| �I had a premonition,� the note on the paper said. Harry�s green eyes darted out the tip of his glasses to read the parchment in front of him. �That this class was going to be a waste of time.� Harry snickered, dipping his eagle feather quill pen into his bottle of blue ink and writing back. He pushed the parchment over to Ron. It read, �You don�t have to have a premonition to figure that out.� The two laughed for a few seconds before they heard Professor Trelawney�s floaty voice from above them. �Is there something you two would like to share with the rest of the class, or do I need to use my inner eye to determine the problem instead?� Ron and Harry exchanged a commiserating look. Ron, however, was the one who took the bold step. �I don�t know. Why don�t you amaze us?� Not realizing she was being made fun of, Trelawney�s gigantic bug eyes widened in excitement at the prospect of giving an actual reading. She narrowed her eyes at Ron analyzing his face and attitude. He was staring at her with a mock form of attention. She cleared her throat. �Since we are discussing premonitions�� she began, while Ron rolled his eyes and looked away. �I have had one about a young, red-haired boy� sixteen or seventeen� and a girl the same age,� she reported. Ron was interested and looked up immediately. �This girl is intelligent and very pretty� in your eyes, anyhow. You and she will have a grand relationship, you see?� Harry scoffed loudly. �Are you kidding?� Professor Trelawney turned to Harry and glared at him. �The inner eye never kids, Mr. Potter.� He shook his head in response. �It�s just that everyone knows he�s dating Hermione Granger, the smartest witch in our year. They�ve been together since fifth year.� She glared hard at Harry, obviously not liking the idea of being challenged. �And what about you, Mr. Potter? What does my inner eye hold for you?� �Well, if it says I�m going to die tomorrow, I�d rather not know,� he said, loud enough to result in a few chuckles from Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. She acted as if she hadn�t heard him. �My premonition for you, Harry Potter, is not one of death, though I sense its ominous clouds billowing overhead. It draws closer and closer� but this is not of my foreboding senses. Not today, at least.� Harry scoffed again, growing wearisome of her antics. She sighed, using a dramatic silence for effect. �I see a person in your future, Harry� a very familiar person. Someone you don�t notice often. You will soon see this person in a new light�� As much as Harry wanted to drown out her words and false predictions, he couldn�t help but be a little intrigued. There was someone in his future? Someone familiar? Someone he�d finally notice? Who in his life was like that? But before he had a chance to think about it anymore, the bell rang for the end of class. They all stood up and Harry followed Ron distractedly. They got down into the hallway and made their way out of the North Tower. Ron looked around, obviously making sure Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown weren�t there to hear anything. �Can you believe that miserable old bat?� he seethed angrily. �Trying to embarrass us in front of the entire class! It was lucky you stepped in when you did. I really didn�t want to hear anything she had to say about Hermione and me.� His eyes lit up suddenly. �That reminds me! I�ve got to meet Hermione before we go to dinner. I�ll be right there.� Ron took off before giving Harry a second glance. After two years of dating, Ron and Hermione still acted the way they did when they first realized they were in love. It gave Harry hope to see such love and devotion. Especially in the dark times that they had recently been living in. But Harry had something much more pressing on his mind. It had to do with what Professor Trelawney said. Did her prediction really have any bearing? Did it honestly mean anything? He didn�t know of anyone he didn�t notice, but then again, that was the problem. He felt distracted all through dinner. No one was making any sudden moves to talk to him. Hermione was trying her hardest to read some of her book and Ron was trying his hardest to make her talk to him. Of course, she had read the book numerous times and didn�t mind the slight distraction. Ron would occasionally lean over, pull the edge of the book out from under her, and she�d turn around to pound him in the chest, smiling all the while. Every so often Ron would grab her hand and kiss her unexpectedly. The kiss was always warm and inviting. Harry laughed at his friends� antics, but couldn�t help feeling a pang of jealousy. He wanted to feel that kind of love and devotion for someone. Of course, he was devoted to his friends and loved them very much, but it wasn�t the same. He wanted someone the way Ron and Hermione had each other. He happened to look up at the exact moment that a girl caught his eye. She had a very familiar face, but startling nonetheless. It was Ginny Weasley. She was carrying a stack of books that resembled Hermione�s usual reading material. Her face was set in a wide grin and her brown eyes sparkled with life. She sat down next to her group of sixth-year friends, answering questions in her own animated way. She was laughing, exposing all of the teeth in her mouth. Her eyes traveled down to her plate as she picked at her food. Harry felt a tense feeling in his stomach as he watched her. She was now sixteen years old and he couldn�t believe how beautiful she�d gotten. Her favorite hairstyle was a ponytail, usually positioned so high on her head that it caused several little hairs to flutter down around her ears. It was magical. And just as suddenly, Ginny�s eyes looked up and focused on his own. He was taken aback at the look she was giving him. It was one of confusion and wonderment. He couldn�t look away, though. It was as if there was some kind of magnetic pull. She gave him a small smile, as if to say hello, and then looked away. Harry felt himself drift back into reality. Ron and Hermione were now arguing over whether or not Ron should burn her book the next time she read at dinner and didn�t talk to him. It was obvious to Harry, however, that both of them considered their bickering conversation. Harry escaped dinner early that night, hoping to get some time alone in the common room to think about things. He was still reeling from Divination earlier and had almost been tempted to go up and ask her what her premonition had meant. Of course, he discarded this idea immediately. She would probably go on about how he was going to be trampled to death by a hippogriff or eaten by a large black bear in the course of three moons. He opted, rather, to spend some time by himself in the common room. He was beginning to miss the days when he could sit in front of the fire and do nothing. His opportunity arose that night, when he got in from dinner and found no one else occupying the space. He was most grateful. Throwing his stuff onto the floor next to the couch, he settled in and prepared himself to gaze ahead glossily at the rolling blue flames. Thoughts reeled in and out of his mind. What he had seen at dinner caused his mind to stray involuntarily. Ginny had given him a piercing look, a wonderful gaze� a warm smile. He was trying to piece it all together. Had he ever noticed how beautiful she was before? He hadn�t stared at her long enough to take it all in. Her bright red hair always shone with gold highlights underneath the luminous candles in the Great Hall. Her passionate brown eyes sparkled with life; her button nose wrinkled with every laugh and scrunched her millions of freckles together in a light brown clump. Her lips were pink and full, always turned up into an infamous Weasley smirk. Her long, agile fingers always unconsciously brushed the tendrils of loose hair away from her ear while she was talking. How come he hadn�t noticed before? And in a flash, it all came to Harry unexpectedly. He felt as if he had been yanked straight through the flames into an alternate dimension. He was standing frozen in a dark, cold bedroom. Where was he? Before he had a chance to do anything, the door to the abandoned bedroom flew open and he could hear a distinct voice whisper, �Lumos.� Squinting through the darkness, Harry dared to focus his eyes on the person entering the room. All he could see was a dark shadow following a bright light on the end of a wand. A soft, female giggling sounded behind the dark shadow. �What are you doing? We have lights, you know.� �Sh,� the figure said quietly. Harry gulped. Had he accidentally Flooed into someone�s bedroom? They heard him in there� what were they going to do? He slunk into the corner, hoping they didn�t notice. However, the light of the wand searched right over him without stopping. The two shadows turned toward each other. One was much taller than the other. It was obviously a man and a woman. �What are you up to this time?� the female voice asked, still sounding slightly amused. �Oh, my love, you�ll see,� the male voice whispered and in one fluid motion, he swept her right off of her feet and they both settled onto the bed. The girl was still giggling and somewhere deep inside of Harry, he knew he recognized it. �And now, m love,� the amused male said, turning off his wand. �We kiss.� �We do?� �Of course.� There was a silence in the room as the figures embraced each other, tentatively touching lips. Harry watched in an amazed stupor. He recognized that frame� that body� the contour of her jaw line, the curve of her neck� it was Ginny! But a rage he never knew took over him, and he stood up to get a good glimpse at the man kissing her. They pulled apart slowly, smiling widely at each other. The man turned to grab something off of the nightstand. Ginny laughed again. �What�s that for?� �To celebrate,� he whispered again. �Our new life together. For you, my bride�� Bride? Ginny was only sixteen� she couldn�t be a bride� Unless this was a glimpse into her future. Well then, who was her husband? �Haven�t we celebrated enough? My brothers threw that party and then Ron went so far as to take all of four of us to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeer. Do we really need more champagne?� Harry frowned. Her brothers? Ron? The Three Broomsticks? It was all beginning to add up. Harry felt his heart pound in his chest as his excitement grew. �Well, I figured this one should be you and me. After all, we haven�t gotten much of a let up since the wedding. What with your family and our friends�� �I love you so much,� she breathed. �And I love you,� the man paused, raining his bride with kisses, �Mrs. Potter.� Harry�s eyes shot open and he looked all around. He was still on the couch in the common room, the fire was blazing red now, and he was completely alone. He was also sweating profusely. He jumped off of the couch and looked around. What had just happened? The door to the common room swung open and Harry�s heart leapt into his throat. It was Ginny. She was staring at him confusedly for the second time that night. �Harry, are you all right? You�re sweating like a farm animal,� she joked, but it was evident that she was harboring some concern. She turned, closing the door and making her way toward him. The distance between them was shortened now, and Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. Ginny looked up quickly to analyze their closeness. Her cheeks flushed red. �Oh, Harry� I�m sorry�� she went to back up. �No!� he cried, surprising himself and Ginny by taking her hands and stepping closer to her. �Don�t go anywhere.� She stared at their hands in disbelief and then looked back up at Harry. He was surprised to see that tears stung at her eyes. �What do you want, Harry?� �Do you believe in premonitions, Gin?� She shrugged absently. �Of course I do� why should that matter? Why are you doing this? Is there something you want?� He frowned. �What do you mean is there something I want?� �Why are you holding my hands?� He sighed. �Because I want to.� She said nothing. �Listen to me, I don�t want you to get the wrong idea� but I think I just had one of those premonitions, Gin. It was about me.� She blinked tears out of her eyes. �Yes? And?� �You were there as well.� She looked down and backed away, letting go of his hands. �Listen, Harry� I don�t know if you�ve noticed, but I still have feelings for you. I�ve been trying to get them under control. I realize you don�t want anything from me and I totally respect that, so please don�t toy with me.� �No� Ginny how can you say that? I�ve just been blind�� She turned away from him and sniffled. �Yes?� �I saw us, Gin. I saw you and me� and we were in love, and� doesn�t any of this matter to you? Are you going to look at me?� She shook her head. �No. It�ll break my heart to see your face when you tell me that this is all wishful thinking.� He took a step toward her and yanked her arm so she faced him. �But it�s not, Gin. What I saw tonight was real. It was you and I, in love� and I know it sounds so asinine, but Trelawney said something to me today� I think she may have had the same premonition.� Ginny�s brown eyes looked anywhere but at his. �And what did she say?� Harry was getting frustrated. Why won�t she look at me? �She told me that I was going to notice someone very soon� someone familiar, someone I didn�t notice very often� But I saw you today, Gin� at dinner.� �You see me every night at dinner, Harry. What was so different about tonight?� �I don�t know, Ginny� but I saw you. I saw you. Does that matter?� His eyes filled with tears out of exasperation and despair. �Are you going to look at me?� �NO!� she cried, pulling away from him. �Because your mouth is saying one thing� but your eyes are going to tell me something different.� �Ginny, don�t do this� please�� �I can�t spend the rest of my life wishing for you, Harry.� She turned to leave and Harry gasped, making her halt in her tracks. �You saw it, too, didn�t you?� She remained silent. �And as thou turns to leave, thy life fades to darkness.� Ginny turned around instantly. She stared at Harry in amazement. �What did you just say?� �The brightness of thy love weakens in mine heart as I notice tears form outside thine eyes.� �Harry, stop it.� �And as thou hesitates to speak, thy love inside mine heart grows stronger.� �Harry, I�m leaving.� �Footprints have been left on mine soul, the brightness of thy love fades as thou turns to leave.� �Harry! Stop it!� �Thy love remains as thine feet turn to leave. The brightness of thy love grows stronger as the love in thine heart wakes.� Harry stepped toward Ginny now, trembling and weak. �I love thee and the brightness of thy love grows stronger even though thou has left mine heart forever.� Ginny was crying, her head buried in her hands. Harry tentatively reached up and pulled her hands away, exposing her tearstained eyes. �My vows� you saw it, didn�t you? You listened as I promised myself to you, Ginny. You saw the premonition. Why are you scared to accept it?� She sobbed a couple of times before answering, �Because you don�t love me.� �Oh, Ginny�� Ginny�s eyes closed as she watched Harry�s face lean closer to hers. She felt him press his lips on hers and the sweet sensation she felt told her everything she had tried to tell herself wasn�t real. As Harry�s face reached in closer to hers, he felt the cold, wet tears of her cheek touch his own and tears of his own seeped out of his eyes. The backs of his fingers touched her face lightly. She raised her hand up and enveloped Harry�s in it. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. �The brightness of thy love grows stronger�� she whispered, and a smile played on her lips as she leaned in to kiss him again. |