermione nodded, then turned and retreated back into the darkness, leaving Ginny alone on the steps again. After a few minutes, the chill seeped under her skin and forced her to climb the stairs and reenter the passageway leading to the main house. Once back inside, Ginny silently made her way back to the cozy bedroom she had called her own these last few years. It was much larger than the one she grew up in, and she had grown quite fond of it. Nothing would replace the Burrow, but she could always think of this room with fondness. After closing her door securely behind her, she glanced at the bed and considered crawling inside for a few hours sleep. Instead, she crossed the room to her closet and pulled down a large black bag. She quickly started to organize her belongings inside. Although she had lived with the Longbottoms for a few years, she had not managed to accumulate very many possessions. Everything she owned neatly fit into the bag in front of her. Once that task was done, she crawled into bed and attempted to catch at least an hour or two of sleep.
Sleep would not come for her, however, and when the first beams of sunlight warmed her bed, she threw back her covers, and jumped out. She quickly changed, then ran to the bathroom and brushed her teeth before going to find Neville.
As she came downstairs she could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Stopping before her feet could be seen, she strained to catch their conversation.
“We all knew he’d do it soon, Neville. And we have to go after him, we just have to. Please understand,” Hermione pleaded.
“Yeah mate. We won’t let him go off on his own for this. We’ve been through too much to give up on him now.”
Neville was still upset. “I don’t understand why he didn’t say anything to anyone though. Are you sure he wasn’t taken in the night? How can you be so sure he’s alright?”
Hermione sighed. “Neville, this house is so well protected even your grandmother can’t get in or out without passing through a number of verifications and charms. Harry wasn’t taken. He just still seems to think he has to finish this on his own.”
Ginny took a deep breath and finished descending the stairs. “Neville? Could I talk to you for a minute?”
Neville turned around to look at her, and the moment their eyes met, the defeat was apparent in his eyes. Nevertheless, he agreed.
“We’ll just be over here, Gin. We’re going to be leaving soon though.”
“Okay, Ron, I’ll be over.” She looked into Neville’s eyes and something in her snapped. She loved Neville. He had been so wonderful these past few years. He had taken her family in when they had nowhere else to go. He had been so endlessly patient and kind and gentle with her battered heart. She really truly loved him.
“Did you see Harry before he left?” Neville asked tentatively, breaking her out of her reverie.
Ginny blinked at the blunt mention of Harry. “I…yes. I did.”
He nodded. “Are you leaving as well?”
Ginny searched his eyes. He already knew everything that she had wanted to say. Yes, she loved Neville, but it was not the same. It had never been the same. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring he had given her, but she had never worn. She placed the ring gently in his hand and closed his fingers around it, then released him.
“I gave my heart away a long time ago, Neville. I’m afraid that I never really ever got it back.”
Neville looked down at his hand, still closed, clutching the ring.
“Are you leaving as well?” he asked again. Ginny nodded her response. “Do tell Harry to take care. And if you need anything, any of you…well all you have to do is say the word.”
Ginny offered a slight smile. “That’s very kind of you, thank you.”
Neville looked her straight in the eye. “You all are the best friends a man could have ever asked for. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for any of you. Tell Hermione that I still have my coin. All I would need is a time and a place.”
Ginny nodded, then turned to leave. After a few steps, she turned back. “Goodbye, Neville. And thank you, for everything.” With that, she was gone.
Neville looked down at his hand again and slowly opened it. Inside was the engagement ring that his father had given his mother all those years ago. It was odd feeling, looking at the ring. He loved Ginny, and had fully intended to marry her and take care of her for the rest of her life. But deep down, he knew that Ginny was not someone who needed to be taken care of. He had always known this day was coming, and when Harry, Ron, and Hermione came knocking on his door, he knew that the day had come. So it was with a strange sense of peace that he placed the ring in his pocket and climbed the stairs to the second floor of his home to put the ring back in its safe hiding spot; a wand-sealed box under a wand-sealed floorboard.
After he carefully placed the ring inside the box, he gently poked around the other contents until he found a fairly battered galleon. He smiled at the discovery and pulled the coin out of the box. He flipped it, then shoved it deep into his left trouser pocket. He reassembled the box and floorboard, making sure all the correct seals and protections were in place, then returned to the kitchen downstairs. Just as he had started to fill the kettle for tea, his pocket began to grow warm.
Until Tomorrow by rard
Chapter Notes: Thank you Jo for giving me such wonderful characters to work with. They keep me distracted in class all day long! ;-)