Ch. 33
"Show Me"

When Ginny got back to the Hospital Wing, all she could think of was sleep. The steady pain in the back of her mind was growing, pressing into the back of her head. She was sure it was just a headache, a side effect, and hoped it would go away in the daze of sleep.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was pulled into a dream.

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She should have known better, to be honest. Sleep was never good unless Harry was there, holding her and keeping the nightmares away. That's how it always was. His warm arms encircling her, his lips against her forehead, drifting into sleep like a feather slowly advancing to the ground.

But this time it was rocky. She jumped into the dream, barely having closed her eyes, and the image of the white curtain in front of her bed still imprinted on her mind. Then everything disappeared, slowly. Everything around her turned dark and black.

But there was light. A square of light on the stone floor, like a chunk of rock had been broken out of the ceiling of Hogwarts and now moonlight shone on the cold floor.

It was the same as before. Puddles of who-knows-what surrounding her with chunks of stone and pieces of glass. The smell assaulted her. Something had been burning.

Ginny swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, burying her terror, "H-hello?" She called, walking towards the light. No one answered, instead she listened to her voice echo in the halls.

She was a few feet away from the light, and she stared at it's magnificence. Now that she was closer, she saw it as more of a mist. There were images playing on it's surface. A tree's leaves swaying in the wind. A child laughing as it's father slung it over his shoulder. There was the moon and stars, shining down on her, and then there was the image of millions. People of all shapes and sizes, dancing. Their clothes were all clean and crisp, and the smiles never left their faces.

Ginny felt a call, a need to step into the light and see what would happen. Would she be forever happy? As she thought that, she saw herself. Her brown eyes glittered, her smile faint, and her long red locks cascaded off of her shoulders. Ginny's mouth opened in surprise.

"Hi." She said quietly, waving. The girl said nothing, instead her eyes growing wearied and hurt. Gold leaked it's way to her irises, flecking the murky brown with light. Bruises crossed her face then disappeared with a burst of light. A long, bloody slash wove it's way across her stomach, but it too was healed. Her smile returned, her eyes brightening.

Then the worst of it all happened. Her eyes lost their shine, her face went anguished and lost it's color. Her eyes were sunken, her cheekbones protruding. A white light washed over her face.

"Choices, choices." Ginny's mouth said, her lip busted and bleeding, "oh how, my love, I need these choices. With heart and vain, the girl must die. Leaving forth an unending lie. A hero's soul with only part, tattered breaths and shattered hearts. The war is won, a hero is gone, leaving forth the love of a million suns." Her eyes went glossy as she stepped forward, the white light washing over her features and healing her. Then, with a cry that didn't come from either girls' lips, she disappeared.

Forever.