Chapter 21: Ginny's Nightmare

Ginny once again found herself in the chamber of secrets, as always in her dreams she could see the scene as though from an outsider's perspective. Once again she saw Tom Riddle, watching as the basilisk hunted Harry, laughing when Fawkes arrived with the Sorting Hat. She wanted to scream in horror as the serpent's fang entered his arm, why would he risk his life to save hers. This was where she normally woke, but tonight the dream continued, Harry didn't manage to kill the snake, the sword of Gryffindor was knocked from his hand, and the snake struck again, one of its fangs entered Harry's heart and he fell back eyes glazed over, left to rot on the floor. The basilisk set off down the tunnel back toward where Ron, was clearing a path so that they could return. When the basilisk went through the opening she heard a sickening thump and knew her brother was dead. The first thump was quickly followed by a second, Professor Lockhart, had also fallen from the snakes venom. She turned back to where Tom Riddle stood over her body, "How do you feel now, Ginny? You killed the great Harry Potter."

And she woke up, tried to scream she could not, she sat in the dark trying to regain control over he emotions, she had failed. Ginny had promised herself before she went to sleep that she would not go to Harry's room that had caused enough trouble already, but she found herself climbing out of her bed and almost without realizing it, she was tapping softly on his door.

He had a strange look on his face as she entered and Ginny thought at first that he wanted her to leave, and turned to go back out the door. Before she knew what had happened he was pulling her into a hug, he held her tightly, one hand stroking her hair softly, "What happened, Gin?"

She knew he wanted her to tell him exactly what had happened in her dream, she just shook her head and murmured, "Just the same old dream." She said a silent prayer that he would believe her.

Harry knew that Ginny wasn't telling him the truth but, he let it drop she wasn't ready to talk about it, he could understand that. So he said quietly, "It was just a dream, it can't hurt you, I'm here." They stood there for several minutes before Harry let her go and said in a mock stern tone, "Now young lady it's time for bed, lights out and no talking."

She smiled faintly and crawled into his bed, "Harry, will you sit with me, just 'til I fall asleep?" He nodded and sat down next to her, he took her hand, leaning back against the head board, planning to move to the couch once Ginny fell asleep, and his eyes began to droop.

The next thing Harry knew his door was being flung open, he realized he was still in his bed arms wrapped around Ginny. The first thought that crossed his mind was 'Dear God, It's Ron, he's gonna kill me.' But the voice he heard was not Ron's it was Hermione's, "Harry, Ginny, wake up! Ron's going berserk, he went into your room, Ginny, and when he couldn't find you he went to the Great Hall and the owlery, now he's doing all of the girls rooms, He can't find you in here."

"Has he checked the training rooms yet?" Harry said, his mind going into overdrive. She shook her head still trying to catch her breath.

"Right get him to start with the dueling room and work his way around by the time he gets to the library we'll be in there." Harry grabbed Ginny and teleported out of the room while Hermione, headed back out to find Ron.

Moments later Ron entered the library, looking around frantically, "Ginny, Ginny, you in here?" He turned around the corner into the restricted section and found Ginny lying on the floor with her head pillowed on her arms, and a potions book. He shook her gently, "Gin, time to wake up, we need to go down to breakfast."

Ginny opened her eyes and looked up at her brother, dazed, "Ron what are you doing in my room?"

"We aren't in your room, you fell asleep in the library, gave me quite a scare when I went in to see if you were okay."

"Ron," Hermione's voice called from the entrance, "did you find her?"

Ron turned to face his girlfriend, "Yeah, she feel asleep studying." He didn't notice Hermione looking over his shoulder, at Ginny who was mouthing a thank-you.

Later that day, Hermione was, once again, studying in the library alone, when she looked up to see a confused looking Draco. "Hey, Malfoy, something on your mind?"

"Did I do the right thing, breaking up Dean and Ginny?" he looked confused and for the first time since they had come to Hogwarts totally unsure of himself. "I mean, I know she and Harry are in love with each other, but she seemed so hurt yesterday."

"Ginny was hurt, I knew she would be, and I think you did too. But, I think she realizes that she is better off without him. You should have heard some off the awful things he said about her."

"If I hadn't interfered how much longer would they have stayed together?"

"Probably long enough for Harry to put a dent, like the one in the wall, in Dean" she said with a faint laugh in her voice. "I don't know for sure, maybe another week, maybe for several years; Ginny wasn't really being fair to him anyway. She knew she loved Harry when the started dating Dean. Of course, I think that getting them together will be even harder, than splitting Ginny and Dean up."

"Yeah, I guess things were getting pretty tense. Well since she's single maybe Harry will get up the nerve to ask her out."

"He thinks he doesn't have the right to date anyone, because it would put them in danger. He did promise me that if I don't tell her, and she finds out that he will let her make up her own mind."

"Maybe I should tell her then."

"Give her some time; if she was to start dating again now, the whole school would be talking about it, it just wouldn't look right."

"Mores the pity, think she'll forgive us if she ever finds out?"

Hermione furrowed her brow in concentration, "I don't really know, if she and Harry are dating then, yeah probably, but otherwise, there's no telling. Harry really loves her, if you could see their aura's when they're together, like this morning when I went to wake them."

"It's bad enough without seeing their aura's, thank you very much."

"What exactly did you say to Dean?"

As Malfoy related the story to her, there was another person who hung on his words with greater interest than Hermione. When she heard them rise to leave she slipped back out of the library and into the empty potions lab and she slid down on to the floor, a huge grin spreading across her face. She didn't know yet what to do with this new information but, she would figure it out.