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Harry's soundly sleeping didn't endure more than a few moments. After Ginny had taken a sit in the arm chair next to the couch Harry was sleeping he started tossing and turning in his sleep. He started moaning like if he was in pain, and mumbling "No", over and over again. Ginny didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to wake him up? Was it better if she didn't? Ron had said he screamed in his sleep, he probably wouldn't like if he woke up the entire house screaming. Would he? Finally Ginny decided to wake him up. She stood up and walk to the couch. She put her hands in Harry's shoulders, that leave her face just in front of his, and started shaking them. Harry just continue turning and his voice was now rising, "No! No!" Ginny alarmed started shaking harder.
"Harry, please wake up" Ginny whispered. That seemed to make it. Harry snapped out of his nightmare and was surprised to see Ginny in front of him. Ginny saw relief crossed his face, and couldn't help to wonder what he was dreaming now.
"Ginny" Harry sighted. Ginny was now realizing her face was now inches from his. She wanted so much to close that few inches, she remember that one time, a time that seemed like a life time ago, she could do that. Now he was pulling her away, and she went back to her armchair, while he sat in the couch. Ginny didn't let him see her sad face, but she did take the chance to talk to him. So she asked the first question that popped into her mind, before he could stand up and leave.
"Why were you sleeping here?"
"Hermione came, I thought she and Ron could use some alone time" That explained the Hermione empty mattress. Well it was not a difficult guess, Ginny felt dumb for not thinking of it. Now that he saw Harry more closely, she could see he had loss serious weight and that he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked horrible.
"What time is it?" Harry asked.
"About six" Ginny said, looking to the floor. She didn't know why she didn't want to meet his eyes.
"Why are you down here this early?" Harry asked. Ginny didn't know what to respond. She couldn't just say: Nothing, your late mum visited me in my dream because she was worried about you.
"I was thirsty, and couldn't go back to sleep" She simply answered.
"I am going back upstairs" Harry announced. Ginny simply nodded and watched him as he stood up and walked out of the living room. She brought her legs to her chest and put her arms around her. She stayed in that position thinking about her dream for a long time until her mother came down.
"Hi Ginny" said Mrs. Weasley and smiled when she saw her.
"Hey mum" she stood up and tried to put her best fake smile on her face.
"What are you doing up so early?"
"Couldn't go back to sleep" Her mom seemed to think something.
"Why won't you help me with breakfast?" Ginny nodded and walk right behind her to the kitchen. She had always liked to see her mom cooked. When she was little she would sit in the counter and watch her mom walk around the kitchen chopping, mixing, and cooking, she always admired all the love and dedication her mother put to all the meals she prepared for them. Sometimes, like this one, she would let her help. Ginny wasn't a good cooker like her mom, but she enjoyed helping her. She always learned something new.
"Hey Ginny" Her mom said while mixing pancake mix.
"Yes mum" Ginny was just making toast now.
"Do you know how Harry is doing?"
"Not really mum, we haven't been speaking too much" Ginny said in a sad tone, "How many of this you need?" Mrs. Weasley sensed the tone of voice of her daughter and didn't ask any more. She looked to the stack of toast.
"Like that would be enough, thank you" her mum said in a soft voice, "Why don't you upstairs and tell everybody breakfast is ready?"
"Sure" Ginny walked out the kitchen. In her way upstairs she bumped with her dad and Percy.
"Hello Ginny" greeted her dad, almost at the same time Percy said, "Good morning Ginny"
"Hi. Already going to work?" Her dad nodded and kept going down stairs.
"Actually" Percy said, "I am going to Hogwarts, you know, to see what I can help with"
"Good. Breakfast is ready" Ginny announced and kept going upstairs while Percy was deciding whether to eat breakfast or go to Hogwarts right away.
Ginny stopped at George and Fred's room, well only George's now. She tried to open the door but it was locked. The thing with George is that you never know what he would do now. Sometimes he would go down to eat, sometimes he would go and return when is already dark, drunk. Sometimes he returned till late morning. Sometimes he didn't go out of his room at all. Ginny was scared one day he would go and never return.
"George" Ginny called as she knocked on the door, "mum says breakfast is ready. Please come" Nobody answer, Ginny called again, but there was only silence. "George, please, come down to breakfast" she whispered, finally giving up and moved to Ron's room. She knocked as she opened the door.
"Please Harry" Hermione was saying when Ginny came in. Hermione and Ron were sitting in the edge Ron's bed, facing Harry. Harry was sitting in the edge of his bed facing the floor. When Ginny entered the three of them turned to look at her.
"Er… Mom says breakfast is ready" she announced, "Are you coming?" the question was for the three of them but she was looking directly at Harry when she said this. Ron notice, and looked at Harry, which had return to stare at the floor.
"We'll be down in a moment" He assured her. Ginny kept her eyes in Harry as she tried to smiled and walked out the door.
"Harry, please come down" she heard Hermione said, "You're killing her"
"What are you saying Hermione?" it was Harry's voice this time. She stayed where she was standing, wanting to hear more.
"She's worried about you, it was all over her face and she keeps asking me how you're doing, and we are worried too" Hermione said in a voice barely higher than a whisper. Why did she say that? Ginny didn't need Harry, or Ron, to know she had been asking Hermione about Harry.
"She doesn't need to worry about me, and neither should you" Harry's voice had now a tone of anger and annoyance. "I am fine"
"Mate, you haven't ate or sleep." It was Ron who was speaking now. "You are not fine".
"It's rude to eavesdrop, little sister" someone whispered behind her back. When she turned she found it was George. He still had a sad look in his face, and looked like he hadn't sleep for days, but a little smile was forming in his lips.
"George, you came down" Ginny whisper-shouted.
"Well I smelled pancakes" George and Ginny started walking downstairs.
"So how long were you standing there?" Ginny asked him, wondering how much he listening.
"So do worry about Harry?" George tried to smirk but failed, still he manage to say it in an almost mocking tone.
"Just like I worry about you" George small smile faded.
"There is nothing to worry about" George assured her "at least not for me"
"Promise" Ginny turned to look at him. George looked at his little sister eyes full of concern.
"I promise. Now let's go to eat, I am starving" Ginny looked back hoping Harry, Hermione, and Ron would get out of that room and come, the three of them, to breakfast.
A few moments later Ginny, Hermione, Ron, George, and Mrs. Weasley were in the table eating breakfast quietly. Nobody said a word, Ginny felt so tense; she wanted to run away from there. Ginny kept glancing at the stairs casually, hoping Harry would come down and eat. Deep down she knew it was just wishful thinking, if Harry did came out he would walk through the door and disappear for the rest of the day.
"Where is Harry?" Ginny was surprised to hear her mother ask this.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other, then Ron said "He went back to sleep, he didn't sleep good last night" Ginny had a feeling that, beside the few minutes in the living room, Harry hadn't slept at all. There was another long silence.
"Mum, Hermione and I are planning to go to Australia. For her parents" Ron finally announced. Hermione send a combination of a glare and a shocked look to Ron. It was obvious she still didn't want to say anything to Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh right! We still haven't done that. I don't like the idea of you two going alone. Maybe your father could go with you or someone else" Mrs. Weasley said.
"Mum, dad is busy at work, and we do know how to take care of ourselves" Ron responded.
"Do you think you should leave Harry alone right now?" Mrs. Weasley asked looking at Ron, so she missed the looks Hermione and George give to Ginny. She could also swear Ron's eyes flicked at her for a second.
"We can't leave Hermione parents in Australia" Ron said, but then whispered under his breath, "Is not like were helping Harry a lot here" but Mrs. Weasley missed that, or just decide to ignore it.
"What if Harry goes with you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"We already asked" said Hermione; speaking for the first time she came down to breakfast, "he said no". That must be what they were talking about when I came in, thought Ginny.
Ginny finished and stood up. She took her plate to the sink, and started washing it without listening to the conversation on the table. She knew that those looks that Hermione and George had giving her in breakfast meant that they, like Lily Potter, also expected her to be the one to bring Harry back to normal. They all knew she was worried about him and that they had something before the war. Maybe she was the only one who didn't saw that she was the one who needed to heal Harry.
"Hey" Hermione was standing beside her. She realized she had spent too much time washing that plate. Hermione put two more plates in the sink and Ginny started washing one of them. "How are you doing?" Hermione asked.
"I'm fine" Ginny lied, remembering what Harry had said in his room. She saw Hermione shake her head, and smiling a little knowing smile.
"So, what are you going to do?" Hermione wondered.
"About what?" Ginny pretended she didn't know what Hermione was talking about and moved to the next plate.
"About Harry" Hermione whispered. "I know you are worried about him, and I know you are more worried now that Ron and I are going to be gone." Ginny wondered how Hermione knew that, but she decided not to ask. She wasn't sure if she would like the answer.
"I don't know. I am trying to figure that out" Ginny whispered under her breath, loud enough to Hermione to hear.
"I'm sure you'll figure something out. And now that Ron and I will be gone for a week or so, he might need company" she let the last word in a singing tone, trying to joke.
"I'm not sure if he wants that kind of company any more, at least from me" Ginny sighed.
"He still cares about you, even if he doesn't show it" Hermione said, there were almost the exact same words Lily had told her.
"How do you know that?" Ginny questioned.
"He is my best friend, I can tell" Ginny was sure there was something else but she decided not to ask.
When Ginny finished with the plates she grabbed a book from Hermione, she didn't care what it was about, and went outside. She went to the tree where she used to play when she was little and started reading. Soon she started caring less about the book and more about what she was going to do about Harry. She must do something now that he was going to be alone, like really alone. She was sure she couldn't stop him when he walked outside the house, he would just dissaparate. That meant she had to look for him in the place he was hiding, or doing whatever he was doing. Just in cue Harry walked out of the house, he didn't saw her, he walked for a minute or so and then he was gone.
I hope you liked this chapter!
I think next chapter Ginny and Harry would finally talk.
Please review!