The fighting between the light and dark forces had been increasing over the last few weeks and everyone was waiting for something to break. Ginny had been working twelve-hour shifts as a healer at St. Mungo’s all week, and her nerves were stretched near to breaking. She had not heard any news about her husband or her brothers all week and she was nearing exhaustion between work and anxiety for her loved ones.
The day that would become known as the final battle found her working in the emergency room where those participating in the fighting were brought when they were wounded. Some to be treated for their injuries and others to be examined for the exact cause of death before their families were notified.
As the day wore on, so many people were brought in she just couldn’t see how things could be going well for their side. She was terrified that the next room she walked into would bring her face to face with one of her loved ones either injured, or worse, dead.
Five days of twelve-hour shifts dealing with life threatening injuries and death had left her exhausted and she just couldn’t take another step. She'd just left a trauma room after examining the body of one of her former schoolmates. As she walked out of the room, she began to tremble all over and she just couldn’t take anymore. She leaned up against the wall outside the door, slid down to the floor with her face in her hands, and started to cry.
Suddenly she heard joyous cries go out among the staff and people in the trauma ward. It had come over the wireless that it was over. Voldemort had been defeated. News reports were coming in from the battle stating most of the Death Eaters had been killed or captured. The noise was deafening and all she could do was wrap her arms around her knees, put her head on her arms, and cry, hard racking sobs shaking her from head to foot. It might be over but what of her family?
Ginny began to pray to every god and goddess that she could think of to let her husband and her family be all right. She knew that they were on the front lines of the battle and she was terrified that she had lost one of them.
She didn’t know how long she sat there but the noise had quieted down as the staff had gotten back to the task of taking care of the injured. Her knees were starting to ache and she knew she that needed to get back to work, but she just couldn’t find the energy to move. Suddenly she heard footsteps stop in front of her and she raised her head off her arms to look up. All she could see thru her blurred vision was a hand being offered to help her up. It was a large hand and it looked to be covered in dirt, sweat, and possibly a little blood.
She raised her eyes further up and there he was, standing before her, and she had never seen a more beautiful sight in her life. She placed her hand in his and let him help her up. Then she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck as she began crying again. She felt one of his hands on her back while the other removed the clip that held her hair up as he buried his hand in it. He whispered her name over and over again as he rubbed the small of her back and stroked her hair.
He pushed her back and caressed both of her cheeks with his thumbs as he bent down to kiss her. He moved his tongue across her bottom lip and she opened her own for him. He pulled her closer with one hand at her back and the other caressing the back of her head as he devoured her mouth. When they broke apart, he put his forehead to hers and told her that everyone was safe and accounted for. Two of her brothers had been brought in for injuries but none of them were serious. She looked up at him and brought her hands to his face, touching him everywhere, to assure herself that he was really there. She pushed the hair that had fallen over his eyes out of the way and laughed as the tears fell down her face. They were safe, they were all safe. He leaned in to kiss her again and all she could think was that he was here, he was safe, they were all safe, and it was over.
After a little while, she excused herself to report off to the replacement healers who had begun to arrive to relieve the tired staff. As she want to leave she felt a tug on her hand as he pulled her back to him. He placed his other hand on her cheek and kissed her softly and told her to hurry back. She smiled and nodded as she looked into his eyes, as she walked away he held her hand until her fingers slipped from his grasp. She hurried to where they were giving reports and quickly gave hers. The head healer told her that he didn’t want to see her for a week. Help was being brought in from the continent to give the exhausted staff some time to recover and be with their families. She entered the staff’s locker rooms and pulled off her scrubs, taking a quick shower before changing into her robes.
She saw him talking with her family who had come as soon as they had heard about her injured brothers. She quickly gave him a kiss and looked in on her brothers to assure herself that they were truly all right. After visiting with them for a few minutes, she gave them a kiss and promised to visit them as soon as they got home. They said their good-byes to everyone before heading back to their own house.
He placed his hand in the small of her back as they negotiated through all of the traffic on their way to the Apparation point. When they arrived, he wrapped his arms around her and took them home, straight to their bedroom. They shared a long exploring kiss and couldn’t stop touching one another, unable to believe that they were together again.
Finally, they broke away and she told him to go and take a shower while she got him something to eat. Once she heard the shower running, she went to the kitchen to heat up some stew that her mother had sent over, and put it into to mugs. She cut and buttered some fresh bread and added a salad to the tray she made, along with some wine. When she got back to their bedroom with the tray he was just walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and drying his hair with another. He put the towel down and came over to take the tray from her, placing it on the table that was in front of the sofa that sat before the fireplace.
He put on the bathrobe she handed him while she went to change into her nightgown and robe. As they ate their meal, she questioned him about the battle and what he had seen. When they were finished he banished the dishes back to the kitchen and offered her his hand as he rose. She put her hand in his and he led her to their bed.
Later, she lay with her head on his chest and just listened to the sound of his breathing, lightly running her hand over his chest and abdomen. She was afraid that if she went to sleep she would wake up and find it was all a dream and that he wasn’t really there with her.
He shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer to him while placing his hand over hers to still its movement. With a sigh, his breathing evened out again and she could just make out their hands in the dying light of the fire, his covering hers. She placed a kiss on his chest as she gave into the exhaustion that was claiming her, and she had never felt more safe or loved then she did in that moment, in his arms with his hand over hers keeping the nightmares away.
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