Harry and Ginny Backstory!
The war was coming and Ginny refused to be left behind. No matter how many times Harry protested that she stay behind for her own safety.
"Ginny, don't take this the wrong way, but you're almost as bad a trouble-magnet as I am," Harry argued, keeping one eye on the clock. Kingsley had insisted he be in his office by six o'clock, with anyone he planned to take with him. Ron was already waiting down the hall. Now all he had to do was convince his stubborn girlfriend to stay away.
"You're not leaving me here, Harry," she insisted. "You know I'll just come after you." She glanced at the clock and sighed, frustrated beyond belief that Harry would just leave her behind when the most important battle in the war was on the edge of taking place.
"You can't," he said. "I can't be worrying about you all the time, Ginny, it just won't work. I need to know that you're safe."
"You won't be if I'm there with you," she argued. "I'll be safer with you than I could be if you left me here."
"That's not true," he said. "You're protected here, if you're out there with me you're in plain sight to get captured and tortured and killed - no thanks, all right? I don't want to be suddenly single when this is all over."
"Death Eaters could attack the castle and I'd be in just as much danger," Ginny replied. "I don't want to be stuck here tending to the injured while you're out there..." She trailed off, not able to complete the sentence.
"Then you have to be here to protect everyone who can't protect themselves," he said. "You're needed here just as much if not more than I need you to be here."
"Fine," she replied, trying not to show how scared she was for him. "Go, but come back...you have to come back."
"Harry!" Ron yelled. "Hurry up, we're going to miss it!"
"Damnit," he said, desperately. He caught her by the shoulders and kissed her. "I'll try," he said.
"I love you, Harry," she said, throwing her arms around him. She didn't want to let him go, but she did. She gave him one last kiss and let him go.
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Ow, fuck. My head hurts. So does my arm. And my chest. And... well... everything. What happened? Oh, shit. I remember pain, and laughing, and then screaming... I'm dead, aren't I? Yes, that's what the blinding white light must have been. But then why does everything HURT like this? Oh, gross, what's this stuff going down my throat? Wait. It doesn't hurt so badly now. It's going away. Whee. That's much better. I must be in heaven, now. I wonder what'll happen if I try to open my eyes?
Ginny sat beside Harry's hospital bed, half dozing in her chair. It felt like she'd been there for days instead of a few hours. She'd hurried to his side as soon as they'd brought him in. After being assured by the Healers that he would be fine, she'd sat and waited for him to wake up. Taking turns with Hermione and Ron, so someone would be with him when he woke up, she felt like she had been there the entire time. She'd hardly slept for worrying and now, though she was almost sleeping, she was very aware of everything around her.
Harry blinked and squinted in the strong light. Looking to the side her saw a reddish blur, but at least it was a familiar-looking blur. "Ginny?" he croaked.
Ginny jerked awake at the sound of her name and rubbed her eyes. "Harry? You're...awake. I was so worried. How do you feel?" she asked, pulling the chair closer as she took his hand in hers. "Do you need anything? Should I call one of the Healers?"
"M'fine," he mumbled through the fog. He attempted to squeeze her hand, but it was difficult, for some reason. "Can't really feel anything..."
"It's okay...they gave you something for the pain. A numbing potion, but I don't know what else," she replied, brushing his hair from his face. "Ron and Hermione have been here. We were all worried when you didn't wake up after the first day..."
"Huh... that must be why I feel so fuzzy," he said, chuckling. Whatever those potions were, they worked. "What happened?"
"You won," Ginny replied with a smile. "The war's over..."
He grinned and relaxed back into the pillow. It was soft. Really soft... and nice. "That's good then," he said. "Good."
"You came back," she said. "You didn't just try...you did it."
"Told you," he said, trying to squint her into focus. She was definitely the most beautiful blur he'd ever seen. "I love you," he mumbled.
"I love you, too," she said, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "There have been several owls from the Ministry in the past few days. Percy said they're awarding you the Order of Merlin, First Class. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Pff," he said. He couldn't remember making that sound before, but it was a good sound. "Whatever. S'peice of metal, Remus always says. No, seriously," he continued. "I love you more than..." he tried to think of things he really liked. "Quidditch. And chocolate!"
"It's a serious honor, Harry," she replied. "They don't give those to everyone...don't get off topic. I know you love me...but I think Quidditch and chocolate still have a piece of your heart."
"I'd give 'em up for you," he said, honestly.
"You would not," she replied with a laugh.
"I would so," he insisted. "I'd give up everything. I love you more than everything. Even this pillow."
"Now you're just being silly," she grinned.
"M'not, I promise," he said. He felt for her hand and held it as tightly as he could, which wasn't much. "I'll prove it."
"Yeah? How?" she asked, stroking her thumb over the top of his hand.
"Marry me, Ginny," he said. "I'll marry you. Please, will you?"
"Harry...you can't be serious," Ginny replied. "We don't have to get married for you to prove how much you love me..."
"But I am," he said. "I'm... I'm very confused about a lot of things at the moment... but I'm sure about this. We don't even have to get married right now this second... I mean, I should probably get out of the bed first..." And leave the pillow? But... no wait, this is more important. Focus! "I just... I want to be with you.F'r long time. Ever. Please?"
"I'd love to marry you more than anything, Harry," she replied, stroking his cheek. Assuming you remember you proposed to me when you get out of the hospital.
He smiled. "Thank you," he said, feeling his eyelids start to fall. "Mmm... sleepy."
"Get some rest," she said with a smile. "I'll be here when you wake up..."
"Promise?"
"Promise," she said as she kissed his forehead.
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Harry dumped the last box, quite unceremoniously, in the kitchen, before going through to sit down on the worn old sofas that had been left there by the previous owners. He regretted not using his wand more during the whole moving process. "How do we have so much stuff?" he called through to Ginny in the hall. "Actually, how do you have so much stuff? You could carry all my stuff under one arm, and I know because I did it earlier. Since when did you own a box of plates?"
"Mum gave them to us," she yelled as she went into the bedroom to put the clothes basket down. "She wasn't too happy about it, but she did give us things we can definitely use." She came back down the hall into the living room. "Are you sure that's everything?"
"I could've just bought some plates," Harry grumbled. "Yeah, I think so. If not, we'll just have to be destitute while we live without whatever it is for a while."
Ginny plopped down beside him on the worn sofa. "I told Mum we didn't need all of this stuff, but she insisted I take it. You know she wouldn't let me leave home otherwise."
"You know I love your mum," Harry said. "But, really, you're twenty-one, you've been engaged for four years already... it's a good thing you got out now or I would've eventually had to sleep in the shed at the Burrow."
Ginny gave a laugh. "And Mum would've had a fit...and Dad...he'd ask you constantly about his Muggle treasures. We wouldn't have any peace there."
"Hence, house," he said, waving his hand around to encompass the room. "Doors, windows, cupboards, it's got it all. Oh yeah, and the bedroom is a definite plus..."
"A very definite plus," she grinned, curling up beside him. "We don't have to answer to anyone but ourselves..."
"No need for any silencing charms..." he added, wistfully. "No chance of interruptions... much, anyway."
"Almost too good to be true, isn't it?" she teased. "We could ask Ron to move in if you think you'll get bored..."
Harry made a face. "Don't even joke about that! Ten years living with him was enough, thanks."
"Then you're stuck with me, aren't you?" she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Finally," he said, relaxing at last.
"We should start unpacking..." she said, moving to get up.
"Nonono," he said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back down. "Stay. The boxes aren't going anywhere."
"Stay for what?" she asked with a devilish grin.
"Brat," he said, kissing her softly.
Ginny returned his kiss and nuzzled his neck. "There's work to do..."
"And your parents will be here any minute to help," he pointed out. "Do I look like I care?"
"That doesn't give us long to do anything," she reminded him. "Don't start something you can't finish..." she teased.
"Did I say I was going to?" he said, innocently. "Besides, who knows where this sofa's been. Just... let's have this moment. Manual labor be damned."
"You didn't have to say it," she replied, snuggling into him. "We can relax until Mum and Dad get here. I hope Fred and George don't decide to drop by. We won't have dishes left if they help."
"Yeesh, I really don't want that experience," he said, wincing.
"Neither do I," she replied with a laugh. "Though some of the plates are pretty ugly..."
"I guess we'll just have to... settle into it," he said. "Figure out our own style."
"And get rid of those plates," she replied with a grin. "Ron probably wouldn't complain if we gave them to him."
He laughed. "Poor plateless Ron. We could start a plate charity."
"We could," she laughed. "We could probably give him plenty of other things too. I know we don't need all this stuff."
"It was nice of your mum, though," he added quickly, not wanting to appear ungrateful. "It's nice to have some stuff that's... y'know, broken in. Except this sofa," he said, glancing at the rotting fabric. "No wonder they left it behind."
"The first thing we'll do is get Dad to move it out," she replied. "The new one should be here tomorrow. Or we could just transfigure it..."
"Didn't your mum say 'no magic around any furniture'?"
"We can do it after she leaves and she'll never know," she grinned mischievously.
"That's dangerously close to disobedience," Harry pointed out. "Not sure if I'd feel comfortable breaking the rules quite this soon after I've stolen you away. They might take you back again."
"Oh fine," she sighed. "We'll get rid of the ugly thing. You know I can lie to Mum easily though..."
"Don't know how you do it," he admitted. "She has this thing that makes it really hard to lie to her. I'd have a tough time if she was my mum."
"You just have be convincing," she laughed. "I'd be a great actress. And besides my family has been your family since your first visit to the Burrow."
Harry swallowed. "I still can't believe that when we get married I'm going to have six brothers. There's something deeply disturbing about that, somewhere..."
"At least we won't have a boring life," she replied with a teasing grin.
"With our careers, did you ever really think that was possible?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"You have a point," she replied. "I thought Mum was going to have a bird when I told her what I wanted to do."
The doorbell rang. Harry grinned. "That's them."
"I don't want to get up now," she groaned.
"No choice," he said, grimacing in mock-difficulty-of-movement. "Must... answer... door..."
Ginny gave a laugh as she got up and pulled him up with her. She gave him a quick kiss and went to answer the door.
Harry sat up, grinning. He looked around at the living room, boxes strewn variously over the bobbly carpet, coal-blackened fireplace sitting under an curved wooden beam that joined the latticework of similar beams that formed the ceiling. From the hall he heard voices happily discussing the state of the paint. He got off the sofa, which wasn't so bad once you got used to it, and walked over to the fireplace. When he rubbed at the stonework, the soot came off on his fingers. Nothing a few banishing charms couldn't fix. He smiled.
This was home.