It was nearly the end of March and the weather brought rain showers. Hermione didn't mind, especially on slow days at the bookshop.
With the soft tapping of raindrops on the window, Hermione hummed to herself as she stocked some new books that just came in.
"Someone's in a good mood," Rachel said.
Hermione looked over her shoulder and gave the other girl a smile. "I am, actually. I love this kind of weather."
"Mhm. The weather, yeah. You sure it's not about, oh I dunno….you and Draco?"
Hermione bit her lip as she tried to stop herself from grinning too much. "Maybe it has a little something to do with that."
"Uh-huh, that's what I thought," Rachel teased. "Anyway, I'll be over in the romance section, looking for my own love story, if you need me."
Hemione chuckled as Rachel walked away and continued with her task.
During lunch, she went over to Draco's shop, but instead of finding him behind the counter, she found Graham and Sydney instead.
"Where's Draco?" she asked them curiously.
"He got a call from Lyra's school. I guess she wasn't feeling well," Sydney said.
Hermione's brow furrowed. "I hope she's alright. Thanks." She waved to the two as she exited the shop, cell phone already in hand.
Heard about Lyra.
Hope she is okay.
Give her a hug and kiss from me.
She has a slight fever and is currently resting on the couch.
I'll keep you updated.
For the rest of the day, Hermione checked on Lyra. Draco reassured her that Lyra was doing well except for the fever, but it was probably safer if she didn't come over that night. She agreed and told him that she'd check on them in the morning.
Hermione's cell phone rang, jarring her awake. She glanced at the clock and noted that it was nearly one in the morning. She picked her cell phone and upon seeing the number on the screen, was full of worry.
Draco never called her in the middle of the night.
"Draco?" she said as she sat up, now wide awake. "Is everything alright?"
"Sorry for waking you." She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "Lyra's fever has spiked, and now she has these spots all over her body. I think it might be chickenpox, but I'm not entirely sure as I just heard about it today, so I can't be positive."
Hermione got out of bed and put on a pair of slippers. "Do you need a hand?"
Draco sighed with relief. "If you wouldn't mind?"
"I'll be right there."
"Thank you. Just come to my room when you get here."
As soon as they hung up, Hermione grabbed her robe and wand then Apparated into Draco's room.
Lyra was in Draco's bed, fast asleep and most definitely covered in chickenpox.
Belle, the ever diligent and loyal dog, was laying at her feet and perked up, wagging her tail as soon as she spotted Hermione.
"Poor thing," Hermione said, taking a seat next to the sleeping child. She felt her forehead then used her wand to check her temperature. "You've given her some fever-reducing medication, I assume?"
Draco nodded tiredly. "Yes, about two hours ago her fever read 39 degrees on the thermometer. I had to change it to Celsius because it was set in Fahrenheit and I nearly had a heart attack when it read over 100. I checked it again before calling you and that's when I noticed the spots. It was down to 38.2 at that point then."
"It's still around that." She glanced at Draco. "I'm going to guess that you've never had chickenpox?"
The wizard shook his head. "I had a mild case of Dragon pox when I was around five, but I'm assuming they're not the same."
"No, they're not. And unfortunately, chickenpox is contagious to those who've never had it before, and it's actually worse for adults to get it."
Draco looked at her wearily. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you probably need to keep your distance from her, at least until she's not contagious anymore."
"How long will that be?"
"Just a few days until the spots have scabbed over."
Draco's mouth dropped open slightly. "I can't keep my distance from her for that long! Who'll take care of her?"
"I can," she offered. "I had chickenpox when I was younger so it's not as much of a risk for me as it is for you."
Draco shook his head. "You don't have to do that."
Hermione rested her hand on top of his. "I know I don't, but I want to. Let me help you….please?"
"Alright." Draco ran a hand over his face, his exhaustion showed. "I'll go sleep in the guest room."
"Hang on," Hermione said as she took out her wand again. "Let me make sure you aren't getting sick as well."
Hermione used her wand to check his temperature, relieved it showed him feverless. "You're good to go. I'll stay in here with her tonight, just in case anything changes. Okay?"
He nodded and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thank you. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
After Draco left, Hermione crawled into the bed next to Lyra and shut off the bedside lamp.
She pressed her lips to the little girl's forehead, giving her a small kiss and also seeing if she felt any warmer than before. Satisfied Lyra's temp wasn't rising, she tucked her into her side where Lyra instinctively cuddled against her, and Hermione soon drifted off to sleep.
"Miss Hermione?" said a tired, confused voice beside her.
Hermione opened her eyes and saw that Lyra was looking at her with sleepy eyes.
"Hi, sweetheart." She placed her hand on the girl's forehead and noted that she felt hot. "Your fever seems to be back. How are you feeling otherwise?"
"Yucky," Lyra pouted. "And itchy." She went to scratch her arm but Hermione stopped her.
"I know it's hard not to, but try not to scratch them, okay? It'll only make it worse."
"But they're everyyyyyy wheeeeere," Lyra whined then let out a sniffle. "Where's Daddy?"
"Your dad slept in the guest room so he doesn't get chickenpox, too."
"Won't you get them though?"
"Well, I already had them when I was about your age so I'm okay to be with you," Hermione explained. "I remember it being absolutely awful and all I wanted to do was scratch and scratch. But, my mum did something that really helped me so we'll see if it works with you too, okay?"
"What did she do?"
"She gave me an oatmeal bath."
Lyra wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to take a bath in oatmeal. Won't that make me all sticky and plug up the tub?"
Hermione chuckled. "It's not like the oatmeal you eat." She brushed some of Lyra's curls away from her face. "How about this—I'll bring you breakfast in bed then go get some things from the store to hopefully help you with all that itching, sound good?"
"Okay."
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"Oatmeal kind of sounds nice," Lyra said with a small grin.
Hermione grinned back. "Oatmeal it is."
Hermione found Draco at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee and the newspaper spread out.
"Good morning," she said as she walked over to him.
"Morning," he said as he tugged her into his lap and gave her a kiss. "I peeked in on you two when I woke, but you were both sound asleep."
"Yeah, we just woke up. Her fever seems to be back and she's really itchy. I told her I'd make her some breakfast in bed then I'll pop off to the store to get a few things."
She stood and walked over to grab a pot and filled it partly with water. "Are you going to work today?" she asked as she started mixing in the oatmeal.
"I wasn't going to, but then I figured it might be best for me to be out of the house to lessen the risk of getting sick. So, yes, I am going into work, but not until later. I called Graham and he's opening for me. I wanted to make sure you two were settled before heading in."
"If you wouldn't mind waiting until I go home and get some clothes then go to the store, that would be great," Hermione said, stirring the hot oatmeal as it thickened.
"I can do that."
Hermione walked over to him again and felt his forehead. "What about you? How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I was a little worried when you said I was at risk of getting it myself since I snuggled her all day yesterday on the couch."
"We'll have to keep an eye out, just in case. It may take a day or two for symptoms to occur." She went back to check on the oatmeal and stirred it some more. "So what happened yesterday? Graham and Syd said you left to pick up Lyra from school early?"
Draco took a sip of his coffee then gave a nod. "I got a call from her school that Lyra was feverish so I picked her up. It wasn't until a few hours later that her teacher called and informed me that a few other students were out with chickenpox."
Hermione winced. "That's unfortunate. Hopefully this passes quickly for Lyra. I remember having them when I was little and I was miserable."
She poured three bowls of oatmeal, adding cinnamon and sugar to each.
"I'm going to give this to Lyra in bed, if that's okay?"
"That's fine. I have a bed tray around just for this type of thing. I also have a smaller telly I can set up in the room for her as well."
He went to stand when Hermione held up a hand. "It's okay, I got it. Here," she set the second bowl in front of him. "I made you some too."
He took her hand and kissed the top of it. "Thank you. Give Lyra my love since I can't."
"Of course," she said.
Once Lyra was set up with her breakfast and the small telly was up in her room, Hermione took an hour for herself to go home to shower, change, and grab an overnight bag where she packed a few days worth of clothes. Much to Berlioz's chagrin, she also placed him into a pet carrier. It would be easier to look after him at Draco's than to run back and forth. Then she headed to the drug store to gather the supplies she'd need.
"All right, I have what we need for the oatmeal bath, some calamine lotion to help with the itching afterward, more children's acetaminophen—I wasn't sure how much you had left. Plus, I figured some snacks and treats wouldn't hurt either."
Draco peered into the bag. "Anything for me in there?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but reached into the bag and pulled out a Snickers bar.
He gave her a wide grin. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah. Now, go to work and I'll give Lyra a bath. I'll put her in her bed afterward so I can wash your linens and you can sleep in your own bed tonight."
"You don't need to do that," he said. "I can wash them when I get home."
"Honestly, Draco, it's not a bother. Now," she kissed his cheek. "Go. I'll text you if I need anything or if anything changes."
"I feel bad leaving her," he admitted as he glanced towards the stairs.
Hermione squeezed his arm reassuringly. "She'll be fine, I promise."
Belle came over and sat down while she stared at the two adults. Hermione reached down and rubbed her head. "Belle, Berlioz, and I will keep her company and make sure she's comfortable."
It took a few more minutes of convincing, but Draco finally left for work.
Hermione checked on Lyra and gave her some more medicine for her fever before she ran her bath.
Lyra watched as Hermione put in the baking soda and oatmeal into the water. She looked at the concoction skeptically. "Are you sure that stuff will help me?"
Hermione chuckled. "Yes, I promise." She grabbed a hair tie and put Lyra's hair in a bun at the top of her head.
"Do you want me to give you some privacy while you undress and get in the bath?" Hermione asked.
Lyra shrugged. "I dunno."
"Alright. How about I go and get some clean pajamas for you while you get into the tub. Make sure to rub the water all over your body, okay?"
She left the bathroom, but made sure to keep the door cracked so she could hear if anything were to happen, and set about gathering new clothes for Lyra then took off the sheets from Draco's bed.
"Miss Hermione?" Lyra called out. "I think I'm done. My fingers are all wrinkly!"
Hermione glanced at the time and saw that she had been soaking in the tub for ten minutes. "Alright, go ahead and unplug the tub and I'll be there in a moment."
She used her wand to quickly put on the new sheets then went to help Lyra dry off.
"Before you put on your pyjamas, I need to put some of this lotion on you." Hermione grabbed a cotton ball and put some of the calamine lotion on it.
Lyra giggled as she dabbed each pox. "It's pink! Now I have pink spots!"
Hermione smiled, grateful to hear the little girl's laughter. "Yup. This lets us see that we got all the chickenpox covered. Once it dries a bit, we can put on your pjs and get you back into your bed."
It didn't take long to cover all the pox and within a short time Lyra was tucked into her own bed.
"Can the little T.V. be in my room?" Lyra asked sleepily.
"I don't see why not." Hermione used her wand to bring the TV into the room and put on a channel that she knew Lyra liked. She used her wand to check Lyra's temperature.
"You're still a little warm, but better. How are you feeling?"
Lyra yawned. "Fine. Not as itchy anymore."
Hermione smiled. "Good."
She sat with Lyra as she ran her fingers through the girl's hair and saw that the child's blinks were getting longer each time.
"Miss Hermione?" Lyra asked sleepily.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can you get Otis for me?"
"Sure I can." Hermione glanced around the room. "Do you know where he is?"
"Daddy's room," Lyra said with her eyes already closed.
Hermione went into Draco's room and glanced around, not finding the stuffed otter. She looked under the bed and found the beloved stuffie next to an old, pink leather suitcase.
Frowning, she reached under the bed and pulled out the stuffed animal as well as the suitcase.
"That's funny," she murmured to herself. "It looks just like the one I had as a child."
She turned the suitcase around and gasped—on the right, brass hinge were the initials HJG, the same ones she had etched into hers when she was six years old—the day her mother gave her the suitcase.
"Miss Hermione," Lyra called out. "Did you find him?"
Hermione stared dumbly at the suitcase as she clutched the stuffed animal to her chest.
"Miss Hermione?" Lyra called out again.
Hermione snapped back to attention. "Yes, I found him." She hurried to Lyra's bedroom and handed her the stuffed animal.
Lyra snuggled Otis. "Thank you."
"Lyra," Hermione said as she glanced towards the door. "Whose suitcase is that under your dad's bed? The pink one?"
Lyra mumbled something that sounded like "mine" but Hermione knew questioning the little girl was useless—she was nearly asleep.
Hermione slipped out of the room and closed the door. She walked over to Draco's room and stood at the doorway, staring at the bed.
Why would Draco have her childhood suitcase? The last time she remembered seeing it was at her parent's home right after sixth year.
She bit her lip as she went downstairs and debated whether or not to call Draco; it wasn't an emergency though, so she felt it could wait until he got home.
She decided to keep herself busy while Lyra napped and cleaned the bathroom, then changed the sheets in the guest room before she started making lunch for when Lyra woke up.
When she woke, Lyra devoured every bit of the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich Hermione had prepared. After another application of the calamine lotion, Hermione sat next to Lyra with Belle at the foot of the bed, and Berlioz curled up in Hermione's lap while they watched a new movie she had brought over, The Little Princess, though all Hermione could think about was that suitcase.
Lyra napped again and Hermione was relieved when Draco walked through the door with take-out. After a quick check on Lyra, the two sat down and started eating.
Draco bit into an egg roll. "How did today go?"
"It went well," she said as she picked at her chow mien and gave him a rundown of the events.
"I do have one question though," Hermione asked. "Where did you get that suitcase that's under your bed? I came across it while looking for Otis earlier."
Draco frowned. "The pink leather one? Daphne gave it to me when she gave me Lyra. It had all of Lyra's things in it like nappies, clothes, and bottles. Why?"
Hermione swallowed thickly before she said quietly, "Because I think it's mine."
Draco stared at her. "Yours? Why would you think it's yours?"
"Because…. It has my initials on the hinge."
Draco shook his head. "No, I think you're mistaken. Those are just scratches."
Hermione bit her lip. "No. I'm sure. I can show you. Although, it doesn't make sense."
The two went upstairs and peeked in on Lyra first before going to the bedroom. Draco kneeled on the floor and pulled out the suitcase, then placed it on the bed.
Hermione turned it around and pointed at the small initials. "HJG…..Hermione Jean Granger. And here," she pointed at another set of scratched initials that read KJB. "Those are my mothers initials from when it was hers, Kathleen Jean Becksworth." She looked up at him with watery eyes. "I don't understand…"
Draco's eyes widened. "Lyra's middle name is also Jean," he said quietly.
Hermione opened the suitcase to look at the contents. She picked up the top journal and when she opened it, words began to appear.
"Do you see that?"
Draco nodded. "I see something, but it looks gibberish to me. I think the journal must be charmed so only certain people can read it. But why you can…"
Hermione frowned as she inspected the journal again. "It's in a language I'm not familiar with… possibly French." She glanced at Draco. "Do you know French?"
He nodded. "I do."
"Can you get me a pen and paper? I'll copy the words down for you to translate."
Draco handed her the items and Hermione started copying down the words. When she was done she handed it back to him and watched as he read the words to himself with a frown.
"Well?" she asked. "What does it say?"
"Souviens-toi de ce qui a été perdu. Which essentially translate to 'remember what's been lost.'"
"What does that–"
Her head felt like it was about to explode. Memories from nearly eight years ago rushed forward, crashing down on her with such intensity that the last thing Hermione remembered before blacking out was Draco's face, terrified, calling out her name.
Longest chapter to date! We're also a little over halfway through so I hope you're ready for a look into the past!
And thank you, everyone, for your well-wishes for my daughter! She's definitely feeling better and the stitches come out Wednesday, yay!
Next week will probably be a late posting as it will be a very busy weekend for my family as we'll be in the middle of our move.
Enjoy the chapter and have a great week! xoxoHufflepuffMommy