Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers.

Real Nightmare

Chapter 1 The Worst Morning

Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only girl of Arthur and Molly Weasley, had her head resting on the palm of her hand as she stirred her bowl of soup. Her fingers were entangled in her flaming red hair which was so identifiable of the Weasley family. And you can’t forget their other trait of freckles.

She would be starting Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when September 1 came around, and she was excited and nervous about it at the same time.

“Something wrong with the soup, Ginny?� Mrs. Weasley asked.

“I wish I was at Hogwarts already,� she said with a sigh.

Her older brothers, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron, looked over at her. Her other two brothers, Bill and Charlie, were no longer living with them. It wasn’t always fun being the youngest. And being the only girl didn’t help matters either.

“You’ve been saying that ever since Ron went last year,� Mrs. Weasley said.

Ginny looked back down at her bowl and let out another long sigh. Her parents never seemed to understand that she wanted other girls to play with, not just her brothers, who often teased her.

“It’s different this year though, Mum,� Fred said.

Ginny looked at Fred, fear in her eyes. Ron was glancing back and forth from the pair.

“How’s that, Fred?� Mrs. Weasley asked.

George finally looked over at his twin brother because he knew if had before; he would start laughing and not be able to stop himself.

“She can’t wait to see Harry,� Fred said.

Ron rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his soup. They had not stopped teasing poor Ginny since they had gotten home after getting back from another year at Hogwarts.

Fred and George were now trying hard not to laugh at Ginny’s face. Ron’s face was down so he wouldn’t do the same. He didn’t want to be yelled at by his mother like he knew Fred and George would be.

“Not true,� Ginny yelled, standing up quickly.

Mrs. Weasley turned angrily at Fred and George, and then turned back to her daughter.

“Ginny, it’s all right,� Mrs. Weasley said.

Little did Ginny know she’d be seeing Harry Potter sooner than she thought? She turned and looked outside.

“It’s a beautiful day. I think I’ll go outside for a while,� Ginny said, pushing in her chair and putting her bowl in the sink.

Ron got up and followed his sister out. Ginny sighed and turned to face Ron when she noticed someone was following her. Ron’s eyes grew at the sight of Ginny’s look on her face.

“What do you want?� she demanded.

Ron took a deep breath and looked down… trying to find the right thing to say.

“September will be here before you know it,� he finally decided to say.

Ginny nodded and turned.

“What’s Hogwarts like?� she asked.

Ron smiled, thinking about the past year, and took another step towards his sister.

“It’s great. Just look out for Peeves and Professor Snape,� he said.

“Professor Snape?� Ginny asked.

“He’s the Potions’ teacher. He’s also the Head of Slytherin and hates Gryffindor House,� Ron said.

Ron got nervous as Ginny looked down. He thought by know she would’ve known about them.

“And who says I’ll be in Gryffindor?� Ginny asked.

Ron didn’t laugh at this. He knew how she felt, though he had no idea she had been thinking that way.

“If I was put there, you’ll definitely be put in there,� Ron said.

Ginny smiled.

“Thanks… I guess,� she said.

Ron laughed. Ginny had always seemed to be brave to Ron. Out of all the brothers, Ron, admittedly, had not been Ginny’s favorite, but over the past couple of years, the teasing had lessoned.

“It’s true. You’re a lot braver than I am,� Ron said.

Ginny began to flush a little. Being called brave was something she wasn’t used to.

“Oh, I don’t know. According to Hermione, you were pretty brave last year,� Ginny said.

Ron’s eyes grew. Hermione Granger had thought he was brave?

“She said I was brave… wait, when have you ever talked to Hermione?� Ron asked.

He was surprised to hear that Hermione and his sister were in contact with each other, and that made him feel a bit uncomfortable, though he didn’t know why.

“I wanted to ask her how her first year was,� Ginny admitted.

“And you couldn’t have asked me then?� Ron wondered.

“I wanted to know from a girl’s perspective,� Ginny said.

Ron opened his mouth to ask her about their mother, but decided against it. He then came up with the conclusion that things at Hogwarts had changed since their parents had left.

“Right,� Ron said.

The pair then walked back into the house.

xxx

The next morning, Ginny was woken by the sound of a car engine.

“What’s…� she began, rubbing her eyes.

She ran downstairs to see who was in the car. Ginny’s mouth opened wide.

“What have you…� she began to ask as Fred, George, Ron, and another figure she couldn’t really make out too well, began getting out of their father’s old turquoise Ford Anglia.

She couldn’t believe what her eyes were seeing. Harry Potter was exiting the car with Ron, Fred, and George. Harry looked over at her.

“Hello,� he said with a big smile on his face.

Ginny went running back inside the house.

“What did I do?� Harry asked.

George and Ron started to laugh. Fred put his arm around Harry.

“Don’t mind her, Harry,� he said.

George cleared his throat.

“She’s a bit antsy at the moment,� he said.

“About what?� Harry asked.

He turned to Ron, who seemed to lose his voice for a moment.

“School,� Ron finally said after finding his voice.

Harry then realized that this was going to be Ginny’s first year at Hogwarts.

“Oh, it’s her first year, isn’t it?� he asked.

“Yeah,� Ron said, not turning to look at Harry.

Harry took this as a sign of bitterness for not writing during the summer holiday.

“You’re probably wondering why I never answered any of your letters,� he said.

Ron turned and shrugged, trying not to act like he cared.

“Yes and no. Hermione figured the Dursley’s weren’t allowing you to write back,� Ron said.

He seemed to be happier knowing that he wasn’t the one to bring up the subject.

“Well, I never got them,� Harry said.

Ron’s attention doubled at this comment.

“Turns out a house elf had been keeping them from me,� Harry said.

“Why?� Ron asked, leveling his eyebrows.

“He didn’t want me going back to Hogwarts this year,� Harry said, looking away for a moment.

He didn’t want to think of never going back to Hogwarts and not being able to see Ron and Hermione again.

Ron’s face became panicked as they entered the house.

“You are though, aren’t you?� he asked, sounding anxious.

He didn’t know what he’d do if Harry wasn’t going back to school. Sure, there would be Hermione, but she was a girl.

“Of course,� Harry smiled.

Ron smiled back. There was no way Harry was going to leave Hogwarts just because some house elf told him not to.

“Why didn’t the elf want you going back?� Ron asked.

“Dobby, that’s the elf, says something bad is going to happen,� Harry said.

Ron covered his mouth to mask his laugh.

“Dumbledore wouldn’t let anything happen,� he said.

Harry nodded in agreement as they finish entered the kitchen. The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, would never let anything bad happen to his school.

xxx

That had seemed so long ago. Harry was now in his sixth year at Hogwarts and was being shaken awake. He no longer dreamed of those better times spent at the Burrow with Ron and his family. Now, it was only nightmares of a night he wished had never happened.

“Harry, everything all right?� a voice asked.

Harry moaned, sat up, and put on his glasses. Ron was sitting up next to him in the boys’ dormitory in Gryffindor Tower.

“I… I’m fine,� Harry lied, knowing perfectly well why Ron had woken him up.

He had, had that dream again. The one that caused him to scream out loud, waking Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Harry looked around, noticing that Ron was the only person in there besides himself. They turned as the door knocked and opened to reveal Hermione.

“Oh, good, you’re both up. Time for breakfast,� Hermione said.

There was something different in her voice. It was as though it was restrained, and both Harry and Ron knew why, though they didn’t say anything about it. Ron looked over back at Harry, waiting for him to get up.

“I’ll be down in a second,� Harry said.

Ron nodded, and left to join Hermione.

xxx

Hermione had a puzzled look on her face when Ron sat next to her without Harry.

“Where’s Harry?� she asked.

“He’ll be down in a moment,� Ron said.

Hermione sighed. Ron hadn’t met her gaze. He put his attention to the food in front of him.

“Can you believe it’s already been a year since…� Hermione began.

She stopped when she saw Ron tense up.

“I try not to remember,� he said, taking a big bite of toast.

“Neither do I. I was trying to keep a straight face for Harry… and you,� Hermione added, whispering the last bit.

The two became quiet and ate, not noticing Harry was walking up to them.

“Hey guys,� Harry said.

Ron and Hermione’s heads shot up.

“Harry,� Hermione gasped.

Harry pretended he hadn’t heard the shock in her voice as he sat next to Ron.

“Ready for more ridiculing from Snape today?� Ron asked.

“Snape’s comments are definitely not going to make today better,� Harry admitted.

That was the last thing he needed when his mind wouldn’t be in any of his classes today.

Hermione and Ron glanced over at each other.

“Oh, Harry,� Hermione sighed, wanting to reach over the table and take his hand.

Harry straightened up, cleared his throat, and took a bite of eggs.

“So, when’s McGonagall getting us?� he asked.

“During Potions,� Ron said.

Harry nodded and began eating again, wanting today to already be over with. Wouldn’t you if it had been a year since the person you loved had died?

AN:

This is completely AU and has nothing to do with the timeline in the books.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers.

Chapter 2 Remembering Ginny Weasley

Harry could hardly understand a word that Professor Slughorn, the Potions’ professor, was saying when they were in class later on that morning. He could not pull his eyes away from his watch, forgetting that it did not work. Even Hermione, who was usually jotting down notes, seemed to be having difficulty in concentrating on the lesson. Ron had even noticed her glancing at the door from time to time. Neville, who had been at the Ministry of Magic with them that night, was writing notes, though looking like he was on another planet. The four of their heads turned fast as the door slowly opened. Professor McGonagall came walking in.

“Professor Slughorn, do you mind me borrowing Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Granger?� she asked.

He nodded his head, his eyes not wandering to them, which made Harry think that he had already known about this. He also thought this because Slughorn had made no other kind of communication than saying, “Not at all.�

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all slowly got up and followed Professor McGonagall. They found that Luna Lovegood, a blonde Ravenclaw from Ginny’s year, was waiting for them outside the classroom. None of them talked as they made their way to McGonagall’s office. The five of them stopped as Professor McGonagall turned to face them after entering her office.

“Professor Dumbledore has aloud for a two hour Floo Network connection from my fireplace to the Burrow,� Professor McGonagall said.

Ever since Voldemort’s return, security at Hogwarts had been tightened. One by one, they made their way through the fire. Mrs. Weasley was waiting for the five of them on the other side at the Burrow.

“Hello dears,� she smiled.

Harry, as well as the rest, could tell it was a forced smile.

“Hi, Mrs. Weasley,� Harry said.

She got teary eyed and tried to wrap the five of them in her arms.

“Where’s Dad?� Ron asked.

Mrs. Weasley wiped her face and sighed.

“On his way,� she said.

Ron cleared his throat when he noticed his mother looking over at Neville and Luna.

“This is Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood,� he said.

The two gave a small wave. For once, Luna didn’t say anything. Ginny had always defended her when another classmate would tease her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,� Molly said.

“It’s lovely to meet you, too,� Luna replied.

A yell then filled the room.

“Ron,� the red head man smiled.

Charlie held his youngest brother for a good minute. Bill, Ron’s other brother, and his wife, Fleur, then came walking in, followed by twins Fred and George.

“Has your father arrived yet?� Mrs. Weasley asked.

Bill turned and nodded.

“About five minutes ago with…� he began.

“With who?� Ron demanded.

He could not think why his dad would bring anyone here at this time.

“With… Percy,� Charlie said.

Ron’s eyes widened. Percy had not talked to the family in over a year. Harry glanced over at Ron and Hermione, and then turned to Bill.

“Percy’s here?� he asked.

Bill opened his mouth to answer, but Ron interrupted them.

“How dare…� Ron began.

He stopped when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Ron turned to find it was Hermione.

“Ron, this is not the time,� Hermione said.

Ron looked down from Hermione’s calm words.

“Yeah, you’re right,� he sighed.

xxx

Harry stayed behind after the service about an hour and a half later.

“I’ll meet you inside,� he told Ron and Hermione as they stood waiting for Harry to come with them.

Hermione nodded and turned around and began walking away, but Ron did not move.

“Come on, Ron,� Hermione said, turning back around and grabbing his arm.

Harry turned back around after seeing Ron and Hermione enter the house.

“Hi,� he smiled at the headstone.

Harry bent down. He gently touched the stone.

“I can’t believe it took me four years to realize that I had feelings for you,� Harry sighed.

Ron, not being able to hear what Harry was saying, was watching from the kitchen window. Hermione pulled Ron back.

“Hey,� she yelled.

Ron moaned and rubbed his arm.

“What? You can’t hear,� he said.

Hermione sighed and glanced out the window.

“He really loved Ginny, didn’t he?� she asked.

“Yeah, he did,� Ron said.

Harry rubbed his face and inhaled a deep breath.

“Looking back, I think I have always had feelings for you,� he admitted.

His eyes began to water.

“Did you know I watched you run beside the train first year?� Harry asked.

Harry made the smallest sign of a smile. He got up as his knees began hurting.

“I tried so hard to convince myself my feelings were brotherly,� Harry said.

Harry turned quickly as he heard a footstep. Ron stopped and put his hands in his pocket.

“Oh, hey, Ron,� Harry said.

Ron gave a crooked smile.

“Come on, mate. It’s almost time,� he said.

The two began to make their way back to the house.

“Do you remember anything from that day?� Harry asked.

Ron turned to Harry, a little shocked. He never thought Harry would ask him that question.

“Try not to, but it’s hard to get it out of my mind,� Ron said.

Ron and Harry walked inside.

“I’ll never forget,� Harry said under his breath.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers.

Chapter 3 Harry’s Worst Memory

Harry was looking outside the window in the sixth year boys’ dormitory room later on that night after going to the Burrow. He had not even noticed when Ron walked in and stood by his bedside. Neville, Seamus, and Dean were still in the common room.

“You all right there, Harry?� Ron asked.

Harry turned from the window and nodded. However, Ron knew better than to believe this. Why? Because, if he himself was having a hard time today, than surly Harry was, too.

“I’ve just been thinking,� Harry said, and without knowing it, touched the window.

Ron, knowing what he was thinking about, walked up to Harry. Debating on whether or not to place a hand on Harry’s shoulder, Ron finally did so.

“You really need to try and get some sleep, mate,� he said.

Harry sighed, turned from the window, and fell to his bed and looked away from Ron.

“I can’t. I keep reliving that day over and over again in my head,� he said.

Ron sat at the edge of Harry’s bed. His eyes focused on the floor.

“You think talking about it will help?� Ron asked.

Harry looked over at Ron in shock.

“I thought you were trying to forget,� he said.

Ron sat up a little straighter as Harry propped himself on his elbows. This was true, but the more Ron thought about it, the more he realized talking was best thing. Hermione also telling him to talk to her about it helped Ron come to this realization.

“Exactly. Maybe if we talk about it, it’ll help,� Ron said.

Harry glanced down, which Ron did not like. When Harry looked up, Ron was sure he would say no about talking. At least he tried.

“It was our Charms O.W.Ls that day, remember?� Harry asked.

Ron was so shocked at first that all he did was look down. And then he smiled.

“Yeah, Hermione had us up all night studying,� Ron said.

Harry smiled too as the memory of Hermione throwing notes at them when their eyes would start to fall came back.

“I was going to tell her before the exam you know,� he said.

Ron nearly fell off the bed after hearing this. He had no idea Harry was planning on telling Ginny how he felt about her.

“Were you?� Ron asked, because that was the only thing that would come out of his mouth at that moment.

Harry nodded and sat up in bed.

“Yeah, but Dean was with her, so I didn’t,� he said.

Ron cleared his throat as Harry’s head fell.

“And all that studying ended up for nothing, didn’t it?� he asked.

He did this as a distraction for him as well as Harry. Ron did not like the idea of Ginny with anyone else but Harry.

“You have to admit though, those fireworks were brilliant,� Harry said.

Ron laughed thinking about Fred and George’s fireworks display as they flew on their brooms out of Hogwarts.

“Yeah, they were,� he said.

Harry looked down, thinking if he should say what he was thinking to Ron.

“I was able to get Ginny alone and tell her while everyone was still watching the fireworks,� he said.

Ron’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t know that. I’m glad she knew,� he said.

And Ron truly was. He felt better knowing Harry and his sister had admitted their feelings for each other. It then became silent until Harry broke it a minute later.

“Of course she completely ignored me after telling her not to try and help getting into Umbridge’s office and got Neville and Luna involved too,� Harry said.

“You know how stubborn she was,� Ron reminded him with a small laugh.

Harry also had to laugh.

“Bit like you and Hermione I’d say,� he said.

Ron fought a laugh. Harry’s face then turned serious.

“It would’ve been a lot different if we hadn’t seen it,� he said.

Ron thought about it for a moment and then shook his head in disagreement.

“I don’t think so. It’d still hurt just as bad,� he said.

Harry sighed and looked down.

“The pain will pass, though, won’t it?� he asked.

Ron took a deep breath and put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Might, but it’ll never be forgotten,� he said.

Harry noticed that Ron was looking a little embarrassed.

“I know it must be strange for you… knowing my feelings for Ginny,� he said.

Ron smiled and got up.

“Hey, the only guy I wanted or thought she should be with was you,� he said.

“Thanks,� Harry smiled.

With that, the two went to bed for the night.

AN:

None.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers.

Chapter 4 Bad Dream

Everything was dark in the room when Harry felt himself coming out his sleep. He was being woken up by the sound of someone calling his name and a left pressure on his shoulder. His eyes bolted open as the voice became clearer to him. The voice was familiar yet he felt he had not heard it in a long time. He gasped when he saw the person standing at his bedside.

“Ginny?� Harry asked.

She was older, but Harry surprisingly did not think anything of it after things started to sink in for him. Everything came back to him. Their wedding… their three kids, James, Albus, and Lily. Ginny smiled and straightened up. Harry then realized that it had all been a bad dream.

“Harry,� Ginny smiled.

He outstretched his hand to touch her face.

“Is this a dream?� Harry asked.

Ginny smiled and took the hand that Harry had on her cheek.

“If it was, would I be able to do this?� she asked.

She leaned Harry back on the pillow and kissed him deeply on the mouth.

“What’s the matter?� Ginny asked when Harry had not responded the way she was hoping for.

Harry did not really know how to react to the kiss after just having a dream of Ginny being gone. Even though it had twenty-one years since he had been a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, those days were still as clear as if they had happened only yesterday.

“I just had a weird dream last night,� Harry said.

“What was it about?� Ginny asked.

Harry sat up as Ginny sat on the bed next to him.

“It was about when we went to the Ministry fifth year to save Sirius,� he said.

Ginny put her hand on Harry’s shoulder. She understood Harry’s feelings. How many times had he had to wake her up from a nightmare about the war?

“Oh, Harry. I know it most be hard to think of him,� Ginny said. She knew talking about Sirius still hurt after all this time. After all, he had been like a father to him. Harry shook his head. Ginny have him a questionable look. “What is it?�

“No, that’s not it. Ginny, you were the one that dies that night,� Harry said.

She looked down. Ginny could not say anything for a moment. All she could do was rub his shoulder.

“It was just a dream, Harry. Now come on, the train leaves at eleven. You don’t want Lily to miss her first year, do you?� Ginny asked.

Harry nodded and got up.

“Give me five minutes,� he said, pulling the covers away from him as Ginny got up.

He turned to the door as a boy’s voice came from the staircase.

“Mum, have you gotten Dad up yet?� the boy asked in a frustrated tone.

Harry smiled and pulled on a pair of trousers.

“I’ll be right down, Albus,� he called back.

Harry straightened up to find Ginny smiling at him. He too smiled and pulled her into his arms.

“You don’t want to take a quick bath?� she asked.

Harry shook his head.

“Don’t want to make us any later,� he replied.

To two parents began to laugh as they heard Albus getting mad at his brother and sister for running behind. The young wizard and admittedly been terrified at first to go to school in fear of becoming a Slytherin. However, once the Shorting Hat had declared him a Gryffindor, Albus loved it.

“To think he was scared his first year. Now he can’t wait to leave,� Ginny said.

Meanwhile, downstairs, their kids, James, Lily, and Albus were all sitting at the table waiting for their parents.

“Watch out while in the Forbidden Forest now, Lily. There are all sorts of creatures in there,� James was telling his little sister.

Lily’s eyes grew as Albus rolled his eyes.

“I thought students weren’t allowed,� Lily panicked.

Albus put his hand on his sister’s shoulder.

“Don’t listen to him, Lily. James is just joking,� he said, glaring at his brother.

Lily looked down and sighed.

“I’m glad I’ll have Hugo with me,� she said.

Albus bit his lip, knowing how Rose was. She might have looked like Auntie Hermione, but she was like Uncle Ron with everything else, including that flaming red hair.

“Hope Rose hasn’t given him a rough time,� Albus said.

They all turned as Ginny and Harry entered the room.

“Speaking of the Weasley’s, are Ron and Hermione meeting us here, or at the station?� Harry asked.

Ginny laughed.

“Station… that is if Ron doesn’t get into an accident,� she said.

The End

AN:

Yay, I’m done. Hope you enjoyed the twist.