Forever

Ginny stood under the running hot water and closed her eyes. Every muscle was sore and screaming and she was looking forward to reaching her bed and getting a good night's sleep. Maybe that night she would actually get one. After a match as intense as that, she hoped she was exhausted enough not to let her mind wander back to Harry. She was tired of thinking about him, tired of crying. Tears of anger, bitterness, frustration, and complete loss, she was sick of it all.

Turning off the tap, she grabbed her towel and dried off, taking fresh sweats from her bag and sliding them on. Pulling back her wet hair, Ginny covered it with the hood of her cloak before stepping out of the deserted changing room and leaving the stadium. The crowd had dispersed; the other players off to the dormitories to lament another tough loss. Ginny walked alone almost missing seeing the lone figure standing under the light of a lantern further ahead on the walkway. Her heart skipped a beat and she stopped, recognizing the profile and that tell-tale untidy dark hair.

Harry stood from leaning against his god-father's old flying motorcycle and waited as she drew nearer, watching him with her intense questioning gaze. "I didn't know you were here."

"It was a great game."

"We lost," she stood before him, looking up into his shadowed face.

"You were brilliant." Harry couldn't take his eyes off her, wanting nothing more but to reach out and hold her without letting go.

"Why are you here?" she asked softly, not a trace of accusation in her inflection.

"I brought you something." Harry pulled his hand from his cloak pocket, reaching out and opening his hand, palm upward. Ginny looked down and saw the tiny ball of gold shine in the light of the lamp overhead. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "It's yours, you caught it that match against—"

"Ravenclaw." Ginny put out a hand to take it, hesitating and looking up at him.

"Take it," he reassured her. Closing her fingers around the snitch, Ginny watched expectantly as it fell open at her touch revealing what was hidden inside. "I want you to keep it," Harry told her, watching her closely. "Until you're ready, I…I'll wait."

"How long?" Ginny kept her gaze on the snitch, eyes downcast, a trace of emotion in her words.

"Forever."

Looking up into Harry's eyes, Ginny opened her lips to speak, but couldn't. Throwing her arms around him and meeting his lips with hers for a deep, long kiss full of meaning, she clasped tightly to the snitch, the flutter of tiny wings beating against the glint of the ring on her finger.

Looking Forward

The flat above the joke shop on Diagon Alley was well lit and warm with the presence of several chattering bodies around the long table over-loaded with food and drink. George passed around the bottle and refilled everyone's glasses, laughing and sharing humorous stories about the owner of the shop next door. Harry laughed along with the others, feeling lighthearted. Squeezing Ginny's hand under the table he smiled at her, receiving a smile in return.

It didn't look as though the Harpies were going to make it to the finals that season, so she would be home for the summer sooner than expected. Harry was glad for the fact, but also getting used to the idea that she would be leaving again a short time later for next season's training. It didn't matter, really. Plans were being made; there would be a wedding, eventually.

Work at the Ministry was still exhausting, but operations were under way to capture Lestrange, and Harry was a large part of the action. Things had been a little uncomfortable between Diana and him for a while, but he had apologized for the night of drinking and in time they had returned to their usual competitive working relationship. Diana concluded that she couldn't very well loathe Goldberg on her own, it wasn't nearly as enjoyable.

There was a clinking of silverware on glass as Ron stood and got everyone's attention. Preparing to make a toast, he looked down the table at Harry with a grin. "Well, it was a little shaky for a while there, mate," he said. "But we can finally celebrate your engagement with this fine meal."

"Thank you, Ron," George raised his glass.

"Yes, thank you, Ron," Angelina gave George a look, elbowing him.

"Who was it that cooked then, eh?" he argued. "Not you, obviously, everyone's eating aren't they?"

"Ahem," Ron shut them both up. "Anyway, Harry, Ginny," he raised his glass. "Congratulations."

"Cheers!" Everyone followed suit and drank to the happy couple.

"Wait, wait, I'm not done." Ron continued, ignoring George's groan. "Since we're all here," he looked at Hermione who looked at him in surprise.

"Now?" her face grew pink.

"Yes, now," Ron rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to her feet. "We have an announcement as well." Holding up her finger so everyone could see, he showed them the ring. Angelina gasped, and Ginny laughed with excitement.

"Oh, I knew it!"

Harry looked at Ron in delighted surprise, raising his glass again in return. "Well, done. It's about time."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, sitting down looking red in the face. The girls crowded around the ring and chattered non-stop. "What'd I say," he gave Harry a look. "It's all your fault."

"Hold on, hold on," George stood from his seat this time and everyone stopped, resuming their seats. "I've got something to announce then myself."

"What?" Angelina looked at him in horror.

"Don't be stupid," George waved her off. "If you two are getting married," he pointed at Ron and Hermione, "then I might as well give you your wedding gift now."

Ron looked confused.

"You all know that Fred and I once talked about taking up residence in Hogsmeade," George trailed off a moment, staring at the candles burning in the center of the table. Everyone went silent, quietly sipping their wine in memory. "Well, anyway, it's happened. I bought out Zonko's. I'm opening a new store and will be needing someone," he looked at Ron once again, "to manage this one while I'm there."

"Oh," Hermione covered her mouth in surprise, looking at Ron as well. He looked surprised, alarmed, and pleased all at once.

"Manager?"

"That's right little bro," George tipped his glass in his direction. "If you accept."

"Well, I…" Ron looked to Hermione for help who nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah of course."

"It's settled then," George nodded, sitting down and draining his wine. "And don't expect a gift at the ceremony."

"That's a lot to celebrate for one night." Ginny smiled over the chatter of the rest of the table, looking at Harry. He returned the smile, looking around at them all in the low lighting, laughing and enjoying the late evening meal. Yes, it certainly was.

Author's Note: I've had some comments about the oddity of placing Harry and Ron in a rundown, London flat after the war with Voldemort and finishing at Hogwarts so I'd just like to say that I did this intentionally. I can't imagine Harry picking some posh flat or even a cottage in Godrick's Hallow right off the bat. With three years of training to be an Auror and hopes of marrying Ginny, he would most likely be more careful with his gold. He would never allow the Weasley's to take on the expensive burden of a wedding and would want something saved up for him and Ginny to begin their lives together. Plus, with Ron just starting out as well, Harry would want a place they could both afford equally so as not to hurt the pride of his best mate. Some have also had an issue with Ginny being gone most of the year playing Quidditch. I took some liberties with that just for the sake of the story. Basing it off of a schedule similar to North American Major League Baseball, I just imagined that a career playing Quidditch would take a lot of the player's time and effort. Thanks so much for reading and for the fabulous reviews!