Promise

Promise

By: Emily M. Wood

'Mummy!' Hermione's four-year-old son, Damion, yelled across their flat.

Will I always be there for you

When you need someone

Will I be that one you need

Hermione strode down the hall to the last bedroom, where she found Damion sitting up in bed, his eyes glazed in fear. This had become a regular occurrence. But Hermione didn't mind. She didn't sleep anymore. Not at normal hours anyway. It was hard, being a single mother after a war.

'What's the matter?' Hermione asked as she sat down at the end of his bed. She knew what was wrong. Damion had nightmares. Not regular nightmares either. He had lived through part of a war, a dreadful war that had taken his father's life, along with his mother's heart.

Will I do all my best to

To protect you

When the tears get near your eyes

Damion climbed into his mother's lap and buried his face into her chest. Hermione looked up at the ceiling and shut her eyes as tight as possible. She ran her fingers through the messy brown hair that reminded her all too much of her husband.

'I miss Daddy,' Damion cried into her shirt.

Hermione stifled back a sob. She didn't cry in front of Damion. He was hurting enough as it was. 'I miss him, too,' she said, her voice cracking.

Will I be the one that's by your side

'Why did he leave us, Mummy?' Damion asked. Hermione bit her lip. Every night, Damion asked the same question. Every night, he prayed for a miracle, to see his father again.

'I don't know, baby,' Hermione whispered hoarsely.

Will I be there when you call me in the middle of the night

Will I keep the rain from falling down into your life

I promise, I promise

I promise I will

Hermione sat with Damion until he fell asleep in her arms. Then, and only then, would she place him back in his bed and return to the couch in the living room. She didn't dare go to her room. There were too many memories of Harry.

'Why did you leave me, Harry?' she whispered to the heavens. 'Why did you break your promise?'

Will I take tender care of you

Take your darkest night

And make it bright for you

He promised he'd always be there. That he'd never leave her.

Hermione punched the pillow on the couch. She couldn't believe what she was saying. Harry loved her. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to break his promise.

Will I be there to make you strong

And to lean on

When this world has turned so cold

Will I be the one that's there to hold

Sacrifice. Death. Struggle. These were the components of war. Nothing more, nothing less.

'I'll take care of him, Harry,' Hermione whispered. 'He misses you, and it's going to be hard, but I'll do it. For you. I promise.'

Will I be there when you call me in the middle of the night

Will I keep the rain from falling down into your life

I promise, I promise

I promise I will

'Mummy!' Damion yelled again. It was a never-ending job. Nothing could affect a child more than a loss like the one he had experienced. But Hermione would always be there for him. She wouldn't leave him. She couldn't.

Will I be there when you call me in the middle of the night

Will I keep the rain from falling down into your life

I promise, I promise

I promise, I promise

I promise I will, yeah

Hermione reached the doorway to Damion's room. He wasn't crying. This was an improvement. 'Yes, baby?' she said quietly.

Damion stared out the open window. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was much different than it had been during the war. It was peaceful.

And I love you more every day

And nothing will take that love away

When you need someone

I promise I'll be there for you

'Did Daddy love me?' he asked, sounding as innocent as an angel.

This time, Hermione couldn't hold her tears in. She cried as she sat down on his bed and hugged him. 'Your Daddy loved you very much,' she whispered. 'And so do I.'

Will I be there when you call me in the middle of the night

Will I keep the rain from falling down into your life

I promise, I promise

I promise I will, yeah