The next weeks went by in a blur of activities. Harry's world was dominated by schoolwork and his lessons with Snape, which he now had twice a week. If he was lucky enough to get some spare time, it was quickly filled with either Quidditch practise or sessions with the DA. At the end of each day he was exhausted and had no trouble falling asleep. Which was a blessing because it meant all thoughts of Sirius and the usual accompanying feelings stayed at bay.

Unfortunately, his nightmares had come back full force. They almost always contained scenes of his relatives chasing him, beating him or scaring him in any other way. Snape had told him that that was to be expected.

"You're experiencing the effects of our lessons, Potter," Snape said one evening after Harry had voiced his concerns. "I believe they will lessen once you have learned to control the memories in your mind."

They had worked on the memories of Harry's childhood for the past weeks. So far, Harry had not yet been able to throw Snape out of his mind, or distract him by pulling up other memories. While he got more and more impatient for their unnerving trips down memory lane to have the desired result, Snape seemed content with the pace of Harry's progress, much to Harry's surprise. He did not know what had brought on the change in Snape's teaching methods, changing him from the horrific bully from last year, to the somewhat understanding (yet still snarky) person that taught him today.

Harry was not going complain though. While diving into some of his worst memories was definitely one of the most unnerving and disheartening experiences he had had, it was not as bad as he initially thought it would be. It seemed as if Snape was actually trying to be civil, at least, which helped tremendously in setting an even ground for their lessons. And while he was nowhere near friendly, on the contrary he was still as dark and brooding as ever, he was not as malicious as he used to be.

At least, not during their Occlumency lessons. In Potions it was a whole other story.

"Potter!"

Harry, who had been concentrating on counting his Sopophorous Beans, jumped up when his name was yelled across the classroom.

Snape strode swiftly towards his workbench and looked disdainfully down his nose at Harry's potion, which was supposed to become an Elixir to induce Euphoria.

"Tell me, Potter, can you count?"

Behind Snape, Malfoy and the other Slytherins snickered.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, wondering where he could have gone wrong. He had not added his beans yet, so that couldn't be it, right?

"Read to me the third instruction on the board," Snape said with a smug sneer.

Harry squinted through the potion fumes at the blackboard.

"After adding the Porcupine Quills, stir four times anti-clockwise..." 

Crap. He had stirred six times but saw now that he was meant to do that much later on in the recipe.

"How many times did you stir your Potion, Potter?" Snape asked despite knowing the answer.

"Six times, sir," Harry replied with a soft sigh.

"That's right. Clearly, your counting skills leave much to be desired. Perhaps I should assign you some extra homework to practice counting flobberworms?"

This time Malfoy and his cronies laughed out loud but Snape said nothing of it, he simply crossed his arms.

Harry gritted his teeth. "No sir."

"Then you may start again." Snape waved his wand and the contents of his cauldron vanished. Harry's mouth fell open but he quickly closed it shut when he saw Snape's smug look. That git, he thought. There's no way I have enough time to finish the potion if I have to start all over again.

Hermione looked as if she wanted to say exactly that, but Harry quickly nudged her foot with his own under their workbench to silence her. It was not worth losing points over, he decided, and he grudgingly grabbed a fresh Shrivelfig and started again.

At the end of the lesson, Harry handed in a brownish liquid where it should have been sunshine-yellow and left the classroom in a bad mood.

"You could have easily solved that mistake by adding less beans in the next step," Hermione told him on their way to the Great Hall.

Knowing that, however, did nothing to brighten his frame of mind. "Thanks, Hermione. That makes me feel loads better."

His bad mood continued throughout dinner. He bit out at Seamus and Dean who pestered him about holding another DA session soon and Kai-Enna and Luna received a dark glare when they walked up to him to ask about practicing the Impediment Jinx.

It also didn't help that he had not received any letters from Remus at all during his first weeks at school. The man had promised to write as soon as possible, but the lack of correspondence made Harry feel insecure and on edge. Ron told him he should just write a letter to Remus, thinking maybe Remus was too busy and had simply forgotten to write. That thought made Harry feel squeamish inside and he pushed that thought away to mull on later, as he had another session with his favourite Potions Master to look forward to.

Once he was inside the dreary office again he refrained from taking his usual seat by the fire and opted to stay in front of the man's desk with folded arms, taking a defiant stand.

"Why did you vanish my potion?" He inquired.

"Because you failed to follow the instructions, Potter," Snape said with a warning tone that said he did not like the attitude. Harry didn't care.

"Hermione told me it could have been righted. If you had just given me a chance, I would-"

"I do not give second chances," Snape interrupted. "Besides, had Miss Granger not been at your side today, cheering you on from the sidelines like a brainless fan, you would not even have known that the potion could be salvaged."

"Does that even matter though? I would have been able to turn in an acceptable potion," Harry fumed.

"And the grade would not have been yours," Snape sneered. "Failing to follow even the simplest of instructions means that you have no focus, no concentration, required to brew potions at NEWT level."

"Focus?  So this is about Occlumency then? It is your way of getting back at me for wasting your time during these lessons?" With each question Harry's voice grew louder.

"It is my way of teaching you that life does not give you second chances, so you better succeed the first time. Besides, if you cannot even follow these instructions, then there is no reason you should even take NEWT Potions!" Snape had stood up during his tirade.

Somewhere at the back of his mind Harry registered surprise that Snape would get so worked up about this, but his flaring temper prevented him from paying attention to that. Instead he glared at his professor and balled his fists at his sides.

Before he had a chance to retort, however, Snape had sat down again and waved his hand at the door.

"Leave, Potter. Your anger and frustration will be detrimental to your Occlumency session," he said in a voice much calmer than it was just seconds ago. "And I do not wish to waste an evening on your lack of temper control."

With that he was dismissed.

"Fine!" Harry said loudly as he stomped out the office and angrily made his way back to the Entrance Hall. He did not feel like facing Ron and Hermione in the Common Room so he wandered down a different part of the castle, trying to get his temper under control. The physical exertion of walking down endless corridors and going up and down flights of stairs, helped to ease his mind somewhat.

Eventually he decided to go to the Owlery, to visit Hedwig. She could always calm him down. And maybe he could start on that letter to Remus.

He entered the Owlery and was met with a concert of hoots. He found Hedwig easily among the barn owls and she flew towards him to land on his outstretched arm. She nipped at his hand affectionately and Harry couldn't help but smile at this magnificent animal. He went to sit in the windowsill with Hedwig and sat there for a while, stroking her feathers and looking out over the grounds of Hogwarts. His anger had abated and there was finally some space in his head to think clearly again. Looking back, he was thankful that his fit of temper had not brought on another of Voldemort's visions. He would have to be more careful and work on keeping his temper in check if he wanted to avoid the visions in the future.

Feeling at ease again, he took out a piece of parchment and a never-out Quill and thought hard and long about what he wanted to write to Remus. As soon as he had put his Quill to the paper, the door of the Owlery creaked open and he looked up.

Kai-Enna entered the Owlery, a sealed letter in her hand, and jumped as she noticed Harry.

"Harry! I didn't know you were here." She glanced at the letter in her hand before letting her arm fall down her side.

"I'll come back later," she said nervously and turned back towards the door.

"No, please, you can stay," Harry said quickly, wondering why she couldn't just sent the letter off while he was present.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Kai-Enna smiled and walked towards one of the barn owls. Harry watched her while she fumbled to attach the letter to its foot. Apparently the owl became impatient because it started hooting and switching the weight on its feet and Kai-Enna lost her grip on the letter.

"Here let me help," Harry offered as he picked the letter off the floor. The address came into view but he quickly looked away to not be rude. He attached the letter to the owl's foot, which gave him an appreciating hoot before flying off to its destination.

"Gee, thanks Harry," Kai-Enna said sheepishly.

"No problem," he replied. Then he thought of their earlier meeting and felt a small pinch of shame.

"Listen, Kai, about earlier... I'm sorry I was rude to you and Luna about practising jinxes. I had a lot on my mind."

Kai-Enna nodded. "There's no need to apologize, I understand. School can be tough sometimes."

"It's no excuse to be rude to you though."

"Don't worry about it. Believe me, I get it," she smiled at him but it didn't show in her eyes.

"You okay?" Harry asked.

"Huh? Yeah, of course." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Just, family stuff, you know."

"No, I don't know," Harry lightly teased.

"Oh, sorry Harry," Kai-Enna said with reddened cheeks.

Harry shrugged. "It's fine, don't worry." He looked back out the window. "So, your father then?"

Kai-Enna nodded. "Yeah, my mum has received some threats from him. She is concerned that he might have traced us down and could potentially want to get his revenge. I just wrote her that I'm fine and I don't expect him to be able to get to me at Hogwarts. I'm more concerned about her than of myself."

"That must be tough," Harry said. All he wanted in life was to have a family, yet hers was being destroyed from the inside. He could scarcely imagine what that must be like.

"It is, sometimes." Kai-Enna said. "But it's just something I have to deal with. Nothing to be done about it, anyway."

"That's a... refreshing way to think about things. You could ask your head of house for help, you know? Or Dumbledore," Harry offered.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't like to bother people you know? I don't want to be a nuisance or anything. People usually have a lot going on without me knocking at their door."

"Yeah, I can definitely relate to that," Harry admitted. He was not a talker either and mostly kept his problems to himself.

Kai-Enna looked at him closely. "I thought you might," she said. "So, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind."

"I understand," Kai-Enna said. "Anything I can help with?"

"Not really, unfortunately," Harry said.

Kai-Enna nodded and then turned to look out the window as well. "Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed with everything I just come here or I take a walk along the lake. It helps to keep bad thoughts away. I don't know about you, but my thoughts are my worst enemy."

Harry nodded slightly, feeling he could relate to that statement. "Bad thoughts?" he asked, but immediately felt like that was a very personal question to ask. "Sorry, I should not ask you that."

"It's okay," she said, "my thoughts usually consist of insecurities, talking down on myself and such. Thoughts like, I'm not good enough, or, I can't do anything right, are thoughts that haunt me the most and they're petrifying."

Harry considered that and found they had that in common, though these thoughts did not cross his mind on a daily basis.

"That's why," Kai-Enna continued, "I have this kind of mantra that I repeat to myself whenever I feel down. It's not who I am that holds me back, it's who I think I'm not. I am good enough, I can do anything."

Harry looked at her, seeing her in a different light. He had once thought she was a very peculiar and insecure person, but right now he saw a strength in her that he had not seen before.

"Thanks for sharing that," he heard his own voice say.

"You're welcome! I hope it can help you too, someday."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will."

Kai-Enna beamed at him and turned away from the window. "I'll let you get back to your letter," she indicated the parchment he held loosely in his hand.

"Good night, Harry," she said and exited the Owlery.

Harry stared after her, at a loss for words. Then he glanced at the blank parchment and decided to finish his letter. I can do this.

Once he had finished his letter he went over it once more. He had written down how things were going at school and the things that had happened so far. Which was a lot to be honest and he hoped Remus wouldn't be too bored reading it. Even though he knew they were on good terms and the man didn't blame him for Sirius' death, there was still the anxious feeling whenever he reached out to Remus. He could not pinpoint the exact feeling and could therefore not put it into words.

"Rejection," Hermione said.

Harry had voiced his thoughts about Remus once he was back in the Common Room later that evening.  As it was pretty late, the Common Room was empty except for Ron and Hermione, who were seated near the fireplace, and Ginny and Colin Creevey who sat near the windows attempting to put some last-minute work to an essay that was due the next day.

"How can it be rejection, though?" Harry replied. "I'm not asking him for anything, am I?"

Hermione gave him a doubtful look. "You're asking him for his attention, though, aren't you? And that's my point. You're afraid he will turn his back on you, ignore you. In other words, you're afraid that he will reject you if you reach out to him."

Harry considered that. "I guess..."

"Blimey, Hermione, you should become a therapist or something!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione blushed. "You think?"

"Now do me," Ron said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and then shook her head. "You're hopeless, Ron."

She turned back to Harry. "You have nothing to worry about, Harry. Remus cares a great deal about you. He would never turn his back on you."

"I think that, deep down, I know that. It's just that I sometimes feel nervous about it, that's all. I mean, I was wholly convinced we would be on bad terms after... Sirius," he said in a low voice.

"Oh Harry, Remus doesn't blame you for that."

"No, I know that. At least I do now. But I spent almost the entire summer thinking he would."

"Well, he doesn't," Hermione said firmly.

"And we don't either," Ron jumped in with a surprisingly determination. "I know last year was a fiasco and we shouldn't have gone to the ministry. But it wasn't your fault we ended up there."

"Well, I did set you up to it," Harry mumbled, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

From the corner of his eye he saw a notebook being flung his way and if his Seeker reflexes hadn't made him duck in time, it would have hit him square in the face. Looking up he saw a fuming Ginny standing close to their spot with her hands balled into fists. In the corner of his eye Harry noticed that Colin had already gone upstairs.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for that, Harry Potter!" she said with barely contained anger.

Harry glanced at Ron but he looked as shocked at Ginny's outburst as Harry was. Harry just gaped at her, at a loss for words.

At his lack of response Ginny growled and then she spun around on her heel and went out of the portrait.

"What the hell is her problem all of a sudden?" Ron was the first to speak up.

Hermione sighed and stood up. "Honestly!" was all she said before she followed Ginny and disappeared through the portrait hole.

"Am I missing something?" Ron said to Harry, still gaping after the girls.

"I have no clue. But I think your sister is mad at me."

"You think?" Ron said sarcastically. "But for what?"

"Beats me," Harry said but a stone had dropped in his stomach at the Ginny's look.

They waited for 45 minutes but when neither of the girls returned and it was way past curfew, Harry and Ron decided to go look for them. Harry collected his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauders Map and took them downstairs. It turned out the girls were on the top floor of the Astronomy Tower.

Ron groaned. "Couldn't they have picked a closer spot to mope around?"

They swiftly and silently left the Common Room, listening closely before every turn and corner for the footsteps of a patrolling teacher or Filch.

They made it to the Astronomy Tower without running into trouble. Harry pushed open the door to the top floor and what he saw made his heart stop. Ginny and Hermione were huddled together on a large, stone windowsill. Ginny was crying and Hermione was rubbing circles on her back. They both looked up as they heard the door creak open.

"Hey," Harry said quietly.

Ginny looked away and wiped her face with her sleeve. Just as Harry thought she wasn't going to say anything to him, he heard her croaky voice across the room.

"Can you leave us?" It took Harry a few seconds to realise she was talking to Ron and Hermione. "Please?"

"Of course." Hermione hugged Ginny and then made her way to Ron. "Come on," she said as she pulled on his arm.

Harry held out his Invisibility Cloak to them. "Here."

Ron looked like he was about to protest, but Hermione took the bundle of fabric from Harry and pulled Ron along with her out of the room.

When the door closed behind him, Harry hesitantly stepped towards Ginny's curled up form. He climbed up on the windowsill and sat across from her. Not knowing what to say he decided to stay silent and wait for Ginny to make the first move.

Ginny had not yet looked at him, her glistening eyes were gazing out the window. From up here you had a perfect view of Hogwarts and its surrounding grounds. You could see the lake sparkling in the moonlight and the mountains behind it were magnificent, dark and mysterious. The forest could be seen as well, and it seemed to stretch on forever in the dark of the night.

"Do you remember when you came for me in the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny's voice brought his attention back to her.

Harry nodded, though Ginny was still not looking at him. She apparently sensed it though as she continued talking.

"I have never felt so alone in my entire life. I couldn't breathe, the fear was just gripping my lungs so tightly. I was cold, there was no warmth around me, not even a sliver of compassion. I knew I would die then and I couldn't help but feel regret that I never got to see my mother again so I could tell her all about my first year at Hogwarts. I found myself wishing someone, anyone to come and get me out of there."

"I understand," Harry offered. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because an instant later Ginny's blazing eyes were on his and her brow was furrowed in an angry frown.

"No, you don't understand! I blamed myself, okay? I told myself I should not have wished for anyone to put himself in danger because of me. You nearly died that day! I can still call forth the vivid images of that wound on your arm, your dilated pupils as the Basilisk venom coursed through your veins. And it was because of me!"

"And Ron could have died if those boulders had fallen on him. Because of me! Lockhart was lucky to live but he is now in hospital, having no hope of ever regaining his memories, doomed to live on like a five-year old. Because of me! To this day, my mum has nightmares where she loses her children and she can't do anything about it. She wakes up screaming at least once a week. All because of me!"

Harry gaped at her and tried to form coherent words in his mind that he could use to let her know that none of that was her fault. He would never blame her for any of that. But she continued before he could say anything.

"Except for the fact that none of it is actually my fault."

Harry gaped at her.

"I was just a victim of a horrible psychopath, bent on the destruction of our world. I was just eleven years old, I was not nearly strong or experienced enough to repel his mental attacks. I was unable to see exactly what I was doing and what the consequences would be. It's not my fault, however hard it may be to accept that. None of it was my fault. Things just happened. And even though I played a part in it, I was not the initiator of any of those circumstances." Ginny's voice had calmed down considerably.

Harry swallowed and finally found his voice.

"Ginny, I never, ever blamed you for anything that happened back then," he said with firm determination, willing her to understand.

She finally looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I know, Harry. I know."

"Is that why you were so angry with me?" Harry asked.

"Do you see now that blaming yourself isn't the answer?" she replied.

Harry gazed out the window. He understood what she was trying to say, but it was difficult to fully accept that he wasn't completely accountable for the things that had happened.

"I know it is hard to accept," Ginny said as she looked closely at him. "I know cause it took me several years to finally come to terms with it. And you should give it time, give yourself time to heal. At first you will feel like there's nothing you can do but to hold onto that guilt. But that will get you nowhere and you will realise it once you devote your attention to it. You are not to blame for the choices of others, Harry. Nor are you to blame for the vicious things Voldemort does, or makes you do. And I know it isn't easy to separate yourself from those feelings of guilt. It takes time, and willpower. It takes a lot of courage as well, but you have enough of that to spare," she teased lightly.

Harry looked at her, really looked at her for once. Her bright brown eyes shone in the moonlight and even though they were red-rimmed from her crying he couldn't help but notice they were beautiful.

"How come you always know just what to say, when I don't know a single word to describe what I'm feeling?" he said in a near whisper.

She grinned. "I guess I have a knack for it, or something." Then she turned serious again. "But really, Harry. Please don't blame yourself for everything that happens. Your guilt will tear you up from the inside. And I can't bear to witness you go through that." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she pleaded with him.

Harry stared at her and marvelled at this young woman who could be so brave one instant, yet so vulnerable the next. He was lost in her eyes, saw her vibrant red hair come ever closer, the freckles on her cheeks and nose blurred in his sight. A second later he felt her soft lips on his and he had to give in. He brought his hands up to the back of her head and pushed her closer to him, willing to drown himself in the sweet taste of her mouth.

The kiss felt right and was filled with love and understanding. Even though Ginny's cheeks were wet, if felt nothing like the teary kiss he shared with Cho last year. Harry felt like he was flying, light as a feather, soaring high above the clouds and all worry and anxiety he had felt for the past months just fell off of him in that one moment.

Too soon the kiss ended. Ginny slowly pulled away and looked up at him before flashing a brilliant smile. Harry too felt his face twist and he grinned at her as he pulled her close to him, embracing her with his arms, feeling the need to protect her from the cold breeze that ran through the room. As he held her he realised something and he felt stupid for not noticing before.

"How long has it been?" he asked her, his voice a little muffled by her hair.

Ginny hesitated for a fraction before answering.

"It's hard not to fall for someone who saves you from an evil maniac," she whispered in his ear and Harry felt a chill run down his spine.

After a long silence Harry spoke up.

"I do understand what you're saying Ginny. And I'll try to change my perspective on things. But it will be hard and take time. In the past few months, not a day has gone by without me envisioning a thousand what-if scenarios. Things I should have done differently, things I should have known better. I should have searched for different options, different ways to make sure Sirius was not at Headquarters, and I should have found another adult somewhere to ask for help. And I shouldn't have gone to the Ministry and I shouldn't have allowed any of you to come with."

Ginny opened her mouth to reply but Harry held up a hand to silence her.

"I know that it doesn't matter anymore. I can't change what happened in the past and I can't go back to make different choices or try out any of those scenarios. I know that. But that does not make the guilt just go away. And it probably won't for a long time. But I'm trying Ginny. I'm trying to heal from all of this. Just... bear with me while I work on that."

Ginny smiled up at him and he saw stars in her eyes.

"I will be with you every step of the way."

They sat there for a while longer, enjoying each other's company in silence. It was a beautifully clear night and thousands of stars were twinkling against a pitch black and cloudless sky. Harry could have sat there for hours, but eventually Ginny nudged him and they slowly made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Once there they noticed the Common Room was empty. A quick check in the dormitories confirmed that Ron and Hermione had not yet arrived, which was strange as they had left far earlier that Harry and Ginny had.

"What could be taking them so long?" Harry asked aloud.

Ginny frowned and shrugged. "Do you have the map?"

Harry had forgotten that he had stowed the Marauder's Map in the pocket of his robes and quickly pulled it out to search for his friends.

"There!" Ginny said and she pointed at the two dots labelled Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, huddled close together in an enclosed space.

"It looks like they're in one of the broom closets..." Harry said. Ginny grinned, but it was lost on him why. 

"Looks like they're hiding from Filch," she said as she pointed to a dot with the caretaker's name on it. "I don't understand. They have your cloak with them don't they?"

"Yeah, but somehow Mrs. Norris is able to see right through it. And if Filch is on high alert, it might be better to wait it out."

"Well, then it's going to be a while before they return," Ginny said as she yawned and stretched her back.

"You should get some sleep," Harry said with a smile, "I'll wait up for them."

"You sure? I wouldn't mind," Ginny replied, trying to suppress another yawn.

"Yes, I'm sure. Go on." Harry grinned at her as he watched her get up and make her way to the stairs.

"Ginny?"

She turned around, red hair whirling around her and looked at him questioningly.

"What about...Ron?" he asked with slight trepidation.

"What about him?" she replied casually.

"You know... what are we going to say to him?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows playfully.

"I'm not going to say anything. You're his best friend, you talk to him."

At Harry's fearful look she laughed. "You're not a Gryffindor for nothing, are you?" She winked at him and then turned on her heel and disappeared up the stairs.

It was half an hour later when he saw the two dots on the map starting to move towards the Common Room. As Ron and Hermione entered through the portrait hole, Harry noticed Hermione's hair was more frazzled than usual and Ron had a sheepish grin on his face.

"There you are," Harry said in a manner of greeting.

They both jumped, and looked at Harry as if they had never seen him before. Hermione quickly recovered and told Harry they were being chased by Filch and had to hide until the caretaker went away.

"I trust you and Ginny worked things out?" she asked Harry.

"Yeah, we're okay now."

"Good, good...," Hermione mumbled, which Harry thought was a bit uncharacteristic of her. Then she clasped her hands together. "Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She shot Ron a piercing look before she left for her dormitory.

Harry and Ron stood there silently and awkwardly in the dark Common Room. The fire had died down a while ago and only the moonlight shone through the windows. Ron scratched the back of his head, while Harry shuffled his feet.

"I've got to tell you something," they both said in unison. They grinned at each other.

"You go first," Harry said.

"Nah, you can go first," Ron replied trying to sound casual.

"I insist."

When Ron didn't make any move to start talking Harry urged him on. "Come on, Ron. Spit it out."

"I kissed Hermione," Ron mumbled.

Harry stared at him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"Hermione and I... we... Well, we kissed,"  Ron repeated sheepishly.

"Wow..." Harry didn't know what he had expected but he certainly had not expected his best friends to suddenly start snogging each other. "Er... okay."

"It just... happened, you know," Ron said quickly trying to explain. "When Filch came around the corner we had to think fast. Hermione was brilliant, as usual, and we managed to hide in a broom closet. Filch didn't notice a thing! And then... we started talking, and I said that the house elves deserved better equipment and before I knew it... she... you know," Ron ended awkwardly.

Harry nodded, trying to find words to react to this news.

"And you...did you... er... like it?" Harry stuttered.

Ron grimaced at his friend. "You are okay with it, aren't you? Cause, if you're not I'll end things right away, you know."

"What? No, no, of course I'm okay. I mean, it'll definitely take some time getting used to the idea of you two... together, I guess. But as long as you're happy, I'll be too," Harry replied and he found that he meant it. It would certainly be awkward for a while, but he would not want to stand in the way of their happiness. He only hoped there would be less fighting between the two, now that they were romantically involved. Man, that's a weird thought.

"Thanks Harry, and just so you know, this is not going to change anything about our friendship," Ron said, relief audible in his voice. "And if you ever feel like we're being too much, just smack us at the back of the head."

They laughed at the mental image.

"Now, you had something to tell as well?"

Harry gulped, working up the courage to tell Ron about him and Ginny, and hoping Ron would be just as understanding.

"Well, I also kissed tonight," he said, watching Ron's face closely. "With Ginny."

Ron just stared at him, not giving away any thought or emotion he might feel at Harry's confession. After some time, Harry couldn't bear to wait any longer and just wanted to get on with the inevitable.

"Ron, say something. If you're mad at me, just say so."

"Mad? What would I be mad for?" Ron asked.

"The fact that she is your sister? And she and I... you know?"

"Yeah, well better you than all of those other buffoons she's been dating with the past years. I'm glad it's you mate," Ron clapped him on his shoulder.

"So, you're cool with it?" Harry asked hopeful.

"Yeah, of course. I can't say I'm not surprised. Ginny's had a crush on you ever since she came to Hogwarts. When she started dating that oaf Michael Corner, I thought she had grown up and moved on. Apparently she's still stuck on you."

"Gee, thanks," Harry said as he playfully pushed Ron's arm away.

"Just remember that she is still my sister, though," Ron said in a feigned stern voice. "If I find out you hurt her-"

"You'll cut off my limbs?" Harry said with a chuckle.

"At the very least," Ron replied.

Glad they both got their stories off their chests, they went up to their dormitory. Harry felt light and happy as he crawled into his bed and drew back the curtains.