The Gift of Love by Potterfan922
Summary: Ginny Weasley never thought Harry could ever have feelings for her. With Lily Potter’s help, Ginny learns that anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve. And that is what makes all the difference.
Rating: PG
Categories: Alternate Universe, Girl Talk Challenge (2010-3), Girl Talk Challenge (2010-3)
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2010.06.16
Updated: 2010.06.27
The Gift of Love by Potterfan922
Chapter 1: Someone to Watch Over Me
Author's Notes: Harry spotted her from across the Common Room. She was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, leaning against Dean. Harry thought as he scowled, Bloody Dean Thomas! He just put his arm around her. That slick, slimy, did I mention, bloody git! If Fred and George were still at Hogwarts, I would certainly recommend Dean as their next test subject. What I wouldn’t give for a Puking Pastille right now! Wait! What is she doing? She is looking this way. Act natural. Breathe. Focus. I know, I’ll read the Marauders Map. That should work. Umm, let’s see… Malfoy is still in the Slytherin Common Room. He’s still with Crabbe and Goyle. Talk about bloody gits! Is it safe to look up at her yet? I’ll just take my chance and glance her way. What’s that? She squirmed out of Dean’s arms! That’s my girl! Umm, I mean… damn it! What do I mean? Wait, she’s walking this way! She’s looking straight at me! Did she notice I was staring at her? Bugger! Don’t break eye contact. Don’t say something stupid.
“Good night, Harry,” Ginny stated, looking straight into Harry’s eyes. She broke eye contact, turning towards the girls’ staircase.
“Good night, Gin,” Harry answered, dejectedly with a sigh. His longing gaze followed her as she ascended the steps.
****
Ginny plopped onto her four poster bed. To say that she was confused at the moment would be an understatement. Ginny thought, what the bloody hell was that? I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that Harry was looking at me like he was interested. But Harry couldn’t possibly be interested in me. But the way he was looking at me… Damn it, Ginny! Don’t get your hopes up. The last time you got your hopes up, you had to deal with Cho Bloody Chang! Besides, you already have a boyfriend. What’s his name? Bugger! Dean Thomas. Why did I start dating Dean, anyway? Yes, I remember. I started to date him to get over Harry. He was the most un-Harry-ish boy in Gryffindor Tower that I could find. Now he is the most annoyingly chivalrous boy in Gryffindor Tower. If he opens another door for me or pulls out another chair, I swear I’ll give him a face full of Bat Bogeys!
She sighed dramatically, But what if Harry really is starting to notice me? Wasn’t that another reason why I started dating in the first place, to get Harry to notice me? But I could totally be misreading his intentions. I may have had something on my face. Bloody hell! That might be it! Arg! What should I do? I’m so confused!
Ginny looked upwards, shouting in exasperation, “If there is any divine intervention up there, I could really use some help!”
****
Lily Potter was a very hands-on mother. She always wanted to be involved in Harry’s life. When she was told that Voldemort would come after her infant son and all she could do was hide, she wouldn’t accept that. She wouldn’t rest until she found a way to keep Harry safe. And find a way she did. The cost was her life, but she knew it was worth it. She would do it all over again if it was needed. Even after her death, she would frequently look down on her son, yearning to be involved in his life. Many times it was utterly unbearable to witness the horrors and sufferings that her Harry went through in her sister’s household. She searched for a way to intervene, and finally found one. She learned from the others that had passed away that communication through dreams was an attainable skill. She tried to enter Harry’s dreams many times, but something dark always pushed her away. Much to her chagrin, she never had any luck entering Harry’s dreams during his childhood at Privet Drive.
She was never happier, though, when Harry went off to Hogwarts. She was so grateful that Harry now would have good people in his life: Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione. Someone else caught her eye that fateful day that Harry stepped onto Platform 9 ¾. There was a little girl there, not much younger than Harry. Lily got a warm feeling inside as she watched over that tiny, redheaded girl. She seemed so familiar, and Lily got the feeling that she was going to be an important part of Harry’s life. Call it motherly intuition.
Lily’s suspicions were confirmed the following year. While Harry stayed with the Weasleys, it was apparent to Lily that this little girl, whom she learned was named Ginny, had a huge crush on Harry. Lily sympathized with Ginny every time she did something clumsy in front of him. Potter males certainly have that effect on redheads. Later that year, it almost broke Lily’s heart when she discovered Ginny was being possessed by Riddle’s diary. Lily felt powerless, for she still could not find a way to enter Harry’s dreams to warn him that Ginny was opening the Chamber. Lily realized at the end of that school year just how important Ginny would be. When Harry saved her from that awful fate in the Chamber of Secrets, it was never clearer to Lily: Harry and Ginny must be soul mates.
Lily kept vigil over Harry and Ginny throughout the next few years. To say that she was frustrated would be an understatement. Poor Ginny was pining for Harry, while Harry was as thick as could be. He had no idea what was right in front of him the whole time. Granted, he had a lot on his mind, but he had no idea how much he was hurting Ginny by his indifference. Lily would discuss this situation with James frequently, trying to think of a way to help. He would say to her, “Give him time, Love. He’s your son. It took you until seventh year, Lils, to notice I wasn’t a complete prat.” Lily hoped Harry wouldn’t take that long.
So, the years passed, and still Lily couldn’t intervene with Harry, no matter how hard she tried. She witnessed Lord Voldemort rise again, and was determined to help Harry escape that graveyard. She spent a year disgusted with Dolores Umbridge, but was extremely proud of Harry when he started the DA. She thought during that year, maybe he would finally notice Ginny. But, oh no, his first crush was an older girl named Cho Chang, and Ginny had given up on him, resorting to date other boys. Lily really wondered when those two would finally get their act together. She knew just how important Ginny’s love would be in Harry’s life.
Finally, in Harry’s sixth year, she noticed a change in Harry. She rejoiced when she realized that Harry started to like Ginny romantically. Lily’s heart went out to Harry, though. Ginny was involved with another boy at the time. But it was obvious to Lily that Ginny still cared for Harry. She was positive that was the case one night in Ginny’s dormitory.
Ginny looked upwards, shouting in exasperation, “If there is any divine intervention up there, I could really use some help!”
That was all Lily needed to hear. She decided that it was time to intervene. She would try to reach Ginny this time, rather than Harry.
****
Ginny stirred on her four poster bed in the middle of the night. Her clothes were still on, and her bed covers were still made up. “That’s funny. I don’t remember falling asleep,” she muttered groggily. She was so wrapped up in thoughts of Harry last night that she never meant to fall asleep.
Ginny sat up, stretched, and yawned. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep at the moment, she decided to go to the Common Room. She grabbed her bag at the foot of her bed. Maybe if she read some of her History of Magic notes, she would be able to fall back to sleep and salvage the rest of her night.
Ginny walked gingerly down the staircase, not wanting to wake everyone up. As she reached the last step, she was surprised to see that another girl with long, dark red hair was sitting on the sofa, facing away from her. Ginny walked around to the chair nearest the girl.
Looking through her bag for her notes, Ginny stated, “I hope I’m not disturbing you. I couldn’t sleep as well. I thought some of Professor Binns’ notes might be a viable solution.” Ginny stated dryly, pulling out her parchment. Ginny looked up at the girl and became quite startled. Now that she got a good look at her, Ginny realized she was someone she never saw in Gryffindor Tower before, for Ginny knew all of the Gryffindors. Although, there was something familiar about her... Nevertheless, she silently cursed herself for leaving her wand up in her dorm. “Excuse me, who are you?” Ginny asked.
“My name is Lily. It is very nice to finally meet you, Ginny Weasley,” Lily replied.
“How do you know my name?” Ginny asked shakily.
“I’ve watched over you for a long time, Ginny. My full name is Lily Evans Potter. I am Harry’s mum.” She said warmly, her emerald eyes twinkling in the firelight.
“That’s not possible,” Ginny responded slowly, turning white.
“Actually, it quite is. You see, you are not awake at the moment. You really are asleep in your dorm. I called you here. I have very fond memories in this room.” She smiled as she looked around the room nostalgically.
Ginny’s mind whirled around in disbelief. It was completely and totally impossible. She looked at Lily suspiciously. “So, if you are Lily Potter, tell me something that only she would know. How do I know it’s not a trick of some sort?”
“Ah, I see Moody has influenced you with all of his constant vigilance stuff. Let me see. I can tell you a lot of things. First, Harry was a very fussy baby. He would get up frequently in the middle of the night. He still hasn’t grown out of that.”
“Okay, Harry’s a bad sleeper. Sorry, but that’s common knowledge. You need to do better than that,” Ginny challenged.
“Ah, you are a tough girl. How about this? Harry witnessed the attack on your father last year in his dreams. He saw the attack through the snake’s eyes. He started to think he was being possessed by Voldemort, and pulled away from everyone who cared about him. You were the one who pulled him out of that slump, Ginny. I sincerely thank you for that.” Ginny’s jaw dropped. She went on, “Also, Dementors affect him. He hears my scream when I was murdered. Sadly, that is his only memory of me. You, unfortunately, hear Tom Riddle.” A tear escaped from Lily’s eyes, while Ginny dropped her notes to the floor. If she could have gotten even paler, she would have.
At that moment, Ginny looked into her eyes. They were the exact same shade of green as Harry’s. “Merlin, is it really you, Mrs. Potter?” Ginny asked.
“Yes, it’s really me.” Lily replied, with a watery smile.
“How are you here? Why are you here? Why aren’t you with Harry? Meeting you would mean the world to him.” Ginny was overwhelmed. “I’m sorry, I mean, it’s very nice to meet you. But I have so many questions.”
“That’s okay, I kind of expected them. I am able to be here because I learned how to communicate through dreams. It is a skill that took me a long time to master. I have tried to reach Harry countless times, but something kept blocking me from his mind. I was able to reach you on the first try.” Lily responded.
“Well, Harry always has been thick. Perhaps that is what has kept you out,” Ginny replied without thinking. A blush crept down her neck as her eyes widened with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Lily chuckled, “That’s alright, Ginny. I am well aware of my son’s issues. But he has a heart of gold, which I’m sure you know as well. Anyway, I recently discovered a theory of why I can’t reach him, but we’ll talk about that in time.” Ginny nodded. “As for why I am here, I need your help. Precisely, Harry needs your help.”
“Why does Harry need my help?” Ginny wondered.
“You are his only hope in defeating Voldemort and coming out of this alive and whole.”
“Me?”
“Yes, Ginny. You are his one true love.”
Ginny was shocked beyond belief. She was utterly speechless. When she found her voice, she replied, “I think you may have made some mistake. You see, I couldn’t possibly be Harry’s one true love.”
Lily’s smile widened, “I thought you would say that. Ginny, haven’t you noticed changes in Harry during this past year? Haven’t you seen how he looks at you now? Has he not included you with Ron and Hermione more? In general, doesn’t he try to spend more time with you?”
Ginny opened and closed her mouth, cocking her head to the right in thought. She had indeed noticed those things. In fact, she has been utterly frustrated all year because of the changes in Harry. They made her more confused as ever. But if what Lily said was true… She was Harry’s one true love… Lily beamed at Ginny as she worked out what it all meant.
“I thought so,” Lily smiled. “I know my son has been very thick, but he has finally worked out his feelings for you. Now, what do you suppose may be preventing Harry from acting on his feelings?”
Ginny thought for a moment. Harry was so complicated. “I guess he hasn’t tried anything because I am dating Dean. Harry is too noble to do anything about his feelings if I am taken.”
“Right in one,” Lily responded. “He also is very worried that Ron would think he was betraying him by fancying his little sister.”
“Well, that’s just silly. Why would Ron be upset if we started dating? I mean, wouldn’t he be happy it’s Harry and not some other bloke?”
“We both know Ron would eventually warm up to the idea of you two dating. But this has to do with Harry, not Ron. Harry is the one who is worried. He has so few people in his life. Losing Ron over you would be devastating.”
Ginny nodded her head slowly. It was starting to make sense. “Okay, I see your point. I know how to deal with Dean. I honestly was planning on handling that situation anyway. But how can I help Harry get over this other issue?”
“Now that’s the trickier part, but it isn’t impossible,” Lily replied.
“Impossible?” Ginny contemplated. Her eyes lit up with
understanding. “Possible? Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”
“You have an idea,” Lily curiously stated, smiling mischievously.
“I do,” Ginny beamed with that brazen look, “And it is going to be wicked, if I do say so myself.”
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