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Exhaustion still clinging to her limbs despite the nap her mother had forced upon her, Ginny made her way into the Great Hall. All around were small groups still huddled together, an obvious one comprised of her family, most discussing the logistics of moving bodies and burials. She did not want to join. Scanning the room, she found what she had been searching for: a head of long, messy black hair on a skinny, speccy guy. Her heart fluttered.
He looked her way briefly as he scanned the room, then did a double take as recognition grew across his face, appearing as the smallest of smiles. She did not return it, but could not look away either. She watched as Harry put down the sandwich he had been eating, stood, excused himself from Seamus, Dean and Neville’s company, and made his way over to where she stood in the doorway.
“Hey.” His voice was deeper.
“Hey.” She continued to stare.
“Could we talk for a bit?”
She nodded. He indicated the doors across the entrance hall, and she nodded again. As they made their way out of the doors, he took her hand.
They walked, out of long-absent habit, toward a small grove of trees by the lake. At the water’s edge, he spoke again. “I don’t really know where to start. I’m sorry about Fred.”
“Me too.”
They both looked out at the water.
“There’s so much I want to tell you Ginny, but I have no idea how to go about it all.”
“Well, I don’t suppose we need to cover it all at once.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Perhaps,” she suggested, “we should just get the necessary things out in the air, and see where that takes us.”
“Right,” Harry agreed quickly. “The necessary things.”
They were silent again.
She moved her fingers gently, playing softly with his hand. Harry responded by giving hers a light squeeze. “So,” she broke the silence. “No Veela then?”
He let out a puff of air that was almost a laugh. Almost.
“No, no Veela.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.” He looked at the water for another few seconds. “How about you?”
She smirked slightly. “Veela never really were my type, Harry.”
He laughed once, then turned to her. “How about underfed, scarred, ragged, prodigal ex-boyfriends?”
“Ah,” she squeezed his hand. “Now those I like.”
Harry smiled gently. “Good.”
“Especially when they’re not dead at Hagrid’s feet.”
He lost his smile. “Oh, yeah. Right. About that…”
She turned her face up to his. “I don’t need you to explain now, Harry. At some point, yes, but not now.” She put her free hand on his chest. “For now, I think I could be alright with just knowing that your heart is still beating.”
He put his free hand over hers. “I’m alright with that, too.” They stood for a few more minutes.
“Gin?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think we could do this sitting down?”
She nodded, and they made their way to the ground, Harry leaning against a tree trunk and Ginny curled up in his lap, her ear pressed to his chest. They didn’t move for hours.
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