In the Heart of the Storm
Chapter Seven: Hailstorm
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"Are you sure that's what you saw?"
"Positive. Well, almost positive."
Ginny sighed and readjusted Jean against her breast. The storm was still raging and Jean was a little antsy. Harry had just come to check on her only to inform her that he had apparently interrupted something between Hermione and Draco. Ginny was unsure about what Harry might or might not have seen. Hermione and Draco together? That would sure be something, wouldn't it? Those two had been at each other's throats all through school. Sure, Draco had changed after the War ended, and he got married then divorced, but did that mean he had changed so much as to allow himself to be with a muggleborn? Ginny wasn't so sure. "Harry...tell me again what happened."
Harry stopped his pacing by the door and sat down on the end of the bed, making sure not to disturb his wife and newborn. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and pushed air through his nose. "I was just coming downstairs to make sure everything was all cleaned up when I heard soft talking in the kitchen. I was trying to listen but bumped into a toy. By the time I got a good look, Hermione had jumped back from Draco and started to finish the dishes. But I'm telling you, Gin, Draco looked put out. Like they had just been about to kiss, or maybe even more, and he was upset about losing the chance."
Ginny rolled her eyes and disentangled Jean from her chest. She handed the baby to Harry so he could put her in the bassinet. After Harry was settled back next to her, she responded, "Harry, sure you might have saw that, but you really think they could be together? We're not even sure they were kissing...or about to kiss. They could have just been talking quietly and you startled them." Even to Ginny her explanation seemed a bit far fetched. The more she thought about it, the more her husband could be right. Hermione and Draco lived in the same flat building, and they spent a large amount of time together. They could definitely be in some sort of relationship. But why hadn't they mentioned it? Why would Hermione ask Draco to come to the Burrow if they weren't together?
Harry was watching his wife's face as she came to some sort of conclusion. She looked torn with her thoughts, and Harry felt the same. Draco didn't spend a lot of time at the Auror office, but when he was there, he would ask about Hermione. Sometimes, Hermione would even bring Harry and Draco lunch. They had to be dating. There was no other option. Friends don't just bring each other lunch, nor have dinner together more than twice a week. Harry knew for a fact that Draco and Hermione did practically everything together, whether it was exercising, cooking, shopping, or reading. Harry was more than willing to bet they were either secretly dating or just secretly sleeping with one another...possibly. He wasn't even sure. "This is so frustrating..." he mumbled, rubbing his face with his hands.
Ginny placed her hand lovingly on Harry's cheek. "Why don't you just go ask her? Or ask Draco? I don't think they would try and keep this from us. I'm sure there is a logical reason for what you think you saw. All we have to do is ask..."
"What will Ron think?"
Rolling her eyes, Ginny stated, "Who cares what my brother thinks. He's supposed to be happily married, and plus, he and Hermione made up this morning. I'm sure he would be...fine...if the two were, indeed, together." She slid down deeper into the bed. "Now if you don't mind, dear husband, I would like to get some rest while Jean is sleeping. She'll want fed again in a while, and I need some sleep." She yawned right on cue.
Harry laughed and stood from the bed. He planted a small kiss upon her temple. "Get some sleep. I'll keep the masses quiet and maybe find out what exactly is going on between our two friends." Ginny just giggled and closed her eyes. Harry turned out the light and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Once in the dim light of the hall, he began to wonder just how he was going to ask his best friend if she was dating her childhood enemy.
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He was avoiding her. Why was he avoiding her? Not only was he avoiding her presence when they did happen to be in the same room which wasn't hard here at the Burrow, he avoided her gaze as well. What had she done to make him so angry? Was he upset that she had stopped their almost kiss before Harry saw? Or was he mad that he had slept with her? Hermione groaned inwardly and plopped her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. She was sitting cross legged on the floor playing chess with Ron. He was beating her.
"Come on, 'Mione, you're not losing that bad." He gave her a devilish grin and then proceeded to win the game. "Okay, maybe you are, but you never were really good at chess. You're the book smart girl."
Hermione opened her eyes and gave him an embarrassed grin. "I know." She got up from the floor and stretched. She was still sore from the night before and sitting on the hardwood floor wasn't really helping. However, finally being able to relax with Ron was helping her mood...a little bit. She had barely seen Draco since the dishes incident. According to Luna, he was watching the kids for a while so she could have a shower and make lunch. She really wanted...no, needed, to talk to him. She felt awful for the way she handled things this morning. She wanted nothing more than to give him a kiss, apologize, and discuss what they would do from there.
Ron, Harry, and she were just relaxing in the living room. Harry kept shooting her the strangest looks though. It made her wonder if he had seen more than her and Draco 'washing the dishes' this morning. She was actively avoiding his gaze. She wasn't sure if he would say anything to her but she was fairly certain he would most definitely not say anything in front of Ron. Unfortunately for her, Luna chose that moment to come downstairs and lead Ron into the kitchen to help prepare lunch. Hermione swallowed hard as she sat down on the couch knowing that Harry would seize this opportunity to ask his questions.
Harry moved from the chair across the room to sit on the couch. He sighed loudly and Hermione rolled her eyes. He always did have a hard time expressing himself. Figuring she might as well get this over with, she turned to face her best friend, tucking her legs under herself. She gave Harry an encouraging smile.
Harry smiled back and took her hand in his. "Hermione, you're my best friend, and I know we can tell each other anything. I think by now we can ask each other anything as well...right?" When Hermione nodded yes Harry smiled, clearly encouraged by her answer. He took a deep breath and forged on. "Well, then, I guess I'll just come right out and ask you..." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Are you and Draco in a relationship?"
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Literally. She swallowed thickly trying to clear her throat in hopes that she would be able to answer Harry. She needed more time to think because one, she wasn't sure how he would take her answer, and two; she didn't even know what to tell him exactly. Just as she was about to spit out some sort of answer Draco walked into the room. His eyes met hers and her heart melted, skipped another beat, and flew up to sit in her throat. What the hell was the answer? Was she dating Draco or were they just sleeping together?
Harry noticed how nervous and pale Hermione suddenly became. He followed her gaze and saw Draco standing in the doorway to the stairs. He coughed to clear his throat and gave a grin to Draco trying to encourage him to come more fully into the room. Might as well get everything out in the open, right?
Draco slowly moved forward, his expression unreadable and perched himself on the edge of the large chair. He nodded towards Hermione. "Go ahead. Give Harry your answer."
Hermione tried to swallow. Draco didn't look happy at all. He looked annoyed and cautious. Actually, he looked a bit like he was about to throw an insult at her. It was a look she had long since forgotten and had hoped never to experience again. So what did she tell Harry? Why lie? It was best to just tell the truth. Squaring her shoulders she thought, "I'm a Gryffindor. I am brave and smart and cunning. I can do this." She eased out a breath, "We've slept together. We've gone out on what I guess you would consider dates, and we hang out a lot." She looked over at Draco with a small smile. "We haven't really had a chance to discuss what we really should be considered."
Harry turned to look at Draco, who merely shrugged and said, "She's right. We haven't really talked about anything. We just sort of...came together." Just then there was a large crash from the kitchen doorway. The tree jumped up and glanced over. Right in the doorway to the kitchen there was a glass, broken on the floor. Hermione and Harry looked at each other and muttered one thing, "Ron." With a sigh, Hermione placed her hand on Harry's shoulder before he could go. "Let me talk to him." Harry nodded and Hermione took her hand from his shoulder and with a deep breath entered the kitchen.
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Draco watched Hermione as she carefully walked into the kitchen, not envying her for one minute. Ron had always had such a nasty temper and he had no desire to get either punched in the face or hexed, especially during this magic storm. Instead, he turned his attention to the Boy Who Lived. Harry was standing looking forlorn with one hand in his pocket and the other pinching the bridge of his nose. His glasses were pushed up and his eyes closed. Draco sighed and plopped himself down into the chair. "She'll be okay, you know. She is Hermione Granger after all. She's been dealing with the two of you for years."
Harry laughed and fixed his glasses. Turning towards Draco he smiled. "Believe me, I know, and we sure haven't made it easy for her." He sat back down on the couch and ran his hands through his naturally messy hair. "And what about you? Are you ready to handle all that is Hermione Granger?"
Draco smirked. "That's a good question. I guess I'm lucky that I've changed from that arse that I was, into a real wizard. Only a real wizard can handle that witch. She's one of a kind. I wasn't sure about her at first, but she showed me a side of her that I never really knew existed, and in turn, she got to see a side of me that I had never let anyone experience...not even my ex-wife." He jerked his head towards the kitchen. "If anyone can handle Ron's reaction to this situation, Hermione can."
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Luna was busy making up sandwiches when she heard Ron break a glass. She turned to find him clenching his fists and his face turning bright red. "Ron? Ron what's wrong," she asked putting down the mustard knife. "Are you alright?" Ron's face was scrunched up and he looked fit to burst!
Ron unclenched and clenched his hands and then stormed toward the kitchen door. "No. I need a minute." And then he opened the door and marched right out into the raging storm. Luna stared after him with her mouth agape. The rain was pouring in, the thunder was still pounding, and lightning flashed across the sky. She ran to the door and yelled out, "Ron! Ron, you'll be killed! The magic storm!" She watched as he entered his father's old garage.
"Luna?" Luna turned around and saw Hermione standing there looking worried. "What's happened? Where's Ron? He didn't go out there did he?" Hermione asked walking towards the door.
Luna nodded. "Yes. He went into the garage! He's lost his mind going out there! Look at the lightning; it's going to mess with his magic for sure!" She was wringing her hands together so Hermione gently put her arm on her shoulder. "I'll go and get him. I think it's my fault he's run out there like this. Get Harry and Draco to help you finish lunch. We'll be back in the safety of this house quickly."
Luna nodded so Hermione took a deep breath and ran outside towards the garage hoping that Luna shut the door to block out the storm. As she ran, Hermione could feel the zinging of her magic in her very bones. If they weren't careful, crazy things could happen. She reached the garage door just as the first pieces of hail began to pound down from the sky. She covered her head and ducked through the door.
Ron was sitting on an old work table, turning a faded rubber duck over in his hands. Hermione shut the door behind her but out here in the garage with the tin roof the storm was deafening. "Ron?" she asked moving towards him. "Ron, look, I need to talk to you."
Ron snorted and threw the duck across the room. "Yeah, now you want to talk to me, after you've slept with Draco Malfoy." He sneered towards her. Hermione flinched and just stared at her ex-lover but he kept on talking. "Look, I understand that we haven't been together for ages and that I'm married to Luna, and don't get me wrong I love her, but…" He sighed and hung his head. "I'll always love you, Hermione. Maybe not in the way that I love Luna, but I love you enough to not want you with someone like Malfoy."
Now it was her turn to sigh. "Ron, he's different now. He's been through a lot, and so have I. We're good for each other." She walked toward Ron slowly. "We've only just slept together anyway. We've haven't even had a chance to work out our relationship… We don't even know what we'll become." She shrugged. "He's been there for me and I've been there for him. I think that we deserve a chance to see what we can become. You have Luna and Gabriel… I want that. I want someone to share my life with and have children with. I can't just be Hermione Granger: bookworm and workaholic forever." She slid her hand into his and asked, "Can you understand this?"
Ron looked down at her sadly. "I do understand and feel like such an idiot. Just a few hours ago I was apologizing to you, and here I am now, losing my temper about you and Malfoy." He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Hermione, you can date whoever you want, and if that happens to be Malfoy…Well I guess I'll just have to be alright with that." He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I do have Luna and Gabriel and I hope, finally, that we'll add to our family, but I want you to have a family as well."
Hermione beamed up at her friend, "Good! Now, let's get back into the safety of the house before the storm messes with our magic!" She pulled him towards the door.
"Yeah, I can sure feel my magic radiating in my bones right now. I hope this hail doesn't hurt too much as we run across the yard!"
Hermione laughed and opened the door. "Race you?"
Ron put on his game face. "You're on!"
And with the rain pouring, the hail pounding, the thunder booming, and the lightning flashing, two old friends bolted across the yard to the safety of their friends and family.
