In the Heart of the Storm

Chapter Two: The Clouds Roll In

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Hermione and Draco stumbled through the fireplace inside the Weasley house. Hermione managed to land upright, but Draco somehow stumbled over the hearth and landed on his bottom. Laughter erupted from the doorway, causing the two to start.

"Way to make an entrance, Malfoy," Harry said with a laugh before taking a seat at the table. "Hey there, Hermione. How are you doing?"

Hermione helped Draco to his feet as she answered, "I'm great Harry. It's been a few weeks since I've had a chance to get over here." Hermione took in the sight of the pristine kitchen. Ever since Molly and Arthur moved to the Caribbean, Ginny made sure the house was always spick and span.

Hermione moved into the room and Draco followed. Rubbing at the back of her neck, she said, "I hope you don't mind that I brought Malfoy…" She trailed off, looking uncertain.

Harry laughed and stood up to shake Draco's hand. "Of course not! What brings you here today?"

Draco shook back and then they dropped hands. "Well, I'd planned on going to the Manor, but it turns out it's surrounded by the storm. Hermione," he paused and motioned with his head, "offered for me to come and stay with you and your family."

At this time, a very pregnant Ginny bustled into the room and interrupted their conversation. "Oh! Hello, Malfoy The more the merrier!" She beamed as she checked on their dinner.

Hermione squealed, "Ginny! Look at that belly! I haven't seen you for two weeks and look how round you've gotten!" Hermione placed her hands on her best friend's belly. "You look fit to burst!"

Ginny giggled at her friend. "The doctor did say that the baby might come early… I just hope she holds off until this storm passes. It would be awfully tricky to get to St. Mungo's in this weather." Ginny looked nervous but plastered a smile on her face.

Harry came up behind Ginny and hugged her comfortingly. "Don't you worry your little head, we've got Hermione here!"

Hermione sighed, "Harry, I'm an emergency Healer, not a Delivery Healer…"

Draco, who was comfortable at the table again, smirked. "Granger, we don't think there is anything that you can't do. If your best friend suddenly bursts into labor, I'm sure you could handle it."

Hermione blushed. "Thanks, Malfoy. I just don't know…"

"I guess we just have to hope to Merlin no babies decide to pop out!" Ron had arrived with his wife, Luna, and their children in tow.

Hermione inwardly groaned and Draco caught her eye, fully knowing her disdain for her ex-boyfriend. Neither said anything, choosing to keep the unpleasant thoughts to themselves.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked with a sneer as his eyes landed on Draco. Luna took the children into the other room, never one to get in the middle of the feud the wizards still rages.

"Oh, Ronald, give it a rest!" Ginny scolded, turning and pointing a wooden spoon in his direction.

Ron plopped down at the end of the large table and sulked. "Wow, way to sound like Mum." He shivered but said nothing further to Draco for the moment.

Harry rolled his eyes at his best friend and sat down with him. "Come on now, Mate. We have the whole night together. Hermione brought him because he can't get to a magic safe place. We're all going to get along." He eyed Ron warily, the "Start start shit and your sister will hex you" left unsaid.

With a sigh Ron conceded, "Fine, Fine. I'll behave." He took a look around the kitchen "When's dinner?" he asked just as his stomach gave a growl.

Ginny huffed, "I am nine months pregnant! I'm trying my best here!"

Hermione stepped in. "Hey! Why don't you show Draco where we'll be sleeping?" Hermione rushed, grabbing her bag and thrusting it into Harry's hand. "Take my bags, okay, and then go do something to keep busy. Ginny and I will get dinner together."

Luckily, her quick thinking saved them all from a pregnant woman's meltdown. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as the guys all filed out of the room, already planning a game of Quidditch in the backyard.

Ginny smiled gratefully at her friend. "Thank you for that. I feel awful, but I can't help going of my rocker sometimes." She placed a hand on her rather large belly and rubbed affectionately. "Hormones and all that."

With a laugh, Hermione responded, "Don't worry about it. Now, let's get supper ready!"

And with that, the two girls began making dinner. Unknowingly to them, and the rest of the household, the storm had taken a turn for the worse and was on its way to them.

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Dinner was an interesting event. Harry and Ginny's three children, James, Albus, and Lily, sat at the far end of the table with Ron and Luna's son, Gabriel. It was the middle of summer so the kids were talking happily of Hogwarts and how much they were looking to returning. The younger children joined in the conversation enviously, anticipating when it would be their turn to get on the scarlet train.

At the other end of the table, Harry kept asking Ginny if she was alright. Ginny would smile with a strained look on her face and reply, "Harry, I'm just tired is all. The market was very busy. I'm lucky Hermione was here to help me cook dinner." She patted Hermione on the hand gratefully.

Harry didn't look convinced. "After dinner, Ron, Malfoy, and I will clean up. You should take a rest."

Luna chirped from her place down next to Gabriel, "I can watch the children with Hermione."

This did not please Hermione. As much as she loved the children, she was not that fond of Luna. The girl did steal her boyfriend right from underneath her fingers… Well, that's not completely true. Hermione and Ron were broken up for three months when he had stumbled into Luna at the Leaky Cauldron. They had started dating right away, married three months after that, and Gabriel came into the world nine months later. Hermione clearly had a reason to dislike Luna.

Hermione had originally planned on surprising Ron while he was in France for a Quidditch match and trying to get back together. She had booked a really fancy room and planned on telling him that even though he didn't want to get married, she still loved him and wished to spend the rest of her life with him even if that meant they never were married. She was fairly certain that, one day, after he stopped playing Quidditch, they would settle down and get married.

Unfortunately, just five days before this plan was to take place, Luna dumped a cup of tea into Ron's lap. Now, here she was, lost in thought and trying to come up with an excuse not to sit with Luna to watch the children. Hermione swallowed her bite of Shepherd's pie and grimaced. "Sure, Luna. We can watch the children. Maybe we can play some Exploding Snap."

Draco coughed in order to cover up his laugh. He knew just how much Hermione disliked Luna. Actually, he was probably the only one of Hermione's friends that knew about everything. He smiled as he remembered the day he moved into his flat...

Snow was lightly falling as Draco carried boxes into his new flat building. The building was located just outside of Hogsmeade. It had been built sometime shortly after the war. The town had been greatly affected by the war, and after remodeling most of it, they began to build new places for residents and new arrivals to live.

Draco had chosen this place because of its proximity to Hogwarts. He was hoping to someday soon quit his career as an Auror and become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Now, Draco loved being an Auror, but it was just always his dream to teach at Hogwarts. Even during all the craziness of war, dealing with Voldemort, and being a Death Eater, he still yearned for things to get better so he could come back to this place.

Draco turned to look at the school on the hill and smiled. "Someday," he thought, "I will teach young wizards and witches how to protect themselves." He turned away and walked into the flat. Just as he began to unpack boxes in his kitchen, there was an explosion of sorts from above.

With a furrowed brow, Draco grasped his wand and ascended the stairs. Carefully, he stepped up to the door of the flat above his. Pressing his ear gingerly to the door, he listened…

It sounded like someone was breaking everything inside. Draco knocked on the door, keeping his wand tucked behind his arm just in case.

He took a step back as he heard loud footsteps, more like stampeding, coming towards the door. Suddenly, the door was flung open. "YES!" cried Hermione Granger, tears streaming down her face. "Can I help y- MALFOY!?"

Draco was in shock. Here in front of him was none other than the girl he used to torment looking like her world had just come crashing down around her. However, instead of laughing at her, he found himself asking if she was alright.

Instead of scolding him, like he had expected, Hermione's shoulders slumped and she began to sob in earnest. "No, Malfoy, I'm not okay…" She walked into her flat.

Draco followed, but he didn't know why. He took in the room. Torn pictures were scattered on the floor. Books, yes books, were thrown about, and there were scorch marks on the walls where picture frames had once hung. He did a small turn to take it all in as he asked, "What happened, Granger?"

Hermione plopped onto the couch, pulled a quilt around herself, grabbed a tissue, and snorted. "Luna Lovegood is about to become Luna Weasley!"

Draco, utterly confused by this, took a seat next to her. "I thought you were with the Weasel?"

Hermione dissolved into a hysterical fit of laughter and tears. "I was! That was until he decided he was never going to marry me!" She hiccuped and continued her explanation, "And now… Oh and now, here he is marrying Luna like I never existed!" Tears poured down her face like a waterfall.

Draco sat there uncomfortably. he was never one for tears. He patted her shoulder tenderly, muttering things like, "It will be ok" and, "He's an arse."

Hermione told him everything that afternoon. She completely bared her soul. Draco knew everything about her and Ron's relationship, the breakup, her plan, and how Ron and Luna came to be. She eventually calmed down and passed out on the couch. Not knowing what else to do, Draco cleaned up her flat while she slept.

Since that day, Draco had been sort of an ally for Hermione. He liked to consider them friends, even though they had hated each other for years. It's amazing what one sob fest can do to a man. All it took was seeing Hermione like that to make him realize that, she too, was human.

Coming back to reality, Draco began helping the guys clean up. He was mostly quiet while Ron complained about married life, changing diapers, and not being able to party as much as he used to. Harry rolled his eyes often for Draco to see, and tried to comfort his friend. Personally, Draco felt that Ron was rude and pig headed. His wife obviously adored him and Ron just didn't appreciate what he had.

He had no room to talk, though. He was constantly sleeping with different women; often two or three in one week. He frowned at the thought… Maybe it was time to change. He didn't want to end up like Ron, only marrying a girl because she ended up pregnant. Luna was a nice girl and everything, but if the two had been more careful, Ron most likely would still be floating around Britain with other woman. Or back with Hermione. Yes, thought Draco, Things had to change.

He could hear the children laughing and playing in the other room, as well as Hermione trying to be nice to Luna. He smiled, Hermione really was a decent person, not that he ever thought otherwise. She could be very rude to Luna if she wanted, but she chose to take the higher road.

Deciding to change the subject from Ron and his life to something more interesting, Draco asked Harry how his time off from being an Auror was going.

Harry smiled and sat down with a cup of tea. "It's been great. Ginny loves having me home, and the kids love it too." Draco sat down opposite him with some tea as well, and Ron sat down with some Firewhiskey.

"I'm sure they do," Draco said. "I know we miss you at the department though."

Harry continued, "I love work and miss you all as well, but I love my family more. And with the new one on the way, things couldn't get better." He smiled lovingly at the picture of his family on the wall. "How is work?"

Draco shrugged. "Nothing new. We're still looking for a few people who tried smuggling some dark objects into the country. We could really use your help." He sent a cheeky wink Harry's way.

"Falling apart without me? Another month or so, and I'll be back."

Ron chimed in, "I don't know what I would do if I had to be home all the time. Luckily, I get to travel for my job."

Harry sighed, clearly irritated by the interruption. "Ron, someday you are going to realize how lucky you have it with Luna."

Looking confused, Ron took a swig of his drink. "Maybe you should come with me to Germany next month. We've got a game, and I think you'd enjoy it." He turned and gave Draco a look, "Maybe, even you could tag along. If you wanted."

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Draco smirked, sipping at his tea. He's rather not have to hang out with Weasley more than absolutely necessary.

"Yeah, Ron, with the baby coming, I can't leave Ginny." Harry was frowning, upset his friend didn't seem to understand the importance of family.

Ron sunk down in his chair, clearly put out. He didn't say anything more on the trip; instead, he drank from his glass and stared across the room, out the window.

Draco would never understand Ronald Weasley. Lucky for him, he had taken the time to get to know the real Harry Potter during Auror training. They were more than acquaintances, but a little less than friends, or so Draco liked to think. Hell, who was he kidding? They had become friends somewhere along the way.

Smiling lightly at how his life had changed since the war, Draco stood to place his empty mug in the sink. Looking out the window he felt the breath catch in his throat.

Dark clouds were clearly on the horizon.