Sometimes It Be That Way

...the Nightmare

*

'But never more than a memory.' ~ Aragorn, the Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers

*

That day, the Grangers tried to make Ginny feel as comfortable as they could. Indeed, they went out immediately and bought another bed to put in Hermione's room with sheets and a bed spread that matched the colour of the mattress. They ordered it to be delivered immediately, and it came later that day, the delivery people struggling to fit the box spring through the door and around a sharp corner that led to the corridor the rooms were on.

Hermione cleaned her room, making it as tidy as possible, while Ginny sat on her new bed and watched her progress, occasionally getting up to help Hermione move things. After a while of cleaning, Hermione stood back and surveyed the room before starting to move things again, this time deciding that the beds should be moved so that the girls could talk to each other, but also have space in the middle of the room. They ended up placing Hermione's bed against the wall underneath the window and Ginny's bed next to the closet with a long night table in between.

Once they were finished moving the beds to their new position, they fell onto Ginny's bed to take a rest. Hermione sighed and rolled over to face Ginny, whose eyes were closed. She heard her friend fall into a regular breathing pattern and deduced that Ginny was asleep, so she crept off the bed and went onto hers, giving Ginny some space.

It must have been eight o'clock at night when Ginny began to cry out in her sleep. While Hermione was reading some more of Good Magic, she noted that Ginny had been tossing and turning. So, she hadn't been surprised when Ginny had suddenly cried out, "No! Don't take my baby! Don't you ever take my baby!"

Hermione had jumped off her bed at once, laying her book carefully on the floor, and jumped onto Ginny's bed. Ginny moaned and rolled over, hitting Hermione in the thigh with her elbow. Hermione took hold of Ginny's shoulders and gently shook her awake. Ginny yelled a few more things that didn't make any sense before gasping and waking up. She took a deep breath and put a hand to her forehead before looking at Hermione.

"That was just a dream, right?" she asked her, her voice shaky and fright in her eyes.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, that was just a dream," she assured her. She watched as tears sprang to Ginny's eyes again and began to fall down her cheeks. She was crying again, and Hermione felt helpless to stop it or give any words of comfort. So, instead, she took Ginny into her arms and held her tight, rocking her back and forth to sooth the crying and get Ginny back to sleep.

"I'm scared," Ginny moaned into Hermione's shoulder. "I'm so scared. I'm pregnant and going to have a baby. That has got to be the scariest thing in the world."

"Next to Voldemort, of course," Hermione said, smiling bitterly. If only the war against Voldemort could only just stop and Voldemort would go away, never more than a memory.

"No," Ginny said, shaking her head against Hermione's shoulder. "No, I don't think so. Somehow, having a baby is scarier for me. I don't know why, but it just is. For once, I don't even care about Voldemort. All I care about is the fact that I'm probably going to be a terrible mother."

"You are not going to be a terrible mother," Hermione told her, stroking her hair. "Besides, you have me to help you. Just think. This baby is going to be so lucky to be brought up by you." She could feel Ginny's tense shoulders relax a little and she herself relaxed. That summer was going to be a long summer.