Fireflies


Ginny gathered her blankets off the cold floor and crawled back into bed. She hated admitting it, but she was terrified. She was terrified of Snape. She was terrified of the Carrows. She just wished she could be home with her family.

She tried to think of something comforting. The memory that came back the clearest was a day last summer. She had woken up in the middle of the night and gone down to the back porch.

"Ginny." The voice startled Ginny and she jumped up quickly.

She spun around and glared at Fred. "You scared me." She sighed and sat down again. "I'm scared Fred," she said quietly.

Fred sat down next to his sister. "You said that already. Anyway, I'm sorry I scared you."

Ginny shook her head and looked down at her fingers. "No, I'm scared. Scared of the impending war. Scared of fighting. Scared of dying."

Fred slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Look out there," he said, pointing out to the gardens. Ginny looked up at her brother, confusion in her eyes. Fred smiled and nodded towards the yard again. "Look." Ginny rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the dark field. "What do you see?"

"Fred, it's the middle of the night, I don't see anything."

Fred laughed. "Okay, enough sarcasm. Look harder. What do you see?"

Ginny rolled her eyes again and looked out at the inky blackness. There were tiny lights in the bushes. She smiled. "Fireflies."

"Remember when you were afraid of fireflies?"

Ginny laughed. "I thought they were eyes. I thought there were monsters in the bushes, looking at me."

Fred laughed again. "Are you still afraid of fireflies?"

"Of course not," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Because you realized there was nothing to be afraid of," Fred said seriously. "You're strong and brave and you're one of the good guys…okay, good girls. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"Thanks Fred," Ginny said, hugging him tightly.

Fred shrugged. "Besides, if you're scared you can come find me. I'll always be around to protect you."

Ginny snuggled down under her covers and smiled. "Thanks Fred," she whispered.