Nexus

New Story! FFNandAO3

Seeing things through another’s eyes often gives us a new appreciation for the things we hold dear. Interacting with Cho and Dean give Harry and Ginny a new appreciation for their lives after the war and each other.

Happy birthday to my very first fandom friend! @thisismegz

Meg, I can’t believe it’s been been five years and I’m so happy that you reached out and shared your ideas with me. You’re one of my favorite people and I hope your birthday is full of all the best things! I hope this little story makes your birthday just a little more special! Love you, darling!

Nexus

Chapter 1

Cho took a seat at the table while Stephen went to the bar to get them drinks. She and Stephen had decided on an unconventional honeymoon - three months traveling across the world while Stephen worked. Stephen was an international business consultant and had mapped out his next three months so the two of them could see a large chunk of the world. He’d called it time for her to heal, and heal she had. Steven made her laugh, made her want to live, to smile, to look forward to the future. And sitting at the hotel bar in San Francisco, Cho was happy.

Which was good, because she’d just seen someone she thought the sight of might pull out every terrible and awful memory in her.

Harry Potter stood at the bar.

Thankfully the sight of him didn’t up-end her happiness, which was a relief. It was then she realized he was talking to a woman, a blonde woman.

Hadn’t Harry been with Ginny?

Cho watched as the blonde woman batted her eyes at Harry, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Harry could do better than a woman who was just attracted to his accent and the fact that he was from a different country. Then again, if he’d let Ginny get away maybe he didn’t deserve better.

“Here, love.” Stephen slid into his seat and set her drink down with a kiss on her cheek. Then he caught her eye. “Everything alright?”

“Yes, I just know him.” She gestured towards Harry.

“From where?” Stephen linked their hands.

“School.” Cho shrugged and let out a long breath. That word brought more pain than seeing Harry did.

Stephen shifted his chair to be able to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Was the woman at your school too?”

Cho went to say no, but a bright streak of red caught her eye, a streak that threw her right back to Quidditch matches and trying to out maneuver one of the best Seekers she’d ever flown against.

“Yeah.” Cho smiled as Ginny slid into Harry’s arms and the blonde woman quickly retreated. Harry whispered something in Ginny’s ear and they both laughed. His lips brushed hers briefly as his arms kept her close.

“Do you want to say hello?” Stephen’s arms tightened against her, holding her up both literally and figuratively.

Cho watched as Ginny and Harry talked easily at the bar, and caught sight of the ring on Ginny’s hand as she linked her wrists behind Harry’s neck. They were happy, and if she knew anyone who deserved to be happy, it was Harry and Ginny.

“No, I don’t want to intrude.” Cho rested her head against Stephen’s shoulder. “Besides, it’s our honeymoon, and tomorrow you promised to take me to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory.”

“Then you should finish your drink so we can head upstairs.” Stephen smirked at her as he picked up his glass. “Big day after all. We’ll need plenty of rest.”

Cho laughed and within a few minutes let Stephen lead her up to their room.

Harry watched them go and smiled.

“I’m glad Cho seems happy.” Ginny threaded her fingers with his.

“Me too, she deserves to be happy after the hell we all went through.” Harry leant against the bar and pulled Ginny flush against him.

“You do too, Harry.” Ginny kissed him lightly before pulling back.

Harry gave her arm a sharp tug to pull her back, shifting his hands to cradle her face and allow him to deepen the kiss.

“I’m happy with you.” He murmured before losing himself in her flowery intoxicating scent again.

“Maybe we should…” Ginny fisted his shirt in her hands and pulled him forward.

Harry smirked against her before pulling away to lead them up to their room, only running into the wall three times in the journey.

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Chapter 2

Dean took a deep breath as he looked at the door to the tent in front of him.

“It’ll be fun, mate.” Seamus put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

That was easy for him to say. He’s kept contact with everyone over the years, especially Harry and Ginny. Dean was honestly shocked to have received the invite at all, let alone a spot in the VIP section and boxed seats. Sure he’d been a part of Dumbledore’s Army, but after the battle he’d cut ties with everyone but Seamus. He hitched rides across the world and spent five years working through the trauma and chaos in his brain as he saw countries he’d only ever read about. The last two of those five years had been the ones that counted though.

Those two had included Valeria.

He’d met her in Mexico City and after six months of her showing him around her home country, she’d decided she was going to follow him to the next one, and the one after that. And then somewhere along the way, they were setting up homes in Mexico and England and Dean let his past go in order to embrace this amazing life that he’d created with Valeria.

But being here now, this was his past coming back, and Dean didn’t know if he was ready.

“Dean?” Valeria took his hand.

“Right, sorry.”

“Todo estará bien.” She squeezed his hand and he took strength in her words as he followed Seamus and his wife, Maeve, forward.

The Potter’s tent was enormous inside, obviously picked out specifically to be the place to host their old group. Dean felt the guilt hit fast as he saw faces he hadn’t seen in sixteen years.

And then he saw Ginny.

The guilt hit harder there. He wished he’d been better to her. They had been teenagers and he could look back and appreciate where they’d both made bad decisions, but he still felt guilty for how miserable they’d made each other.

“Dean! Seamus! Maeve!” Ginny ran over with a smile he couldn’t ever remember seeing on her face. “I’m so glad you made it.” She then pulled Maeve into a tight hug. “I’ve missed you! Why did you move all the way to Ireland?”

Maeve laughed. “Ireland pays their Quidditch coaches better. And we’re closer to family.”

Ginny gave a huff before turning back to Dean. “And who is this beautiful lady?”

“This is my wife, Valeria.” Dean kicked himself for being not only out of it, but rude also. “Valeria, this is Ginny Potter.”

Valeria shook Ginny’s hand. “It’s so nice of you to invite us. This has been a wonderful experience.”

Ginny went to answer when Harry stepped up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “We’re glad you could come. I’m Harry, Ginny’s husband. Mucho gusto de conocerle, Valeria.”

Ginny’s smile increased further and something Dean had never realized seemed to dawn on him in that moment. She hadn’t been happy with him because he wasn’t Harry. Just like he hadn’t been happy with her because she wasn’t Valeria. They hadn’t been right for each other, though at sixteen he couldn’t see that. But the realization pulled the drain on all the residual guilt he’d held, and for the first time since he had arrived in Argentina, Dean felt like he could breathe.

He also realized he’d completely missed what his wife and the Finnigan’s had been saying to the Potter’s.

“We’re glad we could come too.” Dean smiled as he shook Harry’s hand. “It’s been too long.”

Ginny nodded and gestured around the tent. “That’s why we decided to do this. We needed a good reason to bring us all back together.”

“Hannah and Neville have created some drinks for the occasion too,” Harry gestured to one side of the tent where Dean saw a small group of people he’d once felt as close to as his half-siblings. “Go say hi and grab something to drink and enjoy the afternoon. We’ll head over to the boxes about thirty minutes before the match starts.”

“Now we’re talking,” Seamus pulled their little group forward and Ginny laughed and waved them forward.

“I honestly didn’t think he’d come.” She leant back into Harry as she watched the gorgeous Valeria whisper to Dean as they walked away. He was smiling again, looking down at her like she was everything.

The way Ginny knew Harry looked at her.

“I told Seamus to work his magic, and it helped that Dean and Valeria were in Mexico already.” Harry kissed her temple and Ginny closed her eyes as she leant into it.

“Maybe we could take the kids to Mexico, ask Dean and Valeria for good places to visit.”

“I think they’d enjoy that. Why not invite Dean and Valeria and their kids along?”

“I don’t want to scare them away. This is the first contact they’ve had with anyone from school outside of Seamus and Maeve.” Ginny watched Dean slowly settle in. “I worry it’s me that’s kept him from the rest of his friends.”

Harry pulled her flush against him. “You know that isn’t true. Dean is too good for that. And so are you.” His lips touched her cheek and Ginny smiled.

“You’re right. I just want us all to be happy. We deserve to be happy.”

“You deserve to be happy.” Harry slowly spun her around and kissed her. Ginny melted into his kiss and was just realizing that they should probably ease up when…

“Ew! Dad! Mom! Not again!” Ginny laughed as Harry pulled away.

“Jamie, do you want to meet Victor Krum?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then kindly stop shouting at your mother and me.”

Jamie grumbled but dutifully quieted, though their guests were already laughing at the display.

“We’ll pick that up later, yeah?” Harry spoke against the shell of her ear.

Ginny indulged herself and turned to kiss him further. Everyone was already laughing with them, and with all their old friends around them, Ginny couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate.