One of A Kind

Chapter 12: Too Much To Ask

“Hi Harry.”

He looked up from his parchment. “Oh, hello Avril.” He almost laughed as he heard Ginny’s snide remarks from the back of his mind.

Be nice, Gin.

Harry, I just don’t trust her.

I know you and her have a bad past–

It’s more than that, Harry. Don’t you feel it? There’s something about her . . .

“Harry?” He heard soft laughter. “Are you still in there?”

“Yeah, sorry,” he replied, trying to drown out Ginny’s voice. He didn’t know what she was talking about. Sure, there had been that incident with Avril and Hermione, but Avril had been fine since then. He didn’t understand why Ginny was suspicious.

“So, I heard about your episode in McGonagall’s class.”

He shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded.

“It must be awful, to have those kinds of dreams,” she whispered.

He met her gaze. “But you see things you don’t want to see, just like I do.”

She shook her head slightly, tucking a dark curl behind her ear. “It’s different. Those things I saw on the train, when I connected to you, those were worse than anything I had ever seen before. I may get visions of things I’d rather not see, but you live them.”

There was a moment of tense silence. Suddenly, Avril’s hand flew to her head, her face contorting in pain.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning toward her.

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Just a headache. I think I’m going to go up to rest.”

Before he could respond, she darted up the steps, leaving a confused Harry in her wake.

~*~

Harry spotted Ginny lounging in a chair close to the fire, her back to him. He approached her, saying, “Hey, Gin.”

She didn’t seem to hear him, and he noticed that she was singing softly.

“And breathing is a foreign task and thinking’s just too much to ask . . .”

He laughed softly as he realized that she was wearing a pair of headphones and singing the lyrics to one of his favorite Muggle songs. He tapped her gently on the shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. She smiled when she saw him, sliding off her headphones.

“Hi,” she said happily.

“Gin?”

“Yeah?”

“Where did you get a CD player?”

She frowned in confusion, then looked down at her lap, where it lay. “Oh! This thing!”

He laughed and nodded.

“Well, my dad found it and gave it to me. I’m interested in Muggle things as well. And I bought some CDs in London.”

“Well, you were listening to one of my favorite songs.”

She grinned. “Great minds think alike, I suppose.”

He nodded and brought his lips to hers. Suddenly, a realization struck him.

“Gin, I can’t hear you!”

She stared at him in confusion, the smile dropping from her face. “What are you talking about. I’m right here.”

“I mean, I can’t hear your thoughts.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her lap. “Well, I took off the necklace.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t like being in your head while you were talking to Avril, I guess.”

He sighed. “I understand, but promise me you’ll put it back on when you go back to your dorm. It’s for your protection. And,” he said, smiling, “your presence helps me sleep.”

“Harry Potter, you are so very cheesy,” she teased. But she couldn’t help smiling.

She met his eyes, startled by the intensity in their forest green depths.

“Promise me, Ginny.”

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I promise.”

                                                                        *

By the time she arrived in her dorm, it was close to three o’clock in the morning. She had talked to Harry for hours, as they did almost every night. Her hair was still wet from her hurried bath, and she smelled of the vanilla lotion Hermione had given her for her last birthday. She ran a brush through her hair, quickly discovering that she could barely keep her eyes open. Yawning, she climbed into her four poster bed. As soon as her head hit the soft pillow, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, completely forgetting the purple crystal necklace that lay neglected on her dresser.

                                                                        *

            Harry awoke with a jolt, visions from his newest nightmare still fresh in his mind. He needed to feel Ginny in his arms, to know that she was safe. As quietly as he could, he crept out of his dorm and walked to hers. The door was unlocked and slightly ajar. This didn’t surprise him at all. He often snuck in to watch her after he had a nightmare, and this was usually the case. He silently made his way across the room, stopping beside her bed. He pulled back the curtains. His gaze swept over the bed, and he backed away, running out the door.