Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I'm not JKR...so, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with it.

A/N: I've slowly been writing away on this story, jotting down ideas and chapter notes for a few months now. I figured it's probably time to send it out into the world and see how it survives. Reviews are greatly encouraged, but please, be kind! Loves and kisses!

Harry Potter sat in the backyard of a broken-down house, his back against an large oak tree. He had been apparating to the same place early in the morning every day for the past 2 weeks, ever since the Battle of Hogwarts. He felt this was the only place he belonged, the place it had all began for him, almost 17 years before.

Of course, the crowds of celebrators and many well-wishers had flocked to the little house in Godric's Hollow as well. Harry was content to sit and listen to the parties and cheers that were still erupting two weeks after his defeat of Voldemort. He, however, did not feel like joining in. He preferred to sit in solitary silence under his father's invisibility cloak.

"Harry? Are you here?" Ginny Weasley stood outside the back fence, her voice quiet and concerned. There was still a charm placed on the fence, prohibiting any but blood relations to pass inside the yard. Harry remained still and silent. "Harry, I know that you're in there. I understand that you want to be alone, but it's been two weeks of seeing you only at dinner. We miss you, Harry. I miss you." Harry heard the crack in her voice on the last few words.

"Hey, Gin." Ron Weasley joined his sister at the fence. "Any luck?"

"No," Ginny sighed. "I know he's in there, Ron, I can tell. I just wish he'd let me in."

"This is hard for him, " Ron said. "He's used to doing the grieving part on his own. He'll let us in when he's ready. He'll come home when he needs us."

"What about when we need him? I know he's had this horrible troubled life, but we've all had our share of crapiness too. We need our whole family together right now more than ever and he's abandoning us."

"Gin, that's not fair." Ron placed his hand on his little sister's shoulder. "Harry's spent the last 7 years of his life fighting this battle, having Voldemort over his shoulder. He's got to figure out how to really live now. Now he gets a chance to figure out what he wants to live for."

"As long as he's not trying to figure out a way to live without us," Ginny said, adamantly.

Harry grinned at that. Ginny certainly didn't mince her words. That was one of the things he loved most about her. Someday, he thought. Someday he would tell Ginny what all those things were that he loved about her.

"Come on, let's leave Harry," Ron said. "He'll come when he's ready. He knows his family is always waiting with open arms. Besides, Mum's making lunch."
"You go ahead," Ginny said, settling onto the ground and leaning against the fence. "I'll stay with Harry."

"Ginny-" Ron began. Ginny shook her head.

"Ron, Harry's had people leaving him all his life," Ginny said. "He's never once turned his back on us. I'll stay here until he's ready to admit he needs us. I don't plan to go anywhere."

The sky was beginning to grow dark when Harry finally pulled off the invisibility cloak. He stood up and peered over the fence where he knew Ginny was sitting. Ginny's knees were pulled up under her chin, and she was sleeping.

"Ginny?" Harry hopped over the fence, landing next to the girl-no, woman-that he was in love with. He reached out and stroked her fiery red hair away from her face. He could see the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Harry was surprised as he had not heard her crying at all. Ginny rarely cried.

"Gin?"

"Harry?" Ginny's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her brown eyes. "You came out."

"You were crying." Harry sat down next to her, staring at his hands. "Are you okay?"

"Did you know that when I was little and Bill would tell me the story about you, I would cry myself to sleep at night?" Ginny whispered, reaching out to take Harry's hand. "My heart broke every time for the little boy who lost his mum and dad,who was taken away from our world. I used to pray that someday he would find his way back to the wizarding world and that when he got here, that he would go to Hogwarts and maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to actually meet him sometime." Ginny let of a weary chuckle. "Imagine my shock when Ron sends his first letter home and says that he's not only met Harry Potter, but he thinks they just might become good mates. And then that summer after your first year, Harry Potter is at my house. It's funny, because from the time I was a little girl, I always referred to you as Harry Potter, both names, like some kind of hero. You've always been everyone's hero, Harry. But somewhere along the lines, you became just Harry to the Weasley family. And instead of you being the boy that I dreamed about in my fairy tale happily-ever-afters, you're the man that I want to spend the hard days and the good times with."

"Ginny, I'm nobody's hero," Harry said. Ginny was shocked to hear how frail his voice sounded. "If I was a hero, no one would have died for me. I would have been able to save them all."

"Harry James Potter," Ginny said in exasperation. "Being a hero doesn't mean saving everyone. Harry, you defeated the darkest wizard of all time. And do you know how you did it? You refused to give up. You could have walked away years ago and left it to people who were older and more skilled. You never asked for this. Your whole life has been one tragedy after another. And yet, you're still here. You stood up to him. You taught an entire generation how to defend themselves. Every single one of those people that were there knew what they were getting into. And don't flatter yourself, they didn't die for you. They gave their lives for their families, their friends, so that we would all have a chance at a better tomorrow."

Harry sat there in silence, letting everything that Ginny had said sink in. Maybe she was right, maybe he had done everything that he could. After what could have been 5 minutes or 5 hours, Harry felt Ginny squeeze his hand.

"Are you ready to head home, Harry?" Harry looked at Ginny, her beautiful smile lighting up her face.

Harry thought back to what he had heard Ron say. He had the chance at his own life now, without having to live for everyone else. It was time to figure out what he was living for.

"Yeah, Gin," Harry said, standing up and pulling Ginny with him. "Let's go home."