I woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright in bed. Breathing hard, I looked around, and saw my husband sleeping next to me.
"Oh, Merlin," I whispered, "It was just a dream."
I lifted my knees and placed my elbows on them, and covered my face in my hands. It was just a dream… I thought giving a half hearted chuckle, still gasping from the shock of the nightmare that had woken me. After sitting like that for a few minutes, I quietly left the bed and stood by the window. I looked out at the gardens, trying hard to clear the images from my mind.
"No! Hermione, no!" Ron screamed as he was dragged down to the dungeon. I barely heard him. Instead my focus was on the crazed eyes of the woman in front of me. On the dagger in her left hand, the wand in her right. Then I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anything at all.
"Crucio!"
"'Mione?" came a voice from behind me, "What's wrong, love?"
I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, realizing that I had started to cry. Then I open them again, without really seeing the gardens, or the stars, or my husband turning me to face him. My heart is beating out of my chest, and I can't breathe. I know I'm breathing too fast, but I can't get enough air. I can still hear her laughing through the echos of my screams…
"Hermione!" I hear a voice saying my name, and I'm confused. "Hermione, come back to me love. It isn't real, she can't hurt you anymore." I feel a grip on my arm, and I stiffen, before my eyes focus on a face in front of me.
"R-Ron?" I choke out, trying to breathe normally again.
"Yes, it's me, I've got you." He says, pulling me into his arms. Somehow we've ended up on the floor, me sitting with my back on the wall, him kneeling in front of me. I lean into him, rocking myself back and forth.
"Shh, it's going to be okay, just breathe slowly, with me alright?" I let myself be comforted, trying to time my breathing with his hand rubbing circles on my back. "I'm here." he whispers.
Finally I am able to think clearly and I feel the tears pouring down my face.
"I'm sorry, Ron, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" I babble, not knowing what else to say. Hating that I need to be coddled like a child. Ron pulls back slightly and looks me in the eyes, wiping my face.
"Never, ever apologize. You have been everyone else's rock, no one can blame you for needing a little support for yourself." He says sternly, and I slowly nod along with his words, avoiding his eyes. "Just look at George. Where do you think he'd be without you?"
I just shake my head and lay myself against Ron's chest. He swiftly picks me up and sits me on the bed, sitting up next to me.
In the morning I am curled into Ron's chest, and his arms are securely wrapped around my waist. I struggle to wake and the arms tighten slightly, and I feel a kiss on my forehead before drifting off again.