Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Sixty-one: Waking Up in Odd Places

Chapter 61: Waking Up in Odd Places

Hermione continued stroking Harry's hair for a while as he fell back asleep. It was comforting to touch him like this. So comforting, in fact, that she had fallen asleep resting her head against her arm, which laid on Harry's pillow. Her hand was still in his hair when she was gently shook awake.

"'Mione," said Ron.

"Mm, oh, my back. What an odd position to have fallen asleep in," she said, sitting up. Her back cracked loudly. "That's better." She felt her cheeks color when she looked up at Ron, who had a confused expression on his face.

"Why was your hand in his hair?" Ron asked, scrunching his eyebrows.

"He woke up in the middle of the night and his head hurt. I was trying to comfort him..." Hermione stood up as she said this and then kissed Ron's cheek.

"Oh, okay. Was he alright when he woke up?"

"Yeah, he said the bandages were too tight. We talked a bit but then he started falling back to sleep."

"Are you still going to nap instead of go to class?"

"Yeah, maybe. I slept probably for three hours. That might be enough to get me through the morning, though really there probably isn't much point in going to Transfiguration without Harry there..." Hermione picked up her stack of books and parchment and things...

***

"And what do you two think you're doing in here?" Filch rasped loudly. Draco woke with a start. Ginny was staring at Filch. It was unclear whether Ginny had been able to close her eyes over night with the immobulus spell on her...

"Fell asleep," Draco said, pulling his wand from his pocket.

"You fell asleep? Together? In a classroom? This will be detention until the end of the school year! Oh, ho! You just wait..."

"Confundus," Draco said sleepily. Filch stood stupidly for a moment and then ambled back out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Draco smirked, watching him leave.

"Listen," Draco said, gently sliding Ginny off of his lap. He leaned her against the wall, where she rested as though she were dead, but she was staring at him. He repressed a shiver. "I don't know if you're still Voldemort, or if Ginny is back in her own mind again... but I have to find out one way or another so... Finite Incantatem. Incarcerous."

Ropes once again flew from his wand and wrapped themselves tightly around Ginny's unmoving form. A gag materialized around her face and in her mouth once more.

He stepped forward and pulled the gag from Ginny's mouth and then quickly stepped back again.

"Please don't stop holding onto me Draco. He can't control me completely as long as I'm being touched in a... warm... sort of way. Because you held me all night, and you were rubbing my back like that, he couldn't stand feeling you..."

This was all he needed to hear. He unbound and banished the ropes and then helped Ginny to her feet. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tighter.

He had never liked to be touched much. Anymore though, he found himself smelling like flowers-like Ginny. He needed to keep Ginny safe and alive. Potter clearly was never going to give up on her, just like he never gave up on anything else...

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly. "I won't ever be able to repay you for this."

"It's alright." He watched as her eyes flashed red and then back to her normal brown again. He gritted his teeth to hide the surprise he felt. Seeing the red in her eyes would never become old hat to him. Her eyes were too kind otherwise.