If someone had told Ginny that she would hex Malfoy, fly a Thestral, and infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, all in the same day, she would probably not have believed them. But here she was, riding an invisible creature, flying across the Scottish landscape, heading towards London at great speed. And she wasn’t scared, she felt determined. If Sirius was in trouble, like Harry had said he was, she wanted to help.

Harry and Ron had tried to keep her from coming along, of course. But when Ginny had looked straight into Harry’s eyes and said, “Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do�, he’d given her an almost imperceptible nod. He understood her at that moment and knew how much she cared about Sirius.

When they reached the Ministry of Magic, Ginny pinned her badge, which said, ‘Ginny Weasley, Rescue Mission’, to the front of her shirt. When they tumbled into the main hall, Ginny hadn’t expected the Ministry to look so empty. She had only come to the Ministry once before, with her father, on a Family Day when she was seven years old. The interiors looked much the same, but Ginny had never seen it so deserted.

Harry led them down to the corridor from his dreams and before they knew it, they were in a room with many doors. As they moved to try different doors, they spotted things that were beyond explanation, objects that intrigued them. Ginny was mesmerised specifically by the arch, where she thought she could hear voices. Harry insisted that he could too and Neville was also staring intently at the arch, but they were pulled away from it by Hermione.

When they finally reached the right room, Ginny wordlessly saw the dusty glass orbs that sat atop shelves upon shelves. She wondered whether she could extend her hand and touch one before Neville shot her a disapproving look.

“Keep your wands ready,� Harry warned over his shoulder. Ginny gripped her wand tighter as they moved together towards row ninety-seven. But when they reached, Sirius was nowhere to be seen. Ginny was looking back and forth between the rows, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sirius. But when Harry started fumbling as well, she knew that he had been tricked. Sirius was never here.

And then Ron pointed to something on the shelves, making Ginny look up - Harry’s name on one of the orbs. And then Harry picked it.

“Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me.�

Ginny turned around to see black figures appearing around them all. A gasp escaped her mouth before she could stop it - they were surrounded by Death Eaters. She heard a mocking laugh. She turned to look - a woman with wild hair and a crazed look in her eyes. Ginny recognised her in an instant; she was Bellatrix Lestrange. She felt Neville shudder, pressed up against her left, half his body shielding her from the Death Eaters. She felt a surge of gratitude and affection towards him.

“Very well - take the smallest one,� Bellatrix said as she pointed straight at Ginny. “Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I’ll do it.�

Before Ginny could point her wand at the woman, she felt her friends circle her protectively. Harry stepped up in front of her, his back pressing close to her. She knew at that moment that any of her friends, including Harry, would protect her at all costs. And she wanted to do the same for them. Ginny kept her wand up, ready to fight.

When Harry shouted, “NOW�, she held up her wand and threw her all into a Reductor curse. Chaos ensued and she ran right behind Luna and Ron, trying to save herself from the glass orbs that were raining down on them. She could hear the feet chasing them but she forced herself not to look back and kept running.

She knew, throwing a panicked look in the direction of where Harry and Hermione were running that Luna and Ron had taken the wrong direction. But Ginny continued to follow her brother - whether it was because she wanted to protect him or because she wanted him to protect her, she wasn’t entirely sure. But having her brother nearby was a huge source of comfort as she was being chased by Death Eaters.

She saw a green light flash next to her and she dove out of the way. She knew that this was a curse that could have taken her life in an instant. She looked over her shoulder and cried, “Confringo,� pointing in the direction of the masked Death Eater behind her. He was blasted back with force and hit one of the shelves with a groan. Ginny didn’t stay back to appreciate her handiwork and kept running, following Luna and Ron through one of the doors.

They ran into a new room, containing what looked like planets, with no light but what was emanating from the celestial bodies. The celestial bodies sparkled and glowed in colours beyond what Ginny could have imagined - if the situation had been different, she might have wanted to stop and admire the view. But she knew that she didn’t have the time. And then, everything happened rather quickly.

Ginny could hardly see anything, but she heard it when Ron was hit by a curse, followed by laughter. She felt someone grab her ankle, and Luna cursed him, but with the force with which Pluto exploded, Ginny felt her ankle crack, and then searing pain, which made her scream.

“Fuck,� Ginny couldn’t help but exclaim when she tried to put weight on her busted ankle. Luna put her arms around her and they were running again, as fast as they could manage. Ginny could hear heavy footsteps still behind her, so she grabbed Ron by his collar and pulled him along with her and Luna.

Soon, they made it back to Harry, Neville, and Hermione. But whatever relief Ginny had felt at being reunited, didn’t last long. She could see that Hermione was badly injured, making her heart thud furiously in fear. And then Ron was being attacked by a brain. Ginny screamed, watching her brother wrestle with tentacles that were grasping his entire body in a tight, painful hold. She saw her panic reflected in Harry’s eyes, but before she could do anything about it, a jet of light hit Ginny in the face, and she knew no more.

HGHGHGHG

When Ginny opened her eyes, she blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright light in the room. The first thing she saw was Madam Pomphrey hovering over her. She looked around rapidly, trying to make sense of how she made it back to Hogwarts. She saw that Ron and Hermione were passed out in beds next to each other’s. Both looked worse for wear, but alive and well on the whole, which relaxed her a bit.

On her other side, Neville sat on a bed, looking mostly okay but with some cuts and bruises on his face. Luna was sleeping in a bed next to Neville’s, little content snores escaping her nostrils.

Ginny sat up, but the movement made her ankle throb with pain.

“I would advise you to keep lying down, Miss Weasley. I’ve fixed the ankle but it will trouble you for a few hours.� Madam Pomphrey handed her a small vial of potion. “For the pain.�

Ginny drank it without question and grimaced at the horrid taste. Madam Pomphrey walked away. So Ginny turned to Neville.

“Neville, what happened? How are we here?�

Neville shifted uncomfortably.

“Well, Dumbledore was there. And a lot of other people showed up. Professor Lupin, and a few other people.� Ginny gestured for him to say more. “I think Sirius Black was there.�

“He was?� Ginny sucked in a breath. “So the Order showed up?�

“The Order?�

“The Order of the Phoenix,� Ginny explained, finally remembering that Neville knew nothing about the resurgence of the secret society. “The new one. Sirius is a part of it. So is Professor Lupin.�

“Oh,� Neville said and then nodded just a bit. “Well, it seemed like Sirius Black was friends with Harry.� Ginny said, “Yes, Sirius is his godfather. He was best friends with Harry’s dad in school.�

Neville darted his gaze back towards her. “So he wasn’t a Death Eater?�

“No, he was wrongfully sent to Azkaban.� Ginny didn’t like Neville’s tone. She was getting impatient. “Neville, where’s Harry? What happened?� It didn’t seem like a good sign that Harry was nowhere to be seen. Was he caught, hurt, or worse?

“Harry’s okay, Dumbledore took him, I think,� Neville said, making Ginny take a deep breath of relief. “But Ginny,� Neville continued with a shift of tone in his voice. “Sirius Black is dead.�

Ginny blinked, the air sucked out of her.

Sirius Black is dead.

“No,� Ginny whispered. “What do you mean, Neville?� She wanted Neville to tell her otherwise. Maybe he was confused, he didn’t know Sirius at all, did he? He could have seen someone else.

“Well, I saw Bellatrix. They were fighting each other.� Neville’s jaw was set when he talked about Bellatrix. “And then she killed him. Harry saw it. He, er, Sirius Black, he fell into that veil. And he, sort of, disappeared.�

Ginny’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“No, no, no, no,� she kept repeating. She hid her face in her hands as tears began pouring down her face. Sirius, who had always made her laugh, who had opened his house to her family, who had been Harry’s only family. NO!

Ginny had always felt a weird connection with Sirius. He was one of those few adults who had never treated her like a child. He had understood her and she had always felt that maybe she understood him. While Ginny hadn’t ever told Sirius about the incident with the diary, she had somehow felt that with how much time he had spent around dementors, he was perhaps one of the few people she knew who would understand what it felt like to have your mind invaded against your will.

And now, he was gone.

Ginny wanted to scream at the injustice of it all.

Ginny wiped her tears bitterly. She felt anger and pain, but it was nothing compared to what Harry must be feeling. She felt another wave of ache in her stomach and fresh tears poured out of her. Tears for Harry, who had lost the closest thing he had to a family, but most of all, for Sirius, who had been offered another chance at life, only for it to be wrenched away.

Neville was now standing right next to where she sat on her bed. He patted her on her shoulder gently, letting her cry it out. She had never allowed herself to cry like this in front of anyone. But somehow, this time, she didn’t care. It was too painful, too unfair!

She let herself lean into Neville’s torso and drenched his shirt in her tears.

HGHGHGHG

Ginn y was hiding at the shore of the Black Lake, avoiding her parents who were visiting Ron at the hospital wing, as well as her dorm mates, who by now, had probably heard the rumours of their visit to the Ministry. She didn’t feel ready to answer the barrage of accusations her mother was sure to hurl at her or the questions her friends would pose when they realised where she’d been.

But someone did figure out where she was.

She was surprised when Michael sat down beside her. She could never have predicted that he knew that the Black Lake was her favourite spot to brood, especially since she didn’t do that very often.

“I don’t want to talk, Michael,� Ginny said, trying to be as calm as she could manage. They had broken up recently, and not in the most mature way. The last time they’d talked was when he had picked a fight with her over her victory against Ravenclaw. She had brushed him off harshly and he had rushed off to comfort Cho, who was crying after the loss. The exams had distracted them both and they hadn’t seen much of each other since. Ginny had simply assumed it was over and done with and that they didn’t need an official talk.

In other circumstances, she might have felt more of a loss at the end of her first relationship. Michael was someone who had helped heal her heart and her self-esteem, after the cruel rejection from her lifelong crush. He had been exactly what she needed - a boyfriend who made her feel wanted and popular. But she would be lying if she said that she hadn’t realised that she and Michael had never been a good match. For her, it was the thrill of being with someone that she had been chasing.

But she didn’t want to pretend anymore. Despite their differences, Michael was a good person, and she’d been anything but an ideal girlfriend. If Cho made him happy, she was no one to stop him.

“I just wanted to check if you’re okay,� Michael said. “I heard Ron is still in the hospital wing?�

“Yeah, he’s in a bit of a bad shape.�

“I’m sorry,� Michael whispered, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I, er, just wanted to talk about us.� He pulled some grass off the ground. “I don’t know if you heard about me and Cho?�

“I did.�

“I don’t want us to end on a bad note, Ginny. You were my first girlfriend, but I just, I always felt like I wasn’t what you were looking for.�

Ginny couldn’t gather the energy to be mad at him.

“It’s okay, Michael,� she said. “I’m not mad at you for moving on. We weren’t working for a while. And, it’s not like I was a very good girlfriend.� Ginny chuckled a bit. Michael smiled but didn’t correct her. “But you were a nice boyfriend. And I did like you. I just don’t think that either of us are well-matched.�

“You’re right there.�

“I’m sorry that it didn’t work out,� Ginny said and then pressed her hand to his shoulder. “But I had fun with you. And I don’t regret being with you.�

“Good, me too.�

Michael only sat with her for a few seconds more, before he gave her a brief side hug, and then walked away, disappearing into the castle.

By the time Ginny made it back to the Common Room, it was midnight. She felt relieved when she saw that the room was deserted. She settled on her favourite chair near the fireplace. She didn’t know if she wanted to be back in her dorm tonight. She simply lay back in the chair and let her head fall back.

Ginny didn’t know how long she had been asleep but she awoke to Harry leaning over her. He jerked back a bit when he saw that she was awake. Their faces were much too close, Ginny thought, and she could see the redness of his eyes. He seemed exhausted, which was probably the least of his troubles.

“I was hoping you’d be here,� Harry said, standing back up straight and stepping away from her a bit. “Dumbledore gave me this back,� he held up his Firebolt, “and I was hoping we could go for another midnight fly.�

Ginny was confused.

“Why? We don’t have Quidditch till next year.�

Ginny didn’t think it was possible, but Harry laughed.

“So you were only using me for my Seeker skills?� Harry held out his hand. “Come on, humour me. I want to get away for a bit.�

Well, if he wanted to get away, who was she to stop him?

They made their way down the familiar route. Harry hadn’t even bothered with the Invisibility Cloak this time. The term was almost at an end. And Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that Harry didn’t care if they were caught.

When they reached the Quidditch pitch, Ginny regretted not picking up her own broom before coming down. Now that Harry had his Firebolt back, they could actually fly together, instead of taking turns. Not that Ginny would mind having a go at the Firebolt.

“So I guess I’ll sit here and wait for you to come back.�

Harry gave her a bewildered look.

“Don’t be stupid. Let’s fly together.�

“I didn’t bring my broom.�

“So?�

Harry straddled his broom. He made some space for her and gestured in front of him.

“Hop on.� Ginny couldn’t believe that this was happening. Eleven-year-old Ginny would have collapsed at the idea of being on the same broom as Harry Potter. “There’s space enough for us both.� He ruffled her hair in a way that would have annoyed Ginny, had it been someone else. “You’re small.�

He was smiling too much, too forcefully, Ginny thought to herself. Maybe it was how he was trying to deal with everything. She didn’t know how to act around him. Friendly? Sympathetic?

Ginny swatted his hand away but sat in front of him on the Firebolt, trying to keep as much distance between them as she could manage. But Harry put his arms around her and gripped the broom in the front, her back fit snugly against his chest.

And then they were flying.

To say that the Firebolt was a huge upgrade was an understatement. Ginny felt like she had experienced flying for the first time again. The wind on her face, Harry’s warmth enveloping her body, and the thrill of flying in the night sky brought a wide grin to Ginny’s face. She gulped large helpings of the Scottish air into her mouth and laughed. She thought she heard Harry laugh as well, but the sound of the wind was loud enough that she wasn’t sure.

Being high in the air, the dark castle looming against the grey sky, Ginny felt lighter than she had since the Ministry. But the desire to laugh came with a helping of guilt. She swallowed back a sudden urge to burst into tears. No, you can’t be weak around Harry. He needs you more. Pull yourself together, Ginny admonished herself.

After a while, Ginny gripped the front of the broom over Harry’s hands, wanting to take over the steering. Harry must have understood what she wanted because his fingers loosened their grip on the wooden shaft slightly.

When they finally made it back to the ground, the moon had all but disappeared over the treeline. Harry got off first, followed by Ginny. They looked at each other and shared a smile and before Ginny could suggest heading back to the Common Room, Harry sat right down on the field, tapping the spot next to him. She rested his Firebolt on the ground and sat down.

Ginny wondered if she should say something. What could you say to someone who had experienced the kind of grief that Harry had experienced? Were there even any words that made someone feel better about losing family? No, there wasn’t anything.

So Ginny took his hand and squeezed, hard.

Harry looked at her in surprise and something that looked like gratitude. He squeezed back.

She wouldn’t make him repeat the pain he was going through. They could just sit together and enjoy the silence.

That night, they spent more than an hour out there, neither of them feeling the need for words. And maybe that is what Harry had wanted. To be quiet with someone, to be vulnerable. And when she heard his muted sobs in the darkness, she held his hand tighter but did not say a single word. Whatever comfort Harry had sought with her that night, she was more than happy to provide.

HGHGHGHG

On the day before they were to board the Hogwarts Express back home, Ginny was cornered by Dean in the Common Room.

“Hey Ginny,� Dean said, giving her a small wave. “I was wondering if I could write to you this summer.�

Ginny looked up at him, confused. Ginny and Dean were friendly acquaintances at best, the kind that discussed Quidditch or the latest gossip around school but had very little else to talk about. Why would Dean want to write to her?

Dean must have read the confusion on her face because he quickly explained, “I heard that you’ve split up with that Corner bloke from Ravenclaw.� Ginny felt a blush creeping up her face. Oh, she thought. “And I’ve always sort of fancied you.�

“Always?� She couldn’t help but ask.

“I mean, for a while now.�

“Did you fancy me when you made fun of me at the Yule Ball?�

“What?� Dean seemed like he couldn’t place her jab at first but then he straightened himself up and said, “Oh. No, I mean. I’ve fancied you since we started the DA meetings, I guess. You’re good at Quidditch, and you’re a great fighter.�

“So you like me for my Quidditch and duelling skills?� At this point, Ginny was enjoying seeing the man stutter, trying to find the right words.

“I just think you’re cool and that I’d like to get to know you.�

“Okay,� Ginny said, giving Dean a genuine smile. She didn’t think that she wanted to date anyone anytime soon, but the summer was going to be long, and she didn’t mind receiving letters from Dean. He was easy on the eyes, and was a fun guy to be around. “You can write to me this summer.�

Dean beamed at her and wandered away.

When she saw that Harry was looking her way, staring at the spot that Dean had just deserted, she thought nothing of it.

After all, she had no way of knowing then that Harry had spent days coming to terms with the death of his godfather and the reality of the prophecy. And during those days, Harry had reached yet another, less frightening realisation - life was too short to pretend that he wasn’t falling for Ginny Weasley.