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Author: Smith Story: Sometimes It Takes A Dream To Wake You Up Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 1 Words: 35,204
Molly Weasley's voice sounded from behind the closed door, "Ginny, are you in there?" "Yes, mum. Come in. Just looking over some of the school books for this year." Ginny's mother entered smiling, "Ah, good girl. You're brothers could do with…well, never mind. You have post from Harry." Ginny looked up from the text and her eyes locked on the letter in her mother's hand. A curious mixture of absolute joy and utter horror swelled in her chest. She slowly got up from her bed and took the letter with a trembling hand. "Thank you." Her voice was quiet but in a tone that implied the gratitude was for much more than handing over a letter. "I know we could have used that money for more practical things." "Oh posh, Ginny. Things will be a tight for another few weeks but what kind of mother would I be if I didn't at least try to help get my only daughter what she needs?" "I wouldn't say that we needed to buy it, but it just seemed so perfect." "I wasn't talking about the frog, dear. Harry is a wonderful young man." Ginny's ears started to redden but she smiled. "It was a toad." "So it was." "And you made me go ahead and send it. I would have chickened out." Ginny's mother gave a loud bark of a laugh. "Ginny, I wasn't born a Weasley, but I have been one for twice as long as you. No one makes a Weasley do anything they don't want to. Whatever is in that letter, is your doing." ‘Oh, God. Why did she have to say that?' The horror of the disappointment that might be in this envelope threatened to overwhelm the joy that Ginny had actually received something from him. "You worry too much." Molly had easily read her daughter's face, "I've had a letter from Harry too. Professor Dumbledore, your father, and I are working on a way to have Ron and Hermione spend some time with Harry before school. Harry wants to invite you too. He wouldn't have done that if there were anything in there to fret about. Well, I'll leave you to your reading." Molly closed the door as she left. Ginny bit her lower lip and stared down at the letter. She stepped back over and on to her bed, propped the pillow up against the wall, and then lay against it. She continued to stare and chew her lip for some time. Then she sat up crossed her legs and lay the letter down in front of her and studied her name and address written in his handwriting. Next, she flipped it over and mentally willed the flap of the envelope to open so she wouldn't have to open it with her own hands. Nothing happened. "Honestly, some Gryffindor you are, Ginny Weasley." She snatched up the letter, exasperated with herself and lay back onto the pillow. She tore open the envelope violently and pulled out the letter quickly. Ginny hesitated just as she was about to unfold the parchment and it cost her all momentum. She banged the back of her head with soft thuds into the pillow against the wall. "Ah! This is so stupid!" She took a deep breath, unfolded the letter, and started to read: Dear Ginny, Your mum says that they are working on a way for Ron, Hermione and I to spend some time together before school starts. If they do manage something, it doesn't seem likely to be at the Burrow. I was wondering if you might like to come too, provided it doesn't turn out to be too unpleasant a location and doesn't clash with any other plans you might already have. Nothing definite yet as far as I know but please consider it. Ginny made a small noise at the back of her throat. "Other plans?" She looked over to the school texts she'd been reading which were pretty much the extent of any plans she had, not that she wouldn't have cancelled just about anything else to accept the invitation. Have you any ideas on what to do about Ron and Hermione? They are round the bend if you ask me. I assume you know what I am talking about. It seems to be obvious to everyone but them. Ron was driving her nutters about Hermione as well. When he wasn't raving like a lunatic about Krum, he was mopy and generally unpleasant to be around. Only when he was venting his frustrations working with Fred and George was he apparently tolerable and Ginny wasn't included in that circle. As to ideas, she'd had a few but her mother's declaration about Weasley stubbornness was especially true of Ron and truer still when it concerned Hermione. Not that Hermione was helping matters by going to Bulgaria. Ron was on the verge of tears when he'd told Ginny of Hermione's trip. It had been a long time since Ginny had seen him that upset and her feelings towards Hermione had soured a little at that point. Ron recently tried to give me some advice concerning girls and I thought that was hilarious considering his situation. ‘That's a bit unfair, Harry.' She thought defensively, ‘It's not all Ron's fault.' But then it seems I'm no genius on that matter either so I was hoping you might help me in figuring a few things out. What things? Ron and Hermione? Harry and some girl? Cho Chang? Wouldn't that be pleasant? Having to talk with Harry about girls he liked that weren't her. I'm sitting here at the moment looking at your gift and I think it is a very good match for my eyes. I'm pleased you remembered the color so well. Ginny smiled. Love, Harry Ginny's eyes widened as she reread the last two words over and over. Did they really mean anything? It was how Bill and Charlie signed their many letters to her, a sign of brotherly affection. But Harry wasn't her brother nor was he really a good friend. He was Ron's best friend and as such she had the unenviable, traditional role as the tagalong little sister which she'd done her best not to play. She reread the whole letter again. Knowing now how it ended, some of the meaning seemed to be different, and when she reached the part about her helping him with "figuring a few things out" her stomach had a bit of a flutter. Maybe? No, what could have changed that much? After the hundredth reading, she decided she needed a second opinion. She went downstairs keeping the letter hidden from any passing brotherly eyes. The house seemed fairly quiet and she found her mother alone, reading Witch Weekly at the kitchen table. Without looking up from her magazine, Molly waved her wand with a soft mutter of words and a tea set moved from the counter to the table, set up for two. "Did you want to chat, dear?" "Yes, please. Would you mind reading Harry's letter and telling me what you think?" Molly smiled and reached into an apron pocket. "Harry being a bit too subtle? Here then, you read mine while I have a go at yours. Only fair." They swapped letters and both began to read. Her mother's letter from Harry was short and did ask after her as her mother had said, but didn't seem to offer anything new. Ginny listened to her mother chuckle, probably as she was reading about Ron and Hermione. Ginny waited patiently after finishing, sipping the tea, as her mother read and reread with a slight smile on her face. As Ginny set her half empty cup down, her mother slid the letter back over to her and retrieved her own. "So what do you think, Mum?" "It's a very interesting letter. You'll write him back soon of course. Perhaps start a regular correspondence? He did ask for your help with Ron and Hermione." "I'm afraid I'm making more of it than it is." Ginny was again rereading the last two words of her letter. "Keep in mind that Harry has not had a lot of affection in his life living with those awful relations of his. You know how they treat him and how they've treated him all his life. Cupboard indeed!" Molly's face was reddening with anger. She calmed herself with a sip of tea before continuing, "My point is that he is unlikely to throw a word such as "love" around. I imagine he took some time deciding to sign his letter that way. He knows what life is like without love. Since he met Ron and Hermione and you and the rest of his friends, he now knows what life is like with love. I think it may mean more to him than anyone else I know. Did you notice how he signed my letter?" Ginny nodded, slightly uncomfortable that her mother's feelings may have been hurt. "And you obviously noticed how he signed yours. Well, does it mean that he is declaring undying devotion to you? No. Probably not yet anyway." Molly smiled and Ginny blushed once more. "You're right, Ginny, you shouldn't make too much of it, but then, don't make nothing of it either. It means something. So you help Harry and yourself to find out what that is." "Thanks, Mum." Ginny rose and kissed her mother on the cheek. Then she went back upstairs to write a letter, hopefully longer than one sentence this time. An hour later, she yelled out into the hall, "Ron, can I borrow Pig?" * The next night, Harry's eyes popped open in the darkness of his room. "Shepherd's pie, Hermione? That was bloody wrong." He lay there for an hour trying to get back to sleep, but his mind seemed too full of thoughts to allow it. He wondered what Ron would think of his latest dream or any of them for that matter. Most likely, Ron would find the ones that did not involve Hermione or Ginny very amusing. Harry was very certain Ron was having his own Hermione dreams, though probably not involving food all the time. Then again, knowing Ron and Ron's stomach so well, he just might combine his two loves on a regular nightly basis. He doubted Ron would appreciate his own Hermione dreams, but then perhaps there was an idea there. Ron was so blinded by the Krum factor that if perhaps another suitor were to announce an interest in Hermione, it might shock Ron into some positive action. Harry could feign some interest in Hermione without too much acting, perhaps those particular dreams of his could be useful for something after all. He dismissed the idea immediately. Things were going to be sticky enough with the Ginny Situation. Harry knew he was going to have to take things very slowly and very carefully IF he decided to pursue Ginny. There was so much to lose if he mucked it up; Ron's friendship, the affection of the entire Weasley clan, the wrath of six brothers all much larger than himself, and Ginny herself. She was after all the only daughter in a very close family and the youngest to boot. They might eventually forgive him if things didn't work out, but there would probably be permanent damage. Harry's closeness to the Weasleys was very possibly the most important thing in his life. His Seeker's eye saw the gray puff just before it crashed into the window pane and bounced off. Pig managed to bounce off the window three more times before Harry was able to open the window and let the owl in. Pig dropped off the letters from Ron and Ginny and flew out the window without even a drink of Hedwig's water. Harry turned on his desk lamp and then automatically reached for Ron's first: Harry, Expect a longer letter later. Ginny just asked to borrow Pig to send you a letter so I figured I'd scribble a quick note as well. Hope she isn't bothering you too much. ‘She's bothering the Hell out of me but not the way you mean.' If you don't mind, see if Hermione picked up any dried centipede. I'm out. I'm not going to send her anymore post so please thank her for me. I'm trying to accept the whole Victor business but it's very difficult. I don't trust him and I don't trust myself to keep quiet about it. ‘So now neither one of you is trying to talk to the other? Looks like a wonderful way to patch things up.' I'd say you should thank Hagrid for the gloves and make it clear you'll give them back if he should change his mind. Maybe comment on how much your dad's cloak means to you. ‘Not bad, Ron. About what I had in mind.' All for now, Ron Harry set Ron's note aside and picked up Ginny's. He smelled it. There was a faint floral odor. Not like she'd perfumed it but perhaps it was a scent that permeated her room and her things. Harry briefly wondered what Ginny's room looked like before his cheeks started to burn. He propped his pillow against the wall and lay up against it on his bed. Then he carefully opened the envelope so as to tear it as little as possible. Dear Harry, I have no other plans and would like very much to be a part of what ever mum and the others come up with. Thank you for thinking to include me. ‘I hope Ron doesn't say anything to her as to why he thinks I invited her.' Yes, I know what you mean about Ron and Hermione. He's been miserable and is making life similar for the rest of us. But, I don't think it is all his fault. Hermione really seemed to be rubbing Ron's nose in her trip to Bulgaria. And now she won't open his letters. No matter what else, they are still supposed to be friends and she isn't acting as such. The obvious first step is to get Ron to send Hermione a letter that isn't totally offensive to her and then to get Hermione to read it and answer. Catching a Snitch blindfolded would be easier. Harry smiled at the Snitch comment and wondered exactly how much Ron was biasing the story to Ginny in his favor. Was Hermione doing the same to Harry? How exactly had Ron got the wrong idea about her trip to the Continent? Hermione was the least deceptive person he knew, but she was also the most precise person he knew. At school, her essays were typically twice as long as assigned so she could fit all the details in. Was it likely she was unintentionally vague enough about her plans that Ron could have come to the conclusions he had? Very likely there was fault on both sides. Then Harry wondered if it would it be breaking Hermione's confidence by telling Ginny she had not gone to Bulgaria? Hermione had only told him not to set Ron straight. I'll do what I can on helping you "figure things out" as you say but can you be more specific? What exactly do you want to know? ‘I want to know if you smell as good as your letter. I want to know if your lips are really that soft, if your skin is really that silky, if your hair really feels like that when I run my fingers through it. I want to know everything about you in a million words or less. And mostly, do-you-still-like-me?" I'm glad you like the toad. Mum and I found it in a cute little curio shop and it made me think of what happened during that silly Valentine's celebration. I think I can laugh about it now but you'll have to try me in person sometime. I hope it gave you a smile at least. Gulp. "Try me in person?" ‘Oh my oh my.' Love, Ginny Harry smiled, she had "loved" him back.
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