Preface:
This is an after the war Hinny (Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley) shipping fic.

Dedicated To:
_anchal_rana for being an amazing reader and supporter. Thank you pal!

It was a really nice day. The feel of fall was settling over the Burrow. Trees, either withered or having red leaves, stood in the orchard, giving a beautiful sunset view when viewed from the first floor bedroom.

"Ginny . . ."

"You know it. You thought you had the best of me. You thought I would come running and swinging back. You were dead wrong, Harry!"

"But –"

"You still don't understand me, do you?"

Harry hung in his head in frustration as he hid his face in his hands.

"It's okay. I get it now. I'm sorry." He left the room and Ginny sank to the ground.

A week had passed since the battle of Hogwarts. Truth be told, she was not willing to shoo him away the way she had. She was only tired of him blaming himself over and over again for everything. He was not confiding in her about whatever was bothering him; in fact, he had been ignoring her eyes since the end of the gruesome war.

She tried her best to stay patient and wait for him but how long could she? If he did not even want to meet her eyes, he probably found a veela on the run as she feared: he would not even deny her probation.

The door opened again and the redhead was about to shout at him for coming in but when she looked up, she saw her mother standing there, a sympathetic smile on her kind face.

"Ginny dear, do you mind helping me out with the air freshening potions?"

Having nothing else to do and desperately wanting a distraction, Ginny walked down the stairs behind her mother, still lost in deep thought.

"These potions are quite the lifesavers! Who can handle the stink of Arthur's another mental Muggle contraception? This is in the NEWT syllabus so you better learn it now, dear. It'll be useful," her mother chattered away, Ginny nodding noncommittally. "Now, just keep stirring it until I come."

Ginny walked over to the counter and took the long spoon. She let out a sigh before starting to stir the dull pink potion. After a while, it turned a beautiful shade of the colour and she admired the colour with stars in her eyes. Although she was not an avid fan of pink like Umbridge was, the colour surely made her feel more feminine – the colour which Harry absolutely admired her in.

Ginny smacked her head with her free hand. 'No more thoughts about Harry!'

When the potion turned a pastel shade, the smell of the broomstick handle wafted over to her freckled nose.

"It's almost done, then!" her mother chimed in, bustling in with three triangle shaped, small bottles. "Tell me, Ginny dear, what do you smell?"

Ginny took in the scent before replying. "Broomstick handle. . . the fresh oranges of our orchard and. . ." The last smell seemed complicated. She knew that she recognized it with something more intimate than broomsticks and oranges but she could just not place it.

"Let me tell what I smell," her mother told, coming closer. "I smell the wonderful feel of the kitchen, the lake in which all of my babies played and still play and finally, the heart fluttering feeling their wonderful father gives me."

"Aww, mum!" Ginny smiled fondly before hugging her mother who returned the gesture back.

"Now, what or who do you think the last scent belongs to?" the matriarch asked with a wink. Ginny bit her lower lip in thought. It was a really nice aroma which she was attracted to, for sure. It seemed really familiar, again something she knew. If she was passionate about it, it surely seemed to be something related to Quidditch or. . . surely it couldn't be?

"But mum!" Ginny exclaimed out loud. Her mother smiled again.

"The heart wants what it wants, Ginny."

That was all she needed before she took the living room from where she took the Floo network to satisfy her heart's most stubborn desire.

__________________

"Harry. . ."

"You both know it. Heck, you knew it and know it now too! She hates me to the roots. Why didn't you just tell me that before I got slapped against my heart?"

"Harry, you are going overboard."

"Hermione, stop doing that!"

"Oi! Why are you shouting at my girlfriend?!"

"Stop giving me false hope, guys. . ."

"We aren't," Hermione said before taking a step behind, falling into Ron's arms. "She'll –"

"She will NOT come back, I know it! I told you before. I'm not cut out to deserve her." Harry fell onto the soft mattress, his face in his hands as he curled into a fetal position. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"I thought you had a plan, Hermione," Ron whispered in the bushy haired witch's ears.

"I did."

"No plan's going to work now," Harry told pessimistically as his hand played with the snitch Dumbledore had left him.

"Will you shut up, Mr Pessimist?" Hermione and Ron literally jumped a little at the foreign voice. Harry turned beet red before he fell off the bed comically. Hermione's lips morphed into a smile and she tugged at Ron's arms before leaving the room hurriedly, leaving Harry and the newly arrived witch alone in the room; the former protesting soundlessly for abandoning him. "It seems you aren't too pleased with my appearance."

"Wha –? Of course! I mean, no!" Harry exclaimed, jumping onto a chair and throwing a pillow into the air. The cotton thing fell on his head and he let out a groan. The snitch took this moment to move on and fly freely. He shook the pillow off and looked up and into the brown eyes he so loved. "Ginny. . ."

"I know it's my name, so yes?" Ginny asked, throwing her hair back. Harry gulped and grabbed the pillow again, just in case she decided to give him a really nice gift of hexes. Ginny sighed before walking to him and kneeling down in front of him. "Harry. . ." There was a long pause as they got lost staring into the other's eyes which held pain in them. "Why are we being the cliche cou – ergh, I mean friends again?"

Harry shrugged and his face looked really cute.

'Shut up Ginny!' She thought to herself before talking out loud. "I'm sorry."

Harry's brain went frenzy at the statement.

"You are sorry? Pardon me, but I'm the one supposed to be sorry here!"

"Yes, but it's my fault too, isn't it? I should have been more tolerant. . ."

"I was the one who did not tell you about the damned crazy journey, heck! I wasn't even able to be at your side when you needed me the most. What sort of a bo – err, friend am I?" Harry corrected himself. Ginny shook her head.

"I could not solve your depression nor could I pull you out of it. I couldn't lend you a helping hand and now, I am the reason for your melancholy. I am a really bad gi – I mean. . . friend, am I not?"

"Oi! Can you stop with the friend business?!" Ron poked his head in and shouted. Harry and Ginny blinked at him before he was forcibly dragged out by an annoyed Hermione.

Emerald met chocolate brown before a small smile made its way to their lips, almost simultaneously. Following it, a laughing fit started which lasted for quite a while that when they finally stopped, they were in a tangled mess of flailing arms.

They blushed deep red before Harry stood up and took a few steps towards the window. Ginny followed him and they looked out of the now fixed Potters' cottage at The Godric's Hallow.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny turned him around before standing up on tiptoes and brushing her lips with his, catching him by surprise. She winked at him when she pulled back and Harry grinned one of the goofiest grins his lips had ever seen.

"How was it?"

"Brickillnot! I-I mean so damn brilliant!"

"Charming words, Mr Potter."

The golden snitch fluttered around them when Harry pulled her in for another passionate embrace but only one sentence ran through her mind: And the heart got what it wanted.

This surely wasn't my best OS but I wanted to do a hinny one so yeah.

Thank you for reading.

Miyoko x