Summary: I got this idea from Instagram ( @ginnwxley) and I love it so here's my version.
Harry and Ginny dated in Harry's 6th year but neither one was ever brave enough to make the grand confession. That is until emotions run high in the weeks after the war.
***
Harry ran a shaky hand through his messy, black hair and sighed. On the other side of the room, a fiery, red-headed, beautiful young witch by the name of Ginny Weasley dropped her head into her hands and released a shaky breath. This beautiful woman, who had captured Harry's heart, who could brighten his day with the smallest of smiles, could now hardly look at him.
He could hear the shouts of Molly Weasley, Ginny's mother, from the garden below. He knew he didn't have much time before someone would come looking for them. Time alone was something very hard to come by in the Burrow. Aside from the fact that Mrs Weasley refused to even entertain the idea of leaving Harry and Ginny alone, there were just far too many people in the house to find a nice quiet area that they could talk alone.
Harry turned to Ginny, taking a deep breath to control his racing heart and his budding temper. Slowly, he moved closer to her. She sat on her bed, her head still buried in her hands. Harry dropped to his knees in front of her. Ginny looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She wouldn't let them fall though, Harry knew. Ginny was the most stubborn person Harry knew, perhaps besides himself. Ginny wasn't a weepy person. In fact, in the seven years Harry had known her, he could count on one hand the amount of times he'd seen her cry.
He took her hand, letting his thumb gently caress the soft skin of her knuckles. do'
"Why are we fighting, Gin?" Harry said softly. "Why are we always fighting?"
"I don't know." Ginny whispered with a shake of her head. Her long red hair swirled around her shoulders at the movement.
Harry gripped her hands tighter and stood up, pulling her to her feet so she was standing in front of him.
"Well let's stop then." Harry said, looking straight into her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Harry." Ginny sighed. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"It's fine, I yelled too." Harry said.
"It's just since Fred.." Ginny paused. She swallowed around the invisible lump in her throat and Harry could see her fighting even harder to keep the tears at bay.
"I know." Harry nodded.
And he did. He knew she was struggling with the death of her brother. They all were. But Ginny and George seemed to be affected differently to the others. It was no secret that Ginny shared a bond with the twins that no other Weasley did. Out of the seven siblings, Ginny confided in Fred and George the most. They were the ones to cheer her up when she was sad. They were the ones to support her wacky ideas and cheer her on the loudest. While they grew up, Ginny became the third to their dynamic duo. Ginny didn't need to tell Harry, he already understood.
"We should go downstairs before someone comes up here looking for us." Ginny said, wiping at her eyes.
Harry nodded his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leading her out the room and down the stairs. When they reached the kitchen, they found Ron, Bill, George and Charlie sitting at the table.
"Where's everyone else?" Ginny asked.
"Outside." Bill answered quietly.
It was something Harry wasn't used to. The Burrow wasn't supposed to be quiet and empty. It was supposed to be loud, chaotic and bustling. But now, it seemed like the absence of Fred meant the absence of life in general around the creaky, old house. Mrs Weasley would continue to shout around the house, calling out to her husband and children. But there was something different about her voice. Her missing child created a crack of sorts in her once strong voice.
"You guys okay?" Charlie asked, looking between the two teens.
"Yeah, we're okay." Ginny nodded. She squeezed Harry's hand tighter in confirmation.
The young couple joined the others at the table. Bill fetched them both some tea and placed two steaming mugs in front of them. They thanked him quietly before the room fell into silence again. George continued to stare down at the table and Harry wondered if he'd even realised they had been joined by Harry and Ginny.
"George?" Ginny said quietly, reaching her hand out to touch his arm. "Are you okay?"
But George merely nodded his head in a silent response. Of course they all knew George was definitely not okay. Who would be after going through the trauma George had. He hadn't just lost his brother, he'd lost his twin. He'd lost his other half.
Mrs Weasley bustled into the kitchen carrying a load of freshly dried clothes.
"What are you all doing sitting around, there's jobs to be done." Mrs Weasley said.
"Come on Mum, you have to give us time to process what's happened." Charlie said hesitantly.
"We can all process while we get our jobs done." Mrs Weasley argued.
Harry suspected that Mrs Weasley was so desperate to keep them all distracted because she herself hadn't processed everything. It had been two weeks since that fateful day. Two weeks with an empty seat at the table. Two weeks with no joy or laughter. Two weeks without Fred.
Knowing better than to argue with the older woman, the five of them solemly rose from their seats and set about the various tasks Mrs Weasley had set them. Harry was pleased he'd been given the job of degnoming the garden. He didn't think he could cope with being cooped up inside any longer. He, along with Ginny and Ron, walked around the garden, looking for any sign of the little critters.
"Has anyone heard from Hermione?" Ginny asked, her wand swinging by her side.
"She said she'd visit today before she left for Australia." Ron said, pointing his wand at a gnome running across the grass in front of them.
"I can't believe she's travelling all that way alone." Ginny said.
"She's brave girl is our Hermione." Harry said. Something small whipped past him in his peripheral vision and he quickly aimed his wand.
"I offered to go with her, but she said she needed to do this alone." Ron said as they continued around the garden.
The sun beat down on them as they continued their task. It seemed to take hours. At some point Ginny had tied her hair into a high ponytail and shed herself of her cardigan. Harry was now certain his shirt was damp with sweat and looked across to see Ron in the same state. Around two hours into their chore, Mrs Weasley called them over for some freshly squeezed lemonade. The cool, refreshing liquid was heavenly to the three teenagers. Just as they'd finished their lemonade and the sandwiches Mrs Weasley had supplied for them, Hermione arrived at the garden gate.
Harry and Ginny shared a knowing look as Ron seemed to straighten up and flash a lopsided, goofy grin towards Hermione. Ron walked towards her, meeting her half way, and greeted her with a gentle kiss on her cheek. Even from where they stood at the back door, Harry could see his friend blush furiously. Ron and Hermione's relationship was still new and fresh, so Hermione wasn't completely comfortable with public displays of affection. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she was just incredibly shy about it. Harry and Ginny on the other hand, although incredibly private about their relationship, weren't so easily embarrassed.
"Hey guys." Hermione greeted as she and Ron approached.
"Hey 'Mione." Ginny smiled. "You're just in time to help us finish degnoming."
"How bad is it?" Hermione asked, looking around the garden.
"I think we've got the worst of it." Harry said, placing his cup on the silver tray left on the wooden bench. "Although I'm pretty sure there's a small gathering around the back of Mr Weasley's shed."
"Maybe we should let Ron and Hermione handle them alone." Ginny smirked, nudging Harry with her elbow.
Harry snorted a laugh as his two best friends turned tomato red. Hermione shoved her hair into a ponytail and pulled out her wand. The four of them then headed over to Mr Weasley's shed to finish getting rid of the gnomes. It took longer than expected and Harry recieved a nasty bite on his finger when he tried to catch a particularly bad tempered gnome, but finally they had finished.
They rejoined the kitchen just as Bill and Charlie walked in, covered in dust. Ginny instantly went off to find something to clean Harry's finger while the others sat down around the table.
"Let me guess? Dust the attic?" Ron said to Bill as he sat in his seat.
"Yep." Bill nodded. He gestured to Harry's finger. "Degnoming?"
"Yeah, those little sods are getting too big for their boots." Harry grumbled, still holding tightly onto his finger.
"They calm down in the winter." Charlie said.
Ginny returned and set down the first aid supplies on the table.
"Anyone seen George?" Ginny asked.
"No, Mum had him cleaning the windows upstairs but when we came down we didn't see him." Bill shook his head.
Ginny nodded in understanding. She cleaned up Harry's gnome bite and wrapped the finger in a plaster. Harry thanked her with a small smile as she sat down beside him. She let her head drop onto his shoulder and he gripped her hand under the table. Their joined hands rested in her lap.
"I'm worried about him." Bill sighed.
"Me too." Charlie nodded.
"It doesn't help that Percy the Prat still hasn't come home." Ron said with a sour look on his face.
"Ron, don't be so hard on Percy." Hermione said, swatting his arm. "He apologised to the family."
"He's just too embarrassed to come home right now." Bill said, shaking his head.
"He's being a selfish prat." Ginny spat. "Our brother just died and he's holding onto whatever pride he thinks he has because he thinks we're all going to judge him."
"I'm sure it's not like that, Ginny." Hermione said sofly.
"No it is, Hermione." Ginny exclaimed, lifting her head from Harry's shoulder. "He should be here with the rest of us so we can all support each other!"
"Ginny, it's okay." Bill said. "We still have each other."
"Well I'm sorry if it feels like I'm now two brothers down!" Ginny yelled. She quickly got to her feet. "He's not the only one who lost Fred! What about us? What about George! Percy should be here for George!"
"Gin, calm down." Harry said, reaching out for her.
But Ginny brushed his hand away. "No! I don't need to calm down, Harry! I need.. I just.."
Instead of finishing her sentence, Ginny fled. She raced out the room and bolted up the stairs. They all heard the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut and Harry winced slightly at the sound.
"Wow, I didn't realise she was hurting so much." Charlie said sadly.
"Of course she's hurting, she just doesn't show it like most girls." Bill sighed. "No offence Hermione."
"None taken." Hermione smiled. She turned to Harry. "Maybe you should go and talk to her, Harry."
"Me? Why me?" Harry asked.
"Because as much as I hate to say it, you know her better than anyone here. You know how to talk to her when she's upset." Ron said.
"Ron, in case you haven't noticed, we've done nothing but fight recently." Harry scoffed.
"Because she's grieving, Harry. Like Bill said, she doesn't show her emotions like most girls do. She holds it all in." Hermione said.
Harry sighed and ran a hand down her face. "Look, she doesn't need to tell me, I understand how she feels. She knows I'm here if she needs me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted Harry upside the head.
"Ow!" Harry exclaimed. "What was that for?!"
"Harry, I say this with the greatest amount of compassion I can muster for you right now." Hermione sighed. "You're an idiot."
Harry's brows creased together.
"She knows you're there for her, of course she does. But sometimes all a girl needs is for someone to listen to her." Hermione said gently. "You might understand what she's feeling and what she's thinking, but you're not even giving her a chance to express herself."
"She won't talk to me." Harry said defensively.
"Because she thinks you don't need to hear it." Hermione said. "Ginny doesn't just break down and spill her deepest feelings. Sometimes she needs that little push to open up."
Harry glanced down at his hands. He felt guilty and even shameful. Hermione was right. Harry hadn't tried to get Ginny to talk, not really. He'd asked her what's wrong and he'd told her he was there if she needed him, but he hadn't really tried to get her to open up. Harry ran a hand down his face and nodded at Hermione.
"You're right."
"Go talk to her, Harry. Get her to open up." Hermione said.
Harry glanced around at Ron, Bill and Charlie. "Is that okay with you guys?"
"Hey, if you can get her to open up I'll throw your wedding tomorrow." Charlie said.
"Shut up, Charlie!" Bill glared, slapping his brothers arm. "Go ahead, Harry."
Harry nodded his head and quickly left the kitchen. As he got closer to Ginny's bedroom door, he heard Mrs Weasley in the kitchen.
"Where are Harry and Ginny?"
"Mum, I know you don't approve of them being alone, but Ginny needs Harry right now."
"What do you mean alone? Where are they?"
"Mum, Ginny needs to talk to someone and I think Harry's the best one to get that to happen."
"Molly, the boys are right, just give them this time."
Harry smiled to himself. He was eternally grateful that the Weasley brothers supported him and trusted him with their little sister. He took a deep breath and knocked on Ginny's door a couple of times before slowly pushing the door open.
"Ginny? Can I come in?" Harry asked, peeking around the door.
Ginny sat on her windowsill, staring blankly out the window with her arms wrapped around her knees. At the sound of Harry's voice, she looked over her shoulder at him and nodded her head. Harry walked over to her and gingerly sat beside her feet.
"Talk to me, Gin." Harry said softly.
"About what?" Ginny said, staring out the window again.
"About you." Harry said. "And don't tell me you're okay, because I know you're not."
"It's fine, Harry. I don't need to talk about it." Ginny said, shaking her head.
"Yes you do. You can't keep it bottled up forever." Harry said. He placed a hand on her knee.
"Alright, I don't want to talk about it then." Ginny shrugged.
Harry sighed. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to get Ginny talking.
"Look, I know I keep saying I know how you feel or I understand, but I don't, not really." Harry said.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, looking at him.
"I'm not the one who lost my big brother, Gin." Harry said.
"You lost your parents, you've lost friends." Ginny shrugged. "It's the same thing."
"No, it's not." Harry argued. "I didn't know my parents. And the friends I lost, its nothing compared to losing a brother that's been there your whole life."
Harry saw a stray tear slip down Ginny's cheek and knew that he was close to getting her to open up.
"Ginny." Harry sighed. He took her hand in his. "Please, talk to me."
But Ginny pulled her hand away and shook her head.
"I don't want to talk about it Harry." Ginny snapped.
"You have to talk about it sometime, Ginny." Harry argued.
Perhaps Hermione and Bill were wrong. Perhaps Harry wasn't the best one to get Ginny to talk.
"No, I don't!" Ginny exclaimed. She pushed herself off the windowsill and walked across her room.
"Ginny, don't walk away from me." Harry said, pushing himself to his feet.
"Just leave me alone, Harry." Ginny said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself.
"No." Harry said firmly. "No I won't. Not until you talk to me."
"Why are you trying to force this so much? Why can't you just trust me when I say I'm okay?!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Because what happened downstairs wasn't okay, Ginny!" Harry argued.
"I had a brief moment of anger towards my prat of a brother, I'm sorry!" Ginny rolled her eyes.
"No, this is more than just you being mad at Percy." Harry shook his head. "This is about Fred leaving you."
This seemed to strike a nerve deep inside Ginny and she glared at Harry with such intensity that Harry actually feared her in that moment. Regardless, he carried on.
"This is about you having to cope with the fact that Fred is gone!"
"Stop." Ginny said, eyes narrowing.
"Fred left and you can't deal with that." Harry said, feeling brave suddenly.
"Why are you doing this, Harry?" Ginny growled. "Why, of all people, are you being so mean?"
"I'm not trying to be mean, Ginny, I'm trying to get you to admit how you really feel!" Harry said hotly. "I'm trying to get you to see that it's okay to be sad! It's okay to be angry about it."
"I'm not.."
"Stop lying to me, Ginny!" Harry bellowed, cutting her off. "For once in your life, just let yourself feel it!"
"You think I don't feel anything?" Ginny seethed. "You think I've just pushed away my feelings?!"
"I think you're lying to everyone about how you really feel because it's easier than letting them see any kind of weakness from you." Harry said firmly. He clenched his hands into tight fists.
He hadn't wanted this to turn into an argument, but it seemed to be the only way to get Ginny to talk. So Harry went with it.
"That's a load of crap, Harry." Ginny scoffed.
"No it isn't. And you know it isn't, otherwise you'd have a better argument than just rolling your eyes at me!" Harry exclaimed.
"I don't care what you think, Harry." Ginny growled.
Harry ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated growl.
"Why won't you just talk to me?!" Harry yelled. "Why don't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you, Harry! I just don't want to talk about Fred!" Ginny yelled back.
"You know what, this was a mistake." Harry shook his head.
"What was a mistake?" Ginny scoffed.
"Forget it. Obviously you don't feel like you can talk to me." Harry said.
He started to walk away but Ginny's flustered voice stopped him.
"Harry, I can't talk about it!" Ginny yelled. Harry spun around to face him. "I can't."
"Yes you can. You can talk to me." Harry said desperately.
Ginny ran a hand through her hair and turned away. Suddenly she turned around sharply.
"Why is it so important to you that I talk? Why can't you just let me deal with this in my own way?" Ginny shouted.
"Because your way means bottling it all up until you explode over something stupid and minor!" Harry argued.
"No," Ginny shook her head. "Why is it so important to you that I talk to you."
"Because I love you, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed. "Because I'm trying so hard to be there for you and support you and help you through this, but you insist on shutting me out!"
Ginny froze and stared at him wide eyed. For a brief moment, Harry was confused and couldn't quite work out why she'd reacted that way. And then it hit him. He had said it. He'd said the three words neither of them had been brave enough to say before.
"You what?" Ginny whispered.
Harry stared at her. There was no going back now.
"I love you, Ginny." Harry said, this time a little more confident. "All I want is for you to trust me enough to share your pain."
The next thing he knew, Ginny's body barrelled into him. He caught her easily and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms wrapped around his neck. She crashed her lips to his in a heated, passionate kiss. When she finally pulled away, Harry saw another stray tear slide down her cheek.
"I love you too, Harry." Ginny smiled sadly at him. "And I do trust you."
Harry lowered her to the ground and placed a hand on either side of her face.
"Talk to me." Harry whispered, looking into her eyes.
And then, Ginny did the one thing Harry had rarely seen from her. She cried. She let her tears fall freely and choked out a sob.
"It hurts, Harry." Ginny whispered. "Everything hurts, so much."
Harry pulled her towards him, wrapping her in the safety of his arms. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she finally broke down.
"He left us. He left me." Ginny sobbed. Harry simply held her tighter. "Fred's gone and I don't know how to live without him."
Harry felt his heart shatter. He pressed another kiss to the top of her head and closed his eyes.
"How could he do this to us?" Ginny was now shaking violently, her uncontrollable sobs racking her body.
"I'm sorry, Ginny." Harry whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"It hurts, Harry." Ginny said again.
"I know." Harry nodded.
This time he really did know. Now he knew how Ginny really, truly felt. Now he could understand her and share her pain. He could share her burden. Ginny continued to sob into his chest, finally releasing her pent up grief, anger and frustration. Neither of them said a word. They didn't need to.
Around thirty minutes later, Ginny finally peeled herself away from Harry and wiped at her eyes. The hair that had fallen from her ponytail clung to her cheeks and Harry gently brushed them away.
"Feel better?" Harry asked softly.
Ginny nodded her head. "Actually, yeah, I do."
"Good." Harry smiled at her.
"Thank you." Ginny whispered.
"You don't need to thank me, Gin." Harry shook his head.
"I do. If it wasn't for you I'd still be harbouring all that emotion." Ginny said.
"Well just remember you can always let it out to me. Whenever you need to." Harry said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Ginny nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his torso. Harry enveloped her in another tight hug. He knew that Ginny would be hurting for a long while yet. They all would. But they had each other and that was enough for Harry.
End.