A Friend Indeed and a Lover in Need
It was cold on that night when Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom occupied the Gryffindor common room. They sat by the fire, completely alone besides the sputtering wireless radio sitting on the end table closest them. Both of their figures and faces were attentive; waiting, listening raptly to the little radio that was their only connection to the war beyond. Tonight they and the rest of the D.A. were planning to do major sabotage to the Carrows and Snape, but when word had reached them about a break-in to the Ministry; and that Harry Potter was supposedly behind it, they knew that tonight was not the night.
The radio gave a loud sputter, startling both Ginny and Neville. Suddenly, Lee Gordon's voice broke the silence and Ginny sat up in her chair at once. This was it. They were going to find out the truth at last. Was he involved? Was he all right? Was he… dead?
"We haven't got much time for a show today; we here at Potter Watch have been tipped off about some Ministry gits that, as we know it, are pretty quick on our trail tonight. But rest assured, you rabid listeners will get your news." Lee's voice sounded more and more rushed and worried as he continued. "By now, of course you have heard of the break-in at the Ministry. No one knows what exactly they were doing, but it has come to be known that a Ms. Dolores Umbridge seemed to be the man target. She admits to being stunned, and stolen from while interrogating muggle-borns in a dungeon court room. Serves her right, the…" An extraordinarily loud bit of crackling and sputter came out of the radio, and both Ginny and Neville couldn't help but smile.
"Sorry about that, sorry, very sorry. Anyway, this is very important. We believe that one of the three imposters might have been Mr. Harry Potter himself, and we urge you to keep an eye out, and an ear open for any word about Harry or his friends. Thank you."
Lee ended hastily, stuttering and tripping over the words. Neville slowly turned his head, barley daring to look at Ginny. Her face was chalk white, her eyes were wide, and there were tears tracks running down her freckly cheeks. She didn't move, she hardly seemed to breathe for what seemed light hours. Neville felt he didn't dare speak until she did; however, when Ginny had not blinked for several minutes, he thought he should say something. Whether his words would console her or terrify her even more was what slowed his speech.
"I'm sure he's okay Ginny. They don't even know if it was really him! Besides, Harry's brilliant, he fought worse than Ministry officials before, much worse." Neville snuck a glance up from his feet to look Ginny in the face. She wasn't crying anymore, instead she looked as though she had just faced about a hundred dementors at once.
Ginny nodded at Neville's words, tears still stinging behind her eyes, threatening her vision. But she knew that she was being stupid, Neville was right, he was Harry Potter for goodness sake! The one person who had battled with You-Know-Who himself numerous times, and his Death Eaters more times than that; and lived to tell the tale. But she couldn't help it, what if he had gotten hurt, or something had happened to Ron or Hermione? Ginny of all people knew how Harry blamed himself for any bad thing that happened to anyone; she knew that anything happened to Ron or Hermione, he would be in more pain than if had happened to himself.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes; pondering what they had heard on the radio whiles the fire before them slowly died. Ginny watched the fire; gazing at it so intently, it was as if she was willing Harry to step out and embrace her. Then she spoke.
"But what if someone followed him out of the Ministry? What if there's a Death Eater near him right now? What if he isn't safe, but he doesn't know it?" The thoughts pierced through her like ice and she fought hard not to cry again. She had stood up as if ready for movement, for action. Neville sigh and looked up at her scared but determined face.
"Ginny, of course he isn't safe. And if he doesn't know it by now, I don't think he's ever going to figure it out. Besides, he's not stupid, and neither are Ron and Hermione –if they're still with him-." Neville said all this so matter-of-factly, but inside he was unsure. He knew Harry was a brilliant and powerful wizard; but he was there last hope, and they had to put everything they had on him. If he was gone, they might as well hand themselves over right now.
"I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight," Ginny croaked as she walked toward the steps to the dormitories. As she looked around the empty common room, she saw the spot where Harry had kissed her for the first time after they had one the Quidditch cup last year. It was horrible, that she missed him this much. She had been foolish enough to think, over the summer, that it would get better when she came to school. But she had, or course, been wrong. It was awful here; they were tortured, physically harmed, and practically forced to learn dark magic. I was horrible, but through all of that what she missed most of all, was having Harry here, safe, with her.
Neville saw where she was looking, and new at that moment that there was nothing he could say to make Ginny feel better; only Harry could do that now. Ginny was one of Neville's best friends, and as such, he considered himself one of the few who really knew how much Harry's absence was killing her inside. But she was very brave, and very hopeful; or at least she had started out that way.
Neville got out of his chair to face Ginny; her face was still very pale, but her tears had all dried. He didn't know how to help someone like Ginny. She was tough, not gushy or overly emotional like other girls; but he knew she needed someone to tell her that she needed to be brave, not for Harry, not for Ron or Hermione, but for herself. Neville pulled Ginny into a tight hug, rubbing her back and rocking her slowly. He didn't love Ginny, not in that way anyway, but someone had to do it before she exploded.
Ginny was surprised by his hug at first, but relaxed into it eventually. It felt nice, like her mother, almost. She was about to fall asleep when she felt a warm rush come over her, whispering in her brain. She felt at peace, and she knew that, wherever he was, Harry was feeling the same way.
"He alive; and he's fine. I can feel it," Ginny whispered into Neville's shoulder.
"That's the spirit." Neville looked down at her, squeezed her tight one more time, and let her go. Ginny smiled up at him sadly, and walked over to steps of the girl's dormitory entrance; glancing back only to steal one more look at the place where she first had kissed Harry Potter.
Miles away, in the forest where the Quidditch World Cup had been held all those years ago; Harry Potter sat at the open flap of a tent, staring at the dot on his map marked "Ginny Weasley", as she stood at the entrance to the girl's dormitory.