Disclaimer they all belong to J. K. Rowling
One Hundred and Forty going on Twelve
Unhappy at the Burrow
Almost half way through their stay at the Burrow Harry took a walk to the pool at the back of the house, he was feeling tired more tired than he had for a long time. He had not had much sleep since arriving at the Burrow, even Mrs Weasleys excellent cooking only helped him to sleep for about three hours; he would then lie awake in his bed thinking of Hermione.
He had become so accustomed to her being in his bed with him he felt desperately lonely without her. He knew that he was being just a little foolish she was after all just a floor below sleeping in Ginny's room but he could not rid himself of his need for her to be close so he could hold her in his arms.
He reached the pool just as it started to rain, standing under one of the trees he put up a shield against the rain, knowing full well that if any of the Weasleys found him they would assume that the tree was sheltering him. Drying a spot of ground Harry sat down to contemplate his first holiday as Hermione's husband.
He had not really spent much time with Hermione in the past two and a half days, he had watched as Hermione and Ginny became close, maybe even best friends, the fact was he had spent most of his time at the Burrow so far being alone amongst a crowd of red heads and he did not like how it felt, he had thought his days of loneliness were over.
Ginny was not the Ginny he had known before, this Ginny was much more childlike in some way, and he knew it was his memories of Ginny after she had been possessed by Voldemort that he remembered about her. Voldemort had been the one to change her, to rob her of her childhood, he had been the one that had made her do things she would never be able to forgive herself for. Harry decided he had to do something that would change all that, he wanted to see the Ginny he had seen just a few hours ago, grow up into the girl she was meant to be. Even though she seemed to be keeping his wife from him he liked this Ginny, and wanted to keep her as one of his best friends.
He began once again to think of Hermione and just how silly it was to be missing her when she was in the same house, and sometimes even in the same room. Still he could not shake the feeling of loneliness that was threatening to ruin their week. He just prayed for the week to pass by quickly, he wanted so much to hold his wife as he had done so many times in the past four months; he wanted to talk to her, to hear her say his name again.
He was cursing the nights when he was unable to sleep without her, he cursed the days for being to long while she spent nearly all her time with Ginny. He suddenly wished he had never accepted the invite; he should have gone with her to Grimmauld place, be with his godfather, he should be spending time with his wife not sitting under a tree feeling so sad.
A slight sniff behind him brought him out of his self pity as he felt Hermione's presence getting closer, Hermione sat down next to him on the ground and wrapped her arms around him and began to cry onto his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't think I was hurting you, will you hold me tight?" she sniffled.
Harry just placed an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, but he remained silent. Hermione carried on crying, she had felt his sadness, then she had heard his last few thoughts as he thought about his loneliness about how little time she had spent with him, but the part that made her cry was when he had wished they had never come to the Burrow.
Finally he spoke to her.
"It's nothing love, I'm just being selfish because I am tired, I just can't sleep without you there beside me." He told her.
If Harry had said this to make her feel better it did not, instead it had the opposite effect, causing her to clamber onto his lap and cry a little harder into his collar. She had been sleeping ok as long as he hugged her and kissed her goodnight, but that might be because she was sharing a bed with Ginny. She was not sleeping with her Harry, though she was sleeping she woke each morning feeling more tired than the day before, and she thought that maybe she shouldn't be feeling the way she did, she shouldn't be missing her husband's arms around her so desperately every morning.
"Hermione love stop all this crying, you have someone in bed with you, that's all it is, I have to sleep alone on a cot in Percy's room. That's why I feel it more, now how about you give me a kiss and make me feel better," he said as he looked into her eyes and wrapped both his arms around her.
Hermione gave him the longed for kiss and then snuggled in closer to him, they fell asleep there under the tree safe in each others arms, and all of Harry's loneliness deserted him as he slept. They were awoken just as it was getting dark by a worried looking Mrs Weasley, "There you are dears," she called as she neared them, waking them both with a start.
Shaking with cold they walked hand in hand to the Burrow kitchen where Ginny was busy doing some chores, Hermione offered to help but Mrs Weasley ushered her and Harry into the living room and told them to sit by the fire to warm up.
Once Mrs Weasley had gone back into the kitchen Hermione climbed into Harry's lap again, and there in the warmth of the roaring fire, snuggled comfortably in each others arms, together they fell asleep again. They were awakened for the second time that day by Mr Weasley gently calling their names.
Getting up and both feeling a little flustered at being found asleep again, they went into the kitchen and joined the rest of the Weasley family for supper, which was once again an excellent meal. Just after ten Mrs Weasley sent them all off to bed, Hermione to Ginny's room, and Harry to Percy's cold and unwelcoming room. Harry clambered into his cot and wished Hermione good night, she replied telling him she loved him and once again she was sorry for doing something to hurt him, Harry told her to get some sleep and to have sweet dreams of them being together.
Harry managed to sleep till just after one in the morning, he woke to feel the emptiness of his bed once again, tonight though he did not feel as bad about it as he had on the other nights, tonight he had had his wife tell him she loved him, he had held her and kissed her, and as he lay there thinking about it he thought maybe he had been a little silly.
About half an hour after he woke he heard Hermione 'Harry come downstairs to me, I'm alone in the living room'
Harry quietly climbed from the cot and careful not to make any noise he made his way to the living room, 'what are you doing down here sweetheart?' he asked as she hugged him tight.
'Mrs Weasley thought that I wasn't getting enough sleep being in the same bed as Ginny so she conjured a small cot for me, I woke up missing you dreadfully, so I came down here where we can be together' Hermione answered.
'It's a horrible feeling, I don't ever want to feel like that again Harry, I want to wake up by your side every morning of my life' she told him as they got comfortable on the sofa.
Harry waved his hand at the fire and watched as some logs placed themselves in the glowing ashes, moments later they had a roaring fire and lying in each others arms they fell asleep. Mrs Weasley was the one that once again found them asleep holding each other tight, she gave a little sigh as she covered them with an old crocheted throw. As she started making the breakfast a little quieter than she normally did Molly Weasley began to wonder, not for the first time, about her daughters new friends, she knew they were soul-mates and were husband and wife but that was about all she knew about soul-mates and their bond. Worried by their unusual sleeping and taking the decision that just for once breakfast could wait awhile, she quietly collected one of her books from her husband's collection in the living room and began to read.
She had only read half a page when she came across a very interesting part; she read it twice just to be sure she fully understood it.
'In the first few months of the bonding, soul-mates can and sometimes do experience extreme anxiety, sleeplessness, and some form of depression if they spend any amount of time without physical contact in some form. It is known that this requirement for contact is mainly negated by the soul-mate's sleeping habits; it is believed that their deep seated need to sleep together is the natural way for them to obtain the required contact. It is not yet known why this physical contact is required but some soul-mates totally deprived of it after their bonding have actually died for an as yet unknown reason.
Soul-mates who bond at a young age are more susceptible to these extremes, it is advised and encouraged and legally endorsed by the ministry for magic that the marriage by bonding be recognised as a full and legal magical contract, therefore parents of young bonded couples should beware of the dangers of separating their offspring due to an innate sense of morality.'
Mrs Weasley of course knew that their marriage was recognised as fully legal but she had not realised that by keeping them separated she could actually be causing them some harm, she was torn by her feeling that the children were to young to sleep together, and the feeling that she had no right to inflict unnecessary suffering on them, finding them sleeping in each others arms twice in the last twenty-four hours seemed to reflect the warnings in the book.
Arthur Weasley head of the Weasley household, and the man Harry had come to respect more than any other, entered the kitchen fully expecting his breakfast to be ready, instead he found a rather worried Molly staring at the book in front of her. Molly had just not been able to come to a conclusion as to whether she should allow the children to sleep together or to carry on as she was and have them sleep in different rooms, the whole thing was playing on her mind.
"Morning dear," Arthur managed to say before he was shushed by Molly, who pointed to the living room. Arthur tip toed over to the living room door and poked his head into the room; there fast asleep lying in each others arms were Ginny's new friends.
As Arthur returned to the table Molly placed the book in front of him and pointed to the part she had been reading before she stood and started on cooking him his breakfast.
"So that's why they keep falling asleep together, we should sort out some different sleeping arrangements don't you think," he said as Molly placed a cup of tea in front of him.
"But they are so young to be sleeping together," Molly argued feebly.
"Maybe so, but their parents know about it, and the school has provided them with special quarters. What makes us so different from everyone else?" Arthur said as he tucked into the food Molly had just placed in front of him.
"But Arthur…" Molly began but Arthur cut her off, "Molly dear you are a lovely person and a wonderful wife and mother, but you do have a nasty habit of putting your own feelings over and above everyone else, even when you know those feelings to be wrong. So if you can't find a way to change things around I will give Sirius Black a call and get him to call and collect the children," Arthur said a little annoyed, his wife had no reason to keep the two apart.
Arthur finished his food in silence, it was not often he stood up to his wife but this time it involved the happiness and well being of two lovely children, who without being asked had helped his little girl out of her loneliness. Grabbing his cloak from the hook by the door he spoke once more before leaving for work, "Call me at lunch time and let me know what you are going to do, Sirius will need a little time to prepare if he is to come and fetch them."