Harry Potter- The New Prophecy

Reassurance

December 15th, 2009
Harry wasn't sure how he had gotten here. It had happened rather suddenly. One minute everything was peaceful, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in complete darkness.

Reaching into the pocket of his robes, Harry pulled out his wand, and pointing it at the night sky, he muttered, "Lumos." A bright light emitted from the end of his wand, giving Harry just enough light to see. It was then that he realized he was in Diagon Alley. The shops all appeared to be closed, indicating that it was very late. What was he doing here? He should be home.

Harry made his way down the streets, moving his wand around as he went. The entire area was deserted. Not a single person was around. The only sound was the howling of the wind and the thumping of his own heart.

Harry began to walk at a quicker pace. He knew his way around Diagon Alley like the back of his hand, but the streets seemed to be never-ending. He wasn't watching where he was going and suddenly tripped. Pointing his wand at the object, he was horrified to find that it wasn't an object at all, but a person. There, on the ground, surrounded by a puddle of blood, was his brother-in-law, Ron.

It didn't make any sense. Ron wasn't supposed to be here any more than Harry was. He was supposed to be back at Grimmauld Place. Harry kneeled down by Ron's side and placed two fingers on his neck. There was no pulse.

Harry barely had the time to grieve Ron when his eyes landed on another body. The body seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Pointing his wand at the body, Harry was horrified to discover that it was Hermione.

'No, no, no.' Harry thought. This couldn't be happening. He jumped to his feet and turned around. There, on the ground, was Sirius. Then it was his parents, and Remus, and Tonks, and every other person he cared about. Then his eyes caught a flash of red, and his entire world fell apart. "GINNY!" He screamed. "NO!"

Dropping to his knees, he pulled his wife's limp body into his arms and brushed the hair out of her face. Her eyes were closed, and she looked peaceful, as if she were only sleeping. But she was unnaturally still.

"No, Ginny," Harry moaned. "Not Ginny. Please, no!"

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around Harry, pulling him back. Harry tried to break free but found that his legs were no longer working.

"NO!" He screamed, clawing at the hands that were holding him back. "LET GO!"

"Harry, wake up!"

Harry woke with a start. Someone was shaking him. He sat up as quickly as he could, gasping for breath. He looked around the dark room. He was at home, in his bed, with his wife by his side.

"It was just a dream." Ginny said soothingly. "I'm right here, Harry. It was just a dream."

Harry knew his wife was right, but knowing she was alive and well didn't ease his worries. It had been nearly a month since the accident, and it had been a week since he was released from St Mungo's. In all this time, he hadn't gone a single night without having a nightmare. The beginning of the dream was always different, but it always ended the same—with his entire family dead.

Harry felt the familiar bile rise in his throat and knew what was about to happen. He leaned over the side of the bed and threw up into the trashcan. He could feel his wife's soothing hand on his back, but was deaf to the words she spoke.

When he was done, Harry took out his wand and banished the contents before turning to face his wife. She was holding her left wrist with her right hand, and Harry was startled to see several scratches. Harry carefully took his wife's wrist into his hand and gasped. "Ginny, what happened?"