This summer was one of the hottest Britain had seen in recent years.
Godric's Hollow was perhaps the most famous half-wizard settlement, where wizards and Muggles lived side by side, leading two entirely different lives in the same place.
The blazing sun hung overhead, mercilessly scorching the earth and shrouding the quaint, square houses along the road in a heavy stillness. The cars that usually gleamed in the sunlight now looked dull, parked quietly in their driveways beneath a thin layer of dust, as though bearing witness to summer's languor and silence.
The once lush, vibrant lawns in front of the houses had withered yellow in the prolonged drought, losing their former vitality. With the drought growing severe, garden hoses had reluctantly been put away; the government had announced a ban on using them to water lawns.
Books and papers lay scattered across the coffee table in the sitting room. On one sheet of scrap paper was the unfinished outline of a bird, its shape vague and mysterious, difficult to make out.
In the living room, a barefoot girl lay asleep on the sofa, her breathing slow and even.
A boy around her age sat quietly on the carpet in front of the coffee table, leaning against the sofa. With jet-black hair and deep red eyes, he was engrossed in the Daily Prophet in his hands. His movements were gentle and careful, lest the slightest sound disturb the sleeping girl behind him.
"Mmm..."
Hermione slowly emerged from the softness of her afternoon dreams. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed the thin blanket covering her stomach, and the familiar sensation brought her instantly awake. Jerry was the only one who always liked to cover his stomach while sleeping, even in summer.
"Jerry?" she called softly, her voice carrying the drowsiness and anticipation of