Happy

"Hermione, it's just a wedding...."

Ginny knew it was pointless. After all, she had been trying for the past hour and a half, but to no avail. Hermione Weasley was not to be beaten.

"Nonsense! It's not just any wedding, it's yours!" Hermione reached down and grabbed up another magazine, riffling through it and adding words like "oh" and "aww..." as she came across certain pictures.

Rolling here eyes, Ginny threw a look towards the nearby window, looking longingly out at the beautiful spring day and the backyard of her childhood home. She sighed in resignation and turned back as Hermione pointed out yet another dress for her to look at. Glancing at the page, Ginny had to fight to keep from wincing. It would be alright...if you were a horse, anyway. Ginny didn't figure herself to have the figure of a horse and if she did than Harry Potter would soon be getting some serious arse kicking when he admitted it to her.

"It's just not...me," Ginny finally said lamely, realizing that that phrase had been her excuse for any dress they had looked at for the past twenty minutes.

Hermione glanced up and must have seen Ginny looking out the window again, for she slammed the book shut.

"Ginny! Concentrate here!"

"Oh right," Ginny snapped out of it, tearing her eyes away from the now setting sun and wondering just how long it would be before Hermione let her out of this bloody house again.

"You alright? Ready for invitations?"

Ginny finally did groan as she saw her sister-in-law hold up the box full of sample wedding invitations that, no doubt, her mum had rounded up from Merlin knows where.

"Hermione!" She wined. "I want to go out!" She sounded like a three year old but she didn't care. A whole day trapped in this house, first with her mother and now with Hermione, neither of them letting her stray for a moment, was starting to drive her to the brink of insanity.

Not to mention that she hadn't even spoken to or seen Harry in nearly two days.

Hermione softened a bit. Only a bit. "Gin, I know it's crazy, but don't you want to get this stuff done? Besides," she grinned, "it's wicked fun!"

Hermione Weasley had certainly been living up to the Weasley name since marrying Ginny's brother, Ron. Especially since Hermione found out that she was pregnant. Ginny's sister-in-law was already showing a bit of bluge on her stomach and Ginny had to admit that she was more excited about Hermione's baby at the moment than picking out the color of her bridesmaids shoes.

"For you, maybe," Ginny sighed, flopping down into nearest chair and crossing her arms in a pout. "I frankly could care less."

"Ginevra Weasley-" Hermione started, but thankfully Ginny was spared from the scolding of her life by a soft knock at the back door.

Both girls looked up and Ginny's heart leapt as she saw the most adorable man poking his head in, grinning at both of them with his wild black hair and shinning green eyes. It was all Ginny could do to not leap up and tackle him down.

"Can Ginny come out and play?" Harry smirked, speaking in a babyish voice to Hermione who seemed torn between amusement and annoyance that her plans had been interrupted.

Ginny at once turned to Hermione, putting on her best pleading look at the older girl who actually looked like she was going to say "no" for a moment, but then reluctantly smiled.

"Go on," she motioned to the door, and Ginny didn't wait for anything else before rushing over to Harry, whose hand she grabbed and began pulling away from the Burrow.

Harry complied by letting go of her hand and slipping his arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as they walked out towards the small lake behind the house, in the direction of the still setting sun.

"Good timing?" he asked teasingly, giving her a kiss on her temple and making her practically melt in his arms.

"Oh you have no idea..." she pulled him down on the bench swing that hung underneath the tree and snuggled into him as he began pumping his legs slightly, making them move just enough to fell the wind. "I thought you were never going to come...."

He chuckled. "Well I've been having my own problems, actually. Did you really have to have six brothers?"

Ginny's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. "No. They. Did. Not."

"Oh, come on Gin, they're your brothers! It's their...I dunno, overprotective right, or something," he replied with a good natured smile.

"Those bloody gits," she muttered, remembering quite clearly her warning to all of them when she had first started dating Harry. She did have some nasty hexes up her sleeve and she warned them to leave him alone. Apparently that promise didn't hold well for fiancés as well as boyfriends. "What did they do?"

Harry shrugged and leaned back, adjusting his grip around her shoulders. "Ah, not much. Just the usual, you know. Instant death, disembowelment..."

She slapped him on the shoulder as he started laughing and he looked at her with mock offense.

"Ginevra Weasley! Hit them, not me!"

"Harry Potter, if you don't tell me what they did to you..."

"Don't worry, Gin," Harry chuckles died down and he reached over, kissing her on the forehead again. "I got through it. I am Harry Potter after all."

"Right..." Ginny sat back, still rather peeved at him but once again turning into a useless blob of mush as he held her. Merlin, she could get used to this...

"So I was cornered once again by your mum who wants a date."

Ginny sighed, remembering that this conversation had started more times than was healthy.

"It's probably a good idea. I mean, we've been engaged for, what? A good seventy-two hours now..."

Ginny laughed. "Yes, as Hermione has so carefully pointed out to me all day."

He was silent, and for a moment, Ginny wondered if something was wrong, but when Harry spoke up again, she knew why he had been silent.

"You ever just want to get away from it all...just leave?"

She sat up again, realizing from the tone of his voice that he was being serious. She turned, looking carefully at him. "What?"

"I don't know..." he sighed and reached up, caressing her cheek and smiling a bit as he simply looked at her. "It's just...I thought I'd be able to get out of the spotlight one day, you know? I mean, Voldemort's gone, I joined the Aurors like everyone wanted me too...can't they just leave me alone for a few years? No. Within minutes the whole world knows I'm getting married."

Ginny smiled sadly and reached up, putting her hand over Harry's which was still resting on her cheek.

His eyes roamed over her face sadly. "I'm just sorry you had to get involved in all this."

Ginny simply rolled her eyes and reached forward, kissing him softly on the mouth, quite reluctant to pull away, as was he. Harry's hands moved to her waist and he pulled her towards him, holding her tightly and possessively. Ginny felt her hands automatically moving up to his hair, running her fingers through it as she had become so prone to do since a few months ago.

Pulling away, she didn't move too far as Harry began placing gentle kisses on her cheek and down her jaw and neck, finally making his way back to her mouth again as they kissed once more.

She finally pulled back, resting a hand on his chest as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She said it so firmly that she was almost surprised at herself, but knew just how much she had meant it. She knew that one of Harry's deepest fears was being alone again. After loosing practically everyone by his seventh year, he wasn't the easiest person to have a relationship with, as he often was the one pushing away, but she had made it...they both had.

He looked down and she frowned, confused, until she saw him gently pick up her hand, staring and fiddling with the engagement ring that he had put on her hand only days before. She watched with fascination as he twirled it on her finger, watching the diamond on I sparkle in the fading light.

"I love you."

She blinked back her surprise and frowned slightly as Harry looked up at her, more serious than she had ever seen him.

"I love you," he repeated. "I...I want you to know that I've never said that to anyone before, only you."

"Well you've said it to me plenty of times, Harry," Ginny assured him, turning her hand so that they were clasping each other. "And you know I love you."

"I know," Harry said sheepishly, breaking eye contact and blushing a bit. "I- I just want to say it a lot, you know? It makes me feel...happy."

Her heart soared as he looked back into her eyes and she saw how naïve and innocent he looked.

"Thank you, Harry," she said softly.

This time he leaned in, initiating the kiss and making her toes curl involuntarily in her shoes.

Pulling back, she settled back into the crook of his arm, sighing in contentment as they watched the sun finally disappearing on the horizon beyond.