The candy trolley came and went and the train rocked softly back and forth as it sped towards Hogwarts. Draco never stirred from his position. In silence Hermione closed her book and stuffed it away before lifting her trunk down from its rack. She pulled on her robe and took a step towards Draco.
"Are we nearly there then?" Draco asked before she could reach him. There was no trace of sleep in his voice as he sat up.
Hermione looked at him curiously. "Were you awake this whole time?"
Draco pursed his lips. He looked towards the door as he stood up. "It was nice of you to let me stay but I hardly think I need to tell you about my sleep patterns." Despite his harsh words his voice lacked its usual condescending tone.
Hermione looked Draco over quickly. The dark shadows, the pale skin, the too-thin frame. She stepped quickly between him and the door.
"Listen," she started. Draco rolled his eyes as he tried to step around her. She blocked his way. "I promise I'll only say this once. Then we never have to talk again if you don't want to." Draco sighed but stopped trying to push past her.
"The war hurt us all," Hermione struggled to keep her voice from shaking. "I've had trouble sleeping since June, and when I can sleep I have nightmares. It messed with my head, all the fighting, the stress of trying to stay hidden. Ron too. It's worst for Harry, he thinks it's all his fault. We've been seeing Muggle doctors for it, they call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But it's really hard, because there's so much we can't tell them." She paused and looked closely at Draco. "And we're the heroes. The ones that everyone praise. We have all the advantages. People to talk to, support from the Ministry, even just each other. And even with all that I still wake up screaming." Her voice was shaking badly now. "I can't imagine what this would be like without all of that."
"Your point?" Draco asked harshly.
"I understand. And… I'll talk to you, if you ever want it. If not I'll leave you alone." She stepped quickly out of his way.
Draco lingered for a moment, staring at the floor, before silently opening the door to the compartment and slipping out.
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