Nightmares

I in no way own these characters all rights go to J.K. Rowling, hope you enjoy!

"Ron?" Hermione makes audible from her bed.

"Yea?" Ron answers, the sleep he had just been awoken from causing him to have to rub his eyes.

"Are you up?" She replies, pain clear in her voice.

"I am now, what's up?" He answers, trying to sound as nice as he could.

She lay silent for a moment, wondering if she should tell him or not.

"Come on Hermione, spit it out. I want to know, dear." He said in his usual voice, he was now fully awake.

Dear, she smiled. She loved when he called her as so, it made her feel special. She sighed, sitting up. "I had another dream." She said her eyes beginning to burn, the memory all too painful.

"What about?" He asked, already guessing as to what it was about.

"Her," she let out, referring to the witch, Bellatrix. A former Deatheater Ronald's mother had killed.

"Oh," he said, immediately knowing of whom she spoke of, he had guessed right. Hermione, since the war had been having reoccurring dreams of her and the torture she had put her through, the sting of a crucio spell making her arm ache in remembrance.

Hermione sat up, she was a mess. Looking down at her arm, she began to sob. "She – she – she's coming back, she didn't die at Hogwarts, Ron, your mom never killed her. She's going to come back for me! She's going to finish the job Dobby had interrupted; she's going to make me hurt; she's going to kill me! She will, she will Ron." She said in tears her sobs forcing her to break in between words. She no matter how stupid it seemed believed every word.

Ron stood and made his way to her, sitting on the edge of her bed. Since the war they had shared a room, after all she had nowhere to go, her parents well, they'd never know Hermione Granger again. His parents though, had been happy to share their house with the girl; after all she was dating their son. He loved how open they had been, how welcomed they made her feel. The must have known that he did love the girl, no matter how hurt or how far from the real Hermione she was. One thing was for sure – to him at least – the love he felt for her, for Hermione, would never die. "She's dead, Hermione." He said, in hopes of comforting her.

"No, Ron. She is not dead." She said, staring the red headed boy down.

Ron sighed, inching towards her.

"It hurts still, you know." She said as she grazed her right hand over her left arm, the scar still red in freshness. She knew that it would never heal, it had been made with a curse, it would never go away, it would never close, and it would always be there, it was now and forever a part of her, a reminder as to what she endured that cruel and cold day at the Malfoy Manor.

"Does it really?" He asked as he pulled the scared arm towards him, slowly, giving her time to pull back, but she didn't.

Now visible he read the eight letter word to himself, taking his other hand and sliding it slowly up her arm, taking a second to pause at each letter along the way – M, u, d, b, l, o, o, and lastly d – Mudblood. He cursed at himself silently then. Perhaps he could have stopped this from happening, maybe just maybe, he could have saved Hermione from the evil Bellatrix, if he had been strong enough that is, even more intelligent, but no! He couldn't. Instead he listened from the Malfoy's dungeon to the cries Hermione let out as she, the love of his life endured pain like no other.

"Yea, every letter," Hermione answered a bit late, surprised by his actions.

"Hermione, do you trust me?" Ron asked in a short whisper.

She only nodded a yes in return.

"Then won't you go to bed?" He asked in a calm toned voice.

"I don't want to, no, I won't. Not to just dream of that night again, and again, and again." She said, tears descending from her eyes.

"I'll protect you; I won't let her hurt you. Blood hell! I won't let anyone touch you like that; I'll be there for you when you have no one, when you think there's nothing left." He said as he silently lifted her blanket and crawled his way up the bed, underneath it.

"Okay." She said.

"Okay?" He asked a bit confused. It wasn't the reply he had been expecting from her.

"Okay… I'll go to sleep." She said as she lay back down and fit herself into him. Filling every void possible; she needed this, needed him, his touch now the only thing able to calm her. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her, one bellow her and the other above. She then grabbed at one of his hands, willing her fingers to interlock with his own.

Silently she lied there, not knowing what to say or even what to do. Granted she had agreed to sleep, but this moment called for so much more, but what? "Ron?" She called, silently.

"Yea?" He answered, a tired yawn following.

"I love you." She said before drifting off into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.

A/N: And there it is another short scene between the two, Ron and Hermione! I may continue this, adding more scenes between the two as they continue their relationship, but for now this is it. Add this to your alerts if you please! And oh, review/comment? Thanks for reading, dears!