The warm pillow under Harry's cheek felt wonderful as he woke up the following morning. After his late-night chat with Sirius and Remus, he was shocked to discover that he hadn't had another nightmare after he went back to bed. Feeling comfortable and content for the first time in a long time, he cuddled further into the blankets until he saw the clock on the wall. Lurching out of bed, he gasped "It can't really be 4 'o' clock in the afternoon, can it?!" Looking over, he saw that Ron's bed was empty and had been made.
Standing up, he slipped on his glasses and quickly changed into some clean clothes. After a quick glance in the mirror, and a futile attempt at flattening his hair, he headed downstairs. The Burrow was alive and warm at this time in the afternoon, and Harry found it shocking that he had slept in so long. He walked into the living room, and was welcomed by the sound of his name echoing around the room. "'bout time you woke up 'arry!" Ron said from the couch where he sat next to Percy and his father.
"Seriously Harry, you sleep more than Crookshanks!" Hermione chided from her seat next to Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.
After a few more greetings from the twins, Harry noticed that Remus and Sirius weren't in the room. Catching his confused look, Mrs. Weasley smiled and said "Harry, dear. Sirius went to go get a few things in order, along with Remus. I believe it has something to do with where you three will be going to live."
Harry nodded his thanks before his stomach grumbled loudly. "Ah, Harry, you must be hungry after catching up on your lack of sleep," Mr. Weasley said with a grin. "There is pumpkin pie on the counter; you can help yourself to a slice."
"Thank you," Harry murmured, slightly embarrassed as he walked into the kitchen and got a slice of pie. He sat down at the table and was soon joined by Ron and Hermione.
"That was one nightmare you had last night," Ron said bluntly.
Hermione scowled at the red head before saying "That talk with Sirius and Remus helped though, didn't it?"
Harry nodded as he ate a bite of his pie. "Yah, surprisingly it did. I actually managed to have a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night. Although, next time would one of you wake me up at a decent time please. I don't want to sleep the days away and end up nocturnal."
His friends laughed. "Oh Harry, we wouldn't dream of waking you up if you were actually having a dreamless sleep. It's so great having Sirius around helps you sleep better."
A grumbling sound emanated from Harry. "Don't make me sound like a dependent child, Hermione."
"Well," she said sternly. "There is nothing wrong with needing an adult around to help you with things. You've been deprived of something that we all take for granted, so you best smarten up and learn to love it. Sirius will be around for a long time and will always put himself before you, and that does not make you a dependent child!" With a loud huff, the bushy haired teen crossed her arms.
"She's right you know," Ron said as Harry finished off his pie.
"I know," Harry grumbled.
Hermione leaned forward, her face growing serious. "Your dream… it wasn't about Voldemort was it?"
A loud hiss came from Ron. "Don't say his name!" Hermione ignored him and regarded Harry with a piercing gaze.
Harry shook his head in response. "No, it wasn't about Voldemort." Another hiss came from Ron, and it was once again ignored. "It's the same one that I have about Sirius and then it grew into the dream about Uncle Vernon. It had nothing to do with Voldemort."
Ron moaned. "Would you please stop saying his bloody name?"
"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione snapped before turning to Harry. "It's a good thing then that it had nothing to do with Voldemort. Perhaps he won't be coming back again."
"I seriously hope you are right, Hermione," Harry muttered as he carried his dishes over to the sink, where the enchanted rag and towel began to wash them for him. Meanwhile, Ron had his hands clasped over his ears and looked rather pale. I'm going to have to get Ron used to Voldemort's name; this is just ridiculous.