Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Warnings: AU, future slash.

Note: Written for the Sleep Isles Competition by the amazingly creative MsButterWorthless. The setting is her own, I just tweaked a few things here and there to suit the plot.

Sleepless

"Wake up. Please, wake up," the girl sobbed, hair a wind-blown mess. Hands grasping the prone body underneath her fingertips, she shook him desperately, kneeling down among the rubble and destruction of their most recent battle, not caring of the bruises she would surely gain from the harsh marble floor. There was a smoky undertone to the air, the harsh smell of burning embers intertwining with the lingering dust incessantly. She bit her lip, tasting the coppery undertone of blood oozing out slowly from the cut. Her red hair was matted in certain places with patches of blood, sticking and drying against her head. The tears falling down her face mixed with red and brown before they fell. Dirty fingernails clenching tighter on his uniform, she tugged harder.

"Wake up, wake up!" Her voice raised as a cold chill seeped into her bones. But there was no reply, no response. Just silence.

The atrium that had been so chaotic before was eerily silent. The only sound was her sobbing, echoing in the emptiness, bouncing off the stiff, stone walls and making her seem more alone if that was even possible.

"Please, please, please," she repeated like a mantra, leaning down and pressing her forehead to his, cradling his face in her hands. Some tears slipped out from her closed eyelids, softly hitting the lenses of his glasses.

Please bring him back to me.

He jerked awake with a start, chest heaving as he scrambled up to a sitting position. His emerald eyes flew around the room, taking in every corner in plainly obvious panic and no small amount of confusion. He only made it onto his elbows before a pair of hands pushed him down.

"Rest," the gentle yet firm voice commanded from above him. He couldn't quite make out the features of the woman, only greying hair and frail hands, but he only hesitated shortly before slowly closing his eyes once more and sinking deeply into the plush mattress. He could feel the soft hands tucking him in before sleep soon claimed him in its all too welcoming arms.

This time, he woke up slowly, the tendrils of dreams still clinging to him at the edges of his mind, ready to swoop back in and claim him again. Blearily blinking his eyes, he reached out blindly for the bedside table, squinting for his glasses. When his hand came into contact with the wire frames, he picked them up and settled them haphazardly on his nose.

He jerked in surprise when there was a loud snore from his other side. There was a red-haired teen around his age sleeping on a chair propped up beside the bed. His freckled face was bobbing up and down as snores escaped, but when he leaned too far back and smacked the back of his head against the chair, the redhead startled, eyes snapping open.

Blue eyes were slightly misty before the teen fully awoke, attention latching onto the only other person in the room.

"Oh, have you been awake long?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to soothe the tightly coiled muscles there.

"No, just woke up actually," was the equally awkward response. A silence hung in the room, creating a rather heavy atmosphere.

"Well," the redhead suddenly started, stretching out with his hand, "I'm Ron Weasley."

From the change in position, he noticed the clothes the other was wearing, some type of uniform, probably of the military. It was a bright red with elaborate golden clips and buttons along the front and sides of the arms, the top few unbuttoned for comfort. He briefly wondered why an officer was here.

Leaning forward from his seated position on the bed, he reached out and shook the offered hand. "Harry Potter."

With the introductions over, the two leaned back in their respective spots.

"They should be here any second now," Ron mumbled aloud though more to himself.

Harry frowned as his fingers fiddled with the bedsheets pooled at his waist, tugging at the edges. "Yeah, mind telling me where 'here' is, exactly? And the 'they' would be helpful as well…sir," he added belatedly. Harry felt a bit strange addressing someone his age with such respect, but Ron must have earned it to be given his current rank.

"Oh! Uh," Ron hesitated, biting his bottom lip, "well, you see."

"The sky went whoosh! And it was all phuuuh, and then you went plop!" He started doing grand gestures with his hands that only left Harry more confused.

"As if he can understand what you're trying to say," a voice called from behind Ron. "You're only confusing him more."

A girl strolled gracefully into the room, long sleeveless dress flowing behind her. It was a stark white, a thin material that fluttered with every step she took, brushing lightly against the floor as if it were simply teasing the marble surface. Across her shoulders and neck, the material was sheer with small jewels embedded skillfully along the collar of the dress. Half of her hair was clipped up while the rest was kept down, a wave of warm brown falling to mid-back. Her eyes were the same rich color of toasted almonds.

Ron immediately perked up with her entrance, grin on his face.

"Everyone knows that you're the best at explaining things 'Mione," he said, shrugging off her statement.

"I believe it's my job to be well-informed in all the areas possible," she replied with a smile as she walked closer to the two, stopping beside the bed.

Harry looked between her and Ron curiously before settling on the girl when she started speaking.

"You're most likely feeling incredibly lost with the given circumstances, but I'll do my best to answer any of your questions," she said, giving him a gentle smile.

Harry turned, looking at everything besides the two strangers. Unfortunately, there wasn't really much to look at, only a bedside table with two flowers sitting in a vase. Upon closer inspection, Harry saw that they were two stems of lily-of-the-valleys, flowers his aunt had in the garden. Anything else was hidden from sight, concealed by a curtain partially drawn, only displaying the rest of the room to his right. There were another two beds, both empty and properly made. Harry assumed that there were more to his left as well. He must be in an infirmary then.

"Well, could you start off by telling me where I am?"

"You're in the Hospital Wing!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry frowned, about to interject.

"No, I think he wanted something more specific than that Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes before explaining. "We're on Dreamer's Isle, one of the five Sleep Isles."

She stared at him, studying his reaction. When all Harry did was blink back at her, she let out a small sigh.

"I expected as much," she said with equal softness.

"Well, he did fall out of the sky," Ron pointed out.

Harry, who had been listening quietly this whole time, suddenly jerked in surprise.

"Wait, I fell from the sky?" His wide eyes regarded them with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Really, Harry had not been expecting this much excitement from a boring, mundane trip to the grocery store. Maybe some suspicious glares from the neighbors, but nothing on this level.

"I know it's a bit hard to believe, but Ron is the one who came and rescued you after the fall."

Ron gave a little wave along with half a grin.

"I was visiting my sister at the time, and it's a lot faster if you just go forward when you fall on Consciousness than turning back."

"The currents move in a certain direction at this time of year," Hermione explained, "so Ron decided to sail back here in case you needed medical attention."

"What I don't get is how I fell out of the sky. It just happened? Out of nowhere?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well," Ron hummed, thinking carefully, "there were these black, purple-y clouds swirling around, some lightning and thunder, and then poof! Out you came."

Harry groaned softly, cradling his head in his hands. He didn't like this situation. At all. How many people in the world could say that they emerged out of an ominous black vortex and have it basically puke him out, pushing him into this new environment as if he were a baby being born into existence?

He ran his hands through his dark, unruly hair, turning it into more of a mess than it usually was, all the while mumbling to himself.

"I think he might just have lost it, 'Mione," Harry heard Ron mutter followed by a sharp hushing sound and a strict 'Ronald!'.

"Okay, okay," Harry breathed out, hands resting against his neck as he tilted his head back to stare up contemplatively at the ceiling.

After a deep breath, he turned to face the two once more.

"Do you possibly have any idea of how I can get back?" he tried to ask calmly, only half succeeding as his voice slightly wavered toward the end.

Hermione and Ron exchanged a nervous look.

"Well…"

…I'll probably be changing the title later when I come up with something more creative. Who's excited for this? I know I am! There's actually a due date on this, so I'll be forced to finish this by then and hopefully have my first completed multi-chapter fic. Until next time! - Aldira~