Harry Potter and the Guardian of Lost Souls

Chapter six:

The following day, Harry was sitting out in the hallway with Ron and Hermione, discussing the previous day´s events. Neither Harry nor Ron had brought up the topic they´d spoken about yesterday in Ginny´s room and Harry was glad. It had been awkward enough before. Ron telling him that his little sister had major feelings for him had been slightly on the strange side.

He'd known about Ginny's crush. He hadn't really known that it was more, maybe a small part of him had. The part that he never listened to. But now that he knew, he was finding it very hard to ignore certain feelings that he was having. He had first noticed them (and ignored them) the day he had returned from Godric's Hollow. That had been only two days ago. But he had been thinking about the Chamber of Secrets and he couldn't think about that without thinking of Ginny and how he'd found her. But that day, something had nagged at him, and yesterday, the nag had become impossible to push aside.

"Dr. Farrow said there's a good chance she'll wake up today," Hermione was telling a very disgruntled Ron. They had been trying to cheer Ron up for the past half hour. He knew Ginny was going to be fine, but he wouldn't be completely at ease until she had woken up and he had spoken to her.

"Yes I know," he said, annoyed. "But I'm still worried. I can't help it." Hermione smiled.

"Well," she continued, "If worrying is what makes you feel better, then-" Hermione shrugged and Harry had to grin. Ron usually hated worrying about anything. Homework, classes, exams, anything. Ron just rolled his eyes, and continued staring gloomily down the hallway. Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.

"You know what Ron?" Hermione asked him gently. "Why don't we go for a walk outside?" Ron shook his and Hermione gave Harry a desperate look.

"Yeah, Ron," he said, realizing the hint, "A walk. The air might do you good. You're starting to look a bit green. Who knows? You might end up having to stay here yourself!"

Hermione giggled and even Ron gave a weak smile. After a pause he sighed and said,

"You're right. Maybe I am worrying too much." He stood up. "All right Hermione, I'll come with you. On one condition."

Hermione nodded. "And that is?"

Ron turned to Harry. "You stay here. If Ginny wakes up, come and get me right away. Agreed?" Harry agreed and Ron and Hermione walked off together down the hallway.

Left alone, Harry sat in silence staring at the blank walls, trying not to think about anything. But anyone who has ever tried not to think of anything knows that the only thing they accomplish in that is to think about not thinking, and then, once they've realized that they're thinking of not thinking, they begin thinking of exactly what they didn't want to think about to begin with. And so it was that Harry's thoughts drifted to Ron's words the previous day.

"I'm not sure she'd appreciate me telling you this, Harry, but the truth is, what she feels about you, well, it goes much deeper than anyone else thinks it does... Believe me, she felt you the moment you walked through the door last night."

Harry sighed and put his head in his hands.

"I just know that she likes you for a lot more than just being 'famous Harry Potter'... You do something to her, Harry."

Ron shouldn't have told him anything. His head was reeling with more than he could handle just then.

Harry suddenly lifted his head as he remembered the feeling he used to get when he was around Cho. What he was feeling now, about what Ron had told him, was nothing like that. The feeling was... strange. Harry had no words for it, he didn't think words could explain it. Maybe that meant that he didn't feel anything about Ginny?

Somehow he didn´t think so. So what did he feel? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering something Su-Ling had taught him to do. She had called it 'finding your center', erasing everything and just listening to yourself. He had thought it was silly when she'd shown him, but now realized that he'd do anything to clear all of the confusing thoughts from his head, and he didn't exactly have a Pensieve.

He straightened up and focused on a place deep inside him. Su-Ling had explained that there was a spot in each person that could not be touched by the outside world, only one spot where you were really you and nothing else. A place where you were your pure self.

Harry took deep breaths as he struggled to find it. Slowly, very slowly, he began to sink away into blackness, the sounds and smells of the hospital corridors melting away, slowly, until there was just the beat of his heart. He focused on it, beating out the never-ceasing pattern of his life. Harry didn't realize, but his breathing slowed until his chest barely seemed to be moving at all. His muscles completely relaxed. Harry didn't even realize that his heartbeat had slowed to a regular, steady pulse. Everything disappeared and for a moment there was just him. He became completely aware of himself in a way he'd never been before. He was in a place where he wasn't a messy haired boy with glasses and a scar. Instead, he was more Him than he could ever be. There was nothing physical to his self at all. 'Harry' wasn't the boy sitting in the children's ward at St. Mungo's. He was inside. There, was simply Him in every way he could be. All this was realized in less than a second and a moment later, Harry dove into his true self, searching for things he knew, but wouldn't allow to surface, yearning for them. Desperate to know everything about Himself.

He was nearly torn apart.

At first, Harry was sure he had done something wrong. There was fire smoldering there, burning with unsuppressed heat and intensity. Harry tried to get out, but he was trapped within the blaze. He tried to shield, but how could he hide from Himself? There were flashes of bright red and orange. There were blue and even white-hot flames, they roared silently and yet somehow broke all stillness and solace Harry had found before. He struggled uselessly to escape before he got burnt, and it was while he fought at the fierceness of Him, that he realized he wasn't being scorched. The fire raged and flared, but it was part of him, and so, couldn't harm him in the way Harry feared. However, he realized, it was ever growing and he could feel the strength of it, that it would devour him if left unchecked. But what surprised Harry most was the power there. Power that he would have never expected to find. Great power. He was shaking with it, deep inside. His very soul trembled with it.

Uncertainly, he reached his thought out to the nearest flame. Even before he touched it, he could feel the strength coming from it. He hesitated perhaps a millisecond before plunging his whole awareness inside.

Had Harry a voice where he was, he would have screamed, though not with pain. Some people might have called it that, for lack of a better word, but in truth it was as far from pain as could be. Harry was nearly consumed with the sheer magnitude of his power, and the knowledge that beat at him from every angle, all at the same time. And it didn't stop, it just kept coming and coming. There was no peace, and at the same time, Harry thought he might lose himself to the completeness and consciousness of everything. He nearly did. There was a pull, an allure to being entirely whole with yourself, even if it would mean self-destruction for just that one second of utter joy at knowing all, because it was all there. Secrets that remained undiscovered, simply because those who did discover them didn't live to tell the tale. Time disappeared. He might have been there for seconds, or for weeks. As far as he knew, time didn't exist anymore, he didn't exist anymore, or wouldn't if he didn't stop.

Maybe it was that thought, that sudden reference to himself that saved him. He suddenly understood that he couldn't stay there anymore, he had to get away to live, but while before, he couldn't get away for lack of strength, now he had his own power to draw on. He called it to him, summoned energy from within, and with a force equal to that of the fury around him, pushed away as hard as he could.

Harry heard a great crash a moment before he opened his eyes to the white washed walls of the corridor in which he still sat. His breathing was completely normal and his body was limp, which Harry had not expected after what he had just felt. He looked around just as a nurse rushed in to a room two doors down from Ginny's. He heard screaming from inside and a moment later the nurse was back in the corridor, followed by a very angry looking witch.

"It simply exploded just now! Just like that! Vases don't simply explode on their own, and they certainly don't levitate themselves around a room before doing so!" The woman looked as though she might explode as well. "My poor baby!" She wailed! "My poor little Thadeus! He was scared silly! You call this a hospital? What sort of hospital has flying vases that explode without notice? I want to speak to the Chief of Staff! Now!"

The nurse was trying to tell the enraged woman that she couldn't explain what had happened, and would run to get the Chief of Staff right away. The woman ignored her and stormed off down the hallway to find him herself. The nurse nearly burst into tears as she ran after her.

Harry watched this exchange silently, a funny suspicion growing inside him. He quietly got to his feet and walked over to the room from which the two women had just come out. He peered curiously inside only to find a little boy of about four or five, sitting up in bed, looking ecstatic. His left arm was in a sling.

"Hello." Harry said, smiling as he entered. The boy just laughed and exclaimed, "The fwowers went Boom!" and collapsed in peals of delighted laughter. Harry shook his head, a grin playing on his lips.

"Are you Thadeus?" he asked the little boy, who nodded vigorously in answer to the question.

"Wook! Wook!" Thadeus exclaimed in delight and pointed to the far end of the room. Harry did and wasn't surprised to see what must have once been a large vase, shattered in pieces all over the floor. The pieces were mixed up with petals of various colors and stems were scattered here and there. Harry raised an eyebrow at the mess before turning back to Thadeus.

"Did the flowers do anything else before they went boom?" Thadeus giggled and covered his mouth with his right hand. He nodded, his eyes wide. Harry had to smile at his excitement. "What?" he asked.

Thadeus lowered his hand and then whispered, "They fwew, and Mummy was scared!" before collapsing again with laughter.

Harry furrowed his brow in thought. He'd heard the crash right before he came to. Could there have been a connection? He could still feel himself tingling from the amount of power he had used, power he hadn't even known he had. And there had been so much more...

Wishing Thadeus good-bye he went back into the corridor still wondering if he had somehow managed to levitate the vase and then blow it up. He had done things like that before, but so did every witch or wizard if they were pushed into it. Every time he'd been afraid or angry, he'd managed to make things happen, things he didn't intend to. The problem was, he hadn't really been either this time...

He stopped outside Ginny's door and looked at it, thinking hard. He'd never felt anything like what he'd just been through, and somehow he knew that that wasn't what Su-Ling found when she looked in herself. He still didn't even know how he'd done it, and he wasn't too eager to try it again very soon. There had been a moment when he'd nearly gone over the edge, and given himself up completely. He was sure he would have died if he'd done it. Yet, he suddenly found he hungered for it, the place where he could have really truly been free, been at one with everything. But he knew with abrupt certainty that he would never allow himself to give into it, he couldn't.

He had gone to clear his thoughts, to make sense of them. And he had.

He pushed the door slowly open and stepped into the room. Mrs. Weasley looked up from her seat, where she was knitting a new sweater, apparently for Ginny, according to its size. She gave him a puzzling look.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry began, "Could I sit with Ginny alone for a bit?"

Molly Weasley's gaze softened considerably with understanding. She gathered up her yarn and needles. "Of course, Harry dear." She bustled past Harry, winking at him just before she was out the door, which shut silently behind her.

Harry watched her leave silently, composing himself before turning towards the fragile redhead on the bed behind him. When all was silent in the room, he turned to face her. Her hair was spread out behind her in a tumble of red and orange curls on the stark white pillow. The covers were drawn up to her waist and Harry could see her chest rising and falling slowly with her steady breathing. Unexpectedly, she made a little snuffling sound in her slumber and Harry had a sudden urge to touch her face.

He quietly crossed the room until he stood directly beside the bed and looked down at her.

'She has so many freckles', Harry thought suddenly, 'More than I could count in a million years.' He pulled up the chair Mrs. Weasley had previously been sitting in and sat down, taking Ginny's hand in his own as he did so.

"Hey Gin," he said finally. He watched her face to see if there was any sign that Ginny acknowledged his presence. There wasn't, but he suddenly discovered something he'd overlooked before. There was a small curl dangling on her face, and it blew gently about with Ginny's breathing. It was such a small thing, but it made Harry smile, really smile, and it made him hopeful. For some reason it was uniquely Ginny. He carefully brushed it aside with his thumb, electric jolts going through it as he did so. Ginny frowned in her sleep, and Harry quickly withdrew his hand, afraid he might disturb her further.

Strangely out of breath, Harry sat back and watched her frown disappear and she snuffled again.

"Ginny, there are a few things I've been wanting to tell you," Harry said carefully, suddenly wanting to confess all of his faults and secrets and fears and dreams to her.

"First of all," he began nervously, "I've known about your crush for a long time. I never paid you much attention and you don´t know how sorry I am for that. I want to get to know you better, I really do. I don't know. " Harry ran a hand through his hair, "I feel as though I've missed out on something for the past four years. I want to make up for lost time. I want us to be friends." Harry paused, hesitating before he continued. "Maybe more." He looked up, wishing with all his might that Ginny would wake up. He continued, "I was so scared when I got that letter from your mum, and part of it was that I had never really known you. All I could think of was the Chamber of Secrets the whole time. The way Riddle had taken almost all of the life you had. I thought it was all over..."

Harry trailed off, the memory clear in his mind.

"Ginny- don't be dead- please don't be dead... Ginny please wake up!"

The desperation he'd felt at that moment had been incredible. He could still remember every detail of that fateful night. Then Riddle had appeared. Voldemort.

Harry shuddered and looked at Ginny. If he hadn't gone down there that night, everything would be different. Ginny wouldn't be here, she'd be dead, and Harry knew he would have blamed himself if she'd died. He had given himself a second chance, without even realizing, and he wasn't about to ruin it. Harry had realized a few minutes ago, that that was a chance he wanted very badly. He made a promise to himself then and there. When Ginny woke up, things were going to be different. He was going to get to know her better. He wanted to. She was, well, there was something about her that Harry couldn't quite explain.

"Ginny, from now on, I'll be there whenever you need me," Harry said suddenly, standing up and walking to the window. He looked out onto the gardens below. St. Mungo's was a well concealed hospital, available and known only to those of the Wizarding World. None of the Muggles outside these walls knew of its presence. The hospital was surrounded by several magical gardens, many of them containing the magical herbs and plants used in healing potions.

Harry took in a deep breath of air. Laden as it was with magic, it tingled in his chest and gave him strength. He turned back and went over to Ginny's bed. He hesitated a moment before leaning over her.

"Wake up soon, Ginny," he whispered in her ear. "Please," he pleaded, and before he could stop himself, kissed her lightly on her forehead. He startled back in surprise after a second and brought his fingers to his lips, breathing erratically. Electricity was coursing through him, from his lips, where it started, all the way to his toes. Ginny shifted in her sleep, her brow furrowed.

Harry turned quickly to leave. He didn't know what had compelled him to just do that, but he shouldn't have. He had nearly reached the door when-

"Harry?"

A moment before, his heart had been beating non-stop. Now it stopped completely.

Ginny's voice was raspy and low, but it was her voice. Slowly, he turned around, half afraid, half unnaturally hopeful, until he found himself facing Ginny. She was awake.

All of his worries of a moment before disappeared in thin air, as waves of relief crashed over him.

"Ginny," he whispered, and in a second he was next to her. She looked exhausted and slightly in pain and Harry noticed that she didn't try to move.

"Harry, what happened? Where am I?" she sounded remarkably confused and afraid.

"What can you remember?" he asked her gently.

"The last thing I remember is Diagon Alley and coming out of the shop with Charlie when-" Ginny suddenly stopped mid-sentence, and her face went deathly pale. "Good Gryffindor," she whispered. "The attack. I remember." Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she tried to sit up in bed, but Harry held her firmly down by her shoulders.

"No. Don't try to get up. You need your strength, Ginny." Ginny looked up at Harry, her eyes filled with tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She tried again, but couldn't get the words out. Her eyes were filled with unspeakable pain, and Harry almost couldn't stand to look at them. He understood.

"I know," he said, soothingly. "You don't have to say anything. Believe me, I know." He looked down at her face, and she must have seen something in his eyes to show her it was true.

Then Ginny suddenly gasped. "Charlie!" she cried. "What about Charlie? He was with me. Oh, please tell me nothing happened to him. Harry, you have to tell me!" Ginny began to sob and Harry tried to calm her down.

"Ginny! Ginny, don't worry, Charlie's fine. Nothing happened to him. He's ok." But Ginny had already started crying, and he knew that now that the tears had come, it would be easiest for her to let them all out.

He stood up to go, he had after all, promised Ron that if Ginny woke up while he was away, he'd call him. A small hand suddenly grabbed at his sleeve.

"No, Harry! Please don't go. Don't leave me." Ginny pleaded with him.

"Shhh. It's alright. I´m just going to call your Mum, and everyone else. They all want to see you. I'll come back. I promise." Harry wanted nothing more than to stay with Ginny just then, but he knew that he couldn't. Her family needed to see her. Ginny nodded reluctantly and let go him. Harry smiled briefly and walked out into the hallway, trying to keep himself from crying with relief.

"Mrs. Weasley!" he called excitedly, upon spotting her a ways down the hall. She turned at his call and he ran up to her. "She's awake. Ginny's awake!"

"Ginny?!!" Mrs. Weasley cried out shrilly. "Oh, my little baby! Arthur!" she called, as the father of the Weasley clan strode towards them. "She's awake!" Mr. Weasley dropped the cup of coffee he'd been holding.

"She's awake?" he asked softly, as though hardly daring to believe it. He looked from his wife to Harry and back again. "Well, what are we standing here for?" And he walked briskly off with Mrs. Weasley right behind him.

Harry watched them go, and just heard Mrs. Weasley's excited screech as he turned to run down to the gardens. The sunlight was a welcome change after the dimness of the inside and Harry slowed down a bit as he twisted through the different paths, looking for Ron and Hermione.

He found them five minutes later, sitting on a bench under a large oak tree, Hermione leaning back into Ron, who had his arms around her.

Harry paused before they saw him. For some reason, he had a feeling he'd caught them in a private moment. Harry was rather surprised. One didn't normally come upon Ron and Hermione in a peaceful state such as they were in now, and Harry had to wonder... He'd suspected since last year at the Yule Ball that Ron had feelings for Hermione, and he was quite sure Hermione felt the same way. The question was, had they realized it themselves?

Harry took a deep breath and walked over to them. Ron immediately pulled away, blushing furiously and even Hermione lost the "high and mighty" look she usually wore.

Harry had to smile at them, and he would have teased Ron to no end, had there not been more pressing matters at hand.

"Ron, she's awake."

Ron's face went from bright red to porridge white before flushing again with excitement. He got up abruptly from the bench and Hermione followed him.

"Oh Ron, she's awake!" she cried, and she hugged him tightly, all dignity forgotten. Ron didn't seem to care. He looked as dazed as if the Cannons had just won the Cup.

"When can I see her? What did she say? Is she ok? Does she remember everything?" The questions seemed unending.

"Ron, don't worry. You can see her as soon as your parents are done," Harry said soothingly. "Don't forget what Dr. Farrow said. She doesn't want everyone barging in at once, it's not good for Ginny." Ron nodded.

"Ok," he said, taking a deep breath. "All right. Ginny's alright." Harry had to smile at the relief in Ron's voice. Ron turned slightly sideways and wiped a hand over his eyes before turning back to them. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see her."

~*~

It was a while before Harry got to go in and see Ginny again. After Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had talked to her, Ron had gone in. He'd spent an entire hour inside, and when he'd come out, Harry was sure that his eyes were redder than when he'd entered. Fred and George had gone next, and everyone had been able to hear Ginny's irrepressible giggles coming from inside the room. Then Bill and Percy.

Last of all, Charlie had gone in apprehensively. He'd waited outside the entire time, wringing his hands and pacing back and forth until Harry was sure he'd make a hole in the ground. He'd spent a long time inside, longer than Ron, and when he'd come out at last, his face had shone with relief. He'd gone straight to his mother and hugged her tightly and cried. "I'm so glad she's ok," was all he'd been able to say.

Hermione had gone in next for a few minutes, and finally it was Harry's turn.

He pushed the door slowly open, his stomach flip-flopping as he did, and walked inside.

Ginny had been staring out the window but turned to face him as he came towards her. She blushed to the roots of her hair, and Harry realized that he'd missed it. The elbow in the butter dish, bowls and forks clattering to the floor, mumbled undistinguishable words. They'd always made him feel rather flattered, and for a wonder, Harry found that he too, was blushing profusely. He stood awkwardly to the side before pulling up a chair next to her bed.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said, in barely more than a whisper.

"Hi," he answered the same way.

They both sat quietly, the silence slowly growing unbearable as each struggled to find something to say. Ginny finally spoke.

"Harry, about earlier..." she began, and trailed off.

Harry looked up, panicked. Earlier? What did she mean by earlier? Had she heard everything Harry had said, had she realized that he'd, he'd... kissed her? He felt himself beginning to choke and blurted out, "Look, Ginny, about kissing you, I-"

"Kissing me?" Ginny's face was incredulous. "When did you kiss me?"

Harry nearly died. Ok, so that hadn't been what she'd meant... He suddenly found himself incapable of speech. The knowledge that he'd just made a complete ass of himself came at him from every direction, and he wished the earth would swallow him right then and there.

"Kissing you?" he asked. He cursed himself inwardly at the squeak that had seemed to replace his own voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Kissing you? I didn't say kissing you, did I?" He shook his head as though to prove his own words. "No, I said missing you, yes, that's it. Missing you." Harry had slowly got up from his chair and was backing away towards the window. Maybe he could jump before she tried to stop him.

Ginny's face was eerily impassive. "Harry, I know what I heard. You said 'kissing', I'm sure of it."

"No, I didn't." It came out as more of a plea than any form of defense, and that he chose that second to blush again, was a slight give-away.

Ginny's eyes widened and she leaned back against her pillows. "I thought I'd dreamed that," she whispered to herself, "I was sure I did." She touched her forehead gently. "I was drowning and I heard you calling me back, only, I couldn't find you and I couldn't breath any more. And then-" she paused, a small smile tugging at her lips, "and then you were right there, right in front of me..." Ginny sighed. "You pulled me back."

Harry didn't know what to say to this, so he simply stood by the window awkwardly, still wondering if there would be a need to jump.

There was silence in the room. Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath and for a moment seemed to forget that Harry was there. She looked as though she would have been content to remain right where she was for the rest of her life and as the first shock passed, Harry suddenly realized that maybe it wasn't so bad that he'd completely embarrassed himself. He sat on the windowsill and looked at Ginny, wondering what she was thinking. He knew what he wanted her to be thinking, but somehow didn't think that was it.

Ginny slowly opened her eyes and Harry immediately sat up straighter nearly falling out of the window for real. He steadied himself and blushed.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice was soft, inquiring.

"Yes?" he replied, taking a deep breath, wondering what she would ask.

"Well, that dream I had. It- it wasn't the only one." Ginny paused and sighed. "There were other ones. Lovely ones." Ginny smiled but blushed as she caught Harry's questioning glance.

Harry, on his part, had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Other dreams? What kind of dreams exactly? He thought he knew, but he hoped he was wrong. Very wrong.

"Oh?" was all he said, trying to keep his face impassive.

Ginny looked away, towards the floor. "Yes. They were lovely. You were in them," she whispered and then looked up, wide-eyed as though realizing she had said that out loud without having meant to. She brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head.

But even though Harry already had a feeling he knew what she was talking about (actually at this point he was sure) he was temporarily intrigued. Lovely dreams? That Ginny would call a dream that he had been in 'lovely' (even if she hadn't intended to) made him feel a bit giddy.

Harry realized he was staring and quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said a moment later, "I shouldn't have said that."

Harry looked up, for some reason half-panicking. "No," he said without meaning to.

Ginny stared at him questioningly.

Harry gazed down at his shoes. "Don't stop because of me."

Had Harry not found his shoes so interesting, he might have seen the completely shocked expression on Ginny's face.

There was a moment of silence and then she spoke. "Well," she began a bit hesitantly, "I dreamt that you were talking to me. Just talking. But the funny thing is, I can't remember any of the things you said."

Harry looked up suddenly, his heart pounding in relief. Ginny didn't notice this and went on.

"But I do remember that sometimes the things you said made me want to laugh and shout, but other times they just made me so sad..." Ginny trailed off, her brow furrowed, trying to remember.

Harry mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't have told Ginny half of the things he'd said. Why hadn't he thought that if she had heard him, those things would have only put her in a bad mood that wouldn't have been good for her recovery? But then again, he reflected, at the time, he hadn't really been paying much attention to what he had been saying. The point had been that he was saying something.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I never meant to-" but Ginny cut him off.

"Yes, I know, Harry." She looked at him, but Harry couldn't make out her expression.

There were a few minutes of silence, though not an awkward one such as before. Each was deep in thought.

"Harry, I want to ask you," Ginny began, "did you talk to me all this time? I mean," Ginny explained frantically and blushed, "those dreams. They weren´t just dreams. Right?"

Harry wondered for a moment at how anxious Ginny looked. Why was this so important to her? But he answered all the same.

"They weren´t dreams," he said softly. "The doctors said that it might help to talk to you, that you could probably hear our voices. So I talked. Half of it was nonsense really, I just said anything that came into my head. Other times it was just things that had happened over the summer."

Ginny nodded in understanding. "And the rest?" she asked softly.

Harry blushed slightly. The rest? Well he had told Ginny things he´d never told anyone before, but he hadn´t thought that she´d really heard him. And yet... Harry had felt so comfortable talking to Ginny, even if the conversation had been one-sided. It had helped just to get those things out of his system. He wondered, if she had heard him, what she would think of him now...

"Just things..." he said quietly, looking away.

Harry was in trouble. Big trouble. Ginny had got that glint in her eye. The glint that belonged to the Weasley family alone. The glint that could make a teacher go mad or make students evacuate the premises. That mischievous, Fred and George, freckled, red-headed look...

"Oh?" Ginny said innocently. "Just things?"

Harry looked up at the tone in Ginny´s voice. A small smile was curving the corners of her mouth and she looked much better than she had in a while. Harry was utterly confused but, he nodded.

Ginny´s smile widened. "Well, if they were just things, then I´m sure you wouldn´t mind telling me about them," she declared.

Harry swallowed. This wasn´t going the way he´d planned. "Well, they weren´t that important..."

Ginny pouted and stuck out her lower lip. "Of course they´re important. So tell me. I´m sick and you should do what I say."

Harry had a brief recollection of what Charlie had told him about when Ginny had broken her leg and had all the Weasley boys at her service, doing her bidding. This was not good.

"No, really. I wouldn´t want to waste your time," he said, trying to get out of the sticky situation.

Ginny giggled. "What time?" she exclaimed, gesturing around the room. "Oh, wait. How could I forget? I have an important meeting with the Minister of Magic in a couple of minutes." She rolled her eyes at Harry, who couldn´t help but roll his back.

He sighed. "Ok, you win. They weren´t just things." Ginny smiled at his defeat. "But," Harry continued, "at the time, I didn´t think you understood what I was saying." He stepped away from the window and sat down in the chair next to her bed, looking rather sheepish.

"I never told anyone some of those things. And some of it, I didn't really even realize before myself." Harry looked at Ginny, and when their eyes met, Harry could tell that she had left off her teasing. "I'm not sure I really want anyone to know everything." Harry leaned back in his chair, resting his chin in his hand.

There was one thing that Harry did wanted to say. And he had come to the decision that he was going to say it. He took a deep breath. "One thing I do want you to know," Ginny looked at Harry curiously, "is that I'm sorry."

Ginny's expression changed from curiosity to complete confusion. "You're sorry? Whatever for?" she whispered.

Harry smiled weakly. "For everything. Ginny, all these years I've completely ignored you. I never meant to, but that doesn't change anything. And when you're mum sent me the letter telling me about what had happened in Diagon Alley, I realized what a huge mistake I made..." Harry looked away in shame. The next time he spoke, he knew that he was asking for a lot more than he deserved.

"Ginny, can we be friends? I'd really like to get to know you better, and I want to make up for- everything." That was it. It was out now and all Harry could do was wait for Ginny to answer.

But she didn't and Harry, wondering what was wrong, looked up to find Ginny's shocked expression. She had tears in her eyes.

Harry feared she would yell at him then, tell him he was hypocrite and a fake. She would have been right. But when she finally did speak, her voice was soft and warm. She smiled at him.

"Harry," she exclaimed in wonder, "you have nothing to apologize for!" She shook her head, her tears trickling down her face and laughed, "You saved my life when no one else asked you to, you've always been there if I ever needed you, you're the best friend my brother could ever ask for and most importantly, you're just Harry." Ginny finished breathlessly.

Just Harry? Harry gazed at Ginny in wonder. Just Harry? He smiled, as realization hit him. The one thing he'd ever really wanted in life, the only way he had ever wanted people to think of him... Ginny had given it that to him in a second. To her, he was just Harry, but the point was, that was enough.

"Ginny, I-" but Ginny cut him off.

"Of course we can be friends," she said, wiping her tears away and smiling. "There's no one I'd rather have as a friend than you. Ron and I are lucky."

Harry blushed crimson with embarrassment. "No," he muttered, "I'm the lucky one. I don't know how I ended up with you, Ron and Hermione, but I'm the lucky one and I don't deserve it."

Ginny scowled. "Don't ever say that again, Harry Potter! Of course you deserve us!"

Harry jumped. It was amazing how much Ginny sounded like Mrs. Weasley when she spoke that way.

Harry must have looked hilarious because Ginny burst out laughing a second later. He grinned sheepishly and then joined in.

When they both calmed down, Ginny held out her hand. "So," she exclaimed, "Friends for life?"

Harry's eyes locked with Ginny's as he held out his hand and took hers in it, ignoring the sparks that flew from his fingertips all the way down to his toes. "Yeah," he smiled, "Friends for life."

He leaned back in his chair, grinning, and that he recalled the dream he'd had the night before. He looked out the window and sighed inwardly.

No matter what Ginny said, he really didn't deserve them, and he could only hope that they'd never find out why.