What Little Remains

Summary: Draco and Hermione find unexpected comfort in each other after so much has been lost.

A/N: Read and Review! And Thanks to Lauren who beta-read this chappie.

"Ron!" Hermione cried out. "What happened? You're bleeding." Hermione looked down at Ron's blood clad body. "This can't be happening."

"I'm sorry 'Mione," Ron said back, though his voice sounded strained and hoarse.

"You can't leave me now, I . . . I . . . love you," Hermione sobbed.

"I love you too," Ron said as he saw Hermione smile through her tears. "But it's to late for me, tell Harry I'm sorry."

Hermione just nodded. She couldn't tell Harry anything. He was dead. But he had defeated the Dark Lord.

And with one last breath, Ron's head fell back and Hermione found herself screaming.

"Hermione!"

She awoke in her room with three concerned faces around her bed looking down at her. She was entangled in her bed sheets and drenched in sweat.

"I'm sorry," Hermione mumbled, and Lavender and Pavarti headed back to their room, while Ginny sat down on the edge of her bed.

"You had a nightmare about Ron again, didn't you?" Ginny asked, sadness filling her voice.

"Yes. I dream of his face every night. It haunts my dreams," Hermione cried, feeling tears fall down her face onto the already wet sheet.

"Harry's face haunts mine," Ginny said, as her mind trailed off.

"Ginny," Harry said. Ginny could hear the anguish in his voice. He was in pain, great pain.

"Yes, I'm right here," Ginny said but it wasn't her voice, it was a voice of a young girl who was frightened.

"I love you, and I'm sorry. I would have stayed with you until the end. I wanted to protect you. But I messed up."

"No Harry. You've saved me, just now.  I love you too."

"Ginny," Hermione was gently shaking her friend. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to stir up these old feelings for you."

"It's alright," Ginny said wiping a tear from her cheek. "Let's just try to get some sleep."

"Right," Hermione said, lying back in her bed. She rested her head on her pillow, but her mind was working too hard to let her go to sleep. Finally after several failed sleep attempts, she grabbed a book and headed to the common room.

Once she was settled into a big comfy chair she began to read her favorite muggle story: Romeo and Juliet. After the war, she felt as if she somehow could relate to it, but at the same time she couldn't. She sighed as she opened the book and began to read.

Somewhere else, another person was haunted by dreams resulting from the war.

"No, don't go," Draco called into the void of the night.

"Father," the young boy sniffed, looking down at his dad's once long silver blonde hair, that was now mangled with blood. "You can't leave me, I need you."

"Didn't I teach you to never cry," the man said angrily, coughing out blood.

"So a Malfoy can't cry when he is in pain," Draco asked his father.

"No, he must bury it deep inside him, and never let another soul find it," his father told him sternly. "So bury it in your soul NOW!"

"Fine," Draco said as he swallowed his tears.

"Good," Lucius said, his eyes rolling back and as his head fell back into the arms of his only child.

Draco couldn't hold in the tears any longer, they painfully sprang from his eyes. He was sobbing into his father's dead chest. "Why did you leave me?" He cried.

Draco awoke to the sound of his own cries, and felt his wet cheeks. He had been crying again. Quickly, he looked to make sure that neither Crabbe nor Goyle had woken at his screams. No, the two big dolts still were sleeping soundly. He sighed aloud. If anyone knew that Draco Malfoy spent most of his nights crying over his dead father, then he knew what would become of his reputation. No one can understand the pain I'm going through right now, he thought to himself.

A/N: Feel free to give constructive criticism