Harry sat in one of the squashy couches in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fire with a small frown on his face. So much was going wrong. Voldemort had risen two summers before, but had seemed content to hide in the shadows until the end of Harry's fifth year, almost six months previously. Harry'd led a band of his fellow students into the Department of Mysteries, in an ill-fated attempt to rescue his godfather, Sirius Black. On the one hand, something good did come of it. Sirius was now cleared of all crimes in relation to the murder of Peter Pettigrew, and Harry's parents. On the other... well, Sirius's pardon was posthumous. Harry's heart seemed to contract at the thought of that name. Sirius... His head came down and rested on his hands, but even then the demons that haunted him still danced before his eyes. Sirius may have been the first fatality in the Second War, but he was by no means the last. More and more were falling prey to the Death Eater's attacks, and even in Hogwarts, that ancient, impregnable fortress, the effects were showing. Students who once laughed and played in the school's broad corridors now huddled between classes, whispering over the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. The castle seemed too quiet, as some parents had pulled their students out, fearing that even the thick stone walls and ancient enchantments wouldn't be enough to withstand Voldemort's full fury. The attached girls now stayed even closer to their boyfriends, and the unattached ones moved about in massive flocks, as if by sheer closeness to another person they could hold on in a world that was rapidly shifting out of control. The boys made a great show out of not being afraid, and there was rarely a night that didn't go by when some fool would stand up and declaim at length about what he'd do to "those sniveling slime in masks if I ever saw one." Harry mused that if even half of the dire threats they uttered were carried out, Voldemort's forces would give up within the week. But that was all that came, empty words and more attacks. Even the Ministry offered no help. Fudge had been sacked, and while his replacement certainly looked fearsome, he offered no more progress than the previous administration. Harry's head sunk even lower, because unlike some, he actually kept track of what happened in the Muggle world. They were getting hit even harder than the magical one, assaulted night and day by forces they barely could see and couldn't explain. The nation was close to tearing itself apart, and the world was looking on in concern. Hands balled into fists, Harry scrubbed at his eyes, hoping to push some of the guilt away. He knew the prophecy, he was the only one to be able to kill the Dark Lord, but he wasn't ready yet. He'd just be flattened. But, people were dying, and Harry couldn't just sit around and do nothing... He sat for an indeterminable amount of time, wrestling back and forth with his seething emotions, and spiraling down deeper into a state of depression. He was shocked out of his stupor when a Chocolate Frog bounced up and struck him in the nose. He started, caught the magical sweet, and then looked around for his assailant. A sweet giggling alerted him to a presence behind him, and he turned to see a familiar ginger head smiling down at him. "Eat the chocolate, Harry. Apparently it's good for emo boyfriends like you. Makes you less brooding and depressing."

Harry mock-glared down at the frog, like it had just insulted his mother. Ginny laughed again, and flopped down on the couch next to him. She leaned into his side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him, and smiled softly. "Spill. What's gotten you so down?"

All the weight of his previous thought patterns came to rest squarely on Harry's shoulders, and he sighed. "Stuff..."

Ginny's voice was soft, and she curled even closer to Harry's side as she asked, "Voldemort, right?"

Harry considered lying for a second, but then just nodded. Ginny always knew when he was trying to hide something.

"Harry, I know you've got a huge responsibility to defeat Voldemort. It's huge, and it's scary, and you need to be ready. But you can't blame yourself for everything that he does. It's not your fault he's an evil bastard, nor is it your fault that he does evil things. You need to focus on your training, so you've got a way to survive this."

Harry nodded, but still had a sense of foreboding. "Gin, I know all this. You've told me enough times. But people are still getting hurt, and I could have done something..."

His voice trailed off as Ginny's soft finger gently settled across his lips. "Hush. You're not allowed to think about any of that from now on."

"Oh really now?"

Ginny giggled softly. "Yes, really. Don't raise that eyebrow at me, mister. It's a command from the Flying Purple Hippo. Your objection is invalid."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I never should have introduced you to the Internet."

Ginny let out a full blown laugh this time. "But think of all the fun we'd have missed."

"True that."

They fell into a companionable silence, simple enjoying each other's presence in the stillness of the night. Harry looked down at Ginny's peaceful face, and smiled. "Have I ever told you how incredibly beautiful you look in the firelight?"

Ginny raised her head, and smirked down at him. "No, I don't believe you did."

"Well, my dear, you look breathtaking."

"Is that so?" Her smirk continued to tease him, and he responded with the only thing possible. He captured her lips in a kiss. When they separated, no short time later, he was the one wearing the smirk.

"Is that enough of a yes for you, Gin?"

Her smile was dreamy, and her eyes were bright. "Oh, most definitely. I hope there's more where that came from?"

Harry laughed, and leaned in to kiss her again. As their lips touched a second time, the ice that had gripped Harry's heart started to melt. A glimmer of hope grew in brilliance, and he started to see how he could win. After all, while the dark is always there, a single candle can throw it back with ease.