My Flufftober 2021 contribution for the prompt : Caught in the Rain.

I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my native language. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Caught in the Rain

Hermione looked up at the sky and saw large black clouds hiding the rays of the sun. It would rain soon and she had not taken anything with her to protect herself. Today was their last Hogsmeade outing before graduation from Hogwarts. After the war, the seventh years had been allowed to go back to Hogwarts for another year and most of the students had accepted. A few Slytherins had also returned. There was still tension between some students. The animosity that had been there all these years was still there. But everyone had tried to make an effort to make this year go smoothly.

Hermione felt a drop fall on her nose, then a second. It did not take long for the rain to fall and the streets of Hogsmeade gradually emptied. Each passer-by found a place to protect themselves. Hermione was in front of a store. It was closed, but the doorway was large enough to protect her. She just had to wait for the downpour to stop.

Suddenly she saw a boy with a hood running towards her. The stranger stopped next to her, sheltering from the rain. When he pulled his hood off, Hermione saw that it was Draco Malfoy. He looked just as surprised as she was. He certainly had not recognized her when he had chosen this place for shelter. Just my luck, she thought ironically. Since the beginning of the year, they had not spoken to each other. Each lived their life on their own, without being interested in what the other was doing. He had not insulted her once and he had not spoken to her. An oppressive silence settled and neither of them dared to speak. Hermione felt like this rain would never stop.

A thought crossed Hermione's mind. She remembered the vacation she had with her grandparents when she was a child. A family meal had been organized in the garden and suddenly the rain had poured down. The party was ruined until there was a sound of a laugh and the whole family saw her grandparents dancing and having fun. The whole family joined them and start dancing. It was one of Hermione's fondest memories.

'Why are you smiling like that ?' Draco asked.

Hermione had not realized she was smiling. But it is true that this memory always put her in a good mood.

'I just remembered something,' she answered. 'It does not matter.'

Draco nodded, not knowing what to say and the silence settled once again.

'I've always hated the rain,' he said suddenly. 'There is always something sad when the rain starts to fall.'

Hermione looked at him and opened her eyes wide. She would have never imagined he could start a conversation with her. He was not looking at her, still being uncomfortable. She answered, hesitant.

'For me, rain is synonymous with joy. One of my best memories was in the rain.'

'Really ?' He asked intrigued.

This time his gaze was on her. She blushed at the sudden attention.

'When I was little, it started to rain like it does today. My grandparents started dancing and ended up taking the whole family with them. I don't think I've ever had so much fun than that day.'

'You danced !' Draco laughed.

He was laughing at her, but instead of being angry with him, she preferred to have fun.

'We did. Don't tell me you've never tried.'

Draco shook his head.

'Of course not. There is no way I can be taken for an idiot.'

'Are you afraid to wet your pretty hairstyle ?'

He put his hand on his hair, as if to check that his hair was still nicely done.

'You can't imagine how long it takes to achieve such a perfection.'

Suddenly they were not Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy anymore. They were like any other students teasing each other. Hermione took one step, then another and she felt the rain fall on her.

'What are you doing ?' Draco asked, surprised.

Hermione spun around and let out a light laugh. Draco stopped himself from smiling. He had never seen someone so happy before. She turned towards him. She was soaked from head to toe, but she did not care.

'Come !' She exclaimed.

Draco shook his head. He did not want to smile anymore.

'It's fun, you'll see,' Hermione said.

'No.'

'I won't tell anyone, I promise.'

She came up to him and gently took his hand. Draco knew he could let her go if he wanted, but he let himself be carried away by the Gryffindor's good mood. He noticed that her hand was warm, a real contrast to the cold rain that was falling. He sighed exaggeratedly to show his displeasure. He had never liked to dance, he was not very good at it. He had always played quidditch easily, but he felt like he'd become clumsy once he was on the dance floor. Fortunately nobody saw him.

He let himself be carried away by this dance without music. He did not know what he was doing, he was only trying to follow Hermione's movements. He would never admit it, but she was right. He was having fun like never before. And for the first time since he had known her, he really looked at Hermione. She was beautiful and he thought that he had been an idiot for not notice her before. A lock of her hair was pressed on her cheek. He walked over to her and brushed the lock away. He wanted to kiss her madly. The rain stopped and Draco realized what he was about to do. He stepped back and they stopped dancing. They felt like they were coming out of a dream.

'I have to go,' Draco said.

Hermione nodded. She knew the moment they had just lived had passed.

'Thank you for the dance, Granger.'

They smiled and left each other. Both now had a new memory that made them happy.

The end