p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"Harry wanders the halls of Hogwarts contemplating his terrible lovelife. He needs advice, but no one is around over the Christmas / He realises that one person who has been there for him is, however. Albus Dumbledore, his grandfather in all but name, is sure to have some advice for him, should he / Beginning the trek to the Headmaster's office, Harry laughs softly at the memory of the earwax-flavoured bean from his first year, the riddles from his third year on how to save Sirius. Dumbledore knew what he was doing, even when he didn' / The gargoyle guarding the stairway leaps aside seeing the introspective teen, allowing him entrance. At the top of the tightly spiralled staircase, Harry hesitantly knocks three / "Enter," comes a voice from inside. Harry swung open the heavy oaken door, taking in the comfortable and warm office. Seeing the elderly Headmaster seated behind his desk, Harry visibly / "Now, Harry, I hope your holidays are going well so far. No trouble with young Mr. Malfoy, I trust?"br / Harry flushes, unaware that his rivalry was obvious. "No sir, I just came for some advice. Ron and Hermione aren't here, you see, and..." Harry paused. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling with barely-concealed mirth, betraying the playful personality of the wizard's / "Ask away then, Harry." The Headmaster leaned back into his high-backed chair, settling himself / "Well, sir, it's about Ginny. She's Ron's sister, and I know he's overly protective, but... I like her, and I don't know how to act around her, what do I do? ... Sir?" Harry frowned. Dumbledore, before, a smiling, genial gentleman, was now the picture of old / No trace of a smile was visible, not a twinkle of happiness upon his face. Slumped in his armchair, the years were weighing on him like the world on Atlas' own shoulders. Standing, the old man slowly strode to the window overlooking the grounds of his precious school. Dumbledore stood there for minutes, stretching / Eventually he turned, revealing the old man he was. "I am afraid, Harry, that I am not the most effective person available to you for such advice. I, myself, was not the most lucky of young men, in my time. All I can say is, trust is the heart of a strong relationship, the foundations of all that lays before you. Every time you trust someone new, you inadvertently set yourself up for pain in the future. What you must look for, within your own heart and soul, my dear boy, is whether that pain in future is worth the happiness you receive now."br / Harry sat, stunned at the turn this winter afternoon had taken. Perhaps this had breached an uncomfortable barrier with his mentor, perhaps he SHOULD have owled / "Now, if you wouldn't mind, Harry, I'm afraid I have some pressing matters to attend to..." Dumbledore seemed to gather himself in those seconds, straightening, once more presenting the defeater of Grindelwad, minus those grandfatherly twinkling / Harry stood, swiftly making his excuses, and left the suddenly stuffy office. Left behind, was a man contemplating what had happened, what had gone wrong, and the ever-expanding effects of his one-time-love, Gellert Grindelwald. Scenes of trenches, muddy fields as far as the eye could see, piles of dead all flash across his mind as he once more sunk into / Albus Dumbledore missed his Gellert. But perhaps, Harry would have his Ginny./span/p