Always

I woke up in Ron's arms. He was flipping through a sports magazine that had an article about his favorite soccer team's latest win. His eyes were red and there were bags under them

"Did you sleep at all?", I asked, sitting up, but still leaning into him. He kissed my forehead and put his magazine on the bedside table.

"Hmm... no not really", he replied, pulling me in closer.

"I didn't mean to keep you awake. I'm sorry. I'm such a bother", I pressed my face into his chest. I had to figure out why I was having these dreams. "Can we go home?", I asked, pulling away to get dressed.

"Yeah. I think being home would be good for you. Plus, nothing beats Mum's cooking". He pulled a jumper over his head and ran his fingers through his hair. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Always hungry", I laughed, smiling up at him.

"Like you're not?", he challenged me, grinning back.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go so we can eat breakfast", I said as he reached for my hand. As soon as we walked in the door, Molly was there. We must have startled her as she jumped. I didn't waste a second before rushing into her waiting arms.

"Mum", I whispered, hugging her tightly. She patted my back and looked behind me at Ron. I stepped away so she could hug her son.

"Oh. I didn't know you guys were coming. To what do I owe this pleasure?", she asked, ushering us towards the kitchen.

"I'm sorry to come by so unannounced. I had the nightmare again and I... I just wanted to be home", I said, frowning. Molly put a plate filled with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast in front of me. She cupped my face, looking down at me.

"No need to be sorry dear. You are always welcome home. I'm happy to have you", she said smiling and kissing my head, before heading back to the kitchen to do the dishes. While we were eating breakfast, we heard a few car doors shut from outside. A few moments later, Ron's older brothers Bill and Charlie. I rushed out of my chair to hug them

"What are you doing here?", Molly and I said at the same time.

"Sis called us last night in a panic. Said our dear Katie here was having a rough time and could use some brotherly love", Charlie said, winking at me.

"We went to your apartment first, but when no one was there, we guessed you would be here", Bill added.

"I've missed you both so much!", I exclaimed, hugging them both again tightly. Charlie was a flirt, always had been. it never seemed to bother Ron before, but I wondered how he would handle it now that we were dating. Charlie's flirting was harmless though. It's just who he was. Bill was the older brother everyone wishes they could have. He was cool and fun, but he could be serious and was great to talk to. He gave the best advice.

"Come, come eat. I'm assuming then that the other will be here later as well?" Molly asked, ushering us all back to the kitchen. After breakfast, Charlie and Ron went outside to kick around a ball on the frozen grass. Bill sat next to me on a blanket on the grass. He casted a warming spell around us, so the November weather didn't bother us. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while. That was one of the best things about Bill. He never pressured you to talk to him. He was comfortable just sitting in silence.

"I'm glad you and my brother are finally together", he said finally.

"Me too", I smiled, looking up at Ron. "I can't believe it took me this long to realize my feelings to be honest". I started picking at the grass around me, making a little pile on my lap.

"We all knew it would happen eventually. You guys always were meant to be together. I wish you could see yourselves from the outside. You move and act in sync. You're like magnets or puzzle pieces. You complete each other. Anyone from the outside can see that", he moved closer, adding grass to my growing pile.

"You want to see something cool?" I asked grinning. He nodded his hand. I held my palm up to the pile of grass and waved it in a small circle. The grass floated up in the air and formed into a small kitten. I pushed my hand outward towards Ron and the small grass kitten moved and floated towards Ron's shoulder. Bill and I watched the figure land on Ron. Ron smiled and we could see his lips moving before the figure returned in front of me.

"I love you too showoff", the small kitten repeated what Ron told me, before it stopped floating and landed back into a pile at my feet.

"That was amazing. How did you do that? You didn't even tell it to do anything!", Bill said excitedly.

"A lot of practice", I smiled. "I've been practicing my charms. It is sort of like mixing a patronus and a charm. I couldn't stop grinning now. I was proud of my powers.

"That's really amazing Katie. A lot of magic folks can't control their magic like that.", he said, sounding like a proud big brother.

"Thank you. Really. It makes me feel good hearing you are proud of me". I was smiling, but I looked down and brushed the pile of grass away from me. "Hey, um Bill? Could I talk to you about something?", I asked tentatively. I wanted to tell him about the nightmares and see if he could help me, but I also did not want to have to relive the dreams again.

"Yeah, of course. Let's go get some tea", he said, pulling my hands up so that I was standing. Once I was, he apparated us into the kitchen. I landed with wobbly legs and held on to my stomach.

"Ug. Warn a girl next time", I complained, and he chuckled. I sat down and he summoned the tea over to us and poured me a cup and then himself.

"So, what did you want to talk about little sis?", he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, I've been having these nightmares. Always the same. I am in a cell. Most times I am chained to the wall, sometimes I am not. Ron is always there. He is unconscious, and sometimes not breathing. He has cuts everywhere on him. There is a dark, hooded figure. It has a black face and looks like it is decaying. Its mouth has pointy teeth with blood everywhere..." I trailed off, closing my eyes. I felt Will move from across the table to next to me and placed his hand on mine and waited for me.

"The figure starts to move towards Ron, and I have to beg and scream at it to leave him alone and take me instead. I always wake up when it starts to come towards me. I'm never able to save him. I can't save him...", my voice broke and became a whisper. I wiped a tear off my cheek. "I don't know why I am having these dreams, or how to stop them", I sighed heavily.

"Well... when did they start? Maybe something triggered them". He was rubbing the middle of my back in a comforting way.

"Um... over the summer. We played truth or dare that night. Ron and I were dared to kiss each other. Again. Everyone was trying to force us to be together at the time. We had been flirting and small kisses here or there at home. But the kiss felt different this time. It gave me... um... feelings. Then Ron and I spent a decent amount of time after just talking like we always do". I got up and grabbed some water, not wanting the warm tea anymore.

"And you already knew you had feelings for Ron at that point?", he asked and nodded. "And why didn't you act on your feelings sooner?" he asked.

"I... don't want to lose him. Our friendship. This family", I said quietly.

"And when you think about losing Ron, how do you feel?" Bill asked. It took me a moment to answer. My throat suddenly felt dry, and I was trying not to cry again.

"Like I can't breathe. It feels like the world is crumbling around me. It feels like I'm dying". My voice was barely a whisper at that point.

"Well, it sounds like to me, you are so afraid of losing him, that fear is manifesting itself in your dreams", He said gently, trying to calm me down.

"So how do I stop it"? I felt defeated. I was doing this to myself and didn't even know how.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I know that some people use meditation to channel their thoughts. Then maybe you just need to talk to Ron about how you are feeling", he said with a shrug. I just nodded my head at him.

"Can I ask you something else? Something a bit more... private", I asked tentatively. He nodded at me to continue. "Um... after... you know... with a girl... have you... glowed?", I asked embarrassed.

"Have we glowed?" he asked, confused.

"When Ron and I... we have like a golden glow after... both of us", I clarified. I was thoroughly embarrassed by this conversation. I knew I could trust him not to judge me or make fun afterwards though.

"Honestly, no. Must be your magic affecting each other. High emotions bring out our magic so... I honestly don't know", he said, squeezing my hand.

"Thank you" I said, giving him a hug. The living room was suddenly filled with loud voices

"Well, hello there Katie", George said, walking into the kitchen.

"Ginny said our sister needed us," Fred added, plopping down in a chair. I'd have to give Ginny a big hug and thank her for getting the family together for me. She was right, the Weasley family always made everything better for me.