After the War

Chapter 11

"Why did you agree to a meeting so early," Ron whined as Hermione shook him awake from the enlarged bed that they now shared.

"It is not that early, Ronald," she scolded. "Besides, I'd go at any time considering the large favor he's doing me." 

Ron dragged his legs out of the bed without any more verbal complaints--only a heavy scowl--since he knew how much it meant to his girlfriend. Girlfriend, he thought again with a smile.

"Harry?" Hermione said tentatively at his bedside. He didn't wake and the blanket continued to rise and fall rapidly with his quickened breaths. "Harry?" she said again louder. Still nothing.

"Oi! Potter!" Ron shouted across the small bedroom. Harry's eyes shot open and visibly jumped. Hermione glared at Ron accusingly at his seemingly endless tactlessness.

"What? That's how we'd get him up in the dorms when he was having a nightmare," he explained with a shrug before dragging the sheets across his bed to tidy them. Harry ignored Ron's chatter and instead shut his eyes against the pain that had seared in his scar. He rubbed a hand under his shirt and fingered the marks gingerly, allowing his cold fingers to soothe the dull ache.

"Harry?" Hermione asked again gently. "What was your nightmare about?" 

Harry looked in her general direction and squinted, trying to make out her shape from the blur of colors.

"Here," she said and handed him his glasses. He shoved them on and saw Hermione sitting on the edge of his bed. He sat up and swung his legs around and muttered "the forest" while standing quickly to avoid eye contact, beginning to rummage through his drawers for a clean pair of jeans, but Hermione stopped him and brought him into a hug. She held him tight against her and Harry awkwardly patted her on the back, sending a questioning look to Ron while still holding a pair of pants in the other hand.

"Oh, it must be so awful," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Don't you have nightmares too?" he asked with curious concern, ignoring the flashing green light that still haunted the back of his thoughts.

"Yeah, but they've been getting better. And I just relive the day at the Manor mostly, but you have a bunch of different ones on repeat," she said bluntly, pulling away from him.

"Er... yeah," he said, unsure of how to respond to that. "Let's just get ready to go, okay?" 

Hermione nodded and looked at Harry one more time before leaving to go back to Ginny's room and change herself. When the door shut behind her, Ron stopped making his bed and dropped onto the wrinkled quilt.

"They're still not getting better?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Not really, no," Harry replied as he pulled off his pajama shirt. He ignored Ron's eyes that lingered on the scar covering his chest and quickly pulled on another.

"Maybe you could ask Pomfrey for a sleep draught for dreamless sleep?"

"I'm guessing it's not good to take that every single night though. Isn't it just supposed to be used in special cases?"

"Well yeah, but you could take it every couple of days so you can still get some decent sleep," he insisted hopefully.

"It's okay, Ron. Besides, you know that I've always had these."

"I guess, but if they're really not getting better then--"

"It'll just take time," he interrupted shortly. Ron took the hint and nodded silently before pulling out his own clothes to change into. The two made their way down the stairs into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley sat at the table ,reading a magazine.