You Can't Deal Alone

The next two weeks passed slowly. The two remaining Weasley children, Harry, and Hermione spent their days cleaning and playing games together.

Ginny had not spoken to Harry except to say "good morning" and "good night." This bothered Harry more than he felt it ought to have; he spent time he had to himself thinking about the argument and wondering how he could apologize. Nevertheless, he welcomed these thoughts for they kept his mind from Sirius, though it felt odd to be dreaming of his best friend's younger sibling.

Unfortunately Harry had no control of his brain while sleeping. He still dreamed of the corridor leading to the Department of Mysteries. This time, however, when he opened the door Ginny was sitting in the middle of the room. She was extending her hand to him, but when he reached towards her the walls started spinning. Then Ginny herself started spinning, red hair fanning out behind her. Harry grew too dizzy to stand, and fell to his knees. When he looked up the room was still and Sirius was in Ginny's place. Harry stood and called out to his godfather, but as soon as he did Sirius sank through the floor, a hideous laugh ringing from an unknown source. Then Harry would startle awake in a cold sweat, the laughter echoing in his ears, his scar familiarly searing in pain.

The pain from his scar was nothing compared to the emotional pain the dream caused. Harry remembered all too well waking up from past nightmares and finding refuge in confiding to Sirius. It was as if Harry had been living in a cave during his fifth year, and when Sirius fell through the veil the only way out collapsed. Harry was trapped in a dark world, drowning in a pool of grief. Every day he fell down a little further. His companions were unable to help, not for a lack of trying.

The booklists were late arriving as they had been the previous year; it was early on August 31 when Ginny tore hers open eagerly. Please make there be a badge, she pleaded silently.

Two thin parchments were all that it contained.

Ginny slammed them on the counter. She marched furiously up the stairs, not caring if she woke up the portrait. As she passed Harry and Ron's room she heard Hermione's voice. Ginny stopped and put her ear to the door.

"- McGonagall, she knows what you've been through -"

"No," Harry interrupted loudly. "I don't deserve special treatment."

"But Harry," Ron said. "That's just it. You are special."

Silence.

"Don't get mad," Ron continued hurriedly. "But Lupin told us what was in the prophecy. On Dumbledore's orders," he added hastily.

"It looks like - like we'll be very involved," Hermione said. "Lupin said Professor Dumbledore is really going to - going to be counting on us."

"All three of us," said Ron.

After a long moment, Harry spoke. "Looks like I won't be having a peaceful sixth year after all." Ginny let out a sigh of relief in unison with Ron and Hermione.

She was still confused, however. Hermione had told her ages ago what the prophecy contained, of course, but what was all this about McGonagall?

"Back to what I was saying," Hermione started up again, more confidently than before. "We'll go to McGonagall and just tell her -"

"Breakfast!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs.

"Damn you, Mum," Ginny muttered under her breath and headed down the stairs.

Ginny was seated for a good five minutes before being joined by Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"Good morning," she greeted and smiled pleasantly at them, but stopped when she saw the troubled look on Harry's face. As she nibbled on her toast, her appetite having suddenly vanished, she couldn't fight the urge to watch Harry. He didn't seem to be very hungry, either. One time he caught her eyes. Though Ginny quickly looked away she could feel his gaze continuing on her. She blushed uncontrollably and smoothed her hair until he finally looked down at his nearly untouched meal.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley," Mrs. Weasley said as she walked into the room. "I'll need your booklists and a list of anything else you need."

"Can we go too Mum?" Ron asked excitedly.

"No, I'm afraid not. You all have a lot of packing to do." Ignoring his crestfallen face, Mrs. Weasley turned to Ginny with a piercing look. "I already saw your list, Virginia." She walked briskly out of the room.

"Virginia?" Ron asked, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "What'd you do now?"

"I didn't make prefect," she stated plainly and stood.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione said. "I know how much you wanted to be one."

"It's fine. I didn't really expect to be one, anyway. Excuse me," Ginny said and exited into the kitchen.

She set her plates on the counter and attempted to escape unnoticed. Unfortunately she didn't have such luck.

"Not a prefect?" Mrs. Weasley accused. Her back was to Ginny, but Ginny didn't need her mother's face to see she was disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Mum."

"Yes, well, so am I," Mrs. Weasley said quietly. "Now bring this jumper up to your brother's room, please."

Ginny started to protest, but Mrs. Weasley turned and Ginny knew her mother's look all too well. Ginny snatched the maroon sweater and grumpily walked to Ron's bedroom. She heard laughter from the dining room and assumed that the "Dream Team" was still enjoying their meal.

She pushed open the door on the verge of tears. She crossed to Ron's bed and collapsed, sobbing her troubles to the peeling paint of the walls.

Harry stared at Ginny's back as she left the breakfast table. He couldn't seem to stop staring at her ever since their confrontation when he had first arrived.

Hermione was listening intently to a joke Ron was telling, so Harry slipped from the table quietly. He acknowledged with a sigh that this day wasn't going to be any better than the rest of his summer had been.

Harry got to his room and closed the door. He tried to relax on his bed but could find no relief from his thoughts of Sirius, Ginny, and his abysmal Potions OWL grade. Harry closed his eyes.

He heard the door open and turned to greet Ron but stopped suddenly, realizing that it was Ginny that had entered. She didn't look around the room at all, just ran to Ron's bed and promptly started crying.

Harry gulped.

"G-Ginny?" His voice made no noise. Clearing his throat he continued, "Ginny? Are you alright?"

She silenced mid-sob and jumped up, right hand on her heart.

"Harry?" She whispered. "What... how... aren't you downstairs with Ron and Hermione?"

"I wasn't in the mood for company," he said, realizing a moment too late how stupid he was. "Not that I mind yours," he added. Her eyes were wet and her cheeks red. Harry noticed how she managed to look captivating even when crying.

"I'm sorry," Ginny apologized and sank back down onto the bed. "I didn't realize you were in here. I was bringing up Ron's jumper." She held it up.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry. Surprising himself he walked over and sat next to Ginny. "If this is about not being a prefect... I wasn't one either."

"It's more than that," Ginny explained. "I mean, I've come to terms with everything that happened with Dean. Not that I'll ever go back to him, or ever completely trust him again, I feel like - like we can at least be friends. But even though I'm past that awful experience, I've liked... erm, never mind. It's stupid, really, compared to what you're going through."

"Do you know what the prophecy says, too?" Ginny nodded. Harry sighed, and then said, "This year is going to be so different."

"Why?"

"Hermione's always taken slightly different classes than me and Ron," said Harry. "But now even Ron and I will be separated."

Ginny wasn't sure what this meant exactly, but felt that she might have the McGonagall mystery solved soon. "How come?"

"You haven't heard?" Harry asked. Ginny shook her head.

"I got an A on my Potions OWL," Harry said monotonously. "Ron got an O. He'll be in the NEWT class, and I won't. Ron will be an auror, and I won't." Harry looked down at his hands. He didn't know why exactly he had told Ginny everything. Something about her made confessing a relief instead of an added worry. He felt the unspoken connection he had had with Ginny since his second year was suddenly strengthened, but he didn't voice this.

Neither of them moved for several minutes. It wasn't until Ginny sniffed that Harry noticed she was crying again. As he rubbed her back, he was reminded of Cho, although he wasn't nearly as awkward with Ginny.

"Ginny," he said quietly, nicely. "Is there, er, something else bothering you?"

"Harry," Ginny whispered as she turned towards him. He wiped a tear off her cheek without thinking.

I meant that in a friendly way, Harry's inner self assured him. Or at least I thought I did. Ginny's face - she took it as more, I can tell. Why don't I mind?

Ginny leaned into his hand, causing him to gently trace his fingers down the side of her face.

Her face is so soft. No, this is wrong. You shouldn't know what Ginny's skin feels like.

As she leaned in toward him, Harry failed to see the irony of Ginny, like Cho, being in tears. However, Cho quickly left his thoughts as he followed Ginny's lead.

Thousands of butterflies fluttered around his stomach. His palms started sweating and he felt nervous heat rising to his cheeks. He had felt so comfortable, just talking to her. His inner self was running back and forth, unsure if what was right was also what he wanted.

He could count every freckle, count every wet eyelash as Ginny's lips parted slightly and her eyes slowly closed.

You have to stop. This is going too fast.

They were only an inch apart now; Harry saw her head tilt slightly to the left and he knew he was doing the same.

It feels as if I've been waiting for this moment. It feels so right, even though I know it's not...

He could feel her warm breath when -

"Hey, Harry," Ron entered loudly, knocking his prefect badge off the nightstand. Ginny took the time Ron spent picking it off the floor to stand up and move away from Harry. Ron straightened and noticed Ginny.

"I was just dropping this off," she said and thrust the jumper into Ron's hands. "Next time bring up your own laundry." She carefully avoided Harry's eyes as she sauntered out of the room.

Harry couldn't help but watch Ginny retreat as he questioned his mixed feeling of disappointment and relief. Ignoring Ron's apparent grin, Harry followed him downstairs to play a game of Exploding Snaps.