Chiaroscuro

September

Draco was nowhere to be seen at dinner at The Burrow. Hermione had yet to come to terms with everything he had said on Friday. Saturday Ginny and Harry had picked up the kids and she spent the night alone, contemplating many things. Draco was at the forefront of those things.

Sunday came and Hermione arrived at The Burrow with a homemade cherry pie. She smiled and talked with Molly as the others arrived, but she couldn't shake the dark thoughts about Draco. Ginny, Harry and the kids were the first to arrive. George was next. Finally, Ron and Pansy walked in, laughing and looking at each other in a loving way.

The night went by in a blur. Hermione had one more glass of wine than she would usually have, but no one seemed to notice or care. It wasn't until after dinner that Draco's name was brought up.

"Oh, I invited them," Molly said after Pansy had asked about Draco and Scorpius. "But I never got a response."

Pansy frowned. "That's odd."

The conversation was changed quickly into talking about the kids returning to school soon. Hermione noticed Pansy sneak out to have a cigarette and decided to follow her outside.

Pansy stood, leaning against the rail of the back porch. A cigarette sat casually in her long fingers. She glanced up with a smile as Hermione approached.

"You're quiet this evening," Pansy noted.

"I...I had a weird weekend," she said carefully.

"Weird how?"

"Draco..." she trailed off and looked out at the yard.

"What happened?" Pansy said quietly.

With a sigh, Hermione began to explain what had happened on Friday. She explained running into Parvati and the insults she had thrown at Draco. She explained how he was quiet that day and how eventually he turned cold and cruel.

"He said it was pathetic that I believed we could be friends," Hermione said. Again, she felt tears build in her eyes. "He said he was better than me. Pansy, I..."

Pansy's expression had faded from surprise to anger. "He said what ?"

"It was awful," she said looking down at her hands. Beneath her glamour were the ugly words. Ever since Draco's sudden change in demeanor, she had been thinking more and more about those words.

"I thought he was...different."

"It doesn't make sense," Pansy said.

"It's the truth," Hermione's eyes met with the other womans'.

"I believe you," she replied. "It's just strange. We're close...or at least we were. From everything he's said...it doesn't make sense."

"But it does," Hermione let out a sigh. "We're different, Pansy. Draco and I are probably as different as two people can get. The way we were raised, our school experiences...even after the war...we're from different worlds."

Pansy said nothing as she took a long drag from her cigarette. An exhale of blue smoke filled the porch. Hermione looked out to the backyard and watched as the tall grass swayed beneath a starry sky.

"I just don't understand," Hermione said. "I really thought we were friends. But after Friday, now I just feel like an idiot. Do you think...was it all a lie?"

"I don't know," Pansy said. "I thought I knew him well enough to know he would never do that but...it doesn't make sense."

There was no answer that could satisfy Hermione.

August blew by like wind through the grass. Hermione found herself busy at Tomes and Scrolls, even busier now that the kids were back with Ginny and Harry. Her house was quieter than ever but she told herself she didn't mind.