Harry's eyes slid open, images of dementors and red eyes glinting in the shadows melting away. He blinked blearily into the dark room, his hand groping around for his glasses. His fingers finally found the thin metal frame and he clumsily shoved them onto his face, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

He looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust. The cosy sitting room seemed to glow with the moonlight filtering in through the window. He could hear Ron snoring lightly from the couch across the room. This was probably the first time Ron had been able to properly fall asleep in the few days since they arrived at Shell Cottage, his fears for Hermione keeping him awake all night. Harry however, was still suffering.

He gazed absentmindedly out the window, trying to rid himself of the echoes from the nightmares that plagued his mind when he saw movement on the beach. Sitting up a little straighter, he squinted slightly, unsure whether he had actually seen anything.

There it was again. There was definitely someone walking along the beach.

His breath hitched in his throat, his heart hammered loudly in his chest. He gripped his wand in his hand and quietly approached the window, careful not to wake Ron or Dean. But as he neared the window, a strange mixture of relief and worry replaced the fear that was stirring within him as he recognised the figure.

What is she doing?

Slipping on a pair of shoes and grabbing his jacket, Harry quietly pulled the front door to the small cottage open and slipped outside. He turned and started walking towards the figure, now seated on the sand a few meters from the sea.

He slowed as he neared her, worried he might scare her.

"Her-Hermione?" His voice was weak, tentative.

She jumped, quickly turning to the source of the voice. "Oh! Harry, you frightened me."

"Sorry." He mumbled, dropping himself down in the sand next to her. She turned back to face the sea. He watched her carefully. "What are you doing out here?"

She sighed, eyes focused on the rolling waves and crashing foam. "Just...Just thinking."

Harry nodded, still not taking his eyes off her. The moonlight made her look even paler than she was, emphasising the dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted. "You're shivering." He noticed suddenly. She merely shrugged.

Harry pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before turning towards the sea.

They both sat on the beach in silence, watching as the tide slowly inched further away from them. Harry felt dreadful. Guilt and anger flared up inside him seeing Hermione looking so defeated. Although they had never spoken about it, the events at Malfoy Manor had completely overwhelmed them, making them question themselves. Hermione especially.

She should never have had to go through any of that, no one should, and terror suddenly welled up inside him at the thought of what might have happened...

But it didn't. They got away. He couldn't let himself play the 'what if' game, it would tear him up inside.

Harry could still hear Hermione's awful screams echoing in his head, haunting his nightmares. She had been so brave, managing to force out a lie during... during that. A lie to help him. A lie that gave them all the extra time they needed to escape. A lie that didn't completely give away their plans. She had lied to help them, and now she was suffering.

Harry knew she wasn't getting any sleep, that she was probably plagued with nightmares of the events in Malfoy Manor. Yet they hadn't discussed it. She hadn't told them anything. And he knew that, yet again, it was because she was trying to protect them. She was suffering in silence for them, for him and Ron. He wished she wouldn't.

"I've always liked the sea." Hermione's words broke into Harry's train of thought. "It's so calming. Rhythmic and consistent."

Harry nodded.

"I would sit and watch it all the time if I could. I like the noise, the waves crashing on the beach." Harry turned to face her. Her head was tilted back slightly, eyes closed. "It lets you forget the about the world."

Harry swallowed, and waited for her to open her eyes again.

"Things will get better Hermione. We have a plan now." Harry didn't blame her when she just nodded in response. He wished there was some way he could help her, to comfort her, but he was finding that extremely hard to do when he himself felt so helpless.

"Come on," he said, getting to his feet and offering her a hand. "Ron'll go barking if he wakes up to find we're gone."

She took his hand and let him pull her up. "I guess." She sighed, glancing back at the glittering sea before letting harry lead her back to the cottage, hand still firmly grasped in his.

Hermione woke to the sounds of the bedroom door being kicked open. She sat up quickly, automatically reaching for her wand on the bedside table before looking up to see Ron standing in the doorway, tray grasped in his hands.

"Sorry." He muttered, ears going red. "Can I... Can I come in?"

"Well you've already broken down the door." She replied, pulling herself up to lean against the headboard.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not moving. "So, how'd you sleep?"

Hermione sighed. It was the same thing every day. For the first few minutes he was all nervous around her, as though she was going to snap and start throwing things at him. That, or burst into tears. It was like he was checking it was safe, and it annoyed her.

"Better. Much better." She admitted. "You?"

"Alright, actually."

He hovered awkwardly in the doorway for a few more seconds before shuffling forward, trying to be careful not to spill anything balanced on the tray.

"What's this for?" She asked, peering at the tower of toast as Ron perched himself on the end of her bed.

"Fleur sent it up. You slept in." He leaned forward and gently placed it down on her knee, but not before he managed to slop some of the hot tea onto the tray. "Oops. Sorry."

"Did I? What time is it?" She glanced over at Luna's vacant bed.

"Hav tem" Ron answered through the mouthful of toast he just pinched from her breakfast tray. Hermione looked at the food in front of her, the small mountain of toast, the spilt tea, and-

"What's this?" She picked up the large seashell and eyed it suspiciously.

Ron shrugged and swallowed his mouthful. "Dunno. Harry just put it there. Said you were to listen to it, but everyone knows that's a load of rubbish, you can't really hear the sea. I think he must have found it on the beach or something."

Hermione lifted the shell to her ear, and a smile spread across her face at the unmistakable sound of waves crashing against the sand. "I love it." She whispered.

A/N - This was just a little something I came up with when a noticed the slight lack of friendship fics with Harry and Hermione after Malfoy Manor. Harry just seems to get ignored.

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Disclaimer - I don't own anything, that's something rich people have. Stuff.