A/N: Be nice, please R&R

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing (except the fact I only have one exam tomorrow morning and then I'm done!)

This is my first fic that actually doesn't have humour in it and plus my first with Harry and Ginny. So please read and be very nice when reviewing (which you should all do).

I wasn't sure on the rating, hope it's all right

The oneshot:

Scars

The weather was slowly getting warmer and the nights longer as Harry lay on his side under the duvet. Not quiet asleep. Listening to the sounds of the castle. The bed creaked slowly and surely as he moved even slightly. It was good to be back in his bed again. It felt welcoming. It was an alien feeling to someone who was always expecting a fight or an attack. To just be allowed to lie in bed.

It had been 3 days since the battle and Harry still woke up ready to move on, alert to everything. He supposed that feeling would take a while to go.

Even in his almost sleeping state he caught the door opening and closing. Then nothing only Ron's snore and Hermione's breathing. They had been together for so long now it seemed difficult for any of them to be away from the others. This, Harry thought would pass as everyone slowly recovered.

He could hear light footsteps walking towards his bed then stopping. The curtains were only drawn slightly but they were pushed wider apart reveling to Harry a shadow standing in the gap.

He grasped around hastily for his glasses and his wand. Shoving his glasses on, he could see well enough to make out the obvious shape of Ginny even in the dark.

He sighed in relief and placed his wand back 'Ginny what are you doing here?' he asked dazed. He was still unsure what his relationship with her was. After the battle and sleep. Harry had let her shout at him with tears in her eyes and had held her after she collapsed into his arms. She had cried more in these past 3 days than Harry had ever known her to.

But here she was in the middle of the night. She didn't reply directly instead she asked 'can I?'

Even though he couldn't see, he guessed what she was asking and never being able to deny her anything he said, 'sure' and began to move over

Before he had even moved a few inches Ginny had crawled onto the bed, over his legs and was hovering on his other side.

'Umm, Gin…' Harry began not sure what he was going to say

'Sorry,' she said meaning it 'I have a side' and slipped under the covers. Harry unconsciously smiled at this. Somehow he thought that information would come in handy one day. He went to pull the duvet back up when Ginny's voice stopped him, 'what's that?'

He looked down and saw that the light from the opening in the curtains had hit his chest at such an angle as to make the circle scar from the Horcrux on his heart visible to Ginny.

'It's nothing' Harry told her, still reaching for the end of the duvet

'That's not nothing' she said and to the shock of her and Harry she leant forward and gently placed her finger tips on it.

If the sudden feeling of Ginny's fingers on his chest was a surprise to Harry it was a bigger one to Ginny.

She had found herself making her way to Harry's old dorm without thinking and here she was touching a scar over his heart. She lightly ran her finger around it.

'It's nothing' Harry repeated relishing in the feeling to her cold fingers.

'Harry.' Ginny said not taking her eyes of the horcrux scar

He sighed 'just from the necklace' he explained. After their fight Ginny had insisted he tell her everything which he did.

'You didn't mention it had scarred you' she told him

Harry shrugged. He had no reply to that. It was his way of protecting her. She had moved her hands now to trace over the other lines on his chest. Some old ones, others only days old. He couldn't help but close his eyes basking in the feeling of her cold hands on his warm torso.

Without really thinking about it, he slumped back down. So he was lying down looking up at Ginny. Who was still tracing the lines. He hesitantly lifted his arm and placed it on her hip. She looked at him. Then shuffled down and laid down next to him, with her head resting lightly on his chest. Harry smiled at this and subconsciously moved his arm so it was hugged around her, while she traced his hot chest.

They stayed like that for a moment until Ginny returned to tracing her figure tips over the scar above his heart without saying anything. Tracing the shape over and over again.

'It'll fade.' Harry said quietly.

She didn't reply but stopped tracing it. Keeping her fingers over it. Then letting her whole hand cover it.

She slowly moved her hand, leaving Harry wanting her contact again. Her finger gently played over the faded scar on his forearm, 'Nagini right?' She asked

Harry could help but smile at the knowledge that she had remembered what he told her, 'yeah' he whispered back

She just continued to trace it over and over again as harry leant down and lightly kissed the top of her head. It felt good to be close to her again, to hold her again.

They just lay there for a while not saying anything. Ginny occasionally running her fingers over his scars.

After a long time of just silence. Ginny spoke quietly,

'You love me right?' Ginny asked hesitantly not looking at him

Harry just smiled down at her then lifted up his left hand, so it was lying on his chest next to her cheek. Ginny ran her fingers over the words as she frowned slightly at the sentence.

'I would die for you Gin.' Harry said with conviction. Ginny lifted her head from his chest swiftly and stared at him, 'Don't say that.'

Confusion was evident on Harry's face, 'what why not? It's the truth Gin. I would...' Ginny's hand covered his mouth.

'Don't.' she said taking her hand away, 'You've already done that once, this time I got you back if you do it again I won't survive.' She explained dropping her head back to his chest and hugging him even tighter.

Harry couldn't help but smile at that. Even though he knew how much pain he put her though and how it torn him apart to do it to her. It was comforting to know Gin would never allow him to do it again.

She was back to tracing his chest, she left the scars alone and started to trace the lightly defined muscles on his chest. He watched her in silence of a while, smiling in pleasant surprise when she lightly pressed her lips against one of the scars. It was then as the light hit her shoulder that Harry noticed a line on her shoulder that disappeared beneath her top. He frowned slightly, for a moment her thought that it must be an old scar but as she raised her head slightly and it caught the light again. It was new. Harry's heart rate got faster all of a sudden, he knew she had been involved and she got hurt. But there was actual proof, a scar on her body.

He moved slightly from beneath her causing her to look at him in surprise. He kept his arm around her but maneuvered her so she was sitting up next to him.

Ginny moved her head to look back at him with a face of puzzlement. Harry knelt behind her and with slight trepidation laid his hand over the scar on her right shoulder. Ginny turned her head to look down at his hand, opening her mouth to speak Harry got there before her, 'What is it?'

Ginny in an attempt to brush over it, shrugged 'Its only a scar, Harry' Harry shock his head, though she couldn't see it and hesitantly ran his hand down the line until he hit the top of her vest. 'Its not' he said running his hand back up, 'it's new'

Ginny couldn't help but sigh slightly in comfort. He may be asking her about the scars and they both might be recovering. But it was comforting to feel Harry's warm calloused hands running over the top of her shoulder blade, 'it doesn't matter' she tried to reason 'its only a tiny scar, it'll fade.'

The thought of Ginny forever having a reminder on her, filled Harry with an odd sense of anger. He wanted to wrap her up and shield her from the world. He thought that she would be safer away from him. But here she was, scarred.

Ginny twisted her head around so she could see him, 'Don't you dare.' She said sternly

'Huh?' he replied softly

'Don't you dare blame yourself. It's only a scar'

'But…' Harry tried to interrupt intent on explaining what it was doing to him. Knowing that she had been hurt. But Ginny interrupted again.

'It's only a scar Harry. I have one on my knee from where I fell out of a tree when I was 7. They're only scars, they fade.'

Harry had gone into a part daze when she had said 'they' there were more? She had more? The thought coursed though him.

'They?' he asked

Ginny looked shock at this, 'Harry we are....'

She was stopped by Harry repeating 'they' looking at her while an expression of part anger lingered on his face.

'Harry we aren't doing this now. I won't see yo…'

Harry ignored her protests 'where?'

Ginny sighed hopelessly. Harry wanted to see them and though she knew he would hate it and he would blame himself, it was better than the knowledge that he would think up every horrendous situation in his head each one worse than the other. Silently she lifted up her right palm. On the spongy part before her thumb was a nasty looking red scar. It was only an inch or so long. But the knowledge that Ginny had more shocked him. He ran his middle finger over it, brought her palm to his lips and gently kissed it. Then let Ginny return it to her lap.

He waited patiently until she spoke again 'there's one on my lower back.' She told him quietly.

Harry if the situation had been different would have been nervous about lifting her top. Instead he raised it and held it up looking at the raggedly looking scar running up her back. He took a sharp intake of breath and Ginny yearned to turn around to tell him that he was beating himself up over nothing. But she didn't. She just continues to look ahead

With his spare hand Harry lightly traced the ragged scar causing Ginny to sit up slightly straighter at the contact without thinking about it. Harry bent right down and placed a chaste kiss on the end of the scar.

The touch wasn't sexual as he gently followed the line. But Ginny's heart sped up slightly. She had never been shown so much devotion in her life and the swell of emotion caused her eyes to water up slightly. It seemed to her that Harry was trying to kiss away the scars. Like he was trying to wash it all away. It may have been cliché but the show of emotion had Ginny yearn to turn around and be engulfed by him. Harry had reached the top, placed a more definite kiss on the top and then gently placed Ginny's vest back down

He took his weight off his knees and laid them back out flat. He wrapped on arm around her and pulled her back into him. Ginny shifted so she was lying on his chest again

'They're only scars' she repeated after a while.

Harry looked down at her as she traced lazy circles along his chest. After everything he could help but be captivated by her messy hair slopped into a high bun or the way he could see her nose poking out slightly.

Harry didn't know quiet how to tell her how the fact that she had permanent scars on her body from the past year killed him. Knowing he wasn't there to protect her.

'They're not just scars.' Harry tried to reason, 'do you think every time I see my hand I just see another scar or a reminder of Umbridge, of that year. Or every time I see the one on my forehead I just think that's a cool shape or that I remember Voldemort and everything he did. Every time I see it that is all I can see.' He finished his speech to find Ginny peering up at him. She lifted her hand with trepidation and traced the bolt. Harry could only watch her intently. When she lifted herself up and kissed it. Harry's eyes fluttered closed. Her lips lingered on it and for the first time in a year Harry felt truly safe. Like something had been lifted, like he was home.

'Do you really need them to remember all that?' Gin asked, 'it's just a scar. It's only a scar. It will be there like the one on my knee in years to come. And yeah you'll look at it sometimes and remember. But it's only a scar.'

He looked back at her, 'Gin, these scars have all I've been since I was born. They are me. How can they just be scars if they are me?' he asked quickly and desperately trying to get though to Ginny.

She studied him closely then replied softly but with an edge of sternness 'they don't make you Harry. They're just a part of you. They aren't you.'

'Gin' he tried to interrupt

'With or without them you would still be you. Yeah you would be different but you would still be the basically same good person' she informed him.

'Do you really believe that Gin? Do you honestly believe that without them I would still be Harry Potter? Because that is what makes me.' He said it all quickly struggling to get her to understand.

'Harry' Ginny said quietly 'you're Harry Potter because you're noble, brave and loyal and king because you're a git and moody and stubborn. You would still be those things with or without a scar. It's just a decoration. Just an extra. Do you honestly believe that if you didn't have it you wouldn't be you? That you wouldn't have fought?' she paused to look at him, 'because eventually it'll just be another scar.'

He couldn't help but smile at Ginny's slightly impassioned speech. He just stared at her as she settled down onto his chest again.

Ginny looked up and caught a glimpse of a tiny circle pressed into the shaved skin of his jaw, 'I've never seen that before.' She said very quietly so Harry struggled to here it.

'Never seen what?'

Ginny gently pocked the impression and Harry laughed slightly, 'I picked a chickenpox when I was little.' He explained while lightly tapping her exposed neck

'Really?' Gin asked poking it again, 'it looks like someone pressed a button into your skin'

Harry laughed slightly again. It wasn't a proper laugh but after everything it felt amazing, 'sometimes I forget I even have it' he explained to her.

He looked down to find a smile playing on the corners of her mouth, 'so it's just another scar?'

Harry involuntary smiled and laughed at this, 'yeah it's just another scar.' He told her as she snuggled into him and his arm wrapped around her tighter.

He heard her inhale his smell, her sigh and then felt all of her weight vanish. As her eyelids fluttered over her eyes.

Fin

A/N

This came to me while I was trying on clothes and I caught a glimpse of the long scar on my stomach and it hit me that most of the time I forget that its even there.

Right my first Harry/Ginny story (the rest are Lily/James) hope you liked. It has been going around in my head for a while now and I finally decided to put pen to paper.

Review please – especially since my first H/G

It's lovely to be favorited or be alerted but reviews are wonderful. So please do.

Ken

XD