One day in the rain
Disclaimer: I do not own or in any way claim to own the Harry Potter franchise and its related material. All rights belong to the respective parties that actually do own them so please don't sue.
Those few moments when you're between sleep and awake have a special sort of magic to them. It's when the last fleeting seconds of your dreams blend with the scents and sounds that bombard you in reality. The lingering emotions and half-remembered experiences do curious things to the human mind. Bizarre moods and trains of thought can be set off at the drop of a hat and more than one person has bolted awake with sweat beading on their foreheads. It's in this time that long forgotten memories find purchase again and more often than not it drives people to introspection. Whether you like it or not the past will catch up to you and demand attention. As it was with Hermione Granger as she too passed through this mysterious realm.
Flashes of light exploded around the witch as she sprinted down a darkened corridor, a staccato beat of footsteps pursuing her relentlessly. With every step, every second that went by the sound drew closer while the hall stretched onward until its end was obscured by darkness. Soon her lungs burned in agony and it was all she could do to force shuddering, ragged breaths upon them while stumbling forward on collapsing legs. Still the darkness refused to recede, leaving no end in sight, sapping her of hope and leaving only one choice. She turned to face her pursuers, shoulders squared in defiance, resigned to her fate. The shadows writhed and pulsed, coalescing into a faceless humanoid figure whose baleful red eyes leered at her hungrily. She willed herself to raise her wand, barking out a spell in a desperate bid for survival. Only nothing happened, no wand answered her summons and no magic rose to meet her demands. The Shadow formed a rictus of a smile, drawing a wand out of the darkness that surrounded it. A flash of sickly green light engulfed her.
Hermione's eyes snapped open, darting about wildly before focusing on the room, her room. Dull light filtered in through parted curtains, suffusing the space with its muted tone while rain fell in thick sheets outside. A flash of lightning briefly turned the world white as the familiar setting helped calm her racing heart and fight off the last tendrils of lingering fear. It was all a dream then, a figment of her mind that held no power in this realm of solidity and certainty. She groaned; it had been over six years since she had last had a nightmare like this, dredges of old memories resurfacing from a time when things had been bleak.
Her thoughts turned to the life she had lived. Tumultuous, terrifying and exhilarating were ways she had heard it described by others, though certainly at the time it was do or die leaving no time for feeling let alone fun. As incredible as it was, she had survived through it all; monsters and dark wizards, traps and intrigue united in a quest to see her corpse lying six feet under. With every encounter she had withdrawn into herself, blocking out the horror and the fear but also so much of the vital experience of living. She knew most of her friends had done much the same, though some perhaps fared better than the others. Regardless it was most unbelievable of all that she'd somehow come out the other side happy; surrounded by love, family and a fulfilling life. And that was what had ultimately driven away the nightmares, or so she had thought. She had truly believed that she had moved on from those days, left the pain and the anger behind.
Soon she grew weary of her depressing thoughts, it was still barely passed dawn on her day off and nightmares or not she was going to catch up on some sleep. Besides the damned thing was probably a product of overworking herself constantly for the past week. Snuggling down into her blankets she turned to look out the window into the rain swept scene before her. The entire world seemed to be running in slow motion due to the rain, people and animal alike holed up in shelter with few willing to brave the downpour. Though a melancholy mood had settled over the world, Hermione thoroughly loved the atmosphere that it brought. It was a guilty pleasure of hers to lay down on a day like this, wrapped in her warm duvet, letting the peace and soft chatter of rain lull her into slumber.
She next woke to the pattering of small feet on hardwood floors and a jolt as a body threw itself onto the bed before squirming under the covers. A few seconds of worming latter and a head of messy hair peeked out from the blankets, icy blue eyes brimming with excitement while a grin stretched from ear to ear. Hermione's chestnut coloured hair had held true in her youngest daughter, Helena, though she denied having anything to do with its eternally dishevelled state. She'd also inherited very little of Hermione's personality, having always been a living perpetual motion machine, but it was something that couldn't help but be endearing. It was almost scary how adorable she could be when she wanted something, when her eyes watered a little and she put on just the right pout the entire family inevitably caved. Currently she was leveraging her cuteness to cling to her favourite source of heat, her mother, and get away with the freezing cold hug.
"Mommy, Mommy! Did you see the lightning? It was flashy and zappy and awesome!" she chirped, practically buzzing with energy.
Hermione chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately, earning an annoyed glare that was far from threatening in return. Her family was truly odd at times, where most children would be terrified of storms Helena was practically in love with them. She'd lost count of the number of colds her daughter had caught after running outside into the middle of the deluge to splash in puddles or watch the bolts streak towards the ground. However Helena had inherited the innate curiosity that pervaded the family and after reading about it she had tried to reproduce Thomas Jefferson's famous kite experiment, with some modifications for 'efficiency'. Needless to say Hermione had been apoplectic and near to having a heart attack when she had spotted her trailing a kite behind her on an enchanted metal wire while the sky broiled with electricity. But in the end it was impossible to stay mad at her for long; though Hermione made sure the lecture on safety and sensibility stuck.
"It was pretty cool I'll admit, but I still think thunder is better," Hermione teased, poking her daughter's side softly and enjoying the indignant expression on her face.
"You're crazy! Thunder is just a stupid sound and has nothing on the sheer awesomeness of lightning," she cut back dramatically before huffing in exasperation. "Honestly, I can't believe we're even related."
Ok so maybe she inherited a little more than just her hair colour.
Hermione unleashed a tickle attack in retaliation, feinting low to draw out her daughter's defences before going for the arms. With Helena pinned and at helpless she ruthlessly tickled her sides until she was a giggling mess begging for mercy. With victory achieved Hermione relented, giving her daughter a chance to wiggle away. After calming down Helena looked at her mother suspiciously for a few moments, as if ready for another attack, but after seeing nothing untoward let down her guard and snuggled back into her warmth. Hermione settled in to savour the rare moment, she didn't always have as much time as she would like to spend with her children. While the great tickle war had been going on the rain had slowly died down unnoticed until it was only a light powdering. With it the mood also dimmed, turning back towards melancholy, though Hermione couldn't quite put her finger on why. As the moment stretched on Helena seemed to grow a little restless and squirmed on to her side to look out the window forlornly.
"Mommy... do you think the lightning's gone?" the girl asked sadly, a trace of hope lingering in her words.
Hermione smiled faintly, for kids sometimes the smallest and most transient things meant the world to them. It was easy to get stuck in the long term as an adult and lose sight of that.
"I don't know... but I have a good feeling," Hermione soothed.
"Really? Do you mean that?"
"Mmhmm. Watch the sky and I think you'll see some more soon," she said indulgently, quirking her fingers under the covers and pushing magic into the air.
Sure enough a few moments later the hairs on their body stood up with a slight tingling sensation before a bolt of lightning carved its way down to strike just in front of their window, the crack of thunder following so close behind that the delay was imperceptible. As the boom rattled the house Helena's eyes widened to almost dish plate size, comically reminding Hermione of a house elf, and she quivered with barely contained excitement. By the time the light had faded slightly the girl's self-control failed and she let out a whoop that was sure to wake everyone in the house. Eventually the commotion began to catch up on them and even Helena's near infinite energy proved to be finite. She yawned, a drowsy haze dulling the exuberance coursing through her until she was moments from slipping off.
"It's still early, try and get some sleep," Hermione ordered.
"Ok Mommy...Love you," the girl murmured as she drifted off, burrowing into her mother's side.
"Love you too," the mother whispered, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.
Helena's peaceful expression was all that Hermione needed to remind herself why it was all worth it. The nightmares and the scars were nothing compared to her daughter's gentle smile and the simple happiness that mornings like this brought about. In spite of all of the pain and the fear and everything that had happened in the past; it was all entirely worth it for every other moment since. No matter how hard work could get or how little time she sometimes had, she had a family that surrounded her with unconditional love. Though they could be irritating and hyperactive and far too reckless they were hers. This was her life in all of its chaotic glory. Perfect in its imperfection.
A/N:
I wrote this as a study on more emotional but fluffy pieces of writing, so you'll probably notice the abrupt change in style after the first couple of paragraphs. I was aiming to try and communicate the shift from dreams to reality with a change in the way things were described, hopefully it was obvious that the dream world was quite flowery and overwritten compared to the real world.
This story was set in a future AU in which nothing is defined except that it is somewhat different to cannon, hence the OC daughter.
Anyway feedback would be much appreciated, especially tips on how I can improve.