The young boy ran, panting as he desperately tried to outpace his pursuers. He turned down another alleyway, and came out in a small park dotted sparsely with bare trees and a frozen pond at its centre. He sprinted quickly to one of the larger trees, throwing himself behind it in the hope of being hidden. He had no such luck, as he could hear the panting and barking getting closer still.

He struggled to take a deep breath, too exhausted to run anymore, and sank to the ground with his back to the rough bark, wrapping his arms around himself against the freezing cold. He closed his eyes and hoped he might just wake up from this living nightmare.

Please, I don't want to die like this, he thought.

Harry Potter was only seven, and he'd been running away from his large bully of a cousin, Dudley, when he ended up in a rough neighbourhood with no idea of how to get back home. He'd stumbled onwards, trying to find a street sign that led to Little Whinging when the dogs had spotted him. They were large, with matted fur and big teeth and Harry had been terrified, so he'd ran. If he'd known what rabid dogs looked like, that might have been how he described them.

He listened to their paws, crunching through the snow, come right up to the tree he was behind and then around him, as if they were circling. Harry frowned to himself as they continued to just circle and bark agitatedly, but never coming closer.

"You're safe now," a gentle voice said in front of him.

Harry's eyes flew open to see who had spoken. Then he rubbed his eyes and looked again. Finally, his jaw dropped as he took in the sight before him.

An older girl stood in front of him, looking no more than perhaps eighteen, wearing a simple black robe. She had brilliant red hair, cascading down her back, and a warm smile on her face as she looked at Harry. All of this paled into insignificance though compared to the first thing Harry noticed about her. Stretching out from her back to encircle him were two long wings, covered in white feathers, the tips just touching the tree Harry was hunched up against. They looked strong, not the sort of thing someone would wear as a costume, and yet the feathers tapered off to a delicate edge along the trailing edge. On top of the girl's head was some form of circlet, glowing with an almost blinding brightness, lighting up the area around her and Harry. The whole setting had an ethereal quality to it, as the white light reflected off of the cold snow around him.

Harry blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Suddenly remembering the dogs, he ducked his head down, to peer under the large wings around him to see the dogs continuing to circle and bark, although they sounded muffled and far away now. He raised his eyes back to look at the girl.

"What are you?" he blurted out without thinking.

The girl seemed amused as she looked at him.

"I'm an angel, of course," she said.

Harry squinted at her, thinking about it.

"Angels aren't real though, Aunt Petunia says so," he said, uncertainly. She certainly looked like an angel to him, but Aunt Petunia was very strict about there being no 'abnormal stuff'.

"Well, your Aunt Petunia doesn't know everything," the girl said.

Harry continued to look at her, chewing on his lower lip. "I like your wings," he said suddenly. Cheeks flushing, he looked back down at his feet before carefully lifting his gaze to peer at her shyly.

She smiled brightly at him and held out a hand offering to help him up.

"Come on, Harry, it's time to head home," she said softly.

He carefully pushed himself up from the base of the tree, and took her hand. He knew Dudley often held Aunt Petunia's hand, but it wasn't so familiar to Harry. Her skin was soft and warm, and Harry welcomed the comfort from the cold around him.

The angel, as she called herself, moved alongside Harry and without releasing his hand, wrapped her right wing over his shoulders, keeping him snug, like a soft feathered blanket. She swung the other wing in a sharp arc away from in front of them, pushing the dogs back, causing them to slink away unhappily.

Harry didn't ask any of the questions he was dying to know; he had learnt by now that he wasn't meant to ask questions. Instead, he just hung on tightly to the girl's hand as she started to lead him out of the park and back towards Privet Drive.

After they walked a few streets, the angel squeezed him gently with her wing, causing him to look up at her.

"You okay there, Harry?" she asked. "Not too cold?"

Harry shook his head, and bit his lip nervously.

She smiled at him again, and Harry couldn't help but feel warm with that smile directed at him.

"What did you want to ask?" she said. "I can see you're curious."

"Can't anyone else see you?" Harry said. "That man back there didn't even look at you."

She laughed, "People are happy to believe I don't exist, so they choose not to see me. And, you're special."

Harry frowned as he thought about that. He wasn't special, he was just Harry. Not knowing what more to say, he stayed silent for the remainder of the trip through the now familiar streets to Privet Drive.

Just outside number four, the girl pulled him to a stop in front of her, and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. She crouched down until she was at eye level, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"This is where I leave you now, Harry," she said quietly, a strange smile on her face. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.

The angel hesitated briefly before pulling him close, her arms and wings both coming to wrap around him in the warmest, and, to date, only hug Harry could remember. Pulling away, she stood again quickly, brushing her cheeks briskly underneath her eyes, before smiling at him again.

"Goodbye Harry," she said.

"Goodbye," he said sadly, wishing she could stay. There was a thump from inside the house, and Harry turned quickly to see the light flick on and Aunt Petunia opening the door.

"Come inside, quickly, boy!" she said briskly. "Your dinner is in the kitchen, and tidy your dishes up after yourself."

Harry glanced backwards to see no sign of the Angel whose name he had forgotten to ask, only the empty street, looking as normal as ever.

It wasn't until he was drifting off to sleep in his cupboard that he realised that she had called him Harry, although he never told her his name.

Harry Potter sat looking across the Gryffindor Common Room at the fire burning in the grate. There were several older students lounging on the sofas right in front of the warm flames, but Harry liked watching the fire dance. The colours helped bring back a memory he was so sure used to be a dream.

Now however, having learnt about magic, and meeting his two first real friends, he began to wonder if it was a dream. He hadn't asked his first friend, the youngest Weasley, Ron, but his newer friend might just know.

"Hermione," Harry said suddenly, without taking his eyes off the common room fireplace.

"Yes?"

"You know how you were talking the other day about dragons and unicorns all being real?" he said, carefully.

"You mean, when I was telling you and Ron about the interesting correlations between Muggle myths and Magical reality?" she said with a hint of sarcasm.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that."

"Sure, what about it?"

He hesitated, wondering how stupid his next question might sound. "Do angels exist too?"

"Angels?" Hermione said, surprised. "Not that I know of. There are some legends referencing them, but they date back to the times of Merlin and earlier. Since then, there has been rumours but no evidence of any angels actually existing. I suppose it's possible if a fairy got in the way of an enlargement charm, it might look vaguely like a human with wings, from a distance."

"Oh, err, okay." Harry said, frowning slightly as he looked back down at his Transfiguration essay and tried to remember what he was writing. "Just curious, I guess."

"Right, we're changin' groups – Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot." Hagrid said, looking around the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest.

"I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

So, Harry set off into the heart of the Forest with Malfoy and Fang, flowing the small trail of Unicorn blood that dotted the leaves here and there. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the Forest, until the path had all but disappeared, the trees forming a wall by how large they were. Harry thought the blood was getting thicker, and over there, splashes of it coated the base of a tree, as if the creature had been writhing in pain. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

"Look –" he murmured, holding out an arm to stop Malfoy.

Something bright white was gleaming on the ground ahead. Harry inched closer, Malfoy and Fang hanging back behind him slightly.

It was the unicorn alright, and it was dead. Harry had never seen something so beautiful and sad. Its long slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread shimmering and pearly white on the dark leaves.

Harry had just taken another step closer when a slithering noise made him freeze in his place. A bush on the side of the clearing quivered…then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling out, like some hunched beast. Harry, Fang and Malfoy stood transfixed, hardly daring to breathe. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn and lowered its head over the wound on the animal's side, and began drinking the blood that still oozed from the wound.

"AAAAARGH!"

Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted, Fang not far behind him. The dark apparition raised its head and looked right at Harry, unicorn blood dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and moved swiftly towards Harry, who was still unable to move for fear.

Suddenly, pain ripped through Harry's head like he'd never felt before. It was as if his scar was on fire. Eyes screwed up against the pain, he staggered backwards, unable to focus on anything around him beyond the pain as he fell back to the ground. He vaguely heard a strange flapping noise, as if from huge wings, and an angered cry from the figure before him.

As the pain faded, Harry became aware of bright white light now filling the clearing. The figure was nowhere in sight.

He drew breath sharply when he saw who has saved him. Standing at the far end of the clearing, long wings raised high above her head, was a girl dressed in a simple black robe, causing her bright red hair and white wings to stand out all the clearer. She turned to look at him, the circlet on her head glowing brilliantly, lighting up the whole clearing.

"Hello again, Harry," she said, walking back towards him as she brought her wings back to furl in close behind her.

"Are you real?" Harry said, before he could help himself. "I mean, I thought you were just a dream, and Hermione said angels don't exist."

She smiled, that same brilliant smile that Harry remembered.

"Of course I'm real," she said, amused. "Just because something isn't written down, that doesn't mean it cannot exist."

"But, I've never heard of you," Harry said. "I don't even know your name."

She looked away into the trees for a few moments, and Harry thought for a moment she wasn't going to answer.

"Come on," she said, holding out a hand to him, "We can talk as we walk back to the others."

Harry blinked, and was forcibly reminded of the last time they'd met. He carefully took her hand, seeking the warmth he remembered from last time. And, like when he was seven, as they turned and started walking, she extended her right wing slightly and wrapped it around his shoulders, her feathers almost tickling him as they rubbed across the back of his neck.

"You won't have heard of me because, you're the only person who has ever met me," she said as they squeezed through a gap in the edge of the clearing.

"And as to my name…you can call me Ginny," she said, smiling down at him.

Harry idly noticed she didn't have to look down so far as when he was seven. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as they walked, taking note of the silver circlet on her head, which held a white gem in the centre that radiated light. The light caused her fiery red hair to sparkle as it moved, and it almost didn't look real.

"I like your hair," Harry said. He looked away quickly, blushing, wondering why he always seemed to blurt out what he was thinking to her.

Ginny squeezed his hand gently, "Thanks Harry. I'd like to say yours is pretty too, but have you tried using a brush?"

Harry jerked his head back up to see her grinning mischievously at him. He frowned, trying to look grumpy.

"Aren't angels meant to be nice?" he challenged back.

She laughed, and bumped his shoulder with her own.

"I am nice!" she exclaimed.

Before too long, however, she pulled him to a halt in front of her, hands resting on his shoulders.

"Your friends are almost here," she said quietly. "They'll look after you."

"You're leaving again?" he said, trying to hide the disappointment.

She smiled again, but this time sadly.

"It isn't easy for me to visit," she said quietly. "And if they see me, there will be too many questions for both of us."

Harry nodded stiffly. He always felt so much safer when Ginny was around, and happier.

She pulled him into a hug, wings wrapping around him tightly. He hugged her back, burrowing his nose into her shoulder, overloading his senses with the smell of wildflowers.

"Hey, it's okay," she whispered to him. "You'll see me again, some time."

She drew back, and looked at him seriously. "But, there is something you need to remember; I won't always be able to save you, much as I wish I could. I'd love to say you can rely on me, but you can't."

Harry looked at her, eyes slightly wider, "Am I going to be in danger so often?"

Ginny blinked, nonplussed, "You might, I can't say. But if you do, you need to not just give up and hope for me to come, when you could still save yourself."

He nodded, still a bit confused.

She looked around then, peering into the darkness between two nearby trees.

"Your friends are almost here. I have to be going," she said, backing away from him.

Harry went to say something, wondering how he could convince her to stay when there was a crashing noise off in the forest behind him. He turned quickly to see what was coming, to see the light of Hagrid's lantern moving rapidly towards him. When he looked back, he was standing in the dark, alone. The angel was gone.

Harry, pushed his way out of the Entrance Hall, out onto the grounds of Hogwarts and made his way determinedly towards the lake. There was a spot along the shore where the forest came up with sparse trees all around, offering a tranquil spot with good privacy. He knew if Hermione came looking, she might find him there, but he suspected she would use some time to go talk to Ron again.

He scoffed angrily as he thought about Ron, his supposed best mate, who didn't even believe that he hadn't entered this damned tournament himself. And now he had to face a bloody dragon, and he still couldn't summon things with any kind of reliability! The task was just three days away now, and he was feeling beyond stressed, which led to his current situation, storming out of the room Hermione was using to try help him practise the charm.

He stumbled down the incline towards the lake itself, and threw himself down on one of the large smooth rocks that dotted the shore here.

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily, before looking out across the lake. It was almost perfectly smooth today, with only the barest hint of ripples marring the surface. The water reflected the grey clouds above, leaving the whole world feeling washed out and dull. It didn't help that it was rather chilly and there was a fine mist hanging over the whole area, muting the sound and limiting how far he could see out across the lake.

"Bloody depressing day," he grumbled under his breath.

He ran his hand through his hair, agitatedly, making it stick up worse than normal. After a few minutes, he began to feel a bit calmer, the tranquil setting putting him more at ease.

Over to the left, some ways off around the shore was the spot where, just last year, he had fought off over a hundred dementors with just one Patronus charm. He had felt powerful then, as if he could still achieve anything.

But this year, he was starting to feel small, like a piece in a much larger game that he couldn't see. He knew there were strange happenings going on, from the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup to the strange visions he had over the summer. And now he had been entered into a tournament that was well above his skill level, leaving him scared, although he dare not admit it.

As his thoughts started to spiral downwards into melancholia, he was startled by a slight snapping of twigs to his right. He looked around sharply, startled that anyone could have snuck up on him and blinked in surprise.

It was her, again.

For a few moments, he just stared, struck speechless by how surreal she looked.

The angel that had visited him only twice before stood on the lake shore, wings stretch out wide and high to her sides, one arching out over the grey water, the other almost brushing against the branches overhead.

Harry thought she didn't look much different to normal, still wearing the same black robes, albeit more dirty around the hem than usual, and the silver circlet on her red hair, which seemed to glow and glimmer brightly, the only point of light in the otherwise dull landscape.

She smiled half-heartedly at him, but it didn't reach her eyes, and it dropped quickly back to seriousness.

"Hello, Harry."

He scrambled up off the rock, standing up to face her.

"Hello again, Ginny, wasn't it?" he said.

She managed more of a smile this time, "You remembered."

"I don't see how I could forget being saved twice by a real angel," he said flatly.

She shrugged, "Yes, but it's still nice. How've you been?"

Harry was struck with the sudden urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Er, good?" he hazarded.

Then, a larger irrational part of his brain kicked in, and he became angry. "I don't mean to seem rude, but the last two times you came was to save my life, and I'm fine, just now. Last year though, when my godfather was about to die, that would've been a good time for you to be useful," he said rather harshly.

She studied him, her wings slowly furling themselves back closer to her body behind her.

"You looked like you needed a friend about now," she said seriously. "I thought, well, maybe you could talk to me."

Harry deflated at the sudden, almost uncertain tone she used as she trailed off. He knew she had warned him that she wouldn't always be available, and he had to fight for himself, but some days it became easier to lash out than to accept the way things were.

He sighed, turning back to look over the lake once more.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out," he said. "It's just…"

"It's just that you're worried you're going to die in the first task, you can't seem to summon a pillow across a room, let alone your Firebolt across the school, your best mate isn't talking to you and everyone thinks you're a cheat?" she said, voice rising as if it were a question.

He huffed slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in wry amusement. "Pretty much."

"I wish I could just carry you away from all this," she said quietly.

He turned his head to look at her, but she was looking out at the lake now too, her eyes distant.

"Why don't you?" something made him ask.

"The whole world seems to be on the verge of something terrible, and I can't seem to see what it all means. But, somehow, some events seem to be focusing around you, Harry. You're…important to what happens next. And I'm sorry," she said, looking back at him, without any hint of a smile. Her eyes glinted briefly, as if with tears before she quickly blinked them away.

"You're sorry?" he said, confused.

Ginny shrugged, "Sorry that I can't tell you why, sorry that you're special, sorry you can't be 'Just Harry'."

Harry didn't know what to say. Nobody else had ever seen through him as effortlessly as this girl before him did, not even Dumbledore.

"Why do I trust you?" he said eventually, still confused. "You could be anyone, I barely know you! How do you know so much about me?"

Ginny smiled slightly at that, "You trust me? I'm glad. I trust you too. As to why you trust me, I don't know. But I have saved your life a few times, that might be something to do with it. As for how I know so much, I watch you. Not all the time, but I do check in, now and then. It isn't easy to visit you, it takes a lot out of me. But…I can't help it. Sometimes I think you just need someone who has your back. Even if I can't actually be here to properly cover your back.

"But while everyone might be turning their back, calling you names, I'm still here, Harry. I still believe you, and believe in you. You might not think it of yourself, but you're a powerful wizard, and you'll manage this tournament. You might even win it."

Harry just stared at her until she shrugged, his cheeks tinging slightly red.

"Just because you're not used to having someone stand up for you, don't mean you have to stare at them until they're uncomfortable you know," she said teasingly.

Harry blushed well and truly now, and he looked away suddenly in the hope that Ginny might not notice. She was right, he wasn't used to it, and her impassioned speech about believing in him shook him more than he dared show.

"Umm, sorry," he mumbled.

Ginny laughed then, and he felt warmer, almost as if it were a weak phoenix song, bolstering him.

"It's okay," she said.

She walked up to stand next to him, and put her hand on his shoulder, the leading edge of one wing coming up to nudge his other arm.

"Feeling any better?" she asked.

"A bit now, yeah," he said, sending her a small smile.

"Good," she said, with a sharp nod of the head. "Well, I have to leave you to it then. You go learn that summoning spell, yeah?"

"Will we ever have a conversation that goes longer than five minutes?" Harry asked, trying to sound light-hearted.

She looked at him seriously, "I don't know. Maybe."

Shaking herself, she shot him a mischievous smile then, "So, come on, do I get my standard hug? I've not visited you without one yet. Or are you too grown up and shy now?"

Harry rolled his eyes, and turning, pulled her into a hug, desperately hoping she didn't notice how awkward he did feel about it. It mustn't have worked well though, because she jabbed him in the side causing him to jump.

"It's just a hug," she said, amused.

"You're having far too much fun with this," he grumbled even as he forced himself to relax, wrapping his arms around her lower back just below her wing joints, as she reached up around his neck. Her wings stretched out around them, and Harry, though he'd never admit it, relished in the third of the warmest and most comforting hugs he'd ever received.

All too quickly for him, but still longer than a normal hug, she pulled away, wings fanning out to her sides, stretching out to their full width, nearly as long as a bus. She stepped backwards a few more steps, and smiled at him brightly.

"See you later, Harry."

"See you, Ginny," he responded quickly.

Then, with a sudden strong beat of her wings, she launched herself off the ground, and, throwing them out as wide as possible, she disappeared in a flash of white light.

Harry stood there watching the spot she disappeared from for some time, his head spinning. After about ten minutes had passed, he sighed, glanced back over the lake, before turning and trudging his way back up to the school.

That evening, he finally managed to summon anything in the classroom that Hermione asked him to.

Harry leapt up quickly.

"I've got to go and visit Ron and Hermione in the hospital wing," he said mechanically, his voice hiding any emotion.

"Oh," said Hagrid, looking rather upset. "Oh ... all righ' then, Harry ... take care o' yerself then, an' drop back in if yeh've got a mo ..."

"Yeah ... right ..."

Harry crossed to the door as fast as he could and pulled it open, stepping out into the sunshine again.

He walked quickly away from Hagrid's hut, back across the lawn, heading first for the main entrance, before shaking himself slightly and heading instead off around the Black Lake. He kept walking, trying not to think, until he found himself further than he'd ever really explored before.

He stopped to look around him, taking in the dense undergrowth amongst the trees dotting this part of the lake, which rippled cheerfully in the fine summer weather.

Harry gritted his teeth at the nice weather. How dare it. How dare everyone be out enjoying themselves. And meanwhile Sirius was –

Dead.

Harry stumbled over to a tree, and tried to sit down with his back against it, only to slip and fall onto the ground, where his skin was scratched by roots that arched from the unforgiving earth.

Angry, frustrated and now in pain, Harry did something he rarely ever did, and started to cry. It was not really proper crying, just a few tears escaping his eyes as he fought against them, but it was more than he had cried in years.

Just as he was beginning to hold back the tears, a pair of small arms wrapped around him. He stiffened momentarily, not wanting anyone to see him in his moment of weakness when the arms were followed by a pair of white feathered wings.

"Oh, Harry," a soothing voice said, laden with sadness.

It was too much for Harry, who turned and buried his face into Ginny's shoulder, and wept.

He cried for Sirius, who had died trying to save him, Harry. And he cried for himself, whose fate was already set by a stupid prophecy before he was even born.

Ginny held him as he cried, not talking, just letting him know she was there, and filling him with that now oh so familiar warmth.

Finally, as the day started to turn cold, and the sky turned a brilliant red with the sunset, Harry pulled away, wiping his cheeks with his sleeves.

He looked over at Ginny, who seemed to have had a cry herself, with red-rimmed eyes. He idly took in the circlet on her hair, the white gem glowing faintly, and her black robes, now more grey than he remembered, and slightly frayed. Her hair was as red as ever though, practically sparkling in the sunset light.

"Will you be alright for now?" she whispered.

"I…I guess," Harry said, even though he wasn't sure how he felt. Sadness mixed with embarrassment, mixed with gratitude and all of them were shadowed by apprehension. "I'm not sure I know how to feel right now."

She smiled sadly at him, and squeezed his hands, which Harry hadn't realised she was still holding.

He sighed, looking back over the treetops at the castle where the lights were beginning to flicker back to life in the windows.

"I guess I'd better get back before anyone comes looking for me," he said unhappily.

Ginny followed his gaze to the castle and shrugged, "I guess. Here, come on."

She stood quickly, wings beating for a few moments to help her stand and regain her balance, before pulling him up to stand next to her.

He looked at her, green eyes directly into brown.

"How can I do this, Gin?" he whispered.

A strange look flashed across her face, but before Harry could identify it, she pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around him almost desperately.

"The way you always do, Harry. I hate that you have to face all this, and I'd do it all for you if I could."

She chuckled slightly, before sniffling, "Look at me, one of the few angels in existence, crying over a boy I barely know."

Harry pulled away slightly to look at her.

"You don't have to…surely you've more important things to do or something?" he said uncertainly, tensing at the reminder of exactly who – what she was. And he had been sobbing all over her like…

She smiled at him, before resting her head on his chest, just under his chin. Harry was startled to realise how he was now taller than her.

"I don't have anywhere else I'd rather be, Harry. Angels tend not to get involved. It's all rather boring, if you ask me. I never could just sit around all day, watching, but doing nothing. And something about you there Harry, as a little seven-year-old, afraid of a few dogs, it called to me. And I have yet to regret my decision to help you then."

Harry tightened his grip around her, wishing not for the first time, that he had the right words to tell her how much her company meant to him. But nothing presented itself. And so, he simply held tight for a few more moments, before stepping away and forcing a weak smile at her.

"Thanks," he said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Of course," she said, as she, too, stood back. "Try not to have a horrible summer, yeah?"

"I'll do my best," he said, dryly.

"Good," she said, nodding firmly. "Well, off with you. Someone is bound to be looking for you by now."

Harry nodded, and, unable to say much more, he turned and walked off back towards Hogwarts. He stopped after the first hundred metres or so, just before a bend would take this part of the shore out of sight, and looked back.

To his surprise, Ginny still stood where he had left her, watching him. As she saw him looking, she waved, her wings lifting out to the sides slightly.

He waved back, before turning back to his walk. One final glance backwards showed nothing more than an empty lake shore, surrounded by dense trees.

A chilly breeze that seemed to emanate from the heart of the forest lifted the hair at Harry's brow. He knew that they would not tell him to go, that it would have to be his decision.

"You'll stay with me?"

"Until the very end," said James.

"They won't be able to see you?"

"We are part of you," said Sirius. "Invisible to anyone else."

Harry looked at his mother.

"Stay close to me," he said quietly.

Harry set off, into the Forest, to find Voldemort. He passed by the dementors without feeling them, his ghostly companions acting like the strongest of Patronuses. He clutched the cloak tightly around himself, as he travelled further and further, the trees becoming taller and darker around him. Beside him, silently, travelled James, Sirius, Remus and Lily, giving him the strength to keep on taking one step after another.

There was a thud ahead, and a muffled groan, followed closely by another thud. Harry stopped, and peered around the trees into a small clearing, little bigger than his dorm room.

He sighed to himself, realising he probably should have expected what he saw.

Ginny stood in the clearing, a small globe of light floating besides her, as if sustained by a charm. On the ground were the bodies of two Death Eaters, who Harry recognised as Yaxley and Dolohov.

He stepped into the clearing, but without removing the cloak.

Ginny whirled around, right hand up defensively, and Harry wondered if she even needed a wand to cast spells. He looked at her critically then, noticing that she looked far shabbier than even the last time he saw her.

Her wings were dirty, covered in what looked like ash and even some blood. The bottom of her robes hung in tatters, and the original black was long since faded to a dark grey. The circlet on her head was still its bright silver, but the white gem set in the centre gave almost no light, barely a faint spark visible in its depths.

"Harry?" she said, looking straight at him.

He mechanically let the cloak fall to one side, and stood there watching her warily.

She sighed, her eyes raking over his own dirty clothes and tired body.

"I guess I should've expected to find you," he said.

"I've been here all night, fighting for you," she said. "Watching your back. Ron and Hermione are good, but there were a few curses they didn't block in time."

"Why didn't I see you?"

"I can hide if I need to," she said, shrugging with an attitude of casualness that completely belied her tense stance and the strained look on her face.

"Makes sense, I guess," he said, nodding.

There was a pause as they just looked at each other. The ghosts from the resurrection stone stood around the edge of the clearing, keeping silent vigil, allowing Harry this last conversation.

"Are you okay?" Harry said, gesturing towards her shabby clothes. "You look…"

"Oh, yeah," she said looking down at herself. "That isn't all from the battle. I told you once, it isn't easy for me to visit."

"It hurts you?" he asked.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably, looking away briefly before facing him again.

"Technically it's killing me," she said bluntly. "I'm losing the power to travel back here, and it takes its toll on me. An angel's appearance is the most superficial part of their power, so it takes the brunt of it."

Harry swallowed as the enormity of her statement hit him. She was dying. Every time she visited him, even just to reassure him that he was alright, she had been draining her own life.

"You still look beautiful to me," he croaked out, beyond caring how he sounded. He meant it too, her hair was still its normal vibrant red, albeit dirty with some ash from the battle. Without the bright white light from her circlet, he could see her face more clearly than ever before and noticed she had a small smattering of freckles over her nose that should have been out of place on an angel but seemed to perfectly suit her.

She snorted slightly, shaking her head in disagreement, "I'm a mess, Harry, even before I helped fight tonight."

Harry frowned at her. He looked back out of the clearing, over Lily's shoulder, and sighed, before turning back to Ginny.

"I have to go soon," he said dully. "Or he'll kill them all."

Ginny looked at him, a flicker of fear running over her face, before hardening into understanding.

"I know," she whispered.

They stood again, awkwardly, for a few moments, before Ginny finally broke and, her wings helping propel her, she launched herself across the small gap to catch him in a desperate hug.

Harry clung to her, closing his eyes, soaking in the warmth for the last time.

She pulled back to look up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and, without thinking, Harry bent his head and kissed her.

Her hands tightened around his neck, one of them playing with the hair at the back of his neck, as she returned the kiss eagerly.

Harry had no idea how long they stood there, wrapped up in one another, until they finally drew apart, breathing heavily.

"I'll walk with you," she whispered to him. "They won't see me, and I know the way."

Swallowing hard, he nodded and whispered back, "Thank you."

Turning, she slipped to his side, one hand gripping his tightly, the wing on the same side wrapping around him tightly in their familiar way. This time however, she leaned into him, lending him her strength.

Harry looked up around at his parents, Sirius and Remus, who all just smiled and nodded at him as he picked the cloak back up, wrapping it around himself. Ginny didn't seem to even see the cloak, wrapping a wing back around him as if he weren't wearing it.

Finally feeling ready, he resumed his walk through the Forest – Ginny leading – towards Voldemort.

Harry went out and faced Voldemort, to be struck with the Killing Curse for the second time in his life. After finding himself in a land of whiteness that reminded him of Ginny, and yet was shaped like King's Cross Station, he returned to his body, having been kept alive by his blood – protected by his mother's sacrifice a lifetime ago – now in Voldemort's veins.

Hagrid wept as he carried Harry's apparently dead body back to Hogwarts, where Neville stood strong, crying out for Dumbledore's Army before he killed Voldemort's snake, destroying the last Horcrux, and restarting the battle once more.

Ten minutes later, Harry watched as Voldemort's body fell backwards – hit with his own reflected killing curse – to the floor of the Great Hall as the sunlight began to stream into the room.

He slipped away with Luna's help, and took Ron and Hermione to talk to Dumbledore's portrait for the last time.

And, finally, as he turned away from the painted portraits, he had just one last thing to do.

"I have to go find someone," he said to Ron and Hermione, as he made his way back towards the Entrance Hall.

"Who, Harry?" Hermione asked.

He smiled tiredly, "My angel."

Harry walked out of the Hall into the morning sunlight and there, standing on the grass before him, still a tattered and grubby as she had been before, was the most beautiful sight Harry had seen all day.

There were various people standing around, looking on at Ginny in awe, proving she wasn't hiding herself anymore.

When she caught sight of him, she smiled a brilliant, blinding smile, without a trace of sadness left it in, her wings held high to her sides, sunlight dancing on the tips of her feathers.

She held out a hand to him, and he walked forward to take it.

"Come fly with me," she whispered. "I always wanted to show you what it's like."

He took her hand, and felt suddenly very light, as if lifted by a phoenix. Ginny stepped close to him, wrapping her arms around him as she kissed him.

Harry kissed her back, not caring that she smelt more of smoke than flowers, ignoring his aching bones and bruises.

When he pulled back, he looked around in awe to find himself several hundred feet off the ground, Ginny's wings beating smoothly, holding them up above the tallest tower of Hogwarts. From their vantage point, the destruction below looked far more superficial, and Harry looked past it all to the surrounding area.

The sunlight hit the forest, lighting up the leaves in a brilliant array of gold and red colours, as if the forest itself was finally relieved of the darkness it was known for. The lawns looked bright, and the Black lake sparkled. Hogwarts itself seemed to shine as the light hit it, the stones looking smooth and unblemished from his current height.

Harry smiled at it all, feeling free for the first time in his life.

He looked back to Ginny, who was looking at him, eyes blazing with reflected happiness. There would be time for mourning ahead, but right now, Harry and Ginny flew together above the school, allowing themselves to become lost in the beauty of the new day.

Finite

A/N: This was a series of scenes that came to me one day, and I had to write down. I must have spent over three weeks writing this, so I hope it turned out well. All feedback and reviews are warmly welcomed.

Big thanks go to both gryffindormischief and Epeefencer for the beta work. This story wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without them.