I Can Dream, Can't I?

First of all, I'd like to thank my amazing beta Scarlet Crystal. Thank you for all of your help with this! You are amazing!

Song by: The Andrews Sisters (1949) I Can Dream, Can't I? Released by: Decca Records. Lyrics are in bold.

I don't own the lyrics at all...(Although I can dream, can't I?...Sorry I couldn't resist.)

And lastly, I don't own any of the characters, settings, etc. The belong to... well, you know who.

Please read and review! I want to hear everything you think!

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I Can Dream, Can't I?

There we sat on that final night before the last battle. Where we were didn't matter, because all I could see was the love of my life and the ice-blue sky that was above us.

He was about to leave; that we both knew. I also knew that I might never see him again, and the thought was nearly killing me. I wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms and smother him with affection, but another part of me wanted to yell at him until he changed his mind. I understood the situation, as my heart was breaking. I never wanted the moment to end, but I knew that this was only a calm before the storm, and the storm coming was going to be disastrous. The war was coming, and no one could stop it. Harry had to fight this war. He had to do it alone. Without me.

As we eye the blue horizon's bend,

Earth and sky appear to meet and end.

But it's merely an illusion.

Like your heart and mine,

There is no sweet conclusion

"Ginny." My heart began to pound. All I could think of was how his kisses used to feel. How sweet they were, how much I missed them, and how right it felt to be in his arms. I looked over at him, and I saw that he was being strong for me. I could tell that he wanted exactly what I wanted, and that was to not fight this war, but to stay, and to just be together. Nothing more. For whatever noble reasons he had, he broke my heart. I wanted it to be put back together, and the way to mend it was sitting right in front of me. How sick I was of people trying to protect me! All my life, people had gone out of their way to keep me safe and to make sure I was out of danger and unharmed. All I wanted at that moment was to protect Harry. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, as long as I was by his side. I knew that with our love, Voldemort had no chance. Voldemort couldn't feel love; I knew that our bond was the one thing that could protect him. It could save him, and he couldn't see what was right underneath his nose. He was so selfish, and I could hardly take it anymore. Finally, he spoke again, breaking me from my reverie.

"I want you to know that whatever happens in this war, nothing will change between us."

I knew that he was referring to the love he had for me, the love he chose to hide. I hated him for being so stupid. He was being selfish, and I internally cursed him for it. How could he not see that we were meant to be together? How could he not see that by keeping the ones he loved safe, he was neglecting his heart in the process? I felt a new emotion in my heart, and it was anger. I heard an angry voice begin to speak, and I soon recognized it as my own. "But Harry, it will! How can you be so selfish?" I looked him directly in the eyes. "How can you just walk away from all of us, knowing the possible outcome, knowing what could happen? How can you not even consider how this will affect us?"

"Ginny, this isn't about us. This is about saving lives; this is about defeating Voldemort. I'm the only one who can save..." Harry looked down at his feet, apparently embarrassed to finish his sentence, "to save all of you." His voice never faltered, and he never raised his voice. He remained calm as I grew steadily more enraged.

"There you go with being the hero again, Harry! It's not your job to save the world!"

I didn't know where this new anger had come from, but it was such a relief to let it out. It felt as though years of heartbreak were pouring out with every word, and I couldn't stop.

"Ginny, I-"

"No, Harry! You've already broken my heart once. Wasn't that enough? Do you have to break it again by leaving? You'll probably be killed, and that will leave all of us devastated! Then what are we to do? How could you do that to me? There has to be another way!"

"Ginny, there isn't. You know that..."

"You can be so selfless by saving people. You rescue them whether they ask for your help or not, and you never give it a second thought, even if you're risking your life in the process. And then, you can be so selfish. You broke up with me because you wanted to protect me, but I think it's you who needs protecting. You have to look out for your own heart every once in a while, Harry."

"Gin, my heart doesn't matter anymore. I'd rather sacrifice myself and saves lives, including yours," Harry said, his voice low.

His words hit my heart, and I had to get a grip, and I knew that I was hurting Harry by re-hashing every one of his worries. I had to apologize, but some how, uttering the words "I'm sorry" would set it in stone that he was really leaving. I saw more hurt in his eyes, and I placed my hand on his.

"Gin, I have to do this. I am the only one who can fight him," he whispered, squeezing my hand.

"I...I'm sorry, Harry," I muttered, despite my pain.

"I know, Gin." He looked at me and smiled, and some how, our fight seemed miles away now. Harry always had that effect on me. No matter what he said or what he would do, I would always become calm around him. Maybe it was the overwhelming feeling of protection that came from him. Maybe it was his inner strength that some how channeled into me. Whatever it was, I knew I didn't want it to go away. I needed him. He needed me as well, but we both came to the realization that we couldn't be together until Voldemort was defeated. War or not, we couldn't be happy in our love. It was a constant struggle.

I can see,

No matter how near you'll be,

You'll never belong to me.

But I can dream, can't I?

"You were right...about everything." I felt my emotions tugging me towards him. I tried to hold myself back, but to no avail. Before either of us knew what was happening, I had enveloped him into a tight embrace, never wanting to let go. Everything seemed so right, so perfect. I felt warm, fresh tears burning in my eyes, and I let my guard down for once and cried on his shoulder.

"There's no other way, is there?" I whimpered, my face buried in his chest. He shook his head, still holding me. "That's... okay. If this is what you want, then that's all that matters to me. You know that I'll stand behind you... no matter what."

I could hardly say the words, but I knew that it would ease some of Harry's pain to think that I was okay with his decision.

"It is, Ginny. I have to do this."

I felt a new surge of pain coursing through me yet again upon hearing his words.

I'm aware my heart is a sad affair.

There's much disillusion there,

But I can dream, can't I?

Still holing me, a gut feeling told me that we would be happy after this war was over. It was such a strong feeling, and I knew that he would have to finally see that we were meant to be together. Our past relationship had ended so fast. It was as though it had been a dream that had ended quite before it had begun. I wanted the dream back, but whenever I tried to cling to the memory, it slipped away even more.

Something deep down inside of me told me that this was the last moment of happiness that I would have for a while, and the last happy moment we would share together. Another smile played at my lips as I inhaled his sweet scent, but even more tears were forming behind my eyes when I realized that I might never smell him, see him, or feel him again. I knew that he was hugging me as a friend, but I also knew that he loved me. It was a painful emotion, and one of the worst I had ever felt.

I had stopped crying, as Harry had just leaned down and kissed my cheek to comfort me. Our embrace broke and he smiled at me. I felt my lips pulling my face into a weak smile in return. I could see that his heart was breaking too, for his eyes weren't so bright anymore; the glimmer of hope in them was fading. I longed to be kept inside his arms. His arms were so warm, and I never wanted to be away from him.

Can't I pretend

That I'm locked in the bend of your embrace?

For dreams are just like wine,

And I am drunk with mine

I knew I couldn't make him see how much we were meant to be together, and I couldn't make him see that pushing me away would do more harm than good. I couldn't make him open his heart to me; I couldn't make him see how wrong he was. But I loved him too much to not do as he wished. He was in pain too, and I couldn't make it harder on him by arguing more, no matter how much it hurt me. I could still love him with my whole heart. Nothing could take that emotion from me, not even death itself. It overwhelmed me, and the chasm in my heart grew a little bit more.

The moon had fully come out; I knew that he had to leave. Where he was going, no one really knew. All that I knew for certain was what I knew in my heart: I loved and always would love Harry Potter.

Can't I adore you although we are oceans apart?

I can't make you open your heart,

But I can dream, can't I?

We'll be happy again, I thought, and I knew in my heart that I was right. He'll come out of this war triumphant, and he'll tell me what his heart knows. At least, I can dream, can't I?