Harry Potter One Shots

Dawn

All rights belong to the author, lemon31

She woke abruptly from a deep sleep and held her breath in the darkness of their bedroom, wondering what had roused her. A sharp kick from inside her swollen belly eased her mind and she exhaled with relief. She hadn't been jerked so suddenly into consciousness since those bleak, tedious months spend in a tent with only Harry and a horcrux for company, and for a moment she'd allowed herself to believe that Dark magic had penetrated their home. Of course, since the end of the war there had be no Death Eater activity, not openly at least, but she supposed it was only natural that an element of that constant fear remained in those who had experienced it.

She knew for a fact that Ron, too, was occasionally plagued with painful memories, having been woken many times by his recurring nightmare of strangulation by the brains in the Department of Mysteries. She never mentioned these incidents to her husband, but had confided in Ginny who, in turn, had admitted that Harry often tossed and turned, drenched in cold sweat and muttering about Sirius and the veil.

The cold, grey light of very early morning filtered in through a chink in the curtains and Hermione knew she would not be able to fall back to sleep easily. A resounding snore from her left decided the matter and she pushed back her side of the duvet, sitting up on the mattress gingerly and swinging her legs down to the floor. Sliding her feet into her slippers, she felt a movement behind her and glanced over her shoulder. One arm raised above his head and a foot protruding from under the covers, Ron breathed deeply, his chest rising and falling steadily as he continued sleeping. She smiled fondly and had to resist a sudden urge to lean across and stroke his untidy ginger hair. He was difficult to wake at the best of times, but if she managed to disturb him at this hour, a pillow and a few colourful expletives would fly in her direction.

Lurching to her feet, she swayed for a moment, the weight of her stomach, still unfamiliar after eight months, temporarily unbalancing her. Treading as quietly as possible across the room, she pulled the door open and gripped the banister as she made her way down the stairs.

The kitchen was bathed in a soft, orange glow as the sun began to rise over the crest of a nearby hill. Hermione shuffled to the sink and poured herself a glass of water, sipping it slowly as she looked out of the large window onto their rather unkempt garden.

It was funny, really, she thought.

This house resembled the Weasley family home in so many ways, it was even within walking distance of Ottery St Catchpole, but as a child visiting The Burrow all those years ago she had never imagined she'd end up in a place so similar to it. It hadn't been her choice to live here, so close to the rest of the Weasleys, but now that her parents were connected to the Floo Network the distance was hardly an issue, and Godric's Hollow was only a grate or two away should she want to visit the Potters.

Setting her glass down on the work surface, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and watched the first of the gnomes creep into the garden. Her mind instantly transported her back to another day when she'd helped de-gnome another garden with Harry and Ron. She laughed quietly as she remembered the countless arguments and bitter silences between her and the youngest male Weasley (for now, she corrected herself, with a hand on her stomach). Little did her eleven year old self know that she would marry that tall, awkward red-headed boy with dirt on his nose on the Hogwarts Express.

Reaching for one of Ron's knitted jumpers resting on a kitchen chair, she wrapped it around her shoulders, inhaling that certain undefinable scent which was his.

If Lavender could see me know, I wonder if she'd feel the same envy that was so obvious when we officially became a couple, Hermione pondered. She'd seen Ron's first girlfriend shopping in Diagon Alley, accompanied by Parvati, a few weeks ago and noticed the way Lavender's eyes slid over her, noticing the thin gold band around her finger, before turning away hurriedly.