A shriek echoed through the dormitory as a messy haired brunette shot up in bed. She patted herself down making sure that she was alright. Her breathing slowly starting to settle down. A couple lamps turned on around her as some of the younger girls awoke and hurried to her side.

"Hermione are you okay?" A fiery redhead asked her. Honestly, she didn't quite know if she was yet. Her adrenaline was still pumping from the obvious nightmare she had been having. That laughter. It haunted her.

"I- I think so." She managed to get out finally starting to comprehend that it wasn't real. It wasn't happening. She was safe.

"Do I need to get Professor McGonagall?" One of the other girls ask a little more freaked out than any of the rest of them. Hermione shook her head quickly at the idea of that. They had already been going to counseling and she didn't want them to think she needed therapy.

"Are you sure?" the first girl asked again.

"Yes, I am sure." She said more confidently. "It was only a bad dream, Ginny."

She wasn't quite sure if she was trying to reassure them or herself more. In all honesty, since the war she had been burdened with these nightmares. All seemed to be the same. Since her return to school only a week ago she has found herself waking up the other girls in the dormitory about three times now.

"You are a horrid liar, you know that right?" Ginny responded before sighing and looking Hermione in the eyes. "I'm always here if you need to talk. I know the three of you went through a lot this past year. My brother hasn't even told me much about it. He had just thrown himself right into his work... as well as Harry."

"I'm sorry Gin." Hermione said and the redhead shrugged.

"All I'm saying is that I am here for you no matter what. When you want to talk I am here. I gave the same talk to Harry and my brother but now it is your turn. Try and get some sleep okay?" Ginny said to her. Hermione nodded and her best friend walked back to her own bed and laid back down, turning the only lap left on back off.

Hermione sat awake though, thinking about the events leading up to this moment after the war. Harry, Ron and Neville had been offered jobs as Aurors to help clean up the aftermath of it all. Ron and herself had tried to give their relationship a go, but her mind was not in the right place and she called it off. It wasn't working and they both knew it.

She got up from her bed and went to go sit by the window. She peered out onto the grounds of the school and everything seemed just so small compared to everything else. She pulled her long sleeved shirt down her arm more then hugged her arms to her body, as she watched the sun come up slowly over the horizon.

!

Hermione exited the hospital wing agitated and grabbing her left arm. She had spent an hour of her time, the time that could be used on studying, on someone who just sat there and asked her how she felt about everything. Counselling was mandatory and she understood why, but she hated sitting there and having people pity her.

"Bloody nutcase." She mumbled to herself as she wandered away from the wing. Anywhere else would be fine. "Like that woman has any idea what I been through." She continued to mumble under her breath.

Her feet brought her to the Library. She gave a half hearted smile towards the librarian and then made herself disappear into the aisles of books. It always seemed to be her comfort area, the library. She scanned the books though her mind was currently still on the counselling appointment that didn't go too well.

Read that. Read that. Read that.

It seemed like she had read everything in this library. She knew she hadn't but she had spent seven years in this school. Her options had dwindled down to quite some extent. She might have to send her mother an owl, telling her to go buy her some new books to read. Maybe a mystery novel. Those always kept her on the edge of her seat. On second thought though, she thought maybe a romance instead because she didn't need any more of an excuse to be on edge. She already had enough reasons to be.

While she was searching for a book that she hadn't already read and trying to understand how this counseling was supposed to help her she almost missed the man sitting in the back corner of the library, alone. His back was turned to her but she had no need to wonder who it was. The platinum blonde hair gave him away.

She dropped the current book she had in her hand. The noise caught his attention and he turned around to see her standing there. She didn't think he would come back let alone ever see that face again. Her hands started to shake and she looked away from him and hurried down to pick up the book she dropped.

She felt his gaze on her as she did so. She thought she would have to come up with some witty line to contradict his but all she heard was the sound of a chair sliding backwards. She watched as a pair of feet walked away and disappeared.

Suddenly, she let out a large breath that she didn't know she was holding in. Her hands were still shaking as she used the bookcase to help her stand back up. She then gathered herself together before heading to the front of the library to rent the book she had in her hands.

She knew she was messed up and needed help, but no one else needed to see that.