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2000 Miles | ||||||
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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: 164400; Chapter Total: 6051 |
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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 XXX: Celebrating Victory OWLs and NEWTs were finally over. The students were kicking back and relaxing, and secretly, so were the teachers. Ginny was finally free of her exhausting work schedule and was much happier for it. She and Harry couldn’t relax, however, as Dumbledore had recently announced a special ball in their honour, not just for the students but for the entire wizarding world. Is was therefore fitting, so Dumbledore had said, for the two outstanding heroes of the war to either open or close the dance together, seeing as it was their achievements that were being celebrated. Ginny was glad Dumbledore had suggested this as it gave she and Harry an excuse to spend time together, learning an elaborate dance. Harry wanted to close the ball with the announcement of Harry and Ginny’s engagement. It was to be the climax of the evening, and what better way to announce it than as part of their exhibition dance itself. Ginny wasn’t exactly sure what Harry was planning and it annoyed her for a while that he was being secretive – but then again, she reminded herself, that was Harry. The day of the ball arrived. Luna and Colin were all in a flutter about their speeches, although Luna couldn’t wait to see Neville again. At breakfast, Dumbledore explained the day’s arrangements. “The morning is free,” he said, much to the delight of many. “After lunch you can spend the afternoon getting ready, as I’m sure you’ll need many hours to sufficiently beautify yourselves. You must be down in the Great Hall by six this evening to welcome our guests. The dance will begin at six thirty. There will be a lavish buffet for food. The final dance, which will be Professor Potter and Ginny Weasley,” Dumbledore paused to allow the wolf whistling to die down, “will take place just before midnight. Once the ball ends I want you to return to your dormitories immediately. Thank you.” After lunch, Ginny and her three roommates, Laura, Susan and Charlotte headed up to their dormitory to get ready. Laura, Susan and Charlotte were a mess of giggles and Ginny sighed as they began discussing their usual topics of make-up and boys. “Shut up, Ginny,” said Laura, hearing the sigh. “Just because you’ve found Mr Right doesn’t mean we all have.” “Who’s Mr Right?” asked Susan, whilst pulling a brush through her long brown hair. Ginny glared at Laura. “Do you even have to ask?” said Ginny. Susan smiled at her. “Not at all,” she said. “Are you wearing the bracelet?” “No,” said Ginny. “But I am wearing the pendant… and the ring.” “What ring?” asked Charlotte bouncing across the beds towards Ginny. “This one,” said Ginny, with a grin, holding out her left hand. The girls erupted in squeals. “Who is strangling the cat?” came a voice from the door. Ginny turned and smiled. “You’re early,” she said. "I thought I’d come and spend the afternoon with my favourite bridesmaid,” said Hermione sitting down on Ginny’s bed. “And I want to know what Harry has in mind.” “Well that,” said Ginny. "I can’t help you with, but I would like some help with my dress robes.” “Which ones are you wearing?” asked Hermione. “The pale blue ones,” said Ginny. “But I’m changing into the gold gown for the finale.” “Wow,” said Hermione dreamily. “Harry’s got a tux," said Ginny. "I know,” said Hermione. "I’m gonna enjoy looking at that,” said Laura. “Hey!” exclaimed Ginny, chucking a pillow at her friend. At quarter to six, the five girls left the Gryffindor common room. Laura, Charlotte and Susan were with their dates and Ron was meeting Hermione outside the portrait hole. This left Ginny to make her way down to the Entrance hall alone. The pale blue robes she wore swung as she walked and the thin, almost transparent sleeves hung down, covering her hands. Her hair was held back from her face with two pale blue combs and was done in ringlets. Harry was waiting impatiently in the Entrance Hall. He’d already spoken to Ron and Hermione, and he’d noticed that Ginny’s dorm mates had already arrived. He tugged nervously at the silver clasp of his navy blue cloak and ran his hand through his unkempt hair. He was pacing up and down at the foot of the stairs when he saw her. Ginny stood at the top of the final flight of stairs and looked down at Harry. He gazed up at her, smiling. She was radiant. Ginny made her way down the steps, but stopped as she reached the final two. Harry took her hand and helped her down. He kissed her fingers gently once she was standing on the ground. “You look beautiful," he said, sincerely. “Not that you don’t always look beautiful, but tonight you’re amazing.” Ginny grinned. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said. She hooked her arm through Harry’s as they began to walk towards the Great Hall. “Dumbledore is going to ask all last years seventh years to open the dance with their partners,” Harry said. “So that means you’re going to be opening the ball, as well as closing it.” “But, why…?” began Ginny. "I left last year didn’t I,” said Harry. “And I’m a teacher which means that I didn’t have time to find a date who does not live in this castle, but even if I did have time I wouldn’t have asked anybody because the only person who I really want to dance with is you, and seeing as we’re closing the dance together Dumbledore said it wouldn’t look too suspicious if we danced together at the beginning as well.” “Ok,” said Ginny, with a grin. “So this means that I’ll actually get to slow dance with you.” Harry nodded. “You don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now,” said Ginny. “Oh yes I do,” said Harry. Ginny smiled at him. “What time will we have to head upstairs to change?” she asked. “About half past eleven,” said Harry. “McGonagall has had Dobby move your things to her room, because it’s next door to mine.” "I always liked her,” said Ginny. They reached the main doors. “So, are you ready for the ball, my Lady?” he asked, withdrawing his arm and bowing. “But of course, my Lord,” said Ginny, somehow managing to keep a straight face. Harry smiled, took her arm once more and led her inside. They took seats at the table where Ron and Hermione were sitting with Neville and Luna, Dean and Lavender, Seamus and Parvati, Fred and Angelina, and George and Katie. Ginny hugged all her brothers first, then moved on to hug everyone else at the table, many of whom she’d not seen for a long time. “Where’s Charlie?” asked Harry. “He’s sitting with Remus, Tonks, Bill, Fleur and his girlfriend Lucy,” said Fred. "I’ll go talk to him later," said Harry. “How have you been, Harry,” asked Dean. “Good,” said Harry. “It’s been brilliant teaching here. It’s kind of like the DA only better.” “Is it not weird being called Professor Potter?” asked Parvati. “It depends," said Harry. “It’s not too bad if it’s the first and second years, because most of them weren’t here when I was a student and those who were I didn’t really know. But it’s weird having the likes of Luna, Ginny and Colin calling me Professor.” “It’s weird for us too," said Luna. “So many times I almost called you Harry, then had to stop myself quickly. As Head Girl, I couldn’t go setting a bad example, could I?” “Who would have thought?” said Lavender. “Loony Lovegood making Head Girl.” Luna laughed. “It came as a bit of a shock to me, too,” she said. “Well, you’ve done a wonderful job, Luna,” said Harry. Luna smiled. “Thank you, Professor,” she said. Everyone chuckled. “And once you get into the habit it’s hard to stop," she said. “And what about you Ginny?” said Lavender. "I heard you were having to do twice as much work as everyone else to catch up.” "I managed to get through it,” said Ginny. "I had a lot of help from my teachers. I had extra classes with McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick, and Potter helped me with most of my essays.” Everyone was laughing again. “What?” asked Ginny, before realising her mistake. “Oh yeah. Some habits are hard to break.” “So what’s going on with you two?” Parvati asked Harry and Ginny. “Wait and see,” said Harry. “What are you planning?” asked Hermione, breaking off her discussion of wedding plans with Ron.” “Like I said,” said Harry. “Wait and see.” The feast came and went, and soon, it was time for the first dance. All of the ‘eighth’ years headed to the dance floor with their partners. Harry and Ginny embedded themselves into the middle of the crowd. Dumbledore had booked an unknown band with both a male singer and a female singer. It was probably his way of helping them launch their career. The guitars struck up the first notes and the dancers began. “I was her she was me We were one we were free And if there's somebody calling me on She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one We were young we were wrong We were fine all along If there's somebody calling me on She's the one When you get to where you wanna go And you know the things you wanna know You're smiling When you said what you wanna say And you know the way you wanna play, yeah You'll be so high you'll be flying Though the sea will be strong I know we'll carry on 'Cos if there's somebody calling me on She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one When you get to where you wanna go And you know the things you wanna know You're smiling When you said what you wanna say And you know the way you wanna say it You'll be so high you'll be flying I was her she was me We were one we were free If there's somebody calling me on She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one Yeah she's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one She's the one If there's somebody calling me on She's the one She's the one.” It was the male singer who took the first spotlight and it was an immediate success. Harry reflected on how true the words seemed to be. When the song ended he and Ginny clapped with everyone else before going and sitting with Bill and Charlie and their respective girlfriends. They chatted for a while about school, about family and about the war. It turned out that Charlie’s girlfriend Lucy was one of the hostages, Chrissie Allows’ sister, who Ginny had freed. Charlie had met her at the press conference. “Oh,” said Lucy when the band announced the next song. "I love this song.” She dragged a somewhat reluctant Charlie onto the dance floor, and Bill and Fleur quickly followed. “Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one else above you? Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, Ease my troubles, that's what you do,” sang the male singer. Ginny looked at Harry and smiled. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, deciding that she didn’t really care anymore if anyone noticed. “For the morning sun in all its glory, Meets the day with hope and comfort too, You fill my life with laughter, somehow you make it better, Ease my troubles, that's what you do. There's a love less defined, And it’s yours and it’s mine, Like the sun. And at the end of the day, We should give thanks and pray, To the one, to the one. Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one else above you? Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, Ease my troubles, that's what you do. There's a love less defined, And it’s yours and it’s mine, Like the sun. And at the end of the day, We should give thanks and pray, To the one, to the one. Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one else above you? Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, Ease my troubles, that's what you do. Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness, Ease my troubles, that's what you do. Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness, Ease my troubles, that's what you do.” Harry kissed Ginny’s forehead gently. “Come on Harry,” said Ginny. “Let’s dance.” She took his hand and led him onto the dance floor. “Aren’t you worried about people realising?” asked Harry. “No,” said Ginny. “Not anymore. All I wanted was to be able to get through NEWTs in peace.” Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny as she laid her head against his chest, and began to sway gently to the music. “My love There's only you in my life The only thing that's right My first love You're every breath that I take You're every step I make And I I want to share All my love with you No one else will do And your eyes They tell me how much you care Oh, yes you will always be My endless love Two hearts Two hearts that beat as one Our lives had just begun Forever I'll hold you close in my arms I can't resist your charms And love I'll be a fool for you I'm sure You know I don't mind You know I don't mind 'cause you You mean the world to me Oh, I know I know I found in you My endless love Oh And love I'll be that fool for you I'm sure You know I don't mind You know I don't mind And yes You'll be the only one 'cause no one can't deny This love I have inside And I’ll give it all to you My love My endless love...” The song was a duet by the man and the woman, and Ginny felt it was an exact representation of her love for Harry. They sat down again once the song finished. All of the friends were still up dancing. “What exactly do you have in mind?” asked Ginny. “That would be telling,” said Harry. Ginny shook her head whilst smiling. "I know you’ve got something up your sleeve,” she said. “Tell Ginny, pwease?” She looked up at him. “Those puppy dog eyes are not going to get you anywhere,” said Harry. “Dammit,” said Ginny. “It always worked with Ron.” “Speaking of Ron,” said Harry. “Look.” He pointed to where Ron and Hermione were dancing, or rather, kissing tenderly. “When I fall in love it will be forever Or I'll never fall in love In a restless world like this is Love is ended before it's begun And too many moonlight kisses Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun When I give my heart it will be completely Or I'll never give my heart And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too Is when I fall in love with you. And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too Is when I fall in love with you.” “This band is amazing,” said Ginny. “How have they managed to choose all the songs that seem to sum up our lives?” "I don’t know,” said Harry. “Maybe it’s just because our love is perfect. Anyway, we’d better go and get ready for the finale.” “Do they know what song we need?” asked Ginny, standing up. “Yes,” said Harry. “Dumbledore sent them the music last month.” At ten to midnight, Ginny emerged from McGonagall’s room. Harry was waiting for her by the exit and when he saw her, his jaw dropped. Ginny approached him and slipped her hand into his. She wore a long gold gown, which had very thin straps. It reached the floor and had very little shape. Ginny had insisted that she would not wear a tent. Her was poker straight with long strands of gold glitter fastened into it, as well as flecks of glitter sprayed into it. The effect was stunning. “You know,” Harry said. “If someone had told me that you could be even more beautiful than you were in those blue robes I wouldn’t have believed them, until now.” Ginny smiled. “I love the tux," she said. Harry grinned. He leant down and kissed her. “I love you,” he said. “I love you,” Ginny replied. They made their way down to the Great Hall, but waited outside for Dumbledore’s announcement. “And now, Ladies and Gentlemen,” they heard the old Headmaster say. “The evening must come to an end. Allow me to introduce the two people who will finish in style: Mr Harry Potter and Miss Ginny Weasley.” They heard the applause as the door opened in front of them. Still with their hands joined, but held high in the air, they made their way to the dance floor. They separated, and Ginny stood with her back to Harry, waiting for the music to begin. As soon as the first notes struck they began to dance: swirling and moving effortlessly across the dance floor. “Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt like this before Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you. 'Cause I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you. I've been waiting for so long Now I've finally found someone To stand by me We saw the writing on the wall As we felt this magical fantasy Now with passion in our eyes There's no way we could disguise it secretly So we take each other's hand 'Cause we seem to understand the urgency Just remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something This could be love because I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you With my body and soul I want you more than you'll ever know So we'll just let it go Don't be afraid to lose control Yes I know what’s on your mind When you say: “Stay with me tonight.” Just remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something This could be love because I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you 'Cause I had the time of my life And I've searched through every open door Till I've found the truth and I owe it all to you,” the singers paused while the musicians displayed their expertise. “Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before (Never Felt this way) Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you 'Cause I had the time of my life And I've searched through every open door Till I've found the truth and I owe it all to you.” And as the final chord played, and Ginny stood entwined in his arms, Harry slowly lowered his lips and gently brushed hers. The kiss deepened as cheers erupted around them, as the shock began to settle in. When Harry and Ginny finally separated and looked, it seemed that all members of the Weasley family were surrounded by reporters. Ginny laughed at the look on her brothers’ faces. In a bizarre turn of events at the victory celebration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last night, the engagement of Mr Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and Miss Ginevra Alexandra Weasley, The Girl-Who-Freed-the –Hostages, was announced. Mr Potter’s love life has been kept highly secretive since its last mention in this paper (a reference to his involvement with a Miss Hermione Granger). Through talking with the couple, their close family and friends it appears that Mr Potter and Miss Weasley have been a couple since October 1996. Miss Weasley, youngest child and only daughter of the current Minister for Magic, Mr Arthur Weasley, is almost at the end of her seventh year of school, which brings into question the breaking of rules at Hogwarts, being that Mr Potter is the current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. To this, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore said, “Harry and Ginny have been perfectly discreet. We have no evidence to prove that they have been acting as anything more than student or teacher in the months since they returned to the castle.” Unsatisfied with this answer, this reporter questioned the Potions master, Severus Snape who said, “Harry and Ginny have presented no cause for concern. Rumours were obviously rife among the students, but nothing was witnessed to give these rumours substance.” Miss Weasley, coming from a large family, has always relied greatly on the support of her loved ones. They seemed full of praise for their sister and Mr Potter. Bill Weasley (oldest of seven) said, “They are meant for each other. Harry looks at Ginny in a way that I’ve never seen someone look at a person before. Even Percy wouldn’t have had a bad word to say. They deserve to be happy.” To this Charlie Weasley (second of seven) added, "I was imprisoned with Harry for over two months and all he could talk about was Ginny. He thinks of her with so much love and respect that I could never imagine him hurting her. Good luck to them.” Percy Weasley, the third of the Weasley children was killed during the Dark Lord’s second rise to power in July 1997. “Why would we have a problem with Harry?” was the answer of Fred and George Weasley (fourth and fifth of the Weasley children). “He’s our favourite, and only, benefactor. Besides, he obviously loves Ginny and that’s good enough for us. We’ve always given Ginny’s boyfriends a hard time, but not Harry. Secretly, we all know that if we could have picked anyone in the world to end up with our sister, we’d have chosen Harry Potter.” Ron Weasley (sixth of seven) said, “Harry’s my best mate. He’d never hurt my sister. He wouldn’t dare. Have you ever seen her Bat Bogey Hex? And there’s no doubt that she loves him. She walked two thousand miles to find him. It takes real love to that.” When questioned about this, Miss Weasley replied, “Well of course I hoped to find Harry! What person would the man they loved to be dead? I didn’t know if I would find him, and that thought caused me pain. I knew that if he was dead, I would have to live with unbearable pain and grief, but at least the families of the others who I saved wouldn’t have to live like that, and for that, I would have been grateful. I didn’t go with the sole purpose of finding Harry. I went to save the lives of as many people as I could.” Of his relationship with Miss Weasley, Mr Potter said, “Ginny means the world to me. I live her more than anything, and I’m not afraid to say it. A wise person once said to me that many would say that she is the luckiest person in the world to be with me, but that would be wrong. To be with someone as special and as perfect and as amazing as Ginny would make me the luckiest person in the world. I’ve never agreed with a statement as much as I agree with that. I am the luckiest person in the world, and I would gladly prove it to anyone who is in doubt.” At this point Miss Weasley planted a kiss on the cheek of her betrothed. Minister for Magic, Arthur Weasley and his wife Molly, watched the events unfold. “Harry is like a son to us,” they said. “There is no one better in this world for our Ginny than him. Whenever we look at her, she is glowing with happiness. It takes someone special to make a person that happy, and they are that happy. That’s enough for us.” It seems that everyone is happy for the couple, so who are we to dispute? Good luck Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley! By Irene Watkins A/N It’s finally here! Only one chapter to go everyone! It’s sad really isn’t it? I’m going to miss this story. It’s not over yet though, and there will be some flash forwards on their way in early 2005. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the last chapter. There’s a visit to a second family, a surprise for Harry and Ginny and the wedding of our second favourite couple. Please review! The songs are (in order of appearance): She’s the One by Robbie Williams Have I told you lately? by Rod Stewart Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross When I fall in Love by Nat King Cole I’ve had the time of my Life by Billy Medley and Jennifer Warnes |
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