Ginny was struck awoken by a loud rap at the door.

Struggling to process her existence, she grunted something that hopefully sounded rude to the person responsible for the knock. What's a bet it's Ron, she thought to herself, still refusing to open her heavy eye-lids.

She quickly realised that she had slept through to morning without having a shower or changing into her pajamas - that explains the crustiness of her eyes. However, there lay a blanket over her that she remembered getting a few Christmases ago; not that she could explain how it got on her. Slinking into a sitting position, her legs still under the blanket, she was stopped when her dusky eyes fell on Harry, sleeping in her desk chair, his head swung back at an uncomfortable-looking angle. She scrunched up her nose up at her eyes looked over his sleeping figure, staring at him for a short moment, wishing she knew what to say or do, before her thoughts were interrupted - something that seemed to be happening often recently - by another, more aggressive, knock on the door.

"Ginny," came the all too familiar voice of Ron, now much more annoyed than usual, "hurry the bloody hell up and get out here! Mum made breakfast for you and it's going cold."

"Okay!" Ginny called back, "stop yelling, you might wake up-" She paused; did Ron even know Harry was in here? By the sounds of things, no, so she quickly decided it was best not to drop any hints. "-Someone. You're just outside my door for Merlin's sake."

"Whatever." Ron responded. "Also if you see Harry, tell him that I'll be going to the lake with 'Mione" - so, he doesn't know- "he can come if he wants. Just, don't know where he is - probably gone off on a walk or something, knowing him."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow and let out a puff of air, looking over at Harry who was starting to stir in the chair and asked, "why don't you know where he is... didn't he sleep in your room?" She knew the answer, of course, I'll humor you, Ron. Let's see what you come up with.

The response took a while, but eventually he said "Err, n-no... why do you ask?"

"Who slept with you, then?"

"...no one."

"So," Ginny continued finding the awkward situation funnier and funnier, "did Hermione sleep in there-"

"Shut up, Ginny!" She giggled at the sound of her brother's muffled voice through the door, knowing she'd won, "just- tell him if you see him, okay?"

She looked back at Harry and figured Ron thought that he would sleep on the couch rather than here. Knowing he would flip if Ginny told him Harry had slept in here, she simply responded with, "yeah, okay."

---------------- .*+*.*+. ----------------

Ginny got dressed that morning in the bathroom as Harry woke up just a few moments after her conversation with Ron. She didn't want to go back into the same room as him, not after her nightmare last night. With all the uncertainty, there was only one thing she was sure of, she still liked, even loved, him. Forgetting to tell Harry about the lake, she went her morning avoiding, looking down and, overall, being more passive than she had ever been.

As soon as she emerged from the room, Harry vigorously thanked Ginny for not telling Ron where he slept. "I mean, he's Ron." He looked down, then back up again quickly to finish, "And he's great and all, but he needs to grow up about who you are around all the time," she remembered him saying, "he's your brother - you're not his damn property or something."

"He's your friend." She recalled responding in a witty way, something she hadn't done in a while. But, when it came so naturally around him, it was hard to resist making some snarky comments. "You did that by choice - I was born into life forever plagued by Ronald Billius Weasley."

"It's better than being in a cupboard, right?" He smirked and it made her stomach do flips. He still had that effect on her, damn it. The lighthearted sparkle in his eyes, the youthful laugh that persisted through it all - every bit of it still there, just like Hermione said.

"Well," he said as he started down the stairs from the landing to Ginny's bedroom, "I'm going to go... wait, where is Ron? And Hermione?"

Ginny suddenly remembered what Ron told her. "Oh, Merlin, I was supposed to tell you before," she said silently kicking herself, "they went down to the lake, must have been about half an hour ago..."

"Oh, it's alright," He laughed, cantering down the remaining steps. "We'll just catch up with them, now. They'll be fine, I'm sure they're just snogging or something gross." He made an overly-disgusted face as Ginny laughed in response. Sure, Ron and Hermione were dating, but things seemed to be progressing pretty fast. They were becoming a lot closer as the days rolled on; Hermione sleeping in Ron's bedroom being a sure sign.

"Bye, then." She called to him, leaning against the door, "Mum will be gone with George soon to the shop and dad's already off to the Ministry so I'll be the only one here when you get back."

"You're not coming?" He stopped and looked up at her. "Why not?"

She looked at him from the landing, scanning his face for any sign of sarcasm and finding none. He genuinely was upset. Interesting, she pondered. "I'll be good. Someone has to stay up at the house, anyway."

"Alright," He said, a little disappointed, "don't be afraid to change your mind."

"I won't."

---------------- .*+*.*+. ----------------

Later that day, Ginny sat on the couch, Pig inquisitively peering over her shoulder, reading a book about famous Quidditch games and players.

Off in the distance, she heard, "Guys, I am going back into the house!" And, knowing Harry's voice like the back of her hand, she braced herself. Okay, you're going to ask him, yes sir. This is it, Ginevra, you can do it. Just be yourself.

When Harry entered, he grabbed and a towel from the linen cupboard and walked into the lounge room towards Ginny. "Hello, again."

"Morning," she grinned, "you look sufficiently freezing."

He, as if on queue coughed a bit, covering his mouth with the towel. Ginny laughed and looked back down to her book, get a grip girl, speak!

"Why didn't you come to the lake with us?" He asked, rubbing the towel over his head of messy hair, "not going to lie, Ron and Herms are great but... it was kind of boring without you."

"Ha-ha, sure," she said dripping with sarcasm, "you're just trying to be nice."

"No really, it was so weird not having you there. I only ever went there with you before."

"Yeah, well, you seem like you have a cough so maybe it was wise not to go." She closed her book and looked out the window to where she could see the marshy grass around the lake. "Remember the Summer before last I found the spider and tossed it at Ron? Fun times." She cocked her head to the side with a small smile on her face, collecting her book and offering Pigwideon her shoulder to perch on. She stood to face Harry, leaning on one leg as she listened to his warm laugh.

"Yeah," he started, fondly looking at the wall, recalling the memory, "and you laughed so hard you couldn't breathe which was a problem because-'

Ginny finished the story, "we were in water and Ron was chasing me. Yeah..." she trailed off.

They stopped laughing and stared at each other for a moment, just a second. It was weird, laughing. They had laughed together earlier but now they just stared at each other, recalling a simpler time when knowing someone who had died recently wasn't something everyone could relate to. But this time, for once, the silence between them wasn't uncertainty or fear or regret. It was like at Hogwarts - before the war.

Without being aware of it, Harry took a step closer to the couch and, subsequently, Ginny. "Your eyes sparkle when you laugh, y'know," Harry said staring into Ginny's eyes as if seeing the memory in them, "like that one time when we were down by the Great Lake at Hogwarts and the squid showed up and- and I thought it was going to eat us. You laughed so hard at me. And your eyes just sparkled in the sunlight. It was brilliant... once I stopped hyperventilating."

She laughed quietly, "I remember."

He broke eye contact with her, suddenly frowning slightly as he looked off to the side, recalling something darker. "Ginny, I... I'm sorry, excuse me." He turned and paused before making his way up the stairs shaking his head. Staring at him his confusion, she started to walk after his quick pace.

"Harry? Harry, wait up!" She clambered at the stairs past all the landings and yet didn't catch up with him until she heard Ron's door open and swiftly close.

She burst through the door into Ron's room to find a hunched over Harry moving to sit on the spare bed, placing his head in his hands. "Woah, okay," she hesitated to approach him but slowly made her way across the room, her bare feet making only small patting sounds against the wooden floorboards. Stopping at the edge of the bed, she hesitantly asked, afraid of choosing her words wrong. "Harry-" She began, "what's the matter?"

She furrowed her brows as Harry let his arms drop to rest on his knees. "I don't really know. I kind of wish you hadn't followed me to be entirely honest." He answered with a small laugh that ended up being more an exhale.

"Sorry... but are you alright? It was pretty cold outside, do you need a potion or something? I'm sure mum has some stuff, I could go digging in the kitchen and bathroom cupboards-"

He let out a puff, "Oh umm... no, no I- it wasn't that, don't worry." He looked up at her and managed a weak smile which Ginny returned, keeping her brow down as she searched his face for an answer.

"I really shouldn't have followed you up here. Sorry, I'll go-"

"Wait, Ginny- no wait, I-" Harry shifted on the bed but didn't respond, his wet messy hair dripping down onto the sheets. "I am so sorry Ginny, I... I wanted to talk with you and me... couldn't. You probably don't even want to hear from me, heh... I keep having to tell myself that. Merlin, that sounds piteous."

"It's fine. I want to talk, too. We haven't spoken for a while." Ginny shifted closer to Harry, just enough to slowly lowering herself to be sitting next to him. "I know for a fact that, talking to me? Well, you're very welcome to do that at any time, Harry." She slowly lifted her hand to his upper-back and he shuddered at the touch, he should have been ice-cold, but he was baking hot. He turned to face her when she said, "talk to me, Harry. You said you wanted to, and I am here now. You've been through so much so, I'm all ears. I would be anyway but now especially."

She stared into his swirling green eyes as he exhaled. "If," he began, "and only if you would be okay with it, would ... um... sorry. I- It is so hard to talk to you after what I did. Merlin, again that sounds piteous."

Ginny stared at the broken person before whose eyes were wide as he cringed at his words. She noticed his usual Gryffindor confidence seem to fade from his voice as she took his hand in her's, clasping the other top "What did you do? Merlin, you're not talking about leaving, are you? If you are, there is no reason to be upset, Harry. Yes, I was worried, but I know why you did it. Besides, you're better off now without me, clearly. If you're scared to talk to me, don't be.'

"I just couldn't forgive myself- wait... better off? No. No! Merlin, Gin! Is that what you have thought this whole time?"

She weakly nodded, "yeah..." she didn't look away from his saddened face as he returned to stare at the floor. He shook his head and let out another puff, this time, exasperated. He slowly murmured something under his breath that sounded vaguely like "get a grip, Harry..."

Still unsure of what to do, Ginny let go of his hand and stood up to leave him to his thoughts, knowing it was better to let him think through what he wanted to say rather than her pressuring him.

Shuffling across the room, she made it to the door-frame before the aged springs of a mattress made a tiny squeak- then the floorboards creaked as if asking her to stop moving. Is he coming over?

"I can't believe you would even begin to think that. I need you, Ginny." She did stop, her hand resting on the side of the door frame.

"What?" She willed her legs to turn her around and face him. It was hard at first, but from across the room, not daring to move closer, she looked into Harry's eyes. "Harry, you don't need me... you've been fine recently. You still smile and laugh and manage to be-"

She failed. Again. Failing to find the right words. Failing to meet his burning gaze. Failing to notice that she had walked over to stand close enough to him to feel his breath on her cheek.

"Why is this so hard? What happened to us? We used to be able to talk and function like human beings around each other." Ginny promised herself she wouldn't lose him again. She promised herself she wouldn't lose this opportunity, but the longer she stood there, the more out of reach that seemed. It wasn't her who moved first, though.

Harry hesitated, but placed his hands around her head and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her, so lightly that, at first, Ginny may not have even felt it, but returned it. Folding her arms to hang off his, it grew and they laughing together in between breaths. She was happy and could tell he was, too.

They pulled apart only once and it was when Harry asked, "how can I fall more in love with you every day?"

A/N

Tehe...

Hope you enjoyed!