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SIYE Time:14:12 on 29th March 2024
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2000 Miles
By Fire

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Tragedy, Drama
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 453
Summary: When Harry realises his need for Ginny he eventually finds a way to tell her how he feels, but their fairytale romance is interrupted by a battle with the Dark Lord, and Ginny is determined that she won't lose Harry and is prepared to go to any lengths to prevent it. H/G, R/Hr.
Hitcount: Story Total: 163894; Chapter Total: 6417







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O that ‘twere possible,
After long grief and pain,
To find the arms of my true- love
Round me once again!…
A shadow flits before me-
Not thou, but like to thee.
Ah God! that it were possible
For one short hour to see
The souls we loved, that they might tell us
What and where they be.
~By Alfred, Lord Tennyson



Chapter XXIX: Easter


“Hello,” said a middle-aged woman. “My name is Irene Watkins.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Madam Watkins,” said Harry, shaking the woman’s hand.

“Will Miss Weasley be joining us?” asked Irene.

At that precise moment Ginny came rushing down the corridor.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Professor,” she said, slightly out of breath. “I got held up in Potions. Professor Snape needed to speak to me about my catch-up assignment.”

“Miss Weasley?” asked Irene.

“Yes,” said Ginny.

“My name is Irene Watkins I’m the reporter from the Daily Prophet,” said Irene.

“Pleased to meet you," said Ginny, shaking Irene’s hand.

“Irene,” said a voice from around the corner. “I think you left the big lights in the entrance hall. Do you want me to go and get them?”

To the surprise of both Harry and Ginny, Hermione Granger appeared around the corner.

“No,” said Irene. “You know I won’t let you handle the heavy equipment. Harry and Ginny, this is my intern Hermione Granger. I believe that you may have met before?”

“Only briefly,” said Hermione quickly. “We never spent much time together when I was at school. Harry found me rather irritating because I studied so much, and Ginny is a year younger so we never spoke much.”

“Would you mind going into the office and setting up, Hermione?” asked Irene. “I’ll go and get the lights.”

“Ok,” said Hermione.

Irene turned away down the corridor. Harry, Ginny and Hermione went into Harry’s office. Harry shut the door behind him.

“Now what was all that about?” asked Harry, looking at Hermione.

“I’m sorry," she said. “But you don’t know what she’s like. If she found out that we were best friends, who were all going to end up being related through one marriage or another, then I’d never hear the end of it. Besides, she’d only end up pestering me to get interviews with you two, and I really don’t think that’s what you want.”

“It’s ok,” said Ginny. “We understand. So, anyway, how’ve you been?”

“I’m a nervous wreck!” said Hermione. “My wedding is less than six months away and there’s so much we haven’t planned yet. Are you two alright with keeping a lookout for any magic.”

“Yes, of course,” said Harry. “We’ve already started planning how we’ll do it.”

“I will search Fred and George before they enter the church,” said Ginny. “I will search them as they leave, when they arrive at the park for the photos and when they arrive at the hotel for the reception. That will take care of the biggest worry.”

“We’re brushing up on memory charms,” said Harry. “But we’ll only use them in extreme circumstances. We don’t want your relatives forgetting you wedding. If we have to, we’ll stun anyone causing trouble. Ginny has a very good, and very well practised stunning charm.”

“From any distance from about two-hundred metres away,” said Ginny.

“I know that I can trust you two to be in control,” said Hermione. “It’s Ron that I’m worried about.”

“He loves you Hermione," said Harry. “He’s not going to cause any problems.”

“No more than usual at least,” said Ginny.

Hermione smiled.

“What about you two?” she asked. “Have you thought of a date yet?”

“We’re thinking that we’ll wait a few years yet,” said Ginny. “We don’t want to rush into anything, and Harry wants to stay here and teach for a few years. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“When are you going to announce it?” asked Hermione.

“At the end of the school year,” said Harry. “It’s big news as it is, we don’t want to bigger by the fact that I’m a teacher and Ginny’s a student. And besides, I’ve come up with a very good way of making the announcement.”

“What?” ; asked Ginny. “You never told me that.”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Harry.

Harry kissed her briefly. Moments later Irene returned levitating five enormous lights. She sat down next to Hermione opposite Harry and Ginny.

“Hermione,” she said. “Will you set up for the photographs whilst I begin the interview?”

“Yeah,” said Hermione.

She stood up and began to move the large lights into various positions in the cleared section of the office. Irene took a sheet of parchment and a quill from her bag.

“Let’s begin,” she said.


*+*+*+*



Over an hour later, Irene had finally finished all her questions.

“Ok,” said Irene. “I want to do some shots of Ginny first, then Harry, then perhaps a couple of you together.”

“That’s fine,” said Ginny.

She and Irene moved across the room to where Hermione was waiting with the photography equipment. Irene had Ginny standing in various odd poses, then she did the same with Harry.

“Now,” said Irene. “Harry will you stand slightly behind Ginny, one foot behind her and one out to the side? Ok, that’s great. Now put your right hand on her waist. Perfect. Now smile! Both of you!”

The camera flashed and both Harry and Ginny were momentarily blinded.

“Harry,” said Irene again. “You sit down on the floor, sideways to me. Excellent. Now Ginny, sit down and face me. Great. Harry, put your arm around her waist and allow her to lean back into you.”

“Erm, Irene,” interrupted Hermione. “Aren’t people going to think they’re a couple when they see these?”

“That’s the point,” said Irene.

“But we’re not together,” Harry lied.

“Oh for goodness’ sake,” sighed Irene. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice those sly glances you give each other? You couldn’t be more obvious. And besides, I was not born yesterday, I can see the diamond on her finger.”

“Ok,” said Ginny. “So you caught us, but we would rather you didn’t announce it yet.”

“That’s not my problem,” said Irene.

“Look,” said Harry. “We’ve got a stupid award ceremony at the ministry tomorrow night, Ginny still has an awful lot of work to do for her NEWTs, I have classes to teach and a lot of essays to mark. There’s already a lot of rumours flying around, and, as I’m sure you know, it is against wizarding law for a Hogwarts professor to have a relationship with a student, and while in this situation it has been allowed by Dumbledore, the last thing that either of us need is more controversy. We are going to announce our engagement at the end of the school year and if you keep it quiet until then we will give you the exclusive.”

Ginny looked at him. Harry could really say a lot in one breath.

“Ok,” said Irene. “I’ll keep it a secret, provided that you do give me the exclusive.”

“It’s a deal,” said Harry.

Irene and Harry shook hands.

“Anyway,” said Irene. “Hermione and I must get going. I’ve got to get this article written up, and the photographs developed.”

“Bye, Irene," said Ginny. “It was lovely to meet you. Hermione.”

Irene and Hermione were heading for the door.

“Tell mum that Harry and I will be at the Burrow about two o’clock tomorrow afternoon,” finished Ginny. “Are we going to go and pick out the bridesmaid dresses?”

Hermione nodded.

“”Yeah,” she said. “I was thinking lilac. It’s a good colour on you.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Irene.

“Hermione is getting married to the youngest of my six older brothers in the summer,” said Ginny, sweetly. “My brother Ron is Harry’s best friend, and Hermione is about the closest thing he has to a sister. Hermione and I have been friends for years, and I am going to be the chief bridesmaid at her wedding. Sorry we had to lie to you, but we didn’t want you nagging poor Hermione for details about Harry and me now, would we?”


*+*+*+*



It was about ten o’clock that evening when Ginny arrived in Harry’s room. She slipped through the door quietly and found herself engulfed in Harry’s arms before he’d even registered where he was.

“Hi,” he said, softly, letting her go.

“Hi,” she said, equally softly.

She moved close to him again and their lips met passionately. Ginny’s arms ran up Harry’s back and into his hair, whilst Harry’s remained anchored on Ginny’s waist. When they broke apart for air, they were sitting down on Harry’s four poster. Harry cradled Ginny in his arms as they spoke softly.

“We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we?” said Ginny quietly.

“More than most people go through in a lifetime,” said Harry.

“It’s pretty spectacular that we’re both still alive then,” said Ginny.

“You could say that,” said Harry. “But it’s because of you that I’m still alive, and not just because you saved me, but because I love you. I had never been so scared in all my life the night that that little first year came running into our dorm saying that you were ill. It was like my heart stopped. All I was thinking was ‘I’m going to lose Ginny.’ Rational thought went out of the window. All I cared about was getting to you. Thinking back on it, it’s pretty amazing that that was the thing in my life that scared me the most. I’ve faced the most evil Dark wizard of are time on several occasions, yet the fear then, did not compare to the fear that I could lose you.”

Ginny reached up and kissed him gently.

“But one thing has scared me more,” said Harry. “And that was when you told me that you were dying. My world literally fell to pieces. My mind was blank. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain, and worse, watch you suffer. I was so scared.”

Ginny snuggled closer into him and Harry rested his chin on her head.

“One of the hardest things I have ever had to do,” said Ginny softly. “Was watch you walk away from Hogwarts, without knowing if I’ve ever see you again, then turn around and be the rock that everyone else needed. I had to tell them, that it would be alright, that our side would win the war, and our loved ones would soon be with us. I had to find the strength to smile, to laugh, to support the students, when it was all I could do to stop myself from crying. Most of those few months are a blur to me. All that I remember is anxiety and fear. When I got the note from Dumbledore saying that Voldemort was defeated, I felt physically lighter. I knew that some people who I knew and loved would most probably have been lost, but that didn’t matter. Voldemort was gone which meant that you were coming home. Watching the party returning up the drive was probably the worst moment of my life. I watched Neville and Luna run to meet each other, as I waited anxiously. I was panicking. I couldn’t see you. I saw Ron and Hermione and thought that you must be with them, but then they reached me they said the words which numbed my soul, ‘He’s dead.’”

Harry stroked Ginny’s hair.

“How I got through my final speech I will never know,” she said. “I almost broke down twice. Both thinking about you and not thinking about you were too painful. I was in a kind of daze. Not sure where I was, or what I was doing. I’ll always look back on that as my darkest hour.”

“When I was in that Godforsaken pit in the ground, I thought I’d never see you again,” said Harry. “And because of that, I didn’t care anymore. Not until I heard your voice, although I didn’t recognise it at first.”

“I didn’t recognise my own voice,” said Ginny. “It came out in a sort of croaky whisper. I never expected it to be you. When I found the hole, I prepared myself to greet the person who would shatter my already cracked heart. For six months part of my hope died, a little every day, until there was nothing left. But when you said my name, a multitude of feelings rushed through me in a split second, and I knew then that everything would be alright. I felt alive again.”

Harry smiled at her. She pulled away from him slightly. He leaned down and touched his lips to hers, so gently, yet full of so much love.


*+*+*+*



̶ 0;It is with great pride that I introduce to you, the wizarding world’s greatest war heroes, Mr Harry Potter and Miss Ginny Weasley!”

The applause thundered around the reception room at the Ministry as Ginny and Harry took to the stage.

“I would like to thank everyone here at the ministry for giving me this wonderful award,” said Harry. “It is a great honour to be included among the ranks of the great wizards and witches who have won this award. Thank you.”

The crowd applauded again.

“I would like to thank you all for the generous reward money,” said Ginny. “I insist that it was not necessary but it is gratefully received. Thank you, very much.”

More applause as Harry and Ginny stepped down. A string quartet in the corner began to play and many couples took to the dance floor.

“Eugh!” said Ginny, once they were out of earshot of anyone important. “I hate these stately things. Give me the good old Weird Sisters any day.”

Harry chuckled.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “My Uncle Vernon used to play this kind of stuff in the car, until Dudley’s whinging reached an all time high, and he’d turn it off and replace it with some of Dudey’s rap rubbish, which I have to say was worse.”

Ginny smiled.

“Miss Weasley?”

Ginny turned around, startled.

“I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind dancing with me,” said Nathan Hampson, a former Gryffindor who was a couple of years older than Harry.

“Not at all,” said Ginny politely, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

Harry watched as Nathan slid his hand onto Ginny’s waist. He could feel himself gripping his goblet harder as his fiancée twirled around with someone she hardly knew.

“Hey mate,” said a friendly voice from behind him.

“Fred,” said Harry turning around with a smile. “And George,” he added noticing the other twin.

“How’ve you been?” asked George

“Good,” said Harry. “I’m looking forward to the big wedding this summer. What about you guys?”

“Can’t wait,” said Fred mischievously. “Got some big pranks planned.”

“Well,” said Harry. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you won’t get very far with them. Hermione has enlisted Ginny and me to make sure that no magic gets noticed by the muggles, and Ginny is going to be focussing her attention on you two.”

Fred’s face fell.

“She’s our sister,” said George. “We’ll butter her up somehow. Besides, we can always find some way to sneak something through past her, and Harry will back us up.”

“Ginny ran Hogwarts,” said Harry. “Compared to that you two are a piece of cake.”

Harry felt a pair of slim arms slide around his middle, discreetly of course.

“Hi,” said Ginny to Fred and George.

“I’ve just been telling them how you’ve got them covered at the wedding this summer,” said Harry.

“Oh yeah," said Ginny. “I’m not going to let the two of you ruin Ron and Hermione’s big day.”

Fred and George glared at her and walked off in an obviously fake huff. Harry turned around to face Ginny.

“May I have this dance, Miss Weasley?” asked Harry with an overstated bow.

Ginny laughed.

“It would be my pleasure,” said Ginny, seriously, adding a very low curtsey for effect.

Harry chuckled and led her out into the mass of people and pulled her close.


*+*+*+*



The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Ginny danced with many of the young men around and Harry danced with many young women. At least Ginny tried to look as if she was having a good time. Harry sulked through every dance, except when he was dancing with Ginny.

The Easter holidays came and went much to Ginny’s relief because it had been no holiday for her. Because the teachers weren’t teaching classes, she was having catch up lessons with all of her subjects, plus homework, on top of all her current assignments. Even with Harry’s help she was struggling to shift the workload. Evenings spent relaxing in Harry’s room were a Godsend.

“Ginny, where are you going at this time of night?” asked her roommate Laura, as Ginny slipped through the common room heading for Harry’s.

“Studying,” said Ginny, trying to escape.

“It’s half past eleven, Ginny," said Laura. “You’ve been working all day. You’ve got to get some sleep.”

“I’m fine,” said Ginny. “I’ve got a lot to work to do and that comes first.”

“When are you sleeping then? And more to the point, where?”

“The Room of Requirement. I usually stop studying between two and three and sleep in there so as not to disturb anyone.”

“You’re lying.”

“What?! Laura, don’t be ridiculous. What makes you think I’m lying?”

“You were never any good at it.”

“Argh!” Ginny groaned exasperatedly. “I have to go.”

“What guy are you rushing off to see?” asked Laura smugly.

Ginny stopped dead.

“There’s no guy,” Ginny muttered a little to quickly.

Laura raised her eyebrow.

“Is it that hot Herbert in Ravenclaw?” asked Laura.

“No,” said Ginny.

“What about Gordon from Hufflepuff?”

“Eww,” said Ginny. “No.”

Laura looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Oh my God," she said, as though suddenly having a brainwave.

“What?” said Ginny, looking ever so slightly worried.

“I know that you’ve said you’re not still together, and there’s been no evidence to prove otherwise, but I never really believed it knowing how close you were before the battle and all,” Laura said more to herself than to Ginny.

“What are you babbling about?”

“It’s Professor Potter, isn’t it?”

Ginny didn’t say anything.

“I knew it!” exclaimed Laura loudly.

“Sssh," hissed Ginny. “Keep your voice down.”

“So it’s true?” whispered Laura.

“Yes,” said Ginny. “But it is a secret, so you mustn’t tell anyone. Understand?”

“You are sleeping with a teacher?”

“It’s not like that,” said Ginny.

“Oh so what is it, then?”

“Laura,” sighed Ginny. “You’ve known me for years. You know almost everything that has gone on in the last two years, you know how things were.”

“Yes, but…”

“There are no buts,” said Ginny. “Nothing has changed. Last year, Harry and I being together was perfectly alright, apart from the whole Voldemort thing, but now, it breaks like a dozen rules and it is just so hard. Dumbledore and the staff know, as does my Dad. As long as it doesn’t go public, Dumbledore can turn a blind eye to it. But if people find out, Harry and I won’t be able to be together.”

“It’s more than sex isn’t it?” said Laura.

"A lot more," said Ginny with a slight smile.

She held out her left hand for Laura to see the ring.

“Oh my God, Ginny, it’s beautiful,” squealed Laura, grabbing Ginny’s hand to get a closer look. “I’m so happy for you.”

Ginny smiled.

“I’m happy too.”

Laura pulled Ginny into a hug.

“Now get going," Laura said. “You don’t want to keep a teacher waiting, and don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.”


*+*+*+*



“Welcome back,” said Harry, addressing the seventh year DADA class. “I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday.”

Ginny glared at him from the front desk, all the while ignoring the glances that Laura was sending in her direction.

“Today we’re going to be working on stunning charms,” Harry continued. “Now, I believe that Miss Weasley has a very well practised stunner, so I don’t really want any of you pairing up with her as you’ll probably end up in the hospital wing. Now, the incantation you will need is Stupefy. Accio cushions.”

He pointed his wand at a cupboard nearby and a pile of cushions landed at his feet.

“Make sure that you’ve all got some cushions laid out in front of you, before you begin practising. I don’t need any cracked skulls. You may begin.”

The class stood, moved the desks to the sides and began their practise. Harry moved over to where Ginny stood on her own.

“Fancy a duel?” he asked.

“You bet,” said Ginny.

They moved into a space in the room and began throwing spells at each other. It was all good-natured as the two hit each other with tickling and dancing charms. Ginny was cracking up watching Harry do a very energetic version of the Macarena and so neither of them noticed a ricocheted spell heading straight for Harry.

It got him in the back. He fell to the ground, clouting his head as he went. Ginny pulled out her wand and quickly said,

“Ennervate.”

Nothing happened. She dropped down to the floor and tapped Harry’s cheeks lightly.

“Come on, Harry,” she said. “Come on, wake up Harry. Please.”

She looked up at the rest of the class.

“Which idiot was it, who can’t aim a simple stunner from less than five feet away?” she yelled

People shuffled their feet and looked down at the ground.

“It was me,” admitted Herbert from Ravenclaw.

“Do you realise that you have seriously injured the Professor?” she shouted. “The ennervate charm won’t work which means that he’s been knocked out good and proper and could have a serious concussion. Do you know how many people have died from taking a fall like that?”

Then without warning she hit him with a bat bogey hex.

“Get him out of here, would you?” she said.

She sat down and lifted Harry’s head into her lap. She stroked his hair gently.

“Wake up, Harry, honey," she whispered. “You don’t want to end up in the hospital wing again, or Madam Pomfrey seriously will be engraving your name on a bed, you’ve been there that often. You need to wake up, now, ok, because you’ve got classes to teach, and a seventh year who needs help with a hundred different assignments, and you’ve got a girlfriend who loves you.”

She said the last words in a whisper. The rest of the class were gathering around them now. She was silent for a while, continuing to stroke his hair, she waited for any signs that he was coming round.

“You’re scaring me now, Harry,” she said. “You’re not usually out this long. Not even after you’ve fallen off your broom. Come on, Harry, wake up.”

She looked up to her classmates.

“Will one of you go and get Madam Pomfrey?” she asked.

She heard footsteps leaving the room and a few minutes later they returned with Madam Pomfrey in tow.

“What happened Ginny?” she asked.

"A stunner ricocheted of the wall, hit him the back. He went with a bang, hit his head really hard,” Ginny explained. “He’s been out for a while. I figured he’d come round after a few minutes, like he used to at Quidditch practise.”

“I remember," said Madam Pomfrey knowingly. “Ok. Let’s get him up to the hospital wing. You coming, Ginny?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Besides, I’ve really missed those hard bedside chairs, and the white walls. It’ll be good to go back. It used to feel like I spent half my life there.”

“You probably did,” said Madam Pomfrey. “Mobilicorpus.”

She levitated Harry and began to walk from the room.

“Ginny,” said Laura. “I didn’t think stunners made a wound.”

“They don’t,” said Ginny turning round.

She saw the blood on the floor where Harry had been lying.

“The God damn fool said the wrong incantation,” Ginny muttered to herself as she left the room behind Madam Pomfrey.

Two hours later, Ginny was scribbling away at an essay which was resting on a table that Madam Pomfrey had found. She glanced at Harry to find his eyes open, watching her.

“When did you wake up?” she asked.

“About a minute ago," he said. “Please don’t tell me I’m in the hospital wing, again. What happened?”

“Herbert miss aimed a spell. It bounced of the wall and hit you in the back. The dumbass said the wrong incantation,” explained Ginny. “You whacked your head pretty hard, too.”

“Well that explains the headache,” said Harry. “Shouldn’t you be in class now?”

“Yeah,” said Ginny. “But I’m not going. I wasn’t gonna go to class with you lying up here unconscious. I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate.”

“Won’t people get suspicious?” Harry asked. “Not that it really bothers me, it’s you who wanted to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah,” said Ginny. “About that. I think I might have given it away. Well, when you fell down, I tried using ennervate, but it didn’t work so I panicked, slightly.”

Harry looked at her amusedly.

“You know how it was in Quidditch practise,” said Ginny. “When you’d fall off your broom practising a dive of some kind and be knocked out, then I’d land next to you and stroke your hair until you came round. Well I sort of tried that, but when that didn’t work I really panicked.”

Harry smiled at her.

“Come here,” he said.

She sat down on the bed beside him. Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and put his arm around Ginny pulling her close.

“I love you," he said. “I never cared if people knew about us or not. What I do care about is the fact that my safety meant more to you that our secret.”

“Well of course it does, Harry. Without you there is no secret.”

She snuggled into him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest.

“I love you, Harry,” she said.

Harry smiled at Ginny and kissed the top of her head.

“I know,” he said.








A/N There you go. Chapter 29 is complete. Chapter 30 will be the Leaving Feast, except a lot more grand. You’ll see. Chapter 31 will be a special meeting of some important meeting, plus a wedding. Then, I will be taking a break from this story, maybe write a couple of one shots, but there will be a few flash forwards to the future to see how they all get along without Voldemort and company ruining everything. So anyway, review please, I love to know what you think. I’m hoping to finish in the next couple of weeks, by Christmas at the latest.




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