Chapter 3: What Once Was Mine

The green light of Crucio was still flickering like a neon sign behind Ron's eyelids as he sat up frantically in the double bed. Beside him, he felt his wife of ten years, Hermione, shift. Nestled between them, her tiny body curling into Ron's side and warming him, was their six-year-old daughter, Rose, who now stirred sleepily, her eyes - brown, like her mother's - blinking blearily.

"What's wrong, Da-Da?"

There was a further rustling as Hermione roused herself, turned on the nightstand light. She and Ron shared a look with no words, and her gentle, understanding smile calmed Ron's racing heart. Dulled the aches now appearing across his body.

"Rosie, climb over me, and let Mummy see what's wrong with Daddy," Hermione prompted. Ron grinned like an idiot. He adored Hermione's voice whenever she was speaking to their children. She was a natural mother. Had looked bloody sexy and gorgeous both times she had been pregnant. He must have made love to her nearly every day that she was carrying his babies.

Rose and Hermione switched places. Waving her wand, Hermione slowly began to perform an incantation across every spot that her husband indicated there was pain. The aftershocks had deadened in intensity over time, but lingering bursts of pain would always be there. Alongside the dreams. But what made the healing better was Hermione singing a simple song.

"Heal what has been hurt... change the Fates' design... save what has been lost... bring back what once was mine... what once was mine..."

Ron's muscles relaxed and he beamed at his wife with pure love. "You're too good to me, my love."

Craning her face around, Hermione kissed him deeply. "Nonsense. I love you, my hero. And that's that." They both ignored how Rose was giggling at them. Her parents were very much in love, sometimes embarrassingly so. It was very romantic.

And with everything right again, husband and wife and their first-born child fell asleep in bed together.