Daydream Believer

Harry awoke from a dream that had been haunting him all summer. He was no stranger to recurrent dreams, but this particular dream was very unusual. It was nothing like any of the other recurrent dreams he had ever had.

Harry, still in bed, rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of the dreams. He tried to remember the details. Even though he had been having this dream for a month, he couldn't seem to remember everything. A red-haired girl was running in front of him. He was chasing her, cheered on by Ron and Hermione. Harry had no idea who the girl was, but he thought she looked like his mother.

Hedwig started hooting. Harry looked at his clock. It was seven o'clock. The Weasleys were coming in two hours to pick him up: he would be spending the rest of his summer at the Burrow with Ron, Ginny and Hermione. He had been invited to number twelve, Grimmauld Place with the rest of the Order, but the memory of Sirius' death was still too fresh in Harry's mind, even though it had been over a year ago.

Harry slowly got out of bed and dressed. He made his way downstairs for breakfast. Uncle Vernon and Dudley were sitting at the table. Dudley had lost a great percentage of his weight, but he was still very fat. Aunt Petunia offered Harry a smile. Since Voldemort's return, Petunia had been nicer to Harry.

Uncle Vernon grunted from behind his newspaper. "More deaths today. Here, boy," he said, sliding the paper towards Harry. Vernon hadn't necessarily been nicer to Harry, but he had been more tolerable, and had at least begun showing Harry the newspaper. "Is it...Voldy-thing again?"

Harry skimmed the article. A house in Devon had been destroyed, and three people, the Abbots, had been found dead. It was blamed on an electrical fire. "Yeah," Harry said. "I assume so. Hannah Abbott's in my year. I guess they were related to her."

After breakfast, Harry took the paper and went back upstairs to finish packing. He took the article and put it with all the others. At least once a day came news of a Hogwarts' student's or family's death.

At nine o'clock exactly, Harry went downstairs. Ron was standing next to the fireplace. "Hullo, Harry," he greeted him. "Ready?"

"Hullo," Harry replied. "Yeah, let's go." Ron grabbed Hedwig's cage and Harry picked up his trunk.

Ron threw some Floo Powder into the fireplace and stepped into the green flames, saying, "The Burrow." As Ron spun around and disappeared, Harry turned to Aunt Petunia.

"Well, bye then," he said, stepping away. Petunia surprised him by suddenly grabbing and hugging him.

"Be careful," she said, sniffing.

"I will," he answered as Petunia let go. She wiped her eyes and Harry gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. "I promise."

Harry grabbed some Floo powder, threw it in the fire and stepped in. "The Burrow." Harry spun around and felt himself traveling through fireplaces until he fell forward into the Weasleys' living room. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were waiting for him.

Hermione ran at Harry and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me, too," Harry said, smiling for the first time that day. "Now stop hugging me and go hug your boyfriend."

Hermione smiled and stepped away from Harry. She stood next to Ron and put her arm around his waist. Ron grinned and put his arm over Hermione's shoulders. Ginny stepped forward and gave Harry a hug. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, smiling again. "Ron, I'm going to go put my stuff in your room."

"Oy, mate. You're using Fred and George's old room, as they're not here. While you're at it, we'll fix something to eat. I know you're still on that rabbit diet back at the Dursleys'." Harry followed Ron, Hermione and Ginny into the hallway. Harry turned left, started up the stairs and turned around just as Ginny disappeared with a flick of bright red hair. Harry returned to the living room to collect Hedwig's cage, which he had forgotten.

After dumping his stuff in Fred and George's deserted room, he made to return downstairs. As he passed Ginny's bedroom, he suddenly remembered his dream. He was still thinking about it when he sat down at the kitchen table. Ron pushed a plate of biscuits and a cup of tea at Harry, who absentmindedly picked up a biscuit and ate it.

"What's eating you, mate?' Ron asked. "You look a bit off."

"Oh, nothing," Harry said, forcing a smile. "Okay, there is something. It's this dream I've been having..." he went on to tell Ron, Hermione and Ginny about his dream. "I just want to know who that girl is and why I'm chasing her."

"You said she looked like your mum?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I never saw her face, just her hair."

"There are loads more red-haired people than your mum," Ron said, glancing pointedly at Ginny.

"What? You think Harry's chasing me?" Ginny exclaimed. "Why would he be chasing me?"

"Maybe you've got another secret diary," Harry joked. When Ginny smiled at him, he felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't unfamiliar to him, but it had never happened before with Ginny. Harry sat wondering. Maybe it was Ginny he was chasing...

Late that night, long after the sun had set, Ginny lay awake in bed. Yes, she had given up on Harry ages ago, but that doesn't mean she didn't still fancy him...

The rest of the summer passed without much consequence. Harry, Ron and Ginny practiced Quidditch; Hermione studied for her N.E.W.T.s...and Harry's feelings for Ginny steadily grew deeper. He wanted to tell someone about how he felt, but he couldn't seem to find the right words.

On the last night of August, the night before Harry's final trip to Hogwarts, he had the dream again.

He was in a large white room, chasing the red-haired girl. Ron and Hermione were off to the side, yelling, but Harry couldn't understand what they were saying. The red-haired girl was getting too far ahead. Harry ran to catch up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to him...next moment, he felt Ginny's lips pressed against him. He woke up with a smile on his face.

Early the next morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were squished into a Muggle taxi, on their way to King's Cross Station in London. Harry sat uncomfortably silent in the backseat, staring at Ginny, who was sitting up front.

"Are you okay, mate?" Ron whispered.

Harry started to nod his head, then decided to just tell the truth. "I have to tell you something. It's about Ginny," he whispered back.

A look of triumph passed through Ron's eyes. "When we get on the train," he whispered.

Half an hour later, the four were standing in King's Cross Station with Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, Crookshanks and their trunks. Hermione and Ginny ran at the barrier between platforms nine and ten and disappeared. Harry started to run but Ron held him back.

"You fancy my sister, don't you?" he asked Harry.

Harry heaved a deep sigh, and, looking at his shoes, answered. "Yes."

Ron let out a "Ha!" of triumph and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "I knew it. I knew it, mate. Go for it!"

Harry looked up. "But... I thought she gave up on me."

Ron laughed. "She gave up on you, but she never stopped fancying you."

Harry thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. "Let's go." The two ran through the barrier.

"Ginny?" asked Harry when they were on the train. "Can we talk? In private?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, looking slightly perplexed. The two entered an empty compartment.

"Ginny, I have something I want to tell you," Harry started.

"Don't worry, I already know," Ginny said, smiling. And, just like in his dream, Harry was suddenly kissing Ginny.