Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: So here is the next one. Thank you once again to my lovely BETA, FeartheOrdinary, who helped me with the flaws of this chapter. Happy reading and please leave me some of your reviews. Please don't send any flames or rude comments, because this story isn't perfect. :)

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Chapter 3: Nightmares from the Past

I could hear people screaming as I tried to stand up. I scanned the place and saw Death Eaters and students alike, dead and crumpled on the floor.

Realization hit me.

I was back again, in a war that should've ended.

I started to move around. Pain and anguish hit me as I saw the bodies of the people I love splattered on the ground, lifeless and bloodied as they wore that same, familiar, glassy look on their features.

And before I knew it, I met a bright green light.

Everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, drips of sweat ran down my face and familiar orb-like eyes were staring at mine. I remembered a friend who owned such eyes, but I knew I would never see him again. I took my glasses from the bedside table and an elf named Winky looked at me with the same orbs.

She stood there with her bat-like ears and played with her hands, as her tatty clothes marred her features. Her eyes were wide and worried, she seemed so nervous about something.

I was surprised at the sudden visit that it rendered me speechless. After a long, awkward silence, she finally opened her mouth and spoke.

"Harry Potter, Winky has heard of you greatness sir. Oh yes. I has been there when you defeated the Dark Lord."

I nodded, not really sure what I should say. "Er – t-thanks. I don't want to be rude or anything, but – why are you here, Winky?"

Winky suddenly looked at the floor and tried to avoid my gaze. "It is difficult, sir. . .Winky wonders where to begin."

The elf suddenly burst into tears and I ushered her to sit on the bed. When she at last managed to stop crying, she sat with her great eyes fixed on me, in an expression of high regard.

"W-winky wants t-to be your servant, sir. W-winky h-has been watching you for days and it is only now that Winky has gathered the courage to talk to you."

I stared at her in disbelief. Hermione would kill me if she found out that I had a house elf for a servant. "Er – I thought you were working at Hogwarts!"

The elf shook her head. "Winky wants a master, Harry Potter. Working at the school proved difficult for Winky now that Dobby is gone, Sir. Winky is having difficulties in befriending the other house elves because her only friend is gone."

Tears streamed from her bright orbs again as she wailed. Before I realized it, I uttered a sigh as the elf dabbed her face with the corner of the grubby shirt she has been wearing.

How should I handle this? I already had Kreacher and I didn't even know what to do with him. Her presence felt so familiar and as much as it hurt to remember it, it was like I was staring at Dobby's eyes, such eyes that I could never bring myself to refuse.

I remembered those eyes very well, those eyes which had the bravery and guts to stand up for freedom, even if it meant that he had to violate the laws. His eyes were the last thing that I saw before I buried him.

With another sigh, I looked at her again.

"Hang on – stop crying. I will adopt you, I would never allow you to become a servant in my household. You will have to accept my rules and work as a free elf, do you understand?"

Winky stared at me with wonder. I knew that what I was doing was hard for her to comprehend, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. After the war, I spent a long time convincing Kreacher about it and even if the elf was hesitant, he had no choice but to obey because he was bonded to me.

She nodded ferociously, her eyes brimmed brightly with unshed tears and her face was marked with a satisfied smile. I suddenly felt that this elf would be like Dobby. I smiled at her and extended my hand.

Winky was hesitant at first, but shook the hand I held out. "Please go to Number 12 Grimmauld Place and tell Kreacher, your new friend, that you will be staying with him. Stay out of trouble; I have enough on my hands as it is."

The elf bowed. "Thank you sir. Winky is most honored to be the friend of the wizard who defeated the Dark Lord."

With another bow, she suddenly disappeared. Leaving me again, alone with my thoughts.

I plopped back into bed as I thought about my recent encounter. I never imagined that I would have another elf in my house; I thought Kreacher would be the last. I started planning what I would have to tell those two, knowing that they would have to be treated well.

But before I could finish my plans, my mind drifted away.

That morning, I woke up with a painful headache. During the war, sleep was a regular issue for me because of the endless streams of visions and nightmares that haunted me every night. And after it, another set of nightmares flooded me in my dreams. But this time, they weren't visions, they were about death. My loved ones died before my eyes and I was left there, alone, until a jet of green light also claimed my life.

I didn't know if it would ever stop. Back in the past, only Hermione heard my ear-splitting screams. She would always look at me with such concern, even after I yelled at her and I would always feel guilty afterwards. She always knew if something was wrong, as if she could read my very soul. She was always a life-saver, and now that she was away, I felt like drowning myself in misery.

I sat down; sleep won't be an option now that my mind was awake. I put my glasses on and stood up, as I tried to resolve what I would do today. Another sigh escaped me. Why did it feel like I did that too often?

When I looked around, I saw Ron still snoring away in dreamland. He had only been home for a few days so I didn't have the heart to wake him yet. I opened the window slightly and the rush of cold air felt refreshing on my sweaty face. The sun has not yet risen and the place looked peaceful. As I looked at the distant horizon, the cries of the war flooded my ears. And when I closed my eyes, I was back in the battlefield, the burning buildings. . .with the bodies of the. . .dead scattered around.

When I opened my eyes, I tried to shake off the vision and took a shower, before I went down to the kitchen and looked at the time. It would be another hour or two before Mrs. Weasley would show up to fix breakfast so I guess I would just take a stroll. I walked out of the house and sat on a tree, near the little pond. I had often stayed here the past few days, just to get away from everything. Things were not back to the way they were before, the lively and energetic people inside the Burrow felt distant…lost in their own worlds.

Another sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes. How could I face the family who adopted and loved me as their own, when I was the reason they got involved in this war? How could I bring back the life in their once gleeful eyes, when I was the reason it was lost? I wanted to go somewhere, a place that they wouldn't be able to reach me . . . but I couldn't. As much as I tried, it would be impossible to get away from the past. It would always be a part of me and eventually, I would have to face it again.

I know I could never bring back the lives that were lost; I know it would never be the same. . . .Then again, Fred and the others sacrificed their lives so that we could live in a world that was peaceful, carefree and safe. I could always try blaming myself but what would that accomplish? Nothing.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, I searched for the source of the familiar voice, which sounded like it had just woken up. I was surprised to see Ron Weasley's familiar grin as he walked over to me.

"Nothing new, I was just…thinking."

"You always do that a lot these days mate, give yourself a break." He yawned as he sat next to me, resting his body on the trunk of the tree. I offered him a smile, I knew that I wasn't then only one who thought a lot, because the look on his face was already a give-away. "Don't you?"

"Of course I do. But I also have to rest from my issues every once in a while. Sooner or later I'll have to face them, so what I think about most is how I am going to get through it."

He gave me a sincere smile and I was impressed by his answer. "You're quite brave, mate. When did you grow up?"

Ron gave me a friendly punch in the arm as he chuckled. Then, his eyes stared at the sky. "It's just – sooner or later, I'd have to move on. I can't live while thinking about it. Everyone will get worried, not to mention loony. Mum and Dad are getting very anxious, you know, seeing you like this. Ginny and the others have been asking as well."

His eyes seemed distant as I looked at him. They contained a magnitude of emotions swirling around and yet, one stood dominant above the others, hope. A pregnant pause followed us as we watched the rising sun. It was always a good thing to sit with your best mate and do nothing. Sometimes you just had to enjoy the view, take a break while you sort your issues.

After a while, Ron's eyes shined with excitement. "Oi, did I tell you that people chased me all about Diagon Alley when George asked me to go and buy something? It was maddening; I had to hide in all sorts of places. Mind you, I wanted to know how it was to be famous, but certainly not like that."

The change of topic was refreshing, but unexpected. I laughed at him and punched his arm in return. "I bet you loved it."

"Well, at first I did love all the attention they gave me. But really, everyday? I would just face one angry Hermione than deal with that bunch of lunatics!"

He suddenly sighed at the mention of Hermione and it became awkward for the both of us. Her departure was always a topic that we tried to avoid, something that we never really brought up. It was hard for us not to worry about it and at the same time, both of us would always grew somber and distant whenever we heard her name. Ron retreated back to his space and tried to look at the sky once again while I thought of Hermione. Did she manage to find her parents? Were they already safe and ready to go back here? When would we see her again?

"I wonder . . . how she's doing." Words escaped quickly from my mouth before I got the chance to catch them.

Ron looked at me with surprise in his face and chuckled. "I guess they're all right. I know I worry about her safety but she was always as hard-headed as a hippogriff. So I think people wouldn't want to mess around and pick a fight with her. She's that terrifying when she's mad. Remember during fourth year? When she blackmailed Rita Skeeter? That was awfully scary."

My mind suddenly went back to the past and laughed. What he said was true in every sense, Hermione was a bit terrifying. ". . .or when she conjured those birds during sixth year."

"When she did that, I told myself that I would never talk to her again. Those bloody birds were a nightmare!"

Our laughter echoed as we both imagined how Hermione would conjure up those birds again to anyone who would dare threaten her. When it died out, both of us stared at the sky as we rested on tree's strunk.

"I always wondered . . . why you never were the focus of her anger."

Startled, I stared at Ron, who just offered me a small smile as he resumed looking at the view. Come to think of it, I really never did become a subject of Hermione's wrath. The only time that I had to face her ire was when that bloody potions book went in my possession. Even then, we tried to resolve it civilly. I knew I wasn't perfect and neither was she, but we both know what we were to each other. . .and that overruled everything. "I don't. . .really know. I guess we just, er – both know that our friendship come first."

Ron just gave me a small smile. I knew it was also true for him. After all, even if it took some time, both of them always made it through their differences. With a laugh, he set off again on telling how he faced Hermione's wrath many times. We told our own different encounters with an angry Hermione, this time, with smiles on our faces. It may be different for each of us but the memories of those times gave us a light feeling that I thought I have already forgotten.

I remembered when she told us not to break rules during our first year, but she ended up going with us.

Then, Ron and I thought of the time when she handed the Firebolt to McGonagall just because she thought it wasn't safe. It was very. . .typical of her. She always tried to find a way to make sure that we were safe, even if she had to sacrifice many things because of it. Sometimes I wondered why we never thought about why she did it, rather than complain. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end.

When I thought about how she surprised us when she started breaking the rules because of Umbridge's horrendous treatment to almost all Hogwarts students, I couldn't help but be proud. I knew deep inside that Ron was also proud of Hermione, though he never had the heart to show it in front of her. I mentioned it to him and both of us looked at each other and laughed again when we remembered how the centaurs took Umbridge away because of Hermione's genius. When she set her mind on something, she would always make it a point to succeed. I guess that's what made both of us proud. Remembering all of this reminded us of how much we missed her, even if it was unspoken and most of all, how much she meant to both of us.

And right when we were about to get serious, Ron's stomach growled at us. "Bloody hell; guess it's time for food."

I smiled. I guess some things never change. Bloody hell indeed.

-x-

A/N: So, how was the chapter? R&R! Thank you for reading. :)