Thunder Reigns

"Draco do you think I could spend the day outside?"

Hermione looked up from her novel, waiting to hear Draco's reaction to her question. He was over in the library's small kitchenette, making himself a cup of coffee.

"That's a rather odd request," he replied, turning around so he could face her; blowing small streams of air onto his steaming coffee. "I don't see why not. What do you want to do outside?"

Hermione smiled, closing the book and placing it on the couch beside her. "Well I was thinking about what you said about remodeling the Manor...and I thought I could help. I won't do much," she said hurriedly, seeing his warning gaze. "I won't move around. I'll stick to one flower bed the whole time. I promise."

"Hermione…" Draco said slowly, sipping at his beverage. "I don't know if-"

"Please? I haven't been outside since the accident and I just feel like I need to do something," Hermione interrupted him; her tone bordering on pleading. "I'm really good at gardening. Both the muggle way and the magic way...my mum taught me."

Draco laughed quietly. "That must be some gift all mother's have...my mother was quite fond of it as well."

"Draco I promise I won't try anything stupid. I just want to do something," Hermione repeated. "If anything happens I promise that I'll owl you."

Draco was silent, and Hermione could see the wheels in his head turning as he mulled over what she had said. "Alright," he consented, emptying his coffee mug. "I trust you know not to do anything rash."

"I never do anything rash," Hermione laughed. "Besides, I need to take my mind off of things and doing chores often does that for me."

"That makes one of us," Draco sighed.

…

Hermione brushed her hands off on her jeans, smiling slightly at the brown streaks they left. She gently picked up a package of seeds from the ground beside her; lifting one out and holding it gently in the palm of her hand. She blinked as she watched it slowly grow, sprouting small green vines that curled lightly around her fingers. Hermione carefully placed it in the small hole she had dug; watching as the sprouts burrowed their way into the earth, keeping the seed held in place. Pushing dirt onto the seed, she smiled as the vines crept up through the soil; sprouting until they furled into brilliant red blossoms. Beaming she looked around the rest of the brightly colored flower bed, admiring her work. It had taken her quite a while to plant each one of those seeds since they all had to be done separately. Hermione had planted each one with wandless magic; something she hadn't done since….well since forever.

She jumped slightly as a twig snapped behind her, revealing that she was no longer alone. She turned her head slightly, in order to see who her companion was...and whether or not she was in serious trouble. "Blaise," she breathed, her heartbeat slowing.

"Granger," he acknowledged. "You're outside."

"Yeah," she smiled, taking another seed out of the cloth bag. "I wanted some fresh air after being in that hospital for so long."

"So you decided to do yard work?" Blaise questioned, confused. "That's rather odd."

"Draco's been remodeling the Manor...but he hasn't gotten to the yard yet, and that's something that I know how to do, so I decided to help out," Hermione replied.

Blaise watched, momentarily shocked to see the small vines twisting around her hand before they disappeared into the ground. "Strange….chores isn't necessarily something I would choose to do. But to each her own I suppose."

Hermione laughed, carefully tucking the seed into its soil bed. "What did you need Blaise? I can't do much, but I suppose I could try to help you with whatever you need."

"I just had something for Draco, but I take it he's not here," Blaise responded, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Hermione shook her head. "He went back to work today, and probably won't be back for a bit. You can leave it in his office or the labs if you want."

"I suppose I could do that," Blaise agreed with a nod. "You need anything while I'm here?"

"I'm good. Thanks though," Hermione smiled. "You can drop by later if you want to talk to him."

"I probably will," Blaise replied. "Have a good rest of your day Granger."

…

Hermione had continued to plant flowers and other various shrubs and greenery throughout the rest of the day, pausing only for an hour to continue in her novel as a small break; leaning back against the wall of the house. That's where Draco found her when he arrived back at the Manor; dropping his bag and cloak off in his office before heading out to the gardens. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched her turn the pages of the book; her delicate fingers leaving small smudges of the pages as she turned them.

"The gardens are looking much better," he commented, his smile begging to be loosed as he watched her bushy curls bounce as she lifted her head to look at him; her face breaking into a smile.

"I only did one flowerbed...and the surrounding area," Hermione replied, brushing her hair behind her ear. "It doesn't make too much of a difference.

"It makes all the different," Draco countered, taking a seat on the grass next to her. "I rather like it."

He waved his wand, watching as all the flowerbeds duplicated themselves and showered the gardens with color. "That's better," he commented, pocketing his wand.

Hermione nodded, looking down at her hands. "It does look much better with all of them filled."

"What's wrong?" Draco questioned softly, placing a hand on her knee.

"Nothing," Hermione said, resting her hand on top of his. "I'm just tired. I haven't done anything for a while, and this was slightly draining."

Draco's brow furrowed slightly at her answer, but he chose not to push the subject. "It is getting late, and you've worked yourself quite hard. We should head inside."

Hermione nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground; carrying her inside to the living room. She released her hold from his neck, leaning back heavily onto the couch and relishing in it's comfort. "Thank you," she smiled, releasing a small sigh.

"Of course," Draco replied, putting the book down next her her on the couch. "Did you get anything to eat today?"

"Rillie brought me some food around lunchtime and she offered me snacks periodically throughout the day," Hermione said, grabbing a comforter from the back of the couch and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Good," Draco responded, loosening his tie. "Thank you for your help with the garden."

"Sure," Hermione smiled, her attentions diverted as the fireplace roared to life, allowing a certain dark-haired wizard to step out.

"Draco," Blaise said, brushing imaginary dust off of his cloak. "

"Blaise. What are you doing here?" Draco questioned, running his fingers through his hair. "It's late."

"I forgot to tell you...Blaise is coming over," Hermione said with a grimace.

"I can see that," Draco replied drily. "Follow me to the kitchen?" he called to Blaise over his shoulder. "I have a feeling that I'm going to need a drink for this conversation."

Blaise nodded as the fireplace roared again, and Pansy stepped through, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "Hey," she said breathlessly. "Sorry. I forgot my purse."

Blaise rolled his eyes, and followed Draco down the hall towards the kitchen; leaving the two witches on their own. Pansy sat down on the couch next to Hermione, straightening the smooth fabric of her shirt self-consciously. Hermione sighed, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"There's no way they're talking about work," she muttered, her voice slightly muffled by the duvet.

"I know," Pansy agreed. "Blaise always talks to me about work...but this...this he wouldn't say anything about."

"Well it's bloody stupid that they won't tell us," Hermione grumbled, glaring in the direction of the kitchen.

"I think they'll probably tell us when they are ready," Pansy replied. "Are you up for a game of wizard's chess?"

Hermione snorted softly. "I'm awful at wizard's chess. I don't think I've won a game in my entire life."

"I'm equally as bad," Pansy laughed. "But i've found it takes quite a bit of concentration...which pulls your mind away from other things."

"True," Hermione agreed, and the game commenced.

…

"This had better be important Zabini."

The dark-haired Slytherin sighed in exasperation, leaning moodily against the kitchen wall. "Do you really think I'd be here right now if it wasn't? I do have a life you know."

"That's a surprise," Draco said snarkily, pouring himself a bottle of Ogden's firewhiskey and passing the bottle to Blaise. "For a minute there, I thought you just wallowed around your home, wondering what to do with yourself."

"Stuff it," Blaise shot back, accepting the bottle and pouring himself a generous helping. "This is important...I just thought you didn't want to hear it while Granger was around, all things considered.

Draco looked at the other wizard over the edge of his glass. "Why is that?"

"Well it's Death Eater related and I'm sure that's still a rather touchy subject," Blaise rationed.

"Just get on with it. I'm shattered," Draco groaned, leaning over the counter-top.

Blaise sighed, taking another drink before beginning. "Ministries are falling Drake."

"What?"

Blaise nodded, shoving one hand into his pocket. "Smaller ones in Africa and South America. Gone. Wiped out."

"Isn't that what the Death Eater's tried to do to the Ministry here? Back when He was still in charge?" Draco questioned.

Blaise shook his head, his expression showing his fatigue. "No. Back when The Dark Lord was in charge, the Death Eaters took over the Ministry. They didn't destroy it. That's what's happening with these ones. It seems like Bellatrix is heading for world domination. At least the wizarding world."

"Merlin," Draco sighed, draining his glass. "Can't the woman take a break?"

"Apparently not," Blaise replied, glancing at the window as they heard distant thunder rumble, and slight spatters of rain hitting the window. "It seems rather odd though. I didn't think Bellatrix would jump to something this big so quickly."

"She's insane Blaise," Draco pointed out, running his fingers through his hair. "She doesn't have barriers anymore. She's not going to stop."

"I know she's not going to stop," Blaise responded angrily. "That's the point. We have to do something or she's going to take down each and every Ministry around the world."

"I'm assuming that Potter is taking care of this?" Draco questioned, a pensive look on his face.

"Why do you think he hasn't been by to pester you about Granger?" Blaise responded. "He's dealing with the wreckage of the smaller South American Ministry. Weasley took one of the African ones."

"How many Ministries has she taken out?"

Blaise paused in consideration before answering the blond's question. "Twelve. Just the one in South America and the other six are in Africa."

"Twelve," Draco repeated, a small fire smoldering behind his gaze. "Why do I have a feeling this is going to get a hell of a lot worse?"

"It's Bellatrix," Blaise laughed humorlessly. "I don't think it's ever been anything but hell."

"She's the living representation of it," Draco replied, tapping his fingers against the marble countertop.

"Speaking of living-and on a lighter note- how are the conditions between you and Granger? I see she's moved into your place."

Draco sighed in irritation. "Knock it off Zabini. You know she doesn't have anywhere else to go, and we are engaged in case you forgot. Besides you and Pansy have been living together for who knows how long and you aren't even in a serious relationship."

"I'd think it was pretty serious if we've been living together for 'who knows how long' as you put it," Blaise replied, one eyebrow arched in the blond's direction. "When are you planning on letting everyone else know you're engaged?"

"It's not up to me," Draco responded. "It's Granger's choice when she wants to reveal it. I'm not overly concerned about it."

Blaise shrugged, staring into the contents of his glass. "You realize we could all die before then?"

Draco nodded somberly. "I'm fully aware of that fact. However, I'm done thinking about death and about Bellatrix. I don't want those kinds of thoughts to impact my future. If I let fear run my life like I used to; it's never going to get any better than this."

"Not to be the constant pessimist, but it probably won't get better than this," Blaise sighed. "But I suppose that doesn't mean that we can't make the best of it."

Draco nodded a small smile tugging at his features. "How's work going? I haven't actually talked to you in quite a while."

"That's an understatement," Blaise scoffed. "Work is fine I suppose. We're being driven up a wall to close this business deal with the American Ministry, but it seems to be falling through. They're finding too many loopholes. It's driving me insane."

"No one ever said the Ministry was a well functioning machine," Draco pointed out, pouring himself another glass of firewhiskey.

"I'll agree to that," Blaise said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped when Pansy entered the room an annoyed expression on her face. "Someone's in a bad mood," he commented instead, glancing at her over the rim of his glass.

"Hermione beat me at wizard's chess," Pansy huffed good naturedly. "She claims she never won a single game before, but from the way she played just barely...I highly doubt it."

Blaise laughed, catching himself as she shot a well placed glare in his direction. "Sorry."

Pansy rolled her eyes in response, crossing her arms lightly over her chest. "Anyways, I'm not exactly upset, but Hermione seems pretty exhausted. So if you and Draco have finished your conversation, we should probably be going."

Blaise nodded, taking her arm and setting his glass down on the countertop. Draco set his glass next to it and followed the pair from the room, smiling when he saw Hermione bearing a rather triumphant grin as she sat on the couch. She bid Blaise and Pansy farewell, the flash of green light from the fireplace reflecting playfully across her eyes. Once the flames had died, she turned her gaze back towards Draco; doing a slight dance in her seat.

"I won," she said giddily. "I've never won a game of wizard's chess in my life! I guess watching Harry and Ron play for years finally stuck with me."

Draco laughed softly, sitting down on the sofa next to her. "You're brilliant Hermione. You were bound to pick it up eventually."

Hermione smiled, lacing her arms around his neck and softly pressing her lips against his. "You're warm," she smiled against his lips; feeling him wrap his arms tighter around her, enveloping her in his warmth.

Thunder crashed outside, causing her to jump slightly, breaking her lips away from his. "Sorry," she muttered, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" He murmured, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her spine.

"I'm rather scared of thunderstorms," Hermione admitted, lowering her gaze slightly.

"Thunderstorms? The witch who helped defeat one of the most powerful wizards in the world is scared of thunder and lightning?" Draco teased, pecking her lightly on the lips.

"I know it's silly," Hermione laughed, leaning closer to him as thunder rolled outside the window. She yawned, tiredly lacing her fingers through his.

"You've overworked yourself Hermione," Draco said softly. "We should get you to bed."

Hermione nodded, another yawn stretching across her features. Draco lifted her carefully off of the couch; smiling as her eyelids drooped and her head rested lightly against his shoulder. He walked slowly up the stairs, careful not to jostle her as he reached her room, placing her gently under the covers and many blankets that dotted the bed. Making sure she was comfortably situated, he quietly left the room and walked down the hall to his own.

He woke sometime around midnight to a sharp scream from down the hall. He rose from his bed, and made his way quickly to Hermione's room; finding her propped up on her elbows in bed, her chest heaving and her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, crossing the room to stand next to her bed. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she replied shakily. "It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's okay," Draco said softly. "I'm a light sleeper to begin with."

"I guess it's just the storm," she whispered, turning her head to the window where the rain still pounded against the wide panels. She flinched as a loud clap of thunder sounded close to them; her chest still heaving slightly. "Will you stay?" she asked, her voice barely audible. "Just until I fall asleep?"

Draco nodded, turning to take a seat in the armchair next to her bed.

"Draco," Hermione whispered again, her gaze turned back towards his. "I need you…. I'm… I'm scared."

"Hermione….we agreed we weren't going to do something like this," he replied, lightly taking her hand in his.

"I know. But I just need you right now. I'm scared and I feel alone," she admitted, a single tear slipping out of the corner of her eye. "I just want you to hold me until I fall asleep."

Draco nodded, slipping into the bed next to her. Hermione lay back down, flinching again as another clap of thunder sounded outside. Draco's brow furrowed slightly as he wrapped his arms around her; not missing how her shoulders shook slightly and her breath rattled in her chest.

"I used to love storms like this," she whispered shakily. "Now all they remind me of is pain and battle and death. I close my eyes….and the thunder sounds like the marching of Death Eaters and giants coming to kill us all...the lightning flashes behind my eyelids just like a curse flying by me to hit someone...draining the life from them. All I see and hear is death."

"Hermione," Draco murmured, slowly running his fingers through her hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It seemed so trivial… You were right when you said it was strange for me to be afraid of thunderstorms when I've been around Harry my whole life; fighting and seeing death. I helped defeat Voldemort...the most powerful dark wizard in the world, yet I can't handle a little storm," Hermione replied.

"Hermione, you've been through so many things in your life. They're bound to have an immeasurable effect on you," he said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't take you seriously."

"I didn't really want you too," Hermione whispered. "I thought I could do it by myself…"

Draco kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "Hermione independence doesn't mean that you have to go through everything by yourself."

"I'm sorry," she replied, slipping her hand into his.

"It's okay," Draco murmured. "Just try and get some sleep. "We can put silencing spells on the room so you don't hear the storm."

"Don't," Hermione said. "You can learn to face your fears when you have someone do go through it with."

He nodded slowly. "Try and get some sleep Hermione."

"Thank you for staying," she said quietly, letting her eyes fall closed.

A/N: Wahoo! One more chapter done! I know it's not a super long chapter, but sometimes that's how it goes. Anyways, thank you for all of you that have reviewed, favorited and followed! It means a lot. :) As always, I don't own anything, and please let me know what you think!