Paranoid
August, 1998
Harry was staring at the sky with a mixed expression of worry, determination, and skepticism. Ginny sighed and grabbed Harry's right hand tightly, closely intertwining his fingers with hers so he couldn't escape.
"It's a cloud, Harry."
Harry didn't break his line of sight. "But don't you think…"
"No."
"Ginny…"
"It's a cloud, Harry."
"What if it's not?"
"It is."
"You can't be sure."
"I can, actually, and I am. It's a cloud."
"But don't you see the—"
"Cloud? Why yes Harry, I do. Well spotted."
Harry pursed his lips and regarded the shape in the sky with increasing suspicion. "We should go check it out." He wiggled his hand in his girlfriend's grip, trying desperately to reach for his wand, but growing up with six older brothers had made Ginny extremely strong for her size. Perplexed, Harry frowned down at their hands and made a more vigorous attempt at separating their hands. Ginny used her free hand to direct Harry's line of sight directly into her eyes.
"This has to stop, Harry. It has been months."
Harry's determined expression darkened with frustration. "He may be dead, but there is resurgence everywhere. You know that. You've seen the Prophet, you've seen the, the frightened people… hell, half the wizarding world is under the Fidelius Charm."
"As was the case for most of the last year!" she nearly shouted at him before stopping and regaining her composure. "Listen," she began softly. "This is ridiculous, Harry. I'm not the only one who's noticed this. Ron, Hermione, mum, dad, everyone's worried about your constant sightings of dark symbols where they don't exist. This is the fourth Dark Mark you've thought you've seen in the skies this month alone. What you fail to notice is where the alleged Mark is in the sky, far above any houses or other structures, and its failure to resemble a skull in any significant manner. Quite often, these clouds are white and fluffy. You are paranoid, Harry. There is no other word for it. And it's understandable," she added loudly, cutting off Harry's angered response. "No one blames you for it. You alone had the responsibility of bringing order back into the wizarding world. That burden on you is off now. You don't have to single-handedly save the lives of every witch and wizard in Britain anymore. Because for every Dark wizard still causing mayhem out there, there are countless other good guys who have come out of hiding since Voldemort has gone. Even if you see a Dark Mark off in the distance, chances are good that someone has already come to the rescue."
Ginny stopped and looked Harry in the eye, waiting for his reply. Finally he opened his mouth and muttered, "I don't know how not to be the hero."
Ginny nodded. "I get that. And so does everyone else. But you're entitled to a semi-regular life now. And I want to help give that to you. So next time I tell you your so-called Dark Mark is a cloud…"
Suddenly Harry's head snapped to where the symbol had been. The 'skull' now looked rather like an upturned teacup on a saucer. Realizing he'd been mistaken, he sheepishly returned his glance to Ginny, who was smiling.
"Trust me," she said, loosening her grip on his wand hand. He kissed her forehead and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Okay," he said simply. They stood like that for a while before breaking apart and continuing their evening walk along the road, hands clasped loosely. A burly man with an angry face passed them by, walking his Pomeranian. Harry's head spun briskly around moments after they passed one another. "Did you see the tattoo on his bicep?" he asked worriedly.
"The one that said 'Mum' in a heart?" she smiled.
Harry glanced at her with a cocked eyebrow. Ginny, ever smiling, nodded emphatically. After a quick glance behind him, he sighed and started forward again.
"All right," he ceded. "Maybe I'm a little paranoid."
"Maybe a little."