Most people didn't know what a light sleeper Ginny was because when something woke her up, she didn't move or open her eyes. She'd just lay there, listening.

On one particularly warm August night Ginny woke at the sound of someone padding through the hall outside her room. She figured it was Ron heading down for a midnight snack until she heard a thump and then an "oomph." It wasn't Ron's voice. It was Harry's. Ginny opened her eyes and snuck out after him, leaving a gently snoring Hermione alone in their room.

Ginny followed Harry down the stairs and stopped at the doorway to the kitchen. Her eyes carefully followed his movements as the young man sliced some bread off her mum's enormous sourdough loaf and then piled various foodstuffs between them. She had to repress the giggle that was bubbling up between her lips--teenage boys certainly did eat a lot! It was good that he was snacking though. He hardly ever ate anymore. He would just pick at his meals, lost in thought. Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys, had thought the problem solved when Mrs. Weasley started pointedly piling food on his plate and he politely cleared it. The truth was that while Harry was clearing it, the process wasn't really all that polite. Ginny had noticed him magicking it away when he thought no one was looking. However, despite his small appetite, Harry was still shooting up. Ginny was quite sure growing boys were supposed to consume like mini black holes; she had enough older brothers to make a pretty good conclusion after all. Ron, who seemed almost as tall as Hagrid, certainly proved the point--he ate like a pig. He ate like several pigs actually. Ginny had finally kept herself content on the fact that Harry wasn't just growing up like Ron, he was also growing out. How could he build up if he was malnourished? Ginny had taken careful observations of how Harry's arms had grown thicker and harder, how his shoulders had widened. The fact was that she studied his physical appearance very closely.

Ginny Weasley hadn't been lying when she had proclaimed herself over Harry Potter. She had been, especially over her silly little girlish crush on him. But then she started spending time with him. When Ron and Hermione started their bickering, Harry and Ginny would laugh at them together. Then, when Ron apologized to Hermione (Ginny had to admit that he was getting a bit less dense) she and Harry would speculate about when the two would finally just give up and snog eachother senseless. They helped defend eachother against Fred and George's pranks, then plotted revenge together as well. He even tried to help with her ill-fated attempts at cooking. Ginny had always known that the good, great, famous Harry Potter was nice, smart, and funny, but she had never experienced it until she was "over" him. And then, all of a sudden, she wasn't over him all over again. Ginny Weasley was afraid she was in love. She therefore had an excellent reaon for carefully noting every detail of Harry's appearance.

Besides causing Ginny to take careful note of Harry's rear end, her crush was also behind her decision to follow him. In fact, this wasn't the first time she had followed Harry on some night time excursion. Sometimes, like the night in question, it was for a snack, but usually he went outside and brutally took out his agression on this daft muggle thing called a "punching bag." Apparently it was one his horrid cousin had thrown out that Harry had salvaged. Ginny thought it was perfectly silly; only a boy would be stupid enough to buy a hanging sack so he could smack it around. Although it did have some advantages: Ginny was pretty sure that was where the new muscles had come from.

Ginny watched him clean up, curious as to whether he would assault the battered punching bag that night. She was about to melt further into the shadows, allowing Harry to pass her on the way up, when she saw him staring at something. He was so intent that Ginny decided to poke her head out a little farther to see what had captured his gaze. Moonlight streamed through a window, creating a shining band down the blade of the knife that had cut Harry's bread. Ginny's eyes widened as she watched him stroke the blade with his index finger. He lifted the finger and two pairs of eyes were tranfixed by the drop of blood that welled up.

Harry whispered "The blood of an enemy..." before grabbing the knife and and rushing outside. Ginny was about to follow but she had a strong susupicion that he had parked himself right outside the door and would notice if she opened it. She sprinted to the front of the house, went out the front door, and hurried around to the back. She then found a hiding spot with a good view of the brooding boy.

He was sitting on the lowest step, holding the knife in his right hand. He held his left hand out, palm up. To Ginny's horror, He slowly brought the knife towards his wrist.

"Harry!"

Ginny found herself running towards him. The boy looked up, confused, as Ginny leapt onto him and knocked the knife out of his hand. Ginny looked down at his shocked expression.

"Ginny, what are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing Harry Potter!"

Harry turned his head to glance at the knife lying a few feet away, the looked back at Ginny. "I wasn't going to--I mean--I was just--I was just thinking... about... you know."

Thinking about it? Suicide? Harry!" Ginny felt tears threatening to burst out of her eyes.

"I wasn't going to!"

"You said you were thinking about it!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Harry!" a new voice screamed "what are you doing with my sister?!"

Ginny ahdn't even noticed the fact that she was currently sitting on Harry Potter, their faces inches apart. She watched Hermione run up behing Ron, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Oi, can't a chap get any sleep around here?" a lanky redhead yelled out the window of a second story bedroom. He looked down. "Hey George, I think Gin's taking advantage of Harry!"

"Let me see!" An identical head popped out of the window next to Fred's.

"Harry..." Ron growled.

"Ron, mate, it was just a misunderstanding. Let's all just-" Harry began.

Ginny interrupted him. "No Harry! It wasn't a misunderstanding! You were going to-"

"Ginny!" Harry yelled, cutting her off. "Please don't say anything," he pleaded.

Ginny turned frightened eyes to him. "I have to Harry. You can't go on like this."

Harry snarled "Oh, I can't? What exactly makes any of this your business? You're just my friend's little sister! Why don't you stay the hell out of my business!"

Ginny took a few steps back, still facing Harry, but spun around when she bumped into something. Ron. He looked at the tears now freely flowing down Ginny's cheeks, strode towards Harry, and gave him a resounding punch on the jaw. Harry staggered back from the blow.

"Ron!" Ginny screamed.

Ron glared. "He deserved it."

Harry stared at the ground. He, Hermione, and the Weasleys stood in silence. Finally Harry looked up. "Ron's right. Ginny--I-" he looked down again and whispered "Sorry Gin." And then he bolted.

"What on earth is going on?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Harry... Harry had this knife, and-" Ginny halted, unable to say what she had seen. Hermione picked up the knife.

"Ginny... there's blood on this."

"I'm going to kill him" Ron said, dangerously calm.

"Ron you bloody prat, you don't understand! Harry--he looked like he was--like he was going to--to kill himself!"

Ron looked at Hermione and then dashed off after Harry. Hermione yelled "wait! Ron! He's too fast!" then bit her lip and ran after Ron. Ginny resisted the urge to follow. 'How can I catch up? Harry's a good runner... If only I had a broom, or--wait!'

"Accio Cleansweep!"

Ginny swept past Hermione and as she drew ahead of Ron he yelled "good idea Gin, now hand it over!" Ginny didn't even look back.

She flew silently, listening until she heard some crashing sounds ahead of her and to the right. She soon caught up with Harry. Ginny flew right next to him, matching his pace, but he didn't stop.

"Harry, this is ridiculous!"

"You're right." He abruptly halted. She turned around, slowly and deliberatley gliding towards him. She stopped squarely in front of him. They watched eachother for a moment but Harry couldn't stand to look at the hurt and fear written across her features. He focused his gaze on his feet.

"Broom. Clever."

As sad and terrified as she was, Ginny still couldn't help blushing a little at the compliment. This was Harry Potter after all. "What were you thinking?" she asked. "Where would you go? Why? Why?

"I wasn't going to! I was just thinking about..."

"Harry." He looked up into her eyes. "Tell me what you were thinking about."

"I was thinking about how easy it would be. How easy it is... to die... to kill. We're very... fragile. Cedric...my parents...Sirius..." He trailed off, trying to hold back tears.

"Harry-"

Harry cut her off: "it's strange, isn't it? They're there one minute, and then they're gone. Just like that. Poof. Magic." He chuckled, but it was so bitter Ginny thought she could hear her heart breaking. He looked away again, the added "It seems impossible, somehow." He couldn't restrain the tears anymore.

"Harry?" Ron called. "Ginny?"

Ginny looked at Harry worriedly and then replied "we're both over here!" Harry didn't react. he just stood there, sobbing.

Ron ran up but stopped a few feet away. He was clearly confused, glancing back and forth between Ginny and Harry. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. Then Hermione ran up, panting heavily, and stopped next to him. All four stood stunned and silent. Eventually, Harry shook his head and headed back to the burrow. Hermione surprised them all by grabbing him in tight hug. Ron joined her. Ginny watched uneasily for a moment until her brother motioned for her to come. She snaked her arms around Harry's waist and settled her head on his back. She felt a sharp intake of breath before he shook his three friends off and walked back to the Weasley residence. Ron and Hermione walked on either side of the troubled young man as Ginny followed behind, broom in hand.