1

After the Battle

Chapter 1: A Different Celebration

Harry sighed as he watched Riddle fall, brought down by his own rebounding Killing Curse. Without really thinking, his hand shot up and he snagged the Elder Wand from the air and he looked at it in disgust.

Before he could react, a great shout of jubilation shattered the silence and a horde of people descended on him, offering their congratulations, shaking his hand and pounding him on the back. Though he put his foot down when they tried to lift him up onto their shoulders.

Though he was happy it was over, in reality he felt a bit numb and he knew it would take some time for it to really sink in that Tom was truly and irrevocably dead and his life was now truly his own.

As much as he appreciated everyone wanting to congratulate him, all he really wanted to do is find Her and set things right between them.

He had a brief glimpse of her across the room but then she was gone, hidden behind the swarm of people who wanted to see him.

Sighing, he vowed to track her down as soon as humanly possible as she was the only one he really wanted to see. Right at the moment, he'd about had his fill of Ron and Hermione. Spending months with them constantly had worn the shine off their friendship some.

He tried desperately to accept all the congratulations without losing his temper, though it was a trial as it seemed to go on forever.

Then relief came in the form of three of his former Gryffindor house-mates. Dean, Seamus and Neville came and rescued him. They were quickly joined by several other members of Dumbledore's Army and they formed up around him, leading him away from the Great Hall and the adoring crowd that was overwhelming him.

Harry glanced around at his "honour guard" and smiled. He met each of their eyes and gave them a quick nod of his head in thanks.

As they left the Great Hall they were joined by other members of the DA and former Gryffindors.

Harry accepted hugs and kisses on the cheek from Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet and a hearty thumping on his back from Oliver Wood, all former members of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team with him.

Harry had tears in his eyes, overjoyed that they had all survived the battle.

If anyone noticed Harry's emotional state, no one mentioned it, just giving him warm reassuring smiles.

"You did it," Neville said with a huge smile.

Harry blushed and dropped his gaze. "I had loads of help," he muttered shyly, drawing a laugh from everyone around him.

"Always down playing yourself," Dean laughed.

"That's why we rescued you," Neville said, grinning widely. "We know you hate being the centre of attention."

"I know what you need," Seamus remarked, his eyes gleaming as he produced a bottle of Firewhisky.

Harry eyed it apprehensively, unsure if accepting it was a good idea.

"Come on, Harry. If anyone deserves to celebrate, it's you," Dean teased, grinning just like everyone else.

Harry shrugged, figuring why not, and took a healthy swallow. He choked and sputtered as the dark amber liquid burned his throat on the way down.

Harry blushed, feeling embarrassed until more than half the others had the same reaction and then he didn't feel so bad. In fact Oliver, Angelina and Alicia were the only ones who didn't react the same way, obviously having imbibed the potent liquor before.

In the close camaraderie that they were feeling, Katie called out, "Party in the common room!" just like after they'd won a Quidditch match.

The others roared out in agreement and they all began the long climb up to the Gryffindor common room, passing the bottle of Firewhisky back and forth between them as they went.

When the bottle was almost empty, Seamus produced another bottle and it also began to be passed around.

By the fourth or possibly the fifth time Harry took a drink, it no longer made him choke and sputter but slid down smoothly, leaving a warm glowing feeling in its wake.

Not having eaten anything in Godric knew how long, Harry felt his head start to spin as a very pleasant feeling engulfed him. He knew he was grinning like a maniac but he found he didn't care, it just felt so good and different.

Suddenly someone was kissing him and he almost started to kiss her back but something in his mind told him it was all wrong as he knew it wasn't Ginny.

He gently pushed the person back and found Katie giving him a sad look.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she murmured sadly, staring into his eyes.

Harry gave her a shrug, realizing that if things had been different, if he didn't love Ginny so much, he would have welcomed kissing her.

Katie gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she'll be here soon," she said softly.

"Thanks for understanding," Harry replied sadly.

"She's one lucky girl," Katie whispered, giving Harry a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'm the lucky one," Harry replied sheepishly, giving the young woman a hug.

"You're both lucky," Katie laughed with a sad sigh.

A short time later the group finally made its way into the Gryffindor common room. Fortunately it had suffered only minor damage during the battle with several of the windows having been shattered by stray spellfire.

Several people pulled their wands and after a few quick Reparo's, things were put to rights.

As if by magic, more bottles of Firewhisky appeared, a mix of both Ogden's and Blishen's, not that anyone seemed to care which one they were drinking.

Harry found it impossible to refuse when anyone handed him a bottle and he drank freely, not that by that point he had any inclination to refuse.

Several house elves showed up, bringing a veritable feast with them, something that Harry was eternally grateful for as he stomach growled as soon as he saw the food.

He greedily grabbed a couple of sandwiches and began to devour them and just as he'd polished off the second sandwich, he sensed more than heard the portrait hole open.

He turned and froze, there across the room he saw Her standing just inside the door, Her eyes scanning the room until they met his.

Harry wasn't even aware that he had moved but he suddenly found his arms wrapping around Her halfway across the room.

"Ginny," he breathed huskily and then her lips were on his and he wasn't aware of anything but the warm, wonderful feeling of her lips on his and her body moulded close around him.

Unlike the first time, there was no stunned silence, only a couple of chuckles and light laughter, not that they were cognoscente of the other's reactions.

Slowly their lips parted but they remained in their tight embrace. Harry stared into Ginny's beautiful, amazing chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that held such powerful emotions that it took his breath away.

"I missed you," he whispered lovingly.

"I missed you too," she whispered in reply, her love equally evident.

Harry led her over to one of the couches in front of the fireplace and pulled her down into his lap, kissing her soundly.

As they broke apart and before either could say anything, someone handed Harry a bottle of Firewhisky.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Just how much have you had to drink?" she asked evenly, her voice giving nothing away.

Harry smiled goofily and shrugged. "Don't know, don't care," he replied flippantly.

Ginny giggled and grabbed the bottle. "I guess I have a lot of catching up to do," she said as she lifted the bottle to her lips.

She took several large swallows before she began to choke and sputter, her eyes watering as the dark amber liquid hit her, burning her throat.

"Wow," she breathed out huskily as she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes.

She took a couple more swallows before Harry pried the bottle from her hand and took another drink himself.

Ginny pouted playfully as Harry drank, causing him to choke as he started to laugh.

Ginny took the bottle back and took a smaller, more normal swig. They began to pass the bottle back and forth, laughing and enjoying being together. In between swallows they shared kisses, starting rather tamely but escalating as time went on.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Harry suddenly pulled back and stared at Ginny sadly. "I'm so sorry about Fred," he whispered heartbreakingly.

Ginny shushed him by placing a finger on his lips. "Not tonight, there will be time later to mourn. Tonight I just want to be with you and celebrate your being alive," she muttered emotionally, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes..

Harry nodded and kissed her deeply, letting her know he understood and agreed wholeheartedly. Tonight was for them to get reacquainted and spend time together without worrying about anything else.

Harry and Ginny were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Scattered about their feet was a small army of dead soldiers, not that they had all been full when the pair got their hands on them. That's not to say that they were almost empty either.

As the day progressed and evening came on, things had become more heated between the happy couple. As more and more alcohol had been consumed, inhibitions were lowered and hands began to wander.

Ginny took great delight in wiggling her bottom into Harry's lap, causing his body to react just how she wanted it to. Hands had also began roaming, straying further and further into uncharted territory.

Both were moaning deeply and thoroughly enjoying what they were experiencing together when they were suddenly interrupted by someone flopping down on the couch next to them.

They were tempted to ignore the intrusion but then the person cleared their throat, drawing their attention as they refused to be ignored.

Harry's eyes widened in shock when he saw it was Katie sitting there looking at him and Ginny. He couldn't help himself and he blushed deeply, turning as red as any Weasley ever had.

Ginny eyed him and then looked at Katie, raising an eyebrow as she stared back at Harry.

Katie sighed and looked at Ginny. "I need to apologize to you," she said contritely.

Ginny glanced back and forth between the young woman and Harry. "I assume this has something to do with Harry?" she asked calmly.

Harry groaned softly, wishing the couch would swallow him whole. Unfortunately for him, like most of his wishes, it went unanswered.

"Yes," Katie sighed. "In a moment of weakness and being caught up in celebrating, I kissed Harry."

Harry groaned again, turning even redder, something that Ginny hadn't believed possible.

"I want you to know that Harry immediately pushed me away and told me he couldn't because he wanted it to be someone else," Katie explained, a small grin growing on her lips.

Only years of experience at keeping from reacting kept Ginny from bursting out in laughter, or showing any reaction whatsoever.

She glanced at Harry, who when he saw her looking at him, ducked his head, unwilling to meet her eyes. She looked back to Katie and gave her a small smile.

"So we're good?" the former chaser asked.

Ginny nodded, her grin growing as she and Katie shared a knowing look.

"Well, I'll just leave you two alone again," Katie smirked as she gave Ginny a quick hug, stood and left.

"Ginny, I want . . ." Harry began hesitantly, still not looking into Ginny's eyes.

"Oh Harry," she chuckled. "Only you would think you'd done something wrong because some over excited witch gave you a kiss," she teased.

"You're not mad at me?" Harry asked incredulously, his head popping up as he stared into her eyes in disbelief.

"No I'm not mad, in fact I'm pretty damn happy because you didn't take advantage of the situation and kiss her back," she explained with a grin.

Harry sighed in relief and hugged Ginny hard, drawing her mouth to his and kissed her passionately.

Ginny moaned and wiggled her arse into his crotch again, stirring him back to life.

Harry slipped his hands up under Ginny's jumper, sliding his hands along her hot, smooth, silky skin until he cupped her breasts and began to massage the delightful mounds of flesh.

Ginny groaned deeply into Harry's mouth, loving what he was doing to her. She felt her own body reacting in new and wonderful ways. Her breasts were aching, wanting to feel Harry's hands directly on her skin and not through the material of her bra.

She also felt a new aching deep down in her centre and she knew there was only one way she was going to be able to satisfy that feeling.

She pulled away from Harry's mouth and covered his hands with hers, stilling his action.

Harry looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she was stopping him. He thought she wanted this as much as he did.

"Not here," Ginny whispered quietly, her eyes gleaming with desire.

It took a moment for what she was saying to filter through Harry's alcohol fogged brain. Once it did he glanced around, scanning the common room.

Though the crowd had thinned considerably and many that remained were asleep or passed out drunk, Harry understood that this wasn't the place to continue what they were doing.

He gave Ginny an understanding nod and smiled when she got up and grabbed his hands, hauling him to his feet.

Ginny giggled as Harry chuckled as he rose unsteadily. Both probably would have fallen over if they hadn't had each other to cling to.

With their arms wrapped around one another they wove their way over toward the stair case to the boy's dorms, stopping every few feet to share an intense kiss or a quick grope, sometimes both.

Their progress up the stairs wasn't any quicker as they stopped often, the kisses growing hotter and more passionate.

At one point Ginny found herself pinned to the wall, Harry's hands exploring under her jumper once again, this time pushing her bra up so he could touch her breasts unhindered.

As much as Ginny was enjoying what Harry was doing, she didn't consider their position on the stairs very secure or stable. Several times they had almost tumbled down the stairs.

That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs as it would spoil her plans.

When Harry's mouth left her lips to feast on her neck, she grabbed the opportunity. "Come on, it's not much further," she quietly urged.

She was glad when Harry seemed to understand and let her lead him up the stairs into what would have been his dorm if he had returned to Hogwarts instead of going off to do whatever he had to do to end the Foul Lord once and for all.

As soon as they were in the dorm, which they thankfully found empty, Ginny kicked the door shut and wrapping her arms around Harry, driving him toward what would have been his bed. Along the way she began to unbutton and unzip his clothing, wanting him naked as soon as possible.

Harry seemed to cotton on to what she was doing and began to reciprocate, pulling off her jumper and tugging at the zipper of her jeans.

By the time they made it to the bed, both were down to just a couple of items of clothing. Ginny only had her knickers and socks on, while Harry had just his boxers, though his jeans were hung up on his one ankle.

Ginny forced Harry back until his knees hit the side of the bed and when he fell backward, she crawled up, straddling him, rubbing her hot, wet, aching centre on his rock hard manhood through his boxers.

Harry groaned loudly as he reached up capturing her breasts with his hands, pinching and rolling her nipples, making Ginny growl in return.

Both became lost in the swirling, overpowering erotic sensations they were giving one another and it wasn't until much later a very satisfied but tired couple drifted off to sleep.

Harry awoke slowly, his head was pounding and he felt like a herd of Hippogriffs had trampled though his mouth during the night. Only the fact that he needed to go to the loo, stirred him to try and get up.

That attempt made him realize he couldn't move, or more precisely, someone was laying half on top of him, their legs intertwined through his, with their head laying on his chest and an arm across his abdomen, preventing him from getting up.

Even thought his head was foggy due to the massive hangover he was sporting, Harry knew he had a dilemma. Slowly he began to piece together the previous evening.

There had been a wild celebration due to his having finished off the Foul Lord, as he had come to call him. Yes, Voldemort was gone, dead as dead could be, never to return to terrorize anyone ever again, along with his Death Eaters who were all dead or captured.

Though there had been losses to people who had fought for the Light, the euphoria of their victory had overshadowed their grief. There would be time for that later.

From somewhere someone had produced some Firewhisky and it had flowed freely. The foggy image of Seamus Finnigan floated into his mind and he vaguely recalled that he had produced the first bottle, though it certainly wasn't the only one or the last.

This was where things began to get hazy for The-Boy-Who-Lived and Harry grimaced at the term. He wasn't even sure why it had come to mind. He really hated all the titles that had been given him and he shuddered in disgust.

That action caused a reaction from the person snuggled against him, they had murmured in protest, and cuddled in even closer, never really awakening.

Even with his eyes closed, the room seemed much to bright, prompting Harry to keep his eyes closed for the moment as he tried once again to make sense of how he had ended up where he was.

People had kept handing him Firewhiskies and after the first couple, which had him sputtering and breathing out heavily due to the burning feeling in his throat, the rest had gone down easier, much easier.

Then out of the fog and haze, he remembered seeing Her across the room. She was staring at him with the same blazing look when he had entered the common room after his detention where She had taken his place as Seeker.

Ginny! his mind yelled and his eyes snapped open in shock.

It hit him like a well hit Bludger, maybe even like a whole flock of them. Just like that first time, she had come charging across the room, throwing herself into his arms and before he knew it she was kissing him harder than ever.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of touches, and Firewhisky, and kisses and more Firewhisky, more touches, more Firewhisky, more kisses and a lot more Firewhisky.

He vaguely remembered when he suddenly noticed that almost everyone else was either passed out or gone.

Then she had caressed his face, kissing him harder than ever, her eyes blazing as she led him up to what would have been his dorm.

In sudden clarity he remembered as they had shed their clothing, touching and caressing one another like they had never done before.

He recalled clearly that she had been the aggressor, forcing him back onto the bed, straddling his hips and kissing and caressing him with an intensity that took his breath away.

He smiled as he remembered responding to her with equal ferocity, giving as good as he had got.

His smile grew as he thought about the wonderful noises she had made as they made love for the first time, the way she had responded and urged him on as he entered her.

His mind was filled with the overwhelming, unbelievable feeling he had experienced as he came into her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, crushing him to her body as she screamed out his name as she came at the same time.

He looked at the vision of beauty that lay cuddled into his side, her nude body half on display as she lay atop of him.

A small smile grew on his face as he stared at her nipple peeking out from under her breast that was pressed against his chest. He remembered how it had felt as he sucked on it for the first time, growing and hardening as he lavished attention on it. That and the wonderful sounds she had made in appreciation of what he was doing.

He groaned softly as he felt himself beginning to harden once more, the memories of what they had shared inflaming his desire for her all over again.

He heard her giggle softly as she began to rub her leg between his, massaging his growing hardness.

"What, twice last night wasn't enough for your?" she teased softly with a smile.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of you," he growled lowly in response.

"Um, you say the sweetest things," she replied coyly as she began to rub her centre on his thigh.

Harry growled lowly as he pushed her flat onto her back, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss as he settled between her legs.

Ginny moaned as she felt Harry enter her. Though she was a little tender from their previous night's activities, the pleasure she felt from what he was doing quickly drove it away.

She began to thrust her hips up, meeting his descending ones, filling her with exquisite sensations, driving her towards the pinnacle once again.

She knew this was where she wanted to be, with her Harry, loving him and being loved by him. It made the pain of what had taken place and what she had endured bearable. She knew that together they'd be able to get through the pain and sorrow that was to come.

With that decided, she gave herself over to what they were sharing and she lost herself in the wonderful sensations Harry was causing.

Harry moaned as he felt Ginny thrusting up at him, adding to his pleasure. He still couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to be buried deep into her hot, wet centre. It was without a doubt the best thing he had ever experienced in his life.

Ginny felt her release fast approaching and she wrapped her legs up around the tops of Harry's thighs, pulling him in as deep as she could as she buried her face into the crook of his neck to muffle her scream as she came.

Harry felt Ginny pull him in deeply and her hot sheath pulsated around his manhood as she came, triggering his own release and he poured his offering into her, groaning out her name.

Harry collapsed down on Ginny, feeling her chest heaving just as much as his was as they struggled to regain their breath.

Harry kissed her tenderly, his eyes meeting hers. "Godric, that was even better than before," he whispered lovingly.

Ginny just nodded, a Kneazle ate the Pixie smile on her face. She couldn't agree with him more if she tried.

Harry's look turned quite serious, and Ginny worried what was wrong.

"I know this may seem a strange time to do this, but I just can't see myself living without you. Will you marry me?" Harry whispered hopefully, his eyes filled with his love for her.

Ginny couldn't help herself and began to giggle uncontrollably. Here they were wrapped up tightly together just having made love with Harry still firmly embedded inside of her and he was asking her to marry him. For some reason she found the whole thing hilarious.

She saw him look at her in shock, appearing very worried, not understanding what she was thinking.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you, you git. You think I'd fuck just anyone?" she challenged, her eyes dancing and sparkling in the soft morning light.

"No, no, of course not," Harry replied in a near panic.

Ginny giggled and kissed him soundly, moaning into his mouth.

Suddenly the door swung open with a crash.

"Harry, have you seen . . . ." they heard Molly say.

Ginny peeked over at her mother, her head now tucked next to Harry's.

"Oh bugger," she sighed.

Harry chanced lifting his head just enough to see past Ginny. He winced when he saw the outraged look on the Weasley matriarch's face and he quickly dropped his head back behind hers.

He knew there was no doubt as to what they had been doing. The blanket had slipped down to his knees and with Ginny's fiery hair splayed over the pillow, her arms and legs wrapped around him and his arse sticking up between them, it was painfully obvious what activity they had been engaged in.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Molly shouted angrily. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, trying but failing to squelch her rising anger.

"I'm fucking the man I love and whom I'm going to marry," she snapped hotly, her eyes blazing with her anger.

Molly's eyes widened in shock and she stood there frozen in place.

Ginny sighed. "Mum, we'll be down shortly to discuss everything," she said tiredly.

Molly blinked rapidly for several moments. "All right young lady, but don't think you've heard the end of this," she huffed in displeasure before she turned and stalked away.

Ginny watched her go, jumping a little when Harry asked, "Is she gone yet?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, oh Brave One," she said sarcastically.

Harry began to chuckle. "I can't believe you said that to your mum."

Ginny buried her head back into the side of Harry's neck. "Damn, and I wanted to have at least one more go," she sighed sadly.

Harry raised his head just enough to look her in the eyes, his flashing mischievously. He slowly began to move inside of her once again and he leaned in and kissed her hotly.

Ginny moaned as she gave herself over to his kiss and began to move under him once more, thinking "I guess Mum will just have to wait."

Soon that though flew from her mind as she once more revelled in the sensations that Harry was causing as he thrust deeply inside of her. She fisted one hand in his unruly raven locks, crushing his mouth to hers, intensifying the kiss they were sharing.

The other hand drifted down his back, clutching his arse, pulling him deeper into her hot, wet, welcoming centre. As sensitive as she was, she knew she wasn't going to last long and she found herself wanting it more that ever.

All too soon for her liking she felt the pressure inside of her break loose, sending her cascading over the precipice. As she began to come down the other side, she realized that Harry wasn't stopping and she felt the pressure begin to grow and grow, sending her skyrocketing back up again.

Once again she found herself tumbling off the top, spiralling down, lost in the intense, exquisite sensations she was experiencing.

Then as she became aware of her surroundings, she realized Harry was still pounding into her and she found she loved it and wouldn't have traded places with any woman in the world.

Higher and higher she felt herself rise, glorying in what she and Harry were sharing. Just when she thought she'd lose her mind from the intensity of the pleasure she was experiencing, she heard and felt Harry grunt out her name as he exploded inside of her, sending a electric like jolt bursting throughout her body.

She briefly compared it to the sensation of the Cruciatus that she had experienced but this was the polar opposite, firing every nerve in her body with such exquisite pleasure she screamed as blackness took her.

Ginny slowly became aware of her surroundings and she smiled as the after effects of her orgasm echoed through her, She felt like every nerve was still glowing with the unbelievable pleasurable sensations that she had experienced.

Harry was holding her tenderly, softly calling her name. She could tell he was worried by the sound of his voice.

"I'm fine, more than fine," she giggled softly as her eye fluttered open. She found Harry's emerald eyes inches from hers and she gently reached up and caressed his cheek.

"That was fucking amazing," she whispered, staring into his eyes lovingly.

Harry caressed her cheek in return. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly, his voice still filled with concern.

Ginny couldn't help herself. "No, I don't think I can move right now," she teased.

When she saw his eyes widen, she giggled. "Yes I'm fine. It's just I've never experienced anything so wonderful, so all encompassing, so fulfilling," she replied lovingly.

"I think you've ruined me," she laughed.

She saw Harry relax and he leaned in and gave her a tender kiss.

"You had me worried. I'd never heard of a woman passing out because of sex," he whispered with a grin.

"Face it Harry, nothing you do is ever going to be ordinary," she teased, her eyes dancing merrily.

"So you won't be adverse to doing this again?" he asked roguishly.

"Harry, if it's half as wonderful as what I just experienced, we'll be wearing out beds faster than a Firebolt can fly," she grinned back at him.

"Though I think my body has had as much as it can handle for the moment," she sighed with a soft smile.

"Then I guess we don't have an excuse to stop us from getting up and going down to see your parents," Harry replied with a wry grin.

"Let's wait and talk a bit before we do," Ginny suggested softly, loathed to move at the moment.

"That sounds like a good idea," Harry replied, shifting over and pulling her into his side, giving her a tender, loving kiss.

Ginny whimpered softly when she felt Harry slide out of her. Though she hadn't realized he was still inside of her, she keenly felt the loss of him leaving her body.

"So, lets discuss what we're going to say," she said softly.

Harry and Ginny

A/N: Because this story is taking on a life of its own, I've decided to continue it as a separate multi-chapter story. I'm sure you won't mind.