Big Questions, Even Bigger Answers

A/N: My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.

Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible.

No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.

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The couple lay naked and sated, limbs tangled together in the sheets. "That was amazing."

He kissed her temple before moving out of the bed to pull free of the bed covers.

"Yes it was."

With a smiled Hermione moved to follow him, pulling free of the sheet that had somehow become twisted around her middle pushing her breasts up and leaving her amber curls open to his gaze. Finally free of the sheet she cast a quick charm to remake the bed and refresh the linens.

Draco left the room, returning moments later with a glass of water and a potion vial. "Here you go luv." He passed both items to her before crawling under the covers once more.

She drank the contents of the vial down quickly, chasing it with the cool water from the glass in her other hand. "Thank you." Slipping into bed, she turned on her side, facing away from the blonde beside her. The moment she stilled he spooned up behind her, molding his naked body to hers. "Nox," with a word the lights in the room went out leaving the waning embers of the fire to light the room.

Several minutes passed in peaceful silence. "What would you say to marking something off of your fantasy list?"

Hermione turned her head so she could steal a glance at her lover's face. "Well I guess it depends. Did you have something in mind?"

"Perhaps."

"Draco you brought this up."

"So I did."

"Rethinking it now?"

"No, just trying to decide how best to ask."

"With your mouth makes the most sense."

"Clearly you have been spending too much time with Severus. You're learning to become as good at snarky sarcasm as he is."

"Draco you're avoiding the topic. One I point out for the second time that you brought up this subject."

"What would you say to another person joining us in bed?"

She rolled in his arms to face him. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"I would say it sounds incredibly sexy. Did you have someone particular in mind?"

"Yes and that in itself brings up something else you should know."

She tried to stop the curious look that bordered on accusing from appearing on her face. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

"Because you're probably not going to like it. I'll admit now I should have told you from the beginning but I didn't think you would understand."

"You're right I don't like this. I've got a fairly good idea where this conversation is heading. Who is she?"

"She?"

"The other woman you're sleeping with? Clearly whomever it is you want in bed with us, so who is she?"

"Hermione you misunderstand. There is no one else. Not in that way. Never, not after the pain Ron put you through. Honestly pet I wouldn't and haven't."

"Then why the 'I should have told you' speech?"

He rubbed her arms in the way he knew she liked when she was upset in an attempt to soothe her. "It's like this. Long before us, long before you and Ron or me and Pansy, before the war, before any of us were at Hogwarts even, I've been friends with Blaze."

"Zabini? I know you tolerate him but I didn't realize you were friends."

"No one does except Pansy. My father hated him for obvious reasons I'm certain I don't have to point out to you."

"No, I think I have that one figured out thank you."

"As I was saying. We have been friends since we were children. Our mothers traveled in the same social circle so we saw a good deal of one anther when we were children. I always took great care to not let my father know we were friends. It was one thing for my mother to socialize with his mother it was something entirely different for me to be his friend in my father's eyes. It was something both of us became used to. A friendship hidden behind a barely veiled tolerance from both of us. We worked hard to project that image when in fact we were as close as friends can be." Draco stopped and took a breath looking into her eyes to see how she was taking this information. "When we entered Hogwarts we knew we couldn't drop the façade. The walls have eyes and ears in Slytherin house. Everything you do and say is scrutinized. I don't know how the other houses are done but in Slytherin there are only two students to a room. From day one Blaze and I were paired together. No one thought anything of it because everyone knows that Severus assigns rooms in odd ways. Some are fairly obvious such as Crabbe and Goyle. Others were just appeared odd. I still don't know why Nott was forced to room with a girl for seven years."

"He's gay."

"He's not. Nott is no poof."

"Yes he is. Susan said he filed for a marriage license last week to wed a pureblood from Russia last week. She found it entirely entertaining apparently. Frankly I didn't see what the fuss was all about."

"Well that explains that. Millie's got a thing for girls. They were perfect for one another. No inclination to the other at all."

"Back to the point of this history lesson please."

"Huh? Oh right. Enter sixth year. I spent all that year working on that cabinet as you well know. More times than I care to remember he found me crying because I knew if I didn't pull off that assignment my parents were as good as dead and me with them." Draco stopped to clear the painful memories before continuing on. "One night his attempts at comfort turned to sex."

"You slept with Blaze?" Her eyes glazed over with lust at the mental picture of Draco and Blaze naked together resulting in warm tingles deep in her core.

"Several times. I admit I used him most of that year to let go and feel something other than fear and hate. But it wasn't just him and I. Between the two of us we slept with every Slytherin and Ravenclaw that would have us. Male, female, it didn't matter. A couple times we even managed to get Pansy to join us, hence why she knew about us."

"Oh so the sex god of Slytherin title really was earned."

"You knew that."

"Yes of course I did. But that doesn't mean it doesn't sound worse than it did originally. It's a bit of a shock hearing you finally admit it."

"I'm not telling you this to hurt you."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do. God Draco that was nine years ago. If you say you have been faithful to me then you have. Whatever you did before me doesn't matter."

"Good because I have been. Faithful that is. The thing is I miss being with Blaze like that."

Hermione's eyes grew dark with restrained rage. "So what you want to bring him to our bed so you can have him and not have to feel like you are cheating on me? That's awfully selfish of you. Here I thought you had grown out of that."

"Hermione it's not like that."

"Then by all means explain it please. I'm certain you can't say anything worse than you have already."

"I want you both. No scratch that. I need you both. God this isn't coming out right," he growled in frustration.

Hermione released a sigh. "Keep trying. I swear I'll listen."

"I guess what I want comes down to this. I want to feel whole. Deep down I know if I can have you both I will. There were glimpses of that feeling over the years. Those times when Pansy would join us, but it was always fleeting. I knew she and I weren't capable of spending our lives together least of all with Blaze included."

"So what you're saying is saying is that you don't just want a onetime event. You want something perpetual between the three of us?"

"Yes."

"Does he know how you feel?"

"Yes."

"He's okay with this theory of yours knowing he would have to share you with me."

"Yes."

"Are you expecting him to move in?"

"A room to call his own when he wants it yes. It's not like we don't have the space. Of course he's rarely here anyway. He travels more than my mother does. I doubt we would see much of him."

"You really need this don't you? I can see it in your eyes. You're all but pleading with me to agree to this."

Draco nodded in response afraid to respond with his voice.

"How do I know you'll still want me if I say yes to this?" She said quietly. "I just don't know Draco."

The lights flared to life as Draco moved to look her in the eye. "You're still not getting it luv. When I said I needed you both I didn't mean anything less. I'm not going to shove you aside for him. I truly feel that I need you both equally. I can handle him not being here all the time. I'm used to that. I'm used to the required separations but I couldn't handle the same with you."

"Draco I just don't know. There is no security in this for me."

"Is it the idea of sharing me with someone else or the idea of someone else being in our bed from time to time?"

"Neither…both…maybe I'm the selfish one."

"It's not always bad to be selfish Hermione." He glanced at the clock before rolling out of the bed. "Stay right here. I'll be right back."

Draco dashed from the room, naked as the day he was born. The sound of heavy footfalls on the stairs let her know he had gone down to the main floor. Barely two minutes later the same heavy footfalls sounded on the stairs as Draco ran back up the steps. When he entered the door, his hands were behind his back. He moved in front of her and stood. "I planned to give this to you on your birthday but all things considered I think tonight might be the best time to do so. Could you sit on the edge of the bed please?"

Hermione gave him a curious look as she moved to do as he asked.

Draco smiled. "Before I do this, I have to ask that you don't ever tell anyone I did this naked."

"Draco?"

Kneeling in front of her, he pulled a black velvet covered box from behind his back. "Hermione I love you. The past few years have been a rollercoaster ride for both of us. I never in a million years expected support from you when I turned myself in to the Order. If anyone there had the right to turn me over to Aurors it would have been you. But you didn't. You accepted me and let me change. You backed me when your best friends were arguing against me. No one has ever been as loyal to me because they wanted to until you were. I think I was falling in love with you even then. Hermione Jane I've been in love with you so long it's as if you're part of my very soul, the glue that holds the broken pieces of my heart together. I can't imagine living my life without you in it. It would make me the happiest man alive if you would do me the honor of being my wife. Please."

Draco opened the box to reveal a full matching set of diamond jewels laid out around a stunning princess cut diamond ring that was no less than three carets.

"Oh my god Draco! Do you really mean this even without me having answered the other?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it pet. Which you should know by now. I can live without Blaze, truly I can, but not without you."

"And if I say no to Blaze?"

"I'll still love you and respect that you don't want him as part of our lives. I'll never betray you or your trust in me. Not even for him."

"You truly mean that. I can see it in your eyes." Tears glistened in her own eyes." I would love to be your wife Draco. Yes. Dear gods yes!"

Draco released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Thank Merlin. I was beginning to think you were going to say no." Draco sat the box next to her thigh and removed the ring from it. Taking her left hand into his right, he slid the ring onto her finger. "It's charmed to never get lost. The entire set is actually."

"It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. The ring and the matching set of wedding bands were specifically made for you. The rest of the set are basically the Malfoy family jewels. Every bride to the heir has worn them on her wedding day. I can hope you'll do me the honor of wearing them on ours."

"Draco it's too much."

"Nothing is ever too much when it comes to you. I would give spend ever knut in Gringotts if I thought it would make you happy."

"All I need is you to be happy Draco. No amount of money could make me more happy than you do." She sat for a moment staring at the gigantic ring on her left hand.

She had to know. "Draco would you bind both Blaze and I to you if you could?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Does he know about this," she said wiggling her finger at him.

"Yes. There was a slight concern on my part about curses on the jewels. He took them to the eldest Weasley to check for me."

"Bill's the curse breaker."

"Yes that sounds right." Draco sat on his heels with his chin resting on her knee and looked up at her. "I love you Hermione. I don't think I can ever tell you just how much."

She smiled down and him. "I love you too…yes."

Draco laughed. "I know. You already said yes."

"No I meant yes to Blaze. But only if we take this slowly."

Draco jumped up and wrapped his arms around his future wife. "As slow as you need my love. As slow as you need."