After All, Harry

rebuilding

A/N: sadly, in this, Fred still dies. I didn't put it in my last one bc i would literally sob so. i think it ties in with the storyline well and i love fred, but he's 💀

****************

Rebuilding Hogwarts has got to be one of the most time consuming things Harry had ever done, and he was grateful for it - it was distracting. It kept your mind off things you'd rather not think about, topics that bring tears, and names that tense atmospheres. Names and memories that hurt to think about.

Most would probably assume that Harry's life should've gotten easier, it should've taken a considerable upturn in the makings - but it didn't. It did get better, he did admit, with Voldemort, the Darkest Wizard of all time finally being mortally killed and all - but it's not really over yet. He just hoped that whatever trouble crept up on him - like it always did, wouldn't affect any of his friends, and especially his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley.

Right after the initial celebrations of Voldemort being dead, recognizing the end of the second Wizarding War, it was time to mourn. Something Harry knew and did very well, but he couldn't weep or mope around this time. He had to be strong, for all of his friends and people he considered family, mostly Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

Lots of people had volunteered to help reconstruct the damaged and destroyed parts of Hogwarts, pledging their loyalty to the school. It had taken the rest of May, June and the half of July to repair all of the damage caused by the Battle of Hogwarts. July 15th, and all that was left was some of the library and empty classrooms.

It was the last day of rebuilding, and most people were focusing on the reconstruction of library, when Harry took notice of Ginny being unusually quiet. During these past months, Ginny would usually take up the awkward silence and chat about whatever came to mind, and Harry would gladly join in, talking about mostly nonsense, carefully avoiding the topic of the future, but today, she stood reserved, organizing novels and textbooks, silently and determinedly looking down at them, avoiding anyone's gaze. It hurt him to see her like that, especially because he knew that she and Fred had always been close - the twins and her were always the troublemakers growing up. It hit her hard, and Harry knew she was holding it together especially for George and Mrs. Weasley. He recognized the gesture, he'd tried to do it all of his years at Hogwarts.

"Ginny?" Harry turned to look at her, finally finished with repairing a tall bookshelf from its hole in the wall. She didn't seem to hear him, pretending to be engrossed in looking at a particular cover of a The Noble and Dangerous Art of Potions copy, her shoulders hunched and eyes glazed over, deep in thought.

"Gin? What's wrong?" He tried again, stowing his wand away into his pocket and slowly crouching down to match her height on the floor, sitting down next to her. She looked up at him, and he could definitely feel his heart shatter, her sad, tired eyes boring into his. They weren't bright and excited, they weren't honey-like brown - they were teary eyed and dull, her eyebrows furrowed in stress. He wrapped an arm around her, and she seemed to collapse into his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck, and buried her face into the crook of it.

"Do you want to erm," He paused to search for the right words, he was never great at the feelings thing, "Talk about it?" Ginny didn't say anything for a bit, just rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat, feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath, something she did now and then, just to make sure. It reminded her that he was there, he was alive. It was the worst feeling she'd ever felt, seeing Harry lifeless and gone in Hagrid's arm, and then hours later... her brother....

It was all so much. Too much.

Ginny said nothing, for a while just looking wistfully out the window onto the grounds, Harry patiently holding her until she was ready to talk. He was by no means a patient person, but it was always easier with her.