FULL SUMMARY: Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

DISCLAIMER: Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

STORY DEDICATION: To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

Chapter Twelve – The Girl of Flesh and Blood

"How many more days until Hermione and Ron come back?" Harry whined as he helped Elaine with her knitting. "I can't stand another day of this!"

Elaine rolled her eyes. "Wow!" she remarked. "I didn't even ask you to help me; you offered."

"That's what makes me so nice," he said with a smirk. "But seriously, I'm starting to miss the others. Not that I don't enjoy your company one-on-one, but I miss playing Wizard's Chess with Ron. And I really miss Hermione and the way-."

"Ginny, Ron and Hermione will be back tomorrow morning," Elaine reminded with a slight frown. "I'm sure the Chosen One can handle ten more mores or so without his dearly beloved, right?"

Harry noted the tone change in Elaine's voice at the mention of Ginny. He scratched the back of his head with a sigh; he did not remember even mentioning Ginny. In fact, since the night he and Elaine started talking again, Harry managed to figure out that any mention of Ginny would send Elaine spiraling down into that sad phase. Harry always did his best to avoid the sensitive topic of his girlfriend around Elaine, but she was the one that always seemed to mention it.

"I've managed this far along in the break, right?" Harry replied with a chuckle. "Besides, the dreams I have are enough to keep me company for now…"

Elaine nodded as she continued to knit. "I guess…"

"What's up, Elaine?" Harry wondered. "I know something's up… and after spending enough time with you, I've concluded that this has something to do with Ginny being my dream girl."

Elaine sighed as she shook her head; what was she supposed to say at this point? Harry already sent the letter expressing his feelings about her and his dream girl to Ginny. It was not like Elaine could make him understand her feelings, right? After all, confessing to Harry now made Elaine look and feel like a home wrecker.

"I already told you, Harry," Elaine exhaled.

"And what exactly was that again, Elaine?" Harry asked. "Because, I feel like every time it comes up, you have seem to have a problem with it, but avoid diving any deeper than the surface of it all."

Elaine put her knitting needles to the side with a sigh. She rubbed her temples vigorously. "Harry, I told you; it's not that I don't believe in the girl of your dreams – I do! Believe me… I don't doubt you for a second on it anymore. Everyone has that dream person; yours just comes to you literally in your dreams. But… I don't think that Ginny is that person for you, Harry."

Harry looked up at Elaine from his seat beside her on the couch. What was she even saying? He already knew this much about how Elaine felt. Why was she so adamant about Ginny?

"Elaine, I know how you feel, but trust me when I say that Ginny is the girl of my dreams! It only makes sense. The dreams stopped the day she and I started dating. Then, they return the day Ginny leaves for vacation. Can you explain that to me?"

Elaine looked at the ground in confusion; she could not explain it. She did not know how to even begin. Harry did have a point, but in some way, Elaine just had a feeling that Harry was wrong – and that feeling was usually right.

"I can't! I don't know how to, Harry!"

"Then, what?"

"Harry, I don't want to see you get hurt if this all ends up blowing up in your face!" Elaine cried. "You are my best friend and I never want to see you hurt."

Harry sighed. "Elaine, she is the girl of my dreams… she wouldn't dare hurt me. How can I get you to see that? The girl of my dreams is practically perfect in every way."

"She's not Mary fucking Poppins, Potter," Elaine blurt out.

"Even so, Elaine, I think I love-."

Elaine shut her eyes tightly. Her frustration seemed to be getting the best of her. It was either she speak up now or forever regret that moment.

"Harry," she began, "no. Don't even bother with those words. You always talked about how the girl of your dreams made you feel. You always used to mention how she could make butterflies appear in your stomach with just the sound of her voice. You always used to say that – even though you never saw her face – she could brighten the room with just her smile. You said that she had a voice of an angel and the heart of pure gold. You said all these amazing things about her…

"But… can you tell me something then, lover boy? Does Ginny really, honestly make you feel this way? Or are trying to create something out of nothing because you have gotten sick and tired of searching for the girl of your dreams?"

Harry's shoulders dropped as he looked up to see that Elaine was hold back some tears. Frowning at the sight before him, he watched Elaine bury her head in her arms.

"What are you saying?" Harry asked, suddenly very afraid of her answer. "Ginny… is the one. Who else could it possibly be? My search is over. She is the girl of my dreams."

Elaine stood up from her seat on the couch before turning to Harry one last time. "Harry, if I may say… far better than any dream girl is the one of flesh and blood. Good night."

Author's Note: This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on November 9, 2013.

Thank you for reading! Ya'know, I keep telling you guys that I'll update quickly throughout the day, but then it never happens because something manages to come up. So, instead of giving you false hope this time, let me just say: I will be updating sometime within the week – no more than two weeks. I'm not sure about how quickly I'll update tomorrow – if I even get to it – because I have relatives coming then. The day after is the day I go back home, so a majority of my time will be spent in a car or unpacking and doing homework. Tuesday should be a clear day. Same with Wednesday and Thursday. That could change very quickly though. Friday, I have a business meeting (probably) with the godsissy. Then Saturday is a family party for my boyfriend's cousins. So yeah… we'll see what happens.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. Thank you so much for reading, guys! If you've got any questions or comments, lemme know! Also, review! Please and thank you!

- May