Slumber

Title: The First Christmas
Pairing: Percy/Hermione
Rating: G
Word Count: 212
Summary: Snow covered the remnants of the night's battle.
Additional Notes: Pinch-hit for hp_kris_kringle.

They barely celebrated Christmas in the last few years, not when green meant the Dark Mark hanging high over recently attacked houses and villages or the third Unforgiveable hitting an innocent, not when red meant spilled blood of men and women who stood to fight the Dark Lord's army and lost.

Last night had been the last battle, where Harry had faced Lord Voldemort, and the Aurors and the Order had finally banded together against the Death Eaters, and the night was nearly a deadly parody of Christmas-lit towns, the sky illuminated in the green and red of curses.

Morning came, and all was quiet.

"Percy?" Hermione called out tentatively, stumbling over bodies and shaking as she drew her coat tighter around her body.

"Right here," a voice replied from behind her, hoarse and weak from casting one curse too many. She turned at once, running toward Percy, who clung tight to her.

"I thought--I didn't see--I was worried--" she stammered helplessly, fingers curled against his rumpled clothes and voice nearly breaking.

"It's alright, I'm here," he murmured, stroking her back soothingly just as the first snowflakes fell from the sky. "We're safe."

Snow covered the remnants of the night's battle, and it was the first Christmas in a long time that stayed as purely white as the season.