"Hermione, is everything alright?"
It was her father-in-law, Lucius, asking from the other side. The brooding, elitist man she once met in Diagon Alley was no more. Like Draco, Lucius became a changed man after the war. His trial and short imprisonment in Azkaban, and the tainted name of the Malfoys for their involvement with the Dark Lord wounded his once-massive ego.
Not wanting him to see her face, she gave her reply through the door.
"I'm alright, Lucius. Tired from work is all."
"Will you be joining us for dinner? I just saw Draco storm by my study a minute ago-" Lucius asked but was cut off.
She opened the door to look at him and gave him an assuring look. "Sorry Lucius, but I have to read up on a patient's case first. No need to worry, I'll make my way down to the kitchens later tonight."
Briefly taken aback by her sudden appearance, he replied, "Very well, I'll let them both know not to wait for you. If anything's the matter, truly, I may be of help. Having "
Now it was Hermione's turn to be surprised. 'Had he also felt Draco's coldness as he made his way down to greet his mother?' His offer of help was something Hermione was still not used to but greatly appreciated this new side of him.
She gave him her best smile. "I- Of course. Thank you."
He nodded and made his way to join his family for dinner.
Going back into the room, she walked back and forth, contemplating on what to do to pass time. She made a quick excuse to him, there was no patient she needed to read up on. She was Hermione Granger for Merlin's sake, she knew everything about everything.
Hermione had her mind made up, she would surely give Draco a piece of her mind before bed tonight and sort out why he acted in such harsh way before leaving work.
Grabbing her wand, she accio'd a blanket and a book and made her way to the plushy armchair in the corner of the bedroom. She immersed herself into her book, a classic way to make time pass by. Soon enough, she heard the familiar footsteps nearing their bedroom door.
She snuggled the blanket closer to her, eyes glued to the same word in her book. She wasn't ready to confront him yet.
The door swung open as Draco made his entrance. Glancing down to her watch, the clock read 8:21, nearly an hour and a half since her encounter with Lucius.
She saw his figure sit on the edge of the bed facing her, silently looking at her as she clutched her book. The only sound heard was Hermione flipping to the next page. She seemed oblivious to the man a few feet away from her, and Draco fully knew he had stepped out of line with his sudden outburst.
After a moment, he sighed and got up. She finally looked up from her book only to glance once again at his retreating form, only this time he went into the bathroom. A short minute after, he went straight to their bed and settled in.
10:07
She heard Draco's patterned breathing as she got up from the armchair. They both had a long day at work and it was only a matter of time before he drifted off to sleep. Hermione looked down at her husband as he slept, Her mind roamed freely as she tried to read her book in peace, even as she felt Draco's gaze boring into her sides earlier. Her stomach grumbled in hunger, having missed her meal and having nibbled on light snacks throughout the day.
Deciding it was about time to give her body the proper nourishment, she carefully opened the door as to not wake Draco. Walking down the long hallway and stairs, making her way to the kitchen.
On her way down, she noticed a light coming from an open door that was Narcissa's private room. As she passed by, she heard the light voice calling her name.
"Hermione, dear, why are you awake at this time of night?"
She walked back a few steps and made her way into the dimly lit room. Narcissa carefully placed her book on the coffee table as she welcomed Hermione inside.
"I.. I got a bit hungry. I was busy reviewing a patient's file for tomorrow."
Narcissa eyed the tired-looking young woman in front of her. "Pippy left food in the dining room in case you got hungry. You might want to call Pippy to heat up the food for you."
She quickly thanked Narcissa and turned away just as Narcissa spoke up once again.
"Is anything the matter dear? It was unusual for you not to join us for dinner, and Draco was in quite the sour mood this evening." Hermione wanted nothing less than to include her mother-in-law into her slight altercation with Draco. Even she didn't know how this came to be, but Hermione knew she was only looking out for her son and his wife.
"To be quite honest, I have no idea why Draco's acting that way. He's been like that ever since I met him in his office."
"You know how he is, he will let something get to him and keep it bottled inside. An unhealthy coping mechanism that boy has developed from a young age. No thanks to Lucius, of course."
Hermione nodded in agreement, knowing what it took to get Draco to open up. This entire time she thought he had been mad at her, annoyed with her mere presence. But they were no longer students at Hogwarts, no childish rivalry or hatred between the Gryffindor Princess and Slytherin Prince.
"I'll talk to him first thing tomorrow morning. He went straight to bed just now, probably just exhausted from today."
"Thank you 'Cissa, again." She flashed the older witch a light smile before heading to the dining room for her meal.
'Food.. Food..Food' was all she kept on thinking about at the moment. Her mind was too focused on food to think about the upcoming conversation she would have with her husband the following morning.
She then spotted the platter of lasagna and called for Pippy. The house-elf appeared before her in a split second, and with a quick snap of her fingers and a small bow, Pippy bid Hermione good night before disappearing in another split second.
She ate her meal in silence, her ever-active mind feeding her possible scenarios as to explain what had made Draco so upset at work. Being a healer was no easy feat, each day was a challenge in itself. Patients coming in and out daily, with varying degrees of injuries. So Hermione understood it may have just been one of those bad days for Draco, but even then they always talked out their troubles.
As she finished up, she heard someone walking down the corridor. 'Must be Draco,' she thought to herself once more.
Again, not yet ready to face him, she got up and hurriedly washed her plate, the muggle way of course. Just as he walked in, Hermione walked out. He looked at her, and she knew he did, she could feel it.
Making her way back to their bedroom, she walked into their bathroom and washed up before going back. She stopped and looked out the window and watched the snowfall. Her mind going blank for a while, not noticing anything.
" Hermione..."
