Hi I'm finally back! Sorry for the long delay, I can't apologise enough! I know how much you've been waiting for an update and I'm really really sorry, there have just been a few dramas and delays which stopped me working on this for a while, but I'm back! Thank you for all the lovely reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

~ CHAPTER SIX ~

NIGHTMARES AND TALKING

It was the middle of the night in Fred and George's flat and everything was dark and silent, apart from the unseasonably cold breeze which whistled outside Fred's bedroom window with quite some ferocity. Fred Weasley awoke with a start, feeling confused and disorientated by his surroundings for a second before he realised he was still in his room at his and George's flat. Fred was confused as to why he had woken up; he usually slept through the night with no problems whatsoever, but tonight was different for some reason. Fred had had a lot of trouble settling down to sleep earlier in the night despite the fact he had been absolutely emotionally and physically shattered by the day's events. At the thought of what had happened during the previous day, Fred glanced to his side to find Hermione Granger, snuggled against his chest; something that he had become accustomed to in the last few weeks and something that he wouldn't give up for anything.

After regarding the witch beside him, Fred looked at the muggle alarm clock on his bedside table to find that it was just after two o'clock in the morning. He groaned softly, knowing it was unlikely he would be able to get back to sleep now. Fred wondered what is was that had woken him from his deep slumber; the flat was silent and Fred was sure that he and Hermione were the only people present, as George was at Alicia's, like he usually was, yet however, Fred had woken up, and now seemed to be so wide awake that he felt like he couldn't sleep again.

Fred glanced sadly at Hermione beside him; he had been unable to settle the previous evening because he was so worried about how she was feeling and whether she would sleep peacefully. Fred could not believe what Hermione had been through over the past few weeks; he felt so sorry for her; she had lost her boyfriend in the cruellest way and had now lost her parents after doing so much to protect them in the past. All Fred knew was that he wanted to make Hermione feel better; he wanted to make her smile again, the way she had done in the past, particularly like she had done on that first night they had spent together after Ron had broken up with her. Fred did not know how to cheer Hermione up, but he knew he was going to try anything he could think of, and he would not stop until the witch beside him realised just how special she was to the world, and also to him.

Fred had woken up worried, he had woken up with a bad feeling engulfing him and he didn't understand why; he knew Hermione was safe, she was with him, and she was fast asleep, but for some reason Fred was worried about her right now, and it went beyond everything that had happened to her during these past few weeks. Fred sighed to himself as he tightened his hold on Hermione, trying to protect her from everything which could possibly hurt her in the world as he tried to settle back down to sleep, loving the warm feeling he got from having Hermione lying next to him.

Fred gently ran his hand through Hermione's hair, moving it away from her closed eyes as he gazed at her, realising that she looked even more beautiful than she already was when she was in this relaxed state. Fred made a silent vow to himself that he would never let Hermione be hurt by anything again; she had already been through so much in her short life that she deserved to be treated like a princess, to be made to feel beautiful and to be happy for once, rather than ensuring everyone else was happy before herself. Fred decided that he was going to make Hermione happy and make her feel like she mattered, no matter how long it took him; he was prepared to dedicate the rest of his life to this goal and he wouldn't stop until he made Hermione Granger smile again.

Fred began to allow sleep to overtake him again, his eyes were becoming heavy as he yawned widely and tightened his grip of the sleeping Hermione next to him. Just as Fred was about to close his eyes for the final time he heard a whimper come from the witch beside him; a sound which broke his heart and brought him close to tears. Thinking it was simply one solitary noise, Fred took a deep breath and settled back down to sleep. However, when Hermione whimpered again, but louder this time Fred became more worried and turned himself so he was on his side, facing Hermione, but still holding her close. Fred saw Hermione's once peaceful face, contorted with angst and sadness as tears formed just below her eyelids and started falling down her cheeks. Hermione began to tremble in Fred's arms as she continued to whimper and cry, but Fred was perfectly aware that she was still asleep and so appeared to be having a nightmare, and Fred was sure he knew what it was about, and he knew he had to make her feel better quickly.

"Shh Hermione," he whispered, holding her close "it's all right, I'm here, I'll protect you I promise."

Fred's words seemed to do nothing to calm the hysterical Hermione down and it was quite scary for Fred to see the girl he cared so deeply for looking so vulnerable when she should be at her most peaceful. Fred knew he could do nothing to help Hermione except hold her tightly and try to help her work her way through the nightmare and wake her up as soon as possible. With that thought in mind Fred simply kept a tight hold on Hermione's trembling form and continued to talk to her in hushed tones, saying comforting things, which Fred hoped were helping Hermione find her way out of the nightmare and back to him.

"No, no, no!" said a still asleep Hermione, in a very alarmed voice "please don't, please don't take them away from me."

"Hermione," said Fred, in what he hoped was a strong voice that did not betray the worry he was feeling "come on, it's all right, it's a dream, I'm here, focus on my voice, come back to me."

"Please don't leave me!" shouted Hermione in a broken voice as she began to thrash in her sleep, making it hard for Fred to keep a hold on the stricken girl.

"Come on Hermione, come back to me," repeated Fred, who was almost in tears.

Fred kept a tight hold on the girl by his side, willing her to work her way through the nightmare as soon as possible so he could make her feel better when she was awake. Hermione's movements became more and more alarming as time went on and eventually Fred realised that he could no longer hold her in his arms, and released her, simply keeping a tight hold on her hands as Hermione worked her way through the nightmare, thrashing and crashing around in the bed. Fred was incredibly worried about Hermione, he was beginning to feel helpless, he didn't know what to do to bring her out of the nightmare she was having and he just simply wanted her to be all right. Fred could feel tears forming in the back of his eyes as he watched the girl he cared most about in such a hysterical state. Fred batted furiously at his eyes, wiping the stray tears away, knowing that he had to stay strong for Hermione when she needed him most.

"Come on Hermione, please," said Fred in a pleading voice, his voice quivering slightly with emotion.

"No, no, no," cried Hermione in her sleep "please stop, take me instead, don't take them from me!"

"Hermione, shh it's going to be all right," whispered Fred, stroking her hair gently "listen to my voice, come back to me, you can do it, I know you can."

"Mum, Dad!" cried Hermione in an anguished voice "no, no, please, don't, please don't leave me!"

All of a sudden Hermione's eyes shot open, wide with fear and anguish as she screamed a high pitched, seemingly never ending scream which ripped through Fred like a knife to his heart. Hermione sat bolt upright and was doused in a cold sweat from what Fred could see as she trembled violently, still not noticing Fred sat next to her.

"Hermione?" whispered Fred gently, hoping desperately that he didn't startle her.

As Fred had thought she would, Hermione jumped at the sound of his voice next to her and continued to tremble in a terrified way as she drew her knees up to her chest and lay back down on the bed curled into the tightest ball possible, as if trying to protect herself from the memories which had caused the nightmare and also the memories from earlier that day, which had resurfaced as a direct result of the horrifying nightmare.

"Hermione?" Fred repeated kindly "do you want a hug?"

Hermione didn't answer, but Fred watched as her head moved so her face was looking at him, and he knew that he had to cuddle her and make her feel better no matter what she said. Hermione's eyes were red rimmed and full of tears in the dim light of the lamp which Fred had just turned on, and Hermione looked so broken and scared that it physically hurt Fred to see her in this state. Slowly Fred lay down next to Hermione, trying his hardest to be gentle, to take things slow, so he didn't startle the vulnerable girl next to him. Fred gently covered Hermione's smaller hand with his larger one and when she didn't object to the contact which this action brought, he slowly began to interlock their fingers before squeezing her hand in a comforting fashion, just so she knew he was there for her.

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to Hermione," said Fred kindly "but I'm not going to leave you I promise."

Hermione looked to Fred like she went to say something at that point, however when she opened her mouth, her breath caught in her throat and instead of words exiting Hermione's mouth, a heartbreaking sob overtook her as she began to tremble. Fred immediately forgot everything he had said about making sure he took things slowly and didn't startle Hermione as he moved closer to her and enveloped her in his arms, in a tight and protective hug. At first Hermione tensed in Fred's embrace, and Fred started pulling away, thinking he had done the wrong thing, and immediately regretting his slightly rash actions. However, Fred was surprised when Hermione whimpered at the contact between them decreased so he did the only thing he could think of and simple embraced her tighter, letting her cry into his chest.

"Shh Hermione," murmured Fred, speaking into Hermione's hair "I'm here; I'm not going anywhere, just let it all out."

Fred's simple words seemed to allow Hermione to break any hold she still had over her emotions, as she began sobbing in a hysterical fashion and trembling far more violently than she had been before. Fred could do nothing else at this moment in time other than hold Hermione to him tightly, much like he had done during her nightmare, and whisper comforting words to her, while gently stroking her curly hair. Hermione wept into Fred's chest for what felt like an eternity before Fred noted that her cries seemed to have subsided slightly.

"Hermione?" asked Fred gently.

"I'm sorry Fred," said a very tearful Hermione, refusing to look Fred in the eye as shame overwhelmed her due to the state she was currently in.

"You don't need to apologise for anything Hermione," said Fred, who was just happy that Hermione was talking at the moment "it's not a problem, and I don't want you ever thinking that it is."

"I just feel so weak," said Hermione sadly, as tears fell down her cheeks again "I should be stronger."

"Hermione," said Fred reasonably, as he cradled her closer to him "you've spent years and years being strong through everything, while other people around you showed weakness in one way or another; it's all right to be upset now, let someone else be strong for you for a change, let me help you, I'm here for you Hermione."

"It's was just a nightmare though," said Hermione in a dejected voice "and look at the state I'm in."

"It's probably not just the nightmare making you cry though is it?" said Fred, choosing his words carefully "you've been through so much recently what with Ron and everything and then with your parents it's not surprising a nightmare has affected you in this way. It was probably just the catalyst your emotions needed to release themselves. I also think that this is almost a delayed reaction to what you've been through in the past year and in the Battle; it's enough to break anyone Hermione and you've stayed strong for so long."

"Do you still have nightmares?" asked Hermione, looking at Fred with her big, round brown eyes which melted his heart "or is it just me?"

"I still have nightmares," said Fred, shuddering slightly at the memories "I think everyone does."

"This one was the worst I've had in a while," said Hermione, shivering slightly, which made Fred wrap the quilt slightly tighter around them both "I thought they were going away; I haven't had one in a while, ever since I've been staying with you actually."

"Me either," said Fred "do you want to tell me about it or not? It's up to you obviously but it might help."

"It was horrible!" said Hermione, in a distressed voice, which cracked with tears.

The tone of Hermione's voice and the way her bottom lip trembled as her voice shuddered with tears made Fred cuddle her closer to him as if he was trying to protect her from the world that had broken her spirit and the sadness that was rapidly overwhelming her. Hermione let Fred hold her tightly, instantly feeling the protection that the contact between them brought to her, as she began to realise that she was safe, and that despite the fact her memories still hurt her; the future would be all right as long as Fred was in it and by her side to help her.

"Take your time Hermione," mumbled Fred into Hermione's hair "we have all night; we don't have to get up for anything in the morning."

"What about the shop?" asked Hermione in a small voice.

"Don't worry about that," said Fred, astounded that even with the state she was in, Hermione was still thinking about other people ahead of herself.

"But you can't leave George on his own," said Hermione worriedly "I don't want to be the cause of that happening."

"Hermione please don't worry," said Fred gently "like I said I'm owed some time off, I'll write him a note and leave it in the flat for him to find in the morning."

"He won't mind will he?" asked Hermione nervously.

"Of course not," said Fred "he could see how distressed you were yesterday, I think he kind of guessed I wouldn't be in the shop tomorrow anyway and I can tell him about the rest of the week as well. Honestly he won't mind Hermione; I know he'll just want you to be feeling better."

"All right then," said Hermione in an uncertain voice, as Fred waved his wand a few times, allowing a note to be written to George, which he sent to the kitchen, all without leaving his bed.

Fred embraced Hermione again, cuddling her close to his chest as he felt her sigh against him, something which really did make him smile hugely. Fred began to rub circles over Hermione's back in an effort to stop her from being so upset and worried. Fred was simply glad Hermione was awake and that she seemed to be all right in her physical state at the moment and he knew right then and there that he never wanted to let her go and that he wanted to protect her forever.

"Talk to me Hermione," said Fred gently "tell me everything."

"It was horrible Fred, my nightmare, it's the worst one I've ever had," said Hermione in a distressed voice.

"What happened?" asked Fred kindly.

"It was about my parents," said Hermione, something which did not surprise Fred given the events of the previous day "I went to our house and the Death Eaters were there; they had my parents tied up and were torturing them, I tried to help them but there was another Death Eater that held me back. I watched my parents die and I just screamed and screamed and screamed. After that you appeared, I was so glad to see you, you saw what had happened and just hugged me, and we forgot the Death Eaters were there. Then the Death Eaters grabbed you; they tortured you in front of me asking you for information about what the Order was doing in the War, you refused to give anything to them so they told you that you were going to have to die or they would kill me. I screamed and told you not to leave me, you tried to fight the Death Eaters but they were too strong for you and before I knew it there was a flash of green light and I was staring down at your body shouting at you not to leave me and to come back to me."

By the time Hermione had finished describing her dream to Fred, she was in tears; hot droplets of water making tracks down her cheeks as she began to seem more and more vulnerable to Fred. Fred was unsure what to say, he had experienced dreams about the War and its aftermath, including one where he had died and also one where he had watched George die, the memory of which haunted him to this very day. However, one of Hermione's nightmares had come true the previous day and Fred knew that the nightmare she had experienced was a manifestation of the grief she was feeling, and as he had not experienced grief on such an extreme scale, Fred was not sure what to do.

Fred followed his instincts and what they were telling him to do as he simply moved closer to Hermione, if that was even possible, and tightened his grip on her, feeling contented as she leant into him, wrapping her small arms around his waist, as if she was scared he was going to run away.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Fred, seemingly reading Hermione's mind as he talked into her hair, like he always did.

Hermione continued to sob in a heartbreaking fashion for a long time, and Fred realised that this breakdown had been building for a long time; at least since Hermione's break up with Ron, if not before then. Fred knew that Hermione had stayed strong during the War, she had kept a calm, cool head while everyone around her argued or fought or panicked, and if Fred was honest, he was sure she was the main reason Ron and Harry had been able to find most of the Horcruxes in the first place, although he was aware that neither one of the aforementioned men would admit to needing Hermione as much as they did, something which frustrated Fred more than he had ever thought it would, especially now he had gotten to know Hermione better.

"It's all right Hermione," whispered Fred "I know you're hurting, I know you've been hurting for a long time, let it all out, take all the time you need I'm not going anywhere, we have all week."

"It's just so hard," cried Hermione, her voice slightly muffled from her current position pressed against Fred's chest "I can't be strong anymore. I've lost Ron, I've lost my home, I've lost my parents. I don't think I'll ever be happy again."

"You will be," said Fred in a voice laced with certainty "I'm going to make you happy I promise."

"I've spent every day since I was eleven being strong for everyone else, everyone just presumed I was strong, presumed that I could do everything and not be affected by the emotions of the situation," said Hermione, who was currently speaking very fast and in a slightly panicky voice "I stayed calm when everyone else around me didn't, Ron and Harry wouldn't have known what Devils Snare was if I hadn't thought rationally about the situation. Even in second year when Malfoy bullied me I stayed calm and made it seem like it didn't affect me; third year I was trusted to use a Time Turner, fourth year I helped Harry with all the Triwizard Tournament tasks, fifth year we all kept Dumbledore's Army secret, sixth year I couldn't even grieve for Dumbledore because I was planning for us to go on the Horcrux hunt. When we finally went on the Horcrux hunt I was the one stopping the boys from arguing and the one staying strong even when we went to Malfoy Manor. Then I lost Ron and now I've lost my parents and I don't know how to be strong anymore Fred, I just don't, I can't physically do it anymore."

"Then let someone else be strong for you Hermione," said Fred kindly, as he squeezed her hand "let me be strong for you, let me look after you."

"I feel so weak!" exclaimed Hermione sadly "I should be so much stronger than this."

"Shh," cooed Fred, reaching up and smoothing Hermione's hair as she began to cry again "you're going to be all right Hermione, I'll make sure you're all right."

"Everyone is leaving me!" cried Hermione "Ron, my parents, what am I doing wrong?"

"You're not doing anything wrong Hermione," said Fred sadly "I'm not going to leave you, I promise, I already said I'm going to look after you, and I intend to keep that promise. Just because Ron left you does not mean I'm going to, please believe that."

"I do believe you," said Hermione honestly "I'm just terrified of what else life can throw at me."
"Can I change one word of that sentence?" asked Fred smiling slightly in the dim light "It's what else life can throw at us from now on, all right?"

"Really?" questioned Hermione, in an unsure voice.

"Really," confirmed Fred strongly.

"Thank you," whispered Hermione "thank you for everything Fred; you've been my rock over these past few weeks, I don't know what I would have done without you, I really appreciate everything you've done, I know I can't have been the easiest person to be around recently."

"You're always one of the easiest people to be around Hermione," said Fred smiling "we've grown up together; I'll always be here for you. Ron was a fool to let you go."

"Thanks Fred," said Hermione, finally managing a genuine smile, something which made Fred grin happily at the same time "I'm so sorry I had a nightmare."

"Hey it's all right," said Fred, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Hermione's ear "you can't control having a nightmare, and it's not like we have to be up early in the morning or anything."

"I'm so tired," said Hermione yawning widely "I'm sorry for keeping you awake, it feels like I've barely slept so I don't know how you must feel."

"Hermione please stop apologising," said Fred calmly "it doesn't matter, we've both got tomorrow off work, we can sleep in all day if we want, I'd rather stay awake with you all night and know you're all right than let you suffer on your own from these horrible nightmares."

"Ron hated when I had nightmares," said Hermione sadly, the hurt from her break-up with Fred's younger brother still evident in her eyes and voice "he used to go and sleep in the same room as Ginny and Harry at The Burrow just to avoid having to deal with me."

"Ron is a horrible person Hermione," said Fred matter-of-factly "I know you were happy with him when you were with him but that doesn't change the fact everything he's done to you since you broke up with him has been horrible."

"I know," said Hermione "and really now I think about it there were a lot of times in our relationship when I wasn't happy, I just thought I was."

"I'm sorry none of us noticed what was going on with Lavender," said Fred looking down at his hands "if I'd have known I would have told you, you didn't deserve to find out the way you did, I hated seeing you in pain."

"Thank you for coming after me Fred," whispered Hermione "I thought I wanted to be alone, but when I saw you coming after me I felt like everything would be all right."

Hermione's simple comment caused a reaction from Fred that neither he nor Hermione were expecting. Fred beamed a smile that lit up the whole of his face and the room simultaneously while also being infectious enough to make Hermione smile once again. Fred engulfed Hermione in a huge hug which almost knocked the breath from her lungs and for the first time in a good few weeks, Hermione could safely say, this was exactly where she wanted to be right now and she finally felt safe.

"I'll always be around to make sure everything is all right Hermione," said Fred, honestly meaning all the words he said.

"That means the world," whispered Hermione, a slight tone of bashfulness to her words "thank you."

Fred smiled yet again, it seemed that he was always smiling when he was around Hermione and only now was he beginning to notice this. Fred didn't understand why Hermione made him smile so much without even trying, but he loved being around her and he intended to keep the promise he had made to her and himself to always look after her and be there when she needed him.

"I'm so tired," whispered Hermione, rubbing her eyes and pulling the duvet tighter around her.

"Maybe we should try and get some sleep then," said Fred, tucking the quilt tighter around Hermione's tiny form.

"You will stay won't you?" asked Hermione, in a tone which showed Fred that she desperately needed reassurance.

"Of course I will," murmured Fred, gathering Hermione in his arms and pulling her closer to him so they lay together, seemingly like two pieces of the same puzzle.

"Thank you," said Hermione, her voice growing more and more faint as sleep began to overtake her.

Fred remained silent as he felt Hermione slowly relax in his arms as she surrendered to sleep. Only once he was sure Hermione was asleep did Fred begin to relax, but as soon as he did, Fred realised something which he would hold onto forever; the way he and Hermione were lying felt like nothing he'd ever experienced before; it felt right; it felt like this was exactly where he was supposed to be and where he always wanted to be. With that thought Fred allowed himself to accept he was in love with the girl next to him, at perhaps the most difficult time in her life and only a few weeks after she had broken up with his brother. Fred smiled to himself at the realisation that had filled his mind, but he knew he couldn't act on these feelings yet, he had to give Hermione time to heal before he told her of his new found feelings. With that thought in his mind, Fred allowed sleep to overtake him, knowing he would be dreaming of the beautiful witch beside him.

So what did you think? Let me know, I love reading the reviews. I promise the gap between this chapter being updated and the next one won't be as long. See you soon!