Author's note: I've always wondered exactly how the Weasley's and Harry and Hermione managed during the time after the war. I think that the weeks following the battle would have been a time of heartache and grief, but also hope for the future. I'm especially interested in how Ron and Hermione dealt with the aftermath of their kiss and their budding relationship during this trying time. I'm definitely going to be making this a multi-chapter story. I've had the vision for this in my head for a long time. It's been taking me a while to put pen to paper but I'm really excited to portray how I think it could have gone down. Review, and send me a PM if you have any requests or ideas for me to add!

The silence in Ginny's room was overbearing. Hermione felt as though it was crushing her. The burrow was also dark at night; sometimes frighteningly so to her. It's remote location meant that no light came in the windows from outside, and being that it was not a muggle household there were no electric night lights plugged into the walls. The only chance for light would be if she lit her wand, but the brightness alone would probably wake up Ginny, never mind the fact that she was too anxious to cast a nonverbal spell right now.

Hermione sighed. She wished that she could sleep in the same room as Ron at night. Maybe even the same bed, even though the thought made her blush a bit. It was coming up on two weeks since the war had been over, and her every night was plagued by horrible nightmares. Every evening, Ginny would collapse on her bed, exhausted, and drift off to sleep. Hermione figured this was largely due to the fact that she and Ginny had picked up all of the household chores formerly performed by Mrs. Weasley, who could only manage to come out of her room for short periods of time before she would burst into tears and have to retire to bed for the day. However, though Hermione was just as tired as Ginny, she would fight sleep all night, sometimes dozing off in the early hours of the morning, only to awaken from a nightmare. The only thing that calmed her was the fact that by then it would be morning and light would fill Ginny's room, allowing her to regain her composure without Ron's help.

She couldn't fall asleep at night. She just couldn't. Her dreams were so dark. In her dreams, she would feel the crushing weight of Bellatrix's body on top of her's, holding a wand an inch from her head and casting crucio over and over until Hermione could see nothing but darkness. Then, Dobby wouldn't save them, and Pettigrew would drag Ron upstairs and make her watch as Bellatrix told Ron that he wouldn't be tortured because he was a pureblood, but would have to die nonetheless because he was a blood traitor. Greyback would grip her by the hair and make her watch as the green light struck Ron and he died, and she would be forced to wonder how she would go on without him if by some miracle she survived this, almost not wanting to survive, hoping that her torture would be quick before she could be with him because she loved him and she never got to tell him and now it was too late so nothing really mattered anymore. She wanted the darkness to overtake her, welcomed it even...

At this point, she would wake up screaming. The first time it happened was the first night they spent at the burrow after the battle. She had heard screams in the distance before she realized that they were her's and she wasn't lying on the floor of Malfoy Manor but rather on the cot in Ginny's room.

Ginny was shaking her. "Hermione! Please Hermione wake up! Please! You're okay! You're at the burrow! Please for the love of Merlin wake up!" Ginny shouted hysterically at her as tears streamed down her pretty face.

Suddenly, Ron burst into the room, wand drawn, followed by Harry, Charlie, Percy, Bill, and Mr. Weasley. The latter two were guarding their respective wives behind them, their wandless arms thrown out in a protective stance. Hermione took one look at the way they had entered the room, so ready for a fight, their faces set in a grim yet determined look, and immediately felt guilty. Here she was, already intruding on a time that should strictly be for just the family as they grieved, and she had just frightened them by making them think more trouble had come to their home while also interrupting the few precious hours of sleep they could get.

Ron was by her side in a moment, softly grabbing Ginny by the shoulders and moving his sister to the end of the bed. He then grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Hermione! What is it? Please tell me," he said, looking concerned and terrified at the same time. Then, he lowered his voice so just the two of them could hear. "Does anything hurt? You can tell me. Please tell me. If it's something from... you know. Please."

"Ron!" Her voice sounded more hysterical than she had intended it to be. "Oh, Ron! You're alright!" Then, to her mortification, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, sobbing against his broad chest. Ron took it all in stride, though. He didn't miss a beat and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"I'm right here, Hermione. I'm right here love. I'm fine," Ron said in a soothing voice as he tenderly stroked her hair. If she hadn't been so traumatized she would have been filled with glee to hear him call her "love" for the first time.

Chancing a glance over Ron's shoulder, she studied how the Weasleys and Harry were reacting to her outburst and Ron's comforting her. Mostly they looked relieved that her screams were only due to a bad dream. Ginny sat on the end of the bed smiling and giving her a knowing look even though tears were still visible on her face. Harry was giving her a comforting and sympathetic look, and it occurred to her that he was the only other person in the room who could have guessed exactly what she was dreaming about. Charlie and Percy both looked like they felt indifferent about the situation, still on high alert and checking the room and glancing out the window for any signs of danger. Bill and Fleur were also giving her a sympathetic look, and she then realized that even though they didn't know exactly what her nightmare would have been about, they probably guessed it had to do with what happened to her before she showed up bloody and broken at their cottage. Mr. Weasley seemed to be focused on comforting Mrs. Weasley, who was looking at her and Ron as if she were seeing them for the first time in years, although Hermione thought she saw a small smile flit across her face.

"Come along everyone, it looks as though Hermione is in good hands," Mr. Weasley said. Everyone except Ginny began to file out of the room. Harry stalled a bit and walked over to kiss Ginny on the top of her head, stroking her hair for a few seconds before he turned and followed everyone out the door.

It was then that Hermione had noticed that Ron still had his arms around her. She blushed as she realized that her breasts were pressed up against his chest. She pulled away and he followed her, leaning up against the headboard and pulling her into his lap where he put his arms around her again and began to stroke her hair.

It was then that Ginny spoke up. "Hermione… what was that?"

"Nothing, Ginny. I'm sorry to have woken you. I'm fine," Hermione said in a quiet voice.

"Hermione, you're obviously not okay. What the bloody hell was that?" Ginny looked alarmed again.

"Drop it, Gin," Ron said in a firm tone. Ginny looked as though she wanted to retaliate, but then thought better of it.

"Fine," Ginny huffed. "If you two lovebirds are going to sleep there, do me a favor and don't fool around on the bed next to me. No funny business, okay? I'd like to keep my dinner down, and if I woke up to catch you two going at it I would not be able to."

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed. "That is crude, and no such thing will be happening!"

"Can't promise you anything Gin," Ron said in a mocking tone.

"Ronald!" Hermione yelped as she slapped his shoulder.

"Oh, so you like it rough do you Hermione? Can't say I'm surprised.. it's always the quiet ones," Ginny said, cackling as she dove back under her sheets.

"Ginny!" Hermione was now going back and forth reprimanding the two siblings.

"We'll be good Gin. Try to go to sleep love," Ron said in a calming tone as she stroked her hair again and held her close. Hermione fell asleep and for once slept through the rest of the night.

That had been a one time thing though. She knew that Ron had been allowed to stay with her because it was the night after a horrific event and no one was thinking straight and Ginny was in the room. Mrs. Weasley would not condone her sleeping in Ron's room every night, and Hermione did not wish to disrespect the house rules, so she suffered in silence. However, tonight was worse than any of the other nights during the past two weeks. She couldn't take it. She had to see Ron. If she walked upstairs and just talked to him for a bit, it wouldn't be disrespecting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley right? They wouldn't do anything inappropriate. She longed to see him, to know that he existed and hear his soothing voice. Her mind made up, she grabbed her wand and hopped out of bed, on a mission to make her way up to Ron's room.