A Bird in the Hand by lunafish
Summary: Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters destroyed, but Neville and Ginny aren’t ready to celebrate just yet.
Categories: The Burrow Characters: Ginny Weasley
Genres: Romance
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 2073 Read: 766 Published: 09/27/2008 Updated: 09/27/2008

1. A Bird in the Hand by lunafish

A Bird in the Hand by lunafish
A Bird in the Hand


Neville and Ginny had been dating for about six months when the news of Voldemort’s death reached them at Hogwarts. Immediately, the entire school erupted into celebration: classes were canceled, Butterbeer caps popped, and old enmities forgotten. Even the few remaining Slytherins shared in the jubilation.

For Neville and Ginny, however, the joyful news provided only partial comfort.

At first, they both worried over the fate of Harry Potter and his two young friends, not to mention the various other family members and friends who, they knew, would have joined the trio for that final confrontation. But then the happy updates started to trickle in: Harry and Ron were recovering in St. Mungo’s, Hermione was safe at home again with her parents, the Weasley family had returned to the Burrow, and, overall, the death toll stood surprisingly low. The only notable loss, it seemed, had been that of Severus Snape, who—rumor said—had shocked all witnesses by suddenly throwing himself in front of Harry just in time to catch a killing curse from his own master’s wand. Given all that had passed between himself and his old Potions master, Neville put little stock in such reports; he thought it far more likely that Snape had moved to protect Voldemort, and Harry had seized the opportunity to avenge Dumbledore.

In any case, it didn’t matter much so far as Neville was concerned. He had lost his desire for vengeance several months before when the Lestranges had finally fallen to a group of Aurors while attempting to break Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban. Oddly enough, although he found joy in the defeat of the Death Eaters, Neville had other things on his mind—foremost among them being Ginny Weasley and the likelihood of her staying with him now that Harry Potter was free at last to pursue a relationship.

Unsurprisingly, the girl in question was wondering about the same thing.

Ginny had always hoped that she and Harry would end up together, and it wasn’t just hero worship, though it had certainly begun that way. She truly loved Harry and probably always would. However, she had recently begun to suspect that what she felt for him these days was not so much passion as a deep sisterly affection.

She hadn’t always felt that way, of course. During fifth year, after her uncomfortable breakup with Dean, Harry had positively swept her off her feet, and she didn’t think she’d ever forget all those wonderful days they’d shared as a couple. The bittersweet memory of their first day in particular often returned to torment her during the bleak months that followed.


~*~



Still reeling from Harry’s kiss as they walked away from the portrait hole, Ginny suddenly turned to her companion.

“I didn’t expect that to happen.”

“Neither did I,” admitted Harry with a blush. “But I’m glad it did. In fact, I’ve been wanting it to since summer. Do you mind if… I mean, could we…again?”

Ginny nodded and leaned into him. This time, Harry’s kiss was gentler—more tentative even—than before, like he expected her to change her mind and pull away. Ginny didn’t even consider it; she felt like she’d waited half her life for this moment, and she planned to savor every second of it.

After a time, Harry stepped away, a serious expression on his face. “I was afraid that you and Dean might get back together today.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess I thought…well, with you guys playing together and all, while I was stuck in detention with Snape, it seemed like that would be just my luck. And it would have served me right, too, for not having had the courage to say anything before, for waiting so long.”

“You can say that again!” she laughed. “But, no, that’s definitely over with. I guess he wasn’t the right one.” Her heart swelled at the hopeful look on Harry’s face, and she waited for him to respond.

Instead, seizing her hand and grinning from ear to ear, Harry guided her through the halls and out into the afternoon sun, where they spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds, lounging by the lake, and sharing kisses.


~*~



Thinking back to how he had made her feel that day and all the days that had followed, Ginny couldn’t deny it: her time with Harry that spring had been like a dream come true.

But when Harry had all but disappeared from her life after the death of Albus Dumbledore, it was Neville Longbottom who’d been there to offer her a shoulder to cry on or, more usually, a friend to laugh with, beginning clear back during the welcoming feast at the beginning of her sixth year.


~*~



Walking into the Great Hall, Ginny wasn’t surprised to see all the empty seats, but the sight tore at her heart anyway. Tears pricked her eyes as she slid into her seat at the Gryffindor table, joining those of her friends who had returned. Neville slid in across from her and offered a shy smile.

“Hi, Neville. Did you have a good summer?”

“Yeah, as good as could be expected, I suppose. The wedding was nice. Your brother and Fleur seem really happy together.”

Ginny shrugged. “I guess.”

“How about you? I mean, is everything okay with…uh, everyone?”

She knew that he was wondering about the absence of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but she just nodded.

“I’m glad you came back. I thought—”

Before Neville could finish, however, Professor Flitwick entered the hall, herding the small group of new first years. Ginny looked around her, noticing once again the sparsely settled tables. The students who had returned were mainly Muggleborns and half-bloods, as far as she could tell, with just a smattering of pure bloods like her and Neville to prove that the old families did in fact still exist. The ranks of Slytherins had fared the worst, of course, but even the Hufflepuff table had fewer than half its usual occupants.

The sorting definitely wasn’t the drawn out affair it had been even just the year before, either. The hat had nothing new to say in its song, but it raised plenty of speculation all the same when it promptly sorted the majority of the newcomers into Gryffindor, sending only one frightened little girl to Slytherin and two students apiece to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Ginny thought it just as well: courage would be an important asset this year in a school no longer protected by Dumbledore.

Neville surprised her from her thoughts with a small laugh. “I’d hate to be in Slytherin this year; they don’t even have Professor Snape to award points when they decide to gang up on one of us Gryffindors.”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine Slughorn doing that, even for one of the Slug Club. Blaise’ll have to bring in an autographed photo of his mum to win any points this year.”

Neville grinned. “I really am glad you came back this year,” he repeated. “When I didn’t see Ron and…well, I just wondered.”

“Thanks, Neville. I’m glad, too. Someone’s got to stick around to watch over this ol’ place; it might as well be us.”

“Luna will help, too,” he said earnestly, “and maybe we could try reforming the DA…if you think anyone would be interested, I mean.”

Looking at his eager face, Ginny suddenly felt a million times lighter than she had when she’d sat down. “I’m sure they will be. I bet we’ll even make some new recruits. Let’s ask them tonight.”

A voice piped up beside her. “Count me in!”

“And me!”

“Me, too!”

She and Neville glanced down the table in both directions to see almost a dozen people nodding in agreement. Ginny realized with some surprise that they were all looking at her and Neville Longbottom as if the two of them had just been voted their new leaders. Well, she thought, why not? As she had asserted—half in jest—only moments before, someone had to protect their school; it might as well be them. And there were certainly worse comrades to be had than the one she’d just chosen.


During the months that followed, Neville disappointed neither her nor the rest of the DA. That year, the shy, awkward boy—the one who’d been the victim of so many Slytherin pranks and who’d suffered the unrelenting cruelty of the traitor Snape—finally came into his own. He never lost his shyness and awkwardness altogether, but he didn’t let it stop him from becoming a good leader and a strong mentor to many of the younger students. He showed determination and fortitude with not only the DA but also about every other challenge he faced that year.

Moreover, while Harry and company were off saving the world, Neville stood firm as the one absolute, the single unshakeable presence in Ginny’s life.


~*~



Then again, when she thought about it, Ginny realized that Neville had always been there for her, starting clear back in first year when he’d been the only one to notice that something was bothering her. She’d been too preoccupied to really appreciate it, and she’d forgotten it almost entirely after Harry had pulled off his spectacular rescue. However, looking back now, Ginny had no problem remembering Neville’s kind round face as he chatted with her in the Great Hall or offered her help with her Herbology homework in the Gryffindor Common Room. Sure, Harry had come through for her in the lair of the basilisk, but Neville had been there, standing by her side, the entire time. And he’d been there again three years later when he’d made her the envy of all the other third years by escorting her to the TriWizard Tournament’s Yule Ball. The next year, he hadn’t even been balked by the thought of battle when the two of them had joined Harry and the others in their brave, even if misguided, attempt to save Sirius.

With all these proofs before her, Ginny could no longer remain oblivious to Neville’s worth. She was finally coming to see him for what he was, and she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been so blind for so long. No, he wasn’t Harry Potter, but, quite frankly, Ginny wasn’t sure anymore if Harry Potter was what she really wanted anyway.

Sure, Harry had just defeated the scourge of the Wizarding world, while Neville—if one wanted to ignore his efforts with the DA—had spent the last year preparing for his Newts. And, yes, Harry was a household name who could probably pick and choose from any number of successful and exciting careers, whereas Neville would probably spend the rest of his life pottering away in some greenhouse, cross-pollinating deadly plants and coming home with dirt under his nails. No one would think to deny that Harry was bold and popular and great at Quidditch, or argue that Neville was anything but awkward and shy and almost completely non-athletic.

But Ginny didn’t care.

When it came right down to it, Ginny liked Neville just exactly the way he was.

~*~


Such were Ginny’s thoughts a couple weeks after the Battle of the Phoenix (as people were now dubbing it) when Harry and company finally returned to Hogwarts in triumph. She couldn’t help but think, as the three young saviors of the Wizarding World approached, that Neville was not only gentle, kind, and good, but also brave, strong, and downright heroic when the situation called for it. More importantly, Ginny realized, he loved her. And then, reaching for Neville’s hand, she realized something even more amazing still: she loved him, too.

~*~


One can only guess what Neville’s thoughts were at that moment when he felt Ginny’s hand grab his own and he saw her gazing at him with such love in her eyes. Neville certainly couldn’t tell; afterward, all he knew was that he’d been simply too busy walking on air to even care what was going through his head.
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