3
Garden Dreamers
'Harry, in your letter, you said that you didn't have much time to write. What were you doing?' Hermione asked after Mrs. Weasley had left the room and conversation had died down.
'Oh, well, after I left the Burrow last time, I decided that I needed some time to think. So I went home.'
'But, you don't have a home.' Ron said. 'Ow!' he cried after Hermione elbowed him hard in the arm.
'It's okay. I do have a home, mate. Sirius left me it in his will, remember?'
'Right, sorry, I forgot.'
Harry nodded and continued. 'Anyway, I went to Grimmuld place and found that someone had tried to get in. It turned out that it was Lestrange who had tried.'
'Harry! You didn't go after her, did you?' Ginny gasped.
'Of course not! I merely warned her not to come near my house again.' He paused and it sounded like he was finished until he added under his breath. 'Face to face.'
'Harry!' Hermione and Ginny both cried at the same time.
'What?' Harry cried, annoyed.
'She could have killed you! What were you thinking, going after her?' Ginny exclaimed.
'But she didn't, Ginny! The point was to tell her not to come to my house and it worked.' Harry said, more annoyed.
'It's all right, mate, everything's fine. So, dad called another meeting for tomorrow. Harry, are you going to show up to this one?' Ron joked.
Harry, who annoyed, tired, annoyed, stressed and annoyed, didn't get the joke part and stood up and left the house without another word. He left his three best friends looking after him with raised eyebrows and quizzical looks. Ginny was the first to react, she jumped up and ran after him. She found him lying on the ground a ways from the house gazing at the multitude of stars in the sky. She walked over to him and lay down beside him. He didn't acknowledge her. In fact, he was thinking about Sirius, all he really wanted was to talk or see his Godfather again.
'Harry, Ron was just joking around, you know that, right?' she asked, propping herself on one elbow to face him.
'Yeah, I know, it's just that, well, never mind.' He sat up.
'Harry, what's wrong?'
'The war.'
'It's over now. It has been for almost two months. You don't need to worry about it anymore.'
'But I do! I don't know. You don't want to hear this.'
'Harry, would I be out here right now if I didn't want to hear about this?' she demanded.
'Not right now, Ginny, okay? Maybe later.'
He went to stand but Ginny caught his hand and pulled him back to the ground.
'Harry, if you don't want to talk, that's fine, but will you at least stay out here with me awhile before my mother makes go to sleep?'
'Yeah, I can.'
'Good.'
They lay back on the grass.
'Hey Ginny, how good are you at astronomy?' Harry asked, a sudden idea had popped into his mind.
'Pretty good, why?'
'Well, I was wondering if you could find a star for me.'
'Okay, which one?'
'Orion.'
'Right there.'
Ginny pointed up to a bright star. Harry quickly scanned the sky for what he really was looking for. Canis Major. Canis Major was a constellation of a large dog. It was also called Sirius. For Harry, it was the closest thing to his Godfather that he could have. He sighed heavily. Ginny really wanted to ask what was the matter but knew that if she did, she would make him angry and he would leave. Instead, she moved closer and tucked her head against Harry's neck and shoulder. One arm lazily draped across his muscled chest. Harry stiffened for only a moment, then curled one strong arm around her shoulders. They spoke little and soon both were fast asleep.
Someone was laughing; flashes of deadly green and bright red flew close to the fighters' faces, giving them an eerie glow. The laughter got louder and more maniacal and closer. He heard her say words of comfort, except, they weren't meant for comfort, they were meant as cruel jokes. Each word was dripping with so much sarcasm that one could swim in it. From the end of her wand there was a flash of green light and he fell through, never to be seen again. He heard himself shouting, screaming, yearning for life to come back, but it never happened. In fury and rage, he tore after her, through the halls, following her mocking voice. He tried to kill her, oh how he tried- but she was gone.
Instead stood a fifteen-year-old girl with long red hair and light freckles. She was beautiful to him and he knew that he loved her with all his heart, and she him. He saw them walking through snow, and the leaves of fall, and in the Three Broomsticks for a bottle of Butterbeer. He saw them sitting in front of a roaring fire, she was in his arms and her lips, lips of the darkest rose, were only an inch from his. Another flash of green and she fell also, dead to the ground, just the other. In her place stood to people, one with bushy brown hair and clever eyes, and another red head, this time a boy. He saw the three of them exploring a castle the dark halls dark and silent, he saw them in a bathroom, fighting a huge troll, he saw them in front of a roaring fire, just talking. But then the fire turned the green light that seemed to plague all the people he loved, it swallowed them up, leaving their lifeless bodies behind.
The scene changed again. He saw them, and the girl, and the first man surrounded by family and friends. He saw people he loved and cared for all around him. He saw his parents, his best friends, the red haired girl, the first man, a man with a long silver beard and half moon glasses, an old professor from school, a half giant, more red haired people, a woman with bubble gum pink hair, and an elf wearing many different coloured socks and a tea cosy on his head. Slowly, ever so slowly, each one of the people that had been in the room was shone with the flash of deadly green. And each one of them died.
'No, no, no!! Help! Someone HELP!' Harry screamed
Ginny sat bolt upright and blinked at the dazzling sunshine all around her and Harry. It took her a moment to remember where she was and why she was awake. Gently, as so no to scare him, she shook Harry's shoulder.
'Harry, Harry, wake up. You're dreaming, Harry, it's okay. You're safe.'
Her soft tones woke him and his bright green eyes flashed with fear.
'Ginny! You're alive! Thank God!' he cried, drawing her into his arms.
'Harry what happened? You were screaming and you woke me and I was afraid.'
'It's all right, I was just dreaming, sort of like your dream that you had except mine was worse.'
'What happened in it?'
'I saw the people I loved dying in front of me. I saw my parents, Sirius, Dumbledor, you, Tonks, Dobby, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, your parents, and your brothers.'
'Oh, Harry! What prompted that dream?' Ginny asked.
'I don't know. I was thinking about Sirius, and you before I fell asleep. I don't know…' he trailed off.
Ginny took his sweaty face in both her hands. 'You promised me that you would protect me. I promise to protect you too.'
To seal her promise, she kissed him. Somehow, they ended back on the ground.
'Harry, are you planning on going back to Grimmuld place?' she asked after they had separated.
'Yes. After you go back to Hogwarts.'
'Good. I don't want you to leave. I need you here and you need me.'
She snuggled closer and dozed again. Harry was happy to notice that she didn't have her nightmares anymore.