Love of a Traveling Soldier

"Oi! Ginny? You awake? Dinner is on," Ron called up the stairs.

I sighed, forcing myself out of bed and into the chair in front of my mirror. Examining myself in the mirror, I took long steadying breaths and counted slowly to ten. I wasn't going downstairs with tears in my eyes, not with the guest that we had sitting at the kitchen table of the Burrow. I stood up and forced a smile upon my face before I walked down the stairs. As I reached the kitchen I heard the familiar hum of voices belonging to my family, and for a split second I allowed myself to forget the reason why my entire family, usually so separate, was all congregated at my house. Walking into the room, I smiled at the sight of all the people I cared for.

"Evening love," my mother whispered with a smile and passed me a plate.

"Evening mum," I gave her a kiss on the cheek and sat down.

A quick chorus of welcome came from around the table. I smiled and greeted them back one by one, giving a soft nod as I said the names of each of my siblings, Hermione, and... Harry. My eyes must have lingered on him, because he turned a slight shade of pink as I plunked down across from him. He had been saying something to Ron, who was sitting beside him, but turned to me before Ron had time to respond.

"Hey Gin...?" he started inquisitively. I smiled at the use of my nickname.

"Hey Harry...?" I mocked his tone.

"Are you all ready to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow?" he asked, and my throat caught a bit as I was reminded that he wasn't returning to Hogwarts this term.

"Yes, all packed," I said as evenly as possible.

"Mind if we go for a bit of a walk or something after dinner? I need to talk with you," he said, his voice just above a whisper. Even though I didn't understand why he would need to speak to me, I nodded.

"I know where we can go," I whispered.

I proceeded to eat quickly and quietly, trying not to show my fear that if I was too slow, Harry might decide against sharing whatever he had to tell me. Finishing long before my family and even Harry, I embarrassedly pretended to push around the remnants of my stew, until he pushed back from the table and gave me a knowing smile. I stood too, and we excused ourselves. As soon as we were out of view of prying eyes in the kitchen and into the backyard, he took my hand. My eyes widened to the size of the plates we'd eaten breakfast from. Harry and I had gone on a few dates during the last school year, but I'd assumed he was simply giving me pity, after my painful and rather public break up with Neville Longbottom.

The cool evening air was whipping around us, and I shivered without really noticing. Harry did notice, however, and draped his cloak over my shoulders. Without speaking, I led him down a path and into the woods. Once we reached a clearing in the trees, I pushed back a branch, and heard his breath catch as the gap revealed a clear babbling creek and a small waterfall.

"Ginny, what is this? How have I never seen this before?" He grinned, amazed, and I smiled back and blushed.

"Since I am the youngest Weasley, not to mention the only girl, I've always had a houseful of boys picking on me, and sometimes I needed to be alone for a while. So, when I was about five or six, my dad enchanted this little part of the woods to repel any intruders, namely the boys of the Weasley clan," I smiled. "The only people who are allowed to come here are people I want to," I added, blushing. Before he could say anything, I led him further along the path, to a small, rickety pier protruding a foot or so over the creek, just by the fall. Taking off my shoes and Harry's cloak, I sat down and dipped my feet in the water. I couldn't look at him, so I just watched the sun slowly setting.

"Beautiful," he whispered. I nodded in silent agreement.

"I'm always astounded at how incredible the sunsets are here."

"I wasn't talking about the sunset, Gin," he whispered. He smiled, then coughed. "Bit corny, huh?" We both laughed nervously, and I was glad for the diminishing lights that hid my scarlet cheeks. After a moment, he sat down beside me, removed his shoes and slipped his feet into the water as well.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" I asked, feigning ease. He looked up at the sunset again and sighed.

"I don't know what I should say," he confided, with an uncomfortable chuckle. I nodded and smiled a bit, too nervous to laugh.

"I don't know what to say either," I said, tilting my head a bit. "I am sad to see this summer go." To see YOU go. "It was quite nice having the whole family here for once, as well as you and Hermione for most of the time. You've became like family too. I don't know how I am going to deal with school without you, Ron and Hermione." I was rambling now. "You always made it so interesting, you know? I was prepared to have you guys go next year, but now that you are leaving... a year early... to... do what ... you have to do..." My voice broke as I touched on this topic, and I decided to change the subject. "Would you look at the stars? They are gorgeous tonight..."

"You can talk about the war you know," Harry interrupted me, and I fell silent. "What we have to do, what Ron and I, and Hermione, have to do ...is ... fight." An enormous lump entered my throat. I swallowed hard.

"Yes, yes," I said softly. "I know that. All the boys in my family, you, Hermione, most of the seventh years of our school, going off to fight and die... and I am left to just wait," I added with a bit more anger than I had meant entering my voice. I was instantly hushed with a kiss.

"That is partially why I am telling you all of this, Gin," he said, passively playing off a kiss that had made my toes curl. He let the threat of his own mortality lay silently between us before he continued. "Look, I know we have never been that serious, just an occasional date through out the year, but ..." he paused to ponder. "It has meant a lot to me," he said, "you have meant a lot to me."

"You have meant a lot to me too, Harry." I said, smiling at him.

"I know that in the next year, school is going to be extremely different for you. I know that it is crazy to ask you not to see anyone else besides me, when I am going to be so far away..." I almost laughed out loud.

"Are you crazy, Harry?" He tilted his head softly when I said this. "You silly git! I am only yours," I whispered the last part, giving him a kiss to seal it.

He let loose a trademark Harry Potter grin and I felt the blush creeping back up my neck. Giving me a quick smile, he grabbed his cloak by our shoes. He took a small brown box from within a hidden pocket and then handed it to me. I opened it and found one of the most exquisite music boxes I had ever seen in my life. Jade green with pale pink roses on the top, it had been seemingly enchanted to write my name on itself and let it shimmer and fade away. I smiled and looked at Harry, "It's beautiful." He nudged my hand.

"Open it," he prodded me.

I obeyed and was met with a small heart-shaped locket about the size of my pinkie finger. Opening it, I saw a picture of Harry and me on the last day of term. We were staring at each other and we both blinked occasionally, but other than that we had no idea the camera was there. I looked at him with an impish grin and giggled.

"Which Creevey took this?" I asked.

"Colin," he grinned. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," I breathed, having to remind myself that a ten-minute relationship was too new to say 'I love you'. The little box began to sing to me and I tilted my head.

"I had it enchanted to play songs that make me think of you," he said. "Muggle songs," he amended.

I placed the box down as the words began and placed my head against Harry's neck as a sweet male voice came out of the small box, seemingly magnified by the air around us.

"I'll be falling all about my own thing

and I know you're the heaviest weight,

when you're not here that's hung

around my head

and your lips burn wild

thrown from the face of a child

and in your eyes

the seeing of the greatest view

do what you will, always

walk where you like your steps

do as you please, I'll back you up."

A few songs passed before either of us dared to speak, and Harry was the one to break the silence with a soft sigh. I looked at him and he looked back, with a serious glint in his eyes.

"I want to write to you," he said sincerely, and I smiled.

"You better," I teased. He didn't smile back.

"Gin... It won't be safe for us to just correspond as if I was at summer camp."

While a bit confused at what summer camp was, the crystal clear message behind the statement was obvious.

"Dumbledore and I are using pseudonyms. I am Lieutenant Lemon Drop and he is Colonel Cricket," I tilted my head and laughed with him.

"If you don't mind, I would rather not call you Lieutenant Lemon Drop," I chuckled.

"Well then, what would you call me?" He countered. I thought for a second and let the first word that came to my mind slip.

"Leo," I nodded, as if agreeing with myself, he looked at me skeptically. "Leo is your sign, silly," I declared, and he laughed.

"I forgot, sixth year, you start Advanced Astrology. Pulling a Hermione and reading all your books ahead of time, eh?" He skillfully ducked my playful pat, then took a second before he looked at me.

"And you are my Polaris." I tilted my head questioningly.

"What does Polaris mean?" I asked.

"Don't let Professor Vector hear you ask that...Polaris is the North Star," he took this pause to kiss me and point upwards towards the stars, "and no matter where I go, or how lost I get, you will always lead me home."