Harry Potter Oneshots

Midnight Distractions

The curtains rustled in on an eddy of summer air. A scratch as the glass window was slid upwards.

No, it was just a tree outside.

Wood creaked against its frame. A door's protest at opening.

No, it was just the house settling.

A floorboard groaned. Harry's eyes shot open and his hand unconsciously grabbed onto his wand hidden under the pillow. He swung his legs around so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed and with a quick glance over his shoulder, confirmed that Ginny was still asleep. Her hair was spread over the pillow, her face pressed against its fabric and her legs sprawled as if they were territorial of the mattress itself.

Harry's slight smile was interrupted by the definite sound of something gently closing. A cupboard? A door? Whatever it was, it sent his heart pounding against his chest. He slipped out of the bedroom, careful not to fully close the door so as to avoid making any noise himself.

Upon first inspection, the hallway appeared empty with just the bookshelf and cabinet lining the walls. He turned back around and made his way towards the landing, then froze mid step and whipped around. The bookshelf was pressed against a corner, but the cabinet had a free wall on the other side–certainly large enough for someone to crouch behind.

He crept towards it and once he was a few steps away, lit the tip of his wand and held it aloft. No shadow spilled out from behind the corner of the cabinet. With a sigh, he walked forward and saw nothing but empty space and dust motes spiraling beneath his beam

He was being stupid. No one was here other than his family.

Harry rubbed a hand through his hair and rolled his head around, easing the tension that had locked itself in his neck. Adrenaline was still pumping soundly through his veins, so he decided to check in on everyone else for his peace of mind before attempting to chase down sleep again.

He eased open James' door and his wand's light illuminated the sight of his lanky son sprawled across his bed like a starfish, one foot hanging off the mattress and the blankets hanging on for dear life.

"Wha–?" James slurred from his pillow, stirring slightly under the sheets.

"Nothing. Everything is fine, go back to sleep," Harry whispered in reply to the vague question. He was reasonably sure that James had already complied by the time he had shut the door. James may have his hair, but that boy was turning out to be pure Ginny, through and through, he thought with a grin.

He peeked into little Al's room and looked through the bars of the crib to see his second son curled up into a tight ball, one arm wrapped tightly around his stuffed lion. He smiled and leaned against the doorstop. He wasn't sure how he had gotten this lucky, but not a day goes by that Harry didn't marvel at his new life. Seeing Al sleeping soundly, his tiny chest rising and falling, calmed the adrenaline until his heart returned to a normal pace and he began to shut the door again, hoping to avoid waking Ginny with Al's daily, yet plaintive, 'good morning' cries. He let the light at his wand tip go out and the door whisper shut.

A footstep hit the floor behind him, as loud as a firecracker.

Without thinking, Harry whipped around and cast a shield between him and his attacker, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of curses to rebound off.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked at Ginny's groggy voice. Blood was still rushing to his ears and her soft voice did not match the voice of whatever Death Eater his brain had determined was breaking into their house.