Midnight Bonding

Harry sat in the astronomy tower, gazing out. His invisibility cloak lay on the ground, forgotten in the chilly night. Harry was feeling depressed; Ron didn't believe him, and the whole school seemed to be against him. It's not like things were ever right for Harry Potter, but right now, things just didn't seem like they would get better to him. He felt like he was back at the Dursleys. All alone. Hedwig would usually keep him company there so he won't drive himself crazy, but at Hogwarts, she was in the owlery, and he couldn't bring himself to go there. Especially not after being there almost every day the past week, sending letters to Sirius. The school had almost every government official visit by now, and the nosy Rita Skeeter trying to get dirt on him everywhere he goes wasn't helping.

Suddenly, he was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard a cough behind him. Harry had become hypervigilant from a young age living with the Dursleys, and the fact that he didn't hear them coming left Harry extremely troubled and worried. Slowly he stood up, turning around to face them, fearing the worst.

Ginny stood there in her red pyjama pants and a grey shirt, looking extremely exhausted, and even in that state, Harry couldn't help but think about how beautiful she is.

'Harry…' she said in a sleepy voice, clearly showing how exhausted she was.

'Ginny, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for you, of course. I know you wouldn't be able to sleep after all the drama that's been going on around here.'

'Thanks, but you better go back before you get caught out of bed after hours.'

She simply looked at Harry almost like reading him like an open book. Harry shuffled his feet, not sure what to say or do, and just stared at his feet being extremely interested in his worn-out, big black shoes that were handed down to him from Dudley.

Ginny stepped nearer to the door-like window and sat down, gazing out into the night sky, and gestured him to sit down next to her. They sat there quietly for a while, simply enjoying the cold breeze of the night, the starry sky, and the occasional noises from the Forbidden Forest.

'You're not alone, you know,' Ginny suddenly said, making Harry look at her, wondering if she could read his mind like Dumbledore.

'What?..' Harry cried, trying not to let out his fears.

'Ron can be a git sometimes, especially if it's about our family. I know it's unfair of him to have treated you like that, but it does take him time to think of stuff on his own, and you shouting about our family in the common room that night surely didn't help.'

'If you think I am going to run back to him or something. I'm sorry that is just not happening.'

'Neither am I asking you to. I'm just saying, he has a good heart and you are not alone. If you ever get pissed off at either Ron or Hermione, you can come to me, Fred, George, or Neville too. We are your friends too, you know.'

'Thanks, Ginny. I needed to hear that.'

Ginny just smiled at him, but the smile slowly drained from her face hearing footsteps coming up the stairs followed by the rustling of robes. The unmistakable sound of the most dreaded and Harry's most hated teacher, Professor Severus Snape.

Disclaimer: The characters and universe portrayed in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. This work is a fan-created story and is not intended for any commercial purposes. All rights to the original characters and world are rightfully owned by the author.