Harry Potter was sitting near the lake, staring at the water. His emerald eyes were dark and hooded. His posture was stiff and unyielding. There was a deep abiding grief that rested heavily on this boy's soul. The loss of Sirius was still new in his heart.

Closing his eyes, he attempted to block off the fresh wave of pain that came over him just thinking about Sirius. Thoughts about his godfather were usually followed by helpless rage, a sense of loneliness, and self-incriminations.

However, the acute ache of loss had somewhat lessened over the months. He found himself laughing and smiling more often. He found it easier to think about Sirius. And that's what he'd come out here to do. The feeling of the crisp, cold air helped to clear his head. He had been sitting there, lost in his own thoughts, when he sensed her come up behind him.

She had yet to say anything, but he knew she was there. "This is a good place," Ginny Weasley commented. "A dreaming place…I used to come here, during my first year. I used to think of all the things I hoped for and I wished for and somehow, it seemed that thinking about them here could help them to come true."

She moved to sit beside him in the snow. She didn't ask if he wanted company, but he didn't ask her to leave, so they just sat there looking out at the lake. A comfortable silence engulfed them as he contemplated. What do I wish? he wondered. What do I dream now? In a heartbeat, he knew. He wished that it was Neville, and not him who had to fulfill that damned prophecy. He wished that he had his parents. He wished that Sirius was still with him. He felt the stinging sensation of new tears burning behind his eyes. His vision blurred. Blinking furiously, he turned so that Ginny wouldn't be able to see his face, had she turned to look at him then.

He didn't know how long they sat there before Ginny decided to break the silence. "When I was younger, I used to dream that the great and good Harry Potter would sweep me off my feet, take me up on his broomstick, and we would fly off into the sunset," she laughed quietly to herself. "But that was ages before I met you, and realized that flying with you could be quite hazardous to my health."

Harry looked at her, not sure if she was joking or if she was being serious. He saw the twinkle in her eyes, and the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He decided to play along. "Oh? And what do you dream now?"

"That the great and good Harry Potter would sweep me off my feet, take my hand, and we'd walk off into the sunset."

Harry's throat went dry, and he made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a choke. "Really?"

Ginny laughed again. "No!" she said, exasperated. "Do you honestly think that I would actually tell you that sort of thing? I'm forward, Harry, but not that forward."
A strange feeling entered the pit of his stomach. Unsure of what to do, he laughed instead. "One never knows with you, Ginny Weasley. What do you dream?"

Ginny thought for a moment, then sighed. Her smile faded. "I was trying to think of something light-hearted to say, but the only thing that wants to come out is the truth…so here it is. Sometimes I dream of what it would be like if the events in my first year had been…different."

"Do you wish it had never happened?"

"Part of me- a very small part- does. But the rest of me realizes that without that, without Tom, and the Basilisk, and the diary and…and you…well, I wouldn't be who I am right now. And I'm comfortable with who I am, Harry."

Silence descended upon them once again. And it was Harry who broke it this time. "Do you still think that I'm the-the 'great and good' Harry Potter?"

Ginny giggled. "Well of course I do! You are great, and you are good…but I can also see what else is underneath all that…I can see the flawed and imperfect Harry Potter… I no longer see 'The-Boy-Who-Lived, I can see the boy who hurts, and who has fears and dreams of his own."

"I dream…" Harry began hesitantly. "Sirius and I…well, we used to talk about how when he was cleared, I could go live with him. I'd never have to go back the Dursleys' again. We used to talk about how we'd be a family then…But now, without him…what family do I have left?"

Ginny let out a decidedly unladylike snort of disbelief and stared at him incredulously. Harry could barely believe his ears. Here he was, telling her something that he'd never told anyone before, and here she was, mocking him! But before he had any chance to build up anymore steam, she opened her mouth. "Mum would be particularly insulted if she ever heard you say that. Of course you have family! You've got Hermione, and Ron, not to mention the rest of the family! You've also got Remus and Dumbledore and heaven knows who else! How can you say you have no family?"

Harry sat there, contemplatively. He supposed she was right. Ron and Hermione were his family. And the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were like the mother and father he'd never known. He also had Remus and the twins and… "What about you, Ginny?" he asked quietly.

"What?" Ginny blinked, confused.

"I said 'what about you?' Have I got you, Ginny?" He wasn't sure why he was asking. He wasn't even sure what he meant. But something compelled him to ask anyway. Exactly why her answer was so important he was unsure, but it just was. Holding his breath, he waited for a response. He didn't have long to wait.

Ginny smiled gently, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "Of course. You've always got me, Harry."

She stood then, and brushed what traces of snow that were still left on her. "We'd best get back before Ron and Hermione start worrying. I told them that I'd come out here to fetch you ages ago."

Harry stood as well, feeling more upbeat and lighthearted than he had in days. "Where are they, anyway?"

Ginny grinned. "They have-ahem- Prefect duties to attend to."

Harry grinned right back. "Of course! You know the Prefect duties simply cannot be ignored."

"Actually, they're probably waiting for us in the Great Hall. I'll bet you anything Hermione's upset with me for taking so long to get you. Not that she wasn't already…"

Harry laughed. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" He gave her a skeptical look. "Okay, so I spilled a bit of pumpkin juice on her copy of 'Hogwarts: A History.' But it was just the tiniest bit, you and Ron wouldn't have noticed it!"

"There are many, many things that Ron and I don't notice…she didn't believe you when you said that Pig did it?"

"No…I forgot that she had used Pig to send an owl to her parents." Harry laughed. Silently they made their way back to the Great Hall. He ran over Ginny's words over and over again in his head.

You've always got me, Harry.

And somehow, more than any chocolate and Cheering Charm could, her words soothed his soul.