The Awakening Power

Chapter 8: No Endless Summers

* * *

Harry walked into the Weasley kitchen, having slept a bit late that morning. It was the day before his return to Hogwarts, so he had stayed in bed some extra time, just to enjoy his last day of summer. He was in bright spirits, looking forward to a good breakfast.

As he entered, Harry noticed everyone's face seemed grim, causing his stomach to do a flip-flop.

"What's happened?" he asked nervously.

Hermione looked up, an expression of deep sadness on her face. She handed him the Daily Prophet without a word. Harry read the headline and his heart sank.

Mass Deaths Reported Across United Kingdom
By Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent

A series of mysterious deaths were reported yesterday among prominent magical families across the country. Details are sketchy at this time, but it is believed to be the work of You-Know-Who. Sources within the Ministry have recounted that the Dark Mark was floating over the homes of the victims, but no official confirmation has been given as yet. A complete list of the deceased is being withheld, pending notification of relatives.

With the recent events at the Ministry, it was believed to be only a matter of time before You-Know-Who began another reign of terror, based on his actions in the last war. This reporter has made numerous requests to speak to official Aurors in the Ministry regarding their plans to deal with the Dark Lord, but has been consistently rebuffed. Now that these horrific deaths have occurred, many will expect swift action to deal with this crisis.

No details have been given about exactly how they were killed, although anonymous sources have indicated that many were tortured before they were killed, and that many of the victims were entire families, including children.

Harry couldn't read anymore. He stopped and rubbed his forehead. "So it's beginning."

"So it would seem, Harry," said Mr. Weasley gloomily. "There were a number of my friends in the Ministry involved in those slayings."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley," said Harry.

Harry noticed Hermione, Ron and Ginny kept darting glances at him. "What? Is there something else?" he asked.

"Erm, you didn't read the end, did you, Harry?" said Hermione nervously.

"No..." he said slowly. This can only be bad, he thought.

Mrs. Weasley was busy cooking breakfast, but he could see a look of worry on her face. "The Prophet is rubbish, dear," she said derisively. "I don't know why we still get that rag. Don't mind whatever it says."

Hermione reached over and pointed to a paragraph toward the end of the article.

Finally, it must be asked what other options exist if the Ministry fails. Many citizens find themselves asking whether Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, has a responsibility to society to rid us of the Dark Lord. Given Potter's history, he must be a wizard of great power. Regular readers of the Prophet will recall our special report back in June of this year, where we described yet another escape from You-Know-Who by Potter. Now is the time for all good wizards to come to the aid of the country. Will he answer the desperate call from his friends and neighbors?

Harry put his head down and began thumping it on the table, over and over. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, somehow they always did.

Mrs. Weasley came over and put her hand on Harry's back. "Don't worry, dear. No one believes any of that. It's not your responsibility to defeat him."

Harry knew she was trying to cheer him up, but it just made him feel worse. It was his responsibility to defeat him. Rita Skeeter may have been trying to stir up trouble, but she had inadvertently hit the nail on the head.

"I see Rita Skeeter is back at the Prophet," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Yes," Hermione said darkly. "The year is up. I had hoped she had learned her lesson, but clearly not. I'm planning to write her a little letter. Don't worry, Harry, she won't be writing any more articles about you."

Harry nodded, but the damage was done.

"Well, I'd better head to the Ministry," said Mr. Weasley. "I need to see if I can get some information that I can report to the Order." He gave Mrs. Weasley a kiss and left with a small wave at everyone else.

They finished their breakfast in silence; Harry's mood growing darker by the minute. Everyone cast glances in his direction, which only made him angrier. He knew it wasn't their fault, but he seemed unable to pull himself out of it.

"Erm, how about some Quidditch practice?" asked Ron tentatively, after breakfast.

"That's a good idea!" said Ginny brightly. "Come on, Harry, you don't want to let Skeeter ruin our last day of summer."

Harry had to admit that a little flying sounded good. He sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. There's nothing to be done about it now, anyway."

"That's right, mate! No sense letting that cow get to us," said Ron, glad that Harry appeared to be perking up. "How about you, Hermione? We haven't been able to get you on a broom all summer."

Hermione looked reluctant. "Well..."

Ginny laughed. "You have to play at least once this summer. It's our last day!"

"All right, then. Let me go change," Hermione said.

"Great!" Ron said, his eyes lighting up. "I'll head up and get the stuff."

"I'll get my broom out of the shed. Meet you all outside," Ginny said.

Harry headed out of the kitchen with Ron and Hermione. He went up the stairs and retrieved his Firebolt out of his room. Quidditch really does sound good, he thought, his mood lightening a bit.

He walked out the back door of the Burrow. It was a perfect day with the sun shining in a brilliant blue sky. The sunlight felt warm on his face, but an autumn breeze was blowing; the coolness making a nice contrast to the warmth. He walked up the hill toward the paddock where they usually played Quidditch.

Breaking through the trees, he saw Ginny already in the air. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and it whipped in the wind behind her. She flew high up, did a quick turn, and then flew straight down toward the ground. Harry's breath gave a hitch, but she turned at the last second, just grazing the grass in the field at high speed.

She slowed, reached down and grabbed a rock off the ground. Turning in a long sweep, Ginny put on a burst of speed toward a tree at the edge of the yard. She threw a perfect shot through a fork in the trees, and then headed straight up again. She made three quick rolls, flying up into the blue sky.

Harry realized he had been staring at her. He suddenly broke loose into motion, wanting to get up in the air himself. Hopping on his Firebolt, he shot into the sky. The exhilaration he felt when flying on his broom was like nothing else. Ginny watched him come up, grinning at him. He grinned back.

She shot off toward the other end of the field, Harry accelerating after her. Her old broom was no match for the speed of his Firebolt, and he soon caught up to her. He executed a spiral pattern, flying a circle around her as she flew in a straight line. He laughed, and he could see her laughing with him.

Suddenly she stopped and hovered in the air. "Think you're so good, do you, Potter? See if you can catch me now," she called challengingly.

She tore off into the forest, and Harry immediately gave chase. She slalomed among the trees, going at what seemed to Harry a reckless speed. He was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with her as she made sharp turns around various trees. It occurred to him that she must have flown through these forests many times and knew all the routes much better than he did.

She abruptly flew underneath some low branches, forcing Harry to slow down. He came out into a glade, and she was nowhere to be seen. He looked about wildly, his competitive instincts engaged. It might only be a silly game, but he didn't want to lose. He flew straight up, going high above the trees. He looked around and spotted her above a tree, grinning at him. He immediately took off, not intending to lose her again.

She sped off as well, heading toward another meadow. Now is my chance, Harry thought.

Harry kicked the Firebolt into maximum speed, the power of the broom almost frightening. Ginny was hunched down on her broom, the look on her face telling him that she was struggling to squeeze out more speed. She was trying to make it to the end of the glade and back to the forest where she knew she had more of an advantage.

Harry came up alongside her and gripped tightly the end of her broom. He slowed down, the brakes of the Firebolt far superior to the broom Ginny was riding. She desperately tried to veer off, but Harry held firm, slowing the broom and pushing them down toward the grass below.

Finally they were just above the grass, moving relatively slowly, but Harry couldn't get her all the way down. Her broom was threatening to tear itself out of his grip. There was only one way. He let go of the broom and wrapped his arms around her. Ginny screamed with laughter as he pulled both of them down to the ground.

They rolled over and over on the soft grass, before landing in a heap with each other. Harry and Ginny laughed loudly.

Harry rolled over and found himself on top of her, looking down at her face. Her hair had come out of its hair tie, and was splayed behind her head on the grass. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing heavily from the exercise.

She looked up at him, her face very close to his. Their laughter tapered off as they both seemed to realize where they were.

Some part of Harry's mind was telling him to roll off of her, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to move. He looked down at her chocolate brown eyes as their breathing started to settle down. Ginny had a slight smile on her face as she gazed back at him. There was a long silence as they just looked at each other.

"You caught me..." she whispered. The tone of her voice sent a shiver running down his spine.

"Yeah..." he said, his own voice quiet as well. What do I win? he thought, a little voice in him piping up. The stray thought caused some heat to start climbing up his neck.

Harry's emotions were roiling inside him. Suddenly he felt extremely shy; fear and confusion rose up in him. He couldn't deal with these new feelings.

He tore his eyes away from hers, trying to bring himself back under control. Reluctantly, he slowly rolled off of her. He turned away from her, ostensibly looking for his Firebolt, but unable to really concentrate. He heard the rustle of grass as Ginny got up as well. All of his senses seemed to be acutely aware of her.

She lightly touched his arm. "Harry? Are you all right?" she asked in a soft, slow voice. Goosebumps rose on his skin at her touch.

Harry was feeling anything but all right. He turned around, but couldn't bring himself to look directly at her. His knees shook with nervousness. He forced a tiny smile to his face and tried desperately not to think about what had just happened.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. This was... really fun, Ginny. But maybe we should head back." He had a sudden thought, bringing his brain back into some operation. "Ron and Hermione! They're waiting for us. We'd better get back before they start worrying."

Ginny grinned. "Yeah, or they might start doing - other things by themselves," she said, giving Harry a teasing look. Harry felt his brain starting to freeze up again, so he started looking for his Firebolt while he still could.

Spotting the two brooms not far away, he started walking over to them, his thoughts incoherent. He picked up the two brooms and walked back to Ginny, still trying not to look at her. He shyly handed over her broom.

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"Shall we go?" he asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

They mounted their brooms and took off. Harry felt the tension starting to leave him as he made a few dives and turns. They were soon back in the Quidditch paddock.

"Oi!" Ron called out. "Where've you two been?"

"Erm, we just flew around the forest for a bit," Harry said, hoping no one would ask too many questions.

"Yeah. Harry was flying a little too slow, so I decided to show him how it was done," Ginny said, laughing.

"Oh, is that so?" Harry said, starting to recover a bit. He grinned. "Well, we'll just see about that, Miss Weasley."

Hermione flew up awkwardly toward them. "Ugh. I'm glad flying is not an OWL subject," she said.

* * *

Ginny sat in her room, brushing her hair, getting ready for bed. Hermione was propped up on her portable bed, reading a book.

Hermione appeared to be distracted, as she kept glancing at Ginny and then back to her book. Finally, she carefully put a bookmark at her page and placed the book on the night table.

"All right, Ginny. You don't have to tell me, but I'm dying to know. What happened today? Harry seemed very strange after you two got back."

Ginny looked guarded for several seconds, but then relaxed. "Okay. I'll tell you if you tell me what's been going on with you and Ron."

Hermione sighed. "All right; that's fair. And anyway, it would be nice to talk about it."

"Well, Harry and I were flying around, just having fun. We were playing a little game of chase through the forest. He caught up to me, and we sort of fell to the grass together," Ginny said, a bit embarrassed. "And, er, Harry ended up on top of me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Nothing happened!" Ginny said quickly. "But - Hermione, do you remember when you said that Harry is either hidden or obvious? Well, he seemed sort of both today."

"How do you mean?" Hermione said, giggling a bit.

"We just sort of looked at each other for a while, and - oh, Hermione, it was all I could do not to grab him and kiss him right there," Ginny said.

"What did you do instead?" Hermione said.

"Erm, I flirted with him a little bit, just to see how he would react. And it seemed to do something, but it's so hard to tell with Harry. It's hard to know if I'm just talking myself into believing that this is going somewhere, or if it really is," Ginny said, with a bit of frustration.

Ginny's face took on a forlorn expression. "Why did this have to be our last day?" she said. "Things seem to be going so well lately. Once we get back to Hogwarts, we'll hardly see each other. And -"

"And what?" Hermione said.

Ginny bit her lip. "I hate to sound so pathetic, Hermione. But, if something really is happening, right now I have him here to myself. When we go off to Hogwarts, there are a lot of other girls he could find interest in." Ginny gritted her teeth. "And we definitely know that certain other girls are interested in him."

Hermione smiled at her. "I wouldn't worry about that. Let's face it - Harry isn't the playboy type. Don't count yourself so short. If Harry is developing some feelings here, he's developing them for you, not because you happen to be conveniently available this summer.

"And anyway, you will see him this year. At the very least, you'll have Quidditch practice together and D.A. meetings," Hermione said.

Ginny sighed. "I almost wonder if I should have done something today. But I just couldn't. If something is going to happen, he has to make the first move. I need to know that it's his idea."

Hermione nodded. "I stand by what I said before; you must be doing something right if Harry is reacting like this. And I also stand by that it's going to be a long road, no matter what. I know it's difficult, but try not to get frustrated with him."

"Yeah. But let me tell you, having those green eyes staring down at you, in that position, is... frustrating, to say the least," Ginny said, snickering.

"Ginny!" said Hermione.

"Well! He looked... really good, after flying and all. I thought my heart was going to give out, having him right there..." Ginny said, her eyes growing a bit dreamy.

She suddenly put her hands over her face, shook herself, and groaned. "Oh God, listen to me. Honestly, Hermione, I'm feeling kind of afraid of the whole thing. I feel like I'm getting emotionally involved again and setting myself up for another disappointment."

"What do your instincts tell you?" asked Hermione.

"Well, something is different. He's certainly never acted like this before, so I suppose that's something. I just don't want to get my hopes up," Ginny said.

"So far you seem to be doing okay. I think you should just concentrate on being his friend and make sure you keep a life outside of him. Your flirting didn't seem to hurt anything, if his sneaking looks at you during Quidditch today was any indication," Hermione said, giggling.

"He was not," Ginny said, embarrassed.

"Why do you think I asked about all this?" Hermione said. "But you're probably right about one thing. Harry is easily distracted, and he's probably going to have a lot on his plate this year at Hogwarts. Don't be surprised if his attention, well, wanders."

"Thanks, Hermione. So, speaking of frustrating, what's going on with my thick-headed brother?" Ginny asked.

Hermione got a sour look on her face.

"Going that well?" Ginny said with a giggle.

"Frustrating is the right word, I suppose. I wish I knew what was going through that head of his, but I just don't," Hermione said, sighing.

Hermione continued. "One day we went down to the lake, and he started digging around about what was going on with Viktor. I told him that nothing was going on, and in fact I wasn't even writing to him anymore. That seemed to make Ron happy, but then ... nothing."

Ginny frowned. "That git. Hermione, there is no doubt in my mind that he fancies you. I think he just... doesn't know what to do."

"Well, that's not the end of the story. When we were in the bookshop buying our books, I started talking to a boy from Hogwarts." Hermione paused. "Um, I think he might have been interested in me, but I'm not sure," she said shyly.

"Ooooh, who?" asked Ginny, leaning forward.

"Joseph O'Donnell. He's in my year, in Ravenclaw," Hermione said.

"Hmm. Don't think I know him," Ginny said.

"He asked me if I wanted to study together next year. Anyway, Ron came up and was rather rude to him. I got angry and told Joseph, in front of Ron, that I'd be happy to study with him next year."

"I see," said Ginny.

"I shouldn't have done it, Ginny, but Ron just made me so mad. And the worst part of it is that I don't know if this jealousy of his is from some sort of feelings he's trying to sort out, or he's just trying to be protective, or what. All I know is that I'm tired of it. First Viktor and now Joseph," Hermione said, aggravated.

"Honestly, Hermione, I thought for sure he would have sorted it out by now, but his head is even thicker than I thought," Ginny said.

"I could handle a little jealousy if he would step up himself, but if he's not going to do anything, then why should I wait for him?" Hermione said angrily, but then calmed herself. "Oh, Ginny, I guess I don't mean that. But these mixed signals he sends out are driving me mad."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Ginny asked.

"Please, no, Ginny. I don't want to force him into anything. Whatever happens, I don't want our friendship to suffer. But -" Hermione paused, looking bashful. "I'm 16 next month. It would be nice to go out with a boy, do you know what I mean?"

Ginny nodded. "Believe me, Hermione, I know exactly what you mean, from when I got tired of waiting around for Harry. Honestly, I'm surprised you've waited this long. Maybe that's part of the problem. Ron doesn't feel all that much pressure to make a move, although you'd think a bit of snogging would be motivation enough for him," she said, grinning.

"Ginny!" said Hermione.

"All I'm saying is that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go out a few times. I mean, not to make Ron jealous, but to have some fun. It's like what you said with me and Harry - be his friend, but have a life outside of him, too. No reason for you to sit around waiting for him."

"Yes, I suppose I should take my own advice," Hermione said, sighing.

"That's the spirit. What is wrong with these boys that we love, anyway?" Ginny said, rolling her eyes and looking at the thin wall that separated her and Harry.

* * *

Harry laid in bed, looking up at his ceiling. He was tired from the eventful day, but was finding it difficult to fall asleep. His head was buzzing with too many thoughts. The Burrow was silent now, although he had heard a lot of talking before through the wall from Hermione and Ginny.

The Quidditch practice had been fun this afternoon, but he soon found himself thinking again about the article in the Daily Prophet. He felt a stab of guilt about all the people who had died. He knew it wasn't directly his fault, but somehow that wasn't a comfort when he knew that ultimately he had to defeat Voldemort.

The biggest question in his mind was, how would he know when he was ready? He supposed that Professor Dumbledore would help him to know the right time, but he felt frustrated that he didn't understand the bigger plan to everything.

He sighed as he rolled onto his side, looking at the moon through his window. How many more people are going to die while I get ready? he thought morosely.

Harry's thoughts drifted to the scene in the meadow earlier that morning. An image of Ginny's face rose in his head, her words "You caught me" whispering in his mind and making him shiver again.

Images of Ginny through the summer floated into his mind. Harry smiled as he recalled seeing her in the Burrow's yard, reading her romance novel. He remembered her looks of concentration as they practiced Quidditch during the summer.

His smile faded as he saw her standing with him, holding his hand in the Pensieve as they watched his parents and himself as an infant. His thoughts of her were triggering odd, strong emotions he couldn't identify, conflicting with his image of her held for so many years. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, feeling confused.

For reasons he didn't understand, his thoughts moved to Parvati, as an image of her came back to him from the bookshop. He hadn't really thought about her since that time, but he suddenly realized that going back to Hogwarts meant dealing with whatever was up with her.

Could she really fancy me? he thought, baffled and embarrassed. He hadn't a clue why she would be interested in him. He had to admit she looked very pretty in the bookshop, but couldn't find any interest in her. I'll have to try and avoid her for a while, he thought.

He sighed again and pushed all the thoughts out of his head. It was far too complicated to figure out any of these feelings. All he knew right now was that all his problems felt bigger than he was.

Harry gave a huge yawn as he finally fell asleep...

* * *

Harry walked through a field of red and gold flowers, the bright sunshine streaming down between white, puffy clouds. The air was warm with a clean smell, and he felt a sense of peace and freedom as the field stretched seemingly forever.

He felt soft hands placed on his shoulders. He turned around, and Parvati Patil was standing before him with a sultry smile. He felt a shyness come over him. She was standing very close.

"You're so brave, Harry," she said seductively. "What would you like to teach me this year? I'm so looking forward to your lessons."

Harry shook with nervousness, as her hands gently stroked his arms. He closed his eyes; it felt so good to be touched. He could sense her moving closer, as her hands slowly slid under his arms and around his back. She kissed his cheek, and pulled him close to her. He could feel her fingernails running down his spine, sending a thrill through his body.

He put his arms around her as well and could feel her long, soft hair. He couldn't seem to bring himself to open his eyes. He was afraid that if he looked, it might all end. It was so wonderful and so strange to hold and be held by someone. He buried his fingers in her hair, enjoying the luxurious feel. He took a deep breath; her hair smelled good.

He could feel her mouth moving from his cheek to his ear, her hot breath exciting him.

"Does it feel good, Harry?" she whispered in his ear.

He nodded. He couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Tell me something... did it feel good? Tell me how it felt." Her voice had taken on a strange tone that he couldn't identify.

Harry stiffened, puzzled at the question. What did she mean? Suddenly he felt afraid, and he pulled her closer. He needed to be held. She pulled him tighter as well, and he could feel her fingers massaging the tension in his shoulder muscles. Harry began to relax again. He didn't understand her question, so he ignored it, reveling in her touch.

"Harry..." she said breathlessly. "I need to know..."

"What?" he finally whispered, not wanting to talk, just wanting the touching, the contact...

"What did it feel like..." He could hear her excitement. "What did it feel like to cast the Cruciatus curse?"

Harry's eyes snapped open and he pushed her away. She began laughing at him, and to his horror he saw Bellatrix Lestrange in front of him. A feeling of revulsion ran through him.

"Did Baby Potter enjoy touching me? Do you like girls, Potter? Would you like - more?" she said, taking a step forward. Harry backed away in a panic, tripping over his own feet. He fell to the ground as Bellatrix laughed again at him.

"Don't be too quick to run away, Potter. After all, what other girl would want you? Who would want to get killed by you? Do you think they will be proud of you for casting Unforgivable Curses?" she said mockingly.

Harry got up and started running, her words burning him. Through the flowered fields he ran, with no thought to where he would end up. The field of flowers ended, as he reached a barren, rocky area. The ground started to slope down, and he ran between large rocks into a small valley. He stopped, stunned, as he saw a long line of gray, grim-faced people. They were chained together, marching slowly through a narrow passage in the rocks.

He ran along the line, somehow needing to know where they were all heading. He pushed his way past them through the passage, which opened into a barren canyon with high rocky cliffs. There didn't seem to be a way out.

He ran past more of the anonymous people and then suddenly stopped, recognizing one. It was Hermione.

"Hermione! Hermione, why are you here?" Harry asked desperately. Hermione kept marching, her eyes dead, staring straight ahead. She gave no answer. Harry shook her arm, but she seemed not to notice.

He continued running up the line, finally seeing the end. He slowed down as he saw Lord Voldemort at the front of the line, grinning evilly. He was killing the people in the line, one by one. Bellatrix came up behind Voldemort and smiled at Harry.

"Ah, Potter, so good of you to join us," said Voldemort. "How do you like my queue? It's very efficient, isn't it? A line of mudbloods who shall not offend me with their presence any longer." His high-pitched laughter seared Harry's ears.

"Stop!" Harry screamed.

"And what will you do about it? Ah yes, I forgot. The lovely prophecy. It's your job to stop me, isn't it, Potter?" He continued picking off the people in the line, one by one. Their bodies crumpled and fell into a mass grave next to Voldemort.

Harry looked down the line, spotting Hermione getting closer.

"All these people dying and you're doing nothing to stop it. Your friend is getting closer. But really, Potter, what would your friend think if she knew that you cast an Unforgivable Curse? Perhaps you're more like us than you believe," Voldemort said mockingly.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you, Potter?" said Bellatrix. "Don't deny it; I saw the pleasure in your eyes. Why else would you cast it unless you wanted to? And if you did it once, you will do it again."

Harry pulled his wand.

"Yes, Potter, here I am. Do it again. I'm right here," said Bellatrix, stepping up to him, and opening up her arms. "If you do it again, maybe we'll stop." Voldemort laughed, amused. Harry gripped his wand tightly, feeling an overwhelming hatred.

"Yes, Potter... that's right..." she said in a low voice. She licked her lips.

He looked at the line; Hermione was almost at the front. He needed to act. He raised his wand...

A quiet voice spoke up. "Harry, it's all right." Ginny had appeared next to him. Her gentle voice soothed his anger. "You can save them. I know you can."

Harry looked at her. She was smiling and looking up at him with her bright, brown eyes. She reached up and cupped his face in her warm, soft hands...

* * *

"Harry, Harry, it's all right. Wake up..." Harry's eyes opened. Someone was speaking to him. He looked around, disoriented. He saw Ginny in her nightdress, on her knees next to his bed.

"Ginny?" he said vaguely. His heart was racing, and he was breathing heavily.

"Yes, Harry. You were having a nightmare. I heard you from my room. It's all right now, it was just a dream."

Harry put his hands over his face and groaned.

"Was it a bad one?" Ginny said with concern.

Harry nodded under his hands. "It was... bad. It was... I can't talk about it."

Ginny nodded. "I know. I know exactly what you mean." She reached over and began stroking his hair. "But it's all right now."

Harry felt himself calming from her touch. "Was I that loud?" he asked, embarrassed.

She smiled. "Yes, a bit loud. But don't worry; no one else heard. It's just that my bed is against the wall where your bed is against the wall. And after all, I owed you one, didn't I?" she said, chuckling.

"I suppose so," he said, smiling back. "Actually, you came in at a good time. I really didn't want to see where this dream was going next." A silence descended between them, as Harry calmed his heart and breathing. He felt a bit embarrassed by her touching his hair, but he didn't want her to stop.

"Hogwarts tomorrow, huh?" he finally said.

"Yes. Back to Hogwarts tomorrow," she replied in a soft voice.

Harry sighed and turned over onto his side, facing Ginny. He could see her eyes gleaming in the low moonlight of the room.

"It's been - some summer, hasn't it?" he said. Her hand was still stroking his hair.

"Yes. Funny that our first night and last night had nightmares," she said, with a small smile.

"Yeah..." Harry felt himself growing sleepy. "Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"How did you - get past your nightmares?"

Ginny looked thoughtful. "The first summer was the worst. Fred and George would hear me, and they would come in and stay with me until I went to sleep again. I suppose knowing they would be there for me helped me to go to sleep at night."

Harry closed his eyes, the lids feeling incredibly heavy. "It must be nice to know you have such a supportive family."

"You know, Harry, I-we're here for you, too. You aren't alone," Ginny said.

Harry nodded under her hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry?" she asked quietly.

"Thank you - for everything this summer." He let out a long breath and closed his eyes again. Harry drifted off to sleep, not hearing her response.

Later in the night, he awoke again and looked around. Ginny had left sometime after he fell asleep. He rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He reached up and felt where Ginny had touched him. He felt a pang of disappointment that she was gone.