"Ginny?"

I whipped around, coming face to face with him for the first time in a little less than a year. I gazed at for a moment, my mouth agape in shock. I finally managed to compose myself enough to smile.

"Harry…what are you doing here?" I asked in amazement. My smile melted when I realized how wrong all of this was. He was supposed to be out saving the world. Not showing up at Hogwarts.

"I came here to find something important." He said seriously, glancing around at the great hall. He looked nervous.

"What's that?" I asked softly, mesmerized just by the way his eyebrows pulled together as he thought about how to answer my question. He took a deep breath.

Speaking carefully, he said "I need it to kill…" he sighed angrily, "You-Know-Who."

I tried to hide my smile, knowing I shouldn't laugh at his exasperation. Not being able to say Voldemort's name had always annoyed him. Maybe not much had changed after all. Maybe things could go back to normal soon.

I shook myself out of my thoughts so I could answer before he decided to leave again. "Uh…can I help you look?" I asked feebly, already knowing what he was going to say. He stared at me silently. He knew he didn't have to respond to that.

I looked up at the midnight sky of the Great hall, not wanting to look at him as he walked away. I didn't want him to see me cry. I'd been able to hold it together the last time he'd disappeared, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to again.

There were a million stars in the sky. The navy blue held more hope than the gray that I had become accustomed to. Harry Potter brought hope wherever he went.

"No, Ginny." He said abruptly. I looked down at him in time to see him shake his head, a small smile on his face. His smile became more confident when he looked at me. "Soon it'll all be over." He whispered, "Everything will go back to normal. I promise."

My eyes stung and my throat burned. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't. Harry turned to walk out of the hall. My eyes widened in panic at the thought of him simply walking out. "Harry!" I cried out in alarm.

He spun around hearing the note of desperation in my voice, wand out. Noticing nothing was out of the ordinary, he lowered his wand. "Yes?"

I began to breathe again. He wasn't leaving yet. He wasn't leaving yet. I took a few hesitant steps toward him, trying not to look too worried. "You will come home soon, right?"

His expression turned stony. "I hope so." He murmured. I pressed my lips together, willing myself not to burst into tears.

"Be careful." I stuttered, wiping my eyes. He grinned.

"You know me," he said, laughing a little. "I'm always careful."

I smiled, but I don't think it reached my eyes. I had a nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. What if this was the last time I'd talk to him? What if he never came back? The hysteria inside me grew until the tears spilled over.

I cursed. But then Harry put his arm around me and I began to think I should cry a bit more often. I sighed into his shoulder, wishing he never had to leave. But he did have to leave. And I knew that. So I whispered a goodbye in his ear and pulled away. For a few short moments he didn't say anything, he only looked at me as if I was the most important thing in the world to him. He sighed, and when he said goodbye, it echoed and shattered every window in the hall.

And then I woke up, tears in my eyes, breathing hard. It had all been a dream. Just a dream.