A/N: There have been some comments about another story that is similar to this one. I would like to discuss those concerns. I am very new to this fanfiction thing. I've read maybe three stories all the way through and this is the first one that I'm actually writing all the way out. With my novice-ness being pointed out I would like to say that I have not ready any stories like this one, albeit I haven't looked for any because I wanted to be inspired by my own thoughts, feelings, and life experiences. I am in no way attempting to rip off someone else's work. Some commenters have told me that there is another story out there that is similar to this one. I will admit that it is hard to come up with original ideas so I'm not surprised that there is a similar story. Honestly, there are only so many options for how Hermione and the boys to get together, there are only so many options for conflict causes, there are only so many options for villains, and there are only so many endings that can feasibly occur. With that being said, I HAVE NOT read another story like this one and I AM NOT PLAGIARIZING ANYTHING! I wanted/hoped to clear up any concerns that people may be having.
Also, thanks to the wonderful TheNewCompanion for pointing out my mistake last chapter! Silly spell-check corrected Mungo's to Margo's! I think that I fixed it on the chapter but who knows if it actually worked, I think I pressed the right buttons and everything (yay me!)!
Please remember to review! I love to see your comments and I truly value your comments. Reading your reviews really does motivate me to write more and to update quicker. I love to hear from y'all so thanks for reviewing!
The next day everyone returned to Hogwarts for the start of a new year. There were cheerful reunions and sad reminders of the ones lost to the war. Hermione took her normal spot at the Gryffindor table between Harry and Ron and across from Ginny. The topic of conversation was about how sloshed Hermione got at the party. Ron asked if she was okay and then congratulated her on her ability to out-drink the twins. She smiled and laughed, thanking him for the compliment. She was quite worried about how her two best friends were going to react to the fact that she was going to be living with Draco Malfoy. Ginny had filled her in on what were to be her living arrangements. She protested the arrangements but in the end Ginny was right, if she was going to have a go at this marriage she needed to be near Draco and Blaise. She smiled and feigned interest as the talk around her became about Quidditch. She was thankful of Dumbledore's voice booming over the crowd saying, "Simmer down, simmer down! Let the sorting begin!"
He waited for the students to stop congratulating their new housemates before he continued, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! As we celebrate our victory in the war," he paused letting the students clap and cheer, "we must also remember the many lives lost. This year is going to be a year for us to rebuild as a school and a community. Let us not let those lives lost be in vain by continuing on the paths we were on. I urge you to stop judging your peers based on House and past history and begin to get to know each other as people not as labels. In an attempt to help us rebuild it is my distinct pleasure to introduce our newest staff members!" he exclaimed as the students clapped for them. "It is also a pleasure to introduce to you or Head Boy and Head Girl, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!" the students roared in celebration as Hermione and Draco stood from their seats to wave at everyone. "Draco and Hermione are going to do a wonderful job. In order to show their support of each other and this community as it rebuilds they have agreed to live in a new Heads dormitory!" whispers and murmurs erupted among the students. Harry and Ron looked at Hermione with questioning eyes. "This dormitory is centrally located for easier access to the Heads for when a need arises. Now, with all that out-of-the-way let's eat!"
"Hermione, why didn't you tell us that you were going to be living with that slimy git?" Ron asked angrily.
"I'm sure he's not going to be that bad, mate. If he is he'll have us to answer to." Harry said surprisingly defending Draco.
With that Ron dropped the issue, knowing that he wouldn't win an argument against Hermione and Harry. He turned his attention to talking about Quidditch and how to win the Cup this year. Hermione sighed and tuned out what the boys were saying. They never realized that she has absolutely no interest in Quidditch. She looked over at the Slytherin table wondering what her new husbands were discussing. She caught Draco's eye and saw a huge grin spread across his face. She smiled back before she dropped her gaze and returned to pretend like she was interested in Harry and Ron's conversation.
"I noticed that," Ginny said to her, "that longing look at their table."
"It wasn't longing. I was just wondering what they were talking about."
"Probably about you." Ginny said giggling. "They really do like you, Hermione. They seem to be genuinely interested."
"Who?" Harry asked curiously tearing his attention away from what Ron was saying.
"No one, Harry." Hermione breathed.
"Ginny made it sound like someone, you know, likes you." Harry argued.
"It was nothing, Harry. Go back to talking about Quidditch and let the women talk." Ginny said smiling at him and putting on her best flirting face.
"Maybe the person who likes her is closer to her than she thinks?" Ron said quietly and cautiously eyeing Hermione with a small smile playing on his lips.
Blessedly, they were interrupted by Nearly Headless Nick popping up and congratulating Harry on winning the war. The conversation shifted to the war and how it was won congratulations going around the table about the skill of the fighters and the tenacity of the Gryffindor fighting spirit. They started to talk about idle things like how no one, save Hermione, was excited to start classes and how everyone was excited to start making new memories not plagued by the war. Hermione smiles, feeling comfortable with her classmates she takes a deep breath and lets it go slowly.
"We should probably head out." Hermione says slowly. One of the benefits of being a seventh year, and Head Girl, and a war hero is the ability to do what she wants. She, Harry, Ginny, and Ron were the last students in the Great Hall and had stayed, sitting and talking, long after the food had disappeared from the tables. They all stood up to leave, when they had left the Great Hall Hermione turned to the right while her friends turned to the left bidding her farewell. She sighed as she made her way to her new home. When she arrived at the portrait she quickly and quietly whispered the password and made her way inside.
"You're back awfully late." Blaise commented when he saw her walk in from his seat on the couch. He and Draco had stayed up waiting for her to come home. Blaise sat on the couch of their cozy but comfortable common room, Draco was laying with his head in Blaise's lap dozing off as Blaise idly played with his hair. Hermione noticed the kitchen off to one side as she made her way to sit in the armchair that was near the couch.
"Were you waiting up for me?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Yeah, we didn't want to go to bed without you."
Hermione paled realizing for the first time that she was expected to share a bed with them. "Oh, right."
"Draco said that you might have that reaction." Blaise said with a low chuckle. "We only have the one bed, it's rather nice actually, quite big but I understand if you're not comfortable with that. I'll just transfigure the couch in the study into a bed for Draco and me."
"The study?" Hermione asked touched that Blaise was being so considerate.
"Yeah, through that door," he said pointing to the door on the far side of the room, "is a half-bath. And then if you go upstairs there's a full bathroom, a study with three desks and hundreds of book, and our bedroom...well, your bedroom until you're comfortable enough to have it be ours."
"No," Hermione said quickly, "it's your bedroom until I feel comfortable enough. I'll sleep in the study."
"Told you so." Draco said having woken up. "I knew that you would prefer to sleep amongst books than sleep between your husbands."
"Draco," Blaise scolded, "be nice. If she isn't comfortable we have to respect that."
"Well, this has been sufficiently awkward…I'm going to go to bed." Hermione said getting up from the armchair. She walked up the stairs to discover that the bathroom was through the bedroom. She sighed as she walked into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes and a quick shower.
"Draco," Blaise sighed once Hermione had left, "that wasn't very nice of you."
"She wasn't being nice either! She came home late, she won't share a bed with us, and she's making this more uncomfortable than it needs to be."
"No she's not. She's just not used to all of this." Blaise said gently.
"She's not going to get used to it unless she tries to." Draco said firmly.
"Listen, we'll continue to work on this with her. She won't be able to resist our charms forever." Blaise said with a wolfish grin. "We just have to get to know her and she has to get to know us."
"What were we thinking, Blaise? What were we doing when we married her?"
"We were thinking about how she was telling us that she felt like she was whole with us. We were thinking about how good it feels when she's with us. We were thinking about how much we love each other and how much we love her. That's what we were thinking."
Draco sighed deeply getting up off the couch and shaking his head. "It doesn't feel right. This doesn't feel right."
"Yes it does! It feels more right than anything else."
"No, it doesn't. It doesn't feel more right than you and I." Draco shouted.
"Draco-"
"No! Don't Draco me like that! This thing with Granger doesn't feel right and you know it!"
Blaise took a deep breath trying to curb his anger at his lover and husband saying, "I'm going to go to bed. Maybe once you've calmed down you can join me." With that he took his leave and left Draco alone with his thoughts.
Blaise walked up the stairs trying to calm down. When he entered the bedroom he heard the water of the shower running and sighed. He decided to go to the study and set it up for Hermione. He quickly transfigured the small couch into a bed and conjured an armoire. He used his magic to get and sort Hermione's clothes into the newly conjured armoire. He looked around at his handiwork and smiled broadly. He grabbed a book and sat down on the bed waiting for Hermione to vacate their room.
"Zabini?" Hermione standing in the doorway of the study/her room and saw Blaise sitting on her bed, reading a book.
"Sorry, I'll just be going now." He said gently getting up off the bed and returning the book.
"You don't…you don't have to." Hermione said quietly her eyes downcast as she made her way to sit on the bed.
"Hermione, I don't want you to feel like you have to ask me to stay here."
"Zabini-"
"Please, call me Blaise. I would much prefer it."
"Okay, Blaise," she said looking him in the eye, "you don't have to leave. I would actually like to talk to you about something." She said patting the spot on the bed next to her.
"What's wrong?" Blaise asked as he sat down next to her.
"I'm sorry that you're stuck with me like this."
"Stuck?"
"I know that you don't really want this. Neither does Malfoy. I can't find a way out of it though. I've been doing some research and it seems like we're stuck in this marriage because we consummated it."
"Hermione, I want this marriage. I want you and Draco in every possible way. I've felt more whole since putting on these rings than I've felt in my whole life." Blaise said tentatively reaching out to grab Hermione's hand. He smiled when she didn't withdraw her hand and let him tenderly hold it.
"But Malfoy doesn't, does he? There's no way he wants this. He hates me."
"No, I promise he doesn't."
"You do know that the two of you aren't exactly quiet, right? I heard you arguing…"
"Hermione," Blaise said gently giving her had a quick squeeze, "I'm so sorry that you had to hear that. Draco, well, he just-"
"Hates me," Hermione said interrupting him, "he hates me. It doesn't feel right, remember?"
Blaise sighed deeply, "He did say that but I don't think that he meant it."
"Why would he say it then?" Hermione asked, her voice breaking as tears started welling in her eyes. She did understand why she was crying, and yet she was.
"Oh, Hermione," Blaise said, his voice thick with emotion as he cupped her face in his free hand, "sometimes people say things when they're mad or worried. Draco doesn't know how to act around you; he's so used to pretending to hate you that now he doesn't know what to do."
"Well, now he doesn't have to pretend anymore. He can show everyone how much he hates me." Hermione said nuzzling into his touch.
"He doesn't hate you though. He loves you." Blaise said pulling her closer to him, surprised when she let him.
"He can't love me." Hermione said looking up into Blaise's eyes.
"He can and he does." Blaise said. "Just like I do."
"You do?" Hermione asked with venerability in her voice and eyes.
"How can I not love you?" Blaise asked smiling down at her. "You're funny and you're smart and you're brave and, blimey, you're beautiful. You're everything that anyone could ever want."
Hermione smiled at him gently and didn't resist when he leaned down to press his lips against hers. She sighed as he deepened the kiss and leaned in closer. She felt a warm tingling sensation growing within her. She frowned when Blaise suddenly pulled away from her.
"Well, I'll be dammed." She heard Draco said. Hermione's eyes snapped to the doorway and saw Draco standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a mix of hatred and hurt in his stormy grey eyes. "You two look cozy." He said with venom in his voice. He then turned sharply on his heel and walked to the bedroom slamming the door.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I have to-"
"Go," Hermione said gently, "I'll be fine." She told him bringing his head down and kissing him briefly but sweetly. "Thank you."
"For?" Blaise asked as he stood.
"Everything. The bed, the armoire, the kiss. Everything."
"You're welcome." Blaise said smiling at her as he reached for the door handle. "I'll see you in the morning?" When he saw her nod his smile broadened. "Love you." He said as he closed the door behind him.
A/N: Again, I thank you for reading and reviewing. I appreciate each and every one of your comments, suggestions, and ideas! I am so blessed to have such great people reading, and mostly loving, this story. Remember to review!