The Rose In The Rain | Dramione

Chapter 1

Hermione stared at her shaking hands, covered in a dark, sticky substance. It was warm, and dripped down her arms and onto the stone floor. Blood. Her eyes, darkly brown, flooded with fear as the massive snake that had been advancing on her released a low hiss, it's eyes narrowed into yellow slits as it slid across the floor towards her. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out as she pressed her back roughly against the wall, her heart beating rapidly in her heaving chest.

'Is it my blood?' Hermione thought to herself, too petrified to move out of the lethal snake's path. 'It will be soon,' said a voice in the back of her mind. She swallowed hard, puffing out her chest as she faced the snake. She would face death courageously.

The snake was less than a meter away, preparing to lunge, when a pair of arms wove their way around Hermione's waist, pushing her out of the way. Screaming, she rolled to the ground, someone's body laying atop of her own. She saw a flash of red hair as a sigh of relief escaped her lips. It was Ron.

The two scrambled to their feet, turning back toward the vicious reptile. Ron had his wand withdrawn already, and Hermione pulled hers out, pointing it at Nagini, the snake.

"Ron," she said, breathlessly, "this is the final Horcrux!"

"It is," he confirmed, his fingers wrapped around her own as he clutched her hand tightly. "Bombarda," he shouted, his wand aimed at the snake. It hit  Nagini's scales, scorching them as she writhed in pain. Ron tugged gently yet urgently on Hermione's hand, and they ran, heading toward a nearby staircase.

They raced down the flight of stairs, the hissing of Nagini on their tails assuring them that they were being followed. As the descended the staircase, Hermione's grip on Ron's hand tightened fearfully. At the bottom of the stairs, a wall had collapsed, blocking them from escaping like a barricade.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered hurriedly, panicking. He and Hermione turned toward the snake slowly, and saw her approaching them quickly. After firing more defensive spells in attempt to stop the snake to no avail, they backed up to the rubble behind them. Closing their eyes, they embraced in a tight hug, Hermione's head buried in Ron's chest. A shriek of sheer pain cut through the air, followed by a series of screams and cries, until everything went black. Then there was only silence and pain.

Hermione's eyes snapped open, and she sat upright in bed, her breaths quick and shallow. Clinging to her pillow, she cried, muffling her sobs by stuffing her face into the soft material in her arms.

The Second Wizarding War had ended months before, and while everyone had been slowly moving forward, nightmares still haunted Hermione. Sometimes she relived events from the war that had actually occurred. Other times, when the night terrors got really bad, her mind created horribly dreadful scenarios, usually ending in death.

Hermione, along with Harry, had been staying at the Burrow with the Weasley's since they left Hogwarts. It had been unanimously decided that they would both stay at the bustling Burrow until Hermione's parents were recovered, wherever they were, with their memories restored. Then she and Harry would stay with the Granger's, for however long may be.

It was frustrating, however, not being able to do anything. Hermione wanted to be out there, searching for her parents. After the war, she had gone back home, and found her house empty, stripped clean of any traces of her family. She knew it had been for the best, but it was still heartbreaking to face.

After gathering herself, Hermione pushed her simple blue duvet off her body and stood up, her eyes drifting to the empty bed across the room. Ginny Weasley had been taking Fred's death worse than Hermione, and understandably so. Ginny would often disappear throughout the night, leaving Hermione to pretend not to notice, and never question where she went.

Crossing the bedroom, Hermione busied herself by going through her belongings yet again, a habit she had fallen into since arriving at the Burrow. She'd rifle through her clothing, then sort through her collection of books, although none of them held as much appeal as the previously had. It was something she did to pass time, and to avoid going downstairs and seeing everyone.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Hermione sat cross-legged on the floor, boredom drilling holes through her mind. She tilted her head back, so that her chin was pointing toward the ceiling, and rested her head on the edge of Ginny's bed, closing her eyes as she allowed her thoughts to run loose.

A time consuming and reoccurring thought she'd been having revolved around Ron, and where they stood, relationship wise. During the war, the two had shared a kiss, and while it meant the world to Hermione, Ron hadn't seemed to care. The two had barely even spoken in the months they'd been living together. Hermione pondered how something that had seemed so passionate could have really been nothing. It unnerved her, but she had decided not to settle with what she had now. Once Ron had gotten himself together again, she'd bring it up, and they could talk.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered to herself, the words hanging greedily in the stiff air. Massaging her temples, Hermione stood up and left the bedroom, heading to the bathroom across the corridor to shower.

Closing the door behind her, Hermione clicked the lock and glanced at the shower, chewing on the inside of her cheeks thoughtfully. Reaching into the shower stall, she turned on the hot water tap and waited, allowing the water to run. Her eyes closed as she listened to the water fall rhythmically, and she leaned against the locked door.

A sudden knock pulled her from her sleep, and Hermione jumped away from the door. Rubbing her eyes groggily, she yawned. "Who is it?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"It's Ginny," came a muffled response, and Hermione unlocked the door for her. Pulling it open, Hermione smiled wearily at the ginger, who's face seemed dull and blank.

"You need the shower?" she asked, realizing she'd let the water run for Merlin only knew how long while she slept next to the shower.

"No," Ginny replied quietly, her voice oddly small. "It's just you've been in here a long time, and I wanted to make sure you were alright. Did you even get in yet?"

Hermione winced. She'd probably wasted so much water. "Uh, no. I haven't gotten in yet, I sorta fell asleep against the door," she admitted, rubbing the back of her sore neck.

"Wait, like, standing up?" Ginny asked, the hint of a smile brightening her features. Hermione smiled fondly at the girl, relieved to see her looking less stressed.

"Guilty," she chuckled.

Ginny laughed, lifting Hermione's spirits. The sound was slightly strained, and sounded peculiar in the heavy air, but it was a wonderfully familiar sound, one both girls had been missing dearly.

They bid each other goodbye, and Hermione stepped into the steaming shower, a sigh of content escaping her lips as the water ran down her body, cleansing her.