Life was returning to normal… whatever that was. Perhaps a better description would be that things were finally slotting into place. The dust following the battle of Hogwarts had settled, and the wizarding world was rebuilding itself. The combination of euphoria and grief was slowly fading into acceptance and some level of ordinariness.

A month had passed since the battle, and Harry was still staying with the Weasley's. He knew he would be welcome there forever as far as Molly was concerned, but the time had come to decide what to do next. He had absolutely no idea.

All of his life, there had been massive trauma, mystery and peril surrounding him. It had meant he had never truly considered what to do with his life in the long term, especially as it so often seemed he wouldn't make it to the long term. Also, planning your career when most of the dark wizards in the country are trying to murder you seems like a very severe case of misplaced priority.

Obviously, this was the same reason he had not pursued a future with Ginny earlier than now. The options available to him these days were overwhelming him. For the first time in his life, he was able to relax. Now he had finally stopped, there was an exhaustion within him that was so intense that he didn't know what to do with himself. Even after everything was over, he hadn't had a chance to gather his own thoughts. He had been too busy dealing with the aftermath of Fred's death, and the effect it had had on Ginny and the Weasley's. But the truth was that there were so many people he wanted to grieve for, and he hadn't had the chance. Dobby, Remus, Tonks, Colin Creevey… They had found out a few days ago that Lavender Brown had died of the injuries inflicted upon her by Greyback… He shook his head sorrowfully. And there were others' whose deaths just needed some serious consideration; specifically Snape and Dumbledore. So many bombshells had been dropped on him on the run up to confronting Voldemort, and his head just felt like it was too full. Too much had been happening for him to empty it, but now maybe he would have time.

He needed some space to think. Now, he felt like he could hide away for some time without feeling too guilty. He needed to be selfish.

It was late in the evening. He was lying on the bed in Bill's old room, staring up at the ceiling and pondering. The older Weasley's had now all left and returned to their normal routines after staying with their family on the run up to Fred's memorial. Hermione was living back at home and spending some much needed time with her parents, but she still floo-ed by pretty much every day to see them. Now, it was just he, Ron, Ginny and Mr and Mrs Weasley left. Apart from Hogwarts, The Burrow was the closest thing to a home he had ever known. But it still wasn't home. Perhaps it was finally time for Harry to find a place that was purely his where he could just be.

There was a light knock at the door. He raised his head slightly and Ginny peered around the door.

He smiled slightly, and reassumed his position on the bed. Ginny took this as an invitation to enter and came and perched herself on the bed next to him.

'Harry… we've barely seen you for days…' she said quietly. 'Are you ok?'

'I'm fine…'

She sighed impatiently and Harry turned his head to look at her in preparation for what was coming. That was the kind of exasperated sigh Ginny always gave before giving him a piece of her mind.

'No. You've been saying that every time I have come to check on you. I've given you your space, and I will continue to do so if you want me to – but you could at least respect me enough to tell me what's going on.'

'Ginny! I…' he said, starting to get angry. Didn't she get that he was trying to protect her?

'Especially….' She continued pointedly, 'As I most likely already know exactly what you're going through and you don't need to hide it from me.' She fixed him with a piercing stare.

She waited, and when he stayed silent, she made a noise of dissent.

'For Merlin's sake, Harry! I'm not stupid! You've been through more in this than anyone else and I know you've had no time to sort yourself out because you've been looking after me! I know that you won't tell me anything about what's going on with you because you think you shouldn't dump it on me after what happened to Fred. And I KNOW that you resent being here right now.'

'Ginny, that's not fair! I don't re…'

'You do.' She interrupted. 'And that's ok. Understandable, in fact, but for the love of Godric, you have got to stop trying to fucking protect me. You know how much I hate that. I am not a damsel in distress, and I want to help you as much as you have helped me. But you need to let me.'

'I don't want to let you.'

To his immense surprise, Ginny smiled. He had half expected a slap.

'Well, that's the first honest thing you have said in days…' She said wryly. 'Look. I know you think I want you to talk through all your feelings and cry and bla bla bla, but did you ever think that's not what I meant by 'help'?'

He looked at her with confusion.

She shrugged. 'People always think that talking stuff through is the answer. And maybe it is, but you don't want to yet, and that's ok. But I could help you find a room to rent in Diagon Alley so you don't feel smothered here, or I could go through all the owls you keep getting and write back to the ministry and the prophet and witch weekly telling them to bugger off.'

He allowed himself to properly look her in the eye for the first time since she entered the room. That glimmer of Weasley mischief was sparkling there again. He smiled in spite of himself.

'You've been so great to me, Harry.' She said quietly. 'It's been a hard month, and I really appreciate how you've snuck into my room night after night and held me while I cried, and made sure I've eaten, and stopped me from lying in my bed all day when I couldn't find the strength to get up by myself. But I think it was partially selfish too. As long as you were looking after me, you didn't have to deal with yourself. When I picked myself up, you started to hide.'

He looked at her sheepishly. He hadn't even realised it himself until she said it, but yes, that was exactly what he'd done.

'You love to protect me and be all bloody noble, we know that… but did you ever think that maybe I'd like to do that for you too?' She suddenly blushed and looked at the floor, 'I've wanted to take care of you for years… I watched you go through it all and just stood by and watched on the sidelines. Please, let me be involved this time. Let me look after you.'

He sat up next to her and pulled her into a hug. He felt kind of ridiculous now; why was he bothering trying to conceal anything when she knew it all anyway? It was kind of unnerving how well she could read him,

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shut you out…'

She leant into him, resting her head in his shoulder. He took a breath, inhaling the smell of her hair, and the inner turmoil raging within him lessened slightly. Ginny kissed him gently just above his ear, and said quietly;

'Can I ask you something?'

'I'm pretty sure you're going to.' He said with mock exasperation.

'Why do you always leave my bed as soon as I fall asleep?'

He laughed incredulously. 'Are you joking, Gin? Your parents – and Ron - would kill me if they ever found me in your bed.'

'They never check. You have an invisibility cloak. Breaking rules has never bothered you. Also, a rule has never been established. They all seem to be adopting a 'whatever gets you through the day' approach at the moment… I call bullshit.'

Harry shifted in her arms uncomfortably. 'It's just… weird, Ginny… with your family surrounding us and stuff.'

'We've barely done more than kiss for weeks!' She said indignantly.

He sighed. 'Leave it, Ginny.'

But she caught him quietly off guard when she whispered into his ear, 'Nightmares?'

He closed his eyes in a combination of frustration and relief. She already knew. He sighed with resignation.

'Every night. I toss and turn… and sometimes scream myself awake. You don't need that.'

'I have nightmares too.' Ginny admitted timidly. 'Mostly about watching you die in horrible ways… and then you're always gone when I wake up. It doesn't help.'

He pulled out of the hug to look at her.

'Do you really think us being together at night would help?'

'Well… it would help me, but you are the priority now, so whatever you want.' Ginny said sincerely.

Harry considered this for a moment. He thought about how difficult it was to drag himself away from her at night. How he woke up sweating and shaking alone in the dark. How, as often as his nightmares were flashbacks, they were also often about her.

'I think I would like spending my nights with you…' Harry said gently, 'but, I think I need my own space too. I need some time alone to think.'

She nodded, accepting this.

'That's ok… I'm happy to give you that. It's another two months until school starts again. Perhaps you should get your own place in the meantime?'

He smiled at her. 'I've been thinking about that.'

She grinned back. 'Think of how much privacy we could have when I came to visit…'

'I wouldn't bet on it,' Harry said warningly, 'Ron would probably do hourly checks on the floo network…'

She giggled. 'The filthy hypocrite. I walked in on him yesterday with his hand up Hermione's top.'

Harry shuddered. 'Thanks, Gin. That's not an image I wanted in my head.'

'I had something else I wanted to ask you actually, Harry.' Said Ginny seriously, 'Are you planning on going back to Hogwarts to finish your final year?'

Harry had been considering this. In fact, he hadn't really had to consider it at all. Of course he wanted to go back. Hogwarts was home, and it was quite nice to think that he could go through a year there without it culminating in a near death experience – hopefully anyway.

'Yes. I was always intending on going back.'

Ginny beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck. 'I was hoping you'd say that.' She said happily.

He hugged her back tightly, realising how much he'd missed this over the past few days. All there hugs and kisses had been cursory, he'd been keeping his distance. Now he couldn't quite remember or understand why. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and he took a deep breath, inhaling that smell he loved so much. She must have just washed, it was intoxicatingly strong. Harry couldn't help it; he tangled his hand in it, lightly tugging on a few locks and feeling the soft smoothness of it run through his fingers. Ginny sighed breathily; the sound seemed to flick a switch in his head, and there was no way he was going to be distant anymore. Grieving or not; he wanted her, and he knew that sound meant she wanted him too.

He used the hand tangled in her hair to turn her head towards his. Her eyes were sparkling at him, and her lips were curved up in a slight smile. They stared at each other for a second, then another, before their mouths crashed together. Her fingers were raking his back, grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt. He nipped at her lips, fisted her hair and used his other arm to tip her onto her back, pushing her hip downwards with gentle insistence. Ginny made that breathy sigh sound again, and he bit his lip in anticipation. She pulled his t-shirt over his head, and he palmed her breast over her clothes and gasped with longing. It was frantic. It was needed.

They shifted so that he was lying on top of her as they kissed. Her hands were everywhere, driving him wild. Her body seemed to meld to his, every sway and curve pressed against him. He felt all of her touching all of him as his tongue explored her warm wet mouth.

He pushed himself up on his arms, so he was hovering over her. He looked at her flushed face, her messy hair, her crumpled clothes and the need in her eyes. He knew he looked the same.

'I love you.' He said quietly.

'Shut up and keep going, Potter.' She said mischievously, grinning naughtily at him.

He pulled a face of mock-hurt. 'You asked for it, Weasley.'

He lay on his side face to face with Ginny, flushed and sleepy. She was gently raking her hands through his hair. He could feel himself drifting off, and was too comfortable and satisfied to fight it. Just before he succumbed to sleep, he heard Ginny whisper 'I love you too…'

'Here it is Potter, you have a choice.' Said the cold, high pitched voice. 'Give me the horcrux, or I will make sure you will wish you had never been born.'

Harry was lying in chains on the floor, covered in blood and sweat. They had been torturing him for hours, but he had not given them the diadem. He never would. Hermione had put a spell on it that meant no one could touch it unless he personally handed it to them, and he'd be damned if he was going to do that.

In spite of the exhaustion and pain, Harry laughed at Voldemort's threat. 'Sorry, Riddle, but what more could you possibly do to me?'

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. 'Very well, Potter. We tried to do this the easy way, but I tire of your stubbornness. Bella, bring her out.'

A new potency of fearful adrenaline coursed through Harry's veins. Her? Who was 'her'? Of course, there was only one person he knew it could be, but they couldn't have got her, could they?

In answer to all his worst fears, he heard a voice he knew too well coming from the doorway to the grand ballroom of Malfoy Manor.

'Get your hands off me, you heinous bitch!'

His heart sank. Ginny.

He forced his bloody and beaten body to turn. There she was; fierce, beautiful, furious… and trapped.

'No!' He said, 'Don't hurt her!'

Ginny caught his eye, 'Don't give it to them Harry, no matter what they do to me! Don't!'

'So Potter, how much pain do you think your mockery of us has earnt your girlfriend here?' Said Voldemort. Bellatrix cackled next to him.

'Well,' he continued, 'There is the unnecessary efforts you have made us spend tonight, but… we could always take into account the past six years too. It seems there is a high debt of pain to pay on your behalf, Potter.'

'No! Please!' Harry said, and he was too distraught to even realise he was begging. He had never begged Voldemort before. 'Please don't hurt her.'

'Shut up, Harry!' Said Ginny, 'You're playing right into their hands…'

'Now… we could just use the Cruciatus curse on her… and I daresay we will, but we are sure to be far more imaginative than that.' Voldemort continued silkily. 'I have a lot of Death Eater's here, Potter… some of them very twisted. Now, I just like power and murder… maybe inflicting pain too… but I have men here who have expressed a great deal of desire for the Weasley girl. She is pretty, isn't she? She even looks a little like your mudblood mother… shall we let the men know she's here?'

'No! No, please, I will give you the diadem – I'll do anything.'

'I know you will Potter, but we will have our fun first. Bella, fetch Rowle… and Greyback.'

'No!' Harry screamed again, tears springing to his eyes.

'Silence.' Said Voldemort, and he couldn't talk anymore. Ginny was bound next to Voldemart, and was looking defiantly at him, an expression full of courage. Harry had never been more scared in his entire life.

Bella returned with Greyback and Rowle, and the fear was so palpable now that Harry dry-wretched.

'Do as you will with her,' Said Voldemort, almost bored, before taking a seat in a nearby chair that allowed him a perfect view of the proceedings.

Rowle and Greyback approached the bound Ginny with sick desire in their eyes. Harry couldn't watch, but couldn't look away. Rowle took a long finger and stroked it down Ginny's cheek. She spat in his face. He flinched, and then slapped her so hard that the noise reverberated around the room.

'No…' Harry groaned, his desperation breaking the silencing charm. He tried to move against his bindings. 'Ginny….'

'Bitch.' Said Rowle. 'If you won't cooperate, we'll have to do this the hard way… Crucio!'

Ginny screamed, high pitched and horrified and awful. He felt the sound in his chest. In his heart, and he screamed with her.

'GINNY!'

'Harry!'

'Harry!' A gentle voice was saying insistently. He knew that voice, but it sounded calm, it wasn't screaming. He was confused, disorientated.

'Harry, wake up! It's a nightmare!'

His eyes snapped open. He was in Bill's old room, the moonlight was streaming in through the window, making the tendrils of red hair that were splayed across his bare chest gleam.

'Ginny!' He croaked.

'I'm here… It's ok.'

He pulled her close to him, holding her tight. She stroked his face comfortingly, wiping away the beads of sweat that were trickling down from his hairline. He let out a shaky sigh of relief.

'Ok, we are sleeping together from now on.' Ginny announced commandingly.

Too relieved and dazed to object, he merely took a calming breath and said, 'OK.'

Thanks to her gentle strokes and kisses, his heartbeat calmed and he found himself drifting off again in minutes, and this time knowing she would be there when he awoke, he slept better than he had in weeks.