If ever there was an absolute perfect time for a storm, this was it.
It was a Sunday in February. We had woken at seven in the morning to thunder and rain. The snow had mostly melted away, though thick patches still cluttered the ground. But today, it rained.
It was shocking at first, seeing rain fall to the ground instead of snow. My first reaction was to groan at it- no one wants it to rain on a weekend- but then I found myself smiling out the window as it poured down.
"Hermione, what are you grinning at?" My husband demanded when I settled onto the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and my favorite warm blue blanket, staring outside in wonder. "It's a storm. You hate storms."
"Usually Draco," I replied mildly, sipping my hot chocolate. "But not today."
I didn't look away from the window, but I felt him settle beside me. He rubbed circles into my back, relieving a bit of the tension that's been there for a while. "Why not?" He asked quietly.
"I don't know. But I really like it today."
I spent the rest of the morning curled up on the couch with a book in hand and my blanket wrapped firmly around me. Draco, of course, claimed that he could not give up work for one day, even in this weather, but agreed to work at home for today. There was something comforting about it. While I was resting on the couch, everything peaceful as the rain pattered down, occasional noises of a quill scratching across paper coming from the other room, I couldn't help but feel at peace. Everything was muted, gray, a quiet and serenity I hadn't felt in a long time.
And then it started to hail.
I should have expected it, seeing as it was only February. But again I shocked my husband, for when he came to check on me at noon, he found me grinning and staring outside again. I think he thought I'd gone mad.
"Now what?" He said, grinning down at me. I smiled at him for only a moment before looking back out the window. Suddenly, I bolted off the couch, running into him in my sudden rush of adrenaline. "What are you doing?" He demanded, concerned now.
"I'm going outside," I declared, grinning and trotting to the back door.
"What!" he yelled exasperatingly. "You can't go outside in hail."
"Yes, I can!" I stood in the doorway, staring down at the hail that was only a few inches in front of me. It was freezing, but I didn't mind. I reached out a hand, but Draco pulled it back.
"At least let me go out first, see if it's too strong," he pleaded. "You could hurt something." He placed my hand over my growing stomach, holding his there. I rolled my eyes, but let him step out first.
"Well?" I said as he walked slowly around. He nodded, beckoning mockingly. I rolled my eyes again and stepped outside.
It was like a dream. I felt the tiny pellets through my pajamas, watched them run down my sleeves and pants, but it was almost as though I was in my very own bubble. Draco wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his side as we looked out on our tiny backyard. The noise was too loud for conversation, so we just stood like that.
Occasionally, Draco would duck down and place a soft kiss on my forehead, or rub my back. When he did, I would bury my face in his chest, taking in his smell and his arms around me. Despite the freezing temperature and the hail around us, I felt safe.
