Chapter Four

The following day they were putting the finishing touches on a batch of Patientius when Fred noticed Hermione fighting to stifle a yawn. He also noticed the dark circles under her eyes indicating that she had not been sleeping properly. He recognized that look. He had seen it in his own mirror many times of late.

"Listen - This needs to brew for a few hours before we can do anything else with it. Why don't you pop back to the Leaky Cauldron and get some sleep?"

"I'll stay here," Hermione replied a little too quickly.

"Sure?"

"Yeah." She busied herself with some papers, avoiding his gaze.

Fred gestured towards the large couch in the corner. "You can curl up there and take a nap if you like. It's pretty comfortable."

Hermione eyed it nervously and shook her head.

"It doesn't bite, Granger."

"It's not that," she said softly, avoiding his gaze.

He leaned against the table, rubbing an ancient ink spot with his thumb. "Bad dreams?" He asked, trying to make his voice sound casual.

She looked up sharply. "You too?"

He gave an understanding nod then picked up the soft flannel blanket folded on the back of the sofa and handed it to her. "Make you a deal. You crash on the couch and try to rest. I promise to stay close. If I see you getting restless I'll wake you, okay?"

Hermione hesitated then tentatively reached for the blanket. She murmured a quiet "Thanks" before lying down. A few minutes later she was asleep. At first her slumber was peaceful. After a time, however, the nightmare returned.

It was always the same. Dark, disjointed and brutal.

Woods. Darkness. Fear. Snatchers. Greyback. Bellatrix. Pain. So much pain. Screams...

She woke with a start, eyes darting wildly around the room, trying to get her bearings. It took a moment for it to register that there were arms holding her, that someone was caressing her hair and that there was a soft, calm voice repeating "Shh….It's okay…You're safe ….It's all over…Nothing to hurt you here."

Her eyes finally focused upon the concerned face of Fred before she sank back down, heart racing, body shaking uncontrollably. "Happen often?" asked Fred quietly.

Hermione nodded.

Fred continued to rock her gently. "Wanna talk about it?"

She closed her eyes, shook her head and whispered, "Bellatrix…"

He squeezed her a little tighter. "Understandable". He had no other words.

Fred had only a vague idea of what had actually transpired that day at Malfoy Manor. Those that witnessed the horror first hand never spoke of it – not even Luna, whose conversational topics usually knew no boundaries.
What little he did know came from Bill and Fleur's account of caring for the survivors at Shell Cottage. From what they had been able to piece together, Bellatrix had mercilessly pummeled Hermione with a series of Cruciatus Curses while interrogating her for information.

Fred could not imagine going through that experience once, much less having to relive it over and over again in his sleep. It occurred to him that he was still stroking her hair so he stopped and awkwardly patted her shoulder instead.

Hermione sniffed. "Sorry. I don't mean to be such a baby."

"Nothing to apologize for. You went through something horrible. Bound to affect you somehow."

She squeezed her eyes tightly. "I wish I could be braver."

"Hey." Hermione opened her eyes as Fred turned her so she was looking directly into his face. He addressed her in a kind but firm tone. "Braver? You lived through something that would have killed most people. I truly can't think of anyone that is braver than you and I will thank you to never repeat such rubbish in my presence again."

Both blinked, seemingly taken aback by his words. They sat in silence for a moment before Fred leaned back and attempted to change the subject. "Right. The potion still won't be ready for a while yet. Why don't you try to sleep again?"

He stretched slightly and started to rise off the couch. Hermione placed her hand on his arm, looking a bit embarrassed and trying to find the right words.

"Can I ask…..I mean…would you…." Her voice faltered.

Fred nodded his understanding, sat back down and put his arms around her again. "Of course."

"Just til I fall asleep?" She asked, closing her eyes.

He smiled softly. "Long as you like, luv." Hermione exhaled slowly and within moments was sound asleep.

Telling himself that he didn't have anything else better to do and that it would be too difficult to move without waking her, Fred held her the entire time.

The next few hours were the first time Hermione had truly slept in months and, if he had been interrogated, Fred would have been forced to admit that he felt a sense of contentment that he could not remember experiencing before. Thankfully, for his sake, there was no one around to ask.