Title: Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Fallen

Book: Post Deathly Hallows, Pre Epilogue

Spoilers: Probably some from the epilogue and all the books.

Warnings: Character peril! And bad language.

Rating: T/PG-13. Slight adult-ish theme.

Category: Action? Mystery?

Summary: Sometimes you can make a promise that you swear to keep, but not everything's under your control. Sometimes you can be dead on the inside whilst your body survives long enough to fulfil its new purpose. Sometimes the lines can blur and people from opposing sides are found to not be that different from each other after all.

Disclaimer: All characters and the universe they exist in belong to J.K Rowling and her publishers. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.

Author's Notes: I came up with this story whilst I was working on "Year of Firsts" and Stargate "More Than". Both of which are colossal jobs so I tried my hardest to not think about this one at all! There's no particular 'ship' in this fic, not in a romantic way anyhow. I'm taking the canon from the epilogue of DH as regards to the relationships here as well as possible careers. I also strongly believe that Hermione would have returned to Hogwarts alongside Ginny, Neville and Luna, Harry went straight into Auror training and I'm not sure about Ron! This is my first real attempt at no 'ship' and action along with a difference in character POV. I hope it works!

HP – HP – HP

Harry Potter and The Revenge of The Fallen

HP – HP – HP

Prologue

The scream of terror pierced the air, shaking the entire flat. Ronald Weasley immediately awoke and rolled towards his girlfriend. Stroking her shoulder, Ron held Hermione Granger as she started to awaken from the nightmares which plagued her dreams. It was a normal routine to which both were accustomed and each action could be predicted. Hermione soon awoke, her eyes glistening in the moonlight which snuck in through a crack in the curtains. She always went to bed first and Hermione always ensured that the curtains were fully drawn. Half an hour later when she put her reading book down and Ron came to bed, he would brush past the curtains, knocking them open slightly. He was too lazy to rectify his mistake and she was always too comfortable in the warm bed to get up and do anything about it. If the couple were honest with themselves, they found comfort in the small slither of moonlight which gave them both the opportunity to see the outline of each other.

Snuggling backwards into him, Hermione's breathing started to calm down and even out. Recovery from the nightly terrors was getting faster due to Hermione's acceptance of them. Unfortunately she was not yet ready to accept the subject of the nightmares. Ron continued to stroke her shoulder, his head closer to her ear as he took comfort from their closeness. Their life had been like this ever since the final battle had been won despite their attempts at normality. When school had resumed in September, Hermione had returned to Hogwarts to complete her final year. After just one night alone in the place where she struggled to see something other than death, Hermione had run back to the Burrow declaring that she could not do it. Only wanting the best for his best friend and lover, Ron had spoken with the new headmistress, Professor McGonagall, and arranged for Hermione to complete her seventh year whilst not living within the boundaries of the castle. She had moved into the Burrow with Ron and his family, using the Floo system to get to classes on time, meanwhile, Ron started working with George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. That was until Easter when George gave Ron the responsibility of setting up a new branch of the shop in Hogsmeade and, together with Hermione, they moved into the flat above it. Despite the fact that the Floo journey from the Burrow to Hogwarts and back was not long, Hermione enjoyed the walk from Hogsmeade every morning and helping out in the shop on a Saturday. It had been almost a month since they had moved into their flat and lived together and alone. Leading a normal teenage life during the day did not stop the painful nightly reminders of Hermione's torture.

"Was it the same?" It was always the first thing spoken once they were both awake and just another part of their routine.

She nodded against his head and his days' stubble caught on strands of her hair, tickling his nose. In the dark, he wiggled his nose. "It was Bellatrix." She stared at the gap in the curtains, wondering what was happening on the other side. The owls and bats who owned the night-time sky and their ground-based counterparts – the badgers and the foxes, Hermione imagined them and their Kingship over the dark when she was trying to sleep again. "It was an exact replay of that night." She was so used to saying that sentence that Hermione found it highly odd that her voice still quivered and fresh tears sprung into her eyes.

"It's over now." He felt bad when he made that promise because he knew the screams would come again and so every night he felt like he broke his promise. Her nightmares had become their ordeal and it was nowhere near from over. "I won't let them hurt you again." His voice was barely above a whisper, but she always heard him.

"Promise?" She knew that she was safe with him, that he would keep his promise and there was nowhere she ever felt safer than in his arms.

"I promise." He never felt bad when he made that promise because he knew that he would keep it. He knew that he would protect her with every fibre of his body and until the last breath escaped his body. Nightly, Ron made the promise to never allow anyone to ever hurt the woman he loved and he meant it with all of his heart.

It was a promise that he could not keep.