Aurelian (Dramione)

Chapter 40: Foiled Plots

"Harry?" Hermione called quietly as she gently knocked on his partially open door.

"Come in," he said softly.

Hermione slowly opened the door and looked sadly on the forlorn man who sat on the edge of the bed. He was hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his head heavy in his hands.

"Hey… Whatcha doin'?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," he answered heavily. "Did you need something?"

"No, you just didn't come back down for breakfast and I got worried about you," she answered, unsure if she should further enter the room.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"No, you're not, Harry. Look at you. You're… distressed," she said, for lack of a better word.

"We're all distressed, Hermione," Harry said without looking up.

"Yes, but you're the only one hiding away," Hermione countered.

"This is the first time I've stolen some time for myself in the past couple days," he argued indignantly.

"Surrounding yourself with people doesn't mean you're not hiding. Talk to me, Harry," Hermione pleaded, stepping further in and closing the door.

"I don't know what to do…" he said helplessly. "I don't know what to do. Everyone is sitting around waiting for answers and I haven't got anything for them. I don't know what to do."

"Despite what you may think, people don't expect you to know everything."

"Yes they do," he disagreed. "People may tell themselves they don't, but they're all waiting for me to say or do something and you know it. They're all waiting, people are in danger, and I have no idea what to do or say. Is Molly right? Should we just keep moving everyone here or try putting protective charms on more people's houses? Do we alert the public about this? Do we bait her now and charge into battle immediately or do we wait for something? I'm so afraid of anyone getting hurt that I'm afraid I'm taking too long in deciding. Should we bring in Aurors and the MLE Squad? I just wish there was someone who could just tell me what to do!" he rattled off in frustration.

"Sleep," came Hermione's answer.

"What?" Harry asked, surprised to get such a simple reply.

"You need someone to tell you what to do and I'm telling you to sleep. You've barely slept in days and it's destroying you," she remarked.

"I haven't any time to with-"

"You have time now. You're not going to be of any use to anyone like this. You need rest. Take this," Hermione insisted, handing him a bottle of dreamless sleep draught.

"But, if anything happens-"

"You're not the only brave person with magical skill around here, Harry," Hermione cut him off, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I never thought I was. I know that you and the others-" Harry was rather affronted that she would infer that he would believe such a thing.

"Then trust us enough to let us handle it while you get some sleep for few hours, okay? It would make all of us feel better," she assured him.

Harry sighed and looked down at the bottle in his hands. "I guess a little wouldn't hurt."

"All of it," Hermione ordered when Harry stopped drinking after only half.

"If I take it all, the Hogwart's Express could come barreling through the room and I wouldn't wake," Harry protested. "Blaise and Katie – "

"Blaise and Katie will ask for help if they need it and you better believe that there will be a huge response if they do," Hermione stopped, pursed her lips for a second, and re-negotiated. "Trust me, Harry. Please? Drink it all and I promise that if any emergency crops up in which we need to take immediate action, I'll wake you myself and have an invigorating draught and wit-sharpening potion ready for you. Please?"