I Promise

Prologue

Harry Potter, fresh into seventh year, sat in the common room staring at the fire fixedly, as though the ruby flames were calling to him in some sort of twisted way. Behind wire rimmed glasses his bright emerald eyes reflected the light of the flame, although years of suffering and torment had turned them a bit duller than they originally were when he first laid eyes on the magical world, a whole six years prior. His raven black hair was still untidy, and he had recently taken up his father's habit of running his hand through it and messing it up more and more - although he did it for different reasons that James Potter ever did. Recently Hermione had finally snapped and yelled that if he ran his hand through it one more time she would charm it all off and refuse to re-grow it. Ron had put her back to normal calm Head Girl with a few soothing words that had served him well all seventeen years of his life, although no one knows where he inherited his ability. She later apologized and blamed stress, the war raging outside of the fortress they called Hogwarts was brutal, and more and more muggle families with magical children were being slaughtered every day. Hermione's parents were currently in hiding, along with all other Muggle parents that would accept.

Ginny Weasly currently sat beside Harry messing with his hair and giving him a look somewhere between pity and understanding. They had become close, close friends over the past two years, considering she was the only one, aside from Harry, who truly understood Voldemort. Nothing could ever break the bonds that The Trio had, but Ginny sure came close to surpassing even Ron and Hermione at times. Far from her crush in her early years at school, Ginny had matured into an admired, respected young lady who had many suitors, even if she would refuse to date any of them. She had her fill of relationships in her fourth and fifth year, and was furthermore waiting for Mr. Right. Harry was just patiently waiting to make sure he didn't get killed before settling down. He wouldn't even tell Ron, Ginny, or even Hermione who he had his piercing eyes on.

Ron and Hermione had finally, at the end of sixth year, admitted their feelings for each other and started to date, although subtly at first. Ginny thought it was downright sweet when they asked Harry if it would bother him if they became a couple. Harry said no and appeared ecstatic for them to finally come to terms with what had been becoming more and more obvious since first year. But sometimes, while Ron and Hermione were off on an escapade, he would acquire this far away, drifting, lonely look behind his emerald green eyes. That was when he and Ginny had their best discussions. Ginny refused to admit that she was falling fast for Harry, her best friend. Her other sixth year classmates would tell her that the two would end up married, and they might as well come to terms with what's bound to happen sooner than later. Harry was inwardly struggling about that in his heart as the nights passed by.

~:~ Two Weeks Later ~:~

"Ginny..." Ginny's red-haired head snapped up at the sound of her name being called so urgently, yet softly. Her big, brown eyes met Harry's emerald ones across the library table, and she let her lips play around with a smile.

"What is it, Harry?" The way that she was able to give him that look that went so strait through him no male would ever know. Harry's stomach gave a funny flop as he opened his mouth again as if to speak. He closed it just as quickly. She gave him an even more piercing look and he gave a decisive sigh.

"Ginny, what would you do if I was to fall head-over-heels in love with you?"

The statement came out in a bit of a rush, Harry's eyes pleading with her to give him the answer he wanted, and quickly before he either tossed his cookies or fainted from the anticipation of it. It took Ginny a few moments to digest this, and when she came to full comprehension of the question he had given her a flush crept up her neck, finally residing on her ears.

"I...would..." she started out slowly, thinking about her answer. "I would be quite happy and then...I'd trip over you too..." she admitted, a bit of a guilty tone in her voice. The only person whom she had never been able to lie to was Harry, and this she regretted now.

"Really?" Harry fidgeted in his chair. Ginny nodded in all seriousness.

"Well...what if I was to tell you that I was....right now?" Ginny's eyes became, if possible, wider at this and she gave a small gasp.

"Are you...trying to say what I think you are?" she asked him shakily, trying to swallow the lump that had risen in her throat.

"Yes." He smiled warmly at her, causing her body to tingle slightly.

"What if I told you I had been, for a while now?" she gave her statement in the form of a question, trying to suppress the huge grin fast appearing across her face.

"What if I told you I was too, but I was afraid you didn't feel the same?" Ginny bit her lip cautiously.

"Was I really that good at hiding it?"

"I always hoped, but I was never for sure."

"I'm sorry..."

"Well, erm...I'm sure you know that I...want to...well...go out with you...so I guess I'm asking you if you...erm...d'you want to?" he finished uncertainly, his voice almost breaking and his palms sweating, eagerness and pleading in his eyes.

"More than...anything." she said breathlessly as he reached across the table for her hand.

~:~

Their relationship was true love. As much as she said it sounded like a fairy-tale she couldn't help but admit that it was indeed real life. She loved him with all her heart; he loved her with all of his. They were perfect together. The threat of Voldemort began to scare him, though, and he soon became decidedly quiet around her and cold to everyone.

"Harry..." Ginny began as she took her normal seat beside him, in front of the roaring furnace.

"What?" he asked, avoiding her eyes.

"I'm not afraid." Ginny lifted his chin to force him to meet her eyes. "I love you and I'll die before I lose you. I don't care about Voldemort; I don't care about anything anymore, just you." She was a strong girl, but even at this point her eyes filled with tears she was forcing herself not to cry.

"But...if you die..." She shushed him with her finger over his lips, wiping away a lone tear of his own with her thumb.

"It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all," she quoted regally. "But I don't plan on dying."

"No one plans on it," he said in a forced tone.

"Trust this, for once, for me..." It was his turn to shush her, but instead with a sweet, gentle, angelic kiss, his hand entwining slowly into her red hair.

~:~

Graduation day came for him, and she couldn't be more proud of all three of her closest friends, one of them being her very, very serious boyfriend.

She noticed him pull Ron and then Hermione aside to talk after the ceremony. Both of them disappeared after he spoke with them. Moments later he pulled her aside.

"Look, Gin..." She smiled hopefully up at him. "I have to leave. I don't know where or how long, but I have to go. It's for our worlds' sake, it really is. Oh Gin, don't cry, please don't..." he said as he brushed away the few fresh fallen tears escaping from her now-watery brown eyes. "You know that I want to marry you more than anything...and you know I would, but it isn't safe right now. I have to fight him, Ginny. I'll come back for you, I really will...I'll win and everything will be right again." At this point he became a bit choked up himself. "Please don't cry..." he whispered into her ear as she laid her tear stained face on his shoulder. "I promise I'll find you...I have to go now..." A few more tears escaped from his eyes, then he lifted her head so that her eyes met his. "I love you," he said and then kissed her sweetly, pressing something hard into her hand and Apparating before their lips drew apart.

Harry beat Voldemort, but not after a lot of lives had been lost. He felt somewhat responsible, but not knowing why. He decided he had to go, leave, and banish his face from the magical world, at least for a time. He left with muggle clothes on his back, his wand left safely in a vault at Gringotts, a few hundred pounds in his pockets. It was time for recovery operation one.

Five years after Harry had graduated; two years after the fall of Voldemort, Virginia Ann Weasley awoke from her dream with a start, her now-duller brown eyes staring into the darkness surrounding her bed. Harry promised he'd be back to find her, now where was he?