CHAPTER DEDICATION(S):

Daisuki1993 – I'm touched that you enjoy my story and that you like my style. Thanks for your review! I will also be dedicating the final chapter in your honor.

Kazume Suigama – Sorry about the cliffhanger from Chapter 23. I'm glad that you think the story's great! Thank you for your review. You'll also have Chapter 24 dedicated to you.

Matanator – Harry really is dense, no? And thanks for the review! I actually hadn't intended the chapter title to be a pun, but it worked out perfectly, I guess, haha. Chapter 24 will also be dedicated to you.

and

Skye – I'm so sorry that I crushed your hopes! I really didn't mean to! I hope that I won't be doing that again in the finale. Thank you for your review! I would also like to dedicate Chapter 24 to you.

Chapter 02 – The Recapitulation and the Reassurance

As he slowly and carelessly threw his sheets about the bed, Harry droned on about his concern for the girl in his dreams. He told Elaine about how perfectly she fit the criteria he created for any girl he would like to date. The boy with the raven hair even explained how his latest dream was a date idea he had hoped to share and make a reality. However, as he had said to Elaine, there was only one thing standing in the way of Harry and his dream girl.

"Is it the pretty obvious fact that she doesn't exist?" Elaine questioned matter-of-factly.

Shooting a death glare at the light-haired Gryffindor on Ron's bed, Harry huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked at his sloppily made bed and then, giving up, he leaned against the bed corner closest to Elaine. His expression had gone from angry to grave.

"What if it's Lord Voldemort trying to figure out my weakness?" he said under his breath. "It absolutely wouldn't be the first time he's done something like this…"

Elaine let out a sigh of understanding before she hopped off of Ron's bed. She walked over to Harry, touching his forehead with the back of her hand. "Harry, how many times do I have to tell you?" she asked, using her other hand to uncross his arms. She took his hands into hers and held onto them tightly. "He's gone now… you have nothing to worry about anymore."

Harry recoiled his hands from Elaine's grasp. "What are you talking about?" he wondered. "Are you forgetting about what happened at the Ministry last year? He's still out there somewhere!"

Watching as Harry collapsed back into his bed, Elaine sighed once more. She followed suit, plopping herself right beside Harry on the bed.

"Seems like you hit your head a little harder than I thought you did," she mumbled quickly to herself. Elaine turned to the distraught sixteen-year-old beside her and touched the back of her hand to his forehead. "Harry, I don't know how much you remember of last year – or even of last night – but I repeat: you have nothing to worry about.

"You-Know-Who was defeated last year at the battle at the Ministry. Yes, I know he used a dream – or what have you – to lure to there… and yes, we did fall into his little trap," Harry could see the stress building up within Elaine as she tried to recollect the occurrences of their previous year. "… but your parents defeated him to save you… are you remembering any of this?"

Harry blinked multiple times as Elaine stared blankly at him. He thought back to the happenings of last year. He remembered going to the Ministry and falling into Voldemort's trap, but after that everything was a dull blur. His head started spinning as he tried to recall his parents' heroic rescue; the back of his head throbbed with a dullness.

"I remember the first half," he said honestly. "The rest is just a blur to me."

Elaine's shoulders dropped sullenly as she grabbed Harry's hands in hers once more; she was enjoying this a little more than she was supposed to. "We should get you to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you-."

"I'll be fine, Elaine," Harry assured, a sinister smile now appearing on his face.

Arching her eyebrow with curiosity, Elaine staring accusingly at the Boy Who Lived. "Evil does not become you, Potter," remarked the light-brown haired girl. "What's with the face?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Port," Harry chimed innocently, helping himself off his bed. "Can't a guy just be happy?"

Elaine shook her head. "Yeah, normal guys can be," she replied, "but you're Harry freakin' Potter; there is absolutely nothing normal about you! For Merlin's sake, Potter, you're dreaming about a bloody stranger who – might I add – may not even be real!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry made his way over to his trunk at the end of his bed. As he knelt down and opened it, he continued to grin mischievously. With Voldemort out of the picture, Harry was positive that the girl of his dreams was not just his mind playing tricks on him. It was absolutely perfect, Harry thought to himself.

"Are you even listening to me, Potter?" Elaine nagged. Poking his head around the lid of his luggage, Harry stared back at her in confusion. "I said: what's with the smile?"

Turning back to his trunk, Harry sighed merrily as he dug through his piles of clothing to look for an outfit for the day. "I know she's out there, Elaine," he said confidently. "And now that I know that Voldemort has nothing to do with her, I can find her."

"You don't even know what she looks like!"

Harry stopped looking through his clothes; Elaine had him there. How the heck was he supposed to go about looking for a girl without knowing what she looked like? Grabbing the first pair of jeans he could and a loose-fitting blue t-shirt, Harry slammed his trunk shut.

"I don't have to know what she looks like," he reasoned with Elaine as she leaned against his bedpost, "to know how she makes me feel."

Elaine groaned, watching as Harry shot her a smirk. She began fiddling with the ends of her hair as she let Harry explain himself. He droned on about the girl of his dreams – just as he had earlier; meanwhile, Elaine continued to roll her eyes as she tried to ignore the pang of jealousy burning in her chest.

"You have the perfect life," she whispered under her breath. "What more could you possibly want?"

Harry could sense the bitterness in Elaine's voice. What had gotten her so worked up? Whatever it was, Harry did not know. Maybe it was the stress of last year, he told himself. She did seem distraught at the recollection of the battle at the Ministry. Then again, there was just something off entirely about Elaine since the mention of his dream girl…

"Excuse me for believing in happy endings," he muttered back to Elaine sadly. "I think I deserve to have some faith in a happy ending!"

Her brown eyes narrowed as Elaine let out a sigh of frustration. "Oh because being the son of the Wizarding World's most famous and best Aurors isn't all that it's cracked up to be, is it? Being the son of the Lily and James Potter is no walk in the park at all, huh?"

Something was really off now, Harry told himself. Elaine was practically barking at him and he had no line of defense. Sighing to himself, he looked at Elaine with a sympathetic smile.

"I-I'm sorry…?" he replied, confusion dripped with every syllable of his words. "I guess not…? Elaine… is there… a reason why you came up here?"

Elaine could see that her temperamental state was distressing Harry. She knew that he would never understand why she was acting the way she was, so she really couldn't blame him. Sighing to herself, she shrugged.

"You slept through breakfast," she explained. "Hermione, Ron and I were getting worried."

"You woke me up for that?" Harry shouted.

"Harry James Potter, you hit your head against the floor after a duel with Draco Malfoy!" Elaine screamed back at him. "Granted, you jinxed him before you slipped on your own feet. If you didn't wake up, what the bloody hell am I supposed to tell Lily and James when I get off the Hogwarts Express and they see me without you?"

"Tell them that I jumped into the Black Lake to find the girl of my dreams," he mumbled, "because you wouldn't let me see her in my dreams!"

Elaine rolled her eyes and replied, "You act like this bloody dream girl will be the answer to all of your nonexistent problems."

"She very well could be!" Harry said, grabbing Elaine by the shoulders. His green eyes staring back at her as sincere as Elaine had ever seen them. "I know she's out there somewhere; she's gotta be somewhere in the castle!"

"You're going to go gallivanting through the halls of Hogwarts just to find this unknown dream girl of yours, who – might I add – may not even exist?" Elaine remarked. "Harry, that is completely puerile!"

Harry shut his eyes tightly, his hands dropping to his sides. How was he going to phrase the next couple of statements? "Elaine, look… you are the only one that knows that I've been having these dreams," he sighed. "Could you we possibly keep this… between us?"

Sitting back on the bed and fidgeting with the clothes he had left on his bed, Harry sighed as Elaine went on to ramble about the girl of his dreams. Slowly, he looked toward the girl standing beside his bed; as stubborn as Elaine was, Harry knew his secret was safe with her.

"Fine!" Elaine caved. "But this is only because you're my closest friend and I love you to death…"

The incongruity of Elaine's smile was enough for Harry to understand that she was going to stay true to her word. He smiled and then looked toward his unfolded heap of clothes.

"Thanks," he said, getting back on his feet and hugging Elaine. As he felt her arms wrap around him, he could feel a smile forming on his face. Releasing Elaine from the embrace, Harry scratched the back of his head. "On a completely different note: Elaine, do you mind if I change?"

Wide-eyed, Elaine asked, "In front of me? Potter, I know I just said you're my closest friend and all, but don't you think that's a little too personal? Lily would kill us both!"

"Oh no!" Harry remarked with a laugh. "Maybe I should have been clearer… get out!"

Elaine shook her head as she gently brushed past Harry. "Sure thing, your Royal Pain!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

[REWRITTEN]: July 18, 2014
[REPUBLISHED]: July 18, 2014
[LAST UPDATED]: July 18, 2014
[WORD COUNT]: 1,662 words without a/n, summary, disclaimer and dedications.

[MV COMMENTS]: i apologize for the wait. things have come up since the last time - as they always do. i'm so sorry! what do you think of the new changes (for those of you that have been following the story)? leave a review and lemme know what you think. thanks for reading! ~ xoxo, mv