Harry, Ron and Hermione snuck out the back of Hogwarts Castle. People were still cleaning up from the battle. The trio dashed across the lawn to the lake to have some time alone. As expected, nobody was down by the lake. They sat down in a row with Ron in the middle. Hermione leaned over and ran her fingers through his soft hair.
"Are you okay, babe?" she asked quietly. It was a stupid question to ask, but the silence was just too powerful to leave alone.
"Yeah, never better," he snapped bitterly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry prodded as gently as possible. He understood what his best friend was going through.
"Not really," Ron said through a yawn. "Merlin, I'm exhausted." He stretched out across the grass. Hermione hovered over him.
"What are you doing, Ronald?"
"Taking a nap," he replied without missing a beat. Harry lay down too. A nap sounded pretty nice right now. "Come on, 'Mione, you've gotta be tired too." Hermione finally buckled and joined her friends. It didn't take long for sleep to claim all three of them.
Neville walked across the lawn, allowing the unusually cool and somber June air to wash over him. Nothing had prepared him, or anyone else for that matter, for the battle the night before. However, it was finally over. Just like that, the very thing his parents had sacrificed so much for was over.
A first year rushed up to Neville, bringing him back down to reality and the fact that the past was over and down with.
"There's some people asleep by the lake," she said. Right away, he had his wand out.
"You go back up to the castle. You shouldn't be down here anyway," he scolded. She scurried off towards the castle. Neville cautiously approached the lake. Fearing the worst, he kept his eyes open. Much to his relief, he found Harry, Ron and Hermione fast asleep together. Even in his sleep, Ron was right next to her with a protective hand on her back. They looked so peaceful that Neville didn't have the heart to wake them. After all, the three of them above everyone else deserved their rest.
As Neville went back up to the castle to pack up his belongings, he passed by an extremely frazzled Professor McGonagall. Her hair was all over the place, and she had dark circles under her sharp eyes.
"Mr. Longbottom, have you seen Mr. Weasley? His parents are looking for him," she asked in a strained voice.
"He's down by the lake with Harry and Hermione; they're all asleep." She gave him a polite nod.
"Yes, thank you. I'll be sure to pass that along to Arthur and molly." She paused. "Now, I think that your grandmother is looking for you. Have a nice holiday." Just like that, as if nothing had happened the night before, like it was a normal last day of school.
"You too, Professor," he said quietly with a small smile before leaving Professor McGonagall to her work.
An hour later, Ron awoke to Hermione's bushy hair in his face. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. He sat up and looked around. Both Harry and Hermione were still asleep with their backs to him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. Taking a deep breath, her eyes fluttered open. When she saw Ron, she smiled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly so he didn't wake Harry. Hermione rolled onto her back.
"I don't mind being woken up like that." Ron leaned in for another kiss, this time on the lips. She snaked her arms around his neck and happily returned the affection. Their small nap definitely had been a starting place for their long recovery.
The EndA/N: Go to my profile for a link to my photobucket account to see the fan art that inspired this story. BTW, I did NOT draw the fan art (I can't even draw a stick figure).
Tina101