Strawberries and Cigarettes ~ {h.s au}

chapter four

~Harry~

The room is dark as he closes his eyes shut, praying that they didn't see him run into the room. He peaks his tiny hand out from under the bed to grab the blanket on the floor, finding it hard to to breathe not knowing what was going to happen next.

The shouts travel through the house as if they are standing in the same room as him, shaking the floors as boots begin to stomp up the stairs.

"Where are they," the voice yells, getting closer to the room where he is hiding in, causing his eyes to snap open in fear that they were going to find him.

"Please," he hears her cry, "I promise he's not home, please. Don't hurt my babies."

He can't control the tears that leave his green eyes as he shuts his them tightly together one more, throwing the sheet over his tiny body.

'If they can't see me, maybe they won't know I am here'. He repeats that to himself over and over again, trying to stay calm.

The door closes just as fast as it was opened, a light patter of footsteps running towards his hiding spot. A figure makes their way under the bed with him as she pushes her small frame up against his smaller one.

"No!" the voice shouts again before the sound of an opened hand smacking against the victims cheeks echoes through the house. He brings his hand over his mouth quickly, hoping that the intruders hadn't heard his light welp that escaped his lips without consent.

"Shh," the voice next to him hushes soothingly, rubbing her hand up and down his arm as her other arm is thrown around his shoulder, holding her close as if she were protecting him.

"It's alright, Harry. It'll be over soon."

The ten year old boy clings to his old sister as he covers his eyes, hearing the impact of each hit being forced onto his mother.

"Tell Des we'll be back," the unfamiliar male says as his voice booms through the house, leaving one final hit to the women, the two under the bed hearing all of it.

The front door slams shut as Anne's sobs are the only thing that is heard in the house, both Harry and Gemma finally allowing themselves that same luxury.

As they sat together with tears streaming down their face, he feels three light squeezes on his arm and he knows what it means.

The small 'I love you' being said without the words ever leaving her lips.

"I love you too, Gem," he whispers, now comforting his older sister just as she had done for him-

Harry's eyes snap open, sweat dripping down his forehead, the sheets below him tangling around him from the nightmare.

He had been getting them since he was a kid, always a different scene taking place in his mind... but most often it's of that night.

It had gotten to the point when he was fourteen that he decided just not to sleep. It didn't make sense for him to purposefully put himself in a situation to get hurt, both mentally and physically.

Every once and awhile, the nightmares would get so bad, so out of control, that he would be waking up with his fingernails digging into his arms, stomach or thighs. It was almost as if he was trying to wake himself up with pain.

It never works though.

He somehow manages to snap out of them, or his screams get too loud and end up waking his mother up... which ends up him frailing in her arms as she try to calm him.

It had been his first nightmare since leaving for Woodgate. It was as if as soon as he had left that dreadful home full of the memories, so did his flashbacks.

This was the first night Harry had slept in his bed, the same one he would hide under, since he had gotten home. Hence the first nightmare.

He had tears still in his eyes as he was shaking uncontrollably, the sobs leaving his lips as if he were that scared little boy again. Rocking himself shamelessly as he runs his fingers through his hair, begging to himself to stop screaming because they will hear him.

The door to his room finally opens to reveal his mother, standing there with her robe hanging over her shoulders, allowing him to know she had quickly thrown it on. She rushes over to him as she engloffs him into a hug.

She replaces his scared, worry filled rocks, to a soothing sway as the two lean back and forth, whispering softly into his ear to calm him down.

He hadn't cared that this was the first time he had seen her since he walked out during dinner the first night he got home. In fact Anne hadn't even known her son had returned until she heard the chilling screams across the hall knowing that he was having a nightmare.

He just holds her tightly as she hums calmly into his ear.

Just as he drifts off back to sleep, he feels her hand grab his softly, before giving three light squeezes.

He smiles lightly before giving her three back.

I love you

~

Super short chapter but here's some back story on Harry.