Dinner was silent. With Molly and George at the shop and Arthur off at the Ministry, the house contained only Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione all of whom were tense for the remainder of the day. After the morning's episode, Ron had done well to avoid the piercing glares that Ginny sent him every time he entered the room she was in. She was a stubborn and relentless girl which had often lead her to all sorts of situations, but in this case, it led her to hold her ground fiercely. Though, Harry was still a little wary of Ron.

"I will get an apology and so will you," she had said to him, "Hermione deserves one, too I think. He doesn't need sympathy, he needs to grow up."

Harry's face drooped for most of the day, still cautious of the fact Ron might attack him if he so much as breathed around Ginny, while Hermione stayed relatively distant from everyone, locking herself in Ginny's room where she, unsurprisingly, read for hours.

The day hadn't gone smoothly to put it lightly. Ginny hardly imagined her kissing Harry again would result in her brother attacking them. But at dinner, Ginny's mind was occupied, not necessarily by her anger at Ron, but the cause: simply a kiss. She knew she loved Harry and after their moment together, what would happen if it were to go further than just them kissing? She tried to banish the thought from her mind, which wasn't too hard due to a healthy serving of Fred-related memories that arrived about midday, but it wouldn't quite go away completely.  Like a nagging itch... always looming and spreading no matter how preoccupied you were.

Harry and Ginny hadn't kept their distance over the day, that's for sure, but they didn't kiss or do anything else while Ron was cooling off. Still, she had hope that Ron would come around and see that Harry meant well and he was his best friend after all.

Preferably sooner rather than later - it was tiring to be the only thing holding the house together.

In an attempt to break the cold silence looming ominously over the table, Ginny started to speak. "Listen, Ron. I know it's dinner and truthfully, I don't want to have to talk about this at all but I can't avoid the inevitable so, I'm going to face it like the grown woman I am and attempt to get this over with."

She sighed as Ron looked up slowly from his plate. He sat across the table from Harry and Ginny who sat next to each other. Hermione had turned up to dinner late and even now was reading a book as she ate, refusing to speak. She looked up briefly to Ginny and her eyes moved over to Ron, who was sitting a few chairs down from her before returning to her novel.

"I know you don't like us together because you don't want me to get hurt or whatnot, but you don't even know what I went through the first time we broke up; let alone can comprehend that being away from Harry is what made me upset. The prospect of breaking up, not as much, I can deal with a breakup but coming to terms with the time away, especially when I had no clue what was happening... that's what hurt. But I don't blame him; you all didn't let me come because you wanted to protect me which, may I add worked because I'm sitting here and not in a grave..." a pang of guilt struck her. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that... my point still stands though."

"Well, I don't know... you were hurting, Ginny," Ron looked across the table, his eye flicking between her and Harry, "I didn't mind when Harry had done that the first time or if it had been anyone else but I wasn't going to let it happen again. You literally skipped whole meals and didn't talk to anyone for weeks on end and everyone assumed it must have been the whole thing with Voldemort and the war but I could see there was something else. Harry seemed like the only reason for me. Turns out I was right." He shot a glance at Harry for a second but his gaze just as quickly turned back to Ginny.

"Ron," Ginny began slowly, "I know how I feel may be hard to understand, but I love him. I've told Harry before and it isn't any less true now. While he was away I always felt like something wasn't right and I just never sat with myself because I didn't know what was happening with him and Hermione and you when you left. Coming to terms with the thought that Harry had moved on... it took a lot out of me. But I have him now, and I didn't have him then. That's the difference... This is going to sound really quite corny but," she laughed gravely, "his presence is having an effect on me."

Hermione and Ron couldn't see, but under the table, Harry slowly reached for Ginny's hand, taking it in his, squeezing it once, prompting Ginny to look up at him.

"Ginny," Harry softly interjected, looking for something buried deep in her expression. "Mind if we..." he gestured to the door with a slight nod of his head, tossing his hair over his glasses a little in the process.

"Go ahead," Hermione responded for the first time in the afternoon, her head coming up from the book, giving Ron a look as he went to oppose the suggestion, "we'll be here."

Harry got up first before anything more could be said and Ginny quickly raised from her chair, too. As they walked out the door, Ginny's mind began to race, what does he think I did to myself while he was gone? I never physically hurt myself or anything... just skipped a couple of meals and refused to leave my dorm whenever I could...

Once they were out of the house and had walked to the start of the driveway, Harry turned to face Ginny and let go of her hand, after a second of hesitation, began to speak, "Gin, I always assumed it didn't affect you much, leaving you, and that you had kinda moved on to bigger things like... war," Harry started. "Figured that when I kissed you, it was something different to the first time or- I don't know, something. Wow, I'm- I'm bad at this."

"Wait, hold up, Harry," Ginny raised an eyebrow at him, soon remembering what Hermione had told her yesterday, "he blames himself for it all..." And it dawned on her. Harry blamed himself, not only for the war starting, the fighting and death, but he blamed himself for the grief everyone felt. He wasn't just sad so many had died, he felt that everyone's problems were his own, too. I guess being the Boy Who Lived can do that... She recalled how when she put her hand on his back this morning, he shuddered more than the normal person would, how when he hugged her, it felt like he would never let go. She needed to show him otherwise. "Harry..."

"Ginny please just..."

"Shut up," Ginny stared straight into his eyes, "you're an idiot, y'know that?"

Harry's confused features finally met Ginny's piercing gaze, "...an idiot? Wait, what?"

"Cut the bull, Harry. I don't hate you because of the war. The Death Eaters and Voldemort are the reason it happened. Sure, I may have wanted someone to blame but it is easier if I blame it on the right person - that person is not you. I know you, Harry, and I love you. Not the Boy Who Lived, not the Chosen One: you. You from before the war, before the Horcrux hunt and everything, and I still know you. It's not different. Stop blaming yourself for something that couldn't possibly have been your fault, you idiot, because I refuse for the person I love to be sad all the time because of something that he concocted in his own mind. Harry, you didn't do anything wrong because whenever I thought about you I was happy. Briefly, sure, before I remembered what was going on, but happiness is happiness, is it not?"

"But when I came back," Harry asked, "what happened then? Ron was right about you being upset..."

"Ron happened, Harry," Ginny went on, rolling her eyes at the mention of her brother, "Ron told you to stay away from me, but I'm staying. If I seem clingy then learn to deal with it, Potter, cause you stuck with me." Harry's eyes met hers again as Ginny's hand made it's way to Harry's mop of messy, black hair. She exhaled once, "I do love you, y'know?"

"Yeah," Harry couldn't help but smile at her words.

Ginny sighed with a quick laugh, shaking her head, "that got real corny, real quick."

"It did, didn't it?"

They held each other for a while before shuffling back inside, once again, hand in hand, but not hiding it this time. Hermione and Ron, who had clearly been talking about everything looked over that them. One smirking and the other clearly a little annoyed, Ron stood up, attempting to wipe the scowl off of his face, saying "Okay, you two," he sighed, "you're a good couple, and I came to the conclusion on my own. Hermione did help a bit, though."

"Thanks, Ron." She shook her head with a smile.

"Yeah. Anyway, I trust you, Harry, because you are my best friend and you done far more for me than I will ever do for you." Harry nodded. "And, despite my better judgment, Ginny, you're-" Ron paused, grimacing slightly, "you're probably old enough to make reasonable choices or whatever."

As he sat back down, Hermione smiled at his feeble attempt at coming to terms with Harry and Ginny, "good job, Ronald."

"Thanks, mate," Harry said, "means a lot."

"Honestly, Ron," Ginny began in an amused but stern tone she liked to use quite a bit, "thank you for letting me make my own choices - like I should have been able to before - but I think Hermione deserves an apology, too."

"What?" He furrowed his brow and turned to Hermione who was going bright red and starting to shake her head at Ginny, "'Mione... what did I do?"

"After you left the room this morn-" Ginny's eyes drifted away from Ron and looked over to Hermione, "well, why don't you tell him then?"

"Ginny, I would really rather not."

"No escaping it now. He needs to know." Ginny rebutted.

"But..." she looked at Ron's confused expression, she began to nod her head slowly, "no escaping it now." She sighed and began, "what Ginny was going to say is that when you left your room this morning after the fight I was a little... shaken up. So, not really thinking straight, I went over to your bed and..." her breathing picked up a little, "hugged your... pillow."

"She's been mute all day since then." Ginny finished as Hermione nodded.

"'Mione, I didn't know," Ron carefully said, "it just... I haven't talked to you all day so... Are you okay? Now, I mean."

She released her shoulders from the tense position they sat in before, her face drooping, unsure of how she should continue, "well, I was worried by your reaction - made me second guess a few things. Quite a few things actually. Because..."

"Well?"

"Well, I don't know, Ronald."

A/N

I know, weird place to stop but it's important we stop here. You'll see...