Recuperation - 10

"Who else did you see?" Ginny asked.

"Remus and Tonks," Harry said, swallowing again. "Remus looked better – healthier than I've ever seen him. Strange since he's dead, huh?" Harry asked.

Ginny blinked hard. "No, not strange at all," she whispered, her voice strained. "Did you get to see your mum and dad, Harry?"

Harry paused again, running his fingers through the sand. Ginny kept a firm grip on his hand while she leaned over to kiss the corner of his eye. He was surprised to feel the moisture there.

"It took me awhile to call them. I know that's strange since it's what I'd always wanted. I don't know what was wrong with me," he said gruffly.

"What was it like?" Ginny whispered, sniffling.

"Amazing," Harry breathed. "It – it was amazing. They like you. My mum said to treat you well."

"I like your mum," Ginny said, laughing and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I got to talk about Quidditch with my dad. He was going to build a pitch in our garden, like at the Burrow. I really would have liked that," Harry said, excited over the mere thought of it.

"We'll have to have our own pitch one day," Ginny said before her eyes flew open wide and bright color suffused her face. She looked as if she wanted a hole to open up and swallow her right there. She began playing with the sand, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, swallowing heavily. "I'd like that. Sort of a Weasley-Potter tradition, you know?" He looked back at the sand, feeling very exposed. He risked a glance up through his fringe and noticed she was still blushing, but also wearing a very self-satisfied smirk.

"They all said they wanted me to return to school for my last year," he said. "They wanted me to have one carefree year."

"Then you should do it," Ginny said, squeezing his fingers. She raised her eyes to meet his. "You deserve that chance. It's what I want, too. Is it what you want?"

"Yeah," he said, the answer suddenly very clear. "I do want to go back. It'll give me time to get my head on straight, and we'll get to be together for our last year with Ron and Hermione."

He knew he still wanted to be an Auror – that ambition hadn't changed since he'd first heard about it as a fourth-year, but they would still need Aurors in another year. Waiting a year for all the furor over Voldemort's demise to die down a bit might be a good thing. If he completed his NEWTs, at least he could assure himself that he got into the program on his own merit. Ron kept saying that they'd have to take him; he'd already proved himself. To him, however, this would feel like walking in on his own terms.

"I'd like that," Ginny said, obviously delighted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "This is going to be the best year ever."

They enjoyed the rest of their lunch and spent their day splashing in the waves. Harry's thoughts would occasionally drift back to some of the conversations he'd had with his lost loved ones. It all seemed so very real – much more solid than a dream. Every once in a while, he'd catch Ginny wearing a glazed expression and knew she was pondering, as well.

The sun had lost its heavy mid-afternoon heat, and they decided it was time to return so they could shower before dinner. As they were packing to leave, Harry asked, "D'you think I dreamed it?"