Breaking the Habit

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That i'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

Watching as he struggled to keep his sanity that night was like watching a child try to speak their first words, but they keep failing over and over again; it was basically heartbreaking. He had been this way for a while. He had nothing to live for was the excuse that he kept using with her, but she doesn't take it from him, and he knows it. He has plenty to live for and just decides to be stubborn and not see it all.

He saved everyone from a terrible fate, and he now needs someone to save him.

She walked over to his bed as he tossed and turned, mumbling incoherent phrases in his restless sleep. She sat down and held him close, laying his head in her lap. He woke up with a start, sweaty and scared. He was going to say something but as soon as her cool lips pressed against his, he knew where he was.

Sitting up, he wrapped his arms around her fragile figure and cried into her shoulder. They were after him again, but she knew they didn't exist. They were all dead.

Everyone of them.

Sighing, she rubbed circles in his back, shushing him back to sleep; he had gotten quiet, but sleep definitely wasn't an option at that point in time. He would just sit there and look at her like she was an alien, then he would start talking, but she could never understand what he was saying, but she went along with it anyways.

There was a small knock at the door and a little girl emerged from behind it, holding a teddy bear in one hand, and her other one was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Mommy, is daddy okay?" she asked quietly and the young woman quickly picked her up and was going to take her back to her room, but he blocked the door.

"Just lay her with us." he said quickly.

She just nodded and walked over to the bed, laying the little girl down as she got into bed, "Yes, Daddy will be fine Andie, I promise." she said to the little girl who was looking up at her with worry in her emerald green eyes. The young man laid down, finally peaceful and held his daughter close to him, whispering words of comfort in her ears.

The little girl finally fell into a soft sleep and he looked up at the young woman, "Come on." he whispered and she nodded as he stood from the bed and left the room. Following him down the stairs, she winced as a rickety board squeaked from under her small feet, afraid that that awful portrait would go off and wake Andie, but it didn't.

The house was completely silent.

Smiling, she walked into the kitchen where he was sitting at the sink, staring out the window. "Harry…" she whispered and he didn't move.

'Another daydream.' she thought briskly, and readied herself for his outburst, but it never came. She rose and eyebrow and walked over, standing next to him at the sink. He looked over at her, his eyes much darker. She felt a chill down her spine and backed away.

His features softened, but his eyes were still dark and he walked towards her, but as he got closer, she got farther and then…she was caught. She was caught in between him and the wall. He put both hands on either side of her neck, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips as she closed her eyes.

"Harry, you're scaring me." she whimpered as she felt his cold finger-tips at the skin of her stomach under her t-shirt. Her eyes shot open when he had stopped, and the warmth that was shielding her body, suddenly disappeared.

There was no one there.

He must have disappeared.

She sighed in relief and walked back over to the sink and looked out of the window herself. This was going to happen for a while; he was going to disappear back to her and then come back the next morning.

Well, he'll have another thing coming if he thinks they'll be there when he gets home. She's just too tired anymore to be intimate with him, and he should understand why.

She ran her hands over the bump that created her belly and felt that familiar knot in her throat. This time, instead of swallowing it, she let her tears fall from her chocolate brown eyes. She bent over the metal sink when she felt the bile rise in her throat.

The 'crack' that suddenly sounded in the room made her jump and she turned to see him standing next to the door. "Oh, she wasn't home, was she?" she snapped and turned away from him. She didn't notice that his hand was behind his back. It was quiet and she was startled when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She tried to pull away, but he was definitely stronger at that point.

He set a blue box next to her hand, but she barely paid regard to it. "I'm going to my parents and Andie's coming with me." she whispered and ducked under his arms to leave the room. Surprisingly, he just watched her go.

He knew she wasn't going to her parents, she would never leave him alone…or so he thought.

When he made it back upstairs, they were no where in sight. He ran his hands through his hair, then took the vase from the armoire in his room and threw it against the walls, signaling a ear-splitting scream from the hallway. "Jesus Christ." he muttered, but just left her be.

He knew it was that damn portrait.

He grabbed the picture from the nightstand and examined it. He was chasing Andie around, while she sat against the tree as beautiful as ever. A tear-drop fell onto the glass and he set the picture face-down on the table and slid under the covers of his bed. There was no use going after her tonight, no use in the world.

&&&&&&

Her body wracked with sobs as she clutched onto the pillow of the bed. Andie was sleeping with her friends; she decided against going to her parents, her dad would murder him for sure, so she went to the closest people.

Ron and Luna.

She heard her door creak open and turned to see her red-headed friend leaning against the door-hinge with his arms crossed. " 'Mione." he whispered and she turned away. The pillow was soaking from tears and she felt her bed sink a little as he laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Shhh…" he whispered and she pulled away as she sat up.

"What am I doing here?" she whispered. "Am I out of my mind!?" he sat up, placing a hand on her arm.

"Hermione, stop it right now." he replied in a firm but gentle voice. "Do not yell at yourself for this again. What happened, happened." he whispered.

She pulled away and grabbed her robe from the seat next to the window, "Watch Andie for me." she whispered and disappeared before he could say different. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen again, and saw the box that still sat on the counter. She walked over slowly and grabbed it gently.

Pulling the white, silk ribbon off, she opened the top and emptied a black velvet box into her hand, with a small note that followed it. She set the note on the counter and slowly opened the box. She gasped, holding her hand over her heart.

Her ring.

She thought it was destroyed in the battle. It was the ring he first gave her; the ring that belonged to his mother that she thought she lost, and was heartbroken. It was now sitting in the palm of her hand.

Slipping it on her finger, she pulled the note off the counter and opened it;

Please wear it now. I promise to never hurt you, I wouldn't even dream of it. You know I love both you and Andie, it's just hard Hermione. Give me some time, I promise I'll be better. The Healers said I would.

Love, Harry

Her heart broke in two and she dropped the note as she ran up the stairs from outside the kitchen. The noise wasn't enough to wake the picture again, Thank God, she thought as she stepped in front of the door.

Turning the knob, she opened it slowly and walked in. It wasn't exactly dark anymore because of the new day outside as the sun started rising, but it was still a bit hard to see around, but she got to the bed just fine.

She noticed his soft snoring and smiled as she slid into bed next to him, and gently kissed the side of his neck. He woke up slowly and looked down at her, his eyes lighting up. "You came back." he whispered hoarsely.

"Of course I came back. When do I not come back?" she asked quietly and he chuckled. He noticed the ring on her finger and took her hand in his and started kissing every finger-tip. He took the other hand and did the same thing.

She felt that warm sensation in her body that she had the first time they touched each other, and she then pressed her lips against his. What they didn't noticed as they got to know each other's bodies once more, was the person smiling as they closed the bedroom door.

They were happy again.

AN: I basically just started typing this because the idea popped into my head when I was listening to this song, so if it feel like there seems like no plot, I'm sorry. That's how a lot of my stories start.