Disclaimer: I own nothing in this universe aside from the setting on this and the plot. Please don't sue. I'm poor.

The Burrow still felt like home and Ginny was pretty sure it would never lose that feeling no matter how old and "grown-up" she got. Everything from the perpetual cluttered feeling to the ever-present aroma of something baking brought a rush of memories and it was all too easy to slip right back into her place in the cozy home. Even her room was nearly exactly how she left it, minus the essentials like clothing and her Weird Sisters and Harpies posters. And though she still couldn't stand the wailing of Celestina Warbeck, at least it was familiar wailing and that's all she could really ask for.

"Ow, Mother of Merlin…" Ginny grumbled, rubbing her sore arms and ribs. That had not been her best idea ever, but she was still nervous for apparating and she wasn't allowed to fly, so really, how else was she supposed to get around? "Mum! I'm here." She announced as she brushed herself off from the fireplace. Floo, while infinitely faster and vaguely more comfortable than apparating was still messy as ever. She gave a quick survey of the living room and when she didn't see anyone, headed for the kitchen, where she was sure to find her mother.

"Ginny, you really oughtn't have come in your condition. I'd have been happy to come by your flat." Molly said, meeting her halfway. She was barely able to mask her joy that her daughter had come to visit. She gave Ginny a much gentler hug than usual as she didn't want to hurt her and Ginny smiled.

"If you'd come by the flat you'd have just been cleaning it the whole time and that wouldn't have made you happy." The younger woman pointed out as she gave her mum an extra little squeeze.

"Where's Harry then? He didn't come with you?" Molly asked innocently trying to change the subject.

"He had other things going on. I told him I was going to be here til the weekend, that's alright yeah?" Ginny asked, taking a seat, wincing at the soreness that was still lingering in her muscles.

"Of course, dear. Why wouldn't it be? Your room is still there and all." Molly said, taking the seat opposite her daughter and flicking her wand to start the kettle. "You know, if you wanted to move back in…" Molly started, but at the look that Ginny gave her she hastily added. "Just til you're back on your feet and all. Or until next season? Though why you agreed to get back up in the air…"

"Mum…" Ginny sighed, shaking her head. "It'll be fine, I promise. Besides, if I move back in, then I run the risk of losing my flat and it's so perfect and all. I'll be able to visit a bit more though, now that I'm not working for a few months." She probably oughtn't have said that, but it would satiate her mum for now.

"I still don't think it was a good idea, signing that contract. You could've done a season of reserves again, if you were that desperate to get back on a broom. I still say—"

"I know what you say, Mum." Ginny cut her off with a sigh, but she was smiling vaguely at her mother's inability to pass up an opportunity to worry about her safety. "And believe me, if I thought I wouldn't be able to handle being on a broom again in August, I'd have told Gwen as much. But it's what I love. It's what I'm good at. I was born to be on a broom, playing Quidditch. I know it makes you nervous and I know that I went and got myself hurt and that didn't help you worrying, but it's been a week since I've been on a broom and it's killing me inside." She tried to explain. "This is all I ever wanted to do in my life."

"If it's making you happy, then I guess I can't say anything that is going to stop you. I just wish you'd have picked something a little less terrifying for me." Molly sighed.

"I know. Sorry about that." Ginny teased with a smile.

"No you're not." Molly smiled. "You're going to help me with dinner to make up for it. But, first I have to tell you about the honor your father got from Kingsley." Molly was practically glowing by the last bit.

"What? Why didn't you say something sooner? Mum!" Ginny laughed, sitting up a bit straighter in her seat.

"We were talking about you and your Quidditch love and I didn't want to jump right into when you first got here." Molly explained.

"Well out with it then! What great honor?" Ginny prodded, inching to the edge of her seat.

"Kingsley is holding a Charity Ball where he is going to award exemplary members from each department. Your father was chosen from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department and will be awarded at the function!" Molly explained, practically bursting at the thought. "It's about time we had a minister who recognized how hard your father works!"

"Oh, Mum that is fantastic! Absolutely brilliant! When did you find out?" Ginny asked, broadly smiling. She knew that it was always a struggle for her father at the Ministry, and she was glad someone was giving him some recognition. Her mother was right. It was long overdue.

"Just the other day. In any case, the whole family is encouraged to attend. It'll be at the beginning of March so now that you haven't got Quidditch commitments, you have no excuse." Molly said, getting up from the table to grab the kettle for tea.

"Mum, not that I'm not proud of Dad, but—"

"If you're proud and you haven't got a match that day, then there is no reason for you not to be there. And make sure you have a dress. You're not wearing your everyday robes to this. I can take you shopping if you'd like." Molly said, refusing to hear any arguments about it.

"Mum, I haven't got a dr—"

"Good. Shopping trip then. We can go tomorrow to get it all sorted, this way you'll not have to worry about it so much. And tell Harry that he ought to get his dress robes all settled for it." Molly said off-handedly.

"Harry? What's he got to do wi—"

"He is a part of this family too. He ought to be there." Molly said, putting a lid on it. "Now, let's get dinner started, yeah?"

Ginny sat there stunned. It was remarkable how Molly managed this every bloody time. She could only hope that the ability to guilt and manipulate children was hereditary and that when that time came for her, her own children would be just as helpless. "What am I in charge of then?" She asked, with a hint of resignation in her voice.

"Potatoes! Peel and clean and then boil and mash. I'm going to dress the roast and we can do the beans together if we're both done." Molly instructed, flicking her wand to summon the sack of potatoes she meant for Ginny to peel and landing on the table.

"Potatoes. Got it." Ginny said, grateful that it was something she could do sitting down because her back was aching a bit worse than usual today.

The pair worked in quiet chatter for a while, not talking of anything important before letting the quiet settle over them, working to the warbling of Celestina Warbeck.

"So what happened between you and Harry that you're hiding out here with me?" Molly asked suddenly, as she flicked her wand towards the roasting pan on the stove, causing it to fit itself into the oven.

Ginny, was in the middle of conducting a potato peeling orchestra while the skins did a lovely soft-shoe number on the table. "What do you mean? Nothing happened. Can't a girl spend some time with her mum without something having happened?" She added, avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Ginny, was I born this morning? You hardly ever come over here anymore of your own accord and you've been peeling potatoes for over twenty-five minutes. I think I know you well enough to know when something happened." Molly said, sitting down beside her daughter. "Stop playing with the food."

"But we're just getting to the big finish!" She whined, but after a sharp look from her mother, she directed the peels into the rubbish bin and the potatoes into the pot. With a sigh, she rested her head in her hands, leaning on the table. "Nothing happened. Harry's been staying over at my flat taking care of me because I can't even act like a grown adult and I thought it was about time he took a break. And seeing as you like it when I visit, I figured it was a brilliant plan." Alright, so that was mostly true. She was only leaving out the fact that she'd snogged him something good and proper at the clubhouse and wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it all seeing as she was supposed to be making him make up for the fact that he'd been gone for so bloody long. Snogging his face off was definitely not part of the plan. Or rather, she'd skipped some steps in the inbetween. Of course, sneaking out on Harry to pop over to Hermione and Teddy's and then run to the Burrow without properly talking about it, probably wasn't the best way to cover those inbetween steps.

"Mmmhmm. So this has absolutely nothing to do with you and Harry, then?" Molly asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"It has to do with Harry needing a break from keeping me from hurting myself." Ginny said, silently adding in her own need for a break from Harry until she had this all sorted in her mind.

"So I ought to just forget about the owl I got from Harry asking what he did wrong that you weren't at your flat and only left a hastily scrawled note that you were going to be here til the weekend?" Molly asked, holding up the piece of parchment with Harry's handwriting on it.

"That boy is paranoid." Ginny said, looking back down and grabbing another potato to peel.

"Well I can hardly fault him for that! The way you've been treating him." Molly said, taking the potato away from her daughter and setting on the table. "Now, what is this really about and don't tell me it isn't about anything because I'm tired, the others will be over soon enough for dinner and it's a lie anyhow."

"Who else is coming for dinner?" Ginny asked, her selective hearing working wonders as it usually did.

"Ginevra!" Her mother warned. "Answer my question."

Ginny sighed in defeat and ran a hand through her messy waves. "It's just that…I mean he's here now. He's always asking if I'm alright and he stayed that whole time at Mungo's and he's just…He's everywhere and he's sweet and he's caring and he's exactly who I remember him being."

"And that's a problem because you've spent the last two years making him out to be an awful wretch of a person for disappearing on you and it's not fair of him to screw that image up." Molly finished, understanding a bit more.

"But it's more than that." Ginny explained, shaking her head. "I mean, fine, he's not awful and terrible like I wanted him to be because I was feeling all awful and terrible and needed some sort of explanation for what was going through his mind and it had to have been that he just didn't love me and he didn't know how or was too scared to tell me to my face. But now he's here and I'm starting to understand that the why of it and it wasn't nearly as awful or as selfish as I had made myself believe it was, though I still think he ought to have at least told someone he was going or sent a letter back or…" She sighed, determined not to dwell on that aspect of it.

"So he's here and he's explained and isn't that what you wanted?" Molly asked, resting a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder and rubbing it lightly.

"Yes? No? I don't know. I mean, I guess it was what I wanted at first. But then I moved on and did so much to get past all of it and you remember those awful blokes I brought over and it was just…" Ginny sighed again and shook her head. "It was hard and this just seems so…easy. Too easy."

"Ginny, I still don't understand the problem. You're through with the awful blokes and Harry is back and the two of you get to have what you always thought you were going to have." Molly tried to reason. She didn't know why Ginny wasn't letting herself be happy.

"What if he leaves? What if he decides he's been gone and thinking about everything and had built me up in his mind and when he got back he was wrong and I'm not what he wants after all and that coming back was this huge mistake and now he's stuck taking care of me because I can't do things on my own because I got hurt and he just up and leaves me and then I'm right back where I was before he ever came back and only this time it's worse because I got my hopes all up again and—"

Molly started laughing and shaking her head. "Ginevra Molly Weasley what have you done to yourself?" The older woman laughed. "What happened to the confident little girl I knew?"

"She got hurt by a bloke who said he'd be there and then he wasn't." Ginny answered embarrassed that she'd even said anything to begin with.

"You're so quick to get back on a broom after falling off in the middle of match and nearly getting yourself killed, but you're afraid of being with Harry even though you know he's a decent bloke who cares very much about you and wants nothing else except for you to forgive him for a mistake he made?" Molly asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well when you say it like that…" Ginny grumbled, hiding her face in the crook of her elbows on the table.

"How else would you like me to say it dear? That's exactly what it is." Her mother laughed and laid a gentle and reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I don't see how getting back on that blasted broom is any different than getting back together with Harry."

"But you don't want me to get back on that blasted broom." Ginny pointed out lifting her head up just enough to catch her mother's gaze.

"I didn't say that. I said I wanted you to know the risks; which you assured me you do. And if you didn't know the risks about getting back with Harry, you wouldn't be so conflicted about it all, so I'm not worried there either." Molly clarified.

Ginny couldn't wait until she was a Mum and she was always right too. This was getting a bit bothersome. "So you think I ought to tell Harry I'd like to try being together again?"

"I think you ought to give him a fighting chance. The poor dear doesn't know where he stands and you running off here doesn't do anything to help him out." She brushed her hand over her daughter's hair and smiled. "That's why I invited him for dinner tonight. So you pair could have a proper talk and all." With that, Molly stood up and walked over to the stove to grab the pot for the potatoes so she could start them to boil.

"You invited him for dinner?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Mum!"

"Oh hush. It's been ages since he's been over for a meal and he looked peaky the last time I saw him. Besides, your father and your brothers will want to see him as well. Don't be selfish." Molly had an innate ability to get her way in the Burrow. Ginny was not pleased, but that didn't stop her mother from humming along cheerily to the wireless.

"I expect you have our wedding half planned as well?" Ginny muttered to herself as she flicked her wand to set to work on the green beans.

"What was that dear?" Molly asked, feigning innocence.

"Nothing, Mum." Ginny sighed. There really was no use fighting it, really. Molly was going to have her way, and what made it all the worse was that Ginny knew her mother was right. She just didn't like to admit to being wrong. And she was scared. So much for the brave Gryffindor.

Before too long, dinner was ready, Charlie, Fred, Ange, George, Ron and Harry had all arrived. Nora was meant to come with Charlie, but one of the twins was sick and so she'd stayed at home to take care of her. Ginny, of course ended up sitting next to Harry who kept giving her unsure glances all throughout the meal.

They talked about Ginny's new contract with the Harpies, which everyone was quite pleased about, except Molly who simply gave a tight lipped smile and didn't say much on the topic. They talked about Harry's meeting with Kingsley later that week to get into the Auror Academy which again everyone was quite pleased about. They talked about Arthur's upcoming honorary dinner and Harry managed to get himself dragged into saying yes to going. They talked about Fred and Ange's upcoming wedding and how Charlie and Nora ought to just get hitched already. Charlie was a little bit less than pleased with that turn of the conversation and quickly changed the subject to something a bit more mundane.

When supper was ended, Ginny was not very surprised at all to find herself washing dishes. She was less surprised when Harry moseyed in looking vaguely confused. He must've just talked to Molly.

"Er…D'you need any help?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sure. Have you kept up on your drying skills?" She asked tossing him a dish towel, giving him a small smile.

"Might not be up to your standards, but I can give it a shot." He said moving closer.

The pair worked in a kind of strained silence. Ginny kept trying to catch his eye but she kept missing his glances. Sighing she finally turned to him and dropped the dish she was holding into the sudsy water.

"I wasn't mad at you when I left this morning." She said after a moment.

"What?" Harry asked, pulled from his own thoughts when the silence was broken. He looked over at her.

"This morning. My note that I was staying at the Burrow til the weekend. It…I wasn't…It wasn't you." Well, not entirely anyhow.

"Oh." He said a bit lamely, now avoiding her gaze. "Your mum told you about…I didn't mean to…I just…I was worried that I'd…" He was sort of rambling and eventually was able to catch himself. "Sorry."

"No. I shouldn't have…" Oh this conversation was going brilliantly. Really. She let out a heavy sigh and cursed under her breath. "Look, I'm sorry for the flee, but I just needed to…think about what happened and figured that I ought to do that when I wasn't…" She trailed off, giving a vague sort of gesture with her soapy hands. Okay, so she wasn't great with the words part of this talking thing.

"I get it." Harry said softly chancing a glance over to her. "It's alright. But we're…You're not…We're alright?"

Ginny nodded and swallowed hard. "We're alright." She paused a moment and took a deep breath.

"But there's something else." Harry said watching her carefully. He might not have been there for a while, but he still figured he knew here pretty well. He might not be able to tell what it was, but he knew there was something still on her mind. He couldn't help but feeling anxious about it.

"It's the huge pink hippogriff in the room, Harry." She half laughed. "It's what I've been unable to stop thinking about but not wanting to bring up because I am starting to understand and I'm not angry about it and it's water under the bridge or something, but…" She let out another sigh and looked over at him. "If you leave again—"

"I'm not leaving." Harry interrupted his voice firm. "Ginny, I'm not. I swear it. I was stupid and impulsive and didn't know how to handle everything…anything and I'm not that person anymore." He reached over and grabbed her still vaguely soapy hand. "I'd like to think I've gotten a bit more sense about me this time around."

Ginny searched his eyes a bit helplessly for a moment. "I'd like to think that I've got a bit more sense about me too, and it's telling me that I oughtn't…" She pulled her hands away from his and rested them on the edge of the sink. "That I should've learned my lesson and keep myself from getting hurt."

"I didn't mean to hurt you—"

"But you did. Harry, I was a mess and I…I can't go back to that place." She bit her lower lip and looked down at the sink. But he put a hand on her shoulder turning her to face him.

"Ginny, it kills me that I hurt you but I'm not going anywhere. Not again. I…I love you. I always have. I never stopped. Not even for a second. And I'm not giving you up again." He paused and smiled at her. Before her could open his mouth to say anything else, she was leaning up and kissing him. His arm snaked around her waist to hold her close. He wasn't letting her go. Not again.

A/N: So I'm pretty sure this is the last chapter. Please let me know what you think and thanks so much for reading! Sorry about the long delays between the last few chapters. Life sort of got in my way. :)