Hermione had always loved snow. Snow wasn't very common in England, so, as a child, she cherished every single snowfall. She had never enjoyed skiing, but making snowmen with her father was a rare treat. One of her favorite things about going to Hogwarts was that the snow fell in copious amounts.
She would spend hours next to a window in the library watching the flakes descend and make the ground glisten.
"It's beautiful," Hermione said, sighing as she looked out the window of the kitchen. "I wish I could just go outside and play."
"Then let's go," said Scorpius, tugging on his mother's hand. "I want to play in it with Lila."
She smiled at her son's antics. "You can take Lila outside for a few minutes. I think you'll be okay without me. But, don't stay out too long, you don't want to catch a cold."
"I promise I won't stay outside for too long, Mummy," he said, already chasing the little Husky towards the door. She looked at her son's retreating back wistfully.
I wish I was five again, she thought gloomily. She missed playing in the snow. Her eldest, Carina, wasn't too keen about the cold so she didn't have a chance to enjoy the infrequent snowfalls until Scorpius was older. If it were any other day, she'd be outside, making snowballs and snow angels with Scorpius. But, Draco was sick. When he was sick, the whole household was thrown into havoc. Sick men were always a hassle and Draco was worse than most men were. Over the last three days, he had taken to moping on the sofa, walking around aimlessly, and, in short, bugging Hermione all day long.
She jumped slightly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She turned to see Draco smiling down at her.
"So, you finally decided to grace us all with your presence?"
He smiled sheepishly and replied, "I might have been exaggerating my sickness."
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You think I didn't know that?"
"I was feeling under the weather," he said indignantly. "I wasn't making anything up."
She laughed. "Alright, darling."
"Do you remember the first Christmas we celebrated together?" Draco asked as he glanced out the window, smiling when he saw their puppy trying to run in the snow.
"Which one? The one right after we got married?"
Draco nodded affirmatively.
"Of course I do, " she said, as her thoughts drifted to that particular Christmas.
Draco groaned as he wiped all the snow off himself. He hated snow. Snow was pretty to look at, but when you were forced by your wife to go outside, it becomes your enemy.
"Hermione," he called as he moved toward the kitchen. "I finished shoveling the walkway without magic."
Hermione walked out of the kitchen, holding a large platter with roast turkey on it. "Good for you," she told him. "We shouldn't rely on magic too much."
He scoffed. "I'm a wizard, Hermione. How am I supposed to not rely on magic?"
Hermione shrugged. "You'll be fine. Now, please give me a hand with setting the table. Everyone will be here soon."
Draco hurried downstairs before any arguments erupted. When you put Malfoys, Weasleys, Potters, and Grangers all in a room together quarrels were bound to happen. His parents tried to get along with the elder Weasleys, but due to their different upbringings, they always disagreed on something or the other. Thankfully, both couples got on well with his in-laws.
"Draco," called Narcissa, extending her arms. When he got closer, she enveloped him in a strong hug. "I'm so glad to see you and Hermione today."
He returned the embrace and stepped out of his mother's arms. "Mother, I saw you on Thursday. Today's Monday."
Narcissa frowned. "I miss you. Is there something wrong with that?"
He shook his head and hastily changed the subject. "Where's Hermione?"
"Oh, she went outside with the kids."
As he went to grab his coat, Draco greeted everyone else before stepping out into the bitter outdoors. He could see Hermione, her brown ringlets glistening with droplets of melted snow as she played with the children. They were throwing snowballs and she was having just as much fun as the little ones, if not more.
"Having fun?" he called as he stepped closer to his wife, cringing when the falling snow landed on his face.
Hermione greeted him with an enormous grin. "Of course," she said excitedly. She raised her arm and threw a snowball at him, hitting his shoulder.
"Did you have to do that?" he asked, sighing.
She looked at him with a smile playing at her lips. "Yes, I did." She walked up to him and reached out to wrap her mitten-encased hands around his neck. "Loosen up, will you?" she whispered into his ear.
"I'll try," he said. "I'm not very good at it, am I?"
She shook her head sadly. "No, you're not. But, that's alright. I love you just the way you are."
"Do you know how sappy that sounds?" Draco asked softly. "I've never heard you say anything like that."
"Well, I have my sappy moments at times," Hermione whispered back.
After a few minutes of quietness, Hermione asked "You're still out here? I'm shocked you've lasted this long outside in these freezing temperatures."
"Now that you mention it, it's too chilly out here for me. I'm going in now." Draco dropped a chaste kiss onto his wife's cheek. "I love you, so much."
Hermione glanced up at him as she started to make another snowball. "Love you too," she replied, turning back to her snowball making.
They stood silently, gazing out the window at Scorpius and the silently falling snow.
"Just go out and play with him." Draco murmured. "I know you're dying to roll around in that horrible, wet mess. Carina and I can fend for ourselves."
"Are you sure?" asked Hermione worriedly. "Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine." He gently pushed her towards the door. "Have a good time!"
When he looked out the window five minutes later, he saw Hermione and Scorpius playing, messing up the pristine snow just as Hermione had played with the Potter and Weasley children, all those years ago.
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