Hermione woke abruptly from her vivid nightmare, screaming into her pillow. She clamped both hands over her mouth to muffle her sobs, grateful that Ginny had inherited the Weasley ability to sleep though anything. Grabbing her wand from the nightstand, the trembling girl tiptoed from the room, tears running liberally down her face.
Though Voldemort had been defeated for nearly a month, Hermione was visited nightly by visions of hooded figures and flashes of green and blood spilling across the cobbled stones of her beloved second home, Hogwarts. They seemed to be getting worse, even though more rogue death eaters were caught daily, and the magical world was building itself up again.
To an outsider, the world of Harry Potter and company should have been a non-stop party in the months following the Dark Lord's fall. But Hermione knew better; her only black dress was worn down, covered in too many tear-stains. Too many lives had been lost, too many lights extinguished.
The frail girl walked slowly down the many flights of stairs, sobbing quietly, until she reached the living room. As she raised her lit wand, she noticed a familiar head of unruly hair sticking out from the arm of the couch.
Upon further inspection, Hermione found Harry asleep on the over-stuffed loveseat, a peaceful Teddy dozing quietly on his chest. The baby's hair was a calm, blue color, the silky strands like ocean waves. Harry's glasses were askew, his jet-black hair like a tangled hay-stack, and his arms much too thin for Mrs. Weasley's liking, but there was something right about the picture in front of the young witch. The soft smile on his restful face, the way his hands tenderly held the infant close to his heart. For the first time in the many years Hermione had known Harry, he seemed truly at peace with the world.
More tears came to Hermione's eyes as she thought about Teddy. He was now an orphan, much like his godfather, his only living relative being his grandmother, who had come to live with the Weasley's after the death of her daughter and son-in-law. It was a tragic story, but Hermione was used to those, wasn't she? Why was she still crying about it, when she knew the freaking Boy-Who-Lived?
She pulled a blanket from the armchair and laid it across the two sleeping figures, sniffing. The world just seemed so unfair. Like fate randomly picked innocent people to toy with, destroying their lives every chance she could get. Harry, Teddy, the Weasleys…
"Hermione?" A gruff voice asked, thick with sleep. Hermione looked down to see a drowsy Harry, a ghost of a smile on his face, the happiness of dreamless sleep fading away under the pressure of reality.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, Harry. Go back to sleep." She tried to push him back down but he sat up gently, careful not to wake the baby in his arms.
"You're crying. What's wrong?" He asked, concern overtaking the remains of the smile on his face. She shook her head fiercely.
"It's nothing. Go back to bed." Harry grabbed her arm before she could leave, pulling her close to him and the sleeping baby.
"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked soothingly, like a father talking to his child.
"Yes. The same one I have every night." She said, trying to choke back her tears. Harry's face contorted into a pained expression, and he looked like he might cry.
"Oh, Hermione…Here, take Teddy." The young wizard handed over the infant, whose hair was darkening slowly into a navy-blue. The witch seemed reluctant, but he insisted. "Go on. Trust me."
She took the young boy into her arms and immediately felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders. All her grief, all her anger, everything—gone. Watching the sleeping baby cleared her mind, filling her devoid heart with something she had missed over the past year. Safety.
Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder, smiling. "It helps, doesn't it?"
She nodded. "But, why?"
"I think," he said. "That holding on to a bit of innocence is the only thing you can do when you've been through what we've been though. Just the feeling that this little guy hasn't seen what we have, hasn't known the terror of the past years, wont grow up learning to fear one man's name…it's the greatest feeling in the world. It could power a thousand patronuses. I've never felt so much…hope, before."
As he said this, the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, bathing the world in a golden-red glow. Teddy stirred, smiling.
"Hey there, Ted. It's morning, now." Harry whispered to his godson, tightening his arms around the girl who cradled him.
"The dark is gone, honey. It's time to wake up." Hermione said, kissing the little boy's light-blue hair.
Harry smiled, kissing his best-friend's cheek. "The day has finally come."
I know it's short. I just had to get the idea out of my head. Please review.