A Black Comedy

CHAPTER THREE

"I really thought you might have moved on."

"Oh Harry," Ginny greeted lightly reaching down to kiss him on the cheek. "When will you realize we're going to be together forever?"

Harry shuddered slightly at the chilling sensation of her lips on him.

"You're a bloody ghost!" Sirius exclaimed as his mouth finally caught up to his brain.

Ginny smiled at Sirius and perched herself ethereally on the armrest of Harry's chair. "I'm in the seventh year of my death."

"And you look great," Sirius admitted with a grin.

"Sirius!" Harry groaned. "She doesn't need any encouragement."

Ginny struck a pose and pushed her ghostly chest out. "You can't beat a Killing Curse for preserving beauty and avoiding disfigurement. It's even better than a basilisk stare."

"Hogwarts robes always did it for me," Sirius admitted grinning brightly at her.

"Whoa," Harry stood up quickly. "Back it up there, dirty old man."

"He's so protective of me," Ginny said with a saucy giggle.

"I'm not protective..." Harry stopped and refused to be baited. He turned to glare at the ghost when Sirius suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh this is priceless!" Sirius snickered.

"I'm glad my life amuses you," Harry grumbled.

"I just realized she's anchored to you! She's going to haunt you for eternity!"

"We're destined to be together," Ginny agreed with a smile.

"This isn't destiny, Ginny. You're dead. I'm alive and attracted to girls with a pulse."

"You'll come around," Ginny nodded with certainty.

"Maybe a necromancer will come around," Harry mumbled.

"Fate has taken us across the boundaries of our world together. We're clearly soul mates."

"We are not soul mates," Harry argued. "I think I would have felt it, if my soul mate had died. Actually wouldn't I die if my soul mate died?"

"No," Sirius cheerfully interjected. "You're Harry Potter."

Harry growled at Sirius.

"The Soul Mate-Who-Lived," Sirius added before slapping a hand over an invisible poking. "Oww! My eye! Dammit Harry, that really hurts."

"You were protected by the magic-less properties of that cell, Harry," Ginny said shaking her head. "We've been over this numerous times and you refuse to see reason."

"You died while he was being held captive?" Sirius asked curiously.

Ginny nodded happily. "I wasn't able to draw on his strength. It's the only explanation for what happened."

"Wait a second," Sirius exclaimed. "I just realized I was right! Ginny's alive and well in this dimension, and here her ghost is. You don't have to be dead there to reach an alternate dimension."

"But she's dead," Harry pointed out jerking his thumb towards the ghost.

"You said they had to be dead in the new dimension, and Ginny is definitely not dead here, last I heard at least." Sirius paused and turned towards the ghost. "Then again you just now showed up. Why is that? Ginny here's not dead, is she?"

Harry sighed and grumbled. "She's a young ghost and wasn't that smart to begin with."

"Hush," Ginny snapped before answering Sirius. "I doubt my counterpart is dead. My afterlife varies depending on my love's mood. Oh! This must be how we're supposed to be together. I'll rejoin my spirit with my counterpart's body so that we can live happily ever after!"