For the Hogwarts Forum
Haunted House: Write about a horrible sensation or feeling
Count Your Buttons: NevilleHannah.
Hannah wakes with a scream. She bolts upright, her chest tightening painfully. A cold sweat beads her forehead, and her lungs burn as she tries to make them work.
It's okay. Just a nightmare. A bad dream.
But even as she tries to silently reassure herself, she knows it isn't quite true. It isn't just a nightmare; it had really happened, and she's forced to relive it every time she closes her eyes.
"Hannah?"
Neville is awake now. He moves closer to her, his arms wrapping around her. Hannah stiffens at the touch, but she doesn't push him away.
"The war?" he asks.
She nods. She knows that she cannot speak, so she doesn't try. Her mouth feels as though she has a dozen cotton balls in it.
Her husband presses a kiss to her forehead before climbing out of bed. "I'll be back."
Hannah offers him another mute nod, tears trickling from her eyes. She hates herself for feeling like this. Though she has always been comfortable showing her emotions, helplessness makes her feel so small.
She doubles over, gasping for breath. Her stomach churns violently, the acid burning her insides. Hannah swallows, shivering pitifully. The nausea is the worst. Cold pinpricks her skin, contrasted horribly with heat inside.
Neville returns after what feels like an eternity. The panic hasn't passed.
"Here. Drink this," he says gently, guiding a mug into her hands.
The blonde sniffs it, a small ghost of a smile quirking her lips. The warm, sweet scent of cocoa is familiar and calming. Trembling, she sips it, letting the hot liquid work it's magic.
"You must think I'm pitiful," she manages, her voice dry and strained.
"I don't." His fingers brush slowly over her arm, and Hannah wants to cry at his kindness. "We're are still living with the aftermath."
Hannah nods but doesn't speak. She takes a deeper gulp of the hot cocoa.
She's had these nightmares for six years. It doesn't matter that the war has long since been won. Every night, like clockwork, the demons find her in her dreams, and she sees friends and family members screaming in pain, sees the dead bodies amidst the rubble. Every night, she wakes in a panic.
But, for the past three years, Neville has been by her side every night. His love isn't enough to take away the nightmares, but it somehow makes everything more tolerable.
"Am I going to be okay?" she whispers when the last of the cocoa has been drained and her mug has been placed on the bedside table.
She leans into her husband, grateful for his warmth and softness. The Gryffindor has always been so good and kind. Hannah doesn't know how she got so lucky.
Neville wraps his arms around. It's the only thing that ever makes her feel like she is safe from the monsters in her mind. "One day," he whispers. "One day, we all will be."