Outside, it was snowing. The first snowflakes were making their appearance, and the white glow cast an enchanted light over the secluded gardens of Hogwarts. The tiny frozen designs floated by the hundreds in the sky, eventually settling on the ground, awakening a thousand sensations in Hermione's heart. She couldn't believe she was here, in this place, with only Draco Malfoy for company. They had slipped away from the Great Hall, their stomachs too knotted to feel hungry. Perhaps it was the need to see each other that had driven them to hurry to the corner of the school's walls. There, thousands of trees coexisted with the environment, and silence quieted their fears.
They had been meeting in secret for two days, their eyes elsewhere, their hands buried in their jackets and their cheeks hot with embarrassment. Sometimes they didn't dare to discuss. They just looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, raised their eyebrows, and then ran away. Today was different. Draco, with the greatest discretion, had arranged to meet her at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, at the intersection of the remote gardens of the wizarding school, where the Hogwarts lake shone with a thousand lights. Without a sound, he asked her to close her eyes and the sweet autumn air changed into frosty, but gentle weather. Winter. The illusion of snowflakes escaping from Draco's magic wand, extended towards the sky, made her tremble with joy.
Sometimes, Malfoy was tender; at other times, he was abrupt. On this day, he was mysterious. His gaze fixed elsewhere, he observed the shimmering snowflakes above their heads, his face inscrutable. Almost instinctively, Hermione reached out her hand toward him, seeking to discover his vulnerabilities, his scars.
Under his touch, he lowered his unruly hair toward her and offered a faint smile. Hermione searched his eyes for an answer that never came. His stormy gray irises reflected only an insurmountable barrier.
"Who does the snow remind you of?" she asked.
"My mother," he whispered in reply.
He pursed his lips, as if trying to formulate his thoughts. She remained patient, her heart at the edge of her throat. It was a gateway, she could take the opportunity to find out more about the location of his family members, but she didn't have the strength. Her body tensed, she waited.
"When I was little and felt alone in Malfoy Manor, my mother had this habit of making the sky cringe by conjuring an arabesque snow. Just for me. Just for me."
He turned away and, lifting the phalanges of his fingers, he caught a snowflake that slipped against the palm of his hand and, upon contact with his skin, vanished.
"She used to tell me that the coldness of winter could remind me of the warmth of our souls. That even what seemed lost in our hearts could be revived by a touch as delicate as a snowflake."
He turned toward her, expressive eyes locking onto hers. Grasping one of her caramel curls between his fingers, he pondered.
"She sees beauty in all forms. Just like you."
Draco shook his head, releasing his hold on her hair, lips pursed.
"I find myself coming here sometimes, trying to understand what she could see. I try to grasp what eludes my gaze. But... even with my eyes open, I remain blind."
Hermione swallowed, suddenly choked with emotion. Unaware of her body, she leaned against his chest and played with his downy black coat.
"Perhaps it's not about seeing beauty, but about feeling it?" she whispered, finally meeting his gaze.
In turn, she extended one of her small hands to examine the snowflakes, her eyes shining. Malfoy watched her, throat tight.
"Maybe it's not about forcing things, but about letting go?"
She sighed, closing her eyes, and a wisp of vapor escaped her lips.
"Perhaps by overthinking, you prevent yourself from feeling the unimaginable. And maybe in your search for a glimmer, you've forgotten that you already have one close by, within yourself?"
Hermione continued to observe the snowflakes with tenderness, feeling as though she floated in another galaxy. They stood apart from the other students, and through that distance, she sensed she was discovering a fragment of her long-awaited happiness, something she could almost reach out and touch with her fingertips.
Hermione turned away from her dreamy observation under Malfoy's warm palms against her hips. With a tender gesture, he grasped her chin, tilting her face toward him.
"I understand now. It's not the snow that keeps my feets on the ground. It's you. And even if I close my eyes, I still see you."
Hermione welcomed the caress of his lips with trembling limbs. The gesture was incredibly gentle, almost fearful. She clung tighter to his person under the tenderness of his kiss. She floated, her spirit light and when he detached himself from her, his eyes half closed, she burst out laughing. Euphoria shot through her heart with happiness. A little more and she felt like she had wings.
"Are you mocking me?" he asked.
"Not at all," she laughed, savoring the moment.
He pressed her closer, expressing his annoyance, and she giggled in response.
"I'm just content," she said. "That's all."
Forehead against forehead, Malfoy took a deep breath, his warm hands still on her hips. He didn't release her gaze. If he thought she would pull away, he was mistaken. Hermione wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, forgetting everything else. All her responsibilities and tasks faded away. She longed to meld into the warmth of his muscles and the softness of his caresses. Breathing near his lips, she felt as if there might be no tomorrow. Draco Malfoy had become her bubble of peace. The serenity of their secret encounters brought her a comfort she never believed she deserved. And there she was, smiling under the snowflakes' glow, eyes shining with tears of joy.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For sharing that memory of your mother with me."
He simply nodded, suddenly lost in thought.
His touch became more uncertain, as if he were trapped in the recesses of his thoughts, unable to hold onto reality. Their reality.
"You don't talk much about her," she added.
Her words tasted bitter in her throat. She felt like a traitor, even though she genuinely wanted to delve deeper and discover the world surrounding the prince of snakes. To uncover all of Malfoy's secrets.
"No. There are people we cherish so much that speaking of them stirs dull pains," he murmured.
He moved away from her, seemingly putting back on his mask of coldness. Hermione tensed as she analyzed him. Had she gone too far?
"I apologize," she hurriedly added, her breath catching. "I understand your reluctance to talk about it."
"Is that why you never talk about your parents?"
His voice was distant, almost challenging. Hermione flinched at his abrupt tone. Now it was her turn to create distance between their bodies. The snow had stopped falling, and the cold air turned into a shower of orange leaves. She shivered at the change in atmosphere, absentmindedly playing with her red and gold scarf to distract herself. Malfoy was aware of her state, his jaw clenched, and he didn't dare make a move.
Reflexively, she moved closer to the lake and crouched down, her breath trembling. Her parents were a sensitive topic, too painful for her to discuss even with her best friend, Harry. Perhaps it was denial, but the memories, tightly woven into a box deep in her mind, led Hermione to blow out the candle of their absence rather than face reality.
"With the war raging, we all had to make difficult choices. My only regret was not giving them a choice in the equation."
"What do you mean?"
Draco, standing to her right, followed her movement to be at her level, while Hermione avoided his gaze, plunging her hand into the icy water, lips pressed together.
"My parents are Muggles, Malfoy. They were in danger, you understand?"
He remained silent, suddenly paralyzed.
"You don't have to talk about it. I didn't mean to attack you by asking that question."
"It's okay. I never talk about it. I have to start, though, or I'll never free myself from this pain, right?"
Her voice was pitifully sad, and she closed her eyes as she heard herself. She despised appearing so weak. In trying to protect the dearest beings in her heart, she had committed the irreversible. There was no going back once such a spell was cast.
"I cast the Obliviate curse on them..." She swallowed, her voice trembling. "I wanted... I knew that being close to Harry put my parents at risk. They were a target."
Hermione raised her eyes to observe the now dark sky, bordered with stars. She imagined their faces as she gazed at the constellations, fighting back tears. Their features were so clear in her mind, yet faded. Her parents would no longer look at her with that gentle sparkle in their eyes. She wouldn't have the chance to secretly bond with her father while her mother cooked an awful meal. And she wouldn't hear their laughter when she enthusiastically announced that she had beaten Draco Malfoy in Potions. It was silly, but those seemingly insignificant family moments took on profound meaning when they no longer existed. She no longer existed. Not to them.
"I'm just a mirage, a mist in their minds. They never had a daughter and will never know the magic that surrounds this world."
Hermione gasped, her breath trembling. Malfoy hadn't dared to utter a sound; he stood frozen by her side, gazing at the lake with a bitterness that touched her.
"It must have been horrible to make such a sacrifice," Draco murmured.
Hermione recalled Ron's angry words when he found out what she had done. Harry had held her tightly when he heard the news. She hadn't cried since the incident, as if a desert had ravaged her heart. But in this moment, with Draco's sad gaze upon her, she felt all the pain rise in her throat.
It hurt so much.
"I feel like I've torn a piece of my soul away," she confessed.
Automatically, she closed her eyes as tears traced down her cheeks. Malfoy held her tightly, and she nestled her nose against his neck, her cheeks damp.
"You did the right thing. You protected them. And you did what you could," he assured her.
She stifled a sob against his chest.
"Do you really think so?" she choked out, Ron's words echoing in her mind.
"You were a coward. You gave them no choice. What you did was selfish. They would have preferred to die with glory, knowing that their daughter is fighting for their world, rather than forget. Have you lost a part of your soul? That's good, because you destroyed them!"
Malfoy pressed her hard, as if hearing the cruelty of the words ravaging her brain.
"You are immensely strong for having the courage to choose their happiness and safety over yours. You haven't destroyed them; you've freed them from a fate they didn't deserve."
"I'm scared all the time, Draco," she cried. "Afraid they'll die, and that everything I did was in vain. Afraid they'll vanish even though they're already gone."
"You didn't do it for nothing. Even if they no longer belong to this world," Malfoy whispered. "They will have lived a beautiful life. Thanks to you. You offered them respite in this dark world," he whispered, burying his face in her hair.
"You gave them a gift, an alternate destiny," he continued.
Hermione wiped her eyes, suddenly weary. She slipped out of his tender embrace, her heart heavy with emotions.
"I'm afraid too," he confessed in a breath.
She raised her eyes to meet his gray gaze.
"What are you afraid of, Draco?"
"My mother. She's not safe. Nowhere."
He inhaled, suddenly lost.
"What do you mean?"
Hermione knew the answer but hesitated to voice it. Instead, she chose silence, her muscles tense.
"Hermione." His voice was gentle, almost sad. "There are things that happen beyond the walls of Hogwarts. Things I couldn't explain to you. But... maybe one day, I'll show you. Maybe one day, I'll find the strength."
Malfoy stood up, ready to head back to their dormitory, his posture rigid. Hermione followed suit, suddenly anxious about their conversation. Before he left to join the other students, Draco uttered one last sentence.
"Perhaps one day, I'll explain... if I'm still here to do so."
That night, as she returned to her room, Hermione received a small white parchment. The fine ink against the rough texture revealed a message from Malfoy:
"A kiss has the power to warm even the coldest heart."