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Harry sat by the kitchen window, sipping his tea. From across the table sat Severus Snape with Crookshanks dozing on his lap.
Surprisingly, this felt normal, comforting, even.
“I dream of horrible things, sometimes,” Harry confessed.
“Don’t we all?” the man replied, raising an eyebrow. “None of us survived the war unscathed.”
Harry shook his head and continued.
“Draco keeps asking me what’s wrong, but I really don't know what to tell him. We’ve been arguing a lot lately. And in his frustration, he ended up calling you guys over.”
Severus said nothing and simply observed Harry.
Harry looked outside the window to watch Draco use a shovel to prod a rather large gnome who won’t leave. The gnome ignored Draco.
Hermione, who was repotting some rosemary, started scolding Draco.
Harry could hear them bickering.
“Don’t you start on gnome rights, Hermione,” Draco said. "And why, pray tell, are you gardening in my garden?”
“Because,” Hermione huffed, loud enough for Harry to hear. “I gave Harry this rosemary over a year ago. And he still hasn’t repotted it. It's become root-bound!”
“I’ve been preoccupied,” Harry replied apologetically.
Hermione shook her head at him, giving him a pointed look. She finished repotting the rosemary and marched over to the kitchen window, leaving Draco to handle the gnome.
“Come off it,” Hermione said. “Just tell him.”
“ Shush, Hermione! ”
“Tell me what?” Draco asked loudly.
Harry ignored him. Draco scooped up the gnome with the shovel and walked away to the farther end of their garden.
“It’s been years since you got together with Draco, Harry,” Hermione said, trying her best to be patient. "Don't you think you owe him more than that?"
“Potter isn’t that intelligent, you need to tell him exactly what you mean,” Severus intoned.
Hermione sighed.
“You’re going to have to open up to Draco about these nightmares and fears. It's not healthy for you to just repress everything - and then pretend things are okay. And it isn't healthy for your relationship either.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Severus said. “That he won’t communicate and now we have to mediate this silly drama they have.”
“Stop, Severus,” Hermione said sternly. “Harry, how can he understand if you won’t tell him anything?”
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitates.
“I thought, initially, that I would have been able to move on and live life normally. But it didn’t happen. I still feel terrified - like I can't get past all the horrible things that have happened. Saying that to Draco is admitting that I am not okay. I don't think there's an end to this nightmare - and I just can't shake the feeling that this is going to stay with me permanently. And what person wants to stay with someone like that?”
Hermione says nothing.
“I’m terrified he will leave me,” Harry whispers, near tears now.
Hermione wrings her hands together, shaking her head.
“He wouldn’t . You’re going to have to trust Draco.”
“But what if he does leave?”
Severus Snape stares hard at Harry.
“Only Draco can give you the answer to that. For your own peace of mind, Potter – just one more time, you’re going to have to be brave.”