He thought about Ron and Hermione, his two best friends. Braver and more loyal friends could not be found. They were really more like a brother and sister to him than friends. They had had arguments in the past, but had always made up in the end.
Ron and he had argued during the Tri Wizard tournament, but even then Ron had remained loyal. Once they actually talked, their friendship was stronger for it.
He had not spoken to Hermione for a while after she had told Professor McGonagall about his Firebolt. Now, even Harry had to admit that she had only had his best interests at heart.
The three of them had been through so much during their time at school. They had never had what could be called a normal year. How many “normal” students had fought a troll, rescued a convicted murderer, or started a secret organization? How many others had figured out the Chamber of Secrets, or figured out a way for a fourteen year old boy to win a tournament designed for much older and experienced wizards? He wasn’t sure of the answer to these questions, but he thought the list would be very short.
Harry started thinking about the other people he cared about in his life. Hagrid had been the first person to introduce him to the wizarding world. That alone singled him out as special in Harry’s eyes, but Hagrid had always been a loyal friend as well. It is true that Harry did not always look forward to Hagrid’s classes, but he did always look forward to tea in the stone cabin.
Next he thought about Molly and Arthur Weasley. What else could he say about the parents of his best mate? They were like second parents to him. Molly doted on him like he was one of her own. She had even told Sirius that he was as good as one of her own. Hearing her say that had caused his heart to swell with joy. She always fussed over him whenever he stayed with the Weasleys making sure that he ate enough and that he was doing well.
Arthur had been the one to warn him about Sirius Black when it was still thought he was trying to kill Harry. He had always treated Harry with more respect than many other adults did. He was the one to accompany Harry to his trial a year earlier, and it had made Harry feel better to know that Arthur was there.
He thought about Dumbledore next. He had some mixed emotions about the Hogwarts Headmaster. He was still a little irritated that Dumbledore had kept him in the dark about everything. But even with that, The Headmaster had always made sure Harry had enough information to complete whatever task he had to do. Harry did not know if this was intentional, but the coincidences were uncanny. It was like he was letting Harry test his wings to find out what he was capable of, but always seemed to help him out if he was in a little over his head. This man had become as much like a Grandfather as a mentor to Harry.
Remus was his last link to his parents. He knew that the werewolf cared deeply for him, almost as much as Sirius had. Remus had taken Harry under his wing when he was a teacher at Hogwarts. He had taught Harry the Patronus Charm, and had been the one to figure out that Sirius was innocent. Harry knew that, with Sirius gone, Remus would be next in line to be his Godfather. Harry also knew he could not ask for a better one.
Then there was Fed and George. The mere thought of them always brought a smile Harry’s face. They were like the cousins you always wanted to visit because they would always keep you laughing. They never took anything to serious. They had made him feel better about himself when everyone else thought it was him opening Chamber in his second year. They had more than scoffed at the idea, and had gone as far as to make a farce out of it by proclaim to all to make way for the heir of Slytherin as he walked sown the halls. They had also given him one of his most prized possessions, The Marauder’s Map.
Lastly he thought about Ginny. It amazed him how much she had changed in his eyes. He chuckled when he thought about the crush she had on him for the first couple of years. He could really see now how out of character she had been around him. Gone was the shy, quiet little girl who would blush whenever he would speak to her. Ever since she had gotten over him, her true personality had started shine. Though out the last year, he had started to see her for who she really was. He found her to be smart, incredibly funny, mischievous, and quite a force to be reckoned with.
The dreams he had been having about her only seemed to confuse him. She was no longer Ron’s little sister in his mind, but what was she? That she had grown into a very pretty young lady was obvious, but he knew other girls who were pretty. What was it about her that made her different? Why was he having dreams about her? Could it really be that he was starting to fall for her?
The more Harry thought about it, the more he tried analyze it. What made her different? He thought about every memory he had of her, going through them, trying to see what was different about her.
Then it hit him, he could not think of one memory about her that was negative. Even the image of her lying in the Chamber, close to death, was not a negative one. He had risen to the challenge that day and had saved her. He had thwarted Voldemort for the third time in his life, and the second time in as many years. While he felt sad that she had to go through that, he was proud to have been able to save her.
But more than that was the realization that she always seemed to know what he needed at the time. She was not afraid to tell him off when he needed it, like last year at Christmas. She also seemed to know when he just needed someone to just listen, like when they were in the library this last spring.
There was one big problem with this picture, though. She was over him. Hermione had told him that over a year ago. She had even started dating other guys. First she had dated Michael Corner, and now Dean Thomas.
This thought constricted his heart a little bit. What if now, after all this time that she had a crush on him, he had a crush on her, and she just thought of him as Ron’s best friend. Wouldn’t that be ironic?
Harry thought about this for a long time while lying on his bed. At some point he dozed off. He was in the middle of dreaming about Ginny again when he heard a tapping at his window.
He looked up to see an owl with a letter in its beak. He walked over to the window, opened it and let the owl in. After extracting the letter, he reached up to stroke its feathery head when it gave him a good nip on the end of his finger.
“What was that for?” he said to the bird. It just looked at him then at the letter.
“Okay, I’ll read it. Sheesh”
Turning it over, he saw that it was from Dumbledore. Puzzled at this he tore the envelope open, and started to read.
Dear Harry,
I hope this letter find you well. Your friends, as well as myself, have been concerned that you have not written them back. In addition, Mrs. Figg informs me that you have not been outside once this summer. This is a concern to us all.
Harry, I implore you to not let your grief over the loss of Sirius to keep you in a depressed state. Remember what I said about him being a brave man who would not be kept out of battle. He would not want you sulking over this.
Please send word,
Professor Dumbledore
P.S. The owl will remain until you write back.
Harry could only chuckle. He could picture a visit from Mad-Eye Moody if he did not respond.
Crossing to the desk, he pulled out a piece of parchment, and sat down to write his response.
Dear Professor,
I apologize for not writing sooner. I have had a lot think about his summer, but I know that is no excuse.
I am doing better now, mainly due to a conversation you had with my aunt. She has actually been kind. She has helped me to see things in a slightly different light.
I will write to every one else as soon as I can.
Harry.
With that, Harry gave the letter to the owl, and sent it on its way.
* * *
The rest of the afternoon, Harry spent time reading through the letters he had received over the past couple of weeks. He had gotten 3 each from Ron and Hermione, and two from Ginny.
The letters from Ron and Hermione were almost all alike. They expressed there concern for him and implored him to write back. The first letter from Ginny was like that, but the second was little different. He was little taken aback as he read it.
Harry,
I know you are hurting right now, but you need to realize that there are people here who care about you. You are not, I repeat, NOT, going to push us away like that. You need to get off your butt, and let us know how you are doing.
We care about you, but you are hurting us with your silence. Let us be there for you.
If you don’t, expect to be hexed the next time I see you. And if you don’t think I won’t just ask any of my brothers. You taught me too many spells this last year, and I am not afraid to use them on you. Got it?
Ginny.
The only thing he could think of was that she hadn’t learned how to send a howler yet, or that was just what this letter would have been. That she was right, only made him smile. How could she know him so well as to know that he had been trying to push them away?
He pulled out some more parchment and proceeded to write back to each of them letting them know he was okay. He just needed to think some things through, and that he would write more soon.
He then let Hedwig out of her cage, gave her the letters and sent her off with them. She seemed happy to stretch her wings, and with a hoot set off to the Burrow.
By this time, It was well past dark, so Harry lay down, closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep, his only dream of chasing a red headed figure through the trees.