Coupling – Harry and Ginny.

Walking up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower, Ginny thought back to the last time she had seen Harry, living and happy. It was one of those memories she always thought of when producing a patronus charm. One from those few weeks that they dated, those stolen weeks, the best weeks of her life. The ones she had spent the last year trying not to forget. Ginny stopped as her thoughts and memories from the past year at school tried to seep to the front of her mind.

She shook her head and carried on up the stairs, a few minutes ago she had been in the Great Hall with everyone else who had survived the Great Battle. She watched as Luna distracted everyone around her so Harry could disappear under that cloak again, she watched as her brother and Hermione walked out hand in hand, obviously with the invisible Harry. She would have followed straight behind them but even Harry Potter needs time to relax. He had been on the run for nine months. No matter how much she wanted to go after him, he needed time. He had just defeated Voldemort.

So she sat and waited, leaning on her mother's shoulder, after all her brother had just died. Fred. Everything would be different without Fred. He was the glue. Without him Ginny wouldn't know how to defend herself against all those hormonal teenage boys. Without him Ron wouldn't know how to fly. Without him George wouldn't be who he was today. Or yesterday. You never said George without Fred. It was Gred and Forge always. And now it wasn't. Fred was gone and he was never coming back.

As Ginny approached the portrait hole and sighed, blowing her hair into her face. Sighing again she piled her hair together and secured it with her wand. She hated her hair, it was getting too long. She hadn't had it cut since just after Dumbledore's funeral, things had been chaotic since, she was going to have it cut short but then she had to have her hair styled the same way as Gabrielle for Fleur's wedding. Then everything happened so suddenly. Harry, Ron and Hermione disappeared. The death eaters came looking, Ginny went back to Hogwarts and any defiance resulted in detention.

"Would you like to come in dear?"

Startled, Ginny looked up at the Fat Lady who was smiling softly at her. "Urm... Yes please." Slowly the portrait hole swung open, allowing her entrance to the common room. Ignoring her surroundings she went and sat by the fire knowing that everything else would be destroyed. She didn't want to see any more destruction from that goddamn war. People here had died. People who hadn't even finished school like Colin Creevey and Padma Patil. Or Remus and Nymphadora Lupin who had died creating a better world for their four month old son, Teddy. Now all Teddy had left was his grandmother and godfather. And then there were others, Aurors who gave their lives to save everyone else. Fred who died laughing, died so Harry could live and kill Voldemort. Ginny didn't know what to do next time she saw him. She didn't know whether she was going to throw herself at him or beat him to death for scaring the living crap out of her.

"Ginny?"

As she whirled around at his voice she remembered she was sat down just as her neck clicked. Gasping in pain she turned back round to the fire.

"Merlin, are you okay?" The couch behind her shifted and suddenly long legs were right in front of her. Trying to look up was a bit difficult as Ginny found out as her eyes reached his crotch area before her neck started twinging in pain. He knelt down in front of her and smiled slightly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before speaking again. "You've been crying." Any other person and it would've been a stupid statement. But she was Ginny and he was Harry and they had never seen each other cry. When Ginny cried after the whole chamber of secrets debacle, Harry wasn't there. They weren't close enough then, even if he had just saved her life. When Sirius died, even though they were closer by then, Ginny never saw Harry cry, but no-one did. He locked himself away and hid the tears from everyone, including Ron and Hermione. "Sorry, bit of a stupid thing to say. With Fred and Tonk's and..."

Before he could say anything else Ginny covered his mouth with her fingers. "I get it." She smiled at him. The person she would sacrifice anything for, making her decision she leant forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "That is because, I love you." Before she slapped him hard round the face. "And that was for making me think you were dead." She said and turned away leaning her back against the sofa as another tear slid down her face.

Arms circled her and she was pulled into a warm chest as she heard apology after apology in her ear.

"I'm so sorry, I had to."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!" She stood up, screaming at him. "I don't care why you did it. I know you had to. It's just... it's just, you didn't say goodbye." The tears started falling and she collapsed to the floor. "You didn't say goodbye."

"I didn't have..."

"Don't say you didn't have a chance. I heard you under the cloak. You walked past me as I was looking after that young girl. You didn't say goodbye." The tears were still falling and now they were falling fast and more frequently.

"I thought it would be easier. If I went up to you and tried to say goodbye, I wouldn't have gone. I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to see you, but I couldn't. I had to go, I had to do it for everyone else." He stroked her cheek softly. "You were the last thing I thought about before Voldemort killed me."

"Well he didn't, did he? Because you're right here in front of me."

"Because I gave myself up so you could live, so the fighting would stop. I went after him so we could have a future. I gave myself up so at least you could have a future. That's what you do for the people you love. I gave up my life for you."

Harry looked up from his hands, which had grabbed hold of Ginny's while he was talking, and was promptly pushed backwards with a female body on top of him and soft lips on his. She tasted of chocolate and home, her smooth lips moving against his tasted of everything he wanted in life. Those lips moved away from his and slowly opened his eyes, savouring the taste of her lips on his.

She smiled down at him, her eyes sparkling. "I love you too."

Harry pushed up onto his elbows and kissed her lips gently. "I know." Ginny could feel him smile against her lips.

Rolling off of him, Ginny tucked herself under Harry's arm and sighed as his arm wrapped around her tightly, keeping her safe, protecting her from outside evil's.

"Ginny?"

She tilted her head up to look at him. "Yes, Harry?"

"Will you be my girlfriend again?"

She snuggled back into his chest. "You know, I think I can handle that."

Silence settled over them, but it was peaceful and comfortable making Ginny feel like she was bathing in happiness.

"Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"What's your mum going to say?"

Ginny looked up again to see a scared look on his face. She couldn't help but laugh as he joined in with her.