Chiaroscuro

Rainstorms and Coffee Caks

The first week of going back to work was strange for Hermione. While she was happy the kids weren't alone, she felt weird not being around during the day. Molly watched them on Monday and Tuesday while George took Wednesday and Ron took Thursday. Hermione had the rest of the week off.

Friday morning, she woke with an overwhelming sense of pleasure. She didn't have to work. She rolled over, comfortable in her soft blankets. Outside, it was raining hard. She could hear the summer storm pounding on her room and windowpanes. One of her bedroom windows was cracked open and the comforting scent of fresh rainfall filled her room.

For a few minutes, she laid there taking in the comfort of the storm.

When Hermione finally got up, she pulled on a comfortable cardigan and walked downstairs to make tea. To her surprise, the kids were all still in their room. She wandered to the kitchen and started a kettle.

It was a slow morning. The storm had made the skies outside dark with clouds and rain. Hermione sat at the table with a cup of tea. When the kids awoke, Lily was quick to ask if she could watch a movie. Typically, Hermione would have said no, since it was early. However, since it was such a stormy day, she let Lily pick out whatever she wanted.

As the kids settled in to watch a movie, Hermione remained at the table, gazing outside at the rainy day. She thought about the dinner at Molly's a couple nights prior. It had been a nice night, but two things stood out as strange.

The first thing was the fact that Ron was dating Pansy Parkinson. It was almost hard to believe it wasn't an elaborate joke. However, when the two were together, they seemed genuinely happy and in love. Hermione wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see it herself.

The second strange thing of the night was Malfoy. After dinner he had almost immediately begun to pick up dishes. Draco Malfoy was cleaning up from dinner. That, too, was something she wouldn't have believed if she hadn't seen it.

As Malfoy had been cleaning up, he seemed to stare at her for a long moment. In fact, there were several times that night he met her eyes and quickly looked away. While he was notoriously hard to read, she found that there was a genuine sadness in his eyes that night. At first, she was certain that it was a trick of the lights. However, no matter how many times her eyes met his, she noticed the strange sorrow in them.

Hermione glanced over to the couch where James, Albus, and Lily all sat.

"Albus?" She asked. "When did Scorpius say he was coming over?"

"Friday," he responded.

Hermione jumped slightly. "As in today?"

Albus sat up a little straighter and turned to look at her. "Today is Friday?"

Hermione nodded.

Refusing to let Malfoy see her in an old pair of pajamas again, Hermione changed into a pair of loose jeans and a cable-knit sweater. Despite it being summer, the rainy day gave the air a chill. She washed up and pulled her unruly hair into two French braids.

Just as she was walking back downstairs, she heard a knock at the door. Albus raced to answer it. He opened the door to reveal a rather soggy-looking Malfoy and Scorpius. Scorpius grinned when he saw Albus and immediately ran inside. Hermione made her way to the door and gave Malfoy a small, polite smile.

"Would you like to come in for a moment?" She glanced out at the rain that seemed to be only getting more intense by the minute.

Malfoy seemed to hesitate for a moment before stepping into her house. He was soaked. Hermione pulled out her wand to cast a drying charm when she noticed him flinch slightly. She lowered her wand immediately and looked at him for a long moment.