“The thing about growing up with Fred and George,� Ginny said thoughtfully, “is that you sort of start thinking that anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.�

Harry felt hopeful after a long time, Ginny simply had that effect on him. Too much had gone wrong for him - Dumbledore’s Army was finished, Dumbledore had been forced away from the school, Cho was no longer speaking to him (this one he wasn’t that cut up about), and he had messed up his Occlumency lessons beyond saving. But more than all this, it was Snape’s memory that had taken over his consciousness entirely.

He didn’t want to believe that his father could have been a bully, but Snape’s memory had shown him just that. And he couldn’t help but question his parents’ relationship entirely. His mother had looked like she had hated James, so how could they have ever fallen in love and gotten married?

He had too many questions in his mind that he needed to ask Sirius. So when Ginny suggested that they find a way to contact him, he allowed himself to feel a bit of hope. Maybe it had something to do with the chocolate he was eating or maybe it was the redhead in front of him with a determined look on her face.

He didn’t have much time to ponder it as Madam Pince chased them outside the library. By the time Harry and Ginny reached the Common Room, they were both doubling over with laughter. They collapsed into their regular chairs by the fireplace and slowly simmered down. Harry threw Ginny a very fond grin. She had this uncanny ability to pull him from his moods and he couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful.

“So,� Ginny said and held out another piece of chocolate to him. “What’s up with you and Cho? I saw her scowling at dinner last night.�

Harry groaned loudly and fell back into his chair.

“I’m pretty sure we’re done,� Harry said, looking back up at Ginny. “We haven’t really talked about it officially, but I don’t see how we can ever go back to dating after all that has happened.�

“You mean Hermione? Does Cho still think that you like Hermione?�

“Yes, but that’s not even the biggest problem,� Harry said forcefully. “It’s Marietta. Cho was defending her.�

“That snitch?� Ginny crossed her arms against her chest in indignation. “How does Cho work that one out?�

“She said that Marietta’s mother works for the Ministry so it’s not the same for her.�

Ginny sucked in a loud breath.

“Our dad works in the Ministry. None of us betrayed the DA.�

“That’s exactly what I said.�

“So that’s it then? You’re through?�

“I think it was going downhill for a while anyway.�

“Oh well, it’s her loss, isn’t it?� Ginny looked at him with a kind smile, making Harry feel better about himself.

“You think so?� Harry asked, feeling a bit vulnerable.

Ginny snorted a bit, but not in an unkind way, before saying, “Of course, Harry. There’s just someone better suited for you out there. Someone with way better duelling skills, mind you.� This made Harry laugh but also made him think just how much he wanted to be with someone who understood him, someone who made him laugh, someone who could make him forget the troubles in his life, someone like Ginny.

“And also, maybe someone who doesn’t cry while kissing you.�

Harry was taken aback.

“You saw that?�

“She was crying all over you, it was difficult not to see.�

And then, without control, Harry thought about what it would be like to kiss Ginny…

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. No, it was just a reaction to him spending more time with her, wasn’t it? He and Ginny had been slowly becoming friends, so it was natural for him to wonder. He’d never been close with a girl before, except Hermione, who was too much like an annoying sister for him to ever have wondered about her like that. But Ginny was different, wasn’t she?

Try as he might, he couldn’t get himself to think of her as a sister.

“Harry, you OK?� Ginny snapped him out of his train of thought.

“No, er, I mean, yes, I’m fine,� Harry said, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t give away his musings about how wonderfully perfect Ginny could be for him. “My scar is just hurting a bit.� Yes, that was a good excuse, and not entirely a lie.

“Oh,� Ginny drew her eyebrows together in concern. She extended her hand and kept it on his knees; he tried to ignore the tingle he felt in his skin. “Is it bad? Are you still having those nightmares?�

“Er yeah, some nights.�

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.

“You know you can lie to Ron and Hermione, but I can see through you.�

“I’m not-.�

“Fine, don’t tell me. But do something about them.�

“I can’t. Snape won’t give me any more Occlumency lessons.�

“Why not?�

Harry swallowed. He hadn’t meant to tell anyone the truth, but it had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. He didn’t know what it was about Ginny that made him say things that he wouldn’t have probably said otherwise. First, his worries about Sirius’s drinking, and now, his failure at the Occlumency lessons.

Ginny waited.

“I’m rubbish at them, it’s pointless,� he said and shrugged his shoulder to try and casually disregard her concern.

“That’s why Snape is supposed to teach you,� Ginny said, her voice taking on a very Mrs Weasley-esque quality. “Is he being a greasy git as usual?�

“Yeah, sort of,� Harry began but then decided to tell her the truth. “This time, I might be the git though.�

“What did you do?�

So Harry told her how he’d spied on one of Snape’s memories. And he also told her exactly what he’d seen in it. As he recalled the tale, Ginny’s face became more and more serious. She had a hard look on her face as if she was trying to control her emotions.

“And don’t say that they were just fifteen-.�

“I won’t say that,� Ginny said, putting up her palm to stop him. “You’re fifteen and you’ve never done that to someone.�

That made Harry deflate a bit, thankful that someone understood his concern.

“I’m not saying this to defend your dad or Sirius, Harry,� Ginny began, in a soothing and patient voice, “but do you really think that Snape would have just taken that stuff lying down? I just know that there’s more to this than what you saw in that Pensieve. I think it’s best that you withhold judgment until you’ve spoken to Sirius.�

Harry wasn’t sure. He was still feeling a painful lump in his stomach at what he had seen, and he didn’t think that Ginny would understand. He had looked up to his father for so long, and now, he wasn’t sure if he could do that anymore.

Almost as if Ginny were a talented Legilimens and could see right through Harry’s thoughts, she spoke, “I know what you must be feeling, Harry. But there’s always more to a person than one incident. That could have just been one of those moments for him. A lot of people do bad things without it being who they are.� She took his hand and squeezed it. “If someone were to jump into my memory of the Yule Ball, you’d come off as pretty bad, wouldn’t you? But that one night doesn’t define who you are. I mean, look at us, we’re friends now. Who would have thought?�

Ginny bringing up the Yule Ball made Harry rethink things. He would have thought that being compared with his dad would have made him feel bad, but it had the opposite effect. He felt a bit lighter. Ginny was right - one bad day didn’t define anyone’s life. Harry had been an insensitive git that night, hadn’t he? He’d crushed Ginny’s heart in a way that he wouldn’t have wished on anyone.

“I’m not saying that it’s the same thing. I just mean that there are always multiple angles to a story. In your version, you were having a private conversation, which you never meant for me to hear. In mine, my one true crush broke my heart,� Ginny said, a bit bitterly. But then she laughed at herself to shirk off just how vulnerable she’d been at that moment. “But someone would be stupid to judge your entire life on a single bad choice.�

Harry realised that there was a part of Ginny that hadn’t forgiven him for that night. To be honest, he hadn’t expected it to be that easy either.

Harry wanted to say something. Something that would tell her exactly how much he regretted that night, how much he wanted to go back and not say what he had said. But he couldn’t manage the words. More than a year later, he was still a coward when it came to Ginny Weasley.

So he just cleared his throat and said, “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Ginny.�

Ginny pulled her hand back from his, leaving him feeling bereft at the loss of touch.

“I’ll get going then,� she said and got up abruptly. “I do have to finish my Potions essay. Hermione said she’d check it for me, and I have to be honest, I’m more scared of her than I am of Snape.�

Harry laughed.

Before Ginny could leave, he said, “Please don’t say anything about me ruining Occlumency lessons to Hermione. She’ll never let me forget it.�

“Ha, I can see how she’d want to drag you back to Snape herself,� Ginny chuckled. “I won’t tell her, and I’ll help you with Sirius. But you’re raking up quite the debt, Mr Potter. Be careful, I might just encash it for something big.�

Her eyes sparkled and Harry lost himself in them for a bit.

“Whatever you want,� he simply replied.

“You might regret that,� Ginny warned.

“Maybe.�

Ginny threw him one last smile, which he returned.

“See you, Harry.�

She walked away, leaving him behind in his flurry of emotions.

He knew that new feelings were bubbling up in him that he needed to explain to himself. But he also knew that there was just too much going on for him to name them at the moment. For now, he’d make himself happy by enjoying Ginny’s friendship, which was becoming a constant source of comfort.

No matter what, he wasn’t ready to let go of that yet.

HGHGHGHG

Harry had terribly mixed feelings about meeting Grawp, but his mind wasn’t occupied by the dilemma for long. Seeing the unexpected victory Gryffindor had scraped against Ravenclaw, thus securing them the Quidditch Cup, Harry and Hermione had decided to keep Grawp’s news to themselves for the time being.

They both headed back towards the Common Room, expecting that the loud victory procession would have reached Gryffindor Tower by now. Harry walked through the portrait hole, following Hermione closely. As soon as they entered, they were greeted with loud cheers. They both spotted Ron, who was waving the Quidditch Cup proudly; Angelina was beaming at him with tears in her eyes.

Before they could even reach Ron, another redheaded figure ran towards them and embraced Hermione tightly.

“We did it, we did it,� Ginny screamed, her arms gripping Hermione, who was patting Ginny affectionately on her back. “And Ron was amazing.� Harry knew that normally, Ginny wouldn’t be caught dead praising her brother, but the occasion probably called for it. Ginny finally parted from Hermione and turned to Harry.

She almost pulled Harry into a hug with excitement, but then stopped midway. They were friends, yes, but he saw that she didn’t feel comfortable enough to hug Harry yet, no matter how much he was internally wishing that she would.

He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder and said, “Great game.�

Ginny gave him what looked like an unsure smile, and said, “Thanks.�

“I knew you had it in you, Ron,� Angelina was proudly exclaiming. “I just knew I had seen the potential. You would have made Oliver proud with your performance tonight.�

Ron blushed profusely and grinned so wide that Harry thought it must have hurt his cheeks.

Ron began to talk about the match and his various saves in earnest and Angelina joined in as well, talking about her favourite moments of the match. Everyone agreed that Cho throwing a fit after her loss to Ginny was a highlight of the match. At her mention, Harry stole a glance at Ginny, who was grinning over the rim of her butterbeer glass. Her windswept hair and sunkissed cheeks made Harry feel giddy. Why hadn’t he ever realised just how pretty she was?

Their eyes met, just for a second, before Harry averted his gaze.

Harry didn’t know whether it was the euphoria of the Quidditch victory, the fact that his dad wasn’t the bully he had thought him to be, the buzz of his butterbeer, or the fact that Ginny now regularly smiled at him the way she did, but he felt happier than he had in a long, long time.

But as was common in Harry’s life, the feeling didn’t last very long.