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Dinner had started out tense and just got worse the more his father spoke. Draco had agreed to stay in the hopes that maybe his family would be able to discuss this life changing event and maybe, just maybe, they would feel lucky that their son (and themselves) were around to even worry about a possible marriage. No matter the terms.
But his father was too elitist for such every day conversations.
Lucius glared around room like it was responsible for his son's Matches and hadn't spoken to Draco for nearly fifteen minutes.
Fifteen tense minutes.
"Who would have ever thought it would come to this?" Lucius shook his head slowly, still looking around the room and Draco suddenly realized he was looking at the family portraits. All of the previous Malfoys were staring down at them in judgment, "Who would have ever guessed that my only child, my only son would be married off to a Mudblood and The Shining Hero Who Lives Still?"
"Don't use that word, My Dear." Narcissa reprimanded gently without looking up from her plate as both men turned to look at her.
She ignored them and continued to eat her salad daintily. It was after 8 when Draco had returned home and he found that his Mother has insisted they wait for him before starting dinner. He half wished they had gone on about it without him so he could have snuck in and waited till morning before the guilt trips and slurs were hurled about.
"It could be worse, much worse." Draco tried to take a page from his mother's book and didn't look up from his plate but it wasn't submission that kept his eyes down like old times. He just wasn't all that sure how well he was going to be able to contain his anger. Somehow his father still thought their name should hold sway. He still believed that they were better because of the ancestors they could trace their bloodline to. It had been ridiculous to Draco by the time he was 14 and yet here his father sat, a grown man, insulting people he never really met because of who their families were.
"A Mudblood, Draco. Such an insult to our name."
"Well it's out of your hands now and they welcomed me into their home earlier today to discuss the details, as adults are want to do." he sneered down at his salad, "I admired her when I was eleven despite your words. How could someone who was supposedly from an inferior bloodline be so talented?" Draco was pushing it, he knew, but he finally felt like he didn't need to bend under his fathers racism, "Despite everything she has a backbone of steel and more tenacity than any person I have encountered."
At first he had been ashamed to see her standing at his trial. He had been a Death Eater and there was nothing in the world that she owed to him and yet she testified. She said Draco was a product of his environment and as a child under heavy influence and threat of violence he had acted in the only way he knew would be approved by his parents and the Dark Lord. She even said he basically left her alone in school after 4th year. She also said she didn't hate or blame him.
"I do enjoy competing with Harry in Quiditch and not because it gives me a chance to try to best him, no, it's because Harry is a talented athlete and it's always challenging to go toe to toe with the 'Boy Who Lived'." Draco smiled, wondering how competing with his husband would effect his game.
At the trial Harry had spoken about his night on the astronomy tower. Under the truth serum he had told the whole courtroom that he had been there under the Headmasters orders and that Draco had not wanted to kill Dumbledore but had in fact been acting out of fear. If he failed his mission only the worst awaited him and his family. Just because he didn't want to do it didn't mean he could walk away. Not with Voldemort controlling things. But Harry had seen him lowering his wand.
He sighed. It was like a weight had been lifted. He meant what he said but those were thoughts and opinions he wasn't going to be sharing again any time soon if he could avoid it. Draco wasn't one to share his emotions and opinions (kind ones) so easily.
Pain laced across his face and right shoulder and he met the hard, cold gaze of his father. While he was younger and faster than his father, Lucius was still a skilled dueler and Draco hadn't even seen the older man cast the hex his way. He hadn't even seen him draw his wand.
His mother sat with a hand held to her mouth. She looked horrified and torn.
"Get out." Lucius growled.
"I was already leaving." Draco said coolly as he straightened the collar of his shirt which was now torn and bloodied from the lash marks his father had inflicted. It felt like he had been whipped across the right side of his upper body but he didn't flinch as he stood from chair. After all his years in the Malfoy family he had learned how to hide pain and emotions behind a sneering mask.
He just hadn't been able to resist riling up his father at least a little bit. He almost hoped the old man stewed on his words all night.
Hermione had been and still was his biggest competition in class. She made lessons interesting and he had even enjoyed being paired with her during a potions class. Slughorn had done it on purpose to show the class that everyone was going to play nice this year. It had gone rather smoothly and Draco had found himself impressed with her skills. Not that he had thought she would be anything but amazing at something she put her mind to. Hermione Granger did not know how to fail and he admired the hell out of her for it.
And Harry had made it a point to greet him daily and even sat with him a few times during meals. They discussed brooms and potions class along with the latest sweets available at Honeydukes. He had received a lot of weird looks from his Slytherin friends but he and Harry had gotten along a lot better than Draco had thought possible. Harry was even funny in a self deprecating sort of way that Draco had no trouble chuckling at.
As much as he had tried to put space between them after the trial they had turned up everywhere and he couldn't honestly say he wasn't secretly looking forward to those classes where a teacher decided a statement needed to be made. He was never paired with Ron for obvious reasons. The professors wanted to make an example out of the partnership, not start a fight.
Weasley was not his friend.
But the other 2/3 of the Golden Trio were actually quite tolerable.
Ok, they were likable.
Ok, Draco liked them.
It was now almost 1 in the morning and he was worried about the state his mind was currently in.
The ministry was trying to control his life and he was feeling happy- hopeful?- about that. Something had to be terribly wrong with him. There had been butterflies in his stomach as he penned a quick note requesting a meeting with them. He kept it simple and gave them a way to put off the meeting if they needed more time to adjust to this sudden life change.
'We should talk. Does 3 o'clock work for you both? Location of your choice.
DM'
He was hoping they wouldn't need too much time but Harry's quick response had made his nerves better and worse at once. Thank Merlin they were all thinking like adults. Better to talk now rather than later and say what needed to be said. Their openness with him had given him hope.
In all honesty he hadn't even meant to go back to Harry's. He had packed a few of his things and told his mother he would be back soon for the rest and then he found himself pacing the kitchen in Grimmauld Place. The last thing he wanted to do was to wake the two sleeping upstairs.
He didn't want pity or comfort.
After a few laps around the kitchen his step faltered when he realized he was being watched by an ancient looking house elf who seemed to have appeared from thin air. If he had been any closer Draco would have fallen over the old thing.
"Master Malfoy?" the things face almost light up at Draco's nod, "As Kreature thought. I am Kreature, house elf to the noble line of Black."
Draco found himself nodding again before he had an idea, "Kreature, I would like to go up to the room your Master and Mistress have promised me but I do not wish to wake them."
"Of course, young Master." Kreature headed for the door, levitating Draco's trunk and school bag along behind them, "Follow Kreature. Kreature will keep our feet silent."
But halfway up the stairs Draco heard something that made his stomach drop.
Was someone just screaming?
"Ah," the old elf sighed, "The Mistress must be having terrors again. Kreature hears her at night."
Draco's throat went dry.
You didn't have to be good at divination to know what Hermione Granger was dreaming about.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it." Harry stumbled out of one of the doorways just as Draco reached the top stairs. Harry finished pulling on a shirt and started knocking frantically on the door beside the one he had just come from, "Hermione? Hermione, I'm coming in!"
In two long strides Draco was suddenly next to Harry in the open doorway of Hermione's room.
"Draco?" Harry squinted up at the blond before adjusting his glasses. His eyes fell on Draco's bloodied cheekbone and trailed down his neck, "What happened?"
"Does this happen often?" the blond asked, ignoring Harry's question and nodding into the dark bedroom.
Hermione seemed to have calmed down at the sound of voices but they could both see she still tossed and turned.
"A little more often than it does for me." Harry said as he surprised Draco by gently taking his chin and tilting him towards the hall light to see his injuries better, "We all have our issues." he let go when Draco continued to glare at him as he had since the shorter man's finger had gripped his chin.
Draco refused to be pitied.
"She reacts the same way." Harry chuckled, "Can't coddle Hermione for long before she gets moody and kicks people." he walked over to the bed and reached out to straighten the blankets around her but froze for a moment when he saw that her eyes were opening.
"Is Draco hurt?" she asked sleepily, moving her arms out Harry's way so he could tug her blankets back and untangle her legs from it. She wasn't even close to being conscious
"Nothing a balm won't fix, Luv." Harry's head snapped around before Draco even realized what he said, "Try to get some sleep. Harry can show me where to unpack."
"Ok." she threw an arm over her eyes as Harry finished covering her pajama clad body back up.
Draco smirked as he noticed those pajamas were covered in a paw print pattern.
Harry took the smirking blonde by the elbow and led him into the bathroom across the hall from Hermione's room.
"That looked fairly routine with how you both just acted." Draco raised an eyebrow, still smirking.
"She's been living here and before that we lived together in a tent for what felt like years. Sometimes it was just her and I and we got comfortable with each other." Harry shrugged, "When the nightmares started getting worse for both of us we kinda made a deal to wake the other up so they don't suffer alone. Sometimes she takes a sleeping potion or muggle pills that work the same way but only when the nightmares have been really bad. "
"Should you go back in there?" Draco was suddenly concerned their discussion was making Hermione take on her nightly demons alone.
"Nah, she should be good for a while since she woke up some and saw us. Now sit." Harry gestured to the stool in the corner that he usually stacked his clean clothing on while he showered.
"I beg your pardon?" Draco sounded confused.
"I can fix up your cuts before Hermione sees them but you need to sit for me to do so. You're too tall." Harry added the last part quickly. Draco was just tall enough to make Harry feel short. Not that he wasn't use to it with Ron being a freaking sapling that towered over them all.
Draco stared at him for a moment, making him aware of the fact that he was standing before his former nemesis and future spouse in his boxers and an old t shirt. He hurriedly grabbed the salve and cotton balls out of the medicine cabinet.
"Fine." Draco sat but held his hand out, forestalling Harry's attempt at applying the healing mixture, "I will only say this once. I will regret for the rest of my life that I did not kill that woman when she raised her wand to Hermione."
Harry eyed him for a minute before saying, "It would have made things worse for you in the long run." He held up the strong smelling cotton ball with a tired sigh, "Now, may I?"
"You do know we won't always get along, the two of us, the three of us..." Draco raised an eye brow when he noticed the pain in his cheek was gone and Harry was prepping a cotton ball for his neck and shoulder, "I'm an arse to everyone. No exceptions."
"Yeah, well you will have to try. I refuse to fight with you all the time. The ministry may be forcing us to marry but I intend to try to make the best out of this. It's going to be bad enough for Hermione with Ron's moping and eventual anger. She doesn't need us acting like arse hats as judgments are being hurled her way." Harry stood up and out of Draco's personal space, "This type of thing doesn't happen in the world she and I were raised in. While she is acting calm and collected she is going over every angle of every bad thing that could and will be said about us. She is worried and stressed."
"Yes, well, ten days till we return to the warm embrace of our classmates." Draco's voice dripped with sarcasm on the word 'warm'.
"It's ridiculous. All of it." Harry leaned against the sink, "No one in their right mind would have put the three of us together."
"You were trying to do so rather annoyingly these past few months." Draco ran his fingers over face and neck. There was no trace of the cuts and bruises his father had left on him.
"Hermione insisted we be civil and surprise of all surprises, you're smart and funny and even a little bit charming when you aren't busy being a pompous git." Harry grinned to himself like he was remembering something before he shook his head and stepped away from the sink and out into the hall, "But it's late. We all need sleep and I have a sneaking suspicion we will wake up to yelling redheads."
"You think I'm charming?" Draco smirked, following Harry to the door at the top of the stairs.
"This is you." Harry smiled like he hadn't heard him, "Kreature probably put your things away. If you need anything you can call on him or shout for Hermione or myself. The house is old. You can hear everything."
Harry woke knowing Kreature was in his room.
"The youngest Weasley male is in the kitchen shouting for the Mistress. Kreature spelled the kitchen to keep him and his noise in there. Kreature does not like him." and with having completed his duty by letting his Master know there was an unruly guest trapped in the kitchen, Kreature popped back to where ever it was he liked to lurk lately.
Well, at least he had known this was coming. Ron always moped and whined before becoming an angry jerk.
Harry grabbed his glasses and groaned when he saw the time.
It was 4:42 am and more than likely Ron was intoxicated. It's not like he drank often but with George and Charlie around they had all probably decided to end their odd day on a drunken note.
And then Ron started over thinking and planning (stupid plans only a drunk would believe would work) and ended up in Harry's kitchen.
He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Ron when he got down there but he knew he had to go see him. Harry tried to prepare himself for the argument that was sure to come but he lost his train of thought when he found a disheveled pajama clad Draco outside his door, hand raised to knock.
"O, Pot-Harry, " Draco ran a hand through his messy hair, "I heard shouting but it wasn't Hermione."
"Kreature locked and silenced Ron in the kitchen when he showed up a few minutes ago shouting for Hermione." It was weird to be standing there talking to Draco in his home. Yes, he had told everyone he was beyond the schoolyard bullying and that he forgave Draco for everything but it was still weird knowing that they would be spending nearly all of their time together in one way or another with Hermione. Heat rose up his neck and to ears as he quickly stepped past the blond, "Please, stay out of the kitchen if you would. Your presence won't help me calm him down."
He didn't look back at Draco as he hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen.
The air in the doorway leading to the kitchen felt thick and Harry was guessing that it was whatever elf magics Kreature had used to trap and silence his friend within the room.
"Harry?" Ron frowned at his friend, "I wanted to see Hermione."
At least he wasn't drunk like Harry had thought but at least if he was drunk Harry would have had something to blame Ron's desperate look on.
"She's sleeping for once." Harry rubbed his hands over his face a few times, almost knocking his glasses off, "You know how little we all sleep now a days. I am not waking her up so you can tell her to run away with you."
"I- How did you know what I was going to say?" Ron sat at the table when Harry pointed to a chair.
Harry took a seat a few chairs down so he could face Ron, "Ron, I knew because-"
"Because it's obvious." Hermione said from doorway as she slowly walked in, "And the answer is no, I do not want to run away and end up in Azkaban. The Ministry is very serious about this and while it is terrifying to have such decisions made for me, I am trying to keep my chin up and not think of what everyone is going to say. Even Ginny was getting snippy about me ending up with who I did."
"Because it makes you look trashy." Ron was a blotchy red, "I want to save you from that."
"I don't want to you to save me." Hermione said in a very serious voice, "We didn't work as a couple. It happens all the time. Some people are just meant to stay friends."
"That is the stupidest excuse to break up ever." Ron narrowed his eyes on the curly haired witch in the purple paw print pajamas, "But if you prefer people to imagine you getting slammed by two blokes at once I guess that's on you."
"I bet the image is just eating you alive." Draco drawled as he stepped into the room. He went to Hermione's side and leaned against the counter only a foot or so from her side and smirked at Ron's shock. He watched as the redhead took in his gray silk pants and open button up shirt that he had thrown on when he heard raised voices.
"I asked you to stay upstairs." Harry sighed. He should have known better. Since when did Draco listen to him?
"No vows of obedience have been given yet, Harry." Draco smirked and watched out of the corner of his eye as Hermione turned red. His smirk widened and Ron turned a deeper shade of red.
"Harry?" Ron asked, making a face at Draco using his friend's first name.
"If I have to live with him we will be on a first name basis." Harry sighed and stretched in his chair before making eye contact with Ron, "Hermione doesn't want to run away with you. We ARE going to try to make things work between the three of us as weird as it's bound to be and if I were you I'd be working on some romantic gesture for Cho. She loves that kind of stuff."
"But he's Malfoy." Ron sounded confused and more than a little angry, "What is wrong with you two? He's a asshole and he has insulted Hermione at every turn since we were 11! I cannot believe you are both ok with this."
"O I am far from ok with any of this Ronald!" Hermione snapped, raising her voice at last, "I hate how powerless I feel and I hate having to go along with a law that controls everyones futures without having the ability to even argue against it. Old laws are tricky, Ronald and despite what I have read and the books I have requested ordered from flourish and blotts I do not believe I'll find a way out." Her hair was already wild but when she ran her hands through it Draco took a step back half worried it would try to attack him if he got too close while she was upset, "So for now because I respect Harry and Draco I will play nice, I don't really have a choice because from what I read it seems the moment we were Matched an old magic was placed on us all. I feel a pull to them both and it hasn't even been 24 hours since I saw their names on my parchment." She looked over at Draco and then to Harry, meeting their eyes before turning back to Ron, "Once you have been in the same room as Cho tell me if you still want to run away."
"Would you consider it then?" Ron raised a hopeful eye brow.
"No." Hermione said honestly, "You will always be my friend, Ron but I meant it when I said we would never work."
Draco snickered and Hermione smacked his arm before announcing that she was going back to bed, "It's Christmas Eve. I need a little more sleep if I have to listen to Ginny all night at dinner."
"O yeah," Harry looked up at the clock. "Kingsley will be here at 2 for tea."
"Does the Minister join you for tea often?" Draco looked slightly impressed and worried.
"Only on Holidays." Harry shrugged.
"Go home and get some sleep, Ron." Hermione smiled at her friend who still looked rather annoyed with her, "We will see you tonight."
"He's not invited." Ron said, nodding at Draco.
"I am fine with that." Draco said at once.
"See? It will be fine. Draco can stay here if he wants to or go where ever. " Harry yawned and watched as Hermione followed suit, "Go to bed. We will see you later."
Harry patted Ron's shoulder before leaving the kitchen which still had a spelled doorway that felt thick and clingy. He shivered once he was through and turned to see Draco and Hermione doing the same thing as they stepped into the room.
"Kreature?" Harry called and the house elf was suddenly standing before him, "Once Ron has gone home you can take down the protective charms you used. Thank you for telling me he was here."
Kreature bowed slightly before popping out of sight and back to his own cubby.
"Wait a minute." Harry stopped at the foot of the stairs causing Hermione to walk into his back, "How did you know he was here?" He turned and looked at Hermione.
"I tripped over Draco on my way to the bathroom and he told me what was going on." Hermione smiled, "He was sitting right outside my door."
"Why?" Harry met Draco's eyes over Hermione's head. They were standing close due to the narrow hall.
Draco dropped his eyes to glare at the back of Hermione's head, "Is it true magic can make us like each other?" he asked her hair.
"Yes." Hermione said but quickly corrected it to "In a way."
"Wait? What?" Harry raised an eyebrow and Hermione shooed him up the stairs. She was quiet until they reached her door.
"It can only make existing feelings more intense." she admitted to the door quietly, "We were matched partly because of our magics are very compatible meaning our children will be talented in magic. The other part I believe would be equal parts friendship and attraction."
"But we aren't friends." Draco pointed out while trying not to notice how hard Hermione was blushing.
"Maybe that's what you thought but I actually liked eating dinner with you and talking about quiditch." Harry smiled at the tall man, "I looked forward to those meals."
"And I liked studying with you in the common room after the other ex snakes went to bed." Hermione smiled and opened her bedroom door, "Goodnight Draco. Goodnight Harry." and with that she entered her room and closed the door on the two men standing there.
"Why were you outside her door." Harry asked as soon as Draco turned to head to his own room.
"Just in case he got by you and the ancient house elf. I wanted her to have a fair warning before Bozo barged in on her." Draco whispered but suddenly frowned at Harry, "I highly dislike this magic trying to influence me."
"O? How so?" Harry almost laughed at the serious look Draco wore while still frowning at him.
"I want to be honest with you and her." the blond nodded at Hermione's door, "Honesty isn't something I am use to using in every sentence."
Harry did laugh at that, "Go to bed, Draco."
Hermione was trying to hide her frown as the houseful of Weasleys tried to ignore her strained expressions. She was upset. Her memory of the Binding Charm had been correct, as Kingsley told them over tea. The magics involved were intended to helped to 'push' the bound/matched couple together by amplifying the feelings they already held.
"In three years the Binding will be used to set up more witches and wizards, only those who are not married of course, in hopes of doing all we can for the magical world we all love and want to save. So I apologize if it seems barbaric right now but you will see that Magic always finds a way. These marriages will work and the population will be saved." Kingsley had said at the end of his visit. He had thanked them for tea and headed for the fire place.
She and Harry waved goodbye with a lot of questions still unanswered.
Just over 30 hours ago she had discovered she was expected to take two of her classmates as her spouses. Her best friend and for most of her time at Hogwarts, her enemy. She was expected to marry them and quickly reproduce. The thought brought heat to her face and she turned to pretend to look at the nick-nacks on the wall as she hid her blush.
"So Kingsley said we would feel this way?" Hermione heard Ginny asking Molly.
"Yes, he said the Binding helps couples connect quicker. What you are feeling is natural." Molly looked ready to burst from happiness.
"Did you go see Seamus?" Hermione stepped up beside the two women.
"I thought he was cute when I was eleven." Ginny blushed deeply shooting a look from Hermione to her mother, "Today I couldn't get over his accent. I haven't looked at him like that in years. He's bloody adorable."
Maybe the Binding was working too well. Hermione found herself frowning again. Yesterday Ginny was less than impressed with her Match. Today she thought he was adorable.
Hermione herself kept finding her eyes drawn to Harry as he moved around the room talking to one person or another as the drinks started to be passed around.
She took an offered glass as Molly announced that Dinner would be ready soon.
"Going back to school is going to be fun." Ginny said quietly, looping her arm through Hermione's once her mother was out of ear shot, "Can't wait to see Ron lose his mind when Malfoy and Harry can't keep their hands off of you."
"Draco." Hermione corrected but couldn't help the embarrassed smile that tugged at her lips, "And I doubt the Binding will make us lose control in such ways."
"You're so boring." Ginny scolded but winked before beaming past Hermione's bushy hair, "Harry! You guys should come take seats now. Mom said food will be ready soon." Ginny pushed Hermione towards Harry and then pushed both of them towards the table, "Sit, sit. I'll go grab more drinks."
"Why are you blushing?" Harry smiled and took a seat, looking more relaxed than Hermione had felt in years.
"I seem to be doing that a lot lately." Hermione took the spot on the bench beside him, "I just feel like my little world was finally starting to make sense again and now this. I mean, I am happy to have you and even Draco as my Matches but now everything's been turned upside down again. I have to find my bearings and adjust to new things at every turn."
Hermione knew Harry understood when he took her hand gently in his.
"We can do this. Together we can do this." He was speaking quietly as everyone seemed to suddenly be making their way over for the promised food.
Ron sat down across from them, clanking his mug loudly on the table and cutting off whatever else Harry had been about to say to her.
Ron had been quiet all night but as his best friends they both knew that wasn't going to last long.
"You two look cozy." Ron glowered at them.
"Have you talked to Cho yet?" Hermione asked instead of acknowledging what he had said.
"He says she needs to talk to him first." George took the empty spot beside Hermione, making his youngest brother scowl at him, "Not very gentlemanly."
"Ron, you should write to her." Harry started but was interrupted when Arthur stepped up to the head of the table in his Christmas sweater.
His cheeks were tinged from whatever his cup held and he smiled happily around at everyone gathered, "On this holiday I just wanted to wish all my children, biological and not, bright futures. Things may seem strange right now but it will soon be more normal once we all get back to our everyday lives. Marriages will be planned and births will be celebrated." He held up his glass and Hermione wondered how many Mr Weasley had already had, "To life!"
Hermione raised her glass and drank aware that green eyes didn't leave her face as she lowered her cup and the food started being served.
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