The Girl Who Hid | George Weasley

ch 38 : darkness

You were happily moving along the corridors at Hogwarts, thinking about the homework you would need to do later that afternoon. Light was falling in through the windows of Hogwarts, basking the corridor in warm hues and a comforting atmosphere.

As you moved along the corridor, you noticed a group was crowding the hallway ahead of you. You continued forward and noticed that they were gathered around something. Or rather, someone.

Your stomach turned to ice as you saw familiar light brown hair. It was Cedric, and his cold eyes were staring past you, unseeing and unfeeling.

You screamed, "Cedric! No! Please! This can't be happening! No!" You fell to your knees as you hyperventilated, unable to look away from the corpse of your loved one. You had never seen a loved one passed away like this before, and it made you feel nauseated as you continued to hyperventilate. You pulled out your wand but held it in your limp hand as you realized that there was nothing to be done in this situation. You wondered where all the oxygen in the room went as you were having this realization.

"Y/N, I'm here. Open your eyes. It's okay. I'm here," You heard as your body began to shake.

Your eyes flickered open, and you found yourself lying in a dark room with your friends standing about the room, staring at you with pity and concern intermingled on their shadowy faces. George was hovering over you and gently stroking your hair as you took in your surroundings with a sense of relief.

You noticed Hermione was standing by her bed with a set jaw and lowered eyebrows. Hermione had wrapped her arms around herself as she looked at the scene with worry. Ginny was standing off at the edge of the room with her fingers pressed against her lips and eyebrows lowered. She stood in her nightgown and messily braided hair, which made you realize that you must have been having another nightmare.

You stared down at your lap and murmured, "I'm sorry." After how the Dursleys had taunted you for this behavior all summer, you half expected your friends to do so as well. You didn't look at anyone and instead just bit your lip and tried to wipe away the tears that had half dried on your cheeks.

George pulled you to his chest and whispered, "No, no. Don't apologize, Y/N." He held you close and rubbed your back. You slowly relaxed your stiff shoulders and allowed yourself to be comforted by his embrace.

Hermione came over and sat on your bed and reached out to gently squeeze your arm. She wondered, "Has this been happening all summer?"

After a long moment of hesitation, you finally nodded and murmured, "Yes. I mean, not every night anymore, but... yes."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, love," George sighed and held you close. You wrapped your arms around his torso, underneath his arms.

You sighed into the soft fabric of his shirt, "I'm sorry to have woken all of you. I'm fine, really."

Hermione and Ginny said together, "You don't need to be sorry." They glanced at each other for a moment with small smiles and rapid blinking. Hermione took a deep breath, "We're your friends. We're here to support you, Y/N. We know you've been through a lot."

Ginny nodded and folded her hands in front of her. "He was one of your best friends. It makes sense that you're struggling."

George breathed into your hair, "But you will get through this, and I'll be right here beside you at each step of the way."

You slowly smiled at all three of them and sighed, "Thank you."

Hermione and Ginny crawled back into their own beds at this point, still sending concerned glances in your direction. With that, George brought his lips close to your ear and whispered, "Would you like me to stay for the rest of the night?"

You nodded your head against his chest. George then slipped under the covers with you and held you close. You wrapped your arms and legs around one another, both of you falling asleep within minutes. You didn't have another nightmare that night for the first time in months.