#theseabundantskies

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 10: Expecting Just A Little Bit Too Much From The Wounded

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“Forty-two. Befriend somebody I don’t like,” Granger stated, out of the blue.

His brow furrowed. “Forty-two? What are you on about?”

She laughed and informed him, “It’s like a to-do list, except for my life.”

Draco was positive his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “Witch, you’ve already broken into supposedly impenetrable Gringotts and rode on the back of a dragon to escape. You impersonated one of the scariest bitches known to wizarding kind, successfully infiltrated the Ministry of Magic- multiple times - and won a war. What else could you possibly want to do?”

Granger tilted her head to the side, her charming smile broadening. Her hands rose, ticking off fingers with the opposite hand.

He valiantly ignored the tightening of his insides when he looked at her hand. Remembered it pressed against his, and the emotional clarity that had accompanied it.

“Make a magical discovery.”

“Ambitious,” he teased good-naturedly, smirking when she jostled his shoulder with hers.

“Spend some time volunteering in post-war efforts. Help run an orphanage.” She continued thoughtfully. Those amber eyes that had seen too much glazed over momentarily from her undoubtedly tragic memories, softened by her eternal compassion.

“I knew those already, Granger. Do keep up,” Draco drawled, attempting to lighten her sudden mood. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling when she huffed and wrinkled her nose.

“Read something absolutely ancient that no one alive has read. Witness a raging storm on the sea, safely, somehow. Be in two places at once.”

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artwork by the INCREDIBLY TALENTED @nadiapolyakova​

AO3;;https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/79340077

FFN;; https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/10/These-Abundant-Skies

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 7: Heart Made Of Glass, My Mind Of Stone

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A wild thought erupted into her mind. It made no sense, and part of her wanted to physically shake it out and laugh at herself.

The other part, the sliver of her that was unbearably curious about what could potentially subdue that normally pompous git, couldn’t help but acknowledge that there was a person in obvious distress right in front of her. It won out.

In a burst of bravery, she decided that it was the right thing to do. And even if he made her regret it, she’d still have done it and stayed true to herself.

Hermione argued with herself silently for only a few seconds more. Her feet had not moved an inch since they bumped into each other. He’d only made it a few steps past her before she whirled.

She caught up quickly, reaching out and settling her hand in the crook of his left elbow.

Malfoy froze, turning in her direction slowly.

She was a step above him, now, and even so barely eye to eye with him.

He had a quiet anxiousness to him. Like a cornered animal, hesitant to move too quickly for fear of retaliation but mentally racing to escape. His skittish gaze flitted up to meet her steady, imploring one.

Neither moved an inch, caught up again in the oddness of how close they were, how they peered into the other without any aggression.

Hermione fought the urge to clear her throat and poured as much sincerity into her words as possible. “Are you alright, Malfoy?”

Those mercurial orbs shone up at her, widening for a fraction of a second as he instinctively laid his hand over hers. She’d half expected him to throw her off in disgust and make a dramatic show of it. Or viciously squeeze her fingers for daring to touch him with her supposedly filthy hands.

Instead, cool fingers lightly rested atop her own. Malfoy looked deep into her eyes, disbelieving and shocked. His forehead furrowed, a piece of platinum hair falling forward to contrast sharply against the darker hair of his brow. He seemed to unconsciously lean slightly towards her like a magnet naturally pulled into its opposing force.

For a split second, she thought she saw something akin to helplessness simmer back at her as he stared. Vulnerability shone through with such intensity it nearly stole Hermione’s breath as his fingers tightened over hers. She glimpsed a deep sorrow within, swirling in the unexpected depth of his eyes.

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FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/7/These-Abundant-Skies

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/77174951

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 8: You’re A Ghost, At Most

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“Is this your idea of small talk or something? Because if so, it leaves something to be desired,” Draco finally acquiesced with a grumble.

“Like what?” Granger didn’t miss a beat, brightly questioning him instead of rising to the bait.

“Oh, I don’t know. Like holding the interest of the person you’re talking to? Your social skills need some work, Granger. And no one forced him to jump,” Draco snapped, gritting his teeth. While that was true, it didn’t take a genius to work out why the boy had.

An admonishing look was thrown his way, but her voice remained light. “It’s called peer pressure.”

“How would you know about peer pressure? Like you’ve ever done anything you didn’t want to just because someone told you to.” Draco scoffed under his breath, the idea preposterous. “Did you read about it in some precious book?”

He couldn’t place his finger on why he was being such a dick to her. Something about her entire demeanor was off this year, and it was driving him a little mad.

Because if know-it-all Granger wasn’t the predictable book worm, what was even real anymore? If he couldn’t shoot a barb at her effortlessly, or she wouldn’t all but visibly spark from anger at him, then what was the point?

Granger smiled a little sadly at him, shaking her head in private amusement. “Please don’t act like you know me.”

The thin cord holding Draco’s patience pulled taut with irritation and snapped. He was irked at her serene persistence. He still felt the hot licks of embarrassment and shame in his gut at the revelation that he’d ruined even more lives than he’d allowed himself to comprehend. To make matters worse, there were children suffering endlessly because of it.  And he still didn’t understand why the fuck she was talking to him at all.

“Oh, but I do. We all do.” The blond’s lips curled into a sarcastic grin. “We’ve all had classes with you since First Year, and those that haven’t surely know who you are. Why, you’re Hermione Granger. One third of the Golden Trio, the Muggle-born brains of the operation. You wear the same few pairs of Muggle denims with holes in them and absurd sweaters on your days off. Your hair is it’s own entity. You never look where you’re walking because your nose is always buried in a book like the prim and proper swot that you are.”

Her brows furrowed a bit at the scathing inflection in his tone. Granger looked a little annoyed, but Draco forged on with a hint of a sneer. “Oh, and for fun you like to crusade around to help the underdogs, the less fortunate, and the house elves.”

Draco’s chest heaved slightly when he drew a deep breath. He shook his head slowly as he mocked her with his version of the truth. And since she still hadn’t interrupted him... “So bloody brave and righteous. The clever, exceptional war heroine who stands up for any pathetic creature that can’t for itself. Even if it doesn’t deserve or appreciate it. Changing the Wizarding World one charity case at a time.”

He thought she’d be insulted.

He thought she’d stomp her foot and point a finger in his face and sling some witty comeback.

He thought she’d do almost anything other than what she did.

She threw her head back and laughed. Just outright laughed at his obviously correct assessment. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” she stated, tilting her head back down to once again look at him.

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AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/77512541

FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/8/These-Abundant-Skies

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 3: Ready To Smile, And Love Life

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           Hermione Granger was a simple woman.

           Or at least, a relatively simple to please woman.

           A nice cuppa. A good book full of any kind of knowledge that she could soak into her brain, like a sponge with infinite capacity. A furry, taciturn ginger beast who adored her but hated most others.

           A thoughtful word or gesture. It was the little things that really counted. When it came down to it, actions absolutely spoke louder than words. Hermione was a little hard pressed to admit that there were things out there more powerful than words, but there it was.

           And if it was a situation she couldn’t content herself in, she removed herself to the best of her ability. She wouldn’t stand for the mistreatment of anyone or anything at this point of her life.

          That was how she found herself curled up on a blanket on a windy but clear night near the end of August, on the roof over Ginny’s room at the Burrow. There was a steaming mug of orange tea under a stasis charm by her hip, and an open book on Muggle medicine resting against her ribs. Her amber eyes flittered aimlessly across the constellations. She’d been trying to read up and learn more about certain medical diseases and treatments before she went back to Hogwarts, but didn’t currently have the concentration she needed to focus on learning.

          Hermione had been hiding on the roof for over two hours, since well before the sun went down. It was an unusually cool summer night, and she wanted some peace and quiet. Which was extremely difficult to come by on any average day at the Burrow, but was proving to be even more challenging this day.

          Because today, Hermione had broken up with Ron.

          She felt awful about it, honestly.

          But these days, Hermione didn’t have space inside of herself to waste on things that exhausted every last straw of her patience or made her feel like she was supposed to be living her life to please anyone else.

           Two weeks after the Final Battle, Hermione still hadn’t recovered from some aches and pains as quickly as she should have. She hurt all over, and every day had only seemed to get worse. More exhaustion, difficulty breathing at times, and extra bruises. She’d gone to St. Mungo’s, talked to Slughorn for pain potions and done her own research on what could be wrong when she had the energy to do so.

           It hadn’t occurred to her that it could be a non magical affliction until Harry had suggested it. Hermione could have smacked herself. Within the the week, she’d gone to a Muggle doctor, not extremely worried and hoping to get some answers. Ron had come with her, and they’d run some tests. Her life had changed forever in the span of the time it took the cooly empathetic elderly woman to speak five words.

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FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/3/These-Abundant-Skies

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/65750662

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 4: You Won’t Find The Rest Of Me Hiding Underneath

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          Maybe if he hadn’t been focused on keeping his emotional leash reigned in so tightly, he might have been prepared for the force that came crashing into him.

           A body collided with his chest, slamming his back into the wall of the empty compartment he had been passing through. Draco’s hands rose, his Seeker training kicking in to latch onto and steady the arms of the person who had so rudely knocked into him.

          The scent of tangerines and honey wafted into his senses briefly. Looking up, he noticed wild chestnut hair and felt the sharp jut of a book corner in his chest.

          Of course.

          The Gods were cruel.

          The wind that tore through the fog in his mind picked up, strong enough  that he could almost hear it whistling. A soft, nearly undetectable rumble of thunder sounded. The waters swept, up and back down in powerful waves as the tides grew- somehow reaching towards a shore he’d never been able to envision no matter how many time he’d tried.

           When Draco realized his hands were still on the girls cardigan covered elbows, he quickly released them. The blond turned sideways from the wall so that he was able to take a step back from her.

           Granger.

           He hadn’t the stones to mouth off at first sight like he’d have done in the past. Hadn’t the stones, or the desire. It was strange, to be in this alternate world where he wasn’t expected to tear her down on sight.

           Where he in fact felt indebted to her.  

           Where everything was different, and venom didn’t rise on his tongue straight away.

           Had he ever touched her before? Had he ever been close enough to catch the scent of her unruly mane? He couldn't remember.

           Shaking that odd current of thought off -seriously, what was happening with his mind anymore?- Draco took another step back. Their eyes met. Orbs the color of the richest Firewhiskey peered curiously up at him.

           A nervous swoop clenched his abdominals. He lifted his chin instinctively to meet her gaze head on.

           It was almost engrained in him, to dig his feet in and hold his ground against the challenge that was Hermione Granger. He didn’t know what to do. This was definitely not keeping his head down. He couldn’t seem to be able to convince his mouth to form words. It was almost as if someone had cast a Petrificus Totalis on him, but he knew it was all just his insipid disability to do anything but stand there frozen yet again.

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FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/4/These-Abundant-Skies

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/71933529

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 9: Reach Out Your Hands

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For the first time in eight years, they really saw each other. Or he really saw her. Maybe she’d seen him long before this moment. He’d been obscured first by his prejudice and then his own despair. By all of the hellish things that had happened during the war.

Draco might as well have been blind, for how he saw her true inner light now. It seemed absurd that he hadn’t been able to see it before. It glittered out of her, prism-like in its vivid iridescence.  

His Occlumency ocean whirled at a steady thrum, but it was the furthest thing from ominous. The waves rocked, the sky was clear, and the surface of the water reflected glittering light from the stars above it. For the first time, the temperature of the water and air didn’t feel cold and desolate. The wind caressed the water, almost lovingly, present but comforting and mild.

It felt tepid, as if warming under the sun. But that was impossible. He’d never seen the sun in his mindscape. Only small beams bursting through the ominous clouds from time to time.

Blaming the loosening of his sensibilities on the Firewhisky once more, Draco lifted his shoulders off the ground slowly, as if in a trance, to lean closer. She stayed where she was, never breaking his gaze even though he was now above her.  He leaned heavily on one elbow behind him, his other arm still raised and attached to hers by their palms. He settled over her, mere inches between them. He was so close he could count the freckles on her nose and cheeks, with only starlight to aid his vision. The little brown specks formed in sporadic clusters that seemed to have a collective purpose, dusting sweetly across her flesh.

Draco thought for a moment that her freckles deserved their own constellation and wondered if he could find stars in the sky to match the pattern on her skin. His chest grew tight with nerves and a strange feeling he’d never felt before.

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artwork by the INCREDIBLY TALENTED @nadiapolyakova​

AO3;;https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/78357464

FFN;; https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/9/These-Abundant-Skies

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 6: I Built These Walls To Keep The Outside World From Me

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Granger’s foot caught on an uneven cobblestone. She righted herself quickly and carried on without shifting her eyes from the page.

Did she never pay attention to where she walked? This thought amused him, and Draco found himself actively fighting off a smile.

“What is that color? ” Pansy shuddered, “And no respectable woman should be caught dead wearing a fuzzy jumper!”

“‘Mudblood’ and ‘respectable’ are not usually used together, Pans,” Blaise answered, pulling more derisive laughter from the girls. “It’s the bookish ones you have to look out for, they’re always low-key freaks. Add the muddy blood into the equation and you’ve got that mess of a human being!”

A sinking feeling began to take place in Draco’s middle. If he’d felt a certain way about McGonagall being painted harshly, his friends tearing down Granger left a sour taste in his mouth. It’s not like he could jump to her defense; his friends would think he’d gone mad.

He kept his mouth shut.

The other girls were only a few feet away now, close enough to hear Pansy as she jeered. “Hey Granger, I just adore that jumper!”

Granger jolted at the sound of her name, amber orbs widening and rising to meet Pansy’s. Instead of the bristling outburst the dark-haired girl had been trying to provoke, Granger peered down at herself and studied her bright tangerine jumper.

Draco thought that color rather suited her. Which was a strange thought to have, because that color shouldn’t look good on anyone. It brought out the warm coppery undertones in both her mass of hair and her thick-lashed eyes. He found it impossible to miss this detail, which was also strange.

Why did he keep noticing these tiny details about her?

Granger gave them a blinding smile, accompanied by a saccharine, “Thank you!”

And then she shoved her nose back into her book, continuing to drift back towards the castle.

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FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/6/These-Abundant-Skies

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/77171996

[whentheraingathers]

These Abundant Skies

Chapter 5: Tear The Whole World Down

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“Piece of cake, mate. Hell, I’m jumping with you.”

The mousy-haired boy seemed genuinely surprised at this, his eyebrows shooting up as he reflexively took a sip of the burning liquid. With a small cough, Callum scanned the distance between the platform and the surface. “How far of a jump is that?”

Draco glanced in the same direction, taking the flask back and draining half of its contents. Feeling looser than he had in months but eager to get a move on and get this prank over with, Draco shrugged and smirked at Callum. “No clue. Let’s go find out.”

After a few seconds, Callum nodded determinedly. He handed Theo his wand and hoisted himself onto the ladder to begin the climb up the rungs. Draco did the same, following close behind.

As they got close to the top, the other Slytherins watching from the shore whooped and cheered as the anticipation built. Callum pulled himself onto the platform. Draco immediately joined him, and they stood side by side, gazing down at the shimmering water.

If he hadn’t been flying for most of his life, Draco thought this height probably would have been terrifying. He couldn’t recall ever seeing Callum fly, but that could have just been because of the wonderful Firewhisky buzz and his previous lack of attention to the boy.

“Um… You’ve done this before?” Callum asked, his voice quivering slightly. His eyes rose from the water to meet Draco’s, filled with apprehension and a lot of fear.

“Yeah. We all have.” The lie came easy enough. Draco felt a tiny twinge of guilt when the boy’s face softened, seeming to believe him and find some relief in his untruthful words. It was all a harmless prank, so what did it matter? “On three, alright? One...Two...Three!”

Both wizards moved forward, but at the last moment Draco hung back and kept his feet planted.

Callum launched himself off the platform, plummeting down towards the water. Blaise and Theo cheered loudly as he jumped. Draco chuckled to himself a bit. He supposed he could see the humor in this, and when it was over they’d all have a good laugh and another drink.

In a matter of seconds, the boy belly-flopped onto the surface with giant ripples of water and a resounding crack.

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FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13707364/5/These-Abundant-Skies

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655178/chapters/76903058