"Harry? Potter, wake up," a voice whispered in Harry's ear. He sat up with a start, half of him still stuck in the dream world.
"Ginny?" he asked, his voice slurred with sleep, "Izzat you?"
Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Of course it is, silly. Who did you think it was?"
Harry sighed and sat up, yawning and rubbing his scar. He could still feel it prickling, even though he now realized it had all been a dream. "I had the dream again," he mumbled, groping around the desk he was sitting at for his glasses.
Once he had them on, he could focus on Ginny, who was crouching beside him with a worried look in her eyes. "Do you think we should go to Dumbledore?" she asked, biting her lip, "I mean, you've been having this dream everyday. Maybe it's time for us to ... y'know, ask for help."
"I'm fine," Harry snapped, perhaps a bit too sharply. "I er ... need to go outside for a bit." Without another word, he stood up and stalked out the door, heading for their backyard.
After The War, Harry and Ginny had moved to a small apartment in London, hoping to keep a low profile. However, the media had followed them into their new residence and were constantly trying to charm hidden cameras or mics into their home. Luckily for the couple, Ginny was good at charms, and had cast shield charms protecting every inch of their outside walls from outside intruders.
Now, Harry wandered out to the back of their apartment, careful to use his invisibility cloak to hide himself from prying eyes. Even 10 months after The War, he still had dreams of it and could still feel the aftereffects. Shuddering, he remembered all the lives that had been lost, all the tears that had been shed. Hardest of all for him was the loss of his two best friends - Ron Weasley, Ginny's loveable older brother, and Hermione Granger, who had been the brightest witch to ever graduate from Hogwarts. Because of Voldemort, they were both dead.
Harry groaned, screwing his eyes shut and willing the tears that were beginning to form to go away. Be glad that you saved the rest of the wizarding world, a tiny voice inside of his head urged. But I wasn't strong or brave enough to save my friends, another part of him argued back.
Before he could continue silently arguing with himself, he heard the back door open and saw Ginny step out.
"Harry?" she called out, looking around. Harry shrunk away underneath his invisibility cloak. "I know you're out there," she said, putting her hands on her hips in a very Mrs Weasley-ish way. "Come out. You can't hide out here forever."
Sighing his defeat, Harry pulled the cloak off and shuffled over to where Ginny stood. Her eyes softened when she saw him and how miserable he looked. Reaching up, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "It'll be fine," she murmured, "After what you've gone through, it's no wonder you're still aching. Now lets go visit Dumbledore. No -" she cut off as she saw Harry open his mouth, ready to argue, "- not for your dreams; he just sent us an owl and asked us to go pay him a visit. Though I really think we should talk to him about the dreams," she added on second thought.
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but was once again cut off - this time, by a flash. He whipped around to catch sight of a young witch's robes whipping around the corner. "Oi, you little punk!" he growled, pulling out his wand.
Ginny quickly grabbed his arm and lowered his wand to the ground. "Harry, go sit down," she said in a soothing voice.
It was more of a command than a request, so Harry grudgingly obliged and went inside, mumbling incoherently the entire time.
Once inside, Ginny began to cook breakfast for them. "You know, you really should learn to keep your temper under control," she said matter-of-factly as she charmed a fork to beat eggs.
"That's what I have you for," he muttered as he stared at the table angrily, head in his hands.
Ginny tsk tsked and went back to cooking. Harry watched her move around the kitchen with mixed feelings. In the time that had passed after The War, there was one thing that had not been discussed between Harry and Ginny - and that was the kiss they had shared on that one fateful night. Maybe it was because it was too awkward of a situation, or because neither of them was sure if it had been for real. Whatever it was, it had been gnawing at Harry's insides since the two of them had moved in together.
One part of him loved her like a sister, because that's what she had been like to him throughout his 7 years at Hogwarts - a younger sister. But after the kiss, another part had emerged inside of him that was telling him that maybe it was time to see her as something more. After all, she had grown into a beautiful young lady, with long straight hair as red as the early autumn leaves, and warm brown eyes that were like two pools of melted chocolate. She was gorgeous, there was no denying it. As he thought of these things, Harry felt a quivering in his gut and blushed as he realized what was happening.
Before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer, Ginny walked up to him and placed a plate piled high with food in front of him. "Eat up, you will need all your energy if we're going to go to Diagon Alley."
Hours later, Ginny and Harry were bundled up in wintercoats and making their way through the crowds of busy Christmas shoppers. Ginny clutched onto Harry's sleeve tightly as he weaved around frantic mothers and grumbling grandmothers, muttering "Excuse me!" every few seconds
Finally, they arrived at the front of an old-looking store with dirty windows and crumbling brick walls. Peeling letters above the main window read "Godric's Groceries." Ignoring the rush of shoppers, Harry and Ginny made their way over to the doorway of the shop. Muttering "Invado," Harry prodded the door with his wand, pulling Ginny through with him when it began to shimmer different colors.
"Makes me miss The Leaky Cauldron," Ginny said sadly as she looked around at the grungy interior of the store.
"Yeah," Harry replied distractedly. He was walking around, feeling the walls for any bumps or grooves.
"Uh Harry? What are you-"
Ginny was cut off midsentence when Harry exclaimed "Aha!" and stood back as the bricks in the far wall of the store rearranged themselves, clunking as they did so. Finally, the movement stopped, and the pair was rewarded with a ray of sunshine which silently welcomed them to Diagon Alley.
"Ginny?" he asked, his voice slurred with sleep, "Izzat you?"
Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Of course it is, silly. Who did you think it was?"
Harry sighed and sat up, yawning and rubbing his scar. He could still feel it prickling, even though he now realized it had all been a dream. "I had the dream again," he mumbled, groping around the desk he was sitting at for his glasses.
Once he had them on, he could focus on Ginny, who was crouching beside him with a worried look in her eyes. "Do you think we should go to Dumbledore?" she asked, biting her lip, "I mean, you've been having this dream everyday. Maybe it's time for us to ... y'know, ask for help."
"I'm fine," Harry snapped, perhaps a bit too sharply. "I er ... need to go outside for a bit." Without another word, he stood up and stalked out the door, heading for their backyard.
After The War, Harry and Ginny had moved to a small apartment in London, hoping to keep a low profile. However, the media had followed them into their new residence and were constantly trying to charm hidden cameras or mics into their home. Luckily for the couple, Ginny was good at charms, and had cast shield charms protecting every inch of their outside walls from outside intruders.
Now, Harry wandered out to the back of their apartment, careful to use his invisibility cloak to hide himself from prying eyes. Even 10 months after The War, he still had dreams of it and could still feel the aftereffects. Shuddering, he remembered all the lives that had been lost, all the tears that had been shed. Hardest of all for him was the loss of his two best friends - Ron Weasley, Ginny's loveable older brother, and Hermione Granger, who had been the brightest witch to ever graduate from Hogwarts. Because of Voldemort, they were both dead.
Harry groaned, screwing his eyes shut and willing the tears that were beginning to form to go away. Be glad that you saved the rest of the wizarding world, a tiny voice inside of his head urged. But I wasn't strong or brave enough to save my friends, another part of him argued back.
Before he could continue silently arguing with himself, he heard the back door open and saw Ginny step out.
"Harry?" she called out, looking around. Harry shrunk away underneath his invisibility cloak. "I know you're out there," she said, putting her hands on her hips in a very Mrs Weasley-ish way. "Come out. You can't hide out here forever."
Sighing his defeat, Harry pulled the cloak off and shuffled over to where Ginny stood. Her eyes softened when she saw him and how miserable he looked. Reaching up, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "It'll be fine," she murmured, "After what you've gone through, it's no wonder you're still aching. Now lets go visit Dumbledore. No -" she cut off as she saw Harry open his mouth, ready to argue, "- not for your dreams; he just sent us an owl and asked us to go pay him a visit. Though I really think we should talk to him about the dreams," she added on second thought.
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but was once again cut off - this time, by a flash. He whipped around to catch sight of a young witch's robes whipping around the corner. "Oi, you little punk!" he growled, pulling out his wand.
Ginny quickly grabbed his arm and lowered his wand to the ground. "Harry, go sit down," she said in a soothing voice.
It was more of a command than a request, so Harry grudgingly obliged and went inside, mumbling incoherently the entire time.
Once inside, Ginny began to cook breakfast for them. "You know, you really should learn to keep your temper under control," she said matter-of-factly as she charmed a fork to beat eggs.
"That's what I have you for," he muttered as he stared at the table angrily, head in his hands.
Ginny tsk tsked and went back to cooking. Harry watched her move around the kitchen with mixed feelings. In the time that had passed after The War, there was one thing that had not been discussed between Harry and Ginny - and that was the kiss they had shared on that one fateful night. Maybe it was because it was too awkward of a situation, or because neither of them was sure if it had been for real. Whatever it was, it had been gnawing at Harry's insides since the two of them had moved in together.
One part of him loved her like a sister, because that's what she had been like to him throughout his 7 years at Hogwarts - a younger sister. But after the kiss, another part had emerged inside of him that was telling him that maybe it was time to see her as something more. After all, she had grown into a beautiful young lady, with long straight hair as red as the early autumn leaves, and warm brown eyes that were like two pools of melted chocolate. She was gorgeous, there was no denying it. As he thought of these things, Harry felt a quivering in his gut and blushed as he realized what was happening.
Before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer, Ginny walked up to him and placed a plate piled high with food in front of him. "Eat up, you will need all your energy if we're going to go to Diagon Alley."
Hours later, Ginny and Harry were bundled up in wintercoats and making their way through the crowds of busy Christmas shoppers. Ginny clutched onto Harry's sleeve tightly as he weaved around frantic mothers and grumbling grandmothers, muttering "Excuse me!" every few seconds
Finally, they arrived at the front of an old-looking store with dirty windows and crumbling brick walls. Peeling letters above the main window read "Godric's Groceries." Ignoring the rush of shoppers, Harry and Ginny made their way over to the doorway of the shop. Muttering "Invado," Harry prodded the door with his wand, pulling Ginny through with him when it began to shimmer different colors.
"Makes me miss The Leaky Cauldron," Ginny said sadly as she looked around at the grungy interior of the store.
"Yeah," Harry replied distractedly. He was walking around, feeling the walls for any bumps or grooves.
"Uh Harry? What are you-"
Ginny was cut off midsentence when Harry exclaimed "Aha!" and stood back as the bricks in the far wall of the store rearranged themselves, clunking as they did so. Finally, the movement stopped, and the pair was rewarded with a ray of sunshine which silently welcomed them to Diagon Alley.