Disclaimer: JKR's characters, but in the universe created by Anne (whydoyouneedtoknow). Inspired by the included excerpt and approved by Anne.


Excerpt from: Living With Danger by whydoyouneedtoknow, Chapter 31: A Nice Place to Visit

She stroked her cheek with two fingers, from just in front of her ear down to the corner of her mouth, then touched Harry's cheek lightly, making him smile as his eyes closed. It was the Pack's gesture of greeting and farewell, a sort of ritual scent-sharing. Unlike most of the Pack traditions, this one had been begun by the cubs. The adults had picked up on it, and now it was as standard a part of going out or coming home as a hug and kiss.

Maybe someday we should ask them how they came up with it. But it's probably been so long that they don't even remember anymore.

***

Fitfully, Draco twitched beneath a light layer of sheets. The glimmering light of the waning moon caught his hair and set a glow about it and a half-concealed gold ring.

Next to him were two others. His siblings, in a sort of fashion. Unruly, bushy brown hair splayed over a boy whose forehead was marred with a bolt of lightning. Harry and Neenie slept on, back to back, unaware of their brother's sufferings.

Whispered mutterings slipped through his lips as his mind was occupied in the land of dreams. "No, I don't wanna be that." Draco kept repeating it, a constant litany. His opponent was unseen, but his murmurings rose in volume. Silently, one of his companions stirred.

Small, delicate feet toed the ground but pulled back sharply. A light hiss preceded those same feet being slipped into fuzzy blue slippers. The soft padding of footsteps marked the figure's progression from one side of the bed to the other. Neenie stared at Draco, blocking the stream of moonlight coming in through the children's bedroom window. She worried. Draco hadn't had a nightmare in a long while. They had been denning the last time, when they were bad. But he was not thrashing around. The lines on his face looked lonely. Like he was just in need of a friend.

Anxiously, Neenie ran her hand through her already teased hair and down her face. She extended her hand out to pat him on the shoulder, like she had seen Danger and Letha do for Harry, but he was fidgeting too much. Neenie settled on brushing a few fingers down the side of his face. At the gentle touch, Draco's whimpers subsided. The sheets he had been kicking about settled. Finally, he was in peaceful slumber.

Satisfied, Neenie shed the slippers and crawled up onto the bed with Harry and Draco. Now they could all sleep soundly. She was thinking of jumping into piles of leaves as she nodded off to sleep once more.


A/N: My first foray into the Dangerverse, and writing characters younger than shown in canon. Reviews are always welcome!!