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Always Wondered…

The final battle hadn't lasted very long. Harry, who had been training for two years, had quickly defeated Voldemort.

He was outside, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, looking at Voldemort's body with the others, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna.

"You did it!" Hermione said excitedly. "Merlin, you actually did it!"

Everyone murmured a congratulations, and they all stood there in silence, wondering how it could've been this easy.

Suddenly, Luna spoke up, her dreamy voice sounding oddly loud in the silence. "Hey… Where's Ginny?"

That started a feeling of panic. Last thing they had known, Ginny had been fighting with them, battling Draco Malfoy, one of the student Death Eaters in Hogwarts. They spread out, trying to find her.

Suddenly, Ron let out a yell. "I found her! Come quick!"

Ron had propped her up against the trunk of a very large tree, some twenty feet away from the others, surveying her with mounting horror.

A gaping hole in her chest was bleeding profusely, and she was getting paler by the second. They all rushed to her side, and Ron stood up. "What do you think happened?" He asked in a hoarse voice, trying to restrain his tears. Harry sat down in the grass beside her, and took her hand.

She was very cold.

"Go! Get help! Get Dumbledore!" He yelled, panicked. As one, the four of them raced off, leaving Harry alone with her. He rubbed her hand, and said, "Gin? Ginny, are you okay?"

Ginny opened her eyes, and smiled pathetically at him. "I've had better moments."

Despite the situation, he laughed quietly, and said, "Seriously, Gin. How are you?"

She attempted to shrug her shoulders. "I'm really cold." Her eyes got a far away look, and she said, "Yeah… Cold."

He bit his lip, and removed his cloak, and spread it over her legs, and then moved her to where she was wrapped in his arms.

"Better?" He asked, trying not to cry. He knew what was going to happen, and he didn't like it one little bit.

She shook her head. "No, not really." She shivered, and said, "What happened?"

He frowned, and said, "Ssh, Gin. I'll tell you later."

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she said, "Don't be stupid, Harry. There isn't going to be a later for me."

He took a deep breath, and said, "Don't talk like that, Ginny. You'll be okay." She rolled her eyes, and said, "Ever the optimist, huh, Harry?"

In response, he held her a little tighter, and began to rock back and forth. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, and Harry began to wonder what had happened to the others. He wondered for a minute if something had happened to them, and he immediately became even more worried.

Suddenly, in a dazed voice, Ginny said, "Hah…" She was silent for a few minutes, and then, "I've always wondered what this would feel like," she said weakly.

Harry, confused, smiled sadly down at the dying girl, and said, "Wondered what would feel like?"

She was silent for a few more seconds, and then she blinked quickly, and said, "You paying this much attention to me."

"What?" He asked incredulously, having no idea what in the world she was talking about.

She smiled at him, and said, "I always wanted you to pay attention to me, and now you are." Tears were falling down her face now, and she added, "Funny time to do it, really."

At his silence, she explained, "Oh, I've always loved you, don't tell me you didn't know."

In a whisper, he said, "No, I didn't."

She grinned, and said, "Well, you feel stupid, don't you?"

Harry was now on the verge of tears. He said, "I… I think that I love you, too."

She nodded confidently, and said, "Yeah, you do. Everyone knows it, too, except, of course, for you."

His eyes filled with tears. "Well, that's great."

She smiled distantly, and suddenly said, in a small, scared voice, "I don't want to die, Harry. I really don't."

The tears finally fell.

"I don't want you to die, either, Gin."

She snuggled against him, and said, "Promise me something."

He nodded, and said, "Anything."

She grinned, and said, "One of you has got to name a kid after me."

He laughed quietly, and said, "Okay."

She began to cry again, and said, "Harry, it's really cold. I can't even feel the pain."

He swallowed, and said, "I'm sorry, Gin. It'll be over in a minute."

She nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess so. But Harry," she said, looking up at him with huge brown eyes, "I really do love you."

He lowered his head, and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I love you, too. I always will."

She smiled, and said in a quiet voice, "I know you will."

And with that, she laid her head down on Harry's shoulder, and closed her eyes.

Harry sat in the waiting room in St. Mungo's anxiously awaiting the news.

A Healer walked up to him, and he said, "Mr. Potter?"

Startled, Harry jumped up, and said, "How is she?"

He smiled gently, and said, "She's fine. She just gave birth to a healthy baby girl." Harry grinned, relieved, and the Healer said, "You can come and see them, you know."

Harry thanked him, and walked into the maternity ward, not stopping until he reached room number 236. He opened it quietly, and peeked his head in. "Can I come in?"

"Of course you can, you dolt!" A tired voice called.

He entered the room, and smiled at the three people in front of him. Ron and Hermione Weasley had just had their first child.

Hermione grinned happily at him, and said, "Harry, tell this idiot that we can't name our child Ronette! They'll throw rocks at her!"

Ron mock glared at her, and said, "Well, it's better than what you wanted to name her! Honestly, what kind of a name is Rain?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I wasn't being serious, Ron." She turned to Harry, and said, "Really, I don't know how I got stuck with him."

She glanced at her baby, and said to him, "Well, you're her godfather. What name do you suggest?" They both looked at him eagerly.

Harry bit his lip.

"What about Ginevra?"

Ron's eyes widened, and he quickly wiped his eyes.

"Yeah… That's perfect."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at Harry, and said, "Good grief! How could that not have occurred to us?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, when she asked tentatively, "Do you wanna hold her, Harry?"

He looked at her in surprise, and then walked quickly over to her. He scooped the pink bundle up in his arms, and smiled down at her.

"Hi, Ginny," he whispered, tears filling his eyes.

"I love you."

-Turkey