Chapter 6

Harry awoke to see Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore staring down at him.

"Welcome back Harry" Dumbledore smiled at him, "Perhaps you would like a moment to think about what happened before you get over questioned"

Harry rubbed his head and sat up in the bed. "Yes… I don't… oh my scar…" Harry layed back down onto the bed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Is it still bothering you" Dumbledore inquired.

"No" Harry said, taking his hand away from his head now. "I just… feel foolish that's al… Parvati! Is she alright?!"

"Yes, yes, she is fine," Dumbledore told him with a chuckle, "You managed to be the gentlemen and protect her from harm even when you were in peril."

Harry smiled and felt himself blushing a tad bit.

"Not to worry Harry, everyone is alright, though I must admit that the sequence of events are strange, and I am concerned with the burning of your scar… is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"I have nothing to tell," Harry lied about the map, "But my concern is as great as yours… I feel like something suspicious is under our noses"

Dumbledore gave a half hearted grin, "Well, Harry, I'm sure that if anything comes up, you'll come to me"

Harry nodded and tried to smile at Dumbledore as he left the room.

"Can I go?" Harry asked Madame Pomfrey.

"Not yet, I gave you medicine to calm your pain and its likely to make you dizzy. I'd like you to stay here over night, but if I'm not mistaken your friends are waiting outside, I'll tell them they can come see you one at a time if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you."

Madame Pomfrey walked out of the infirmary and back in a gain with Ron behind her looking worried and anxious and happy to see Harry alive all at the same time. Another words, the usual vacant Weasley expression.

"Harry what in the bloody hell happened?"

Harry laughed, "I wish I knew… something's up Ron, and it's not something good."

"Think it's Voldemort?"

"I'd like to hope not, but I'm afraid so… I know it has to have something to do with him. Nothing else makes my scar burn like that."

"Stupid prat"

"Did you work out things with Hermione?"

Ron blushed a little. "I think so… but who knows with her"

Harry chuckled. "She likes you, you know that"

"Yea, I know that, just sometimes I don't think she knows that!"

The two laughed together.

Ron got up from his seat on Harry's bed. "I think Hermione wants to come in and talk to you, prolly gonna grill you with questions… sorry mate, haha"

Harry knew he was right, he really wasn't in the mood to get questioned by Hermione about the events of the evening.

"HARRY WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED. Tell me every detail from start to finish? Did you see anything in your head? Did you hear any voices? What kind of burn did your scar produce? Did it feel exactly the same as last ti…"

"Hermione, please, not now, I'm appreciative to see you but I'm not gonna lie, you're bringing my head pain back"

Harry then saw the look that she often gave to Ron but he'd rarely seen and he thought for a moment she was going to run out crying or say something dreadful to him. But she cracked a smile.
"I'm sorry Harry, I'm just curious!"

"Well I'm curious too… sit, tell me about you and lover boy"

"Oh Harry! Do shut up!" She said, wide eyed and turning red.

"I knew this day would come… I've known all along"

Hermione tried not to smile. "We all did"

"So you're official"

Hermione's smile faded, "No" she said, looking away, "I don't know what to do"

"Hermione, don't you have feelings for him"
"Yes"
"Then what's the problem?"

"I'm afraid to waste them"

"Waste them?"

"Harry, we're 15 years old, what if dating now ruins things forever?"

"Hermione, we're 15 years old, don't worry about forever"

Hermione smiled at him.
"Hermione, I really don't like saying this, but with all the attacks and Voldemort strong and on the rise and after me and people close with me, forever might not be that long…"

"Harry, don't say a thing like that!"

"I know, its awful, but I'm just saying that you shouldn't waste your feelings away. I'm sure you've heard that old muggle saying"
"Which one would that be"

"Live every day as though it were your last"

Hermione cracked a small smile. "Thanks Harry"

Ron poked his head into the hospital wing.
"Hermione are you gonna stay in there all day, there are other people waiting to see Harry"

"Ron, don't be a prat!" She rolled her eyes but Harry could see she was going to take his advice. "Thanks Harry, and feel better!"

With that, Hermione left the room.

Harry wondered for a moment who else could be waiting to see him. Then Hagrid walked through the entrance way.

Harry found himself somewhat disappointed and didn't know why.

"Elo Arry" Hagrid said, sitting down on the bed across from him.
The two chatted for a bit about not much in particular then Hagrid wished him well and left the wing.
Harry rolled over and figured he'd might as well get an early start on his sleep and hoped that he wasn't interrupted by nightmares.

"Harry, are you awake?" came a female voice from the corridor of the hospital wing.

Harry rolled over to see Parvati walking slowly toward him.

"Oh god, I'd thought you'd gone to sleep, I just wanted to check and make sure you were alright, you really gave me a fright tonight!"

"Sorry about that"

"No, don't be, I'm thankful toward you, you saved my life!"

Harry smiled and didn't know why, but took her hand in his.

She sat down on the bed with him and they chatted for a little while. Mostly about regular things like school, silly romances going on, Quidditch, and small talk like that. Harry really enjoyed his new friendship with Parvati and he thought she might just be the thing to get his mind off Ginny and keep him away from Ron and Hermione to give them alone time. He never thought he'd be thinking such things about Parvati Patil.

"It's getting late" Parvati said to him, eyes shifting away. Harry had to agree, they'd been there for a while. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his scar, soothing his pain.
"I'll see you tomorrow" she said as she slowly walked away, hand still in his, until they're fingertips could only touch barely. She looked behind her at him once before she left the hospital wing.

Harry couldn't control the butterflies in his stomach. Although he tried to. He remembered back to the day before when he had felt the same flutters inside him for another and within a day she turned them into tiny stabbing knives. He wondered if he should allow himself to feel for someone again. Could he trust someone with his heart? Harry didn't want to feel like the world was against him because he knew that wasn't true. He was just feeling very alone and betrayed at the moment. Part of him wanted to take in Parvati for all that she was worth and another part of him wanted to run away from his feelings so that he wouldn't get hurt. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, hoping that the thoughts that plagued him would disappear into the abyss of his dreamland.

"Harry" he heard a whisper from beside his bed. He looked up to see none other than Ginny Weasley's large blue eyes staring at him, not far from his pillow. Alarmed, Harry sat straight up.
"Sorry Harry I didn't mean to frighten you"

"What are you doing here Ginny"

"I've come to see you, too see that you were alright, and to give you a goodnight kiss"

Harry arched an eyebrow at Ginny, at himself, and at all the feelings that were collaborating in him at the moment. He had NO idea of what to think of this situation.
"Ginny, are you mad?" He simply asked.
"Mad at what, Harry?"

"No, mad, are you insane"

Ginny laughed, not realizing he was dead serious.

"What are you talking about Harry"

"Well, you tell me you like me, I kiss you, I think we've shared something, then you go and tell your brother that it meant nothing, then you're flirting with Colin Creevy and now here you are saying you've come to give me a goodnight kiss and to tell you the truth I really don't know what to think"

"Harry I… wasn't flirting with Colin Creevy for one. The boy has a crush on me and we've been friends since first year, I'm not going to just ignore him because I have feelings for you… and I told Ron that not thinking you would take that so seriously and look into it so deeply… I didn't say it meant nothing, I just meant it was just a kiss and that he should back off… I said that for both of us… God I didn't know you were feeling this way or thought like this, Harry I wish you would have said something to me, I feel just awful"

A tear began to build in her eye and Harry thought back on the last two days of his life. Growing up couldn't get any harder. He wondered how just one little thing that Ginny said built into a huge situation in his mind and heart and he almost hated her for that and she didn't mean it at all. And now, now… what was going on with Parvati? Harry just wanted to lie there and go into a temporary coma. Just to sort all of his thoughts and feelings out.
"Harry? Harry please say something"

"Gin, I'm sorry… I just don't know what's going on right now… I need time." He felt awful saying this to her because a large part of him wanted to cuddle up with her then and there and let all his bad feelings melt away into her arms but he knew he couldn't. He knew he had to sort out exactly what he was feeling for whom before he made any moves that he would regret.

A single tear drizzled down Ginny's face as she nodded sadly at Harry's request and left him there to wish he could comfort her properly. What was he going to do with himself.

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