Disclaimer: I own nothing, I make no money, I'll put the toys back when I'm done playing with them.
A/N: Thanks to my beta, Vessy… the only thing I have to say to you is glue of the largest land mammal.
Harry paced the Room of Requirement.
It was exactly an hour since graduation.
Harry asked Hermione to meet him here when she got free of her parents, and that was over a half hour ago. He stood in the room with a comfortable couch, and a fire to light the room.
Of course he didn't stand still all that much, he paced most of the time he was in here. He wrung his hands for what must have been the fourth time that night. He wondered if he had anything that could substitute a paper bag to breathe into.
Hermione knocked on the door. Harry wiped his palms on his pants and went to the door to open it for her.
She came in and sat down with a big sigh, "I can't believe all those people! So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Harry sat down on the other end of the couch and tried with all he had in him not to get up again and pace.
"You know how I've been doing the auror training for the past six months?" Harry put both his hands on his left leg in an attempt to stop it from shaking.
"Yes. Oh do you have some advise for me?" Her lips curled into a smile, "Instructors to be careful of?"
"No," Harry at this point almost got up but forced himself to stay seated, "I'm... Well you know how Voldemort's dead and all- of course you know Voldemort is dead, you were there. What I mean is I... I'm not becoming an auror."
"What?"
At this point it seemed as if Hermione needed a paper bag.
"I'm not becom-"
"Why? What happened? Is something wrong? Are you Dying!?"
"I'm not dying Hermione. I... it's not what I want to do." Harry exhaled deeply.
"But what you did with Voldemort and the Death Eaters-"
"Just because I'm good at it doesn't mean I want to do it the rest of my life. I've done my part, I was destined to kill Voldemort, and I did that. I don't want to become Moody, drinking only from my hip-flask because I'm so paranoid."
Hermione stayed quiet for a moment, then cautiously said to him, "But what about the rest of the Death Eaters... Even his other followers, they're still out there."
"The Order can handle it. Hermione, I'm tired. I'm tired of worrying if this is going to be my last day alive. There will always be dark wizards, there will be another 'dark lord' and more wars, but they're not mine to fight."
Hermione's brow knitted, "So you're just going to sit back and watch as others-"
"It's what Dumbledore did." Harry said forcefully, "It's what you and Ron did. Look, I didn't ask you to come here to fight with you."
"I'm sorry Harry, I just get a little carried away. I understand why you want to do what you're doing, and I'll respect your decision." She paused then said in a lighter tone, "We won't be spending that much time together for a while, I don't know what I'll do without you."
Harry took a heavy breath, hoping Hermione couldn't see how nervous he still was.
"I wanted to talk to you about that."
"About what?"
"About spending more time together."
She looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"Hermione, your one of my best friends," Harry got up and started pacing, "We've spent seven years together and well this past year... This past year I noticed that I... I noticed that I fancied you. I didn't say anything hoping it would pass, but it didn't. That's when I realized I didn't fancy you, I... I think I love you. So I was wondering, if some time, when you're not training of course, you might like to get dinner or... something."
When he turned to see her reaction he saw a mixture of sadness and pity.
"You don't feel the same." He said in a monotone voice.
"No Harry." She stared at her lap, not even trying to catch his eyes to make him understand why.
Because why wasn't the point.
"Do you think you could?" He ran a hand through his messy hair.
She hesitated, but said, "No Harry."
"Are you sure? I could... wait."
"Oh Harry..." She said in her way that Harry knew she just wanted to jump up and give him one of her overly tight hugs.
"Forget it."
He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of consoling him. He left the room and made his way back over to the Gryffindor common room.
He was almost there when he heard soft crying. He went to find the source of the sound when he bumped into Malfoy storming down the hall. Moving towards where Malfoy came from, the crying became louder and he followed it. He turned the corner to find Ginny Weasley on the floor sobbing. He kneeled next to her and tried to wipe her tears. She finally noticed him about five minutes later when she looked up in confusion, then wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh Harry!" She sobbed.
"Everything's going to be fine, everything will be all right. I promise." Harry said, meaning every word of it.
"Harry, I did a stupid thing." she choked out.
"What a coincidence, so did I." Harry tried to laugh but both noticed how hollow it sounded, "Why don't you tell me what happened to you and I'll tell you what happened to me. We can sort it out from there."
"I'm pregnant."
"You win." He said.
They both laughed, but it was not so hollow as Harry's earlier chuckle.
"Don't do that," She said in a muffled tone as she wiped her face on his shirt.
"What?"
"Make it seem like everything is going to be okay." She said into his chest.
"It will be, I made a promise, remember?" Harry said as he rocked her, trying anything to make her feel better.
"What did you do?" she asked looking up to him.
Harry stopped rocking her and said, "I told Hermione I loved her, she said she could never love me."
"Oh Harry... Can I kill her?"
"What?" Harry asked completely confused.
"I don't know how she could say that. Especially to you. If you let me kill her then I can take out some of my anger on her."
"I'm guessing that anger is actually toward the father that doesn't seem to be here." Harry said as he looked around the passageway.
Ginny nodded, "I can't do this, I can't go to them and tell them..."
"They wont hurt you. Your mother may act tough, but you shouldn't worry."
"I know they wont hurt me, that's not what's bothering me." Ginny paused, trying to find the right words, "They'll help me. Don't you see how much worse that is?"
The thought of going to the Weasleys after he had done something he knew was wrong, he knew he should have never done, then having them help him out of it the best way they could was something that turned his stomach.
"I see your point. Ginny, I think I have a solution to our problems, only if you agree to it of course."
Harry stood and offered her his hand with a determined look in his eyes.
"What's the plan?" she asked as she took it and stood up, her eyes meeting his in both height and determination.