Dinner had been mostly uneventful Sunday evening, mostly because Ginny had sat at the end of the long table away from anyone who might have strong words for her, hiding amongst the younger years and focusing solely on her food. Once she’d finished her dinner the redhead wandered off toward the third floor. She was in no mood to actually set food in the den of her peers, and she really didn’t have the mind to focus on much in the way of school work or anything else. No, she needed advice from someone more like her, and an owl wasn’t going to do it justice.

Her Gryffindor sweatshirt was one from her mum’s school days and was a modest cut, which made Ginny happy. At least no one would be able to say she always dressed like a skank even if she had acted like one the previous night. She shook her head, ponytail brushing the sides of her face and almost managing to make her laugh. Almost. She didn’t know if she’d be capable of laughter until she figured out how to fix the blazing bridges she’d caused last night…

It probably didn’t help that she hadn’t returned to the tower last night to sleep. Ron probably already thought she’d been doing who knows what with her Ravenclaw boyfriend. And who else would have an opinion about what she may or may not have been doing? She felt her heart drop at that thought. Her whole reputation was in tatters just because she wanted to be noticed as more than a carbon copy of the twins. Was it so bad for her to want to get some attention for being a girl? Maybe she needed to talk to an actual girl about this.

Alas, she didn’t have a girl to talk to. She had Fred, and she was going to owl him as soon as she got through the stupid passage so he could come to Hogsmeade and make it all better.

She was about to activate the witch’s hump when she heard a familiar voice and her heart froze. Damn Harry. He must have been watching that stupid map of his, and now he had that big brother/hero complex kicking in. She rolled her eyes and turned to look at him with a hopelessness in her brown orbs as his voice washed over her. ”You can’t run away from your problems, Gin…”

Sunday had been a weird sort of a day, between breakfast hiding with Skyler and the rest of the day hiding by himself. Harry was fairly certain that Ron would kill him on sight at this point and that Hermione just wanted to never see his face again. On top of that, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to punch Malfoy in the face repeatedly or apologize to him over and over. With all of that, classes tomorrow were bound to be so full of weird energy that their professors actually noticed. On top of all of that, he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to look anyone else in that room, Ginny included, again.

As a result of all of that, Harry spent most of the day pacing the castle, muttering to himself and trying to figure out what to do about everything. He was used to one night making all the difference in his life, but usually that meant Voldemort was involved, someone had died, or both. He had no idea that a little booze and a simple kid’s game could cause so much devastation in so short a time. He started out the day checking the Marauder’s Map every few minutes to make sure he wasn’t going to run into anyone, but by the time he had skipped both lunch and dinner without thinking of anything to make things better, he had stopped checking or even keeping track of where in the castle he was.

As a result, it was a great shock when he almost managed to run directly into the youngest Weasley’s back. She hadn’t seen or heard him approaching, and Harry’s first instinct was to slowly back off and keep it that way. Then he realized where they were and what was going on. He recognized that expression, had even seen it in the mirror a few times. “You can’t run away from your problems, Gin” he said with a disappointed sigh.

When she turned to face him, pain and confusion in her brown eyes, Harry’s expression and voice softened considerably. It was simply too hard to stay mad at the damn girl. “I know it seems like running away is the only option, but things really are better here than they would be without this place, problems to deal with or not.” He pulled her into a small hug. “Last night will fade away with time, and until then there are still some of us who love you and believe in you.”

Ginny wanted to correct Harry’s assumption and let him know she was only leaving for a little bit, but his words were so kind and the way he enveloped her in his arms made her feel safe. She didn’t want to leave his arms anymore, even if she had realized she definitely didn’t feel anything romantic toward the boy now. He was her best friend, and he was safe and comforting and he could protect from the world. At least, that was how it felt, and the redhead didn’t much want to fix her feelings at the moment.

Harry had already saved her life at least once, though she was sure he had managed to save it more over the last couple years. The boy looked out for her like one of her big brothers, and she loved him for it. They were family, and family stuck together. At least, they should. Ron didn’t seem to understand that, though. She melted into his embrace and inhaled his familiar, calming scent.

”I’m sorry, Harry,” she murmured into his chest, sighing in relief that at least he and Riley still cared about her. ”I shouldn’t have been so careless. I just… I’ve been so stressed out this year and I’ve been worried about you and so much fighting with everyone and I just wanted to let loose. And then I let too loose and… and…” she sniffed, peering up at him through damp lashes. ”I hope you’re right. That it’ll fade. I just… I wanted everyone to have fun and then nobody was having fun and it just didn’t work. And then my damned wand turned green when you left and Malfoy saw it and…”

She sighed again, still holding close to Harry. ”The good thing is I think we both figured out we’re over each other, right? And Riley’s still mad about me. Harry, he makes me feel so good. We haven’t even done anything really, well, other than my stunt at the game. But you know, I don’t even feel any pressure from him about anything! And he challenges me and gives me new bruises and doesn’t think that’s weird.” Her eyes were alight with wonder at the boy she’d wound up with. It was nice to finally admit how hard she’d fallen to someone she considered her very best friend.

”Harry, I think I might love him. I just hope I haven’t made it so everyone else hates him along with me. I mean, what if Ron tries to kill him?!” It was a real fear of hers, and she looked at the boy who’d been her hero since she was eleven years old and in way over her head with a memory. ”Or worse… Harry… What if he makes me choose between him and Riley?”

She melted into his hug and two things became clear to Harry. The first was that any chance of a romance between the two of them had died at some point, crowded out by more important feelings. The second was that no matter what happened in the future they would always look out for each other, and Harry wouldn’t have it any other way.

Then Ginny was babbling, and Harry was doing the best he could to keep up so he could say all the things that he needed to see whenever she finished. When she finally finished and seemed to actually want his advice, rather than just venting everything out it also seemed like the last thing she said was the most important and the thing that needed to be addressed.

“That is not going to be a problem at all, Gin,” Harry said with an honest and confident smile. “If you really love Riley, Ron will figure it out and he will be okay with him.” His smile gave way to a devious little smirk that the redhead would be familiar with from several faces besides his own. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll smack him with a beater’s bat until he gets it through his head that your happiness is the most important thing.”

He took a step back from his younger friend so he could look her fully in the face as he figured out what else needed to be said. “I’m not sure I understand the way you love, Gin, but if he makes you happy, nothing you do or don’t do with him is gonna change what I think of you and him. As long as you love Riley, he’s my brother, and if he hurts you, he’s going to have worse to worry about than new bruises.”

As he worked backwards, he realized there were two things left. He didn’t really want to dwell on the disaster that was the game itself, because then he would have to admit that the two people standing here shared a lot of the blame for it spiraling out of control, and that wouldn’t do either of them any good. He didn’t really want to deal with the truth dare that Riley had thrown him at the end, but that one he at least actually needed help on.

“Of course it turned green.” He knew exactly what the last thing he said was, and he had a decent idea of how he felt about the Slytherin he had taken care of last night. “I’m not exactly sure if crush is a strong enough word,” he admitted, as much to himself as to the redhead, “And of course Malfoy saw it.” He stopped, completely at a loss now. “What should I do?”

This was why Ginny loved being able to count on Harry. He always knew what to say and how to say it to make her smile again and feel like she’d never be alone, even if her whole world crumbled. He was a rock and she could always cling to him for support. The smirk and the threat to beat Ron into liking Riley reminded Ginny of her twins, which made her relax even more into the embrace. She didn’t need to run off to Fred and George. She had Harry, and he’d learned a lot from her brothers.

She grinned at her best friend, appreciating that even when he didn’t quite understand, he still got it. What made her happy made him happy, and that was enough. ”You’re amazing, Harry. You really are. And I’m sure the silly birdy knows just how many big brothers I have to threaten his life should he hurt me,” she added with a giggle. Harry would forever be one of her family members, and he would always be one to look out for her. He was a big brother without the annoying parts like Ron tended to show. It was nice.

”As far as Sky and Malfoy go… Well, I really don’t even know. I mean… I wouldn’t hide my feelings from her if I were you, but at the same time you still have to respect the relationship she’s in, as shitty as Malfoy is. If it were me, and I’d picked him, and you tried to like… usurp his title as my boyfriend or something, well. Let’s just say it wouldn’t work out well for you. And I don’t think she wants things to not work out well between the two of you.”

Ginny tilted her head at Harry, looking deep into his eyes. ”Harry, do you think you can still be ‘just friends’ with her if she’s still stuck on Malfoy?” She was worried for him. What if he’d fallen way too hard and couldn’t convince himself to remain the Slytherin’s friend while she chose another guy over him? The redhead really didn’t want to see her best friend hurt like that. Thinking of best friends and getting hurt, Ginny had to put a hand to her forehead and grimace.

”Harry, I think I might have done something really, really stupid,” she murmured, looking at him rather sadly. Had she set her friends up for failure and heartbreak? This was really not good! ”You see, before the game thing, Hermione… Well, she kind of came to me to confess something and… well… you see… I might have told her to act on a little, um, crush.” She looked away from Harry then, feeling awkward and rather horrible. She really hoped Hermione didn’t do much but simply tell Harry how she felt. She so didn’t want the bookworm to get her heart crushed.

Harry really had no idea what to say to any of that. He wasn’t even sure he understood what she was saying about picking Malfoy and picking him and all of it. He also didn’t really know what he was capable of doing and thinking with Skyler, as he was just coming to terms with how strongly he felt for her. This was something entirely different than any of the crushes he had felt in the past, even if it ended up just being another kind of crush. He really wasn’t sure how to treat even his own thoughts about Skyler.

To buy a little more time, he decided to work backwards again and address the last thing the redhead had told him first. “So you’re telling me you’ve sent Hermione to hunt me down and snog me or something?” he asked with a laugh. When Ginny didn’t laugh with him, Harry thought about the damn game and his own laugh died in his throat. “Bloody hell. She’s going to think we’re dating or something now. I’ll have to talk to her and set her straight, I guess. Can’t let her feelings ruin out friendship, after all.”

Saying that somehow made the thing with Skyler easier too. If it was true one way, it had to be true the other way as well. “I guess I need to do what I can to be okay with Skyler as just a friend and not push things or anything,” he said thoughtfully. One part of it left an incredibly sour taste in his mouth, though. “I’m not going to just sit back and watch her hurt anymore, though. If Malfoy continues to treat her the way he has been lately, I’m going to step in and make sure something better for her happens.”

Harry wasn’t entirely sure how he would exactly go about that promise, no matter how strongly he meant it. Maybe he could corner Malfoy after class and let him know that the way he was treating the love of Harry’s friend was unacceptable. Maybe he needed to beat the blonde in the head with a beater’s bat as well while he was going after Ron. Either way, all of this was far more exhausting than he ever remembered the first few weeks of a school year being.

He looked down into his friend’s eyes a little bit pitifully. “I thought fighting evil was always going to be the hard part. When did it become so hard to just go to classes and have friends and crushes and stuff?”

Ginny sent an apologetic look toward her best friend, wishing she could somehow ease his worries, but knowing she couldn’t. Especially seeing as she was the one who caused the ones she was most concerned about. ”I’m sorry, Harry,” she said with a sigh. ”I should really stop giving people advice on romance. I seem to be rather terrible at it.” She really did feel terrible for sending Hermione on Harry without talking to him about it first. If she’d known how strongly he felt about the two of them remaining in the ‘friendzone’ she wouldn’t have pushed the bookworm on the issue.

It seemed likely that they wouldn’t get much further on that subject, so she tried to focus on Harry’s feelings for Sky. ”I just think you should be there for her if she needs you, Harry. But it isn’t up to you to decide how good or bad of a choice Malfoy is. You just have to be her friend, and be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best, you know? Even if you don’t really want the best to happen.” the redhead added the last bit on with a knowing glint in her eyes. It was obvious to her that Harry wanted desperately to take the blonde’s place in their mutual friend’s heart. She just hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid while he pined for her.

”Oh, Harry, you silly boy!” she laughed musically, looking up slightly into his eyes and finding so much confusion there it was overwhelming. ”Don’t you see? Saving the world has always been the easy part. You just never noticed ‘cause you stopped trying after the awkward wet kisses with Cho Chang.”

She laughed lightly at her friend, hoping he wouldn’t get too seriously bummed by the news. It had been clear to her for a long while that life had gotten harder ever since hormones had really started kicking in. She let out a heavy sigh and hugged her friend tightly, feeling at least a bit more prepared for life in general. ”I wouldn’t worry too much, Harry. Everything works out in the end. Sometimes you just don’t know what you actually need until it sweeps you off your feet.”

She smiled, thinking of Riley. He sure had swept her. ”Would you like to meet up with Fred and George sometime soon with me? I was going to go to Hogsmeade and owl Fred today, but then you stopped me and now it seems kind of reckless. Maybe we could actually send a letter with Hedwig and make plans to meet them next time we’re not busy? I still would rather go outside of a Hogsmeade weekend though. You know. This old witch hasn’t had much use lately. I think she might feel neglected.” She felt happy and relaxed, and she hoped Harry would go see the twins with her. It would be nice to do something against the rules and it would feel good to see the boys. She knew Harry was almost as close with them as she was, and that was truly something since she was closer with them than anyone else in her family.

Things seemed to be falling into place again. Now she just had to keep Harry together and all would be well. At least, until Voldemort decided to do something crazy. Or until Malfoy broke Sky’s heart. It was hard to tell which would come first.

Harry just shook his head at the redhead. “You have nothing to be sorry for, I promise. You should always try to help a friend the best you can.” It wasn’t Ginny’s fault that Harry didn’t feel the same way about Hermione that she felt about him. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, as far as he was concerned.

His mouth narrowed into a thin line when she started talking about Skyler and Malfoy again. He wanted to believe that this was the same as her advice to Hermione, the best she could see a situation, but not the actual truth of it because of all the other factors. In truth, Harry knew better. It was not his place to tell Skyler how to live her life, or to try and decide what was best for her. If she wanted to be with Draco, Harry would have to do his best to deal with it and just be a friend.

His frown only grew when she started talking about saving the world being the easy part, but then he thought about everything that had happened this year and broke into a grin. He had been so caught up in everything since Sirius and Dumbledore and all of it that he wasn’t really fully aware of just how crazy the last two months had been. Maybe his little spitfire of a friend was just what he needed to hear right now.

“Who knew the voice of reason could come from someone who lists taunting her friend’s cat with dungbombs as an interest?” he teased Ginny, playfully shoving her away. “I’ll do my best to take a step back and see what happens.” He very seriously doubted there was someone better than Skyler hiding around a corner, but maybe he really didn’t know what he needed now. Time to clear his head could only be helpful.

“I’ll send Fred an owl tonight, see when he’s not busy. Maybe the four of us can go grab dinner in London one night when Ron and Hermione are too busy to notice us being gone. Or we could just sneak out in the middle of the night and wake him up so that he yawns through the next day at work. I doubt October is our busy season anyway, with all us kiddies stuck in school.” He had other stuff he wanted to discuss with Fred anyway, and maybe he would actually remember to listen to his de facto big brother’s advice this time.

“Okay, so love lives and lives of crime are settled then,” he said, his grin growing even bigger. “You ready to head back to the common room and pretend that we don’t notice Hermione glaring at the both of us?”

A giant smile was plastered on Ginny’s face by the time Harry has stopped talking. He was such a perfect friend. He had this way of not letting things get to him too much, so he could push them aside rather quickly as opposed to someone like Ron who kept holding certain events against people, or Hermione who would more likely pretend they hadn’t happened at all. Harry actually accepted things and go over them. He was a good friend and a great brother to her.

”Oh Harry, how you underestimate me. I’ve moved on from dungbombs to firecrackers. If you’ve never seen a squash-faced cat jump ten feet in the air, you are missing out.” The redhead laughed heartily as she grabbed Harry’s arm and started walking toward their home tower. She figured ignoring Hermione wouldn’t be too hard. She’d gotten a lot of practice in at it when she hadn’t done her homework or was avoiding preparing for end of the year exams.

Her mind was focused on the image of Fred yawning through work while George kept zapping him with stinging hexes to keep him away, and she couldn’t help but giggle some more. Oh, man. It was really not right how well she, Harry, and the twins worked together. They could have really raised hell if Umbridge hadn’t mucked everything up last year.

”Maybe we can really piss her off. I still have some leftover dungbombs from before I got bigger and badder with Crookshanks…” she smirked devilishly at her friend, ready to cause some havoc. It was inevitable that they’d cause a ruckus, but what fun was life without chaos, right? Ginny pulled on Harry’s arm, hurrying off through the passages that would get them to Gryffindor Tower quickest. They had a bushy-haired bookworm to bother.