Insomnia

Three years ago.

It rained the day they buried Ron. Various wizards rushed around, casting a dome of impervius spells over Elysium, the wizarding cemetery, but the charcoal sky and constant sound of rain were still present. All the funerals Hermione had ever attended had been in quiet cemeteries, where the mourning party could say their farewells in peace. But today, a week after the end of the war, a week after the night wizards all over the country had fallen, fighting or sleeping or taken by surprise in their homes, there were groups of people all over the cemetery, burying their families. Hermione felt irked that she could hear wailing and the droning voices of celebrants coming from other graves. It felt uncomfortable and embarrassing, like showering in front of strangers.

Arthur, who had organised it, had decided on a double funeral for Ron and little James. None of them could really face two ceremonies, especially not Ginny, who stood between the large grave and the much, much smaller one, silent and white-faced, and not looking at Harry. Harry was like a statue, gazing out over the two graves, stone-faced and not crying, and not paying attention to the speech Dumbledore was giving.

For Hermione's part, none of it seemed quite real. Everyone was so silent. Even Molly just stood with her head bowed and her shoulders shaking, tightly grasping Arthur's hand. It was only at the end, when the two coffins began to lower into the ground, when Ginny fell to her knees and was helped up by Charlie, who held her tightly, tears running down his face, that Hermione's own tears began to flow and Harry stood next to her, crying with her for the man Hermione had called lover and Harry had called brother.

After the ceremony, as she tiredly promised her parents that she'd be fine, she had lots of work to keep her mind off things, Harry awkwardly walked up to her, his hands in his pockets.
"Um, Hermione? Could I ask a favour?"
"Of course." she smiled at him as best she could. "What do you need?"
"Ginny," he cleared his throat, and gestured to where his wife was talking to Dumbledore, "has...er...decided to stay with her parents for a few days, and I don't..." Harry shrugged, his eyes pleading, and Hermione stepped forth to hug him.
"Please stay with me, for a while." she asked him, and he nodded gratefully.
"Thanks. It's just...the house is so..." Harry turned away from her, and she looked away. He didn't like people to see him cry.

Ginny kissed Hermione goodbye before leaving with her parents, with Molly making Hermione promise to come and see them soon, and Ron's brothers patting Harry on the back. It would only be much later that night that Hermione would realise Ginny and Harry had barely acknowledged each other's existence during the funeral.

As the two old friends walked silently out of the cemetery, neither one noticed a blond man standing alone outside the Malfoy crypt.