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A Dream Unlocked | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Angst, Humor, Drama Warnings: Sexual Situations, Violence, Extreme Language, Dark Fiction Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 131 Summary: This adventure begins post 6th year. Harry is suddenly having nightmare's again despite his Occlumency training. He is uncertain of who is haunting his dreams, but knows he must help her. What unforeseen dangers are awaiting Harry in his nightmares and how will he unlock the mystery of the girl trapped inside his mind... A/N: The first 5 chapters have been revised with the development of a new chapter. I'm working with a beta now to improve this story. I hope you like the changes. Hitcount: Story Total: 69172; Chapter Total: 5266 |
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Chapter 6 Unspoken Wishes Ginny stared at Harry in disbelief as he resolutely held out his hand to her. His expression was tense and serious. Slowly she looked from his face to his outstretched palm and then as if in slow motion, she reached out and allowed his hand to close around hers. Before she could fully stand, Harry started towards the stairs with her in tow. Ginny’s heart beat quickened as she focused on the fact that Harry, the boy whom she’d secretly loved for years, was leading her to bed. She had fantasized about him saying those words so many times before, but of course the circumstances weren’t exactly what she had pictured in her fantasies. She struggled to rein in her emotions, but the touch of his hand caused a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had to get her thoughts and body in check before she said or did something she’d regret, that is if she hadn’t already. Ginny was thoroughly conflicted. Compounding the situation was his intense reaction to her admission of Riddle’s plans for her. Although she tried to conceal her feelings, Harry’s sudden burst of anger had frightened her on multiple levels. She was panic-stricken by what could happen if he stormed in there without the proper time to relax and gather his thoughts. In addition to her fear for Harry’s safety, she couldn’t help but wonder if his outburst meant something more. Does he finally see me as more than a friend? She wondered silently. Or possibly even more frightening, am I even ready for that? What if I can’t give him what he needs? He could push me away completely. Her thoughts opened avenues to terrifying, but exciting new possibilities. Now isn’t the time. She’d have to push her questions from her mind for now. There were more pressing matters at hand. He needed to be calm and focused as he entered the chamber of her dreams. Right now, she knew he was anything but calm. Harry stopped on the landing and turned to Ginny. The tension in his face began to ease a bit as he met her eyes. Sadness replaced anger as he dropped her hand and absorbed the anguish that plagued her features. The image of Riddle touching her and hurting her in ‘that way’ was burned into his imagination. He would be enraged by Riddle doing that to any girl, but this was Ginny. She was his friend, his best friend’s sister, and it ripped at his heart when she said that it was ‘worse than the Cruciatus Curse.’ Harry had been a recipient of that curse and the pain it caused was so unbearable he’d simply wished for death. The fact that she’d rather have that curse than Riddle’s hands on her was an absolutely shattering thought for Harry. Harry’s throat constricted and his heart ached when he considered the torture she had endured at Riddle’s hand. He marveled at her fortitude for living with the nightmare for so long. Gazing warmly down at the small, beautiful, girl before him, Harry wanted desperately to make it all go away for her. He wanted nothing more than to take away the pain and fear the same way that he wished so many times before that someone would make things go away for him. Ginny had shouldered this pain bravely for much too long and, from that moment on, Harry vowed to share her burden. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. In a low, gentle voice he spoke. “Ginny, wait,” he said, but was unsure of his next move. Acting on impulse he slowly he slid his hands up her arms and caressed her skin with the gentlest of touches. He glided his hands up past her shoulders and intertwined his fingers at the nape of her neck. He searched his mind for something, anything that would alleviate her nerves. As his breath slowly escaped from his lungs he leaned his forehead gently against hers in defeat. Words had failed him. She shuddered as she felt his warmth wash over her. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she tried to keep from physically shivering from his tenderness. She fought hard against the sudden need to wrap her arms around him. She slowly allowed her eyes to drift closed as she relaxed under his touch. Gradually he pulled back from her a bit and watched her expression as she released the tension from her face. He was struck by how incredible she looked and he wondered what it would be like to watch her sleep. When she opened her eyes, exhaling slowly, she met his gaze. It was completely mesmerizing. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening, she just knew that they were standing very close to each other. Close enough to feel him breathing against her skin and at the moment, she didn’t care much about being rescued in her dream. She was living a dream at that very moment and she didn’t want it to end. Harry sighed deeply as he stood before her. His mind raced wildly with everything that had happened that day. Could it have really been just this morning that he realized the girl in his dreams was Ginny? Then there was the matter of their conversation in the lounge. He had been thinking about one comment in particular as he led her up the stairs. She said she would do ‘anything’ for him. When he asked her why, her only response was “I think you know.” For Harry, it was a loaded comment. It could be interpreted in a couple of ways. He wondered if he was assuming too much to believe his first thought. Did she have feelings for him, even now? She wasn’t exactly eleven anymore. Surely she didn’t hold onto those feelings all these years. Did she? His mind raced back to an evening that he and Hermione had spent talking. Harry had always known Ginny had a bit of a crush on him when she was little, but she had gone on to date other boys. He thought she had gotten him out of her system. Now, looking down at her beautiful, brown, doe eyes, he wasn’t so sure. He kept replaying Hermione’s words over in his head. “Ginny’s moved on now, Harry.” He found himself selfishly wishing she hadn’t “moved on” as his heartbeat quickened at the closeness of her body. At this point he didn’t know for sure what he felt. His emotions were a tangled web of confusion. He knew he cared for Ginny. It started when he rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets, but it solidified when she refused to be left behind as he left for the Department of Mysteries in his fifth year. She had willingly risked her life then and he felt sure she’d do it again if the circumstances called for it. The facts were, you don’t experience what they had together and not form a bond. She had been much more than ‘Ron’s little sister’ for years. They had become good friends. She was fun and independent. He had found her great to talk to, especially when Ron and Hermione started in on each other. However, today he realized something new, something so obvious that he couldn’t understand why it hadn’t struck him sooner. He felt a need well up inside him, something much more primal. Today he realized she was no longer a little girl. She was a young woman, a young woman that he found very, very attractive. He had to work hard to resist the temptation to pounce on her during their chess game as he watched her lips as she spoke. The way she bit her lower lip as she contemplated her next move nearly drove him to the brink. How could such a simple act be so incredibly sexy? Then there was her hair. He followed it as she moved. He felt a surge in his body as he watched her innocently sweep it back behind her ear as she considered her next chess move. She looked so innocent and so completely unaware of the fantasies that were racing through his hormone-injected mind. But where could this really lead? He asked himself. It wouldn’t be fair to tell her I think I fancy her then up and get myself killed within the year, perhaps even sooner. The last thing Harry wanted was to hurt her more. Regardless of how he felt, or how she may feel about him, this was for the best. No, it’s better if she never knows. Ginny was beginning to squirm as Harry stood gazing down at her. His silence lasted longer than he intended and the tension between them had been steadily increasing. Ginny cleared her throat and asked quietly, “Wha…what is it Harry?” He snapped back to the present and focused on her beautiful eyes as she looked up at him. Worry spread unchecked across her face as she asked, “Have you…er…changed your mind? If you have, it’s okay, I understand. I know the last thing you want to do is face him again. It seems you always have to rescue me and I don’t blame you if…” She had begun to ramble and Harry cut her off. “No Ginny! Of course I haven’t changed my mind! I would do anything to help you. You’re my friend.” What he had really wanted to say was “you’re beautiful, and if the table and chess board hadn’t separated us, I may have lost all control and simply kissed you until we forgot our names.” Instead he just sighed, as the words stayed lodged in his mind. He cast around for something else to say and added, “I just wanted to say that maybe you should give me a few minutes, you know, before you try to sleep. I need to calm down a bit or I’ll never be able to join you.” That was not a lie actually. He didn’t think he would be able to just go in and fall right to sleep. He wasn’t the least bit tired. He was agitated from hearing what Tom had done to her, and in all honesty, a bit rattled from her standing so close to him. Harry noted a look of what appeared to be disappointment on her face as she said, “Oh right. I guess I’ll need a little time to relax before drifting off, as well. If you’re sure that’s all then?” “Er…yeah. That’s all, unless you wanted to say something else.” He didn’t know what he expected, but he hoped that she’d give him a reason not to leave. She looked up at him wanting to cry out to him, to slowly brush her lips against his, but she was sure he didn’t have the same feelings that she did. He never had. To him she was just a friend. He had said so himself. She tried to put the thought of his touch out of her mind. He was so tender, almost loving as he had caressed her. He had awakened her senses as he gently brushed against her neck. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he had wanted more than to comfort her, but she was sure that’s all it really was. She’d seen him hold Hermione to comfort her before too, hadn’t she? Suddenly she wasn’t so sure. Keeping her emotions and hopes in check she attempted to convince herself that Harry was just being, well Harry. Besides, she couldn’t help but feel it would be very selfish of her to tell him about her feelings now. It wouldn’t be right to put more pressure on him, not when he’s about to face Riddle. Hoping he hadn’t noticed the hitch in her breathing when he touched her one last time before lowering his hands she answered, “Um…I guess we should just go in, lie down, and wait for sleep.” “Er…Yeah, well see you soon then,” Harry answered. “Okay...” she responded quietly as she wondered what was happening. Where is he going? She thought. Since the beginning of their discussions she assumed that he would spend the night with her. Well, at least that they would sleep in the same room. She’d been bolstered during the day by the notion that he’d be close to her as she entered her dream. She mentally kicked herself as she realized she had obviously misunderstood his intentions. Thankfully she hadn’t said anything that revealed her false impressions, but that didn’t erase the fact that going to bed alone was now more daunting than ever. He sensed hesitation in her voice. “Ginny, are you going to be okay?” he asked in a last ditch effort to prolong his departure. If she gives me any indication that she needs me here, I’m not leaving. He thought hoping that she’d ask him to stay. The fact was, Harry didn’t like the idea of being down the hall, but didn’t know how she’d feel about sharing her bed or at least her room with him for the night. Plus, there was the small matter of her twin brothers. If they caught Harry sleeping with Ginny, no matter how innocent it looked, he was pretty sure that jovial banter and Tri-Wizard winnings wouldn’t cut it. No with Fred and George, all bets would be off. Harry wouldn’t have the chance to find out. Unfortunately, for them both, Ginny chose to put up a strong front. “I’ll be fine, really. It helps to know that you’ll be coming. I’ll be waiting for you.” She smiled weakly and then said, “Good night.” “Good night Ginny.” He opened her bedroom door and stood by as he watched her enter her room and close the door behind her. As the door clicked shut he let the air ease out of his lungs as his eyes closed. He stood at her door for a second leaning against the frame. All he could think about was how close he came to leaning down to kiss her when he leaned his forehead against hers. She felt so good in his hands. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and through his disheveled hair trying to wipe the thoughts from his mind. Sighing resolutely he slowly turned and headed quietly to his room down the hall. Harry moved inside, shutting the door to lean against it. He sighed in frustration as he felt the weight of his emotions slowly closing in on him. Fear, anger, sadness, desire — so many feelings rolled into one. His thoughts were reeling and his heart was pounding. Harry was finding it a struggle to wipe the lingering effects of Ginny from his mind. The smell of her hair and the softness of her skin were paralyzing. Wanting her wasn’t going to save her and it was probably going to drive him mad, especially if just one evening was any indication of what she could unwittingly do to him. He decided then and there that he needed to keep his distance from her. That wasn’t exactly going to be easy with them spending the next 5 weeks together in the same house. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t know how long he’d have to continue to enter her dreams. He decided to worry about that later. There were more pressing matters at hand at the moment as he remembered what had been troubling him for weeks now as he slept He couldn’t let Voldemort win this round. He had to get a grip on himself. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. Tom Riddle was up to something and it was time he found out what. A/N: Thank you to my wonderfully creative betas, Tante and Sonicdale, who always offer me lots of food for thought |
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