Written for The Marauders Advent 2020. My Marauder/Honorary Marauder was Harry Potter and my prompt was stained glass.
I'd like to thank my alpha/beta, iwasbotwp, for her time, excellent editing skills, and for encouraging me to make everything I write the best it can be.
Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.
Draco walked up to where Hermione was sitting against the wall with her nose in a book and settled in beside her on the floor.
"Do we know what mischief he's up to in there yet? I thought for sure you would have breached his wards by now," he muttered, running his hands through his hair and glancing at the closed door in front of them.
She sighed and slipped a bookmark between the pages before closing the book with a snap.
"No clue. But I can tell you he's serious about keeping us out. He had Bill ward the door; I recognize his magical signature. I couldn't break through," she admitted with an irritated huff.
"You've got to be joking! I can't believe a Weasley's keeping me out of my new room. Who goes into someone else's bedroom on moving day and does that?" he pouted. He had learned over the past two years of their relationship that Hermione and Harry came with an entourage of Gryffindors and Weasleys as a rule, but as far as he was concerned there really should be limits somewhere.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"He hardly had to go inside to ward the door, Draco. Don't be dramatic. He probably did it from out here in the hallway," she soothed. "Besides, you know what Harry's like when he wants to surprise us."
"He does tend to go a little overboard, doesn't he?"
Hermione shrugged and went back to her book. He continued to stare at the door in silence.
It wasn't that they were opposed to their partner's grandiose and bizarre ways of showing his affection, per se. It was something they had grown accustomed to. But they had only just moved into their first proper home together and it did put somewhat of a damper on the occasion to be shut out of their bedroom.
They weren't new at cohabitating. They had all more or less cheerfully lived at Grimmauld Place since Eighth Year, but it had also felt more like Harry's house than theirs . They had picked this house together, though it felt rather more like the house had picked them.
After viewing hundreds of listings and finding nothing that suited them perfectly, they had been just about ready to give up, at least until after the holidays. Hermione had gone out to Muggle London to do some Christmas shopping, taking the Tube. When a newspaper had literally fallen into her lap, she had decided it couldn't hurt to glance at the advertisements. And that was where the peculiar ad for a house on a large piece of secluded property had caught her eye.
None of them had truthfully been expecting much, but the moment they had stepped into the wide, bright front hall with its spiraling center staircase, it seemed like everything had clicked into place.
It had been a bit of a scramble to get the paperwork squared away fast enough to move into the newly named Triumvirate House before Christmas, but they had managed with a whole week to spare.
Luckily, moving with magic wasn't nearly as difficult as what Hermione had explained Muggles had to go through. The majority of their furniture and belongings were in place already, though it had been a long day. Draco wanted nothing more than to drop into bed, especially as Hermione had mentioned decorating the whole house for the holidays the following day.
He was startled out of his contemplation by the appearance of an ethereal silver stag prancing through the door he'd been watching. Harry's voice emerged from his Patronus. "I won't be done tonight, my loves, but I've set up the guest room for you both. Don't wait up, I'll see you tomorrow."
"First he won't let us sleep in our own bed, and now he won't even join us in the guest room?" Draco tried to feign annoyance to cover up the disappointment rising in his chest, but he could feel his lip quivering and he cursed his sentimentality for probably giving him away.
Hermione's hand settled gently on his arm as she searched out his eyes.
"This must be very important to him," she said softly, as if sensing his mood. "We'll have him back tomorrow. Come get some sleep."
He nodded, reluctantly.
She laced her fingers through his and tugged him down the hall after her.
Draco woke the next morning when the sun had the audacity to shine directly on his face through a crack in the guest room curtains. Grumbling under his breath, he reached for Harry over Hermione's quietly sleeping form, as was his daily custom, only to find himself grasping at empty air and cold sheets.
Pulling his arm back to wrap around the witch sprawled over him, he swallowed his bitterness. It did no good to sulk—at least he could appreciate that he wasn't waking up completely alone.
There was a time in his life he thought that was the fate he would have to face. Before Hermione had drawn him in and wrapped him around her little finger. Before Harry had fallen into their bubble and completed their picture, like a piece of the puzzle they hadn't quite known was missing. He was grateful every day for the joy they both brought him. Even if it meant putting up with another one of Harry's surprises.
The warmth of her slender frame and the soft even breath gently tickling his neck lulled him back to sleep until some time later when Hermione stirred against him and he hummed contentedly as she stretched over him like a cat. Draco grabbed at her backside playfully and she swatted him away, laughing, before rolling away from him and out of bed.
"Not today, lover boy. We have a lot of work to do and it's already late!"
Draco pouted. "It's the holidays, Hermione! Not even a proper snog good morning?"
She giggled and pulled him out of bed by the arm. Rising up onto her toes she caught his lips, sliding her tongue into his mouth and her hands into his hair. She scratched gently at his scalp in a way that left him feeling boneless in her arms and then slipped away before he could remember to keep her there.
"Food. I'm starved!" she barked at him with a smirk. "And then we can get going with the garlands," she added, before taking off down the hallway.
Draco sighed and followed her out the door.
They spent the rest of the day decorating every window, doorway, and railing in shades of green, red, silver, and gold until Draco was certain he never wanted to see another bow in his life. The result was worth the effort, if only to see Hermione smile as she admired their handiwork. He had to admit, their house looked spectacular. Not even his mother would be able to find fault in their efforts.
"Please, tell me we are finished for today," Draco groaned, sinking into one of the plush armchairs in their sitting room and propping his feet up on the matching ottoman. His arms reached out for Hermione, silently asking her to join him.
"Well, I suppose the tree can wait until tomorrow. I'd really prefer to wait until Harry can decorate it with us, anyway." She walked over to him and let him tug her down gently into his lap, where she promptly buried her face into his chest and breathed in deeply.
Draco could feel her relax as he held her close to him. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and lit it, settling in to watch the sunset through the large picture window in front of them. It had definitely been one of the selling features of the house.
"Don't you look cozy!" Harry was standing between the open double doors gazing at them with a sappy smile on his face. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, nervous energy radiating off him in waves, with his hair standing up in every direction, and Draco felt himself swell with affection at the sight of him.
Hermione stood and rushed to him quickly, kissing him soundly on the mouth before wrapping her arms around him and giving him a squeeze.
"It took you long enough to join us! What have you been doing for the past two days?" She adopted a gentle scolding tone. "You know how grumpy Draco gets when you don't sleep with us."
Draco snorted and reluctantly pulled himself out of his chair. He locked eyes with Harry over Hermione's head, noting the look of contrition etched into his features.
"I'm not that bad. Don't exaggerate," he muttered, embarrassed, as he walked over to join them.
Hermione slipped aside as he approached, allowing Harry to pull him close and run his hands through Draco's hair, slanting his lips over his possessively and wrenching a groan from Draco's throat.
"I missed you," Harry murmured between kisses.
Draco eased back, glancing over at Hermione to find her smiling as she watched them.
"My project's done…" Harry added, releasing him further, tangling their fingers together instead. "I'd like to show you."
They made their way up to the bedroom and stood, once again, in front of the closed door.
Harry gestured at it and Hermione claimed Draco's free hand before pushing open the door and dragging them both in behind her.
The first thing Draco noticed was the glow. Fragments of multi-coloured light covered every visible surface like a kaleidoscope explosion. He looked up, stunned to find an enormous stained glass window above a wide window seat where a regular bedroom window had once been. Harry had created a sunset over a lake, framed nicely with flowers of every colour.
"Oh Harry! It's beautiful!" Hermione breathed, with tears gathering in her eyes.
"I wanted a reminder, every day, of that day." Harry reached for her hand, still desperately gripping Draco's, and they formed a circle. Draco could see Harry's throat move as he swallowed nervously. The memory of the day they had all come together for the first time flew to the front of his mind.
Draco and Hermione had been standing in front of the stained glass windows in the prefects' bathroom. Their robes had long ago been discarded and they were both in various states of undress. They had been so uncertain then, still hiding from the rest of the world, afraid of the pressure their relationship would face from all sides in the aftermath of the war. This place had become their haven. They had been snogging lazily as they explored each other's bodies with their hands.
The sound of the door closing had surprised them and Draco had tried to hide Hermione behind him before turning and locking eyes with none other than Harry Potter. He had expected to find anger burning in his green gaze, but instead had seen uncertainty, jealousy, and desire. Harry had surprised Draco by calmly walking over to them, and Hermione, still tucked into Draco's side, had reached out to place her hand on Harry's arm.
That's when they had all felt what had drawn Harry to their sanctuary, as their magic hummed and rose up, surrounding them as everything seemed to fall into place.
Draco shook himself free of the memory and squeezed his partners' hands tightly, overcome with the feeling of rightness that washed over him as they stood together in the space.
"This… There are no words—" Draco swallowed, trying to tame the rise of emotion in his chest.
They seemed to move as one to embrace him. Harry kissed his jaw, running a hand soothingly through Draco's hair. Hermione rubbed soft circles into his lower back under the hem of his shirt while burying her face in his jumper. It never ceased to amaze him that they always knew what he needed and gave it to him so willingly. He felt inadequate, at times, that all he could give them in return was himself.
"Happy Christmas, my loves," Harry hummed, relaxing into his embrace.
Draco looked into the other man's eyes and smiled. "I love you too, Harry."
Hermione stood on her toes and captured Draco's lips with her own before turning to Harry and repeating the gesture. His magic finally settled within him, content again.
"I love you both, my sweet, sentimental fools," she said, a grin blooming on her face.
She gently freed the front of his shirt from his trousers while Harry leaned in to tease at Draco's neck with his teeth and tongue. He shivered as pleasure rushed through him.
When Hermione popped open the button on Harry's jeans and started running her hands farther up under Draco's shirt in an attempt to remove it, he looked down at her and lifted a brow questioningly.
"Are you in a hurry, sweetheart? Have other plans we don't know about?"
"No, of course not. I'm all yours. It's just that I'd rather like to recreate some of the other things we did in front of those windows...before the sun sets and we lose all the light," she added cheekily.
Harry blushed violently and Draco laughed, reaching to undo her buttons without being told twice.
"I have to admit," Harry mumbled. "I thought of that, too."