It was a few days after Harry Potter had saved Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets and things had mostly calmed down at Hogwarts.

Ginny, however, felt worse and worse as she reflected on the past year. There was one thing that was particularly bothering her.

It had been to Ginny's immense relief that Colin, Justin, Nick, Hermione, and Penelope had been able to be revived via the Mandrake Potion and that Harry had survived his own encounter with Riddle and the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets itself.

But there was one piece of damage that couldn't be undone.

That piece of damage was Hagrid's roosters.

Under Riddle's influence from the diary, Ginny had strangled and killed Hagrid's roosters, as Riddle knew that the crowing of roosters was fatal to basilisks.

This was the thing that caused Ginny the most guilt because it was not undoable. There was no reviving Hagrid's roosters with Mandrake Potion. They were gone.

Feeling worse and worse by the minute, Ginny decided to do the one thing she could still do: apologize to Hagrid..

Nervously and timidly, Ginny allowed her feet to take her to Hagrid's hut where she knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Who's there?" said Hagrid cautiously.

"Ginny Weasley, " answered Ginny shyly.

Hagrid opened the door and said kindly, "Come on in, Ginny."

Ginny slowly walked into Hagrid's hut and helped herself into a seat.

"How are yeh doing?" Hagrid asked Ginny, "Yeh've been through o lot this year."

"I feel terrible, " admitted Ginny, "Hagrid look. I-"

Ginny looked more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment. Her face went red and she started to cry a bit.

"Hagrid, look, I owe you a an apology. It was I who strangled and killed your rooster this year. Look, I'm really sorry. I"

Ginny's voice shook and her head started to drop. Her tears were streaming down her cheeks now.

"Keep yer head up, " said Hagrid firmly, pulling Ginny's head back up, "It wasn't yeh, it was him."

"I w-was too w-weak, " sobbed Ginny, "I-"

"Yer not weak, " said Hagrid sharply, "He's hoodwinked and bewitched fully trained aurors!"

"Hagrid, " said a still tearful Ginny, "I know how much you love your animals. And those roosters can't be brought back. There's no way to resurrect the dead. That goes for animals just as much as people. And it was I strangled them. The loss of any of your animals must be excruciating for you. "

There was too much truth in this to deny or downplay, but Hagrid pulled Ginny into a tight hug and said, "I don't blame yeh in the slightest. All of the blame goes on him an on Lucius for planted that blasted diary on yeh. Nothing that happened under the influence of that is yer fault. Yeh was literally bein controlled by Dark Magic."

Ginny looked into Hagrid's eyes and saw compassion and sincerity. He did not blame her for the loss of hos roosters and he knew what a tough year she had been through. Ginny could see that Hagrid was genuinely concerned about her and her well being.

"Now that the ordeal is over, have yeh actually talked with anyone about the events of the past year?" Hagrid asked Ginny seriously.

"No, " said Ginny simply, "I've actually had nightmares about the Chamber of Secrets since the whole ordeal was resolved."

"Yeh need ter to get some counseling, " Hagrid told Ginny firmly, "Yeh need ter talk out these experiences and confront them. Yeh've got ter understand. Understanding is the first to step to acceptance and only with acceptance can there be recovery. "

Ginny said nothing.

Hagrid, knowing it was not the time to press the issue said, "Ginny yeh have nothing to apologize for. Yeh were a victim here, not a suspect."

Ginny managed to give Hagrid a small smile, grateful for his reaction and attitude of not blaming her.

"I tell yeh what, Ginny, I think I know how I can make yeh feel better.

And Hagrid puled down two glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

Hagrid filled both glasses with Jack Daniels and handed one to Ginny.

"Thanks, Hagrid, " said Ginny.

Hagrid and Ginny both slowly and absentmindedly sipped away on the Jack Daniels. By the time their glasses were empty, both Hagrid and Ginny were calm and Ginny had stopped crying altogether. Ginny now felt calm and peaceful.

"Hagrid, " said Ginny simply, "I'm going to return to Gryffindor Tower now."

"Remember that yeh are always welcome here, " said Hagrid in a crystal clear voice.

"I know, " said Ginny gratefully.

Ginny felt much better as her feet carried her back to Gryffindor Tower,

The visit to Hagrid had lifted some weight off her heart and she felt like she could be herself again.