Echo in My Mind

Chapter 16: An Achievement in Evil's Plans

"War is eternity jammed into frantic minutes that will fill a lifetime with dreams

and nightmares-"

John Cory

~*~

In the past few days things had been very tense around Harry. He was snapping at everyone, even professors, and had landed himself in another two detentions from Snape. Currently he was on his way to a training session with Nathalie. This was the first one he had that Ginny would be with him for. He dragged the redhead along behind him.

"Harry!" Ginny snarled. "Let me GO!"

She yanked her arm out of Harry's tough grip and he stopped dead at the sudden loss of her arm in his hand. Ginny marched up to him, spinning around in front of him to peer into his face. He seemed frozen, almost disoriented and lost. He stared blankly at something over her head.

"Harry," she said, softer, "please tell me what's wrong."

Harry shook his head. "I-I dunno."

Ginny gave him a knowing look.

"Do you know those dreams I had in the hospital wing?" he started, seeming as if he hardly knew what he was saying. "Well, they've started up again. Those voices I used to hear, I hear them again. This time, I'm the one who's killed them. I've killed everyone - Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Ron, Hermione, and even you. I hear your screams as you die and then I run. You - all of you - your ghosts chase me and try to take me with you. You saw the one where I got chased off a cliff...And then you had that dream about Riddle..."

"Oh, Harry," said Ginny, wrapping him in a hug. "No one should have to go through that."

Harry leaned his head on hers. "But I do. I'm always having dreams that I'm no better than Voldemort, killing everyone in sight. I don't know why it's happening but it's only telling me I have to try harder in training to overcome them."

Ginny kissed him and their connection sparked to life once more. She tried to absorb as many as his fears, doubts, and negative emotions as she could, while forcing her happiness into him. She could tell it worked as his desperate kiss softened and deepened. Ginny could even feel his body relax, the tenseness ebbing from it as if she had kissed it all away.

Harry broke away from her a minute later, his eyes opening reluctantly. She followed suit and smiled up at him. For a few moments they were oblivious to the world around them, lost in each other.

"Come on," said Harry. "We're going to be late."

They managed to make it to the Room of Requirement on time. Nathalie appraised Ginny as soon as she walked in the door. She looked the young girl up and down, and then nodded with a small smile as she saw her hand clasped in Harry's. She noted from Harry's stance that he was protective of her, even though Ginny seemed like she could stand just fine on her own. Nathalie knew she'd see it in time. After greeting them warmly, she wasted no more time getting started.

"All right, I'm going to start off with a few questions to help me understand your link better," said Nathalie. "First, when did you two realize you had a connection?"

"December," they replied in unison.

"What can you do through this link?"

Harry suddenly seemed uncomfortable. Ginny glanced up into his eyes and saw memories flashing through them. Dreams, battles, thoughts; all things she had witnessed through their connection. Seeing discomfort, she took over, opening her mouth to explain.

"I've - er - seen Harry's dreams and thoughts a lot. He's seen some of mine too. Once we shared a dream and it overrode the effects of a Dreamless Sleep potion on Harry. We feel each other's emotions sometimes as well."

Nathalie looked both interest and intrigued as she listened to Ginny. Questions formed quickly in her mind.

"Your link is open, correct?" They nodded. "Can you feel each other's emotions?"

Both teenagers paused for a moment. Ginny could feel Harry's nervousness and she was sure he could feel hers. However, she'd been able to sense Harry's emotions long before this connection had sprung up. She felt Harry's eyes on her, studying her closely.

"No," she answered, and he echoed that a few seconds later.

"How do you strengthen your link?"

Ginny blushed furiously and Harry took over answering the questions to save her embarrassment.

"Erm - snogging," he said, flustered. "And - uh - other things like that."

Nathalie smiled. "Well, this is quite interesting. I would like you two to kiss-" their faces fell slack in shock- "I won't watch, but I want you to focus on what you feel through the link."

The couple looked very hesitant to comply with this. Harry stared down into Ginny's eyes. She gazed back at him unflinchingly, nodding her consent.

"How long-?" asked Harry.

Nathalie looked faintly surprised. "I'll stop you."

With that last bit of consent, Ginny closed the gap between her and her boyfriend, and the world fell away around them. They kissed passionately and Harry found himself having a hard time keeping his mind off Ginny's wonderful body and on what he was feeling. He could detect undeniable lust and desperation flowing through his body, obviously not all his own need. A sudden longing shot through him and he pulled Ginny closer with a rough tug on her waist. Ginny's fiery passion and love exploded in him, making him wish he could take her right there...

Nathalie coughed loudly and Ginny pulled back. Her breathing was heavy as it mingled with his when their foreheads touched. Harry could see desire written plain as day in her eyes. He pulled her into a tight hug, not wanting to let go of her just yet, and turned to face his trainer.

"Now, Harry, could you sense any of Ginny's emotions?" Nathalie asked.

This time it was Harry's turn to blush.

"I could feel them, yeah."

"Do you want to elaborate on which specific things you felt?" Nathalie pushed.

Harry buried his face in Ginny's hair, attempting to hide the massive blush that was spreading across it.

"I - I'd rather not," he mumbled.

Nathalie nodded in understanding. She knew what an incredibly embarrassing situation this must be for them. Having to talk about her deepest feelings with an adult had never been a great experience for her when she had been younger.

"All right you two. We'll end here today. Thank you for supplying information on your link. Harry, I'll expect you here for regular training the day after tomorrow. Au revoir."

Nathalie made her way slowly out of the room. Harry could feel Ginny nearly shaking against him with pent up wanting, her head buried in his chest to keep herself from ravaging him where he stood. She began to tremble as Nathalie started to shut the door behind her. As soon as it clicked shut Harry waved his hand at the door, putting a silencing, locking, and distraction charm on it. He pushed her roughly back against the wall as her head came up. She kissed him fiercely, letting everything coiled up inside of her out. She poured everything she had into his mouth, their kisses becoming deeper and more frantic...

"Sirius," Harry thought desperately before he lost his mind to Ginny's intoxicating kiss. "Keep my parents AWAY from that window!"

~*~

Gryffindor triumphed amazingly over Hufflepuff in the Quidditch game. The final score was 360-50, Gryffindor. The party in the common room was in full swing. Seamus and Dean had snuck off to Hogsmeade with some seventh years and brought back Butterbeer. Someone had cleverly spiked the drinks and most of the fifth-seventh years were highly intoxicated. One of the students had actually gotten hold of a few bottles of firewhisky, which were currently making the rounds of the older students.

Harry and Ginny, after splitting a bottle of the alcohol between them, had taken up a large armchair by the fire. Ginny had curled herself on to Harry an hour earlier and they had been snogging drunkenly ever since. Their hands were up each other's shirts and Ginny was straddling Harry in tight Muggle jeans. They separated, Harry laughing hysterically at Ginny's attempt to rid him of his shirt. Even Hermione had gotten slightly tipsy and made no move to stop them. Ron was standing on a couch, imitating one of his "spectacular" saves to Seamus and a seventh year boy who were laughing uproariously.

Another bottle of Butterbeer flew past Hermione's head and landed in Harry's outstretched hand. She was glad the younger students had mostly headed upstairs already because Harry and Ginny were setting a horrible example for them. A minute later she looked back over at the two. Ginny was attempting to take a swig of the drink, but ended up spilling it on herself because she was laughing so hard. Hermione sighed and let them keep at it. It was only sixth and seventh years left in the common room, save Ginny, and they'd all seen the two of them going at it at least once before.

Eventually they did tire, and their lips broke apart. Ginny settled more comfortably against Harry and he loosely draped an arm over her waist. He summoned a blanket, which amazed Hermione, knowing how drunk he was, and lay it gently over the two of them. When she went over to see the couple a few minutes later, they were both fast asleep, though she managed to get them upstairs to Harry's bed later that night.

Ginny opened her eyes blearily the next morning. The sunlight was so intense that she cried out. That made her head burst in pain. It throbbed horribly and Ginny struggled to think of what could have caused this. Then she looked over and saw Ron throwing up into a bucket on the floor, Hermione standing over him, and it clicked.

"Oh, no," she moaned as she remembered what had happened the night before.

Harry came stumbling into the room from the bathroom. If the situation hadn't been so dreadful and painful to her, Ginny would have laughed. Harry looked like hell on earth. His face was pale and his skin clammy. He collapsed against Hermione, shaking, and the girl hugged Harry tightly.

"It'll be okay, Harry. It'll all pass," Ginny heard her say softly, though the words seemed extremely loud and hurt her brain.

Harry didn't seem reassured as another bout of nausea washed over him and he ran into the bathroom, knocking Seamus aside from the toilet. His movements made Ginny dizzy, and she moaned again. This caught Hermione's attention. She didn't speak or make any loud exclamations as she made her way over, and for that Ginny was very grateful. Smart, smart witch, she thought.

"Here," Hermione whispered, conjuring a bucket. "You'll need it soon."

Ginny nodded and struggled to sit up. She saw Harry and Seamus stagger out of the bathroom, supporting each other. Everything spun as she turned her head and the next thing she knew Hermione was holding her hair back as she vomited.

"How much did I drink?" she moaned loudly.

"You and Harry split a bottle of whisky."

Ginny gave a strangled noise. "Why am I so sticky?"

"You spilled some Butterbeer on you at some point, I'm not really sure when."

"Eugh..."

Lavender appeared in the dormitory a few minutes later and started performing sobering charms on everyone. Hermione did as well, explaining to Ginny that she had to get some of the alcohol out of her system to insure she hadn't been poisoned before performing the charm. Ginny felt immediately better, the urge to vomit her stomach out now gone. Harry, however, still looked like a mess. He banished the bucket off his bed and did a quick "Scourgify" charm before he fell on it.

Ginny, feeling the Butterbeer sticking to her mouth, went into the bathroom as Harry claimed his bed once more. She found a clean washcloth and washed off the remaining alcohol. When she felt clean enough, she returned to the dormitory and found Ron and Hermione sitting on Harry's bed. Harry himself was laying flat on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow.

"Why'd you wait to do the charm on us?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't poisoned!" she replied, affronted. "I'm only looking out for you all."

"And she does a good job of it, so drop it Ron," Ginny interjected, diffusing the oncoming argument.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm never drinking again."

Ron laughed. "That's what you said last time, mate."

"Nah, I'm serious this time. I feel like shit even with the charm, and I'm not putting myself through this again."

Ron shook his head in disagreement, swearing he'd get Harry to drink again. Hermione and Ginny laughed. While Ginny figured Ron would get Harry into a bar someday, she knew one thing for certain. She was never drinking again.

~*~

"My Lord, we have found it! We have found a way to break the wards around Atlantis!"

Ginny woke up, gasping for breath. A thin sheet of cold sweat covered her body. Her eyes opened and flicked back and forth around the room, as if making sure where she was. Once able to regain full reign of her senses, she calmed down. She wondered how Harry was faring, knowing that this had been his dream, or vision. Since they'd been working on their connection with Nathalie, she'd been seeing more and more of his Voldemort associated dreams. She wondered if Harry had ever seen any of her nightmares, because if he had, he'd never said a thing. Then again, Ginny mused, Harry had never been one to discuss his nighttime hauntings.

Sighing, she rolled over and glanced at her illuminated clock. Noting the time with another quiet sigh, Ginny knew she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night. She threw off her heavy covers and crept as silently as possible to the door, opening it slowly so as not to wake her sleeping roommates. Years of being in the Weasley household and sneaking around had paid off well for the redhead, and she made her way noiselessly down the stairs from the dormitory.

At the door to the common room she paused. A soft orange glow crept under the door, alerting Ginny to the fact that the fire was still going. Her curiosity got the better of her because she knew that the fire was normally extinguished when the house-elves came to clean. She edged the door open a bit and then ceased her movements when she heard voices.

"Atlantis," a boy said in a deep voice. "Mate, that place holds so many bloody secrets it'll be impossible to tell what You-Know-Who's after."

Ron, Ginny noted mentally.

"It's Voldemort, Ron. And I know," Harry's gravely voice, rough from sleep, reached Ginny's ears.

"We'll ask Hermione in the morning," said Ron.

Ginny edged the door open just a bit further, not sure if she wanted to be seen yet. More of the dancing orange flames lit the dark stairs behind her. She saw Harry nod his agreement to Ron's statement.

"We should go to Dumbledore," Harry said finally.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

Repeating Harry's actions, Ron nodded his consent. The two boys stood and headed towards the portrait hole.

"Ginny, you might as well come too. I know you've been there for quite a few minutes."

Ginny opened the door fully and watched Ron gape at Harry. Soundlessly she came to stand by Harry and he wrapped her in a one-armed hug.

"You saw it, didn't you."

It wasn't a question. She nodded into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was a way to block it."

"Don't be. I want to know what you're going through."

He put his other arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze before letting go and turning to Ron. The other boy eyed the couple with a questioning glance.

"How did you know she was there?"

Ginny gave Harry a look that forcefully reminded him that they had never told Ron and Hermione about their connection. He sighed and mouthed "morning" to her.

"Er - intuition, I suppose. I heard something and looked that way."

Ron didn't look satisfied. "And what did you mean 'you saw it, didn't you'."

"Ron, please," Ginny said. "Leave that discussion for the morning when we have Hermione. We need to get to Dumbledore."

A few minutes later they stood in front of Dumbledore's office. They were welcomed in after Ron knocked. Once in the room, they noticed Snape was there. Harry and Snape exchanged a loathing glance before the teenager turned towards Dumbledore.

"Professor, I had a vision from Voldemort and Ginny - er - saw it through-" he broke off, being careful about his word choice in front of Snape.

"Yes, I know, go on," Dumbledore said, knowing what Harry was referring to.

"I saw a large gathering of Death Eaters and talk about big news. Then a Death Eater reported to Voldemort, and he said that they had found a way to break the wards around Atlantis. I didn't see anything after that."

"Yes, Severus has told me about as much."

Snape sneered and Harry bowed his head.

"All right, sir. I presume you'll tell me anything more that you hear?"

"I shall," said the Headmaster. "I will call you back sometime in the next few days. For now, I believe sleep would be a good option for all of us. Therefore, I bid you goodnight, Harry, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley. Severus, if you would stay just a moment longer..."

"Goodnight, Professor," Ron and Ginny chimed.

They exchanged a worried look over Harry's head when he said nothing. He seemed oddly disoriented as he waved absentmindedly at the Headmaster, scowled at Snape, and headed out the door. Ginny watched Ron shrug and follow his friend out the door. She turned back to the Headmaster but he had moved on to Snape. As she heard Harry and Ron's footsteps grow quieter as they moved down the stairs, she snapped herself back to awareness and followed them.

"Harry, what's wrong with you, mate?" Ron was asking as Ginny neared the end of the spiral staircase.

Harry shook his head. "Snape beat me to it."

Ron was at a loss, and Ginny found, to her surprise, that she was also.

"Harry," she said, coming up to the two boys. "Are you upset that Snape got to Dumbledore before you?"

Harry looked away and shoved a hand through his already mussed-up hair. He started to walk again, setting a brisk pace away from the office. Ron and Ginny hurried to catch up with him.

"I dunno," he said. "I've always gotten to Dumbledore first. I - I suppose I like being the one who gets to tell things to Dumbledore."

"Mate, are you jealous?" Ron asked with incredulity lacing his voice.

"No, no -I" Harry spluttered.

Ginny smacked her brother loudly on the arm and he glared at her. Harry watched them with an air of amusement.

"Don't push it, Ron," she hissed.

"All right, all right. No reason to get so bloody violent."

Ginny and Harry laughed. "You think that's violent, wait until you-" Harry started before Ginny cut him off. "Hush, now. You can't let him know my secret weapon!"

The pair set off down the hall again, laughing all the while. Ron stared after them with a look of slight astonishment. He would never understand those two.

In the morning they met up with Hermione in the common room. The group of four headed down to breakfast where their conversation would be lost in the din of the other students. When they sat and Ron began to fill his plate full with bacon and eggs, Harry began to speak. Hermione leaned her head in closer and closer as he talked, relaying his story to her. When he finished, she sat back, a look of wonder etched across her features.

"Atlantis," she breathed. "I've come across it so many times...there's just so much! I've read all sorts of tales, myths, legends, and fact. Oh, this will be one of the most interesting searches yet! I already know of a book or two that might be helpful..."

"Thank you, Hermione," Harry said sincerely. "The sooner we figure out what Voldemort's after - for Merlin's sake Ron! - the sooner we can stop him."

Hermione smiled at him before turning a face full of disdain on Ron. He had just spewed his bacon across the table at the mention of the Dark Lord. Harry sighed. He figured Ron would never be able to tolerate the name Voldemort, even if he was defeated.

"Grow up, Ron," Ginny snapped, ignoring Ron's glare. "Listen, Hermione, there's something else. Harry and I have the 'bond', you know, and we've been getting some special training with it to help strengthen it. It's become strong enough that it's open all the time. Take right now for instance, I can feel that Harry really doesn't want to go to Potions later and that he'd rather - erm -" she broke off, blushing furiously at the thoughts spilling into her head from Harry. Hermione and Ron laughed, while Harry smirked knowingly. "Anyway, it's strong enough that I can see his dreams too, sometimes, and he can see mine. Last night I saw the meeting with Tom. Harry and I just wanted to let you know how far everything had progressed."

Hermione nodded. "That really is amazing, the connection you two have. I have so many questions but I don't want to bother you..."

"Oh!" Ginny said, brightening. "It's fine, ask away."

"Well, first off, you said that you'd been strengthening the bond. How do you do that?"

Ginny flushed slightly and Harry gave a loud cough. Hermione seemed to miss both of those signs as she stared eagerly at them. Ginny gave Harry a pleading look, not wanting to answer that question.

"Snogging," said Harry quietly. "Lots of it."

Hermione's mouth formed a small 'O' of surprise and she proceeded to stop the questioning. A few seconds later, Ron seemed to have processed what had just been said. He looked up from his plate for the first time all meal and scrutinized the pair sitting before him.

"So that's why you two have been going at it like rabbits!"

~*~

Harry trudged down to breakfast the next morning alone. He'd had a horrible sleep that night that was constantly interrupted by reports of the Death Eaters' raids when he couldn't keep up his Occlumency shield any longer. He knew that at least four Muggle-born families had been attacked during the night. He pushed those thoughts from his mind as he entered the Great Hall. Even for the early hour, there were a fair number of people there. A few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs dotted their tables, as well as a few Slytherins, Draco among them. Blaise was nowhere in sight. He caught Malfoy's eye, nodded, and then sat alone at the Gryffindor table.

He hadn't really seen Malfoy in a while, outside of classes. They hadn't talked much since Christmas and Harry felt it was all for the best. The closeness to Malfoy had begun to unnerve him, and he feared that it was all some sort of a huge set-up to trick him. There had always been a part of him who doubted the sincerity in Draco. He'd always been slightly unwilling to believe that after Lucius had died, the beliefs he had planted inside his son would vanish just like that. The whole move to his Muggle neighborhood made the situation even more surreal. However, Draco had rightfully earned Harry's trust this year, and Harry put his worries down to being paranoid. Blaise he knew he could also trust because she had never openly opposed Gryffindor.

Sighing and shaking his head of those thoughts as well, Harry turned back to his food. He noted with disdain that it had gone cold and he wondered how long he had spent thinking. Evidently it must have been quite a while, because more people had trickled into the Great Hall and the Gryffindor table was about a fourth full. He reached for some hot food and pushed it around, occasionally taking a bite.

"There you are!" Ginny said brightly as she scanned the Gryffindor table for him. "We were waiting for you, but Ron came down and said you weren't there..."

"Mm."

Harry caught Ginny's eyes as he looked up from his food. Her brown orbs held their usual sparkle and liveliness. His gaze swept over the rest of her face. She showed no signs of having shared last night's dreams with him. Experimentally he brushed his hand against her arm, hitting the exposed skin where her robe was rolled up. There was no spark - the connection was still open. Ginny looked at him quizzically. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the fluttering of wings announcing the arrival of the morning post.

Harry grabbed his copy of the Daily Prophet with some trepidation, already knowing what to expect. He was not surprised when he unfurled the paper and read the blazing headline.

Six Dead in Death Eater Raid:

By Mara Epstein

Last night He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named led four more raids on the homes of Muggle-borns and their families. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did not make an appearance at any of the homes attacked. His followers, the Death Eaters, carried out the attacks on the four families. Miraculously, the death toll was relatively low. Out of sixteen total people, only six are officially deceased (see page 2 for names of the attack and deceased). These attacks come as a shock to many because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been very quiet since the Christmas attacks. We at the Daily Prophet feel the need to remind all witches and wizards to not let their guard down at any time. You-Know-Who is known to be unpredictable, and people around you may be working for Him. It is best to be very cautious, never giving away too much information...

Harry stopped reading once he heard an anguished cry rise up in the Great Hall. He glanced up and traced the sound to a sobbing Ravenclaw third year. A few moments later Harry caught sight of a first year Hufflepuff bawling. A thirst for vengeance rose up from deep within him as he watched these young people's lives being torn apart. He had never wanted to inflict death upon Voldemort as much as he did in that moment. The paper slid easily from his hands when Ginny took it from him.

"Oh," said Ginny softly. "Oh, no. Those two - they're Roses' aunt and uncle. Harry, I'll be right back."

She rose from her seat, dropping the paper on her empty plate. She made her way down the table to a glaze-eyed Gryffindor in her year and gave her a warm hug. Harry nodded absentmindedly at about that time; he hadn't been listening to her.

"This just keeps getting worse and worse," Ron commented, throwing down Hermione's copy of the paper. "I understand now what my parents went through during the first war. Once I asked Bill about it - he said they were so relieved when You-Know-Who was defea-" he broke off mid-word to look up at Harry.

"When I defeated Voldemort," he said tonelessly.

"Er - yeah, sorry mate."

Harry shrugged. Hermione glanced worriedly between the two, hoping an argument wasn't about to start. When they said nothing further, she spoke.

"I want to owl my parents; I'm worried. Do you think I should tell them to take a holiday?"

"That might be good," Ron agreed. "Getting out of the country would be their safest bet."

"Yes, I suppose it would. Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?"

Again, Harry nodded, only half paying attention. He was lost in his own thoughts. He needed to put an end to this, and the time was drawing nearer and nearer. Once Voldemort got what he wanted in Atlantis, he'd be almost unstoppable. Harry knew he had to increase his efforts to find what it was. A sudden thought struck him and he glanced up, finding Malfoy's pale blond head in a sea of green at the Slytherin table. Malfoy.

"Ron, have you parchment and a quill on you?"

"Yeah, hold on."

Malfoy,

Meet me in the Entrance Hall during first break today. Don't be an idiot and blow me off.

H.

He wadded up the ball and stuffed it in his fist. Then he got up and wandered over to the Ravenclaw table, which bordered the Slytherin one. He pretended to be heading towards Luna to say hi, and dropped the note in Draco's lap. He stooped down next to Luna and said a quick hello, making sure she knew the time of the next D.A. meeting, before turning back to his table.

After Harry's first class he had a free period, and knew Malfoy did to. He walked slowly down to the entrance hall after dropping Ginny off at her Charms class. As hoped, Malfoy was waiting for him in the shadows. Harry stopped in front of him.

"Merlin, Potter, did you walk her to class or snog her to class?"

Harry brushed it off with a glare. "Cooperation, Malfoy."

Draco sneered. "Where's the fun in that?"

Harry rolled his eyes and started off down the hall. Malfoy caught up to him with ease. Silently, they headed down to the lake. It was a surprisingly beautiful day for late March, with warm temperatures and clear skies. Harry seated himself on a large boulder near the shore, while Draco stood next to him.

"All right, Potter, what do you want?"

"Voldemort's after something in Atlantis," Harry said shortly. "I've already got Hermione on the case of finding what it is, but I need your help. Your father's journal would possibly have something about it. I need you to look, because anything you find could be vital."

Draco sighed. "I haven't touched that in ages."

"Malfoy, I don't have time for your stupid games. This is more important than anything that's ever happened in your pathetic life! This could STOP VOLDEMORT!"

He blinked as he tried to regain his breath. At some point in his tirade he had jumped off the rock and had started shouting. He glanced nervously around, making sure that no one was out there that could have heard him. He could never be too sure with all the Death Eaters in training around the school. Malfoy looked slightly disgraced from being yelled at. Harry's facial expression turned to one of remorse.

"No need to get hostile, Potter."

"Sorry," Harry apologized. "I'm just on the end of my fuse these days..."

"Aren't you always?" Draco said, eyebrow quirked. "Not a problem, I can deal with it. I'll rummage for the old journal and look into it as soon as I have time."

"All right, thanks."

Malfoy nodded and walked away.

~*~

Ginny woke as rays of sun beat down upon her face. Strong, warm arms encircled her and a relaxed, muscled chest was her pillow. She sighed contentedly and stretched against the hard body. This is perfection, she thought. Fully awake now, Ginny opened her eyes and looked out on the Hogwarts grounds. She was curled up against Harry, who had apparently fallen asleep as well. Ron and Hermione were sitting in front of them, Hermione reading a book and Ron watching her read. Neville and Luna sat with them as well, in a deep conversation about something.

Ginny turned in Harry's arms to look up into his face. He looked peaceful for once as he slept. His eyes under his thin lids were still for once and Ginny was glad. She knew he'd been having troubles getting a full night of sleep because of his nightmares, she'd slept next to him enough times to witness it first hand. She noted sadly that his skin was pale, almost translucent in the strong sunlight. He needs to get out more.

In the past few days Harry and Hermione had thrown themselves into researching Atlantis. Hermione had come up with a few promising books, so had Harry, but so far they hadn't found anything of importance. Ginny could tell it was frustrating Harry to no end. One night she thought she saw tears in his eyes as he slammed down another book in the common room. Ginny hated seeing him like this, and wished she could do something to help. However, her O.W.L.s were fast approaching and she had not a single free second between classes, studying, her training with Harry, and then making sure both he and she had free time with each other.

Harry stirred under her and his arms tightened around her. However, he did not wake. Ginny leaned up further and kissed his jaw, feeling a small stubble as her lips brushed his skin. It felt as if he hadn't shaved in days, and Ginny couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional. Whenever she tried to picture Harry with a beard, all she could think of was an old Harry that strongly resembled Dumbledore. The thought made her laugh every time, and sure enough she attracted Hermione and Neville's attention with her small giggles.

"Ginny, what's so funny?" Neville asked, breaking his conversation with Luna.

"Nothing, nothing. Just picturing Harry with a beard," Ginny said with barely suppressed giggles.

Neville looked at her oddly and then shrugged. He fell silent, and Ginny assumed he was trying to picture Harry that way. A minute later he began to laugh as well.

"All I can think of is Dumbledore's beard," he said through his laughter. "And that's a hilarious picture."

This renewed Ginny's giggling as the image came floating back into her mind. Neville began to do an imitation of Harry stroking a long beard and her giggles turned into peals of laughter. In the midst of it all, Harry awoke. Ginny's body shaking against him had pulled him out of his peaceful sleep. For a minute he stayed silent, his eyes adjusting to the light as he watched Ginny regain control of her laughter and sigh. Suddenly wanting her even closer to him, he tightened his hold on her once more and slid her up into his lap. He was greeted by a surprised look and then a long kiss. Ginny finally pulled back when Ron and Neville shouted in unison, "get a room."

"Hey," she said softly. "I didn't know you were awake."

"Hard to sleep with you giggling like that."

Ginny gave him an impish smile. "Sorry."

"'S not a problem. Everyone could use more laughs these days."

Ginny stared up into his eyes and noticed they now held a faraway look. She knew intuitively that he was thinking of the war that was going on outside of the heavily warded Hogwarts grounds. A stab of fear shot through her and she felt that it was Harry's emotion. It was a fear of losing her, of losing everything, and it was so strong that it made her want to cry. On impulse, she kissed him once more.

"Harry, love, come back to me."

Harry's eyes refocused and swiveled down to look at her. The mood had gone dark, exactly what Ginny hadn't wanted. Today was supposed to be a fun, relaxing day. Even Hermione had set aside her homework to come out and enjoy the beautiful spring day. A thought suddenly popped into Ginny's mind and she smirked in delight. That's one way to relax Harry, she thought.

Harry glanced down at her with an eyebrow raised. "What are you planning?"

Ginny squirmed in his lap. "Nothing," she said innocently.

She moved again.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trying to get more comfortable," she said, offering him a small smile.

Harry just shook his head. Half a minute later she began to squirm again. This time her efforts paid off.

"Ginny," he gasped.

"Gosh, Harry, you're so uncomfortable today. Maybe if you would move your wand it would make things more comfortable," she whispered in his ear.

He shut his eyes and groaned softly. "Ginny, stop."

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "I'm not comfortable yet."

She stopped squirming abruptly when Harry's hands grasped her hips. He pressed his thumbs firmly into her skin, rubbing small circles. The he leaned his mouth down to her ear, breathing heavily into it for a few seconds before speaking.

"If you want me, you have me."

Ginny tilted her head to stare up at him. Harry's lips met her there and she could feel undeniable lust pouring off of him. She allowed herself to be lost in a fantasy world as his tongue pushed her lips apart. Before anyone noticed what was going on, Harry pulled back.

"C'mon, Gin, let's get out of here."

Ginny pushed herself up, and then extended a hand down to Harry. With a small tug he was standing beside her.

"Everyone, we're off," Ginny announced.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "To where?"

Ginny groaned. Feeling anger rise inside of her at her brother's overly caring tone, she gritted her teeth. Her mouth automatically opened to spew out a nasty retort. Harry, however, beat her to it. She shut her mouth, stunned.

"Back to the castle, Ron. Really, I know you're only trying to look out for your sister but we don't need the bloody inquisition every time! Ginny can bloody well take care of herself. If you can't trust your own best mate, are you going to trust anyone else? Just leave us alone, Ron!"

Ginny felt, through their link, anger rising within Harry. It was dark, sinister almost, and Ginny found that she didn't like it one bit. It was a dangerous feeling and it scared her. She glanced over at Harry and watched him shut his eyes and take deep breaths. When he opened them, he smiled at Ginny and leaned down to her.

"Let's go," he said lowly.

Ginny's earlier desire came back to her full force as Harry's mouth hovered tantalizingly in front of hers. A daring thought sprang into her head. She reached out and traced Harry's jaw line with her thumb. She rubbed his lips, pausing when she reached the center, and slowly dragged the pad of her thumb down and off his bottom lip.

"Come catch me," she whispered.

She then took off in a run back to the castle. Harry let out a surprised chuckle and then took off after her. A few feet from the stairs he caught her and tackled her to the ground from behind. Under him, she squirmed, and rolled over. Harry wanted nothing more than to take her right there.

"Room," he got out around a moan.

They both scrambled up and took off towards the dormitories. They barely made it up the first flight of stairs before tumbling into a heated kiss. When they reached the portrait hole they stood outside of it, snogging heavily until the Fat Lady coughed. Ginny ran through the common room, giggling like mad, and Harry followed her, grinning like an idiot. By the time they crashed onto his bed neither boy nor girl had a coherent thought in their minds.

~*~

"There you are, sleepyhead," Ginny called out.

Harry raised a heavy arm and squinted at her. Then he looked around the room, spotting various house members spread out across the common area. Ginny, Ron and Hermione all occupied large armchairs near the fire. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and ambled down the rest of the stairs, plopping down into a fourth chair. He looked almost childlike in his sleep-rumpled state. His hair was much more mussed than normal and his face was pale with eyes puffy and round. He stretched out in the chair, looking positively lethargic in his pajama pants and oversized black sweatshirt.

"It's late, isn't it?" he mumbled.

"About two," Hermione said, glancing down at her watch. "Are you all right, Harry? It's not like you to sleep so late."

Harry shrugged. "I don't feel off, just tired, I suppose."

His face took on a look of slight confusion and thoughtfulness, as if he was trying to remember something but couldn't put a finger on what it was. He stayed silent for a while.

"Hermione, shouldn't you be in class? And Ginny?"

Hermione shut her book. "Harry, it's the first day of spring break. Are you positive you're feeling all right?"

Harry shook himself and nodded. Ginny, looking very concerned now, rose from her chair and took up perch on the arm of his. She stroked his hair gently and he felt calmer as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Where was I last night?" he asked, unaware he'd said it out loud.

No one answered him. They didn't know where he'd been. All they knew was that Harry had entered the common room at about nine, completely wiped out. He'd disappeared after dinner for about three hours.

"Nathalie," he said, out loud once more. "Damn, that woman puts me through my paces."

"Were you training with her?" Ginny asked.

Harry sighed and nodded.

"What was she having you do?" Ginny said, her voice rising at the end. "I've never seen you so exhausted."

"Everything," said Harry, flexing his fingers. "She tested me with everything, dueling, wandless, thought, and ancient magic, healing... she wanted to check my full progress."

"Healing?" Ron gasped. "You can Heal people?"

"I'm rubbish at it," Harry stated. "I'm absolutely dreadful. It's only because someone in my family line somewhere a while back could Heal, that Dumbledore's even having me tested to see if I can. Seriously, though, it's the hardest work I've ever done. It's damn impossible for me; I just can't do it. And it's so frustrating because Nathalie won't give up."

He broke off and let his head fall into his hands. Ginny sensed that it was really bothering him that there was something he couldn't do. For just a split second she didn't feel sorry for him at all, thinking it was good that something had finally come up that he couldn't do; something to knock him off his high horse. However, that split second was enough for Harry to pick up on the thought. He looked up, a very pained look in his eyes.

"How can you think that?" he whispered, speaking as if every word hurt him.

Ginny shook her head. "No - it's not-"

"Hermione, I think I'm not feeling very well after all. I'm going to head up to bed again. Would you mind bringing up some food later?"

"Not at all. Get some rest now," Hermione replied.

"Yeah, Harry. Katie's going to kill you if you turn up sick on Monday to practice," Ron chimed in.

Harry rolled his eyes and let out a low chuckle. Clapping Ron on the shoulder as he passed, he started towards the dormitory stairs again. Ginny willed with all her might that Harry felt how sorry she was, and that she didn't really think that. She pushed her true feelings at him, attempting to sympathize with him, begging him silently to turn around and come back. When the door shut behind his back, Ginny sighed.

A few hours later Hermione left dinner in the Great Hall with a napkin full of food in hand. Ginny had begged to come with her, for some reason needing to talk to Harry. A gut feeling had told Hermione that bringing her friend along would be a bad idea. Lately Harry and Ginny had reached a few rough spots in their relationship. Both were very stressed, Harry with his endless training and Ginny with her O.W.L.s fast approaching. Once in a while Ginny would let a comment slip that she didn't really mean, but it would cut Harry deeply. Harry had also been acting weirdly lately, by taking Ginny's comments so seriously. The whole situation confused both Hermione and Ron.

The Fat Lady coughed and Hermione looked up. Her thoughts had carried her all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower. Shaking her head slightly, she muttered the password and stepped through. The common room was empty, as expected with the students down at dinner. Hermione made her way up to the sixth-year boys' dormitories, finding Harry buried under his covers, fast asleep. So he wasn't lying when he said he was tired... Her motherly concern for Harry took over quickly, hoping he wasn't overdoing himself in training.

Harry shifted in bed and his eyes opened. He took a minute to focus on the girl in front of him.

"Hey," he said sleepily, "how long have you been sitting there?"

"Only a minute or two. Feeling any better?"

"Mm, yeah. The nap helped a bit."

"Good."

Hermione saw him eyeing the food and passed over the napkin. He unfolded it and began munching on some bread. After swallowing a few mouthfuls he stopped, and began to speak suddenly.

"I think Ginny resents me."

The question, no, statement, caught Hermione off guard. She gave him a questioning look.

"I think she hates me sometimes, because to her it seems like I can do everything. I can feel it - she was happy today that I couldn't Heal. She thought it was good that something had come up that I couldn't do, and I think I detected smugness because she knew she could probably Heal better than I could.

"I don't want her to think I'm perfect. I'm as far from perfect as possible. If I were perfect my life wouldn't be like this - I'd have parents, for one thing, I'd be a model student..."

His voice was cracking and Hermione saw he was close to tears. She'd never realized how highly Harry valued Ginny's opinion of him, that it meant the world to him. She reached over his abandoned food to hug him.

"She does hate me."

Hermione and Harry separated. She gripped his shoulders and forced him to look up at her.

"Ginny loves you. She's been under stress with her O.W.L.s and she doesn't always think clearly nowadays. She'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you. She nearly begged me to come up here now. You have nothing to worry about, Harry."

He shut his eyes. "I love her, you know."

"And I love you," said a voice from the doorway.

Two sets of eyes turned on Ginny. She let her hand fall from the doorknob as she stepped into the room. Hermione's grip on Harry's shoulders went slack.

"Hermione, d'you think I could...?"

"Oh! Oh, yes..."

After she had scampered from the room, Ginny picked up the leftover food and placed it on the nightstand. Instead of sitting across from Harry like Hermione had, she settled in between his legs as he leaned against the headboard.

"How much did you hear?" he asked finally.

"Enough of it. I don't want you to be perfect; I'd hate it if you were. Hermione's right, with the stress I'm slipping up. Make no mistake, I love you."

She felt Harry nod and she knew all was forgiven. He kissed the top of her head.

"This feels almost wrong," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"To have fallen completely in love with you when I'm only sixteen."

"I'm only fifteen," she added. "And age doesn't matter to me. You do."

He hugged her fiercely from behind and she settled back into the warmth of his inviting arms. She laid her hands on top of his on her stomach and rested her head on his shoulder. With a contented sigh she closed her eyes. Harry realized, none to his surprise, that nothing had ever felt more right than this.

~~**~~