A/N: I don't own Harry Potter.

No pretension

Harry and Ginny sat across from each other, simply staring at each other. Both were tired and both had battle scars they were too young to bear. The pair had retreated to Grimmauld Place for silence after Ron and Hermione had gone to find Hermione's parent and lift the spell.

The boy-who-lived let down his guard completely – he let go of everything in him: hate, shame, guilt, dread…

Tonight, for the first time, his guard was down since the war started. His muscles relaxed as he sat on what had been Sirius' favourite chair.

He saw himself in her eyes – they had won the war against Voldemort, but he had lost the war against himself. He looked down at his hands – covered in the blood of everyone that had died. It was his fault.

And he knew he had changed. That was what he saw when he considered himself from her point of view: a changed man with a history. When he had asked her to accompany him, she nodded and here they were. She was patiently waiting for him to talk, unsure as to what would happen.

Their friends had all said goodbye – "See you later", which now was normal and no longer an expression of both hope and fear.

"I love you." He said finally. Her expression didn't change – it was the first time either of them had said it, and she didn't even flinch. "I'm not just saying it, Ginny, I mean it. I swear."

There was no longer any pretension – no longer any control. Time had already been lost. They needed to make up for it, if she would still have him. He would understand if she had moved on.

Everyone found their own road now. Some would flee, some would be incarcerated, some would be free, and some wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

The man knew he had to find his way now too. It started with her. He wanted her on his road. She had fought alongside him in the Department of Mysteries, she was there when Dumbledore died, she was heartbroken when Voldemort had declared him as dead to the masses, she had defied Snape whilst at school to rebel, she had been one of the first people to flood to him after the Dark Lord had died…

"Hey…" She finally talked, her arms unfolding and her expression softening, "You're my haven, Harry." She leaned forward and took his one hand, and with the other she wiped a tear from his cheek he hadn't even noticed, "I don't ever want you to cry."

I don't ever want you to cry. And that did exactly the opposite of what she had intended as all his emotions crashed into him all at once.

"I gave enough. I screamed enough. I knew what I had to do, Ginny, but still I tried to flee like a coward! I could have saved all those people! Remus, Tonks, Fred…" He couldn't continue as his chest tightened and his throat constricted, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You are not a coward, Harry." She said softly, cupping his face, kissing some of the tears away. "You're still the stupid, noble boy I love."

"I wanted to get away from it all. There were monsters, Ginny, out there, in here," He tapped his head, "But then I found you." He remembered staring at her dot on the Marauder's Map, and knew it had given him courage.

No more pretension – no more control. No more pretending that he was okay, not in front of her.

He gave enough! He screamed and cried and fought enough! He'd lost enough! Why? Why did it have to be him?

"Harry." Her voice brought him back. She was now in front of him, and she pressed a kiss to his lips. He glanced at her in surprise. She sat on the arm of his chair and drew him in for a hug. "You wonderful, wonderful man. You didn't ask for any of it, I know, and you came out on top. I know we've all lost people, you most of all… but you're still here. Live for them, Harry."

"Ginny, I don't deserve…"

"You do. You deserve to live and you deserve everything you want."

"I want you. I don't want to have to pretend in front of you."

"Then don't, Harry. I'm already yours. No matter what. I am always going to be here."

"And I will be there for you." He promised. She kissed him again.

They weren't okay, but they would be.

. . .

A/N: Review? Please?