"Foolish girl, so naive, so stupid…" Screams echoed around, and there was darkness everywhere.
Ginny woke up in a start. Her pyjamas were drenched in sweat, and her heart was beating erratically. Another night, another nightmare that haunted her. Glancing at her muggleborn roommate's digital clock, she realised that she'd only managed to get 5 hours of sleep. Well, that's more than usual i suppose, Ginny thought to herself. Deciding that there was no point trying to get any sleep, she changed out of her sweat-drenched clothes and headed downstairs to the common room, hoping that the warmth of the fireplace would calm her beating heart.
As she shuffled down the stairs, she heard murmurings. Who's awake at this hour, she thought to herself as she entered the common room. There was someone kneeling at the fireplace, whispering to himself. "Hello?" Ginny asked, cautiously approaching the figure, "Are you alright?"
Harry turned around in shock. "Ginny! What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that, since you were the one talking to the fire. Are you okay?" Ginny replied.
Harry sighed and slumped against the couch, slinging his arm over his eyes. He seemed upset, and Ginny didn't know what to do. After a few moments, she sat next to him and curled into a ball, head on her knees, and started talking.
"I had a nightmare, that's why i'm awake. You-know-who, he still gets in my head. I know it's been almost 4 years, but he still haunts me. They way he made me feel vulnerable, i'll never forget it."
"I believed you last year, when you said that he was back. It was a gut feeling, an awful one, and I hated that you were right." Ginny said timidly. She turned to look at Harry, and was surprised to see that he was already looking at her. There was a look of awe in his eyes, as if he looked up to her for opening up.
"You never talked about it. About what happened with you and Riddle." He said, shocked at her revelation.
Ginny shrugged. "Well, you never talk about Sirius." Hearing this, Harry's eyes hardened, and he looked away. His jaw was clenched, and it was obvious that he had put his guard up again. Afraid to lose him, Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look at her. "I know it hurts, but you need to let someone in." She said gently.
Harry knew she was right. He looked at her and opened his mouth, wanting to talk, but then closed it again. He didn't know what to say. Sirius was gone, and nothing could bring him back, especially not talking about him. But as he turned to look at the fire, memories started to resurface and he couldn't stop talking.
"We used to firecall, Sirius and I. He always wanted to check up on me, make sure that I was alright. We wrote each other letters, but seeing him in person was so much more comforting. It reminded me that he was really here, as my family."
"He didn't even get to prove his innocence. When he died, he was still in chains, still trapped in the shadows. He didn't die a free man, and he didn't deserve that." Tears started pouring down Harry's face and Ginny pulled him into a hug. He sobbed into her shoulder, crying for Sirius, for his parents, and for himself.
"I think you're wrong, Harry," Ginny murmured into his hair. "Sirius did die a free man." Harry looked at her in confusion. How on earth was he free, everyone thought he was guilty, he thought. Ginny grabbed his face with both hands, looked him in the eyes, and said,"You freed him, Harry. You freed him when you accepted him as your godfather, as your family. You made him a free man when you realised he was innocent. He was happy, and I think he died in peace." She gave him a small smile and they sat there holding each other, staring at the amber flames burning endlessly. They knew that whatever came next, they would be ready.
They would fight till the end.
