19 Years and Counting (DISCONTINUED)

Episode 6: Just Us

Over the following days, Ginny and Harry spent every second they could catching up on what they missed while they were separated. With the rest of the family in the dark and Ron still awkward about their relationship, the time they spent was unfortunately limited. But with stifling laughter at meals, sneaking out to sit in the grass next to the lake, and the occasional out-of-sight kiss, they grew closer by the day.

"I can't just leave you three here and go back to Hogs by myself," Ginny said.

"Why? Would you miss me too much?" Harry retorted quickly with a wink.

The couple was sitting under an old, twisted tree on a small incline that they had become accustomed to visiting together. They were speckled with drying mud after racing through the tall grass surrounding the Burrow on their brooms, attempting to see who could fly lowest without crashing. Harry won - the swiftly learned not to jeer.

When throwing the Weasley's old quaffle back and forth, Ginny reminisced upon the golden evenings they spent at Hogwarts during her fifth year before it all went haywire. Before Harry, Hermione and Ron had to disappear for the most agonising nine months of her life. Those days were what kept her going even in the hardest times... that and a serious amount of personal rage directed towards a certain power-hungry, dark wizard.

"No, Harry," Ginny rolled her eyes but snapped back quickly. "Well, yes but that's not the point, Potter. You should all come back to Hogwarts with me. I refuse to let you believe I'm going to leave you here."

"Leave us here?" He tilted his head to face Ginny whose head was resting peacefully on his lap, her scarlet eyelashes fluttering softly in the spring breeze. "We all want to go back. Well, Ron isn't too fond of the idea but Hermione wouldn't miss the opportunity to get a full education if it arose." He paused briefly before continuing, "and we all know is she goes, Ron's going to go."

"Is it because you haven't finished your N.E.W.T.S yet? I heard Hermione say something about it, I think."

"Yeah." He continued, "you still have to finish your seventh year, too right?"

"Yes, but we'll see if the Ministry counts the Death Eater year as an actual grade of school. Doubt it though - we didn't do our sixth-year education at all... I don't think proficiency with the Cruciatus Curse is going to get everyone through their N.E.W.T.S."

She stopped as her mind drifted to the innocent first years who arrived at Hogwarts for the first time last year - excited to learn how to make feathers float, how to brew a potion that will cure boils, how to change matches into needles - but who learned how to torture, control and... kill. The students who will never see Hogwarts as a home, but as a prison.

"I am going to do everything in my power to prove to the students this year that Hogwarts isn't usually like it was when the Death Eaters ruled." She thought out loud. "We see it as our home, they probably never will..."

"How do I respond to that, Gin?" He asked after a second of silence.

She looked up at him, "I don't know. I didn't expect a response." She sighed, "will you help me to make it home, again?"

"Hogwarts is still home, Gin. For me at least," he stroked her head, "but I wasn't there last year. I'll help, of course, but maybe this one should be up to you? You're so caring all the time but you don't pity people; you expect their best self because you know that they have it in themselves to be great. You'd be amazing for a thing like that." She smiled up at him as heat rose softly to her ears and neck.

"Thanks, Potter." She laughed.

Harry hummed in response. "So, getting back to the original conversation... we won't be in the same year," he said, a little disappointed.