A Thousand Years

Tears slipped silently down Ginny Weasley's pale, freckled face. The death of her brother was almost too devastating to take, yet she had refused to break down. She had stayed strong. But here, at the Burrow, watching Harry sleep in the bed that had once belonged to George, was her ultimate undoing. It felt like a dagger had been plunged deep into her heart, the pain an unbearable awareness of the love she'd pushed down for so long, waiting for Harry to come back to her…or for the news that he never would.

She walked numbly over to Harry's, her Harry's, sleeping form. There was no worry etched on his beautiful face. No guilt. Regret. He was just Harry, lying there innocently, deep breath after deep, calm breath. Seeing him there alone made Ginny's doubt and confusion and heartache slowly start to fade away.

One step closer.

She could have reached down and brushed an unruly lock of black hair out of his closed eyes if she'd wanted.

One step closer.

Slowly, Ginny peeled back the covers and slid into the bed next to Harry, still fully clothed in jeans and a faded T-shirt. She leaned into his chest, so he was unintentionally spooning her. Ginny took a deep breath, breathing in that familiar scent that she'd missed so much.

Her heart beat faster as he began to shift. Even though her back was too him, she could almost see his eyes fluttering open, a surprised look in them after seeing her lying there next to him. Would he be mad? What if he wanted to be alone? What if he didn't want her back at all?

A warm, strong arm wound its way around Ginny's waist, pressing her back gently closer to his chest. Ginny shuddered, shifting under the blanket to face him.

Time stands still.

"You're beautiful," he says quietly, his voice hoarse from sleep.

To Ginny's mortification, her hazel eyes fill with tears as she wraps her arms around Harry's neck, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Harry," she whispered, her voice cracking with grief. He pulled her closer, stroking her long, red hair.

"I'm here now, Gin," he whispered. "It's all over."

Ginny pulled back to look him in the eyes. Oh, how she loved his eyes. "After you broke it off with me," she started slowly, not sure what she was saying, herself, " I knew that I'd loved you for a thousand years, and I would love for a thousand more, no matter what happened. And then," she paused, swallowing a lump in her throat, "you left, and I didn't know what to think. I didn't even know if you'd come back-"

"Gin-"

"But do you know what kept me alive and fighting, Harry? Do you know what I told myself to stay strong?" Her voice was raw.

Harry shook his head solemnly.

"I told myself that I would be brave. I told myself that I wouldn't let anything take away what we had, and that meant both of us pulling through it. I thought of this moment. When we'd be together again, after it was all over. I knew every breath, every hour, would bring me closer to this moment with you."

Harry felt tears falling from his own eyes, leaving small tearstains, not unlike the one's Ginny wore. But she ignored them, determined to voice what she had waited so long to tell him.

"All that time, I believed with everything I had that I would find you again, that you'd make it through, that time would bring you back to me. And I was right. It has."

Neither spoke after Ginny had finished. The two teenagers lay there in each other's arms, neither one wanting to be the one to fall asleep first. But eventually they drifted off, finally able to relax. Finally able to believe that it was over, and that they had made it through. They had the rest of their lives to love each other.

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more…

~Fin

Disclaimer: A Thousand Years (c) Christina Perri; all Harry Potter characters (c) J.